###
Today’s peaceful stock discussion community.
It was a festival for the “ants”.
└ Ah, it’s a good time to buy stocks.
└ After analyzing it, I noticed a tendency for the stock prices to rise whenever a Perfect Clear notification appears.
└ Does that mean anything? Blessings don’t stack anyway.
└ It just feels good, right? That’s how the domestic market works—swayed by things like that.
└ There’s also the anticipation for the E-rank Blessing effect.
└ I’m really looking forward to the E-rank Blessing effect. It’ll probably be as amazing as the F-rank one, right?
└ Obviously even better.
└ Uh-oh, stocks are turning red again.
└ Why are they falling? Did the Perfect Clear Awakened die?
└ It’s expected to continue for a while. Sell early.
└ What are you talking about? We still have Blessings, and mana stones are pouring out.
└ That’s being stalled too, due to the dungeon anomalies.
└ The rumor’s already spread among the Awakened.
└ What dungeon anomalies? What’s taking my money now?
Rumors of a crisis began to circulate.
Finally, the government made an announcement.
<…This large-scale dungeon anomaly has been designated a national emergency. A special task force will be formed, led by the Awakened Management Bureau.>
└ Is something happening to the country?
└ So that’s why dungeon collapses have been increasing lately.
└ What’s this thing that’s crashing my stocks?
<Citizens and Awakened alike, we must come together to face this crisis. Please adhere to the following measures.>
The measures were as follows.
- All Awakened may only attempt dungeons that are 4-5 ranks below their current level.
- Each dungeon raid must involve more than twice the usual number of participants.
- Avoid targeting dungeons located in densely populated city centers.
Numerous broadcasts covered the crisis.
But for ordinary citizens, it didn’t quite sink in.
└ Is it really that serious?
└ They’ll just enact some preferential policies for the Awakened and fix it.
└ There goes more tax money from the budget.
However, soon even ordinary people began to feel the weight of the crisis.
<Breaking news: A dungeon overflow has occurred in a residential area of Sejong City….>
<Emergency alerts have been issued. Residents in the affected areas are urged to proceed to the nearest shelters….>
<The reason for the failed raid: Though initially an easy E-rank dungeon, it was upgraded to at least C+ due to the dungeon anomaly….>
As dungeons continued to overflow one by one, a catastrophe unfolded in Sejong.
<The estimated death toll is approximately 1,000….>
└ What the hell? A thousand dead?
Dungeon overflows were a constant risk, much like traffic accidents.
It was a danger everyone in the country had come to accept as part of daily life.
But a death toll of 1,000 was the highest in recent years.
The damage was enough to throw the entire nation into shock.
└ If there was an S-rank Word Mage, this could’ve been solved with a single Word….
└ Why was the damage this severe when it was only an E-rank dungeon?
└ Normally, an E-rank dungeon would result in, at most, 50 injured and a quick suppression.
└ What kind of response was this?
└ It’s because of the dungeon anomalies.
The entire nation’s attention turned toward the crisis.
└ What exactly are these dungeon anomalies?
Even ordinary people could no longer ignore it.
Whether you turned on the TV or checked the internet, all anyone talked about was the dungeon anomalies.
└ This is terrifying.
└ When is this going to end?
└ Nobody knows.
└ How can they not know? The government, the Awakened—somebody has to figure it out to solve it!
└ That’s the problem. Nobody can.
└ Don’t you get it? We’re screwed. Dungeons are just going to keep bursting open now.
Fear gripped South Korea.
###
A middle manager of the <Palan> Guild.
B-rank Awakened Oh Hyuk-jun.
One of his subordinates cautiously asked him.
“Director, this situation is getting bigger and bigger. Are you sure this is okay…?”
“The bigger it gets, the better it is for us.”
“But the death toll is 1,000 people.”
“Don’t worry. It’s the demons’ doing, isn’t it?”
“…”
“We didn’t do anything.”
The Abyss Legion Commander.
He was the mastermind behind the dungeon anomalies.
Palan merely acted as a relay.
They provided information to the Commander and scattered the anomalies’ medium into the dungeons.
At least, that’s how Oh Hyuk-jun saw it.
“Our lives are on the line with this project. How can you be so shaken already?”
“…I’m sorry.”
“The situation needs to escalate, and fear must spread.”
That’s when Palan steps in.
They share the list of anomalous dungeons and “save” South Korea.
The source of the list?
They’d make something up—it didn’t matter.
The media, being on the side of the major guilds, would back them up.
“Don’t feel guilty. Are we demons? No, right?”
“Yes….”
“The demons and we are simply business partners, each pursuing our own interests.”
Kyle had once evaluated the Abyss Legion Commander as a lover of devious schemes.
The purpose of this project?
To kill as many low-ranking Awakened as possible—those most vulnerable to dungeon anomalies.
The long-term goal was to shrink Earth’s future pool of promising Awakened.
For now, the changes wouldn’t be noticeable, but dungeon anomalies were just the starting point.
“Alright, let’s move on to the next step.”
“Yes, I’ll start the propaganda campaign.”
Their target?
The other top 10 guilds, excluding Palan.
Especially Seonghwa, their ever-resented rival and the guild that had even poached Aden this time.
###
Kang Hyun entered the dungeon and summoned Aden.
“A-rank disciple appears!”
“Why are you so hyped up?”
“Master, are you showing me that thing from last time today!?”
“Ah, that thing.”
She seemed eager to see it.
“Alright, let’s do it this time.”
“Yes!”
It was the perfect environment to use that.
Skipping ranks, they’d come straight to an E+-rank dungeon.
After walking for a while, monsters appeared.
“Uh… they seem a lot stronger than last time…?”
About ten bison-like creatures.
But their horns and glowing eyes looked far more ferocious.
At a glance, they didn’t seem much weaker than orcs.
And there were ten of them.
“This is E+-rank, after all.”
“What? Are you sure you’ll be okay? Should I assist you?”
“It’s fine. I’ve got that.”
Kang Hyun prepared his Word of Power.
【Die】.
“You see, no matter how strong the opponent, the mana consumption for this is fixed.”
Because it didn’t target their physical body but their soul.
“Really!? Isn’t that way too overpowered?”
“There are restrictions. Plus, the mana cost increases with the number of enemies.”
“You mean it works on multiple targets!?”
Originally, it didn’t.
But the system had assisted him in reaching this realization.
It also drastically reduced the mana cost.
Kang Hyun began reciting the incantation.
“Spirit. Soul. Essence. Ritual. Command.”
Sensing an eerie aura, the bison simultaneously turned to face them.
They snorted and scraped the ground with their hooves.
“End. Termination. Declaration. Fade.”
As the chant concluded, the bison charged all at once.
But.
“【Die】.”
Saaaah—
The light faded from the bison’s eyes.
Their massive bodies collapsed, rolling past Kang Hyun and Aden in the momentum of their charge.
Dust billowed up from the ground.
But one remained, still charging straight at them.
“Oh, oh! What’s with that one? Is it invincible?”
“Out of mana.”
“What!?”
“Nine targets is still my limit for now.”
Kang Hyun drew his sword from the air and swung it at the charging bison’s forehead.
The bison intercepted the blade with its horns.
He aimed to slice through the horns as well, but—
Clang!
“Huh?”
The blade was stopped cold by the horns.
Moreover, he lost the contest of strength and was thrown backward into the air.
“Master!”
Setting the horns aside, he was utterly overpowered in terms of raw strength.
“Tsk.”
This body.
It’s so fragile.
The bison didn’t stop, continuing to push Kang Hyun through the air toward a nearby tree.
But Kang Hyun still had a sliver of mana left.
“【Vera】”
In an instant, the sword cut through the bison’s horn as smoothly as slicing tofu, cleaving straight through to its skull.
Shhhk—
Letting the bison pass, it collided with the tree.
Thud!
‘I really need to boost my stats.’
He hoped Seonghwa’s support preparations would wrap up soon.
He needed those growth elixirs to pump up his attributes.
“Are you okay!?”
“Yeah.”
He flicked the blood off his sword and headed for the Black World Tree’s root.
He cut it down and placed it into his inventory.
As the inventory resisted, the space shimmered.
Woom—
‘It’s becoming clearer.’
With the skill leveling up, his understanding of the Words of Power deepened.
As a result, his spatial magic had advanced another step.
But it still wasn’t enough.
Before he could fully grasp the insight, the dungeon broke.
Clink!
[You have cleared the dungeon.]
[Assessing your performance rank.]
‘Tsk.’
Even so, he was so close now.
Just a little more until he fully grasped it.
His heart raced.
‘Spatial magic.’
An uncharted domain no one had ever reached.
Though Mila Roden had created the system that birthed subspace, it wasn’t her own invention—it was given by God.
The system’s infinite rewards and powers were all manifestations of divine authority.
The system merely connected the Awakened to the gods.
‘In other words, I’ll be the first to pioneer spatial magic.’
Just watch, Mila.
This master of yours will show you yet another fascinating realm.
[Perfect Clear! (Solo)]
[A tremendous achievement! You have completely thwarted the invasion of the World Tree!]
[Due to your achievement, a ‘Blessing’ will be bestowed upon the surrounding area! Everyone will praise your achievement!]
Now for the rewards.
[As a reward for perfectly clearing the dungeon (Solo), you are granted a special item.]
[You have received a ‘Bronze Box (+2)’.]
Skipping over +1 straight to +2—this had him intrigued.
“Disciple, it’s time.”
“Drumroll, please!”
Aden stomped her feet excitedly, adding sound effects.
Her enthusiasm made her chest bounce along.
[Would you like to open the ‘Bronze Box (+2)’?]
“Drumroll… Let’s go!”
“Let’s gooo!”
[Opening the ‘Bronze Box (+2)’.]
As the effects burst out, they shone slightly more brilliantly than before.
‘What could it be?’
Whoosh!
Ding!
[You have obtained the ‘Midnight Sunflower’.]
[Midnight Sunflower]
A sunflower grown in a land where the sun never sets. Increases Strength by 3 ranks if it is F- and by 1 rank if it is E- or below.
“Oh!”
A stat-boosting elixir!
Exactly what he needed after being overpowered by that bison.
Without hesitation, Kang Hyun popped the flower into his mouth and chewed.
Crunch, crunch.
A bit of the stem dangled from his lips.
“Oh wow! Is it an elixir?”
“Yeah. For Strength.”
Aww, healthy taste.
[‘Strength’ has increased. (F- → E-)]
A whopping 3-rank boost!
“Bleh.”
Elixirs had been hard to come by lately.
“Maybe they’re more common in higher-ranked dungeons?”
“That seems likely, Master.”
Next time, he’d aim for similar dungeons—
Simple layouts he could clear in one sweep using <Death>.
