Life Rebooted with Copy and Paste-Chapter 119. No Way

When the roots engulfed the academy, the entire landscape shifted. In the blink of an eye, the cityscape transformed into a snow-covered coniferous forest. Pure white trees stood where the gray buildings once were. Even the academy building itself was overrun with strange, bizarre vines.

The temperature is...

Moreover, the temperature had plummeted to freezing.

Even though he’d increased their Cold Resistance, Kim Do-Joon couldn’t help but tighten his arm around his daughter.

“What the hell is going on?”

“Is this... a dungeon?”

“If it’s a dungeon, then why’s the school still here?”

The students, who had been cheering and smiling at Kim Do-Joon just a little while ago, went as white as a sheet, trembling uncontrollably.

More than the sudden drop in temperature, the sheer terror of being caught in an unknown phenomenon rattled them to their cores. The students were on the verge of panic. Words wouldn’t work on them.

With a soft whoosh, Kim Do-Joon conjured fire into the air. The Flame Heart’s Fragment’s warm, yet untouchable aura began to soothe the students, slowly dissolving their fear.

“Right... Hunter Kim Do-Joon is here...”

Only then did they realize who stood among them.

“First, let’s find the others,” Kim Do-Joon said firmly.

The students nodded eagerly, fully determined not to leave his side no matter what. Like ducklings following their mother, three students trailed behind Kim Do-Joon as he began to move.

First stop was the nearby kindergarten. If his hunch was right, Kwon Soo-Young and a few of the children would still be there.

Oh gosh...

When the others weren’t looking, Kim Do-Joon frowned. A sense of unease had been nagging at him from the start.

The air, more precisely the mana, felt a little off.

This feels different from a normal dungeon.

He’d felt this feeling once, back when he had been inside the Stem of Hwaseong.

No way...

***

“Mr. Kim!”

As expected, Kwon Soo-Young was at the kindergarten with the children. After reuniting, Kim Do-Joon decided it was best to head to the underground shelter. In such dangerous conditions, he couldn’t keep the small children with him any longer.

Thanks to having fought Eldora, Kim Do-Joon knew exactly where the shelter entrance was.

Before long, they arrived at the location.

“Dig over here!”

“Got it! This spot, right?”

There were already quite a few people gathered there. Most were students, but there were also teachers and a few security guards.

At a glance, there were at least dozens of people, all gathered at the shelter entrance. However, none of them were going inside. Instead, they were frantically digging through the ground.

“Why aren’t they going in?” Kwon Soo-Young asked, puzzled.

Oh, I see.

He saw that the shelter entrance was completely obstructed. As they got closer, Kwon Soo-Young finally saw the same thing.

“This is...”

“Ms. Kwon Soo-Young, you were safe!”

Kwon Soo-Young was startled as someone called out to her.

It was Park Do-Yeol, one of the high school teachers at the academy. He was also a former C-rank Hunter, who’d retired.

“W-what happened here?” Kwon Soo-Young asked.

“We don’t know either. It was like this when we got here. The security guards and we have been trying to dig it out,” Park Do-Yeol replied, grimacing at the situation.

The teachers and security guards were busy digging into the ground, their muscles straining with effort. As most of them were former Hunters, they were making good progress, but there were no signs of the shelter yet. Both the diggers and onlookers, including Park Do-Yeol, wore uneasy expressions, likely imagining the worst.

Just then, Park Do-Yeol noticed the man who was holding a small child behind Kwon Soo-Young

"Are you one of the parents? I'm terribly sorry that you’ve been dragged into this," he began, offering a quick apology as a teacher.

However, as he got a proper look at the man’s face, his words faltered. Park Do-Yeol’s expression shifted, his face twitching slightly.

"Hey, Teacher! This isn’t working! We’ve dug this much, and there’s still nothing!" A security guard, shovel slung over his shoulder, approached Park Do-Yeol with a grim look.

Their worst fear had come true. The underground shelter hadn’t been transported into this dungeon with them. As this realization settled in, murmurs of panic spread among the students.

"What do we do now? What if monsters show up?"

"Aren’t we in serious trouble?”

The rising wave of fear was thick in the air, making the security guard click his tongue in frustration. Since he had to maintain order no matter what, he called Park Do-Yeol.

“Huh?”

However, the security guard noticed something peculiar. Park Do-Yeol remained unfazed. In fact, he smiled brightly, almost out of place in the dire situation.

"Y-you're...Kim Do-Joon, the Hunter, right? It's an honor to meet you!" Park Do-Yeol exclaimed, his voice rising with excitement.

His sudden outburst caught everyone's attention.

"What? Kim Do-Joon?"

"Wait, that Kim Do-Joon?”

“You mean the one from the Giant Woodland?"

The mere mention of Kim Do-Joon's name dispelled the lingering anxiety instantly. After all, if Kim Do-Joon was with them, they were as good as saved. A missing shelter didn’t seem like such a big deal anymore.

Feeling the weight of all the eyes on him, Kim Do-Joon scratched his cheek awkwardly.

"Let’s find another place where everyone can gather for now. Is there an auditorium or something similar?" Kim Do-Joon asked.

"Yes! Right this way!" Park Do-Yeol shouted energetically, and with that, everyone began to move.

***

They arrived at the auditorium as planned. The rest of the main building was also freezing outside, without any working boilers or heaters.

They quickly sealed all the windows and lit several campfires throughout the space. Groups huddled around the fires, sipping warm soup to chase away the chill.

“Thankfully, we seem to have enough food for now,” someone remarked.

They’d gathered food from the school’s convenience store, along with some supplies provided by the teachers and security guards. As former Hunters they always carried provisions in their inventories out of habit. For the time being, they had more than enough.

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Kim Do-Joon had also contributed all the supplies he had with him.

“We can hold out for a while.”

“But with this many people, they won’t last long,” someone pointed out.

“We’ll just have to ration carefully.”

Kim Do-Joon was sitting by one of the campfires, where the teachers and security guards, including Park Do-Yeol, were discussing the situation.

I guess we have about a week worth of food.

If they rationed smartly and strictly, going hungry at times, they could probably last longer than a week.

“In that amount of time, rescue will come, right?” one of the teachers asked, hopefully.

“I think so? The academy building disappeared into thin air. The authorities outside will be working on it already.”

Their conversation took on a more optimistic tone. They had food, blankets, and tents. Though it was cold, the fires made it bearable. The presence of a few young children was concerning, but not an outright disaster.

However, Kim Do-Joon’s expression remained grim.

This was no regular dungeon. Everything felt off from the moment the academy was swallowed. The nagging sense of discomfort wouldn’t go away.

What if this dungeon is actually connected to the Stem of Hwaseong...?

“Regardless, we should explore the surroundings. There might be a way out. Even if not, we could find more supplies, whether that’s food or water,” Kim Do-Joon said firmly.

“That’s a good idea,” one of the teachers agreed. “But someone needs to stay behind to protect the children. It’s probably best if Mr. Park stays here, and maybe Ms. Kim can—”

As the teachers quickly began discussing who should stay and who should join the search party, Kim Do-Joon shook his head and interrupted. Their ability to coordinate was commendable, but if this place really was part of the Stem, then splitting up would be a terrible idea.

“I will go alone. The rest of you need to stay here,” Kim Do-Joon said firmly.

“What?” The teachers were taken aback.

Although Kim Do-Joon was the strongest among them, he still had limits. To cover the ground efficiently and improve their chances of finding something useful, they needed more people.

“I don’t want the students to know, so please keep this between us teachers,” Kim Do-Joon said, lowering his voice. “I think this place might be connected to the Stem.”

“What?!”

“The Stem?” one of the teachers gasped, and the rest fell into stunned silence.

Kim Do-Joon quickly gestured for them to be quiet. They had to avoid alarming the students to avoid unnecessary panic.

“The mana here feels very similar to the one I sensed in the Stem before. This is no ordinary dungeon,” Kim Do-Joon explained gravely.

The teachers' faces turned pale. It was precisely because they didn’t doubt him that their expressions darkened with fear. The Stem always caused a deep, gut-wrenching unease. Even the top-ranked Hunters, including Shin Yoo-Sung, barely made it out after venturing in there.

While full details of what transpired in the Stem had not been made public, one thing was clear: it was as dangerous, if not more, than an A-rank dungeon.

If they really were inside a place connected to the Stem, their chances of survival dropped dramatically. Most of the people here were former C or D-rank Hunters. Even the fact that there were a handful of B-rank Hunters, retired and now working as teachers, didn’t offer any comfort.

The teachers, now pale and speechless, looked at Kim Do-Joon for guidance.

“That’s why I need to go alone,” Kim Do-Joon said. “If you come with me, it will only increase the risk. Please, stay here and keep everyone safe.”

“...”

“... Alright,” one of the teachers finally said, and the others nodded in agreement.

They understood that if they tried to join the search, they could very well end up dead before they even found anything useful. And what good was a search party if it didn’t come back?

“Let’s get ready right away,” Kim Do-Joon said.

“Alright.”

“We can help with that.”

Preparations moved quickly. The academy had radios, flares, and a few other supplies in storage. The teachers gathered them not for Kim Do-Joon’s use, but for their own protection.

“If something happens, use these. I’ll come running immediately,” Kim Do-Joon instructed Park Do-Yeol and others, making sure they knew how to signal him if any monsters appeared in his absence.

“Alright, don’t worry about us,” Park Do-Yeol said, seeing Kim Do-Joon off at the auditorium door. “Please be careful out there.”

Just as Kim Do-Joon was about to step outside, a voice stopped him.

“Wait!” a student shouted, blocking his path.

It was the same student who had been glancing in Kim Do-Joon’s direction for a while now, clearly mustering the courage to say something.

“Take me with you!” the student blurted out.

“What?” Park Do-Yeol exclaimed, rushing forward in shock.

The student, Kang Tae-Won, puffed up his chest and glanced smugly at Park Do-Yeol.

“I’d be a huge help out there. Come on, I can’t miss an opportunity to explore a dungeon up close!” Kang Tae-Won argued.

“Ugh, you little brat...” Park Do-Yeol muttered, frowning in exasperation.

Kang Tae-Won was the top student in the academy’s practical combat classes, and he knew it. His skills and rank had bred a certain arrogance over time, but it was hard to blame him. Being number one in such an academy practically guaranteed a bright future as a Hunter after graduation.

In fact, several prominent guilds were already reaching out to him, trying to recruit him before he even finished school. Because of that, he rarely paid much attention to his teachers' scoldings, knowing that his future prospects were better than many of theirs during their prime.

“I’m way more useful than any of the teachers here! You’ve gotta take me with you!” he declared, his confident gaze locked onto Kim Do-Joon.

Kang Tae-Won was certain his argument would convince Kim Do-Joon. However, Kim Do-Joon looked between Kang Tae-Won and Park Do-Yeol, reading the situation quickly.

Without needing to hear more, he understood the dynamic at play. Kang Tae-Won’s aura was undeniably strong for a student, almost on par with some of the teachers. However, there was more to consider.

“No way,” Kim Do-Joon said flatly.

Kang Tae-Won blinked, taken aback by the immediate rejection. He hadn’t expected such an outright refusal.

Ignoring Kang Tae-Won’s stunned expression, Kim Do-Joon began walking toward the exit.

“W-wait!” Kang Tae-Won cried out, grabbing Kim Do-Joon’s arm in desperation.

Park Do-Yeol’s eyes widened in shock at the student’s boldness, but Kim Do-Joon simply paused, turning back to face the boy.

“You don’t seem to understand,” Kang Tae-Won said, growing more desperate. “I’m already stronger than most of the teachers here! I’ve beaten them in sparring matches countless times!”

Kim Do-Joon sighed softly. Kang Tae-Won’s determination aside, the kid’s naivety was glaring. He wasn’t going to be swayed by a few boastful words.

“Your strength isn’t the issue,” Kim Do-Joon said calmly. “It’s your lack of real experience. That’s why you can’t come.”

“Real... experience?” Kang Tae-Won echoed, confused.

Kim Do-Joon’s eyes narrowed slightly, allowing just a sliver of his true presence to slip out—the killing intent he had honed over years of facing death in countless dungeons. It was barely a flicker, something that’d barely register to someone like Kim Do-Joon.

However, Kang Tae-Won gasped and stumbled backward, falling to the ground in shock. He reacted instinctively, paralyzed by fear.

Meanwhile, Park Do-Yeol had already drawn his weapon, moving swiftly to shield the student from the sudden surge of pressure. His reflexes, honed from years of experience, kicked in immediately.

“That’s what I mean,” Kim Do-Joon said, his voice calm and unwavering.

With that, Kim Do-Joon turned and continued on his way, leaving the room behind him.

Kang Tae-Won could only sit there, wide-eyed, as he watched the man disappear from sight. All that remained in his vision was Kim Do-Joon and the broad back of his teacher, Park Do-Yeol, standing protectively in front of him.