The Association command room was silent.
Too silent.
Gate C-17's monitor displayed a blank screen—no mana readings, no terrain data, no monster signatures.
Just darkness.
"That's not possible," a technician whispered. "Even collapsed dungeons leave residual readings."
The supervisor slammed his fist on the console. "Run diagnostics again."
"They already did. Three times."
Silence returned.
Then someone spoke.
"…The hunter came out alone."
All eyes turned to the entrance camera.
Kang Jinwoo stood there calmly, brushing dust from his coat. No injuries. No visible fatigue. No blood.
An F-rank.
From a dungeon that had just gone dark.
"This footage," the supervisor said slowly, "doesn't leave this room."
"But sir—"
"I said it doesn't leave this room."
Across the city, however, panic had already begun.
Guild headquarters lit up one after another.
Messages flooded internal channels.
Low-rank dungeon blackout reported
Boss eliminated abnormally early
Clear conditions unknown
Hunter involved: Kang Jinwoo (F-rank)
"F-rank?" a guild officer scoffed. "That's a joke."
"Then explain the dungeon," another snapped.
Screens replayed the leaked clip from the Association—the one where a single tap erased a B-rank test dummy.
No sound.
No context.
Just destruction.
A silence fell over the room.
"Find him," the guild master said. "Before someone else does."
Jinwoo walked down the street like nothing had happened.
Pedestrians passed him, unaware that a dungeon had nearly broken itself trying to evaluate him.
He stopped at a convenience store.
Bought a bottle of water.
Paid in cash.
Ordinary.
That was important.
His phone vibrated.
Unknown number.
He ignored it.
It vibrated again.
Then again.
He sighed and answered.
"Hunter Kang Jinwoo," a smooth voice said. "This is the recruitment department of the White Fang Guild. We'd like to—"
"No," Jinwoo said, and hung up.
The phone rang immediately.
Another number.
"We represent the Silver Crest Guild. Our offer starts at—"
"No."
Click.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Jinwoo turned the phone off.
"…Too fast," he muttered.
He had planned to stay invisible longer.
But the dungeon hadn't allowed it.
He looked at his status window.
It flickered faintly.
Not stable.
Not hostile.
Watching.
Status: UNSTABLE VARIABLE
Note: Observation increased
Jinwoo's eyes narrowed.
"So you are paying attention now."
That was fine.
He preferred it that way.
Because the moment the system started watching him—
It would start making mistakes.
And mistakes could be exploited.
Across the city, in a sealed underground room, a different screen lit up.
Not Association.
Not Guild.
Something older.
Colder.
[Anomaly Detected]
[Classification: Irregular]
[Level data insufficient]
[Recommendation: MONITOR]
A man in a black uniform leaned forward, smiling thinly.
"…So you finally appeared."
Back on the street, Jinwoo tightened his grip on the water bottle.
The plastic creaked.
"Good," he said quietly.
"Let's see who blinks first."