A Dungeon That Had Gone Mad
The hunters were crowded around Sung-su, the party leader, lodging their complaints in tense voices. After looting the mana stones, Hyun-jun was gathering up the bodies. That, too, was a porter’s job. In the meantime, he could overhear the hunters’ conversation.
“It looks like the Dungeon Management Bureau got the advance survey wrong. It doesn’t happen often, but they say cases like this do come up sometimes.”
Sung-su spoke.
“If the survey was wrong, how hard is it now?”
One of the party members asked cautiously. After a brief moment of thought, Sung-su answered with a calm expression.
“Cases where it’s badly off are supposedly very rare. It’s probably around a C-Class elite dungeon.”
“If it’s a C-Class elite dungeon, can we break through with our current strength?”
This time, Hye-jin asked. Her voice trembled badly. The unexpected appearance of a higher-ranked monster had left her in a state of extreme tension.
“Impossible. We’ll have to give up and go back. There’ll be a penalty, but it’s better than dying.”
Sung-su said it, and in that instant Hyun-jun had a fleeting thought flash through his mind. He stopped gathering the bodies and dashed for the entrance.
“Porter! What are you doing?”
Sang-cheol snapped at him. Hyun-jun ignored him and kept running.
“Are you ignoring me?”
He didn’t care. Before long, he reached the door. With a face tightened hard, Hyun-jun grabbed the handle. Then he twisted it with desperate force.
Please...!
Clack.
But the door didn’t open. It was locked.
“It’s locked...”
At Hyun-jun’s words, the hunters’ expressions darkened. The moment they realized it was an elite dungeon, they had wanted to run, but now there was no choice except to press forward.
“We’ll continue.”
Sung-su said. Since there was no other option, everyone nodded weakly and re-formed their line. Then the raid resumed.
“I’ll change the formation. I’ll take the tank position.”
“You, Party Leader? Are you sure?”
Sang-cheol asked. Sung-su nodded.
“I’ve cleared elite dungeons a few times. I think it’ll be better if I take the tank role.”
No one objected. With no healer in the party, the tank’s chance of injury was high, so Sang-cheol silently moved into position as well.
“Oppa, I’m scared.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.”
Even though she was already dating another man, Hye-jin clung close to Sang-cheol in order to survive. Seeing that, Hyun-jun couldn’t suppress his disgust and frowned.
Hyun-jun didn’t know it, but Hye-jin had never been a decent woman to begin with. Inside a dungeon, she was the sort who would do anything to get help.
“We’ll continue.”
Three hours passed. One more D-Class combat hunter lost his life. Of the raiding party, only Sung-su, Sang-cheol, Hye-jin, and one D-Class magic-type hunter remained. Among the porters, Hyun-jun was the sole survivor.
“We’ll take a short break.”
They had pushed forward without rest until now, so they needed one. At Sung-su’s words, everyone collapsed where they stood, too exhausted to keep their bodies upright. But the break didn’t last long. Hyun-jun sensed something ominous and drew his sword.
“Ambush!”
Skeletons rained down from above. The knights were only C-Class, but they were still monsters that were difficult to handle in numbers.
“Aaaah!”
Hye-jin’s shrill scream rang out. A Sergeant that had been mixed in among the ordinary skeletons had driven its sword straight through the magic hunter’s heart. He didn’t even manage to scream. He just coughed up blood, his body shuddering once before he crumpled lifelessly.
Hyun-jun calmly raised his shield and assumed a defensive stance. Two skeletons clung to him, swinging swords and thrusting spears, but with ghostlike shield work he blocked every attack.
“Th-that’s impossible! A F-Class hunter taking on a C-Class monster?”
Hye-jin was stunned. Something was wrong. This dungeon seemed insane. And then, a moment later, something even more unbelievable happened. Hyun-jun wasn’t just blocking the skeletons’ attacks; he was counterattacking and shattering their cores.
Even undead monsters would fall once their core was destroyed, because their source of power disappeared. Hyun-jun knew that.
“Th-this can’t be... A F-Class hunter... How...?”
Hye-jin’s eyes shook violently. While Sang-cheol held off the skeletons, she cast a wavering look toward Hyun-jun and spoke.
“Y-you! What did you do? What the hell are you? What are you?”
Hyun-jun didn’t answer. Instead, he kept his shield up and watched his surroundings. There were still plenty of skeletons left. Sung-su and Sang-cheol had cut their numbers down, but three still remained.
“A buff...!”
Hyun-jun said. With a buff, he could fight better. But Hye-jin shook her head furiously like a madwoman.
She seemed to have lost her mind. She only kept shaking her head and screaming sharply, never once properly casting buffs on the others. Because of that, Sung-su and Sang-cheol were in terrible shape. Both were covered in blood, and Sung-su was missing his left arm. His severed arm lay nearby, rolling on the ground.
“Argh!”
“I-I can’t anymore!”
“O-oppa! You said you’d protect me!”
Before long, Sung-su collapsed. Sang-cheol chose to run. But there was nowhere to run to.
“Aaaaaargh!”
A spear hurled by the skeletons pierced his abdomen and tore through his heart. Sang-cheol died like that. But as if that still wasn’t enough, the skeletons’ green eye lights flared as they stabbed his corpse over and over, turning it into a shredded rag.
Now the only living people left were Hyun-jun and Hye-jin. The skeletons’ gazes turned toward them. They scattered and went after Hye-jin first. Hyun-jun lifted his shield, his face tense. That was when it happened.
“P-please, save me!”
Hye-jin screamed. Hyun-jun charged the skeletons surrounding her and swung his sword. A F-Class hunter should never have been able to so much as look at a C-Class monster. But Hyun-jun’s movements were unmistakably different now, and he used his shield to redirect the skeletons’ attacks before striking back.
T-this is Hyun-jun?
Hye-jin was stunned. This wasn’t the Hyun-jun she knew. After dealing with the three skeletons that had formed the encirclement, Hyun-jun threw a cold look at Hye-jin and spoke.
“Follow me.”
“Y-yeah...”
She nodded. Then she hurried after Hyun-jun as he moved ahead.
Right, just be my shield.
Hye-jin was practically grinning inside. She thought she might survive after all. Until they reached the next gate, Hyun-jun said nothing. Reading the uneasy mood, Hye-jin sent him a trembling look and opened her mouth.
“H-Hyun-jun... You’re not going to abandon me, right? You’re a man... aren’t you? Men don’t abandon women, do they?”
Hyun-jun, who had been examining the gate, turned to look at her.
“Don’t worry.”
He finished speaking and gave her a smile. The familiar smile put Hye-jin at ease. She even slipped her arm around Hyun-jun’s as if by accident.
Right. I need a shield to protect me right now.
Love had cooled. She just needed a scapegoat.
Seeing her, the corners of Hyun-jun’s mouth lifted.
What a pathetic bastard... Smiling like an idiot because he likes it...
That was Hye-jin’s inner thought. Of course, she didn’t show it.
“I’m opening it.”
“Y-yeah... Be careful.”
Hyun-jun opened the iron door. When he swept his flashlight across the darkness, a swaying bridge came into view. Beneath it ran a red river. He couldn’t tell how deep it was, but the water’s surface lay alarmingly close to the bridge.
“Y-you go first...”
There’s probably something there.
Sensing danger, Hye-jin gently pushed Hyun-jun toward the bridge. But he didn’t move. Instead, he pointed at it with the tip of his blade and spoke.
“You go first.”
Thinking he was going to sacrifice her? Not a chance.
Why should I?
Just look at everything Hye-jin had done until now. Appealing to sentiment was something she had forfeited long ago. The tie they had once had was settled the moment she had just barely saved his life.
“O-okay... I’ll cross.”
Had she reached the midpoint of the bridge? A shark shot up through the red water and tore away the top of her head. It happened in an instant.
“I can’t save you this time.”
There was no answer to give. That was an instant kill.
“Goodbye.”
While Hye-jin’s flesh was being ripped apart and devoured by the sharks, Hyun-jun crossed the swaying bridge with a parting farewell.
“It was unpleasant meeting you. Don’t ever show your face again.”
It was the moment he declared it over and turned away coldly.
Shadow Behind You is amazed by your ruthlessness and vicious scheme, and sends his praise. This insidious assassin would like to meet you someday, if the opportunity arises.
It seemed there had been a misunderstanding.