At the beginning of that day, Thomas Andre was sitting in his wide office inside the main headquarters of the Scavenger Guild.
The thick steel walls, the soundproof glass windows, and the massive desk covered with files—all of it reflected the weight of his name and influence.
He was reviewing a stack of documents with a serious expression.
Completed raid reports.
Preparation schedules for upcoming raids.
Losses, profits, hunter names, and risk estimates.
Everything was going as planned… at least on the surface.
Knock… knock…
Thomas stopped working and raised his head with clear boredom.
"Come in."
He said it without even looking at the door.
The door opened quickly, and Laura, his assistant with blonde hair and blue eyes, stepped inside.
Her movements were hesitant, her breathing uneven, and the tension on her face was impossible to hide.
Thomas noticed it immediately.
He frowned and closed the file in his hand.
"What's going on?"
He asked in a low voice, sharp enough to make anyone nervous.
Laura swallowed.
"Sir… there's a new development regarding the thief."
The atmosphere in the office changed instantly.
A surge of suppressed anger burst from Thomas, and his voice rose sharply:
"Did you identify him?!"
Laura shook her head quickly.
"No… not yet."
She then raised her tablet and handed it to him.
"But… he uploaded a video to the internet a few minutes ago."
Thomas snatched the tablet from her hand without another word and pressed play.
The video was carefully made.
The original language was English, with automatic subtitles that changed depending on the country where it was viewed.
A person appeared wearing a black mask that covered his entire head.
Only two glowing red eyes were visible through the mask.
Louis.
In his right hand—
Kamish's daggers.
In his other hand—
Kamish's high-grade skill stone.
As for the background…
It was enough to silence anyone.
The massive skeletal remains of Kamish, clear, real, and terrifying.
The video was less than three minutes long.
At the start, the man stayed silent for a few seconds, staring straight into the camera, as if looking at every viewer one by one.
Then he finally spoke.
"You may call me… Shadow."
He said it calmly.
Then he continued with clear sarcasm:
"I confirm that I am the thief who turned both the Scavenger Guild and the American Hunters Association into a joke before the world."
Thomas's grip on the tablet tightened.
But Shadow's tone suddenly changed.
The sarcasm disappeared, replaced by cold seriousness.
"What if I told you… that a double dungeon is about to appear?"
He paused briefly.
"A dungeon… more dangerous than the one where Kamish appeared."
It was only one sentence.
But it was enough to capture the attention of the entire world.
Shadow continued:
"It is a special dungeon.
The weakest monster inside it far exceeds the power of an ordinary S-rank hunter."
Then he added:
"But that's not all."
He leaned slightly closer to the camera.
"This dungeon holds secrets…
secrets that reveal the true reason why dungeons appeared in our world."
At that moment, no one could breathe normally.
Even without any official confirmation…
the world was boiling.
Who wouldn't want to know the secret behind the appearance of dungeons?
And who wouldn't feel fear at the thought of such a dangerous dungeon?
If it breaks…
whatever is inside could spread across the world and turn it into ruins.
Shadow continued, unconcerned by the chaos he had created:
"This dungeon appeared in South Korea."
Then he smiled faintly behind the mask.
"On the surface… it looks like an ordinary D-rank dungeon."
He paused.
"But even if all S-rank hunters in South Korea join forces to raid it…
the result would be nothing more than a one-sided massacre."
Then he said mysteriously:
"From my observation…
there is only one person in this poor country worth paying attention to."
Silence.
"But even he… has no chance of clearing it alone."
He raised his hand, and a recent photo of the dungeon's location appeared on the screen.
"This is the dungeon."
He continued:
"It appeared only two days ago.
And fortunately… it has not been raided yet."
Then he announced:
"So this is an opportunity for all S-rank hunters around the world."
"If you succeed in clearing it…
you will obtain the secret behind the appearance of dungeons for yourselves."
He then pointed at the daggers and the skill stone in his hands.
"And in addition…
I will offer these items as special rewards to the group that succeeds."
He ended with one final sentence:
"Whether you believe it or not, you have five days before the dungeon break occurs."
"I truly look forward… to seeing who will succeed."
The video ended.
Silence filled Thomas Andre's office.
Then—
Crack.
The tablet shattered into two pieces in his hands.
"That bastard…"
Thomas muttered, his expression a mix of anger and concern.
Laura stood behind him, her face pale.
At that moment, this was no longer just Scavenger's problem.
At the American Hunters Association,
a state of maximum alert was declared.
At the Korean Hunters Association,
emergency meetings were held and calls flooded in nonstop.
As for Korean society…
it was divided between fear, curiosity, and hope.
And outside—
urely…
The entire world began to move.
Hunters from different countries.
Major guilds.
Governments.
All eyes were now fixed on one place.
South Korea.
Whether they believed it or not,
the only way to get their answer…
was to go there.