Chapter 140: Entering the Dungeon to save Kang Ian

"Don’t worry. I will strictly ensure Kei remains safe."

She spoke in a gentle tone, yet her eyes burned with absolute seriousness and sincerity.

"After all, I am one of the five strongest hunters in South Korea, who can easily protect Kei from danger except me?"

Faced with Kang Mi-So’s unyielding gaze, Do Ae-Young fell silent for a few seconds.

She could distrust Kei, distrust Moon So-Yeon, and even distrust every single person present in this room. But with Kang Mi-So standing right by Kei’s side, she could no longer continue her objections unreasonably.

In the end, Do Ae-Young let out a heavy sigh.

"Fine. But the moment any abnormal signs manifest, Kei must immediately evacuate the Dungeon."

Kei nodded. "Agreed."

Moon So-Yeon breathed a quiet sigh of relief. She quickly rallied the team she had prepared in advance.

The group totaled roughly twenty hunters.

Aside from the five SS-rank hunters, the remainder consisted of A-rank and S-rank specialists skilled in reconnaissance, tracking, and trail-finding. They had been carefully curated to ensure they could detect even the minutest shift within this Dungeon.

At the tail end of the formation, Kei carried his tool pouch along with a few basic self-defense items.

Though entirely devoid of combat power, he was permitted to join the expedition primarily because Moon So-Yeon believed he might be able to achieve something within this bizarre Dungeon. If Kang Ian had truly been spirited away by a magic array, Kei was likely their best shot at uncovering a clue.

Stepping into a Dungeon in this world for the very first time, Kei had to admit he felt a mild flutter of anxiety.

The S-rank Dungeon gate stood before them, radiating a pale luminescence. A shroud of blue mist drifted silently within the portal’s threshold, as though lying in wait for them to step across.

Moon So-Yeon turned back to survey the group and instructed, "Conduct a final gear check."

The hunters swiftly confirmed their individual statuses.

"Kei, you must stay right beside me at all times, don’t you dare let go of my hand!" Kang Mi-So smiled gently as she declared it.

Kei offered an awkward, sheepish nod.

Kang Mi-So remained glued to Kei’s side, her fingers tightly interwoven with his without ever slipping away. Catching that sight from the corner of her eye, Do Ae-Young’s eyelid twitched violently, though she ultimately chose to hold her tongue.

She realized Kei possessed an inherently soft spot for women, and Kang Mi-So was exploiting that vulnerability to the absolute fullest.

Kei stared into the mist ahead.

An inexplicable, heavy wave of familiarity swelled within his chest, as though someone on the other side of that gate was quietly waiting for him.

Moon So-Yeon raised her hand: "Advance into the Dungeon."

The entourage of roughly twenty individuals stepped across the portal threshold.

The five SS-rank hunters positioned themselves at strategic intervals, the A-rank and S-rank hunters fanned out into a protective defensive perimeter, and Kei was secured safely at the dead center.

The blue radiance swallowed their bodies whole.

In the blink of an eye, they vanished entirely from Dong-San City, materializing instead within a sprawling forest whose boundaries stretched beyond the horizon.

The moment his boots touched the Dungeon floor, Kei instantly caught a whiff of a familiar aura.

It wasn’t the ordinary scent of damp foliage, nor was it the chilling aura typical of other Dungeons. Rather, it was a sensation that had lingered within the depths of his memories for an eternity, anchored so deeply that even a fleeting brush against it made his chest ache with a sharp pang.

He halted in his tracks for a fraction of a second.

Ahead lay a colossal forest, its towering tree trunks shooting straight up into the firmament. The leaves bore a dark hue blended with a faint blue luster, their surfaces glazed by a thin, flowing layer of light resembling circulating mana.

There were no roars of beastly predators, no buzzing insects, not even the rustle of branches stirred by a passing breeze.

The forest was terrifyingly, suffocatingly quiet.

Kei clenched his hands slightly, desperately beating back the surging tide of emotions threatening to breach the floor of his heart.

He couldn’t allow the others to notice his anomalies, and honestly, Kei couldn’t fully comprehend the turbulent storm raging inside himself right now.

"Do not break formation," Moon So-Yeon turned back to instruct. "Everyone sweeps the surroundings. Report immediately if you uncover any traces of the Guild Leader."

The hunters dispersed rapidly.

They moved with extreme caution, every single step checked and double-checked. An A-rank hunter dropped to one knee to inspect the dirt, while another deployed a scanning skill to sweep the adjacent tree trunks.

Yet, after more than half an hour of scouring, they still failed to unearth a single monster.

Not even a footprint belonging to a small critter remained.

"There are people up ahead!"

A hunter suddenly shouted out.

Moon So-Yeon instantly signaled the group to push forward.

Amidst the towering trunks, three figures were slumped against the base of a tree, looking thoroughly battered and utterly demoralized. They were the very three hunters who had accompanied Kang Ian at the moment of his disappearance.

Spotting the arrival of the rescue team, all three bolted upright to their feet, their faces etched with a heavy mix of remorse and self-reproach.

"Vice Guild Leader Moon!"

"Moon So-Yeon-nim!"

"You guys finally made it!"

An S-rank female hunter scrambled over urgently, her features drenched in exhaustion yet unmistakably radiating relief.

"We are so incredibly sorry! It was entirely due to our carelessness that Guild Leader Kang Ian was plunged into such danger!"

The female hunter choked up on a sob, genuinely drowning in self-loathing over her own perceived ineptitude.

"We waited here for ages. After the Guild Leader vanished, none of us dared to abandon this position on our own accord."

"Calm down. Fill me in on everything that happened."