Dungeon Seoul

‎They gave him a brand‑new jacket.

‎

‎It was sleek, black with silver trim, stitched with Tiger Gate's emblem over the heart. Jinho tugged at the collar while waiting at the loading bay, where a camera drone buzzed around him like a curious fly.

‎

‎"Relax," said Riyeon, checking the runes on her gauntlets. "You just have to look competent. Do not glitch through the floor."

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‎"I don't do that on purpose," Jinho muttered.

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‎> LIVE BROADCAST INITIATED – Tiger Gate Field Ops Channel

‎Welcome, viewers! Today's mission features our newest Specialist… Kang Jinho!

‎Chat: OMG it's THE WALKING PATCH NOTE!

‎Chat: show the pan lol

‎Chat: i bet he trips over a rock first five mins.

‎

‎

‎Pan floated into frame, glowing faintly.

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‎"HELLO, AUDIENCE.

‎I AM PAN‑0.

‎YOU MAY KISS THE SCREEN."

‎

‎Chat: ???

‎Chat: I LOVE THEM ALREADY

‎

‎

‎The team boarded a hover transport. The target, E‑Rank Rift 302, known as The Verdant Maw. A routine dungeon near Busan, cleared weekly for resource harvesting.

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‎Ops Director Kang Wook's voice came over comms.

‎"Specialist Jinho, this is a showcase mission. Don't do anything that will explode on camera."

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‎"Define explode?" Jinho asked.

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‎Pan spun lazily.

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‎"EXPLODE: TO MAKE A STATEMENT."

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‎🔹🔹🔹🔹

‎

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‎The dungeon mouth yawned open like a cave covered in moss and luminous fungi. The air smelled of damp earth and ozone. The drone zipped ahead, projecting the live feed to thousands of viewers.

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‎"Team, move," Riyeon ordered.

‎They entered Jinho, Riyeon, two veteran hunters (a healer named Ji‑yeon and a taciturn lancer called Baek), and one floating pan.

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‎Inside, the walls pulsed with green light. Tiny spirit moths fluttered around their torches.

‎

‎Chat: wow it's pretty in there!

‎Chat: PATCH NOTE OPPA FIGHTING!

‎Chat: why is there a frying pan

‎

‎

‎The first wave of dungeon creatures was harmless, plant‑lizards that scattered under a single swing. Jinho relaxed, almost enjoying himself.

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‎[Skill Activation: Frystrike Lv.3]

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‎Pan smashed a lizard with dramatic flair.

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‎"FEEL THE IRON EMBRACE."

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‎The chat loved it.

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‎Chat: LMAO THE PAN TALKS??

‎Chat: marry me pan

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‎They advanced deeper. Everything was on script… until the moss began whispering.

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‎Jinho froze. "Did anyone else hear that?"

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‎Baek glanced around. "Hear what?"

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‎"JINHO…"

‎"…YOU HAVE A BUG…"

‎

‎Pan hissed suddenly, spinning.

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‎"SOMETHING AWAKE.

‎SOMETHING OLD.

‎I DO NOT LIKE THIS FLAVOR."

‎

‎A warning flashed across Jinho's vision.

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‎[ADMINISTRATOR LAYER DETECTED]

‎[UNSCHEDULED ENTITY APPROACHING]

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‎Riyeon grabbed his arm. "Specialist? What's wrong?"

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‎"The dungeon just—uh—updated itself?"

‎

‎The ground trembled. Roots burst from the walls, weaving into shapes, humanoid shapes.

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‎Ji‑yeon screamed as one lunged. Baek speared it, but another root‑thing grabbed his lance and spoke.

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‎"WALKING PATCH NOTE… GIVE BACK THE PAN."

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‎The chat went wild.

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‎Chat: wait is this scripted??

‎Chat: IT KNOWS THE PAN??

‎Chat: OMGGG

‎

‎

‎Jinho swung Pan hard.

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‎[Glitch Event Triggered – Skill Rewrite]

‎New Skill: BUG BASHER Lv.0

‎Effect: Improvise critical strike vs. anomalous entities.

‎

‎

‎Pan shrieked like a modem dying.

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‎"RETURN TO THE BACKEND, DEMON!"

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‎A shockwave rippled outward, shattering root‑monsters into dust but also knocking the team to the ground and shaking the camera drone so hard the feed pixelated.

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‎Chat: HOLY—

‎Chat: PATCH NOTE OPPA WHAT DID YOU DO

‎Chat: im scared and turned on

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‎"Jinho!" Riyeon yelled, steadying herself. "That was NOT on the briefing!"

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‎"I didn't do it on purpose!"

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‎"YES HE DID," Pan intoned dramatically.

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‎

‎The walls split open, revealing a vast chamber filled with writhing vines. At the center, a hulking figure rose, half‑man, half‑tree, crowned with glowing spores.

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‎The system screamed.

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‎[BOSS ALERT – UNREGISTERED VARIANT]

‎[ROOT ADMINISTRATOR SPAWNED]

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‎The live chat exploded.

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‎Chat: THIS IS NOT E RANK

‎Chat: IS THIS A WORLD FIRST??

‎Chat: omg is he going to die??

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‎"Team, fallback," Riyeon ordered, but roots lashed out, slamming her into a wall.

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‎Jinho's heart pounded. The boss loomed closer.

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‎"PAN‑0… RETURN. RETURN. RETURN."

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‎Pan's voice cut through the chaos.

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‎"NO.

‎I HAVE CHOSEN.

‎I AM HIS."

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‎Jinho gripped Pan tight. "You want my pan? You're going to have to take it from my cold, glitched hands."

‎

‎[Skill Merge Detected]

‎Frystrike + BUG BASHER → "PATCH SLAM"

‎Effect: Apply system error as damage.

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‎He charged.

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‎The boss raised a massive root‑arm. Pan struck first. Sparks of corrupted mana flew, system icons popping in midair like shattered glass. The boss shrieked in binary.

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‎Jinho swung again, yelling wordlessly, and the creature's core split in two with a shower of green light.

The dungeon went silent.

The drone feed steadied, showing Jinho standing victorious, breathing hard, Pan glowing in his grip.

"WE ARE NOT A BUG," Pan whispered softly.

"WE ARE A FEATURE."

The live chat went berserk.

Chat: MARRY ME PATCH NOTE OPPA

Chat: THE PAN IS MY GOD NOW

Chat: did he just solo a boss???

Chat: im crying this is peak entertainment

Riyeon limped over, brushing moss off her armor. "Congratulations," she said dryly. "You just turned a simple E‑rank showcase into an international incident."

"…Sorry?"

She sighed. "Don't apologize. Mirae's going to use this footage to buy a new tower."

🔹🔹🔹🔹

Back on the transport, Jinho stared at his shaking hands. Pan hummed like a satisfied cat.

[System Notice: Administrator Layer destabilized by your actions.]

[International attention increased. Guilds are watching.]

Jinho groaned. "I'm dead, aren't I?"

"NO.

YOU ARE… LEGEND."