SSS-Grade Cafe in Front of The Dungeon
chapter-168

Those who read the contents of the system window clearly looked relieved. They should be, because the name at the end of the notification was the most trusted name at the moment.

But I couldn’t help it. The sight I had seen the last time I looked through my grandmother’s notebook flashed before my eyes. The subjugation of the Demon ended in disaster and … a gruesome death.

It’s just a fantasy. It’s not a reality. This life would never end that way.

But why do I feel so anxious, as if I’m missing something……

Krrrr! Just then, a reptilian-like monster with a head bigger than my torso ran into the shelter. The evacuees had split up into emergency exits and transportation vehicles were making their way out. But it’s too late. At this rate, the monster would tear the vehicles apart in seconds.

“……Eternal Flame!” I immediately summoned Cthugha. With a slight drain of strength from my body, a man made of flame appeared before me.

“Help…..!”

I didn’t have time to explain the situation. Cthugha unleashed a powerful blast of flame at the horde of monsters.

Hyuuur~ Crackle!

My cheeks were burning from the intense heat. The flames reduced the monsters to ash in an instant. A ring of flames formed, blocking the monster’s approach.

“Hahahaha! You called me at the right time, granddaughter!”

Wooaah! As the monsters burned in the flames, a cheer rose from somewhere. The monsters kept coming, endlessly. As powerful as Cthugha was, he could not fight here alone indefinitely.

“Uh, come on, Hunter-nim, this way!” A government official urgently called out to me from the side of the emergency passage where the evacuation had been completed. I clutched onto Ash’s hand tightly once I was sure the evacuation was sufficiently done. Cthugha had my back.

“Ash, let’s go.”

“…Yes.”

The entrance to the passageway was right in front of us. I ran quickly and tried to push myself into the passage.

Kaang! A huge monster appeared through a gap in the opposite wall. It pounded the walls and ground with its thick tail.

“….ugh!”

Crack! The ground cracked and I lost my balance. My foot slipped through the crack, and the monster lunged for my head. Cthugha … no, it’s too late.

My surroundings seemed to slow down. I braced myself for pain.

Push!

Then, Ash shoved me back with all his might. He stood in front of the monster, his hand bursting with purple magic.

Kkaang! As the monster staggered back from the blast, Ash took the advantage of the moment and grabbed my hand. He pulled me up and ran toward the emergency exit.

“Huh! Huhh haah….”

Almost at the same time as I threw myself into the narrow opening of the passageway, Cthugha picked up the monster chasing after us.

Boom! Blast! Something exploded behind my back. The tattered ceiling collapsed from the monster’s attack.

“Ugh, ouch….”

“Are you okay?”

In the darkened passageway, as I staggered to my feet, Ash stumbled over to me.

“Ugh … yeah, I’m okay.” I was sore here and there, but nothing was broken, and my cuts were merely scratches. However, my hand was still shaking. It wasn’t just from the almost-being-a-monster-lunch crisis I’d just had. I squeezed Ash’s hand before looking around. He frowned slightly at the unusual tremor in my hand.

“Don’t do that.”

“What?”

“Earlier … Thank you for saving me. I would have been in danger if you hadn’t saved me, Ash.”

Ash smiled, almost invisibly. He seemed proud. No. I don’t want you to feel proud of yourself for putting yourself in danger. He’s a part-time worker in my house …. no, more than that, he’s my younger brother, my family. I want to protect him.

“But if you hadn’t been careful, you could have been in danger, Ash.”

My heart dropped when I saw his small back against the monster.

“…..” Ash gave me a pouty look.

“I’m not saying you shouldn’t help me, and I really appreciate it, but if you ever get in danger, Ash, I want you to….” I turned and locked eyes with him. In the blurry darkness, I could see the sullen face of my younger brother, who seemed to have grown a lot lately, “Never do that.”

Ash didn’t look all that convinced, but he nodded slightly, reluctantly, at my urging. I let go of his hand and looked around.

As the ceiling collapsed earlier, it seemed like Ash and I were separated from everyone else. I listened for a moment, but I couldn’t hear any other sounds. Cthugha had been dismissed. I tried to summon him again, but I didn’t feel any immediate danger, so I stopped.

My phone was … oh no, it was completely smashed.

“……What are you going to do?”

A damp breeze from the other side of the aisle ruffled my hair. Surely there must be a door leading outside not too far away.

[※ Data is being collected. Please wait for a moment.]

The system froze, displaying only this message.

I wanted to meet with Ki Yoohyun before the Demon God Seal quest began, so I could find out what was causing this strange anxiety.

“Let’s find our way out first.”

I shifted my feet.

***

Her hands were moving busily. Without taking her eyes off the monitor, Jina blurted out, “I swear, when this is over, I’m quitting.”

Shortly after returning safely from the rift with the help of the Choi Cedric and his sister, Jina had been stuck here. It was an analysis room with equipment that the Dungeon Management Office had spent a lot of money on.

The outside was chaotic with a series of rifts, but unlike the previous ones, there was something puzzling.

‘The monsters are terrified…….’

And the ether measuring device she managed to hold on to as the rifts exploded. There must be a clue to the identity of the Red Gate here.

“There’s someone who’s been saying that for ages.”

In front of Jina were three large monitors. They read data and respond to outside calls at the same time, which is why she was a beat late in responding to Kang Hyunwoo’s comment, “No, I’m serious, I’ve already written my resignation letter, and this time, I’m going to quit for good.”

Looking at the back of her head, Kang Hyunwoo smirked, knowing she wasn’t saying the truth, “As far as I’m concerned, Ms. Jina is someone who will work here until retirement age. She’s going to rise to the rank of Director.”

“Aaah, don’t say scary things.”

“Why, isn’t great? The first non-Awakened Director.”

It’s just a bunch of nonsense, but it sent chills down her spine. Instead of announcing her resignation again, Jina changed the subject, “You know, this is making me miss going undercover to capture Hunter Choi Yichan.”

“……I agree.”

The elimination of the powerful Hunter who stayed in the shadow. That had been their top priority for the last quarter. Thinking about it now, it seemed so peaceful. When she was chasing after Choi Yichan, she had no idea things would turn out this way … Jina stopped her hand. With a ding, the data analysis results appeared on the monitor.

“Team Leader, I found it! That gate …… leads to the Throne of Darkness. 92.3% pattern matches.”

“The Throne of Darkness?”

“Yep. It’s believed to be a dungeon where an Otherworldly God resides … it’s usually inhabited by a Demon God that never awakens, the Primordial Chaos.”

“……It must be dangerous.”

“Only if the Demon God awakens, by then it’s no longer within the realm of human power to do anything about it. We need to solve the quest before that happens.”

Just then, new notifications popped up on the monitor. None of them were serious. Jina fiddled with her hands again and turned to Kang Hyunwoo.

“There are some parts that haven’t been deciphered yet … Team Leader, I just sent the data, check …… eh?” Glancing back, Jina was surprised to see that Kang Hyunwoo, who had been there just a moment ago, was nowhere to be seen.

‘When did he leave?’

There are so few people and so much work to do. He must have gone to do his part. Jina shook her head once, then turned back to the monitor.

Click. Kang Hyunwoo closed the door carefully so as not to make a sound. He tried to set the mood, but it didn’t work. Kim Jina didn’t pay him the slightest attention.

Well, it’s rather comforting to see Kim Jina being her usual self.

Kang Hyunwoo wiped the smile from his lips and started walking. A system notification flickered in front of his eyes.

[The quest participants have been selected after rigorous testing.

Second participant: Kang Hyunwoo (A)

……(Now Loading)]

***

“Ash, be careful coming up.”

“……I’m okay.”

Fortunately, after about thirty minutes of walking, we found an exit off the passageway. I climbed up the narrow steel ladder first, then reached out to Ash. He looked reluctant at first, but then took my hand.

I peeked out through the doorway for a moment. When I was sure there was no sign of the monster, I opened the door. A cool breeze washed away the musty odor of the passageway.

“It’s okay to come out. There’s nothing this way.”

The exit led to an emergency exit behind a pharmacy. It creaked from lack of use, but I was glad the door wasn’t locked.

The gate in the sky was wide open. I had a rough idea of the location of the gate from what I could see here and what was written on the sign. It’s near Myeongdong Station. Being so close to the gate, the streets were quiet, indicating that the evacuation was already over.

‘Did I come in the opposite direction from the other people at the evacuation center…….’

I had arrived unexpectedly in the center of the crisis. I wondered for a moment what I should do next.

Should I go back to the store? But with monsters still pouring out of the gate, it’s not a good idea to move alone. It would be dangerous if I ran into a monster while trying to return to the store.

It’s better to leave Ash in another safe place. Not far from here is the headquarters and orphanage of the Demon Cult Twilight. There’s a protective barrier there, so he should be safe.

After that, let’s find Ki Yoohyun.

I … just want to make sure that he’s all right. Just that….