The next morning in District 8 came in the form of half-lit clouds, a sky that looked like it forgot how to be blue, and the usual distant zombie groans two blocks away.
Kim Byeol-ha stood outside the crooked house with a bag of rations in one hand and a steaming cup of something-that-might-be-tea in the other. His black hair was lazily tied back, hoodie wrinkled as always, golden eyes half-lidded in his usual "I've fought gods, don't test me" expression.
"Mr. Na!" Byeol-ha called over the fence.
Their neighbor, Na Dae-shik, poked his head out, still wearing slippers and one of Byeol-ha's old shirts that said 'Don't talk to me, I'm introverting'.
This was their old neighbour other than Mr.Park.
"You heading back in again?" Na Dae-shik asked, rubbing his eyes.
"Yeah," Byeol-ha said, tossing the ration bag to him with practiced ease. "One week's worth. My brother's still in bed-rest mode. Make sure he gets the soft rice and not the military protein cubes."
Na caught the bag and peeked inside. "You gave me strawberry milk again?"
"You're a civilian. Live a little."
Standing behind Byeol-ha in various degrees of readiness and regret was the full lineup:
Eo-ra, adjusting her gloves and checking her blindfold (she still wasn't used to light, but her hearing and mana sensitivity were sharper than ever).
Bitna, helping her son Heechan zip up a slightly oversized jacket.
Seo-jin, trying to act like he wasn't dying inside.
Min-ji, tying her hair and talking animatedly with Bitna.
Jae-hyun, staring at the dungeon gate like it owed him money.
Min-ho, full of curiosity and nerves.
Jiwon, bouncing on her heels with a notebook half-filled with her own "field study."
And the two youngest, Heechan and Hwajin, sat on a crate with their cheeks puffed.
"You're all too happy," Heechan muttered, eyeing the new recruits.
"They think this is going to be like a school trip," Hwajin replied solemnly. "We were once like them."
"...We were fools."
"We were fooled..."
Min-ji leaned over to Bitna and whispered, "Do you think the rations will last? And do we have any pepper left?"
Bitna sighed, adjusting her sword belt. "I don't know what's more dangerous—running low on food or you cooking again."
"I made dumplings last week!"
"You boiled them in monster broth."
"It's full of nutrients!"
"Also tentacles."
Meanwhile, Jae-hyun was standing frozen. Literally. His boots hadn't moved in five minutes.
"I'm fine," he said to no one in particular.
"You're shaking," Eo-ra noted.
"I'm cold."
"It's 24 degrees."
"...I'm emotionally cold."
Eo-ra walked up and, with a quiet voice, said, "Hey. You protected me once, remember? When we had nothing but a cracked sword and two healing potions between us."
Jae-hyun looked down. "Yeah…"
"You were strong then. You're strong now. The dungeon hasn't changed that. It just wants to scare you into forgetting."
He took a breath. His hands stopped shaking.
"Thanks, Eo-ra. I needed that."
"Also," she added dryly, "If you collapse in the first five minutes, I'm leaving you for dead."
He snorted. "That's fair."
As the group began moving toward the dungeon gate, Byeol-ha wandered over to Seo-jin, who had been fidgeting with his blade strap like it personally offended him.
"You keep doing that," Byeol-ha said, "and your blade's going to fall out the moment something bites your leg."
"I'm just... adjusting," Seo-jin muttered.
Byeol-ha sipped from his tea and exhaled slowly.
"Listen. Life's not fair. You know that already. But the dungeon?"
He leaned in.
"The dungeon doesn't care what happened to you. It doesn't care if you cried last night, or if you were brave this morning. It doesn't even care if you've got potential."
Seo-jin stiffened.
Byeol-ha pointed a lazy finger toward the gate.
"The only reason you'll walk out alive... is because you were more stubborn than what tried to kill you. That's it. No destiny. No justice. Just you. Refusing to die."
Seo-jin looked up at him.
Then, without a word, tightened his blade strap and nodded.
"Good," Byeol-ha said, patting his head like a tired sensei. "Now let's go teach a goblin how to cry."
The gate shimmered, reacting to their approach. Everyone instinctively grouped closer.
Jiwon practically bounced. "Is it always this pretty?"
Min-ho adjusted his gloves. "I thought it'd smell worse."
Heechan whispered to Hwajin, "They still have hope in their eyes."
"Give them an hour," Hwajin replied sagely.
Byeol-ha raised a hand.
"Remember the plan: formation beta. Rookies in the middle, ranged in the back, suicidal in front."
Bitna called, "That means you go first, oppa."
Byeol-ha sighed dramatically. "My beauty is wasted on you all."
-
After the group's return to the dungeon, spirits were high.
Too high, in Kim Byeol-ha's opinion.
Min-ho was smiling.Jiwon was humming.Jae-hyun looked hopeful.Min-ji was already planning what herbs she'd collect.
This optimism needed to be… adjusted.
So naturally, Byeol-ha did what any reasonable, benevolent team leader would do:
He poisoned them.
Sort of.
"Line up," Byeol-ha said, twirling a small vial in his fingers like it was candy and not a source of upcoming screams.
The four new recruits stood in a row, slightly confused.
"What are those?" Min-ho asked, eyeing the dark pills that looked suspiciously like mini cursed stones.
"Supplements," Byeol-ha said with a smile that could only be described as suspiciously kind. "Body strengthening pills. Standard practice in certain divine-level realms. I got them from... a reputable war beast merchant."
"...That's not reassuring," Min-ji mumbled.
"Bottoms up," Byeol-ha chirped, tossing the pills into their hands like a shady pharmacist.
They looked at each other.
Min-ho shrugged. "If he survived it, how bad can it be?"
Famous last words.
Thirty Seconds Later
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHH!"
Jae-hyun rolled on the dungeon floor like he'd been lit on fire.
Min-ji was alternating between cursing in three languages and trying to punch the ground.
Min-ho was crying. Not quietly. Ugly crying.
And Jiwon had curled into a fetal ball, groaning, "The grass... is screaming... why is the grass screaming...?"
Eo-ra, who'd been sitting against a tree sharpening her blade, snapped her head toward Byeol-ha.
"WHAT did you give them?!"
Byeol-ha, completely unbothered, stirred his tea with a stick. "Body strengthening pills. The pain means it's working."
"Working?! They look like they're being exorcised!"
"Oh please," he waved dismissively. "This is mild. I once took one of these and my soul briefly left my body to file a complaint."
Eo-ra blinked. "How are you still alive?"
"Plot armor."
She didn't know what that meant, but she hated how quickly it made sense.