Crunch!
My sword lodged into the snow-white skull of the skeleton. Even after losing its arms and legs, the skeleton had kept squirming, but now it finally stopped moving. Then, its body turned to dust and vanished. This was proof that the skeleton had been summoned by a hunter—ordinary skeletons don't disappear like this.
'Let's see. Defeating the Treasure Skeleton gives 100 survival points.'
Eliminating a hunter grants 20 survival points per person.
'We've taken out seven hunters, so that's an additional 140 points. Total of 240 points earned.'
Still, we're at -722 survival points.
I shook my head, dismissing thoughts about the points. No matter how I looked at it, winning through survival points was impossible. There was just no hope.
'It's a shame we missed two, but this is still a decent result.'
Battles must have broken out elsewhere too. I estimated at least 15 hunters had been eliminated by now.
I unwrapped the bundle the skeleton had been carrying.
"Food… three servings of shrimp fried rice. Let's eat it all now."
"All of it? Shouldn't we save at least one serving for emergencies?"
"Carrying it around is a hassle, and it might spoil. Let's just eat it all. We can get more food at 6 p.m. anyway."
"What if something like yesterday happens again?"
"Running into Kang Seok-soo was just bad luck. With our skills, we won't lose to any other team."
Han Ha-rin nodded. By eliminating seven hunters, we'd gotten a good sense of their overall skill level. Even against mana-users, the reality was that most hunters couldn't mount a proper counterattack under our coordinated assault.
We ate the shrimp fried rice at a reasonable distance and examined the scrap of paper we'd found.
L-4.
"This is the so-called 'information'?"
"Seems like there's something in Area L-4."
I said it casually.
I already knew what this information really meant.
Area L-4 was a fake.
The "L" should be read as the consonant "ㄴ," which is the second consonant in the Korean alphabet. The second letter in the English alphabet is "B." The real location being hinted at was Area B-4.
I knew this because I'd already checked through hacking.
'They twisted it like a riddle. Most hunters would go to L-4, find nothing, and give up. Survival is urgent—who has time to solve puzzles?'
Unlike other clues, this one was deliberately convoluted.
'The treasure in B-4 is something game-changing—powerful enough to disrupt the balance.'
I planned to claim it.
'Only then can I execute my plan. If I head straight to B-4, it'll look suspicious, so I'll stop by L-4 first.'
The annoying part was that B-4 and L-4 were on opposite sides of the dungeon.
The organizers clearly didn't want to make it easy.
"Let's head to L-4 first."
***
"The Gukcheon Hunter team has arrived at Area L-4 and is looking around… but L Zone is a desert. There's no way anything's here."
Jo Seok-hoo commented while watching the main screen. The footage showed Seong Eugene and Han Ha-rin wandering the desert, where nothing but sand and cacti existed.
-"Maybe it's hidden inside one of these cacti?"
-"…Could be."
"Hah! They're destroying innocent cacti for nothing! As you can see, there's nothing inside!"
Jo Seok-hoo laughed. He welcomed scenes like this—if the broadcast was too serious, it'd lose its entertainment value.
-"…Senior. I've been thinking—what if it's not L Zone but B Zone?"
-"B Zone?"
-"Just hear me out. The organizers don't seem like the nicest people."
"Haha. Correct. Our director does have a bit of a mean streak. B-4 Zone, huh… Ms. Baek Ji-eun, what do you think of Hunter Seong Eugene's deduction?"
"Uh… well…?"
"If I recall correctly, you participated in the production of Dungeon Survival Reposed, didn't you? Do you know what's in B-4?"
Baek Ji-eun was indeed one of the association's representatives for the event.
"I was in charge of the monsters… I don't know much about hidden treasures in the dungeon."
This wasn't a lie. Her ability, "Binding," restrained targets, and she'd used it to capture monsters before the dungeon began.
"B Zone is a snowy region, right? Are there dangerous monsters in B-4?"
Baek Ji-eun smiled ambiguously.
"Hmm. That's a secret. Spoilers would ruin the fun for viewers."
"Just tell us. The editors will handle it."
"You're terrible at acting, Jo Seok-hoo. That's why I can't tell you."
"Haha. I am bad at acting. So… that means there is something in B-4?"
"Who knows?"
Baek Ji-eun smirked.
Soon after, the main screen switched to Kang Seok-soo's Aqua Stone team. As strong contenders, they dominated the broadcast time.
"The Aqua Stone team's Treasure Skeleton clue revealed the location of a boss monster. They've found it, folks! That giant tree is actually a D-rank boss monster—a Woodkeld. A tree that breathes fire."
Hong Su-won, watching the screen, chimed in.
"Woodkelds have high defense and stamina, with extreme fire resistance. But their mobility is terrible—about as fast as a turtle crawling. Exploit that weakness, and they're not hard to hunt."
He continued,
"A D-rank boss is tough for even a C-rank hunter to solo, but under Kang Seok-soo's leadership, Aqua Stone should handle it easily."
"Ah! Kang Seok-soo just threw an ice spear conjured by his magic! The real fight begins! Can Aqua Stone take down the D-rank boss Woodkeld? Let's watch together, viewers!"
20 minutes.
That's how long it took for the Woodkeld to die.
"20 minutes is an excellent time. With the 300 survival points from the boss… I'll say it outright. Aqua Stone will win."
Baek Ji-eun's eyebrow twitched. She composed herself and said,
"It's only the second day. Isn't it too early to call the winner?"
"I'm just stating facts."
"If you're so confident… want to make a bet?"
"What kind?"
Interest flickered in Hong Su-won's eyes. He genuinely believed in Aqua Stone—no, in Kang Seok-soo's victory. A bet was nothing to him.
"The loser donates 500 million won and kneels to apologize to viewers for their terrible commentary."
"...Hooh. I like it. Fine. But let's add that the loser also apologizes to the winner. Deal?"
"Sure. The conditions—you bet on Aqua Stone winning. I bet on any other team. Fair?"
On the surface, it favored Baek Ji-eun. She was betting on multiple teams, not just one.
But Hong Su-won nodded easily.
"An amusing wager. The cameras are rolling, so no backing out later."
"Oh my. That's my line… I'll return it to you."
They smiled, but the atmosphere between them was frigid.
"Hahaha! What a fun bet!"
Jo Seok-hoo tried to mediate, but it wasn't easy.
***
Dungeon Survival, Day 2.
Han Ha-rin and I secured the 6 p.m. food drop and spent time in a nearby rest area.
Our plan was simple: abandon monster hunting, conserve energy, and start eliminating other hunters in earnest on the fifth day.
Since we'd given up on survival points, it didn't matter if we stayed in the rest area for 12 or 24 hours. Of course, what we did inside—sex—was our little secret.
Dungeon Survival, Day 3, Afternoon.
We arrived at Area B-4. A snowy region. Everything was buried in white, so thick it was disorienting. Thankfully, the sky was clear, and no snow was falling.
"Senior. Your turn."
"Got it."
Han Ha-rin used gravity to clear the snowdrifts. The snow floated upward before being flung far away. After a few repetitions, an icy cave entrance emerged.
"Senior. Here. It's blocked by ice—we can't get in. Break it."
Kwaaang!
A gravity sphere from Han Ha-rin shattered the ice wall. We cautiously entered, followed by an association staff member with a camera.
Han Ha-rin looked tense. Caves like this usually had traps or monsters.
'But there's nothing here. This is it.'
I mimicked her serious expression. Acting too relaxed would raise suspicions.
Crackle.
Lightning illuminated the dark cave as we advanced. It wasn't deep—we reached the end in under a minute.
"Oh. A treasure chest. We found the right place."
"Wait! Don't approach carelessly! It could be a trap!"
I froze.
'Mistake. Hunters always stay wary around treasure chests.'
There was a small chance the chest itself was a trap or a mimic monster.
Every hunter hears it endlessly: Never let your guard down around treasure chests.
'There's just a piece of paper inside. Ugh.'
I couldn't say that, so I played along, carefully tapping the chest with my sword.
'…This is ridiculous.'
Not satisfied, I channeled lightning into the chest.
"Senior. It's just a chest. No reaction to lightning, and nothing feels off."
"Really? Still, open it carefully."
"Okay."
I sliced the lock off with my sword and pried the chest open.
Inside was a single sheet of paper.
-Check the tablet!
I sheathed my sword and picked up the tablet.
> The treasure you've found is the "Real-Time Map."
> Every 3 hours, for 1 minute, the locations of monsters and participants will be displayed in real-time.
> To activate it, face the camera and shout, "Real-Time Map!"
"Oho. Jackpot."
I grinned.
Now I had a plausible excuse for my actions.
"Senior. We might need to adjust our plans."
***
"The Gukcheon Hunter team! They've obtained the hidden treasure, the Real-Time Map, and are now hunting hunters instead of monsters! The other hunters must be terrified!"
Jo Seok-hoo announced excitedly.
Seong Eugene and Han Ha-rin, as natural-type ability users, were thrilling to watch in combat. Seong Eugene's lightning, in particular, was dazzling.
"…Isn't that treasure a bit… broken?"
Hong Su-won muttered sourly.
The Gukcheon team was running rampant. The number of staff following them had ballooned to six—matching Aqua Stone's coverage.
Baek Ji-eun smiled at him.
"It's a great treasure, but they earned it. And only a team like Gukcheon could leverage it this well. Others wouldn't stand a chance."
"…Tch. Even so, Gukcheon won't win easily. If things go smoothly, they'll eventually face Aqua Stone—and they're at a disadvantage."
Aqua Stone, hoarding survival points, only needed to survive. They could focus on defense or fight—either way, they held the upper hand.
"Gukcheon knows that. I'm excited to see their strategy. Who knows? Dungeon Survival Reposed might not even last until the final day."
"…Aqua Stone will win in the end."
"We'll see who's right."
***
Hey readers!
Want to read ahead? 📖 Join my Patreon for early access to 30+ advance chapters! Your support helps me write more and bring the story to you faster.
🔹patreon.com/aarvan🔹