This time, no one screamed.
Park Youngbum quietly gestured toward the kitchen, the farthest spot from the entrance. The restaurant owner, the staff, and the customers all moved as one, slowly making their way toward the kitchen. Some civilians tried to take out their phones and make calls, but since this was a dungeon overflow area, where half was essentially an alien planet, there was no signal. Fear began to settle on their faces.
Though Goh Heewon and Park Youngbum were E-rank and F-rank respectively, they were still Awakened, so they couldn't just sit trembling among the civilians.
"This is driving me nuts. I'll try to calm them down. Yoon Seo, do you know anything about that monster?"
"It's C-rank, and it moves alone. This building's B-rank shield trap is working fine, so as long as we stay inside, we'll be safe."
"Got it. Thanks. Could you brief everyone on the situation?"
"…."
"Are you joking? Do you really think he'd do something that extroverted?"
"Th-then, Heewon, would you like to do it? You usually like stepping up."
"Team Leader, you should show what it means to be the leader of the Guild of Leaves. Quickly, before people start crying."
"Yeah, I guess it's up to me. It's my job… My responsibility… Yeah, I've got to do it…."
Park Youngbum stood in front of the civilians huddled together. There were 12 women and 16 men, with no children or elderly among them. The civilians looked up at him, their expressions a mix of curiosity and expectation. After adjusting his glasses, Park Youngbum spoke.
"My companions and I are Awakened, members of the Seokyoung Guild."
"Oh…."
"Thank goodness… Thank you so much…."
Some civilians were so relieved they started to cry.
"The area has been declared an overflow from a B-rank Yellow Dungeon. Typically, a B-rank overflow takes half a day to a full day to clear. The shield trap on this building is functioning properly, so as long as you stay inside, the hunters will come to rescue us. So please don't cry…."
Park Youngbum pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to one of the crying civilians.
"Thank you… sniff."
The civilian blew their nose with a loud honk and tried to hand the handkerchief back, but Park Youngbum pretended to be intensely observing the tentacle monster, ignoring the gesture.
Goh Heewon, in a brighter tone than Park Youngbum, tried to lift the civilians' spirits.
"Don't worry too much, everyone. You'll be safe if you stay inside. Try to think of it positively."
"H-how could we possibly think positively about this?"
"How many times in your life do you get to experience a B-rank overflow? And we're right at the center of it! Instead of worrying, exchange numbers, create a group chat when we get out, and keep in touch. It's not easy to go through something this rare. If someone brags about having gone through an overflow, you can just say, 'But have you ever been at the center of one?' You'd totally crush them with that. Isn't that awesome?"
Goh Heewon rambled on, trying to cheer them up with whatever came to mind.
Meanwhile, Yoon Seo noticed the loose hinges on the entrance door and activated his shield.
[Skill
The shield enveloped the entire building. Now, this was the safest place in the area.
'Kwon Jihan would've noticed by now… It won't take a full half day. Maybe three hours?'
Yoon Seo sat down, intending to wait quietly for his boyfriend. Then, noticing the meat on the grills starting to turn to ash, he walked around, turning off the burners at each table.
***
After a while, when the civilians were sure that the tentacle monster couldn't break in, they calmed down. Instead of sitting on the floor, they gathered in a circle on chairs, getting to know each other. Among them were Goh Heewon and Park Youngbum.
"So you're originally from the Guild of Leaves!"
"That's right. We were part of the Guild of Leaves. You seem to know about our guild?"
"No, this is the first time I've heard of it. I've heard of a guild called Leaf Guild, though. They were known for installing shield traps at affordable prices."
"It's surprising that there was another guild like ours."
"Were you hunters who did good deeds too? Boss, let's offer our hunters a soda as a sign of gratitude."
"Let's do that. Actually, let's all have a round of soda. On the house, courtesy of the BBQ shop owner!"
The employees and owner eagerly brought soda to everyone. The part-time worker even sneakily grabbed some more expensive drinks.
While everyone was mingling like it was a reunion, Yoon Seo sat apart, quietly lost in thought.
He wasn't just setting the mood—he was genuinely surprised.
It wasn't something big; rather, it was the civilians that caught him off guard.
'Why isn't anyone asking us to go out and defeat the monster?'
No one asked that question. Do they feel safer with hunters around? Even so, he'd think someone would suggest going out to fight, but no one did, which was intriguing.
"W-wait, hold on a second, Team Leader!"
Just as the peaceful atmosphere continued, Goh Heewon suddenly gasped in surprise.
"What the—what's wrong?"
"What's going on, Hunter?"
"Isn't that door about to fall off? I've been worried about it from the start."
Goh Heewon pointed to the entrance.
The loose hinge and the tentacle persistently tapping on that part made everyone's faces change. There are shield traps that protect an area by setting a range and those that protect a building itself. If this building's shield trap is the latter, the moment the door falls off, a hole will be created, and the tentacle monster could invade.
Even the civilians understood that much.
"Boss… it's not, right?"
"Please tell me it's not… Say it quickly!"
Suddenly, the BBQ shop owner picked up his phone and started filming a selfie video.
"My daughter, my son, my love. If you see this video, please hurry and change our house's shield trap to a range-protection trap, and get a new front door installed…"
"I knew it. I had a feeling this would happen."
Goh Heewon grabbed the collar of the BBQ shop owner, who was leaving a final message, and shook him furiously.
"I mean, sure, shield traps are the building owner's responsibility, but what were you doing not fixing that door?"
"You think I knew the overflow alarm would ring? If I had known, I would've fixed it in advance."
"Doesn't everyone get stuck in a flood zone at least once in their life? Flooding happens so often! Why weren't you prepared? Why!"
"Heewon, calm down. You're going to kill someone. He's a non-Awakened civilian."
Park Youngbum calmly stopped Goh Heewon, who was having a meltdown, saying the exact opposite of what he had told the civilians earlier to comfort them. But he, too, had a face that looked like he wanted to cry. And the civilians were already in tears.
"Are we all going to die now?"
"If I'd known this was going to happen, I would've eaten all the meat I wanted…."
"I miss my mom… Mom…"
The awakened ones, who also wanted to cry, swallowed their tears because the civilians were already crying.
"Everyone, calm down. We'll figure something out. Why don't you watch 'Love in Han River' or something?"
"We've already seen it. Who hasn't watched that drama these days?"
"Then watch it again. For those who've already rewatched it, watch it a third time. It's the kind of drama where you notice something new every time."
Anyway, they had to come up with a plan before the door fell off, and naturally, it was up to the hunters to think of a solution.
Goh Heewon and Park Youngbum put their heads together away from the civilians, and then called Yoon Seo, who was standing far off, arms crossed, looking indifferent and cool.
"What are you doing? Come over here and help us think, Yoon Seo."
"…Just to check, you know I already deployed my shield, right?"
"Of course, we know. It's not that we don't trust you, but it would still be better if the door stayed in place. Right, Heewon?"
"Absolutely. We all know how skilled you are, Yoon Seo oppa. You're a Seokyoung Hunter after all. It's just that having the door there gives us peace of mind. It's something like that."
"…"
In the end, Yoon Seo reluctantly joined them to think of a solution. And as soon as he did, they came up with one.
"Couldn't you just hold the door in place from the inside? Team Leader, you grab the left, and Heewon, you take the right."
"What a fresh idea! And what about you, Yoon Seo? Will you hold the window?"
"I'll just be here eating meat."
"My goodness! You'll be taking turns, right? You have to! Please grill some sirloin for me."
Park Youngbum and Goh Heewon positioned themselves on either side of the large double doors, using their entire bodies to keep them from shaking. Although the tentacle monster was hiding within the black fog without revealing itself, they couldn't afford to let their guard down in case it attacked suddenly.
What they didn't know was that, ten seconds ago, the monster had already been killed by Yoon Seo's
It would have been nice if the monster had let out a scream as it died, but it perished so quickly that Park Youngbum and Goh Heewon, unaware of its demise, continued to hold the door with all their might. If Yoon Seo were to suddenly announce, 'The monster is dead,' they would undoubtedly ask, 'How do you know?' So, he had no choice but to let them carry on with their pointless efforts.
As time passed, the lively atmosphere started to grow somber.
The civilians, shivering in fear, watched the two hunters. The sound of sobbing began to echo again. Seeing the non-Awakened civilians scared and crying made Yoon Seo feel uncomfortable. Since he wasn't good with words to comfort them, he thought he'd just switch places with Goh Heewon and started to get up. Just then, one of the civilians hesitantly approached.
"Uh, excuse me…"
Yoon Seo tried his best to put on a gentle expression.
"Yes, what is it?"
"Um, by any chance… what ranks are the hunters here…?"
Yoon Seo thought for a moment before replying.
"They're not hunters."
"…What?"
"The man is an E-rank, and the woman is an F-rank. They're both awakened office workers from Seokyoung. Just like you, they don't have attack or defense skills."