NPLLD 01

Chapter : 01

Prologue

[Korea Fails Once Again to Conquer a 6-Star Gate]

[Once again, the crisis was resolved with the help of Japanese S-class hunters…]

[Prime Minister Kashida uses this assistance as a pretext to once again provoke remarks regarding territorial disputes]

[No major surprises expected in next year’s international raid]

As breaking news poured out one after another on TV, the hunters of the Management Bureau let out bitter complaints.

“Guess Korea vs. Japan is a thing of the past now.”

“No—honestly, did we ever stand a chance against Japanese hunters in the first place? Our country…”

“Still, we’ve got rising rookies. We should believe in them. Don’t you think, Seoyul?”

Seoyul, who had been watching the same news on his smartphone, looked at them with clear disdain.

“Shouldn’t our job be preventing accidents instead of wasting time talking about that?”

“Hey, we’re just talking. Why are you so uptight?”

“Seriously. We work our asses off every day, take all the blame, and those guys take all the money.”

It was the typical lament of a civil servant stuck in a rut.

Hunters of the Management Bureau.

Hunters in name only.

Most of them were mid-level, and the department was divided into three branches:

• Advance Division – preserves and auctions gates when they appear
• Rescue Division – rescues hunters and civilians when anomalies occur inside gates
• Surveillance Division – monitors and suppresses rank fraud and suspicious awakened individuals

Seoyul belonged to the Rescue Division, and his primary role was that of a scout.

At the moment, they were rushing to an emergency gate incident in Jungnang-gu, Seoul.

“We’re here! Everyone, get ready!”

At the command of Rescue Division Chief Lee Han, Seoyul and the other rescuers stepped out of the vehicle fully geared.

At the emergency stop site, a gate emitting a faint blue glow stood before them. Near the barricade, the representative of the Epic Guild, who had requested the emergency response, was waiting anxiously.

“This is the Rescue Division! What’s the situation?”

“We thought it would be an easy clear, so we sent them in… but we just received an emergency distress signal from inside.”

‘Not them again…!’

Seoyul and the other rescuers frowned and turned their gaze toward the man standing behind the guild representative.

A towering man around 190 cm tall, dressed in a suit.

Even standing still, he exuded an overwhelming presence.

His name was Baek Jun-hwan.

An executive of Overcross, one of Korea’s top three major guilds, his main role was managing partner guilds.

He was the one who had arranged for the Epic Guild to be dispatched this time.

Legally, there was nothing wrong with the situation.

But in order to secure more contracts, instead of increasing their own guild members, they frequently sent partner guilds to handle gates and took commission fees—a petty and exploitative practice.

If the gate was properly handled, nothing would go wrong.

But if a partner guild underestimated the danger of the dungeon inside—

It would result in a ridiculous situation where they failed the raid and were wiped out.

Just like now.

Seoyul and the rescue team, who had witnessed such situations countless times, did not look kindly upon this behavior.

The same went for Chief Lee Han.

Suppressing his irritation, he addressed the team.

“Rescue the Epic Guild members as quickly as possible, then collapse the gate. Any objections?”

“None!”

“Then proceed immediately. Execute!”

“Execute!”

The rescuers, including Seoyul, echoed the command loudly and dispersed.

At that moment, Baek Jun-hwan approached Lee Han and Seoyul.

“You’ve been working hard. May I make a suggestion, even if it might be considered rude?”

“What is it? Can’t you see we’re busy right now?”

At Lee Han’s irritated response, Baek Jun-hwan smirked.

“One of our guild members would like to enter the gate with your rescue team. That should be acceptable, correct?”

A vein bulged on their foreheads.

At first glance, his words sounded respectful—

But in reality, it was a roundabout way of saying he didn’t trust the Rescue Division’s capabilities.

Every profession has boundaries that must be respected.

And his words clearly crossed that line.

“What the hell—!”

Just as Lee Han was about to respond—

Seoyul snapped.

“It’s dangerous, so please step back!”

Baek Jun-hwan looked slightly taken aback by the sudden outburst.

“I haven’t received an answer to my suggestion yet.”

“If you interfere with our work one more time, we’ll charge you with obstruction of official duty. Step back.”

“Hey, Seoyul! What’s gotten into you all of a sudden? Calm down!”

Even Lee Han was momentarily surprised by Seoyul’s intensity.

“Hahaha…”

Amused yet irritated, Baek Jun-hwan bit his lower lip before glancing at Seoyul’s name tag.

“It wouldn’t be a bad idea to have a private conversation somewhere quiet, would it?”

“You already look quite ‘free’ as it is.”

Twitch.

Irritated by the insolent reply, Baek Jun-hwan glared openly—

But Seoyul ignored him completely and walked past.

“The gate is open.”

At the signal from a colleague, Seoyul and the rescue team immediately entered.

A moment later—

A wave of nausea surged through his esophagus.

What greeted them beyond the gate was a dungeon resembling a tropical jungle temple.

“This place is huge… can we even find them?”

Rookie rescuer Kim Seong-ho spoke anxiously.

In structured dungeons, it wasn’t difficult to track movement.

But in a dense jungle environment like this, traces disappeared quickly.

At that moment, Lee Han placed a hand on Kim Seong-ho’s shoulder and pointed ahead.

“Don’t worry. Our scout may be low-ranked, but he’s top-class even within the country.”

Wearing goggles, Seoyul sniffed the item handed to him by the Epic Guild representative.

At the same time—

His ability activated.

[Synesthesia has been activated.]

A red stream of light, formed through scent, drifted like smoke in a certain direction.

“I’ve located the Epic Guild. Beginning search.”

Seoyul’s eyes sharpened as he dashed forward, and the rescuers quickly followed.

BOOM!

Violent explosions echoed throughout the dungeon, threatening to rupture eardrums.

The Epic Guild hunters were desperately fleeing toward the exit—

Behind them, ghouls chased with blood-dripping jaws.

Ghoul.

An undead monster created when a necromancer reanimates a corpse.

Highly aggressive, physically strong—

But only 1-star rank.

Yet the reason they were driven into such a corner—

Was the failure to defeat the boss.

The dungeon boss:

Witch Doctor Karakl.

A creature with the upper body of a human clad in a black robe, and a ghostly lower half capable of freely transforming.

At present, its lower body had taken the form of a Phantom Steed.

It trampled through the Epic Guild party, its hooves striking the air in silence.

Dark magic spread from its hands, forming black pentagrams above the hunters—

Inflicting debuffs such as slowed movement and disease.

“AAAH! My skin!”

“Damn it, another debuff!”

“Healer!”

“Y-Yes! Just a moment!”

The party members panicked as black spots spread across their skin and their speed dropped.

Healer Han Chae-yeon clasped her hands and removed their status effects.

Freed from the debuffs, the party ran faster—

But Chae-yeon, lagging behind, stumbled over a rock and fell.

“W-Wait!”

She reached out desperately—

But no one looked back.

The ghouls slowly closed in.

“Eek!”

She shut her eyes in terror.

At that moment—

BOOM!!

With an impact like a mortar strike, nearby ghouls were obliterated.

One of the figures surrounding her turned and spoke.

“We’re the Rescue Division. Are you alright?!”

Chief Lee Han, breathing heavily, stood with a massive hammer on his back.

Rookie Kim Seong-ho cast a stamina recovery spell.

“Th-thank you…”

Barely managing to sit up, Han Chae-yeon looked deeply moved.

The Management Bureau was often criticized as incompetent—

But at least right now—

They were her saviors.

“Seoyul! What’s the situation?”

At Lee Han’s question, Seoyul immediately activated his synesthesia again.

The escape route was relatively clear—

But—

Something felt wrong.

“There’s something bothering me.”

“You mean we should run?”

No need to say more.

Seoyul nodded sharply.

“Run!”

Lee Han stored his hammer and hoisted Han Chae-yeon onto his shoulder before sprinting.

“Careful.”

Not long after—

Seoyul’s hidden skill, Sixth Sense, detected danger.

Invisible to others—

But visible to him—

A thin red thread stretched across the ground.

The moment Lee Han stepped on it—

Poisonous red gas erupted.

Seoyul grabbed him by the collar and yanked him back.

“It’s a trap!”

“Ugh!”

“Chief, are you okay?!”

“We’re fine!”

From beyond the smoke, the others shouted.

Lee Han exhaled in relief.

“Take the others and get out first! I’ll leave with Seoyul!”

“Understood!”

As the others retreated, Seoyul activated his ability again.

“I didn’t detect this trap immediately. Give me a moment.”

“Stay calm and hurry up.”

“Then stop talking and let me work.”

“You’re making this young lady nervous!”

“I’m not nervous! Wait—why would I be?!”

“I thought you were hanging there like dried fish getting a tan.”

“D-Dried fish?! Is this the time for jokes?!”

Despite just meeting, their banter was oddly natural.

Han Chae-yeon flushed in embarrassment, stunned by their composure.

[Casting Silent Wave.]

Seoyul used ultrasonic reflections to map the dungeon.

Unlike before—

This was an active skill-based scan.

Something he rarely used.

Because—

Drip.

Blood ran from his nose.

The sheer volume of information overloaded his brain.

Still—

He spoke calmly.

“I found the escape route. Let’s move.”

“Oh! That’s my boy!”

“Seoyul… are you okay?”

Worried, Han Chae-yeon tried to cast a heal—

But—

Seoyul grabbed her wrist.

“Save it. I’m fine for now.”

“…Okay.”

Her concern suddenly felt awkward.

But she couldn’t say anything.

Because—

Seoyul’s eyes had never looked more serious.