TRPM 138

chapter 138

At present, it is one of the four most influential guilds in Korea, and, along with the Iron Blood Guild, it is an elite guild composed of only a few members.

The atmosphere of the Cleaner Guild is fundamentally relaxed.

Because the guild master, Song Eun-ji, sleeps a lot and is lazy, she rarely interferes. Influenced by her, the other executives also do not meddle much as long as the ordinary guild members have finished their work.

Among the members of the Cleaner Guild, there was a woman.

“Are those kids on a group field trip from Awakener Middle School? For middle schoolers, their level isn’t bad.”

This woman, a member and scout of the Cleaner Guild, had a hobby. She would discreetly send a small amount of her energy to elementary, middle, or high school Awakeners and academy students to gauge their level.

It was undoubtedly rude to measure someone’s level in a private setting, but surprisingly, she had never run into trouble for it. Her skill was subtle enough that she wasn’t noticed, and ordinary kids, seeing a Cleaner Guild scout observing them, couldn’t help but wonder if they might one day be scouted themselves.

“And that one over there is the famous youngest Aura Master.”

For that reason, she played her little game as usual.

However, she was arrogant. She underestimated that, just because Han Geon-woo was a middle schooler, he would fail to notice her prank, even though he was an Aura Master.

“…Hmm?”

She gathered her luggage and tried to leave the airport with her companions. But today, she felt unusually heavy.

“…Maybe it’s because I haven’t flown in so long?”

She rarely flew unless traveling to Jeju Island or abroad, so she assumed she might be experiencing motion sickness and didn’t think much of it. But that only lasted briefly…

Grrr…

“……”

Feeling an urgent need to use the restroom, she excused herself from her companions and went to the airport bathroom.

Some time later…

“Phew…”
“Feeling better?”
“Shut up.”

No matter how close she was with her companions, this incident was a little humiliating. Blushing in embarrassment, she left the bathroom with them and got into a taxi headed for their rented accommodation.

And yet…

Grrr…
“Ugh…”

She was plagued by inexplicable stomach pains and had to remain in the bathroom for quite some time.

Bang! Bang!
“Hey! Get out already! It’s about time to start tackling the dungeon!”
“……”

Eventually, she had no choice but to get up when one of her companions knocked on the door.

Having cursed the Cleaner Guild member who had played a prank on me, I decided to put her out of my mind.

Following the guidance of our teachers, we arrived at a large restaurant in Jeju. It was big enough to accommodate all the students from our school on the field trip.

“Ugh… I’m full…”
“I’ll have to leave some…”
“……”

Despite coming to such a large restaurant, the students could not finish their meals. It made sense—they had eaten so many snacks before boarding the plane. Some had finished their share, but more had left food uneaten.

“…Especially my class…”

I sighed as I watched the kids barely touch their meals. My class had eaten more snacks than any other. Ryu Ah-young and Ryu Ah-min, the twins, had received snacks from Awakeners worldwide. The kids had stuffed themselves on rare treats, so they couldn’t finish lunch.

“Ugh…”
“If you’re full, don’t force yourself.”
“Okay…”

I stopped the kids from forcing down their food and glanced at the teachers. Most had finished eating and were preparing for the next schedule. But what could we do in the rain?

“Teacher! Where are we going after lunch?”

One child asked aloud, and everyone looked at the teachers. The head teacher replied:

“We were originally going to Yongmeori Coast, but since it’s raining, we’ll go to the Supermaket instead.”
“…Supermarket?”
“Supermaket.”

…Why suddenly a supermarket? Most of the kids seemed puzzled, but a few who had researched Jeju tourist spots ahead of time were excited. Surely the “Supermaket” the teacher mentioned wasn’t a normal discount store.

‘Wasn’t there a media art center in Jeju called Supermaket?’

Since it was an indoor attraction, the rain wouldn’t be an issue. I was about to get up when…

Thrum…
“…?”

I felt vibrations from a distance.

‘This isn’t normal.’

It wasn’t ordinary tremors. It sounded like something collapsing—not thunder. Others didn’t seem to notice.

‘It was a small sound, drowned out by rain outside and the kids’ chatter inside.’

The floor also shook slightly, though weakly enough that only someone sensitive might notice.

“Are you okay?”
“…I need to check something.”

I explained to Lee Ha-eun, who looked puzzled, and approached the teachers.

“Teacher.”
“Hmm? What is it, Geon-woo?”
“I think something strange is happening over there. Can I go check?”

I didn’t bother lying. I was already known as an Aura Master, so the teachers had no reason to doubt me—they knew I was stronger than them.

“Something strange?”
“Hmm… I think it’s fine. If it were someone else, maybe not, but you, Geon-woo…”
“Even Geon-woo shouldn’t be alone during a field trip… Maybe one of us should go with you?”

It seemed one teacher intended to accompany me. Since they were all Awakeners, even if their level was low, they could keep up if I ran slowly.

“I’ll take my class with me. Head teacher? Can you look after my students?”
“Yes, do that. Contact us if anything happens. We’ll head to the Supermaket first.”

My homeroom teacher volunteered to come with me, taking an umbrella. I would have preferred a raincoat, but whatever. Together, we left the restaurant.

“Geon-woo, which direction did the strange phenomenon happen?”
“That way.”

I pointed in the direction where the vibration had begun—somewhere a sudden collapse seemed to occur.

“Does it seem urgent?”
“…Yes.”

I nodded, recognizing the urgency despite only having a rough understanding of the situation. Normally, I could sense everything clearly, rain or not, but fatigue limited my perception this time.

‘I really need to get proper sleep in the future.’

I explained the situation to my teacher.

“There’s a hole in the ground. Is this called a sinkhole? People nearby are panicking.”
“Sinkhole…? I’ll have to see for myself…”
“Also…”

There are monsters.

“……”

My homeroom teacher swallowed hard. Even as an Awakener, she had probably faced monsters, but…

‘She’s not very strong.’

Her combat level was among the lowest of Awakeners. That’s probably why she became a teacher instead of tackling dungeons herself. Most Awakener school teachers are probably similar. It’s no wonder she tensed at the mention of monsters.

“…Geon-woo?”
“Yes?”
“If it gets dangerous, can you protect me?”
“…Yes.”

Reluctantly, my teacher entrusted her safety to me, and we ran toward the site.

‘But… why would a monster appear in the middle of town?’

It would have made sense near a remote area like Hallasan. A dungeon suddenly appearing in the city? That shouldn’t happen—it would have been discovered and tackled quickly.

‘Did a dungeon in the city fail to be cleared?’

Possibly. That’s probably why the Cleaner Guild sent members to Jeju. If monsters appeared, it means something went wrong before their entry, or even the Cleaner Guild failed to clear it.

‘…Wait.’

Could this be my fault? Did my curse on a Cleaner Guild member cause the dungeon to fail?

‘Hmm…’

Her elemental magic was subtle enough that no one noticed but her companions. A special person didn’t notice.

‘Even the Grand Mage Lee Ha-eun didn’t notice.’

An elemental mage that skilled is a powerful Awakener. If my curse prevented her from fighting properly, causing the dungeon to fail…

‘…Yeah, this is my fault.’

I arrived at the site with my teacher.

“…Wow…”
“……”

Seeing the scene, my teacher dropped her umbrella in shock. Numerous orcs were crawling out of what seemed to be a dungeon gate inside the sinkhole.

Considering her level, this was likely her first time seeing so many orcs. I positioned her behind me to protect her—anything could fly at her from the orcs.

Surveying the scene, I assessed the situation.

‘A dungeon appeared underground. Orcs came out of the gate, causing chaos. The ground collapsed, creating the sinkhole.’

Fortunately, the Cleaner Guild members appeared unharmed. They had formed a defense line around the sinkhole, ready to push back orcs climbing out.

And…

Grrr…!
“Ugh…!”
“……”

The woman I had cursed was glaring at the orcs, clenching her teeth in frustration, though the curse weakened her body.

‘…I’m sorry.’

I silently apologized.