Monsters slipped into the cracks of the cryogenic capsules and devoured the innards of the sleeping astronauts.
Even though they were in hibernation, it seemed they could vividly feel the pain of their insides being eaten.
The victims all had horribly contorted expressions, and there were signs of struggle on the capsule walls.
Bloody handprints were clearly visible.
Because of this, the group was confronted with the horrifying sight of the astronauts who had died with various expressions on their faces.
It was more gruesome because they resembled humans.
"Ugh!"
"How horrific."
Even professional hunters, who wouldn't bat an eye when faced with a giant monster, were stunned by the scene.
As unease spread among the hunters, Jin Seo-yeon quickly intervened.
"We fought and won against enemies we could defeat with our strength. Thanks to everyone's efforts, we emerged victorious without any casualties."
They had just won a battle without any casualties.
When Jin Seo-yeon reminded them of this, the group's expressions became noticeably calmer.
As 100 people started moving in unison at a single word, Hyeon Su-ho remarked in amazement.
"There's something very compelling about her voice."
Thinking that the lady from the chaebol family was indeed different, the man next to him suddenly started laughing.
"Pfft! What are you talking about?"
"Huh? Didn't you just see? People moved in perfect order at the leader's words."
"You idiot. Do you think people would just follow someone's words in a situation like this?"
"Then what is it?"
"Of course, it's a skill."
"A skill?"
"Yeah, Miss Jin Seo-yeon is an S-rank 'Support' after all."
Jin Seo-yeon's class was Support.
So she had many skills to support her allies.
Just now, she wasn't just speaking; she used her unique skill, 'Inspire,' to boost her allies' morale.
"Oh! I see."
"It's well-known that Miss Jin Seo-yeon is an S-rank Support, and you didn't know?"
"I've been a bit… preoccupied lately."
"Tsk tsk! A young person like you is slower on the uptake than me… There's such an uproar about it, and you're unaware?"
"Is it really that big a deal, even if an S-rank class is amazing?"
At those words, the man spoke in disbelief.
"Of course, it is! Miss Seo-yeon is a direct descendant of the Jinryong family. They'll soon have to choose a successor for the Jinryong Group."
The current head of the Jinryong Group is Chairman Jin Sun-gil.
He's an incredible person who made the Jinryong Group one of the world's top companies, but now that he's over seventy, it's about time for him to retire.
He should have already handed it over to his children… but unfortunately, his parenting efforts were disastrous.
"You know, all of them caused problems like drugs and illegal gambling."
"That, I know."
"So naturally, the management rights are likely to be passed down to the grandchildren."
While the second generation was a failure, fortunately, the third generation was all talented.
They had already started managing positions within the group, and their performance was impressive.
"Isn't that a good thing?"
If the Jinryong Group prospers, it benefits our country too.
Having outstanding successors is a great national asset.
But the man shook his head.
"The problem is that they're all too exceptional."
Jin Seo-yeon and her siblings in the Jinryong family were all outstanding, each vying for the position of the next chairman.
While healthy competition can motivate and improve efficiency, excess can be detrimental.
The current succession battle within the Jinryong Group was far more complicated than the Warring States period.
"In such a situation, Miss Seo-yeon's S-rank Support class is a significant advantage. There's no better class for a corporate leader, right?"
"That's true."
In this era, even corporate leaders' classes are crucial.
Jin Seo-yeon's S-rank Support class was enough to alarm her competitors.
The man looked around cautiously before whispering.
"There was even an assassination attempt, I heard."
"A-an assassination?!"
"Shh! Keep your voice down!"
"Ah, s-sorry."
"It's natural for Miss Seo-yeon to be determined in this expedition. She needs achievements to have an advantage in the succession battle. It's not just about power anymore; it's a matter of survival."
Listening to the man, Hyeon Su-ho looked at Jin Seo-yeon anew.
He thought she was resolute despite her young age, but now he understood there was a deeper story.
"Being a chaebol isn't for just anyone."
"Pfft! For people like us, it's a distant world."
"That's true."
Jin Seo-yeon's story was interesting and somewhat pitiable, but it was a different world from Hyeon Su-ho's.
All he could do was repair things.
After this expedition, he might never see her again.
As he thought this, Jin Seo-yeon's voice rang out again.
"This room is clear! Moving to the next location!"
Aside from the initial attack, there were no critical situations.
The armor the hunters wore was made of monster materials.
Stronger, more flexible, and more resilient than metal.
Armor made from high-level monster materials cost more than a building.
Thanks to this, even with scratches on their limbs, their lives were never in danger.
As everything proceeded smoothly, someone remarked.
"It's too easy? Wasn't the difficulty supposed to be 3.5 stars?"
"Don't jinx it. Every time someone says something like that, monsters come rushing out."
They were halfway to the spaceship's front lines.
They had become accustomed to the spaceship's advanced facilities. They thought nothing would surprise them now...
But they were wrong.
As they cautiously opened the door and entered, they were confronted with an overwhelming sight.
"What is this?"
A massive room.
In the center, a towering pillar stood, with a vast network of circuits radiating out from it like a spider's web.
A gemstone, roughly three meters in size, floated alone above the pillar.
"Is it an emerald?"
The gemstone was a perfect sphere of deep green. It was clearly not an emerald; it was more transparent and reflected more light. It was closer to a green-tinged diamond.
Even those who didn't care for gemstones were mesmerized by its beauty, but there was one flaw.
"It's broken."
The perfect sphere, or what had been a perfect sphere, was now shattered. Oddly, there were no fragments of the broken gemstone to be seen.
"Did those monsters do this?"
"Why would they bother with a gemstone?"
"It's a pity. If we could take it back to Earth, it would fetch an enormous price."
"Don't be ridiculous. You can't take anything out of a dimensional gate."
Dimensional gates lead to entirely different worlds. One can encounter numerous civilizations and sometimes, as in this case, much more advanced technology.
If one could take back gemstones, mysterious metals, or even advanced scientific knowledge from these worlds, it would be incredibly beneficial for Earth. However, nothing can be brought back through a dimensional gate.
Even if you pick up a stone off the ground and put it in your pocket, it disappears when you pass through the gate.
The only things you can obtain from dimensional quests are the items awarded as quest rewards. So, although they might salivate at the sight of treasure, no one tried to pick it up.
This was good news for the support team. They didn't have to bother collecting or butchering anything.
"There doesn't seem to be anything unusual here either. Let's move forward and take a break."
It was about time for a rest.
This room was spacious and free of monsters, making it a perfect place to take a break, but the gemstone gave off a strange vibe. They decided to skip this room and rest in the next area.
Fortunately, there were no monsters in the next room either, and it was spacious enough.
"We'll take a 30-minute break."
The standard break time was usually 15 minutes, but they decided to rest for an additional 15 minutes for a strategy meeting.
The hunters, who had been moving with tension, groaned and sat down.
"Oof!"
"Don't make weird noises, idiot!"
"Why? Are you getting heated?"
"Screw you."
Hyeon Su-ho and the other support team members also sat down in a corner to rest.
Naturally, the hunters and support team members sat separately. There was no need for the support team to clash with the hunters.
Having gained some experience by dealing with monsters after a long time, Hyeon Su-ho was in a good mood.
'If I just reach level 1, I can quit this damned job.'
Hyeon Su-ho's dream was modest. It wasn't to level up like others and become a famous hunter or ranker. He just wanted to work as a porter for a few more years to save up some money.
But his sweet dream didn't last long.
A shadow fell over him, and when he turned around, he saw three hunters with hostile expressions standing there. One of them was Park Kwang-yeol, whom Hyeon Su-ho had helped earlier.
"You bastard, come here."
They grabbed Hyeon Su-ho roughly by the collar and started dragging him.
"Why are you doing this…"
"Shut up! Just follow us."
Frightened by their ferocity, Hyeon Su-ho looked to the other support team members for help. But they were also trembling and showed no signs of moving. They couldn't handle the aftermath of angering the hunters.
Seeing this, Hyeon Su-ho resigned himself.
'Yeah, this is how expeditions usually go.'
He didn't blame them. He understood well the hardships of being a support team member, seen as nothing more than a hunter's assistant.
They dragged Hyeon Su-ho back to the room with the broken gemstone, where there were no other eyes.
As soon as they entered, they threw Hyeon Su-ho to the floor roughly.
Thud!
"Ugh!"
Being at zero level, Hyeon Su-ho found this painful enough to render him almost immobile. But Park Kwang-yeol, still furious, stomped on Hyeon Su-ho's chest and yelled.
"You bastard! How dare you humiliate me like that?!"
Only then did Hyeon Su-ho realize why Park Kwang-yeol was angry.
He was blaming Hyeon Su-ho for the scolding he received from Jin Seo-yeon and Hong Chang-sik.
'This crazy…!'
All he had done was shoot and save him. If he hadn't, Park Kwang-yeol might have been seriously injured or even killed.
Instead of being grateful, he was taking revenge.
'Is this how you repay kindness with malice?!'
The others were the same as Park Kwang-yeol.
"Because of you, Kwang-yeol got marked! How dare a repairman like you defy a hunter?!"
"If you die here, no one will notice. You want your life to end in some outer space like this?"
He wanted to say something, but he knew nothing would reach their ears.
Suddenly, Hyeon Su-ho recalled his miserable situation.
'Damn repairman!'
Everything was because of this job.
Even though it was an EX-grade job, or rather, because it was an EX-grade job, it was utterly useless.
As Hyeon Su-ho trembled with anger, it seemed to incite their rage even more.
"How dare you! Hey, beat him up!"
"Let's see if you try to snitch again!"
With that, they approached him, snorting angrily.
Just as Hyeon Su-ho braced himself for a beating, Park Kwang-yeol started behaving strangely.
"Ugh!"
Suddenly, Park kwang-yeol clutched his stomach in pain and collapsed.
The other two didn't seem to take it seriously.
"What are you doing? Are you not going to hit him first? Then I'll do it."
One of them rolled up his sleeves and approached Su-ho, not seeming to be threatening.
At that moment, Park kwang-yeol screamed in agony.
"Ahhhh!"
He scratched his stomach frantically and writhed on the ground, as if the pain was unbearable.
Only then did the other two realize something was wrong.
"What's wrong? What happened?"
"Are you okay? Did you eat something bad?"
Unlike the other two, Hyeon Su-ho's mind was ringing alarm bells.
A sense of crisis that was qualitatively different from the threat posed by the three idiots.
It soon became reality.
Riiip!
Was he in a horror movie instead of reality?
Park kwang-yeol's stomach split vertically, and a grotesque monster burst out from inside.
[Screech!!]
It was the same monster they had encountered earlier.
Moreover, it was much larger now.
It had been about 30 cm before, but now it looked to be at least 1 meter.
Previously, it had looked like a flat scorpion, but now it had a distinct head and a long tail.
"Ahh! Aaaahh!"
Park kwang-yeol screamed continuously, looking at the monster that had emerged from his stomach.
His face was contorted with pain and fear.
But the screams didn't last long.
Because he died after having all his intestines devoured.
Park kwang-yeol's tear-streaked face, now lifeless, looked too surreal.
The monster that had emerged from his body tore his body apart like a rag.
Riiip! Riiip!
The other two, who had been laughing and chatting with their comrade just minutes ago, were now in a daze.
"What is this?!"
"This can't be happening. How could this...?"
The two were clearly in shock, as if they were having a terrible nightmare.
But this wasn't a dream; it was reality.
While they hesitated, the monster spun around and swung its tail.
The tail happened to swing in Hyeon Su-ho's direction.
Whoosh!
'Am I going to die...!'
Hyeon Su-ho reflexively raised his pistol to block it.
He didn't even know how he managed to move reflexively.
Smack!
But the pistol was not a shield and couldn't block the attack.
The pistol shattered instantly, and Hyeon Su-ho's body flew away like a home run ball.
Thud!
"Ugh!"
The impact of being thrown broke multiple bones.
Moreover, his abdomen, grazed by the tail, was cut open and looked as if his intestines might spill out at any moment.
Had he not blocked it with the pistol, he would have died instantly.
"Ugh! Help...."
To survive, he needed help from the expedition team behind the door.
The remaining two hunters either needed to defeat it or escape to call for support.
"Ahh! Save... Ahhh!!"
"Ahhh! Get away! Get... Ahhh!!"
Squelch!
He didn't need to look to know.
The two had been taken down by the monster in an instant.
The problem was, the monster had accurately identified him.
[Screech!!]
Thud, thud!
He could sense it approaching.
But there was nothing he could do.
The pistol was shattered, and even if it were intact, it wouldn't be effective against such a creature.
'To die in a place like this....'
It was too unfair.
A life of suffering due to a useless profession.
Just when he thought he had found a way to live, he had to die here.
His hand reflexively brushed against something smooth.
It was the emerald-green gem that had been in the center of the room.
Had he flown into this room from the hit earlier?
It was fortunate he hadn't died instantly.
Or perhaps it was unfortunate?
He might end up being eaten alive.
He wanted to cling to any straw he could, but there was nothing he could do now.
He just reflexively shouted.
"Restore."
At that moment.
Rrrrrk!
The shattered emerald-green gem gradually returned to its original spherical shape.
And a strange voice sounded in his head.
[Super Quantum Nano Bio-Computing Brain restored.]
[Searching for user according to emergency protocol.]
[Suitable intelligent life form found within 1 meter.]
[Confirmed biological ability below 10%. Proceeding with simplified contract according to emergency clause.]
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[Download complete.]