"Ha…"
Yoon Seo let out a long sigh.
Yoo Juncheol spoke cautiously, as if reading the room.
"Just so you know, almost all the awakeners of the families of the former Revengers… that is, the previous Revengers, have applied…"
Yoon Seo's expression twisted in discomfort. The names he had mentioned to Kwon Jihan earlier—the "names that should not be present"—actually referred to the families of the former Revengers. He believed that it would be difficult for them to engage in cold combat.
"I checked with an interrogation skill to see if it was for revenge, but that wasn't the case. Their sole intention was to protect the Earth. Like true heroes, they stepped up as awakeners for the sake of justice."
Yoon Seo remained silent for a long time. He didn't want to send the two younger brothers of Seohae into the Great Dungeon, even if they themselves wanted to go.
After a while, Yoon Seo muttered.
"Justice really is like a contagious disease…"
"…"
Neither Kwon Jihan nor Yoo Juncheol could say anything.
Seo Chaeyoon, who treated justice like a disease.
Yoo Juncheol thought it was out of character, while Kwon Jihan thought it suited him all too well.
***
In the end, Yoon Seo didn't exclude the two brothers and refrained from mentioning the temporary team members any further. He quickly brought down the confirmed list and carefully read through the candidate list.
"There are a lot of B and C ranks."
"Yes, we plan to keep as many A ranks on Earth as possible."
Of the 17 S-rank hunters in the world, only 13 are combat-ready, and among them, 10 will enter the Great Dungeon. There are fewer than a thousand A-rank hunters worldwide, and even if around 300 of them become the new Revengers, only 700 will remain on Earth.
"Even after you all enter, S-rank dungeons will still occur on Earth, so we can't send all the high-ranking hunters into the Great Dungeon. We need to keep a minimum number of A-rank hunters on Earth, and the firepower gap must also be filled by B and C ranks…"
Worried that Yoon Seo might suggest reducing the number of B and C ranks, Yoo Juncheol intervened. Yoon Seo remained calm.
"What I'm saying is, I understand. However, it might sound arrogant, but frankly, we don't need mediocre hunters for the Great Dungeon. In fact, even A-rank hunters… you can think of it this way: hunters below A rank will ultimately become the ones that S-rank hunters need to protect."
"…"
"And whether there are 300 A-rank hunters or 200, it's really not that big of a difference."
"Are you saying that 100 A-rank hunters don't make a significant difference?"
"Yes. In an S-rank Red-Black Dungeon, having one more S-rank hunter makes a huge difference, but a difference of 100 A-rank hunters is so minuscule that it won't affect anything."
"…"
Yoo Juncheol frowned seriously, while Kwon Jihan narrowed his eyes and studied Yoon Seo.
Yoon Seo couldn't meet their gaze directly.
Because what he had just said was a lie.
If 100 A-rank hunters entered, the attack or strategy would be significantly easier. In any war, having more people is advantageous. But Yoon Seo had said those words in an attempt to minimize the number of people who might die.
Kwon Jihan asked Yoon Seo.
"So how many do you think should go in?"
"Just the confirmed personnel would be enough."
"188?"
"Yes, 188."
Ten years ago, the Revengers had 1,203 members, and now Yoon Seo was suggesting only 188.
Even Kwon Jihan, who was biased toward Yoon Seo, found this reduction excessive and fell silent. The two shared a quiet stare, resembling a staring contest.
Beep.
Riceball, which had been happily playing alone, reacted immediately to the subtle tension between Yoon Seo and Kwon Jihan.
Beep, beep.
The little squirrel rushed over, making a fuss as it rolled across the desk.
Are you guys fighting? Should I turn into a dagger?
Kwon Jihan gently stroked the back of the squirrel, which seemed to ask this, while his gaze remained fixed on Yoon Seo.
"Hyung, I still think we need at least 300. 188 is really the bare minimum. No matter how confident we are, we need to have some psychological leeway to fully utilize our abilities."
"So you're suggesting we bring along some bullet sponges for extra comfort."
"Ugh, what nonsense. Do you really think I, the righteous and strong inner self recognized by the prickly and indifferent Yoon Seo hyung, would treat people like bullet sponges?"
Kwon Jihan exaggeratedly expressed his disappointment.
"We're not talking about people we need to protect, nor are they cannon fodder; we're bringing along comrades who will fight with us and whom we can trust our backs to. It feels a bit strange to say this after confidently declaring that we'll take revenge on the Gaia system, but 188 people just isn't enough to take revenge in a place that vast with so many enemies. I don't want to make assumptions, but think about what would happen if some A-rank hunters died. Their lives are singular. They won't come back and become reinforcements."
Yoon Seo lowered his eyes.
'Their life is singular.'
He found that statement ironic.
He didn't want to take lower-ranked awakened ones because their lives were singular.
But he also had to take lower-ranked awakened ones because their lives were singular.
The most ironic thing was that this was the right thing to say. Kwon Jihan always spoke the truth.
"How about 250?"
"If we're going to compromise, let's just settle on 300, hyung. You know I'm right."
"…"
From Yoon Seo's expression alone, Kwon Jihan seemed to confidently conclude the decision on the number of personnel.
"I'll pick 112 more. Contact the alliance that we'll have a total of 300."
"…Got it."
Yoo Juncheol didn't try to increase the numbers further and stood up.
"Now, let's select the people we can trust from these applicants."
Kwon Jihan began reading the first candidate from the list with a serious expression.
Yoon Seo had already made his decision, so he remained silent.
Yoon Seo and Kwon Jihan focused on candidates with higher defense rather than attack power, prioritizing support and healer types.
They considered those with significant combat experience, many divine protections, and those who had backgrounds as soldiers or police officers before awakening. They included most candidates who possessed mana recovery skills and cooldown recovery skills. Even though they had potions, the production quantity had limits. By the entry date, they planned to produce around 500 mana potions and about 100 cooldown potions.
"Hyung, what about this person? They have five divine protections and awakened 12 years ago. They're C-rank, but they likely have a lot of combat experience."
"I don't think we need any more C-rank shield users."
"What about this person? They're a healer now, but their previous occupation was a doctor with an impressive 20 years of experience."
"Doctor experience, huh… Sounds good. Let's include them."
The two worked diligently on compiling the list.
With only two weeks left until the Great Dungeon, they needed to finalize the list today and allow minimal time for preparation.
They worked diligently…
Who to include and who to exclude.
As time passed without him realizing it, Yoon Seo suddenly felt like he was choosing people who would die.
He stared blankly at the hologram, as if he couldn't read the text for a moment.
Yes.
This wasn't just a feeling; it was an undeniable fact.
I am currently selecting those who will willingly walk to their deaths.
Thud, thud. His heart raced violently.
When Yoon Seo paused, Kwon Jihan looked at him. After assessing Yoon Seo's expression, Kwon Jihan turned off the hologram device, stood up abruptly, and walked away. Yoon Seo didn't even register Kwon Jihan's absence and fumbled through his pocket to pull out a pill bottle. He felt like he would have a panic attack if he didn't take it immediately. He barely managed to open the cap and poured the pills into his palm. Five came out, and just as he was about to swallow them, his wrist froze.
Kwon Jihan grabbed Yoon Seo's wrist, unfurling his clenched fingers one by one, leaving only two pills and discarding the other three.
"Take them with water."
Kwon Jihan offered him a water bottle.
"…Thank you."
"No need to mention it, between us."
Yoon Seo swallowed the pills and took a sip of water. Kwon Jihan took the bottle back and securely closed the cap.
As Yoon Seo waited for the medication to take effect, he had futile thoughts.
He wanted to exclude those with families, those in relationships, and younger individuals… But that didn't mean that older individuals without families or partners could be sent to their deaths either. Could they not just take those who wanted to die?
Given those thoughts, they were indeed futile.
"Hunter Kwon Jihan."
"Yeah, hyung."
Kwon Jihan responded in a warm voice. The two gazed at each other.
Looking into Kwon Jihan's gentle gray eyes, Yoon Seo spoke slowly.
"We vowed to take revenge against the Gaia system."
"…Yeah, I said that."
"So I want to say this…"
"..."
"If even a single person dies, I will consider that a failure of our revenge."
"..."
"No one must die. If even one does, we will never be able to take revenge. And we will have lost forever. Even if we succeed in the raid, it would still be a failure."
"Okay, I understand."
Kwon Jihan nodded.
"I feel the same way, hyung. I agree. It will be tough, but let's do our best."
"..."
Kwon Jihan extended his hand, as if to propose a handshake. Yoon Seo stared at his thick fingers for a moment before clasping his hand.
Kwon Jihan didn't suggest stopping or say he would do it alone if it became too difficult. He waited patiently for Yoon Seo to stabilize, playing with Riceball until Yoon Seo finally felt ready to start again and then turned on the hologram device.
After several hours, they completed the final list and sent it to Yoo Juncheol.
Within ten minutes, individual contacts were made to those listed. Yoon Seo tried to imagine their reactions but gave up when it only made his head hurt.
The final list was out, and now there were only two weeks left.
The Great Dungeon was just around the corner.
"Ha…"
Yoon Seo let out a long sigh.
Yoo Juncheol spoke cautiously, as if reading the room.
"Just so you know, almost all the awakeners of the families of the former Revengers… that is, the previous Revengers, have applied…"
Yoon Seo's expression twisted in discomfort. The names he had mentioned to Kwon Jihan earlier—the "names that should not be present"—actually referred to the families of the former Revengers. He believed that it would be difficult for them to engage in cold combat.
"I checked with an interrogation skill to see if it was for revenge, but that wasn't the case. Their sole intention was to protect the Earth. Like true heroes, they stepped up as awakeners for the sake of justice."
Yoon Seo remained silent for a long time. He didn't want to send the two younger brothers of Seohae into the Great Dungeon, even if they themselves wanted to go.
After a while, Yoon Seo muttered.
"Justice really is like a contagious disease…"
"…"
Neither Kwon Jihan nor Yoo Juncheol could say anything.
Seo Chaeyoon, who treated justice like a disease.
Yoo Juncheol thought it was out of character, while Kwon Jihan thought it suited him all too well.
***
In the end, Yoon Seo didn't exclude the two brothers and refrained from mentioning the temporary team members any further. He quickly brought down the confirmed list and carefully read through the candidate list.
"There are a lot of B and C ranks."
"Yes, we plan to keep as many A ranks on Earth as possible."
Of the 17 S-rank hunters in the world, only 13 are combat-ready, and among them, 10 will enter the Great Dungeon. There are fewer than a thousand A-rank hunters worldwide, and even if around 300 of them become the new Revengers, only 700 will remain on Earth.
"Even after you all enter, S-rank dungeons will still occur on Earth, so we can't send all the high-ranking hunters into the Great Dungeon. We need to keep a minimum number of A-rank hunters on Earth, and the firepower gap must also be filled by B and C ranks…"
Worried that Yoon Seo might suggest reducing the number of B and C ranks, Yoo Juncheol intervened. Yoon Seo remained calm.
"What I'm saying is, I understand. However, it might sound arrogant, but frankly, we don't need mediocre hunters for the Great Dungeon. In fact, even A-rank hunters… you can think of it this way: hunters below A rank will ultimately become the ones that S-rank hunters need to protect."
"…"
"And whether there are 300 A-rank hunters or 200, it's really not that big of a difference."
"Are you saying that 100 A-rank hunters don't make a significant difference?"
"Yes. In an S-rank Red-Black Dungeon, having one more S-rank hunter makes a huge difference, but a difference of 100 A-rank hunters is so minuscule that it won't affect anything."
"…"
Yoo Juncheol frowned seriously, while Kwon Jihan narrowed his eyes and studied Yoon Seo.
Yoon Seo couldn't meet their gaze directly.
Because what he had just said was a lie.
If 100 A-rank hunters entered, the attack or strategy would be significantly easier. In any war, having more people is advantageous. But Yoon Seo had said those words in an attempt to minimize the number of people who might die.
Kwon Jihan asked Yoon Seo.
"So how many do you think should go in?"
"Just the confirmed personnel would be enough."
"188?"
"Yes, 188."
Ten years ago, the Revengers had 1,203 members, and now Yoon Seo was suggesting only 188.
Even Kwon Jihan, who was biased toward Yoon Seo, found this reduction excessive and fell silent. The two shared a quiet stare, resembling a staring contest.
Beep.
Riceball, which had been happily playing alone, reacted immediately to the subtle tension between Yoon Seo and Kwon Jihan.
Beep, beep.
The little squirrel rushed over, making a fuss as it rolled across the desk.
Are you guys fighting? Should I turn into a dagger?
Kwon Jihan gently stroked the back of the squirrel, which seemed to ask this, while his gaze remained fixed on Yoon Seo.
"Hyung, I still think we need at least 300. 188 is really the bare minimum. No matter how confident we are, we need to have some psychological leeway to fully utilize our abilities."
"So you're suggesting we bring along some bullet sponges for extra comfort."
"Ugh, what nonsense. Do you really think I, the righteous and strong inner self recognized by the prickly and indifferent Yoon Seo hyung, would treat people like bullet sponges?"
Kwon Jihan exaggeratedly expressed his disappointment.
"We're not talking about people we need to protect, nor are they cannon fodder; we're bringing along comrades who will fight with us and whom we can trust our backs to. It feels a bit strange to say this after confidently declaring that we'll take revenge on the Gaia system, but 188 people just isn't enough to take revenge in a place that vast with so many enemies. I don't want to make assumptions, but think about what would happen if some A-rank hunters died. Their lives are singular. They won't come back and become reinforcements."
Yoon Seo lowered his eyes.
'Their life is singular.'
He found that statement ironic.
He didn't want to take lower-ranked awakened ones because their lives were singular.
But he also had to take lower-ranked awakened ones because their lives were singular.
The most ironic thing was that this was the right thing to say. Kwon Jihan always spoke the truth.
"How about 250?"
"If we're going to compromise, let's just settle on 300, hyung. You know I'm right."
"…"
From Yoon Seo's expression alone, Kwon Jihan seemed to confidently conclude the decision on the number of personnel.
"I'll pick 112 more. Contact the alliance that we'll have a total of 300."
"…Got it."
Yoo Juncheol didn't try to increase the numbers further and stood up.
"Now, let's select the people we can trust from these applicants."
Kwon Jihan began reading the first candidate from the list with a serious expression.
Yoon Seo had already made his decision, so he remained silent.
Yoon Seo and Kwon Jihan focused on candidates with higher defense rather than attack power, prioritizing support and healer types.
They considered those with significant combat experience, many divine protections, and those who had backgrounds as soldiers or police officers before awakening. They included most candidates who possessed mana recovery skills and cooldown recovery skills. Even though they had potions, the production quantity had limits. By the entry date, they planned to produce around 500 mana potions and about 100 cooldown potions.
"Hyung, what about this person? They have five divine protections and awakened 12 years ago. They're C-rank, but they likely have a lot of combat experience."
"I don't think we need any more C-rank shield users."
"What about this person? They're a healer now, but their previous occupation was a doctor with an impressive 20 years of experience."
"Doctor experience, huh… Sounds good. Let's include them."
The two worked diligently on compiling the list.
With only two weeks left until the Great Dungeon, they needed to finalize the list today and allow minimal time for preparation.
They worked diligently…
Who to include and who to exclude.
As time passed without him realizing it, Yoon Seo suddenly felt like he was choosing people who would die.
He stared blankly at the hologram, as if he couldn't read the text for a moment.
Yes.
This wasn't just a feeling; it was an undeniable fact.
I am currently selecting those who will willingly walk to their deaths.
Thud, thud. His heart raced violently.
When Yoon Seo paused, Kwon Jihan looked at him. After assessing Yoon Seo's expression, Kwon Jihan turned off the hologram device, stood up abruptly, and walked away. Yoon Seo didn't even register Kwon Jihan's absence and fumbled through his pocket to pull out a pill bottle. He felt like he would have a panic attack if he didn't take it immediately. He barely managed to open the cap and poured the pills into his palm. Five came out, and just as he was about to swallow them, his wrist froze.
Kwon Jihan grabbed Yoon Seo's wrist, unfurling his clenched fingers one by one, leaving only two pills and discarding the other three.
"Take them with water."
Kwon Jihan offered him a water bottle.
"…Thank you."
"No need to mention it, between us."
Yoon Seo swallowed the pills and took a sip of water. Kwon Jihan took the bottle back and securely closed the cap.
As Yoon Seo waited for the medication to take effect, he had futile thoughts.
He wanted to exclude those with families, those in relationships, and younger individuals… But that didn't mean that older individuals without families or partners could be sent to their deaths either. Could they not just take those who wanted to die?
Given those thoughts, they were indeed futile.
"Hunter Kwon Jihan."
"Yeah, hyung."
Kwon Jihan responded in a warm voice. The two gazed at each other.
Looking into Kwon Jihan's gentle gray eyes, Yoon Seo spoke slowly.
"We vowed to take revenge against the Gaia system."
"…Yeah, I said that."
"So I want to say this…"
"..."
"If even a single person dies, I will consider that a failure of our revenge."
"..."
"No one must die. If even one does, we will never be able to take revenge. And we will have lost forever. Even if we succeed in the raid, it would still be a failure."
"Okay, I understand."
Kwon Jihan nodded.
"I feel the same way, hyung. I agree. It will be tough, but let's do our best."
"..."
Kwon Jihan extended his hand, as if to propose a handshake. Yoon Seo stared at his thick fingers for a moment before clasping his hand.
Kwon Jihan didn't suggest stopping or say he would do it alone if it became too difficult. He waited patiently for Yoon Seo to stabilize, playing with Riceball until Yoon Seo finally felt ready to start again and then turned on the hologram device.
After several hours, they completed the final list and sent it to Yoo Juncheol.
Within ten minutes, individual contacts were made to those listed. Yoon Seo tried to imagine their reactions but gave up when it only made his head hurt.
The final list was out, and now there were only two weeks left.
The Great Dungeon was just around the corner.