Chapter 31
Chapter 31. Garden of Dragon Swords
[Hyungnim, did you ever consider enlisting with a guild?]
[Yuna noona mentioned she could scout out a few decent guilds on your behalf.]
The suggestion caught me completely off guard.
Had this occurred back when I was just a run-of-the-mill D-rank hunter, I would have leaped at the chance to enter an organization without a second thought.
Ever since meeting Sia again, however, my entire reality had shifted so drastically that belonging to an official syndicate no longer offered me much practical value.
If anything, tying myself down to one might end up causing far more complications than real perks.
Even so, wondering what had prompted Yuna noona to make such an offer out of nowhere, I dialed Junhwi without delay.
[Hyungnim, weren’t you out on a date? You really didn’t need to ring me right away.]
“Ah, my girlfriend had another engagement lined up afterward. I just saw her off a moment ago.”
I offered up a smooth, convenient excuse.
[Ah, got it… Oh, right, hyungnim. You saw those KakaoTalk texts I forwarded, right?]
“Yeah. That’s why I’m calling. What’s all this sudden talk about guilds?”
[Pretty much what I wrote. Yuna noona didn’t have your contact info, so she simply asked me to deliver the message to you.]
“Understood. But why would she abruptly offer to arrange a guild for me? Do you know what’s going on, Junhwi?”
[Not a clue. Perhaps she just wants to take care of you since you’re a dongsaeng she’s known for ages?]
It seemed Junhwi hadn’t been given any clear explanation from Yuna noona either.
That only deepened my curiosity.
It would have made sense if Junhwi’s older sister had prompted Yuna to step in, but based on Junhwi’s reaction, that clearly wasn’t what happened.
Furthermore, Yuna noona had never even witnessed how I handled myself during an active raid inside a Gate.
Had she always been the type to pry this deeply into other people’s private circumstances?
What was her true motivation behind trying to place me into a guild?
“Could you let Yuna noona know that while I truly appreciate the thought, I have no intention of joining any guild at the moment?”
[Eh? Hyungnim, didn’t you take Yuna noona’s phone number? She said she handed you her card.]
“Ah, yeah. She did give it to me, but I ended up handing it over to my girlfriend.”
I explained that reaching out to Yuna for any matter might end up making Sia uneasy.
[Even so, wouldn’t a single quick call be harmless? If she’s willing to recommend you personally, she must view your potential favorably. Besides, didn’t both of you grow up together since kindergarten days?]
“That’s precisely why keeping our distance is the better choice.”
Recalling how sharply Sia had bristled at every subtle gesture Yuna noona made, I felt strongly that fostering any sort of connection between us was a bad idea.
If even the slightest link took root, I genuinely couldn’t predict how chaotic things might turn.
[Alright, I’ll pass your words along then. Oh, hyungnim, changing the topic a bit—do you have any interest in Dungeon Gates?]
The mention of a Dungeon Gate instantly caught my ear.
Broadly speaking, Gates were categorized into three distinct varieties.
The most standard classification was normal Gates, which were cleared the moment every single beast within was slaughtered.
Next in line were Dungeon Gates, which featured vastly different thematic settings and clear parameters, allowing hunters to challenge them repeatedly on regular intervals even after clearing them.
The final grouping encompassed Extra Gates, which defied categorization under either standard structure.
The Dungeon Gates Junhwi was referring to were comparatively much safer than ordinary rifts, serving as prime territory for building practical combat experience.
Since their internal layouts and entities reset on predictable schedules, unexpected variables were practically nonexistent once a raider learned the necessary routines.
Yet that very predictability meant virtually every profitable Dungeon Gate had long been seized by top-tier syndicates, who secured the operational rights to train their own internal rosters.
Consequently, an independent hunter like myself, who had never signed with an organization, had never once had the opportunity to step foot inside one.
“Why bring up Dungeon Gates all of a sudden?”
[My sister’s guild happens to be tackling one of the Dungeon Gates under their management tomorrow. The raid doesn’t enforce a strict headcount cap, so if you’re up for it, I can ask my sister to slip you onto the roster.]
An invitation to join a Dungeon Gate expedition was an undeniably rare opening for an unaligned hunter.
I had already been looking around for a suitable Gate to clear the following day anyway, so the timing couldn’t have been more ideal.
“I’d really appreciate that. Thanks for keeping me in mind.”
[Please, don’t mention it… You’re the one who saved my neck back then. I’ll message you the exact schedule, location, and the name of the Gate.]
Shortly after hanging up, a notification popped up from Junhwi with the specific deployment details.
[We are departing right outside the main gate of the Maple Guild headquarters tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. sharp. The Dungeon Gate targeted for clearing is designated the ‘Garden of Dragon Swords.’ The raid commander hasn’t been confirmed yet, but I’ll send over their info as soon as it’s finalized.]
Every detail seemed straightforward enough, except for one particular phrase that jumped out at me.
“Huh?”
Unlike regular Gates, Dungeon Gates did not collapse upon completion. Because of that unique trait, each one was officially christened with a moniker highlighting the striking characteristics of its interior.
And this specific rift went by the Garden of Dragon Swords.
For someone whose significant other was a dragon and whose ultimate objective was to command dragon abilities at will, the designation struck me as an eerie coincidence.
Out of all possible labels, why would this particular Dungeon Gate bear the name Garden of Dragon Swords?
Throughout the remainder of the day, that name lingered stubbornly in my thoughts.
When the following morning arrived, I stopped by Rokan’s residence before heading out to the designated raid gathering.
There was no complicated motive. As the man dating his granddaughter, I simply wanted to show my respects and share a morning meal with him.
At the same time, I hoped to ask if he knew anything about the Dungeon Gate I was slated to enter today.
“Rokan, I’ve arrived.”
“Come on in. What is that you’re holding?”
“Red ginseng extract. It feels like I’m constantly on the receiving end of your favors, so I wanted to bring a small token.”
I kept thinking back to how drained he appeared after fashioning my limiter previously, and the image had stayed on my mind.
Whether a tonic like this held any medicinal value for an ancient dragon was anyone’s guess, but at the bare minimum, offering a gesture of courtesy felt like the right thing to do.
“Well, thank you for this.”
“I brought our morning meal as well. If you haven’t eaten yet, we could share it.”
“That sounds wonderful.”
As we enjoyed the meal and conversed comfortably, I naturally steered the topic toward the expedition awaiting me later that morning.
“I learned that the Dungeon Gate I’m entering today is called the Garden of Dragon Swords. Does that ring any bells for you?”
“I have never heard of it. While hunters like yourself focus heavily on Gates, I have little reason to dwell on such spaces.”
I had assumed he might at least recognize the phrase, so his total unfamiliarity caught me off guard.
Observing my expression, Rokan gave an understanding nod.
“You were hoping to uncover a potential lead, weren’t you?”
“Yes, exactly.”
“Regrettably, I hold no helpful knowledge regarding that rift right now. Record some footage while you explore the interior, and we can examine the findings together once you return.”
There was nothing else to be done for the time being.
Even so, bringing back recorded footage might yield some intriguing observations.
The probability was slim, but it could potentially offer a subtle hint regarding the power resting within me.
Once our meal concluded and I was organizing my gear for the rendezvous, my phone chimed with an incoming video call from Sia.
[Oppa, good morning! Wait, are you inside Grandpa’s home?]
Sia’s tone carried genuine surprise at finding me alongside Rokan so early in the day.
“Yeah. I figured having breakfast together would be a good idea.”
“Ah, greetings, Shasha.”
Rokan greeted his granddaughter with fond warmth.
[Seeing this really proves Oppa and I share the exact same instincts. I was actually getting ready to visit your parents today as well.]
“My parents?”
[Mhm. Since our schedules might keep us from visiting them together for a while, I decided I should go greet them on my own.]
Sia lifted a massive bundle on screen, noting that it held presents she had personally selected for my parents.
Traveling out to greet my family entirely on her own could easily have felt awkward or intimidating for her, so from where I stood, I could only feel immense gratitude toward her thoughtfulness.
[Oh, right, Oppa. You mentioned you had a Gate raid scheduled for today, didn’t you?]
“Yeah. We assemble at ten. I’ll ring you the moment I make it back out.”
[Understood! We’ll catch up later then!]
With the departure time drawing close, we kept the exchange brief.
“I’ll be in touch again soon as well, Rokan.”
Stepping out from the lair, I traveled directly to the front entrance of the Maple Guild headquarters, our designated assembly area.
The scheduled departure was practically upon us, meaning the vast majority of the raid party had already gathered outside.
While I scanned the area, a man walked up to me.
“You must be Yoon Minjun, right?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
“I’m Oh Taeseong, serving as the strike team leader for today’s run. It’s a pleasure.”
Perhaps owing to his position at the helm, his bearing stood out distinctly from the rest of the gathered personnel.
He carried a commanding, broad frame alongside a distinctly rugged appearance.
“My brother-in-law told me plenty about you. You’re the one who pulled him out of mortal danger, right?”
“Brother-in-law?”
“Junhwi’s older sister is my girlfriend.”
That cleared up the mystery. He was Jiyun’s partner.
I hadn’t been aware she was currently seeing anyone.
It made complete sense now how an unaffiliated raider like myself had smoothly obtained clearance to enter an exclusive guild-held Dungeon Gate.
Ties forged through blood, school, and regional roots truly governed society in Korea after all.
“My brother-in-law expressed a strong desire to return the favor, so I agreed to lend a hand.”
“I appreciate the opportunity.”
“You preserved his life. Offering support where I can is the least I could do. Ah, look at me keeping you to myself when everyone’s waiting.”
Noticing his squad waiting behind him, Taeseong stepped aside and introduced each member to me one after another.
Most appeared to be a year or two older than myself, and aside from Taeseong along with one or two exceptions, the entire group consisted of D-rank hunters.
I had secretly worried that being an unguilded outsider might cause awkward friction or lead to subtle cold shoulders, but every member welcomed my presence warmly.
“Great to meet you, Minjun!”
“We’ve heard endless stories about you from Junhwi!”
“Just the other night while having drinks with Junhwi, he spent over an hour praising you non-stop.”
“Is that so?”
“Totally. It made me really curious to see what kind of guy you were. I’m glad we get to team up.”
Following our lively introductions in good spirits, our party loaded into the transport vehicles and hit the road.
The designated Dungeon Gate was situated roughly half an hour away by car from the Maple Guild facility.
“Minjun, did Junhwi share any specifics about the Gate we’re tackling today?”
“Only its title. I didn’t receive any operational breakdown.”
Likely due to its status as private guild assets, searching the database earlier hadn’t yielded much meaningful data.
“Have you ever set foot inside a Dungeon Gate before?”
“No. We covered the foundational concepts behind Dungeon Gates during academy lectures, but that’s about it…”
“In that case, let me walk you through the essentials.”
Taeseong, Jiyun’s boyfriend and our team captain, delivered a concise briefing on the rift we were preparing to clear.
He began by emphasizing that Dungeon Gates presented an entirely foreign atmosphere compared to typical rifts from the moment one crossed the threshold.
To illustrate, the internal environment of the Garden of Dragon Swords took the shape of an expansive plain where innumerable sword hilts protruded from the soil like endless rows of tombstones.
Furthermore, unlike normal Gates whose single victory condition required hunting down every beast present, every Dungeon Gate operated under its own specific rules of completion.
That fundamental rule aligned with what I had studied back in the academy’s strategy courses.
“For the Garden of Dragon Swords, the victory condition requires merely surviving inside the perimeter for a total of three hours.”
“That’s the only requirement?”
“Indeed.”
“…That sounds surprisingly manageable.”
Evidently he had encountered that exact sentiment before, as Taeseong let out an amused, booming chuckle.
“We have a guy named Juwon right over here who uttered those exact words, practically syllable for syllable, during his debut run.”
Taeseong gestured backward toward the raider seated behind my row.
Juwon clearly felt abashed by the callback, waving his hands frantically to defend himself.
“Hyung, that happened ages ago! Still, it really isn’t a walk in the park. Even though it’s strictly three hours, the waves of monsters assault you endlessly without a moment to breathe.”
Taeseong chimed in that while the assault was relentlessly exhausting, it remained within manageable bounds so long as everyone held their ground.
We discussed various mechanics of the Dungeon Gate, but the further the conversation progressed, the more I felt that a crucial question had slipped my mind.
Suddenly, the missing piece clicked.
“Taeseong, why exactly is this Dungeon Gate labeled the Garden of Dragon Swords?”
He had already described the landscape as being blanketed in protruding blade hilts, but by that logic, calling it the Garden of Swords would have sufficed.
What drove them to specifically attach the dragon moniker?
According to Rokan, no armament tied to ancient dragons, such as the Dragon Bone Sword, had ever been brought to public awareness.
Taeseong maintained a deadpan expression as he gave his response.
“The guild master took the name straight from a battle map in a video game he plays.”
“…Come again?”
I remained frozen in utter bewilderment until Taeseong broke into a grin, holding up a palm to signal his dry humor.
“Just pulling your leg.”
He had delivered the line with such complete seriousness that I had momentarily taken it as gospel.
“Positioned at the very heart of the Dungeon sits a massive monument. It portrays a dragon coiled tightly around a great blade.”
Taeseong carried on, revealing that the site contained additional secrets.
“Carved across the base of that monument are runic markings, presumed to belong to an ancient civilization from another plane.”
While I had never encountered such relics firsthand, I recalled reports noting that unusual ancient traces occasionally surfaced inside Dungeon Gates.
“Has anyone managed to translate the markings?”
“Only partially. From what I’ve been told, scholars have only succeeded in decoding a single sentence.”
“What does the line say?”
Prompted by my inquiry, Oh Taeseong pulled out his mobile device, brought up a saved record, and recited the translated phrase:
“’Here rests eternally the sovereign monarch who brought unity to the entire continent, wielding a blade sanctified by a dragon.’”
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