[Outside the Dungeon]
The night wind blew widely, carrying with it an uneasy tension.
Park Woo, the President of the Hunters Association, stood arms crossed, surveying the mass of hunters and reinforcements gathered outside the malfunctioning dungeon. His sharp eyes scanned every detail—the positions, the preparations, the anxious expressions of the hunters waiting for orders.
Turning to Kang Chin, his trusted assistant, Park Woo asked calmly, though the weight behind his words carried an unspoken urgency, "Have the families of those inside been informed?"
Kang Chin hesitated, then nodded. "Most of them, yes. But… the F-ranked hunter—we haven't been able to reach anyone. He isn't even registered in the system. No license, no record. It's like he didn't exist to the Association."
Park Woo's jaw tightened at that revelation, though his expression remained composed. "Then his chances… are slim," he muttered, the grim truth settling over them like a shadow.
Before they could dwell on the thought, Kang Chin's communicator beeped urgently. He read the message, his face draining of color. "Mr. President… the Lion Guild hunters aren't coming. Guild Master Beak Hyeon refused to send anyone."
Park Woo's lips pressed into a thin line, but his demeanor did not waver. "Beak Hyeon has never cared about others' survival," he said, voice flat, carrying the weight of bitter familiarity. "We can't rely on him, only ourselves."
[Inside the Dungeon]
The temple chamber shook violently, dust and sand falling from the cracked ceiling.
The hunters pressed themselves into defensive positions, blades drawn and magic at the ready. Monsters surrounded them from every angle—serpentine humanoids, enormous lizards, and swarms of smaller beasts, each one exuding lethal intent.
Cha Yeol barked orders, voice carrying over the din of combat. "Form a line! Don't let them surround us!"
Haneul's face was pale with fear, desperation creeping into his tone. "We can't win this! The monsters… they're… they're not even normal. And that snake—it's impossible to fight!"
Cha Yeol gritted his teeth, unwilling to admit doubt. "We fight until the end! No one dies without a fight!"
A sharp whistling sound split the air, and Cha Yeol's cry of defiance was cut short as a poisoned arrow pierced his shoulder. He collapsed heavily onto the sand, twisting in agony as the venom spread rapidly.
"Cha Yeol!" Haneul shouted, gripping his comrade's hand. "Sun Hee, now! The poison—it's moving too fast!"
Sun Hee knelt beside him, muttering incantations and pressing her hands to the wound. "This… this isn't normal," she whispered, eyes wide with disbelief. "Poison like this… it's crafted, not natural. And those creatures—half serpent, half human—they shouldn't even exist!"
Yun Jin swung his blade, cutting through a horde of smaller monsters, panting heavily. "I've never fought these kinds before either. Something's… wrong. All of this—it's beyond F-rank, beyond anything we've faced."
The weapons of the hunters began to fail under the immense pressure. Blades dulled against hardened scales, arrows shattered against exoskeletons, magic spells fizzled or misfired. They were cornered, encircled by relentless half-serpent monstrosities, whose eyes gleamed with predatory hunger.
The hunters exchanged brief, hopeless glances. Each knew the grim truth—they were running out of options, out of time, and perhaps out of life.
Cha Yeol, struggling to breathe through the poison, forced a rasping question, voice barely audible, yet cutting through the chaos: "Where… is… Beom Seok?"
A tense silence fell over the group as the monsters advanced, their snarls and hissed growls echoing through the collapsing temple. The unspoken hope rested entirely on the F-ranked hunter who had disappeared into the sands—the one who might still change the outcome of this battle.