Dungeon & Commander

Dungeon & Commander – 16

Yeom Sang-taek slowly cast his spells, carefully observing what went wrong and how to succeed. Checking the clock, he realized two hours had already passed.

He felt a mix of satisfaction and bitterness. Despite his efforts, the results wouldn’t change.

As he was about to wrap up his training, he noticed through the menu that Simulator 4 was in use.

“What could a carrier possibly be training in the simulator?” Unable to contain his curiosity, Yeom Sang-taek pulled up the screen for Simulator 4. With higher access from Simulator 3, he could do this.

Soon, an astonishing scene filled his view.

A Goldisaurus charged forward.

Kim Joon stood confidently, wearing a store-back and holding a dagger.

He narrowly dodged the Goldisaurus’s charge and tripped the monster with his dagger.

As the Goldisaurus fell from its momentum, Kim Joon ran up and drove the dagger into its chest.

The Goldisaurus thrashed its claws but soon went still. Kim Joon scanned the area and extracted a golden core, placing it into his store-back.

‘What the hell is this guy’s deal?’ Yeom Sang-taek couldn’t believe his eyes.

Even if it was just a simulation, and even if the Goldisaurus was relatively small, a carrier killing a monster alone was unheard of!

Yeom Sang-taek watched in awe, his heart pounding.

After observing quietly, he noted that Kim Joon managed to kill the Goldisaurus once in five attempts. The rest were overwhelming victories for the Goldisaurus.

That translated to roughly a 20% success rate.

‘This guy is really something.’

The screen reset.

Kim Joon put down his dagger and store-back, then glared at the Goldisaurus. As it charged, Kim Joon turned and began to run in earnest.

‘He’s out of his mind. The Goldisaurus is so fast…’

Something incredible happened.

Despite the Goldisaurus’s superior speed, Kim Joon evaded its attacks by making sudden lateral movements and unexpected turns just as it was about to bite him. The Goldisaurus stumbled and even fell in confusion.

Kim Joon dodged the Goldisaurus for nearly ten minutes.

“Amazing,” Yeom Sang-taek muttered without realizing it.

Hearing the thunderous voice from above, Kim Joon stopped.

Yeom Sang-taek deactivated the monster option from the training menu, causing the charging Goldisaurus to vanish quickly.

“Ah, sorry. I was doing some personal training and noticed Simulator 4 was in use, so I checked it out.”

“Want to grab a beer?” Kim Joon called out, looking up.

“Uh, sure,” Yeom Sang-taek replied.

Exiting the simulator, Yeom Sang-taek found Kim Joon had already brought some cold beer cans.

The two sat side by side on a bench.

For a while, the refreshing beer down their throats made words unnecessary.

After finishing his can, Yeom Sang-taek spoke.

“…Sorry about yesterday.”

“A patrol car came by. The siren scared them off. I got lucky,” Kim Joon replied.

Kim Joon took a sip from his can.

An uncomfortable silence lingered.

Yeom Sang-taek spoke first.

“Do you train late every day?”

“Not every day.”

“What you did earlier was impressive. It would be tough in a real dungeon, though…”

Yeom Sang-taek regretted adding that last part but didn’t retract it. The simulator training and real dungeons were entirely different.

“I think so too. It’s just training. Want another can?”

“Yeah.”

Yeom Sang-taek didn’t have the strength to get up. His legs trembled from the aftereffects of intense training.

Kim Joon brought two more beer cans and handed one to Yeom Sang-taek. Yeom Sang-taek downed half of it in one go, feeling the alcohol take effect.

Under the influence, his pride weakened.

“Am I… pathetic?”

“Not at all.”

“You don’t have to say it. I know how foolish I am. A buffer with less than a 40% success rate shouldn’t be in a dungeon. No, they shouldn’t even enter one.”

“Maybe that’s not true.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your success rate is actually 42%.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’ve been watching you because something seemed off. Your posture is really good. You don’t waver, especially your lower body.”

“My posture?”

Yeom Sang-taek tilted his head in confusion.

“It might sound strange, but your fundamentals are very solid. Among Level 8 buffers, there are hardly any better than you.”

“……”

Yeom Sang-taek’s lips trembled. Tears welled up in his eyes, and his cheeks twitched.

This was the first time he received such praise.

It wasn’t just about potential or becoming a decent buffer someday.

His posture was good!

His fundamentals were solid!

He almost burst into laughter. He had longed for recognition, but from a carrier?

“You’ve never been in a real dungeon, have you?”

“How did you know?”

“If you had, things would be completely different.”

Kim Joon grinned. Yeom Sang-taek, with slightly widened eyes, asked, “What do you mean?”

“Can I try Simulator 3 once?”

“My simulator? Why?”

“Just curious. I want to give it a try.”

“…What?”

Yeom Sang-taek looked at Kim Joon in disbelief.

A carrier using a buffer’s simulator? That was unheard of.

The punishment varied, but usually, a carrier who did such a thing would be expelled from the guild. If word got out, they wouldn’t be able to join another guild.

Kim Joon waited patiently for Yeom Sang-taek’s decision without offering any further explanation.

Yeom Sang-taek looked at Kim Joon and nodded. For someone who had given him such comforting words, he could grant this small request. After all, it was just the two of them right now.

“Alright. But not for too long.”

“Ten minutes is enough.”

Kim Joon smiled and got into Simulator 3.

He emerged in less than five minutes.

“I have one more favor to ask.”

“…What is it?”

“Go back in and cast some buffs. I know you’re tired, but just once would be great.”

“Alright.”

Though slightly annoyed by the situation, Yeom Sang-taek complied, remembering the debt from yesterday.

He cast a light spell to dispel the darkness and then cast Speed Up. His body felt lighter.

“Huh?”

Next, he cast Strong.

Strength surged through his body.

Anti-Fire and Anti-Ice were successful on the first try. Cure and Cure Poison followed suit.

“…What’s going on?”

His drunkenness vanished.

He cast each spell three times in succession. All 21 attempts were successful. Not a single failure.

Yeom Sang-taek rubbed his eyes.

Since becoming an official raider through the awakening process, he had never experienced such a miracle. He disconnected and exited the simulator, asking in confusion.

“How… how did you do it?”

“I adjusted the settings.”

“Adjust the settings? That’s something only engineers do.”

Simulators were so complex and sensitive that it was generally best not to tamper with them.

“I’m just really curious by nature. I’ve tinkered with various things over the years, so I know a bit about it. You’re a rare case. The simulator couldn’t properly handle the unique flow coming from your body. It’s like your wavelengths are different. That’s why your failure rate was so high. I wouldn’t have noticed if I hadn’t seen a similar case before.”

“Has this happened to someone else?”

“Yes.”

“Who?”

“The Moon Buffer.”

“…No way?”

“Moon Hyo-rin was exactly like that.”

Moon Hyo-rin, known as the ‘Moon Buffer’ or ‘Moom Buffer,’ was a renowned buffer from Heavenly Soul. If Choi Min-soo was the sun of Heavenly Soul, Moon Hyo-rin was called the moon.

“I… I can’t believe it. Thank you so much. You really saved me. I was seriously considering quitting as a raider.”

“The master has a keen eye. He probably already knew. Yoo Min-jung was also in Jushin, so she would have recognized your value soon enough. Choi Moo-hyun has a good eye too. I just got a bit luckier.”

Yeom Sang-taek slowly shook his head.

Despite all the simulator training he had done since being judged as an awakened, no one had ever mentioned ‘settings.’ No one knew that adjusting the simulator could solve the problem.

Awakened individuals generally don’t pay much attention to others.

Instead, they commented on Yeom Sang-taek’s talent and effort.

Every time he heard that he lacked talent or wasn’t trying hard enough, his heart was torn with self-doubt.

If he hadn’t joined the Uramata Guild, if he hadn’t met this peculiar carrier, he might have lived his whole life with regrets. Just thinking about it sent chills down his spine.

Yeom Sang-taek slowly extended his hand.

“I’m Yeom Sang-taek.”

Kim Joon stared at the hand for a moment.

“Let’s start over. Think of it as if you’re meeting me for the first time. Forget about how I’ve acted until now.”

“I can’t do that.”

“……”

“Unless you get me a cola.”

Yeom Sang-taek’s face brightened at those words.

Kim Joon took his hand.

“I’m Kim Joon. Nice to meet you.”

They both smiled at each other.

Mission: Down Five

These days, waking up in the morning is a joy.

After a light shower, Go Chul-min moved his plants to a sunny spot and watered them thoroughly. Just touching the fresh leaves made him feel happy.

The good news from the Dungeon Association made his heart race.

The detailed investigation inside the dungeon revealed that it would open soon, causing the stock market to fluctuate wildly.

The expected opening date frequently appeared in the news.

The first raid is crucial.

If they could succeed, they could revive the Uramata Guild, which had been on the brink of collapse since Devil’s Day. They could grow stronger than ever.

Despite his rosy expectations for the future, Go Chul-min couldn’t completely shake off his anxiety. He went up to the master room and reviewed the past month’s training videos.

The results were inconsistent.

Some days, the simulation performance was astonishingly good.

It seemed like they were on the right track, but within days, they would face devastating defeats.

From a guild master’s perspective, the Goblin Team was problematic.

Nothing reassures a guild master more than a team that delivers consistent results.

A closer look at the training revealed the issues.

Yoo Min-jung’s actions were almost like a solo performance. She led the team with the pride of a high-level raider. While not inherently bad, it was far from the leadership needed to draw out the team’s potential.

Choi Moo-hyun was dragged along by Yoo Min-jung.

As a tanker, he should have been the stabilizing force, but he never questioned Yoo Min-jung’s commands. He silently endured even the harshest criticisms.

Yeom Sang-taek had grown remarkably.

His success rate, once at 42%, had soared to 89%. As he fulfilled his role as a buffer, his face was often adorned with a smile, and his words and actions exuded confidence.

Notably, Yeom Sang-taek had become close to Kim Joon, sticking to him like a shadow. Where Kim Joon was, Yeom Sang-taek was there too, and vice versa.

In simulations, Kim Joon silently performed his role as a carrier. Although Go Chul-min sometimes sensed frustration in his expression, he knew there was little Kim Joon could do at the moment.

Even if Kim Joon had the talent of a commander, it would be impossible for a carrier to issue commands without the team’s recognition.

“It will work out. No, it has to work out.”

Go Chul-min muttered like a chant.

At that moment, the potted plant on the windowsill fell and shattered. The petals scattered from the impact.

‘An omen.’

The guild master shook his head, trying to dispel the thought.

However, Go Chul-min, who was particularly sensitive to superstitions and jinxes, couldn’t shake off his unease.

Just then, Kim Joon entered the guild house, greeting him. He was drenched in sweat, likely having run from his home to the guild house again.

“Good morning, Master.”

“You’re early.”

Hearing that voice always lifted his spirits.

Go Chul-min quickly cleaned up the broken pot.

He decided to visit a flower shop later to repot the plant in a beautiful new pot.

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***

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The phone rang.

Go Chul-min, who had been reviewing the past month’s expenses, instinctively reached for his phone.

“This is Go Chul-min.”

“Hello, this is Jo Gap-yoon.”

“Mr. Jo, what brings you here?”

Go Chul-min lifted his eyes from the ledger. He tried to recall why Jo Gap-yoon from the Dungeon Association’s Financial Support Department would be calling, but his mind drew a blank.

“An auditor dispatched by the Dungeon Association will be arriving soon.”

“Ah, the auditor.”

Go Chul-min remembered the condition of receiving 1.5 billion won in support. He had forgotten because there had been no word for nearly a month.

“There shouldn’t be much to worry about.”

“Understood.”

After hanging up, Go Chul-min tried to focus on the ledger, but his mind kept drifting to why the auditor was coming now.

Once curiosity sets in, it’s hard to resist.

Go Chul-min picked up his phone and called an acquaintance, subtly bringing up the auditor.

Smaller, less affluent guilds had no reason to refuse financial support from the Dungeon Association. It seemed no other guild had been visited by an auditor yet.

“Are we the first?”

Go Chul-min tilted his head in puzzlement.

At that moment, he heard the sound of someone climbing the metal stairs, three steps at a time. It was Kim Joon.

The door opened.

“We have a visitor.”

“Really?”

Go Chul-min descended the stairs. A familiar face stood at the entrance of the guild house.

“Mr. Jo?”

“Haha, surprised? I’ve been assigned as the auditor for the Uramata Guild.”

“Is that so?”

“It seems we’re fated to meet.”

“Haha, it appears so. Come on up. Joon, get us some coffee.”

“Yes, Master.”

Go Chul-min led Jo Gap-yoon up to the master room.

Jo Gap-yoon looked around the guild house from the master room.

Kim Joon brought the coffee.

Jo Gap-yoon took a sip and then set it down, seemingly not liking the instant coffee.

“The facilities are quite good,” Jo Gap-yoon remarked.

“You’re too kind.”

“I actually came to discuss something important.”

His voice lowered.

“What is it…?”

“There are quite a few within the Dungeon Association who are concerned about the damage caused by Devil’s Day. If the dungeon opens and casualties are high, the government, which has entrusted all related authority to the Dungeon Association, might intervene. Therefore, the Dungeon Association is planning to restrict dungeon entry for guilds with a high likelihood of failure.”

“Then, what does that mean?”

Go Chul-min’s face turned pale. Without the opportunity, the Uramata Guild would collapse.

“It will be difficult to set a uniform standard to block entry. However, through a sort of test, guilds that do not meet the required skill level… will not be allowed to enter the dungeon.”

“When is this test?”