Across the mall, countdown timers lit up.
114:58
114:57
114:56
Tianzhu's brows furrowed in irritation. "Tch. We had to be stuck in a dungeon, at times. And that too, a Grade 3.".
Basically, dungeons are of three types.
1) Open dungeon, which generally encompasses a certain region like a forest, an island, mountains, etc.
2) A dimensional dungeon, which exists in a different dimension with its own space-time laws, but its entrance appears periodically at certain historical sites. They are mostly harmless, as no monster escapes from the portals.
3) Instant dungeon, which can randomly open up anywhere in the world, taking over a certain amount of space based on its grade. When it appears, the entire region it encompasses will be locked down, and everyone inside. No one can escape the exit. People can only enter this type of dungeon. Based on its grade, there will be a time limit for the preparation. The Higher its grade, the greater the time limit. And when the time limit is over, the monsters will flood the dungeon and massacre everyone inside. Until the boss monster of that dungeon is killed, the dungeon won't disappear, and over time, the dungeon will break completely, releasing monsters into the world, or the monsters inside the dungeon evolve, just like the Temple of Horus that Sungjun has gone. It was often the worst type of dungeon.
As for a Grade-3 dungeon like the one Tianzhu was trapped in, it has over 25-100 meters in radius, with over 120 minutes of preparation time, and will release from 50-200 monsters.
Typically, as if the gods want to give the innocents a chance to escape, every time a dungeon appears, based on the grade, people can still escape if they act within the first few minutes.
And right now, Tianzhu and his two adolescent children, alongside more than a thousand people from various floors who were currently shopping in the mall, were stuck in this instant dungeon.
However, strangely, the barrier materialized so quickly that barely more than ten were able to escape.
And now, with no choice left, some began quickly, hurrying toward the safe zone in panic, pushing others away in the process. Meanwhile, some still calmly put away their carts and followed the staff in a careful manner.
And there are some who seemed unhurried and continued their shopping as if this were a daily occurrence to them, or it might be because there were still two hours left.
Tianzhu tightly held Theo and Vera's hands instinctively, following the employee nearby who guided them. Together, they made their way to the nearest escalator marked SAFE ZONE -> CENTRAL ATRIUM.
"Please stay calm! Hunters are en route. Please move orderly!" A young employee nearby directed the traffic and tried to manage the rushing crowds, although his own voice was shaking in panic.
Around him, shoppers ran frantically, not heeding his calls at all. He got pushed by many, but he tried to manage, using his voice as loudly as possible.
*Uwaaa*
A child started crying as she was abandoned in the middle of a rushing crowd. The employee saw it, and his facial expression changed, "Damn it…" He tried to move, but right then, a blur of lightning filled his vision, which passed through the people like a ghost, and picked up the little child in almost an instant, dragging the boy to the side.
His eyes fell on a young man before two men in suits appeared behind him. One of them, someone looking in his 30s, has a scar behind his wrist. He spoke."Sir, you don't have to…"
Sungjun ignored him and kneeled to the boy's height. Wiping his tears with a smile, he spoke. "Now, now… this uncle here will take you to your parents, alright?" As the boy nodded, Sungjun finally glanced at the one who had earlier attempted to speak. "Tempest, bring him to his parents. They should be on the same floor, looking for him. Until you find them, he will be your responsibility."
"But, Sir…"
"Do it…" As his eyes turned sharp, Tempest nodded and took the boy, wrapping both of them in similar lightning sparks and disappearing.
Sungjun then turned to the other one, "Umbra, I want you to go incognito and search for those kids. Just stay hidden and observe them from the shadows, from far away. Only act when they face a life threat."
The other man in shades nodded, but after a pause, he hesitatingly asked, "Sir, may I ask something if you don't mind…"
Sungjun replied, "You want to ask why I was going through so much effort for those kids? And you wonder what connection I had with them?"
As Umbra stayed quiet, Sungjun said, "Speak your mind."
Umbra nodded firmly and opened his mouth. "We have been with you since you were a teenager. We never saw or heard either you or our late boss (Sungjun's father) mention the name of Han Seokjin at all. But you share the same surname. Ever since the accident a week ago, you have made enquiries about him, using all our resources in every continent, and now, you have even made a trip all the way to Hangzhou City… I wonder whether they are…" He hesitated a bit but slowly finished, "related…"
To that, Sungjun shook his head, replying with a prepared lie. "He is not related to Pavel or your late boss. But there was indeed a connection. You will know it when we find him. For now, we will do everything to keep his family safe. Now, go and do your job."
Umbra nodded and then, in the next standing, dark energy erupted from his body and swallowed him. He disappeared without a trace.
"Who… the hell are these people…" The employee mumbled in wonder.
*95 minutes left till the Rift activation.*
Meanwhile, Tianzhu, Vera, and Theo finally arrived at the atrium, packed with thousands of people. There was panic; screams were coming from everywhere. Some mothers lost their children, some were even injured, and many were, of course, scared as hell.
"Uncle!" Vera clung closer to him, her voice barely audible in this chaos. "They say it is Grade 3. That means the boss monster will be a Class-2, right?"
Tianzhu held her tightly and put up a smile. "Everything will be alright. No need for panic." After a brief pause, he looked to the side at his nephew. His face turned a bit serious. "Theo, I know what's going on in your mind, but you must not fight, understood?"
"Eh?" Theo was mildly surprised. "But this is an emergency. If we don't fight, who will save these people?"
To that, Tianzhu sternly replied. "The hunters will come soon enough and take care of the monsters. You don't need to try to play the hero. Just sit and wait like everyone else."
*72 minutes left till the Rift Activation*
By this time, more than thirty hunters from Starlight Guild and another ten hunters from Haze Guild had already arrived at the mall, entering the dungeon.
The Haze Guild Hunters came down to the atrium to protect them while the Starlight Guild Hunters went to the fourth floor, where the spatial distortion was happening—meaning, it is where the rift will be activated and the monsters rush out.
*18 minutes left till the Rift Activation*
Tianzhu sat there in a corner; Vera and Theo sat beside him against the wall, Vera sitting in the middle. The former had her eyes closed and was listening to music to calm her nerves, while the latter was constantly observing his father and the surroundings.
The atmosphere was calmer now, compared to an hour ago. It is not that everyone has become calmer.
If anything, more and more people began to worry as the time was ticking down to the last twenty minutes. However, at the very least, there was less noise and crying in the atrium. Whoever had separated earlier was reunited with their companions, with the support of the staff members of the mall.
Meanwhile, Umbra reached nearby and spotted them. As ordered, he kept his presence hidden in the shadows and quietly observed his targets.
Tianzhu, on the other hand, is also busy on his phone, playing an offline chess game against the Bot without a worry on his face. The probability factor was displayed on the side, the engine analyzing the bot's moves and Tianzhu's, giving a live score of 46.4: 53.6, i.e., Tianzhu was slightly losing.
He seemed so engrossed in the game that he didn't notice someone sitting beside him and observing his game for a while, too. As his eyes were darting left and right, all over the board on the screen to find the move, a voice obstructed his concentration. "Knight to F7."
"Eh?" Tianzhu cast a sidelong glance to the right and saw a woman looking at his phone and then at him. "Hi." She smiled.
She seemed Korean, and yet at the same time, she didn't seem like one. "Who…"