The Dimensional Swordmaster C21

Chapter 21. The Unknown Means (1)

It resembled the gate he had entered last time—the same pattern, the same pulse. Having witnessed it once before, Yurian was certain.

A whirl of writhing mana burst upward like a pillar of flame. Sparks flickered, tongues of energy lashing through the air like serpents.

“At this rate? An hour at most.”

In an hour, a gate leading to a dungeon would split open.

Yurian’s gaze lingered on the butterfly drawn beside the sign reading Butterfly Nap Daycare.

He hadn’t planned on getting involved, but the location made it impossible to ignore.

Surely this world had its own countermeasures…but he wasn’t about to let children be dragged into danger.

“…So you’re saying you can see a spontaneous dungeon forming?”

“If that’s what you call them, then yeah. I can see it right now.”

Hoooonk!

The car behind them blared its horn. Swearing under his breath, Gong Siyoung flicked on the hazard lights and pulled over.

Silence fell inside the stopped car. Outside, people walked down the sidewalk, blissfully unaware.

“I don’t know if what you’re saying is true… but if it is, we need to verify it. Get out.”

He unbuckled his belt and stepped out first, tapping on the window for Yurian to follow.

Yurian opened the door and stepped into the thick, humid afternoon heat. While he fanned himself, Siyoung pulled out his phone, hesitated, then made a call.

“Hello? Yes, this is Gong Siyoung. I need to make an emergency request. Yes, spontaneous type. I’ll give you the address.”

Leaving him to the call, Yurian turned to look behind them.

The street was lined with neatly trimmed ginkgo trees, sunlight flickering through the leaves. The peaceful afternoon extended all the way to the daycare.

Behind the low fence lay a well-maintained playground. Yurian’s eyes fixed on it.

A mass of mana hovered above the slide, its shape shifting every moment.

At times it looked like tangled yarn; at others, like a lump of poorly kneaded dough. With every passing second, it grew larger.

…How could no one else see this? The mana was so vivid it almost hummed—yet every passerby remained oblivious.

Yurian reached a hand toward the fence.

His fingers were a hair’s breadth away from brushing a trailing thread of mana when someone yanked him back.

“Yes, then I’ll request cooperation from the daycare.”

A firm hand gripped the back of his neck.

With the phone wedged between his shoulder and ear, Siyoung glared sharply at him.

Yurian quietly lowered his hand.

Siyoung hung up and pulled him closer by the collar. Their bodies drew near; his voice brushed against Yurian’s ear.

“If you even think of saying this was a joke, a prank, a mistake—anything like that—try it.”

He curled his fist and shook it in the air. His posture, his tone—everything about him was pure iron.

“Anyone who lies about gates or dungeons? I don’t consider them human.”

“I didn’t lie.”

He regretted revealing it so quickly—maybe he’d been too forward.

But he had no reason to invent something like this.

Yurian wanted to survive quietly, unnoticed. He didn’t intend to act like a hero or draw attention.

Even if circumstances had dragged him into trouble already…

“No wandering, no running off. Stay next to me until the Bureau people arrive.”

No room for argument—Siyoung marched ahead.

Only after confirming Yurian was following did he ring the doorbell beside the daycare entrance.

A moment later, a middle-aged woman peeked out. Recognizing him, she stammered in shock.

“G-Gong Siyoung Hunter? Oh my goodness!”

“Sorry to bother you. Could we speak for a moment?”

She nodded and stepped aside.

While the two spoke, several black vehicles pulled up outside the daycare.

Yurian murmured the words printed on the side.

“Hunter Management Bureau?”

Uniformed men stepped out of the vehicles, the Bureau’s red-tiger insignia stamped across both vans and jackets.

The squad leader approached.

“We received the call. Gate Exploration Team One—Team Leader Choi Jaeguk.”

He extended a hand. Siyoung shook it curtly.

As they spoke, daycare staff emerged—women in aprons whispering anxiously.

The sudden commotion unsettled them, and it showed.

Yurian observed from a distance like a bystander.

No one paid him any mind; he stayed still, sensing the mana as it swelled.

When Choi Jaeguk entered the daycare, Siyoung glanced around, spotted Yurian, and beckoned.

“Don’t wander. Stay next to me.”

He grabbed Yurian’s arm firmly—like restraining a child prone to trouble.

“It’s not like I had anywhere to go. So? Did things go well?”

“Well enough. But… is a dungeon really going to form here?”

Siyoung scratched his chin.

In his eyes, the daycare was just a daycare.

The only disturbance came from the Bureau team, not from the air.

“I’ve already notified the guild. A response team will be here soon. If a gate really opens…”

He stopped mid-sentence.

His eyes drifted toward the evacuating children—small, frightened, shuffling in line behind their teachers.

No more explanation was needed.

Whatever a spontaneous dungeon was, it was serious.

Serious enough to mobilize this many people within minutes.

The children waddled away like tiny ducklings.

If Yurian hadn’t passed by…

If he hadn’t said anything…

The possibilities alone twisted something in his chest.

“It’s strange, really.”

He stared up at the playground slide, where mana churned violently.

The air quivered with intensity—dangerously alive.

Yurian drew his sword without hesitation.

“Some people are simply meant to survive.”

It happened in an instant.

A spark ignited in midair—

Space split apart—

And a pitch-black hole tore open above the playground.

Screams erupted behind them.

From within the darkness, the shadows writhed and pressed outward, ready to spill into the world.

Time warped—he couldn’t tell whether the gate was consuming the world or the world was being dragged inside.

Mana surged like a tide, sweeping across Yurian’s skin.

A shiver ran down his spine.

It felt as though the gate itself were calling him.

He raised his sword.

And at that very moment—

Siyoung seized him by the waist.

Yurian jerked to a stop, inches away from lunging toward the gate.

“We are not going in there. That’s why I called the response team! They’ll handle it!”

“…We’re not going?”

That was unexpected.

He’d assumed Siyoung would be first to charge in.

“We can’t go in now. Who knows how long it’d take to clear it? And we have to enter the nested dungeon soon. Also, my guild master didn’t give permission.”

Yurian relaxed, lowering his sword.

“I see. Thought we had to go.”

The gate’s maw fully unfurled, crackling with unstable energy. Chaos erupted around it as the exploration team set up barriers and caution lines.

Siyoung pulled Yurian back from the growing commotion.

The empty daycare felt eerily hollow.

Team Leader Choi approached.

“There are a few questions we need to ask. Do you have a moment?”

His tone was polite, but his eyes were sharp—almost accusatory.

No pause, no breath—he continued.

“How did you know a spontaneous dungeon was about to appear here?”

……

Yurian: “There’ll be a dungeon there.”

Siyoung: slams brakes hard enough to summon a second dungeon

Seatbelt: “You’re welcome.” 😭