The subtle tremors, once faint enough for only the most sensitive to notice, began to intensify. Soon, even the rubble scattered around them started to shift and vibrate. The once still atmosphere now churned with unrest. Jung Bin, frowning deeply, drew his black suppression baton.

“What in the world is going on…?”

Sayoung removed his gas mask.

“Jung Bin, has there ever been a case of sudden changes occurring inside an eroded dungeon?”

“None have been reported so far. Since this is still a dungeon type under investigation, anything could happen… but this is definitely unusual.”

“…….”

“There must be some cause. Changes like this wouldn’t just happen unless something was tampered with or discovered by accident.”

“…I agree with you on that.”

Sayoung let out an irritated sigh. Then it happened. *Crack!* A thin black fissure appeared in the pale sky. Both Sayoung and Jung Bin looked up at the same time.

A white system window appeared before them.

---

**[The dungeon is reacting to the title!]**

**[The dungeon is being restructured!]**

---

“…What?”

*Boom!* A deafening thunderclap reverberated through the sky, as though it were about to collapse. *Rumble!* The ground beneath their feet heaved violently. Even the two S-rank Hunters, usually capable of maintaining their balance, wobbled and stumbled. An overwhelming force, mysterious and powerful, surged around them. Jung Bin reached out for Sayoung…

But he couldn’t reach him.

---

How much time had passed?

Jung Bin slowly opened his eyes. *Blink. Blink.* His heavy eyelids moved with effort, and finally, his blurry vision focused on the ground—white dirt.

The ground? He realized he was lying face down, having passed out. Despite being able to withstand most pain, his entire body ached as though he’d been beaten, and he furrowed his brow in discomfort.

“…Ugh.”

He let out a short groan as he slowly pushed himself off the ground. The last thing he remembered was… dungeon restructuring. But what even was a "dungeon restructuring"? He had never heard of such a phenomenon. Could an already-opened dungeon even be restructured?

‘I need to find Guild Leader Lee Sayoung immediately….’

Moving alone in an unknown dungeon was suicide. Just as Jung Bin turned his head, he heard a soft groan.

“Ugh…”

The sound caught his attention. Was it Sayoung? Jung Bin quickly turned toward the source of the noise.

But instead of Sayoung, he saw—

“Ugh… I’m dying here… What the hell happened?”

A man in a bright blue hiking jacket lay face-down on the ground, grumbling like a zombie. Next to him, a woman in pajama pants was on her knees, retching. And a round, silly-looking chicken clucked and strutted in circles around them. The whole scene felt oddly familiar… and for once, Jung Bin found himself uncharacteristically flustered as he spoke.

“…Mr. Hong Yeseong? Ms. Yoon Gaeul?”

“…Hey, kid. Did I die and go to hell? Why do I hear Jung Bin’s voice?”

“Urk… Bluurgh…”

“Uh… you think this is hell? Yeah, I’m starting to think so too…”

“……”

“Coo-oo!”

The ceramic chicken locked eyes with Jung Bin and let out a proud squawk. Jung Bin, completely dumbfounded by the sight, could only stare in disbelief at the bizarre scene in front of him.

J closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The familiar air filled his lungs—calm and devoid of any smell or taste, despite the surrounding corpses and blood. That was the nature of the rift. Because of this, the bodies within the rift didn’t decay.

In a way, it was a blessing. It made finding them among the undecomposed bodies easier.

J began moving his body, starting with his fingertips, checking for any abnormalities. In the rift, where monsters could appear at any moment, the only thing he could trust was his own body. People died, weapons dulled. Blood, fat, and oil would make even the sharpest blade dull over time….

Once he had confirmed everything was in order, J opened his eyes—ready to face hell once more.

But.

What he saw was not the familiar ruins soaked in dark red blood.

"...What the hell?"

J’s face twisted in confusion as he looked around. There were no piles of corpses or monsters in sight—just heaps of white ash gently covering the rubble of collapsed buildings. He frantically scanned his surroundings, but all that stood out was a slightly crumpled white baseball cap lying abandoned.

He had seen that cap before. That belonged to...

‘...Yoon Gaeul, didn’t it?’

Nearby, there was also a long, sturdy staff lying on the ground.

‘That’s what Hong Yeseong received from me.’

Ah. Letting out a small exclamation, Uijae stood up abruptly. His chest heaved as nausea churned his stomach. *Damn it.* Uijae pressed a fist against his chest, trying to steady his breathing.

This wasn’t the rift. Uijae quickly sorted through his scrambled memories. Yoon Gaeul, Hong Yeseong, and he had entered the underground dungeon in Jongno 3-ga, and then a system message had appeared—something about unlocking a title. After that, the dungeon had begun to restructure itself, and before he could even process what was happening, a bolt of lightning had struck, and the sensation of the arms he had been holding disappearing was the last thing he remembered.

Uijae picked up the baseball cap and the staff. The owners of these items were nowhere to be found, likely swept away during the dungeon's restructuring.

‘Where are Yoon Gaeul and Hong Yeseong?’

There was no sign of anyone nearby. Uijae bit his lip, then closed his eyes before opening them again.

**<Eyes of the Tracker!>**

His now-glowing blue eyes quickly scanned the surroundings. Monsters. Monsters. Monsters. Among the sea of monsters, a distinct, burning violet flame flickered in the distance. Uijae knew whose flame that was.

Lee Sayoung.

‘Why is he here?’

Before the thought could fully form, his feet were already moving. Uijae sprinted through the white ash, his glowing blue eyes catching glimpses of the ruins and the many flames scattered throughout the dungeon. Monsters. Monsters. Monsters. This restructured dungeon was crawling with them—monsters he had encountered countless times in the West Sea Rift.

*Kieeeek!*

With a shriek, a nearby monster charged toward him. Without breaking his stride, Uijae leaped into the air and skewered the monster’s head with the staff. *Thunk!* Instead of blood, white ash spurted from its skull.

His movements were swift and precise, conserving as much energy as possible for efficiency.

Though not as powerful as Sayoung, Uijae could sense the four large flames clustered together in the distance. Two of them were undoubtedly Gaeul and Hong Yeseong. Given that Sayoung was here, it seemed they had entered the same dungeon as him and Jung Bin. The other flame near Gaeul and Yeseong was probably Jung Bin—it carried a warm, golden energy that only he possessed. The fourth, however, was unknown. Just as Uijae’s thoughts started to drift toward this mystery, Sayoung’s violet flame grabbed his attention once more.

Of course, he couldn’t be certain until he saw it with his own eyes. It could just be his mind trying to make sense of things. But...

*Damn it.*

Every fiber of Uijae’s being—his sharp instincts, his feet pounding against the ground, his body pushing forward—was telling him one thing.

*He had to get to Sayoung.*

The reason was unclear. Uijae swung his staff at the monsters charging at him, crushing their skulls like tofu. The familiar, dull thud and the vibration of the staff in his hands kept him breathing steadily. Uijae stopped thinking. He simply followed his instincts and ran.

The dungeon had abruptly twisted and contorted, giving rise to unfamiliar ruins. Lee Sayoung, who had been methodically wiping out monsters, eventually settled in a partially intact building, its roof still holding despite the damage. The entire space, covered in white ash, stirred an uncomfortable feeling within him, and he found himself not wanting to look at it any longer. He leaned against the wall and exhaled sharply, trying to quell the frustration building up inside him.

*'Jung Bin will find me eventually, damn it...'* 

Nothing was going as he wanted. Ever since Jung Bin had taken him to Nam Woojin after his collapse at the Artisan Exhibition, Sayoung had been unable to attend to any of his other responsibilities, constantly dragged to investigate various eroded dungeons.

*'This is why I never wanted to owe anyone anything...'*

Nam Woojin, who delved into the world's core itself, was the kind of man who, once he caught onto a clue, wouldn't rest until he uncovered everything. While other members of the Seowon Guild were also involved in the investigation, there were areas they couldn't reach, areas that required either Jung Bin or Lee Sayoung's direct involvement. That was the contract they had entered.

He clenched his fists anxiously. He had to finish up quickly and return to handle his other tasks.

It was at that moment when he felt it—a ferocious, wild aura barreling toward him, so powerful it made his skin crawl. He cautiously turned toward the opening in the ruins connected to the outside world.

Sayoung's eyes widened in shock. Through the swirling white ash that resembled a blizzard, he could see a grey figure charging straight toward him. His heart pounded uncontrollably. It couldn’t be. He didn’t want to believe it, but his body reacted with both doubt and anticipation. Why would *he* be here, in a dungeon of all places? Confusion and suspicion swirled in his mind. But despite it all—

Sayoung called out his name.

"...Cha Uijae."

“Lee Sayoung!”

The voice that responded hit him like a bolt of lightning. Sayoung stood frozen, watching in disbelief as Uijae sprinted toward him through the ash.

“You…”

“Are you okay?”

“A…”

“No, it’s okay. It’s just me.”

Cha Uijae burst into the ruins, scattering white ash in his wake. Without hesitation, he tossed the staff he'd been holding to the ground and grabbed Sayoung’s face with his hands, tilting his head to check for any injuries. Sayoung, still stunned, didn’t even think to push his hands away. He could only stare blankly at Uijae's face.

His rapid breathing, his pale and worn face, and those deep blue eyes that shone like the sea. Sayoung couldn’t tear his gaze away from that blue light. Thoughts flooded his mind like crashing waves.

*Why are you here?*

*How did you get here?*

*Do you even know where you are?*

*Who are you to be asking if I’m okay?*

But—

“You... you idiot. What are you doing in a place like this after collapsing? Are you out of your mind?”

Uijae's hands were so warm, and his voice asking if he was okay was so...

Familiar.

An inexplicable shiver ran through Sayoung's body. The words he wanted to say surged up his throat only to sink back down. His entire body burned as if he were being dipped into molten lava. His mouth moved, but no words came out. There was so much he wanted to say, but nothing would leave his lips. The thoughts tangled up and buried deep inside his mind clawed their way out, but only one sensation made it through.

Joy.

*I found him.*

Sayoung opened his mouth to speak, but just then, Uijae's firm hand covered it, silencing him. Sayoung’s eyes widened in surprise. But Uijae wasn’t looking at him. His sharp blue eyes were focused outside the ruins.

“...Stay quiet.”

He…

“….”

“It’s fine. Just be still.”

*Thud, thud, thud.*

The sound of enormous footsteps echoed throughout the ruins.