“Uwaah!!”

“Hey! Watch out!”

Screams rang out suddenly.

When I turned my head, I saw a few of our classmates standing dangerously close to the edge of the altar.

“Th-there’s a cliff here….”

“What is this place!? There’s no way out!”

“All I can see are mountains and the sky.”

“We’ll be stuck unless we can fly.”

They were right.

This dungeon had no paths leading anywhere else. The only space to move around in was this wide stone altar itself.

Let’s organize the situation first.

I steadied my breathing and thought it through.

Judging from the surroundings, we were clearly inside the independent special dungeon: The Altar of Ulmeji.

Everyone here was a first-year from Gwangcheon. We had just entered Magongham when we were suddenly teleported here.

But not all the first-years were caught up in it.

On this stone altar, I counted around thirty people.

Notably, the supervising teacher was missing, which meant they hadn’t been pulled in.

Not that it matters—no one outside could solve this anyway.

I scratched the back of my head.

Last time we had been warped to another floor of the same dungeon. But this time, we’d been pulled into a completely different dungeon altogether.

The problem was that the Altar of Ulmeji didn’t even appear in Latesai until the mid-to-late game.

Which meant that, strictly speaking, this dungeon shouldn’t even exist on Earth at this point.

That was how it worked in Latesai: many late-game dungeons appeared only after certain progress.

Just then, the air around us quivered, as if heat waves were rising from the ground. The world itself rippled.

“What the!?”

“M-Monsters! Monsters appeared!”

At the circular edges of the altar, countless monsters began to materialize.

“There are so many!!”

“Kyaaah!!”

Screams filled the altar.

Nearly two hundred monsters had appeared in a single wave.

First, let’s put out the biggest fire.

I drew in a deep breath.

“If you don’t want to die, get to the center! Now!!”

At my shout, the students glanced at me in shock, then scrambled to obey.

“Lumina, Meiling.”

I turned to the two of them.

“Wipe out the monsters. Their levels aren’t high—it won’t be hard.”

“How do you know that?”

“Yein, do you actually know what this place is?”

They asked in unison.

“Explanations later. Right now, don’t let anyone die. Use your real combat gear.”

They nodded sharply and armed themselves.

I readied my sling, loading a Spike Bomb.

“Nobody come near us!”

Meiling shouted, then unleashed her Dark Realm.

“Whoa!”

“No way!”

Gasps erupted around us.

Within the spreading monochrome field, dozens of monsters were erased in an instant.

As expected, nothing handled mobs better than Dark Realm.

“L-look at that!”

“That’s insane! How can she do that!?”

But the attention soon turned to Lumina.

Daggers in both hands, she moved like a blur, deleting monsters with every step.

Even hulking creatures turned to ash from a single light slash.

It was undeniably striking.

Looks like I don’t even need to lift a finger this round.

But in truth, it wasn’t that surprising.

Judging from appearances, these monsters were only Level 11–20.

Against girls who were nearly Level 40, armed with rare weapons in the 30s? This wasn’t a fight—it was weeding a garden.

In fact, pulling weeds might take more effort.

Still, to our classmates—ignorant of our real stats and equipment—it must have looked like a miracle.

In just thirty seconds, half the monsters were gone.

Focused entirely on Lumina and Meiling, the creatures ignored the students in the center.

The initial panic vanished; everyone was now watching open-mouthed, as if at a show.

“Lumina and Meiling… they’re on a completely different level from us.”

“They’re so much faster and stronger than during the exams.”

“So that’s what it takes to get into HAUT.”

“How can they be first-years like us and still be that strong?”

If they only knew.

The truth was bleak:

Lumina’s aptitudes might be low, but she had the cheat-like ability Stealth.

Meiling had both Vitality and Mind aptitudes at S rank, along with Dark Realm—an ability made for fighting crowds.

On top of that, I had equipped them with gear tailored to their powers, and backed them with my game knowledge.

Compared to them, the “average” students of Gwangcheon couldn’t even be mentioned in the same breath.

“…It’s over.”

Someone whispered.

And sure enough, the 200 monsters lay annihilated.

When Lumina and Meiling returned, the other students rushed over.

“That was amazing! Like watching gods of battle!”

“Are you even stronger than the teachers?”

Overwhelmed with praise, Lumina blushed at first, then gave an awkward smile.

Meiling, arms crossed, basked smugly in the admiration.

As I approached, the crowd instinctively parted to let me through.

I leaned close to the two girls, speaking low so no one else could hear.

“It’s not over.”

“Eh??”

Lumina’s eyes widened.

“What do you mean? The monsters are gone.”

Meiling gestured at the empty altar behind us.

“A second wave is coming. It won’t be hard, but don’t relax.”

“Second wave?”

Lumina tilted her head.

“What do you mean, wave?”

“They’re here.”

I didn’t answer directly, just nodded at the surroundings.

The world distorted again.

And once more, hundreds of monsters appeared—this time even more than before.

“Gasp!?”

“No way—it’s real!”

“This time, I’m fighting too. We’ll each take a side, protect the others in the center.”

I raised my sling toward the frightened students.

“Stay in the middle! If you draw their aggro, people will die!”

The warning hit home. Their faces went pale.

We split the altar into three zones.

Lumina darted like lightning through the enemy, blades flashing.

Meiling’s Dark Realm dragged monsters’ attention, erasing them.

I hurled Level 35 Spike Bombs to thin their ranks.

Bombs weakened quickly as enemy HP rose in later stages, but for monsters a tier lower, they were still more than enough.

Besides, with the Unique Item Item Sling boosting consumable effects and range, my job was easier.

“Wow… Nam Yein’s no joke either.”

“Every time he uses that skill, like twenty—no, thirty—monsters die at once.”

“At this pace, he’s faster than Lumina.”

“Wait, is there an ability that uses tools like that?”

My gut tightened. They were sharp, for extras.

“Idiot. Meiling’s using a staff with Dark Realm, right?”

“Oh… right.”

Phew.

One of the B-class students had kindly supplied the excuse I was going to make.

“But their gear—those are all rare, right?”

“Yeah. That crimson glow is definitely rare.”

“I heard the darker the color, the better the effects. But I’ve never seen such deep crimson, not even at the Hunter Mall.”

“Where the hell did they get those items?”

“So jealous… The best thing I own is just magic grade. They’re wrapped in rares head to toe.”

“And what’s that red thing Nam Yein’s wearing? Never seen it before.”

“D-don’t know either.”

Their chatter made me chuckle.

If they learned that every one of those items had been crafted by me, they’d probably faint.

But I had no intention of spoiling my secret just for bragging rights.

A short while later, the second wave was cleared.

I called Lumina and Meiling over.

“The last wave’s coming. This one will include a boss.”

“What kind of boss?” Meiling asked.

“No idea.”

“What? You sounded like you knew everything!”

“You’ll see. It’s random. We’ll only know once it appears.”

“Random?”

I nodded.

“Boss-class monsters usually have AoE skills. If one slips through, the others could get hurt. So we’ll have to stop it completely.”

At my glance, Lumina nodded seriously—she understood.

Minutes later—

“Uwaaaaah!!”

“Holy shit…!”

“Oh my god!”

The students cried out in unison.

“H-hahaha! Hahahaha!!”

One even laughed hysterically.

BOOOOOM!!!

With a crash, the three-eyed giant toppled forward.

And there, daggers in hand, stood Lumina—her stealth fading.

A long, deep gash marred the giant’s back, the mark of her newly acquired skill: Shadow Strike.

More powerful than Beast Bite, it boosted critical damage immensely—perfect for Lumina.

After all, every attack from stealth is guaranteed to crit.

That was the boss of the third wave.

The students had been floored watching a giant monster—clearly the boss—go down in a single strike.

After that, the three of us mopped up the stragglers—around three hundred more.

“How many did those three even kill?”

“Had to be at least seven hundred.”

“Insane….”

“Not even second-years—or third-years—could fight like that.”

“No way our seniors could.”

“They’re really the same first-years as us?”

“My brain hurts. It’s like the laws of reality just got flipped upside down.”

The chatter of the students drifted to my ears from all directions.

“Heh.”

Meiling was clearly in high spirits—after cutting down a swarm of monsters and basking in endless praise, she was glowing with satisfaction.

Normally, I would have dragged her back down to earth with a sharp remark. But right now, there were more pressing concerns.

Please… show up.

My eyes swept over the edges of the altar again and again as I silently prayed.

“Ah! Yein, over there!”

Lumina tugged urgently at my shoulder and pointed.

There it is!

A portal shimmered into existence where she gestured.

We all rushed toward it.

“Where… where does this lead?” someone muttered.

That’s exactly the problem.

The Altar of Ulmeji didn’t have deeper floors. It was a special dungeon where monsters spawned in three waves tailored to the intruders’ levels.

That meant the portal appearing at the end of the waves should normally be an exit leading back outside.

But right now, this dungeon isn’t supposed to exist on Earth.

Which meant there was no guarantee the portal’s exit connected to Earth at all.

“…Still, we don’t really have a choice.”

I murmured and stepped closer to the portal.

“Yein, wait!”

“Hold on! Can you just jump in like that?”

Lumina and Meiling tried to stop me.

“If we stay here and another teleport happens, we could end up in an even worse dungeon.”

If we got dumped into somewhere like the seventh floor again, that would be catastrophic.

If it were floors four and below, we might manage… but only the three of us. Everyone else here is barely Level 10.

If they got thrown into an open-type dungeon and monsters respawned in their midst, it would be a massacre.

“We’re leaving.”

I looked at the others.

“Standing around here won’t solve anything.”

But the students hesitated, feet glued to the ground.

“I’ll go first.”

Without waiting, I stepped into the portal.

“M-me too!”

“Don’t go alone!”

Lumina and Meiling cried out and followed me in.

The moment I crossed, a wave of dizziness struck. The scenery shifted.

“…Haah.”

I let out a long sigh.

Around me were half-constructed buildings, wide roads, and open lots. A familiar sight.

“Ah! This is the front of the Magongham dungeon!” Lumina exclaimed brightly.

“Tch. All that worry for nothing.” Meiling snorted.

I turned back. The dungeon entrance was visible in the distance.

Time…

Checking my smartwatch, I saw about twenty minutes had passed since we entered.

It seemed time had continued to flow while we were inside that independent dungeon.

One by one, the other students who had been warped with us reappeared around the square.

“Is that everyone?” I asked, quickly counting heads.

“Yeah. I was the last.”

A boy from Class A answered.

“First, we should contact the Academy. And don’t even think about running off to tell teachers or friends directly—it might drag you back into the dungeon.”

I pulled out my wireless earphones. Some students had already started moving but froze in place at my words.

I called my homeroom teacher.

[Ye-Yein! Where are you right now!?]

From his frantic tone, the Academy had clearly already learned about the teleportation.

“We’re near the Magongham dungeon. Everyone who was warped with me has returned safely.”

[…Thank goodness. Thank goodness.]

There was the faintest hint of tears in his voice.

“Are Teacher Allen and the others safe?”

[Yes. After the teleport, everyone left behind in the dungeon got out immediately. They’re unharmed.]

“Then should we return to the Academy as well?”

[Yes, come back at once. Ah… I’m so relieved. Truly.]

I hung up and faced the others.

“They want us back at the Academy. Let’s go.”

We headed to the nearest bus stop. The sudden sight of dozens of Hunter trainees in full combat gear boarding the bus drew plenty of strange looks from the passengers.

When we arrived at the Academy, Lumina, Meiling, and I were ushered into a conference room, where the principal and several teachers awaited.

It was clear why the three of us had been singled out—we were the HAUT-selected top students, and thus more trustworthy.

“Teleportation into another dungeon…”

Principal Im Seongyeon muttered gravely.

“It seems best to remove Magongham and Spirit Forest from the training list entirely. We can’t risk this happening again.”

“You’re right, Principal.”

The vice-principal nodded.

“And we should also consider suspending dungeon practice altogether until we’re sure this won’t happen elsewhere,” added Kim Sang-sik, Class A homeroom teacher.

The principal nodded, then looked at us.

“Nam Yein, Lumina Cueva, Chen Meiling—you three performed admirably once again. Without you, your classmates could never have returned alive from hundreds of monsters. Well done.”

Every teacher’s eyes turned to us.

My homeroom teacher in particular was beaming with pride.

Under their gaze, Lumina ducked her head shyly, while Meiling raised her chin proudly.

I simply kept my eyes on the principal.

“For now, go back to the dormitory and rest. In the near future, you’ll be rewarded for your efforts today. Teachers, please stay—we must discuss the matter of dungeon training further.”

The three of us stood, bowed, and left the room.

“What kind of reward do you think it’ll be this time?” Lumina asked.

“Last time it was unlimited outing passes and dungeon permits,” Meiling said excitedly. “So maybe this time it’ll be… a full three-year scholarship?”

“Waaah, that would be amazing…” Lumina murmured.

“What about you, Yein? What do you want?”

“Not sure.”

“What’s with that boring answer?” Meiling pouted.

Truthfully, rewards were the last thing on my mind.

This wasn’t about prizes.

Because of what just happened, all my carefully laid plans might have just gone up in smoke.

(End of Chapter)

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