[System Mood: LAWLESS LUNATICS LOCATED. TIME TO BREAK STUFF, BUNNY-BOY.]
New Objective Unlocked: "Find and destroy the Sealing Stone used by the One Hand Guild." • Location: UNKNOWN
Intel: Possibly hidden in a dungeon acquired 7 months ago. • Reward: Unsealing of Fire-type abilities. Massive Reputation boost. Possibly cookies. • Warning: May piss off powerful jerks.
Jin Hwan leaned back in his chair as the system's new notification scrolled across his interface in glowing gold letters.
"Cookies, huh? That's new."
[System Response: BRIBE MODE ACTIVATED. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF CHOCOLATE CHIP.]
He exhaled sharply and stood, cracking his knuckles. Seven months ago... The One Hand Guild had acquired an obscure dungeon that was barely mentioned in media reports. Most hunters had dismissed it as a routine clear, but the system hinted that something game-changing had occurred there.
[System Fact Drop: That dungeon is now classified by One Hand Guild. Name scrubbed. Location redacted. Real subtle, guys.]
"I'll take that as a challenge."
A Visit to the Forbidden Archive
Jin Hwan contacted an old friend — Baek Kyung-Tae, a B-rank hacker turned hunter-archivist, who now operated a secret database out of a ramen shop. The sign outside read: "Spicy Logs."
"Jin Hwan, bro, I owe you one for helping me in the Cursed Mirror Gate. You want info, you got it. Just don't ask for free refills."
Kyung-Tae tapped away on a clunky keyboard attached to six monitors and a cooling fan the size of a washing machine.
"One Hand Guild… Let's see. Last dungeon they acquired without public disclosure was 7 months ago. The government passed it off as a mining operation. But… there it is! Caught a reference in a translated dungeon relic log. Something called 'The Rootless Shrine' appeared near Mt. Jiri."
"That's it?"
"Not done. Surveillance went offline for 48 hours during the clearance. Witnesses say the guild left with a large black container. Rumor says it hummed. Like it was alive."
[System Mood: IF IT HUMS, IT MURDERS.]
"So that's the stone," Jin Hwan muttered. "You got coordinates?"
"Close. All signs point to a sub-dungeon sealed underneath the official shrine dungeon. You'll need a key to access it. Which means... you need to break in like a bunny burglar."
[System Mood: BUNNY BURGLAR MODE ONLINE. INITIATING CARROT CAMO.]
Operation: Shrine Infiltration
Two days later, dressed in a black hoodie and travel gear, Jin Hwan stood before the gates of Mt. Jiri's Rootless Shrine Dungeon, holding an incense stick for disguise.
"Just a tourist," he muttered to the guards at the One Hand Guild outpost, bowing slightly. "Big fan of fox spirits."
"Tourists aren't allowed beyond this gate."
"What if I told you I brought offering-grade matcha sweets?"
One guard raised an eyebrow. "Are they infused with mana?"
"No. But they are limited edition."
[System Mood: SWEET DIPLOMACY FAILING. INITIATING PLAN B: KICK EVERYTHING.]
Thirty seconds later, the guards were unconscious, and Jin Hwan had tied them up behind the shrine.
He entered the dungeon's outer layers—a gorgeous blend of ancient Japanese and Korean architecture, all eerily silent. His system scanned the air.
[Warning: Traces of Suppression Runes Detected. This place is a spiritual cage with a fancy roof.]
He finally reached the heart of the shrine: a stone pedestal with a dragon-carved lock.
"Sub-dungeon keyhole," he said, placing a fox-shaped charm he'd stolen from the guards earlier into the socket.
The pedestal shuddered. Runes spun. A hidden passage opened below, revealing darkness and a stairway of obsidian.
[System Mood: DUNGEON WITHIN A DUNGEON. HOW META.]
The Sub-Dungeon: Grave of Silence
The deeper Jin Hwan descended, the colder it got. The air was thick with static mana, and glowing red eyes blinked from the walls like trapped spirits.
At the lowest level, surrounded by a ring of scorched symbols, floated a massive black stone the size of a refrigerator. It pulsed faintly.
[System Scan Complete: TARGET CONFIRMED. THIS IS THE SEALING STONE. WARNING: ULTRA-RARE. DESTRUCTION WILL CAUSE MASSIVE RIPPLES IN POWER STRUCTURE.]
[System Mood: SMASHY TIME.]
Jin Hwan summoned the dagger he acquired from the fox shrine—its blade shimmered with celestial light.
He slashed once, but the blade bounced off.
"Too strong?"
[System Sarcasm: OH WOW. A SINGLE SLASH DIDN'T WORK. WHO COULD'VE GUESSED.]
"Shut it."
He then focused his aura—letting Golden Aura flood into the dagger. The weapon hummed, vibrating with divine intent.
Jin Hwan struck again—this time the blade sank in, and the stone screeched.
[System Update: STONE BREACHING. INITIATING FIRE RELEASE PROTOCOLS.]
The moment the stone cracked down the center, fire symbols burst into the air like phoenix feathers. A cascade of energy rushed upward.
[Global Notification: FLAME UNSEALING COMPLETE.]All previously sealed fire abilities have been restored.A hidden curse placed by One Hand Guild has been broken.
Fallout
Back in Seoul, Ryu Hae-Rin stumbled in the street as a wave of pure fire mana slammed into her core.
"My flame... it's back...!" she whispered, her hands glowing with embers for the first time in months.
Everywhere, hunters who had their powers sealed began to feel it—an invisible weight lifting. Messages flooded hunter forums. Videos leaked.
[System Mood: CHAOS ACHIEVED. SCORE ONE FOR THE BUNNY.]
Above the Shrine
As Jin Hwan walked up the stairs from the sealed dungeon, he didn't look back.
"One Hand Guild… You messed with the wrong rabbit."
The sky was brighter now. Birds chirped louder. Somewhere, someone was screaming about leaked footage.
Jin Hwan only smiled.
[System Mood: THE GAME HAS BEGUN.]