Chapter 28
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Translator: MJK
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Moon Haze Dungeon (1)
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This story wasn't about them, so everyone was just watching with curious eyes.
Who could've predicted that an S-rank dungeon—an irregular one, no less—would suddenly erupt right in the middle of the academy grounds?
'No one except the regressor.'
Yoo Han-seong was probably feeling the weight of guilt for the victims of this incident right now.
He couldn't save them all, after all.
'I hope my potions can help even a little.'
I fiddled with some coins in front of the vending machine when I heard a familiar voice from down the hallway.
"...Ugh."
I turned to see Lee Hae-sol.
He was pressing his forehead with his fingers as he walked into the lounge.
His friends nearby looked at him with worried expressions.
"Hae-sol, you okay?"
"You've been feeling nauseous all the time."
"I'm fine."
Lee Hae-sol replied curtly.
"Just a bit tired."
Under the lounge lights, his face looked paler than usual.
I took a deep breath in front of the vending machine.
Now was the time.
I picked up the box and walked toward the back of the lounge.
I deliberately lowered my voice a little as I called out.
"Hae-sol."
He looked up.
His gaze slowly turned toward me.
"Oh."
"Hold on a sec."
I opened the box and took out a small vial.
There was no label on it.
I'd done that on purpose.
Putting a name on it would only make him more suspicious.
"...Your head hurts, right?"
"That's—"
"Here. I was carrying it around to give it to you since you weren't at your spot."
I replied just like I always would.
Then I pulled another potion from my pocket and pressed it into his hand.
"This one's good for when you can't sleep. It helps calm your mind... or something like that. Just gives you that feeling."
The tendons near Lee Hae-sol's wrist tensed slightly.
"You didn't make this just for me, did you?"
"No way. I already gave some to everyone in your party. The idea hit me after you guys went in yesterday!"
"Ah, you..."
"I got anxious listening to the broadcast today, so I figured I'd hand them out."
As I spoke, I gently placed the vial in his hand.
Letting him take it himself, without me forcing it.
Nothing burdensome.
"I've tried everything in here myself. Don't worry about the mental ones... I took out anything with side effects. Eat it if you need to. It'll make things a little less scary and less complicated."
In truth, the effects would be more than that.
It was something we all knew without saying.
"Mental potions need careful handling since they're sensitive. If it doesn't feel right, don't take it. Got it?"
Lee Hae-sol stared down at the vial for a moment.
The liquid inside swayed faintly in the lounge light.
He let out a breath and looked at me.
"Hari."
"Yeah?"
"Thanks."
It was a single line, but it carried a mix of emotions.
Guilt, burden, and a tiny spark of trust.
I pretended not to notice any of it and just waved lightly.
"I made them because I'm anxious. I wanted to do... something for the kids heading into the dungeon in my place."
I grinned playfully.
"I'm weak, after all."
He muttered "Again" under his breath, narrowing his eyes a bit.
That expression meant he didn't like it.
"I don't like hearing you call yourself weak."
"You gotta face facts constantly to avoid mistakes."
I said it casually, like it was no big deal.
"It's fine. Weak or not, you just do what you can, right?"
He let out a small laugh, like a sigh.
But he didn't let go of the vial.
His fingers gripped it tightly.
"I'll... take it later."
"Yeah. Toss it if it doesn't feel right. Promise!"
I said lightly.
"Don't force it."
With that, I hugged the box and headed back to my room, murmuring to myself in my mind.
This should look like a coincidence, right?
Just an F-rank healer handing out practice potions to her friends on an anxious night.
At least it might keep one person's resolve from completely crumbling.
And that's all I can do.
It looked like the gate would open at night.
I distributed all the spare potions I had left to the other kids in Class 8.
The Moon Haze Dungeon had potential for rank fluctuations since it popped up out of nowhere, but usually, they wrapped up around C-rank.
So no one seemed to grasp the gravity yet.
'That's why they're only sending Class 8—the ones up for practical training—inside for screening purposes.'
If they used an S-rank dungeon as a TEST dungeon, the teachers would all be shocked.
But the entrance would block off after the first team, so no one else could enter.
'All we can do is watch.'
The kids were heading off to die.
My chest churned with an ominous, painful dread more than I'd expected.
Hoping no one would die, I'd spent the last few days making as many extra potions as possible.
Thank goodness my classmates now took my potions without a second word.
"Th-this many?"
"I pulled an all-nighter tweaking some stuff. Might as well hand 'em all out since I made so many!"
My classmates' stares turned even weirder than usual, like they were looking at a freak.
They shook their heads, but they took the potions anyway.
Time passed, and streetlights glowed outside the dorm windows.
The sky was unusually hazy.
Not fog, but like dust floating around, making everything blur.
The glow from the TV in the dorm lounge and the students' murmurs spilled into the hallway.
I closed my door and took a deep breath.
Tonight wouldn't be quiet, that much was clear.
Moon Haze nights were always strange.
A low rumble echoed from somewhere, and a tingle like electricity brushed my skin from afar.
I checked the small box on my desk again.
A few emergency recovery potions—just in case—and two basic stabilizer vials.
I wanted to believe I wouldn't need them, but in the original story, tonight was when the first casualties happened.
Though things might be a little different now.
Lee Hae-sol had taken my potion.
I really hoped it worked for him.
Suddenly, a low "whoosh" vibration passed outside the window.
I grabbed the windowsill in surprise.
For a split second, the sky over the mountain behind the dorms shimmered, like a thin membrane tearing.
The signal for the Moon Haze forming.
A shout came from the hallway.
"It's open! Check the broadcast now!"
The corridor grew noisy.
I stepped out to find kids crowding the hall.
Most had their phones out.
Real-time alerts must've hit all at once.
The raid team—Class 8—had just entered when things went wrong.
"What the hell? Fragment rifts and mid-dungeon detected at the same time? That means high rank, right?"
"Crazy, which class went in? Class 8? Wait, first-years? Shit, what do we do? Teacher!"
Normally, they'd get almost no protection, but this time... maybe it'd be a bit better.
Down on the first floor, the lounge TV was already showing the live feed.
They couldn't see fully inside, but it displayed the dungeon exterior, team lineup, and partial wave graphs.
The lounge was dead silent, everyone holding their breath.
I stood quietly in the corner, watching the screen.
Campus news captions scrolled by.
「Narin Academy Nearby Dungeon Activated. Moon Haze Site, Phase 1 Entry Begins.」
Ignoring the chaos around me, a mechanical voice began the broadcast in a neutral tone.
The camera panned outside, and even though it wasn't winter, a chill seeped through the screen.
Moon Haze Dungeons didn't just appear here.
It was the collective name for dungeons with similar traits.
A distinctive blue light stained the sky like spilled ink.
And below it stood Class 8.
Yoo Han-seong was at the front.
Like a leader, he calmly counted heads and checked gear right up to the last moment.
Lee Hae-sol was behind him, taking deep breaths repeatedly.
The screen zoomed in briefly, filling it with Lee Hae-sol's face.
'Did he take the potion?'
If he had already, he'd definitely need more later.
Good thing I'd slipped two extra S-rank mental barrier potions into his pocket on the sly.
I'd just say it was a mistake if he asked later.
Suspicious, sure, but tolerable.
Lee Hae-sol looked pale, but not utterly broken.
This should hold him.
My phone buzzed with a group alert.
「First-Year Class 8, Phase 1 Entry Target. Entry Time: 21:40.」
I murmured quietly at the screen.
"Please..."
What if something went wrong?
But today felt a little different.
Lee Hae-sol had the potion.
The words "Entry Complete" flashed on screen, capturing Class 8 finding comfortable spots near the Moon Haze entrance.
The entrance gaped like a black rift.
The air nearby warped slightly, mist steadily leaking out.
The auto-follow camera trailed slowly behind them.
One team member raised a hand.
"We're... really gonna be okay, right?"
Yoo Han-seong replied firmly from beside them.
"We can do this."
It was short, but somehow reassuring.
I could tell even through the screen.
The team's expressions steadied with those words.
A wave graph appeared at the bottom of the TV.