Day 38. Three days until the breach.
The academy cafeteria buzzed with nervous energy during lunch. Class F students clustered together, talking about the upcoming dungeon practical with a mixture of excitement and anxiety.
"I heard it's just a standard C-Rank dungeon," one student said, pushing food around his plate. "We're not even doing any fighting. Just observing and learning the basics."
"Still," another replied, "it's our first time in a real dungeon. What if something goes wrong?"
Han Sera listened silently, picking at her meal. Her classmates had no idea how right they were to be worried. She wanted to warn them, but what could she say? "A mysterious janitor who's been training me in secret says something bad is going to happen"?
They'd think she was crazy.
So instead, she did what the janitor had taught her: prepare herself and be ready to help when things inevitably went wrong.
"Sera?" Min-ji, her friend from the first day, waved a hand in front of her face. "You okay? You've been really intense lately."
"Just nervous about the practical," Sera said, which wasn't a lie.
"Yeah, but you've been training like crazy. You're probably the most prepared person in our class." Min-ji smiled encouragingly. "I'm actually glad we're in the same group. If anything goes wrong, I feel safer knowing you're there."
The words hit Sera harder than expected. Min-ji was counting on her. How many other classmates were quietly hoping she'd be there to help if things got dangerous?
Suddenly, the weight of the janitor's training felt even heavier. She wasn't just preparing to save herself anymore. She was preparing to save people who trusted her.
*No pressure*, she thought, echoing something the janitor had said once.
After lunch, Sera found another message at the statue:
*"Three days. Final instructions:*
*1) In the dungeon, stay near the rear of your group. Gives you best position to respond to threats from any direction.*
*2) Watch the instructors' body language. If they seem nervous, be ready.*
*3) Keep your equipment accessible but not obvious. Don't let anyone know you have combat-grade gear.*
*4) If I tell you to run, you run. No questions. No hesitation.*
*5) Trust yourself. You're ready.*
*Tonight, midnight, abandoned building one last time. I need to give you something that can't be left in a dead drop.*
*Come alone. This is important.*
*- The Janitor"*
Sera's heart raced as she destroyed the message. One last meeting. Three days before everything happened.
Whatever he needed to tell her, it was serious enough to risk another face-to-face encounter despite the investigation.
She'd be there.
---
Vice Principal Kwon sat in his office, reviewing the final preparations for the dungeon practical. Everything was in order. Security protocols, medical support, experienced instructors, emergency extraction procedures.
This would prove the academy's training was safe and effective. It would quiet the critics who still brought up the Park Min-jun incident.
It would also be his last chance to observe Han Sera and Kim Soo-hyun in proximity to each other. If there was a connection, something would reveal itself during the practical.
He'd arranged to personally supervise the exercise. Officially, it was because he wanted to ensure the highest standards. Unofficially, it was because he wanted to watch.
His assistant knocked and entered. "Sir, the Hunter Association sent an update on the Gwanak District dungeons."
"And?"
"Mana fluctuations are within acceptable parameters. They've cleared the dungeon for academy use." Park handed him the official authorization.
Kwon scanned it. The report seemed routine, but something nagged at him. "When was this assessment done?"
"Two days ago, sir."
"And the fluctuations are stable?"
"According to this, yes. Decreasing, actually."
That was good news. But Kwon's instincts—honed through twenty years of academy administration—whispered that something was off. Mana fluctuations didn't just decrease for no reason. Either they stabilized naturally over time, or they were building toward something.
"Pull the raw sensor data," he said. "I want to see the actual numbers, not just the summary report."
"Sir, that requires special clearance—"
"Then get the clearance. I want those numbers on my desk by tonight."
Park nodded and left.
Kwon returned to staring at the authorization document. Everything looked fine on paper. But twenty years of experience told him to trust his instincts over paperwork.
Something wasn't right about this dungeon practical.
He just needed to figure out what.
---
Midnight. Day 38.
Soo-hyun waited in the abandoned building, surrounded by equipment he'd spent the last three days preparing. This was the last time he'd use this location—Director Choi wanted it cleaned and locked by tomorrow.
Fitting that it would end where it began.
He heard Sera's footsteps approaching and turned as she entered.
"You came," he said.
"You said it was important."
"It is." He gestured to a table where he'd laid out several items. "Three days until the practical. I need to give you things that will help you survive what's coming. But first, I need you to understand something."
Sera moved closer, studying the items on the table—small vials, a folded piece of paper, and what looked like a damaged communication device.
"The dungeon practical won't go as planned," Soo-hyun said bluntly. "There will be a breach. Not a natural Gate Break—something worse. Something deliberate."
"How do you know?"
"Because I've been monitoring the situation, and the signs are clear to anyone who knows what to look for." Not entirely a lie. "The instructors either don't see it or are being told to ignore it. Either way, you and your classmates are walking into danger."
Sera's face paled. "Should we cancel? Refuse to go?"
"No. If you refuse, they'll just send another class. And that class won't have you—someone actually prepared to handle it." He picked up one of the vials. "This is a high-grade antidote. Covers most common dungeon toxins and corruption effects. Keep it hidden. Use it only if you or someone near you shows signs of poisoning or mental corruption."
She took the vial carefully. "Mental corruption?"
"Some monsters attack the mind instead of the body. Makes you see things that aren't there, or makes you turn on allies. If anyone in your group starts acting strange—paranoid, aggressive, fearful without cause—they might be corrupted. Distance yourself and alert the instructors immediately."
"Okay." She pocketed the vial. "What else?"
He handed her the communication device. "This is a modified emergency beacon. The academy issues standard ones, but this one has been... enhanced. If you press this, it sends a signal not just to the instructors but to multiple Hunter Association rapid response teams. Use it only if things go catastrophically wrong and the instructors can't handle it."
"Won't they ask where I got a modified beacon?"
"Say you found it in the equipment storage and thought it was standard issue. Plausible deniability." He picked up the folded paper. "And this is the most important thing I can give you."
He unfolded it to reveal a hand-drawn map of Dungeon C-47. Not the simplified version the academy would provide, but a detailed layout including hidden passages, safe rooms, and structural weak points.
"This is the dungeon you'll be entering. The official route will take you here—" He traced a path with his finger. "—to Safe Zone Beta at approximately 2:30 PM. That's where the breach will occur."
Sera's eyes widened. "You know exactly when and where?"
"I've done my homework. When the breach happens, you need to move immediately. Don't wait for instructor orders. Don't freeze. You get yourself and as many classmates as you can to this location—" He pointed to a spot on the map. "—it's a reinforced chamber with only one entrance. Defensible position. You hold there until help arrives."
"Why are you telling me this? Why not warn the instructors or the Hunter Association?"
"Because I don't have the authority or credentials to make them listen. I'm a janitor. They'd dismiss me as paranoid or crazy." He met her eyes. "But you're a student who will be in that dungeon. If something happens and you're prepared, you can save lives. That's all that matters."
Sera studied the map, committing it to memory. "Will you be there?"
Soo-hyun hesitated. "I'll be monitoring the situation. If things go wrong, I'll intervene however I can. But you can't rely on me. Rely on your training and your instincts."
"I will." She looked up from the map. "Janitor Kim... who are you really?"
For a long moment, Soo-hyun considered telling her the truth. That he was Kang Minho, the Dragon Slayer, humanity's strongest hunter who'd died and regressed twenty years to save everyone. That he'd trained her because he'd seen her die in the original timeline and refused to let it happen again.
But the truth was too dangerous. For her and for him.
"I'm someone who's lost too many people to incompetence and negligence," he said instead. "I'm someone who refuses to lose more if I can prevent it. That's all you need to know."
Sera nodded slowly. "Fair enough. And... thank you. For everything. For believing I could be more than F-Rank."
"You already are more than F-Rank. The System just hasn't updated its assessment yet." He handed her the map. "Memorize this and destroy it. Don't let anyone see it."
"I will."
"One more thing." He walked to the corner and retrieved a wrapped bundle. "Inside this is a proper combat sword. Better than the training blades you've been using. I've registered it as abandoned equipment being repurposed for the practical. You'll receive it officially tomorrow as part of your assigned gear."
"How did you—"
"I have my methods. The point is, use it well. It's balanced for your fighting style and properly maintained."
Sera took the bundle, feeling the weight. A real sword. Combat-grade. Given to an F-Rank student who everyone thought wasn't worth the investment.
She blinked rapidly, fighting unexpected tears.
"Hey," Soo-hyun said quietly. "None of that. Tears are for after you survive. Right now, you need to be steel."
She nodded, wiping her eyes roughly. "Right. Steel. I can do steel."
"I know you can. You've proven it every night for the past two weeks." He checked his watch. "It's late. You should go. Get some sleep. The next three days will be intense."
Sera gathered the items, concealing them carefully. At the door, she paused. "If I survive this... will I see you again? For training, I mean?"
"If you survive, you'll have proven you don't need me anymore. But..." He allowed himself a slight smile. "I'll still be around. Cleaning hallways. Being invisible. Watching to make sure you keep improving."
"Good. Because I have a lot of questions about advanced techniques."
"I'm sure you do. Now go."
She left, and Soo-hyun listened to her footsteps fade into the night.
**[QUEST UPDATE]**
**[Han Sera Preparation: Complete]**
**[Equipment: Optimized]**
**[Knowledge: Sufficient]**
**[Mental State: Ready]**
**[Survival Probability: 73% → 78%]**
**[You have done all you can for this student]**
**[Now comes the hard part: letting her face danger while you watch from the shadows]**
Seventy-eight percent. Not perfect, but the best he could do with the time and resources available.
Now for his own preparation.
Soo-hyun spent the next hour dismantling the training setup and erasing all evidence of what this building had been used for. By the time he was done, it looked like exactly what it was supposed to be: an abandoned storage building that needed cleaning.
Director Choi would find it spotless and ready for renovation.
Then he went to his apartment and retrieved the items he'd been preparing for himself. A concealed blade. Light armor hidden under his janitor uniform. Mana circulation techniques prepared to maximize his sealed power for one critical moment.
And most importantly, a mental map of every entrance, exit, and hidden path in Dungeon C-47.
When the Demon Lord breached, Soo-hyun would be there. Not as Kang Minho, humanity's strongest hunter. Not as Kim Soo-hyun, the invisible janitor.
But as something in between—a guardian operating in the shadows, protecting students who'd never know they were saved.
He laid out his equipment with the precision of someone who'd prepared for countless battles.
Three days until he found out if experience could triumph over sealed power.
Three days until a Demon Lord learned that humans could be far more dangerous than they appeared.
Three days until everything changed.
---
Day 39. Two days until the breach.
The academy held a mandatory briefing for all students participating in the dungeon practical. Soo-hyun cleaned the hallway outside the auditorium, listening through the door.
"—completely routine exercise," the lead instructor was saying. "You'll enter the dungeon in groups of five, accompanied by two instructors. The route is pre-cleared and monitored. You'll observe dungeon ecology, practice basic formation movement, and return safely within four hours."
Questions from students. Nervous laughter. Reassurances from instructors.
All of it based on the assumption that the dungeon was safe and the Hunter Association's reports were accurate.
Soo-hyun continued mopping, his expression neutral, but his mind calculating every variable.
Two days. Forty-eight hours to finalize his plans and prepare for the worst-case scenario.
He'd faced impossible odds before.
This was just another impossible Tuesday.
---
Day 40. One day until the breach.
Han Sera couldn't sleep. She lay in her dorm bed, staring at the ceiling, the map burned into her memory. Safe Zone Beta. Reinforced chamber. One entrance. Defensible position.
Tomorrow at 2:30 PM, everything would go wrong.
And she'd either be ready or she wouldn't.
Her hand unconsciously moved to the hidden pocket where she'd concealed the antidote vial and emergency beacon. The combat sword the academy had issued her that afternoon felt heavier than training blades, but perfectly balanced.
Everything was ready. All the preparation was done.
Now came the hardest part: waiting.
She closed her eyes and practiced the breathing techniques the janitor had taught her. Control the fear. Channel it into focus. Fear kept you alert. Panic got you killed.
*I can do this*, she told herself. *I've trained for this. I'm ready.*
And somewhere across campus, in a small apartment, Soo-hyun lay awake with similar thoughts.
Tomorrow, he'd face his first real test in this new timeline. A Demon Lord with a fraction of his original power. Students depending on him whether they knew it or not. A career and identity to maintain.
Just another day in the life of humanity's strongest hunter, working undercover as a janitor.
He smiled grimly in the darkness.
*Let's see if twenty years of experience can beat a Demon Lord with one hand tied behind my back.*
Tomorrow would provide the answer.
---
**[FINAL STATUS BEFORE BREACH]**
**[Day 40, 11:47 PM]**
**[Time Until Breach: 14 hours, 43 minutes]**
**[Han Sera - Ready]**
**[Kim Soo-hyun - Ready]**
**[Class F Students - Unprepared but protected]**
**[Instructors - Dangerously ignorant]**
**[Demon Lord Malgrin - Manifesting]**
**[Let the real test begin]**