The world kept turning, even as Lee Jun spent his days hidden deep within Goblin's Grove. Outside, South Korea was on edge, facing a storm unlike anything seen before.
💥 Dungeon Breaks Across the Nation
In the past two months, three major Dungeon Breaks had struck different regions. One devastated a small town in Gangwon Province. The town was left in ruins, reduced to ash and debris after a wave of high-level monsters poured out from an unstable dungeon.
Hunters from major guilds rushed to respond, but most arrived too late. More than 600 civilians went missing, and over 30 Hunters were confirmed dead in brutal battles against unfamiliar monsters.
The government declared a national emergency. The Hunter Association issued new protocols: all high-ranking dungeons required 24-hour surveillance, and every Hunter's movement needed to be tracked with precision.
🏢 Guild Tensions Rising
Amid the chaos, large guilds like White Fang, Crimson Claw, and Daeho Guild began fighting to secure access to new, unclaimed high-tier dungeons. They mobilized entire squads to take control before rival guilds could make a move.
In contrast, small guilds began collapsing—suffocated by financial stress, member loss, and pressure from larger forces.
Meanwhile, the mana stone market exploded. Prices surged, especially for high-quality stones. And deep within the shadows of black markets and underground auctions, an odd incident occurred—a small-time vendor in Seoul suddenly began selling high-grade mana stones with no known source.
🔍 Seeds of Suspicion
The merchant couldn't provide any certificate of origin. He claimed it came from "someone outside the city."
This prompted a quiet investigation by the Hunter Association. They didn't suspect a private dungeon yet—but alarm bells rang. There was now a possibility of illegal mana loot—stones possibly stolen, smuggled, or gathered by rogue Hunters outside the system.
"If this mana stone isn't from any recorded dungeon… then where the hell did it come from?"
That single question started to ripple across the internal network.
What they didn't know… was that far from the city, hidden from detection, a young Hunter named Lee Jun was building a hidden kingdom of goblins in a place no one else could reach.
💀 Life for Low-Ranked Hunters
For D- and E-Rank Hunters, life became increasingly brutal. Many were forced to work full-time as porters or abandon dungeon life altogether. On the other hand, C-Rank Hunters and above were in high demand, hunted by guilds for their strength in dealing with elite monsters.
🌐 A Bigger World
Beyond Korea's borders, strange reports emerged. Countries like Japan, Russia, and Brazil began to speak of phantom dungeons—dungeons that appeared without warning, and sometimes disappeared entirely.
Though little was known, researchers had begun calling them: "Phantom Dungeon Phenomena."
🧠 Back to Jun...
Inside Goblin's Grove, Lee Jun remained mostly unaware of the world's growing tension. All he knew was that the mana stones he sold fetched a high price—and so far, no one had come knocking.
Still, deep in his heart, Jun could feel it:
"The world won't let me hide forever. Sooner or later… they'll come."
But until that day arrived, Jun had only one choice: to grow stronger, to protect his territory, and to prepare his goblins for the storm that was coming.