Chapter 31
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Translator: MJK
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: 5. Moon Haze Dungeon (4)
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Everyone inside knew better than those outside that something was off about this dungeon.
Would it even work in a bizarre outbreak dungeon like this?
'No choice but to trust it now.'
Someone catching their breath spoke up.
"If we don't use it, we'll die even faster."
Lee Si-hyeon, the C-class telekinesis user who'd been eyeing the potion bottle skeptically, nodded and uncorked it.
A faint potion scent wafted through the chilly wind deep within the Moon Haze.
He took a cautious sip.
His shoulders twitched at that moment.
Frozen muscles slowly loosened, and stiff fingertips warmed back to life.
Even his skin tone regained a hint of color.
It all happened in an instant.
"What... what is this? For real."
The other team members, who'd been steadying their breaths, whipped their heads around in unison.
Their eyes locked onto the bottle.
They knew Jin Hari's potions were top-notch, but pulling off effects like this in an S-rank dungeon with heavy mana interference—something outsiders might not even realize yet—was impossible.
And from an F-rank, no less!
After just one sip, they applied the rest to their wounds, and those healed rapidly too.
The ice burn marks on his arm visibly faded before their eyes.
It was regenerating even old wounds.
"No way... A potion unaffected by mana interference? And it's not even dungeon-brewed!"
"It's not the F-rank—it's because Hari made it."
Everyone froze at Yoo Han-seong's words, then nodded.
"You're no joke, Jin Hari."
Gong Seo-yoon muttered it through her exhaustion, tongue clicking in awe.
No denying it—the changes right in front of them were too obvious.
Lee Hae-sol, watching quietly from the back, saw the bottles Hari had handed out overlapping in his vision.
His expression didn't change, but his ragged breathing slowly evened out.
No one said a word, but they all knew.
The lifeline saving them today was Hari's potions.
The team members' stamina graphs spiked all at once.
I swallowed hard.
A few students crowded toward the monitors.
"Huh? What just shot up?"
"Did they eat something?"
"Was there stuff inside?"
I clamped my mouth shut, a bit flustered. It had to be the potions, but seeing their health bars jump like game characters was kinda weird, right?
[What did I tell you?]
Erich's cackling laugh echoed in my head.
The screen brightened briefly.
The residual patterns inside the Moon Haze were nearly gone.
The kids were half-standing, faintly visible.
The teacher murmured softly.
"Looks like it's over."
I froze. Then I scanned the dungeon interior sharply.
'The boss was supposed to spawn one more time.'
Artilta, Queen of All Thieves from the otherworld.
Wasn't Hae-sol supposed to awaken when she appeared in the Moon Haze episode?
Why didn't she?
But the exit sensors started reacting.
The entrance was opening.
I never imagined my presence alone could alter the original plot this much. It left me even more confused.
Still, even so.
"They're alive."
A sob slipped out.
It faded quickly, but my tension-drained body slumped straight to the floor.
Even if I didn't understand why, lives saved—that's what mattered.
The team members supported each other as they headed for the entrance.
Every time ice cracked off the walls, silver shards flew, and the kids dodged them while advancing slowly.
Warm energy seeped from their sleeves.
Hari's potions were creating a steady stream of recovery inside their bodies.
Thanks to that, they were healing at a near-impossible pace.
Lee Hae-sol said quietly.
"...We survived thanks to Hari."
Yoo Han-seong didn't reply.
But his steps were definitely lighter.
Like someone who'd finally solved a nagging puzzle, refreshed.
The first silhouette emerged.
It was Yoo Han-seong.
The lounge exhaled as one when he dragged his weary body outside.
I rose from my seat very slowly.
My fingertips trembled, heart still unsteady.
'It's okay. They made it out alive. Today... success.'
Lee Hae-sol and the others appeared behind Yoo Han-seong.
Everyone was battered, but alive.
That was everything.
That's why I'd endured today.
The team members settled one by one on the lounge floor.
Teachers rushed for emergency checks amid the bustle, creating a brief lull.
I didn't miss it.
I moved slowly, quietly grabbing water and blankets.
Yoo Han-seong first.
He sat in a chair, eyes closed.
Ice lingered around his eyes, faint burn marks on his hands.
The recovery graphs were climbing on-screen, but up close, he looked far more drained.
I offered the water bottle carefully.
He opened his eyes and looked at me.
With tension eased more than usual.
"Here, water."
"Thanks."
He took it and sipped.
His shoulders relaxed slightly as it went down.
But his expression was odd up close.
Deep in thought.
Like suppressing an emotion no one had ever shown him.
I pretended not to notice.
Then his gaze quietly drifted to my backpack.
I blinked innocently again.
Inside were the potion bottles I'd secretly collected from the Class 8 kids before anyone saw.
Hae-sol sat in his chair, quietly flexing his hands.
His palms were slightly swollen red.
The residual patterns had scraped his nerves to the end.
When the teacher said, "I'll check for trauma patterns," he nodded.
But his eyes kept drifting to the lounge center.
Where Hari stood.
Hae-sol swallowed unconsciously.
'Hari.'
He'd thought he was done for.
Yet he survived.
His fragmented mind hadn't shattered.
If anything, it felt more stable.
On his fingertips lingered traces of the mental barrier potion Hari had given him.
A curse that screamed like it would stay forever.
No pain could be sweeter.
"Hari."
I turned at the slow call.
It was Hyeon I-seo.
"You didn't slip anything special into those potions, did you?"
"Huh?"
I burst out laughing at the absurdity.
But peering at the curious, bird-like pretty boy's face, he seemed serious.
"Nah, nothing like that."
"Hmm."
I grinned.
"What could I even do? What's up?"
I-seo stared for a moment, then shook his head.
"Teachers are freaking out. Yoo Han-seong aside, us surviving is a miracle—they're wondering if the potions had something in them."
"Potions are just special like that. Well, the mental barrier ones turned out perfect! Hehe."
"Hmm. More than that."
"Felt better 'cause we used 'em in a pinch?"
I shrugged lightly.
The useless rumor was still handy.
I-seo eyed me steadily, shrugged, and said.
"Anyway, we're all keeping quiet, so don't sweat it. Yu-hee was making a fuss."
"Mm. Oh. Thanks?"
"Why's it a question."
As I-seo and I giggled face-to-face, the principal appeared at the lounge entrance.
Guild reps who'd arrived midway trailed him.
Everyone's faces were grim over the Moon Haze difficulty spike.
"All survivors confirmed. Dismissal after extra checks."
I-seo and the others sighed in relief.
Some clutched heads, others wiped tears.
In the gap, I glanced back.
Yoo Han-seong still held the bottle, head tilted my way.
His gaze deeper than usual.
Like confirming something.
I smiled lightly and waved.
"Glad you're okay, for real."
He blinked slowly instead of answering.
That was his way.
Students trickled out.
Last of the Moon Haze exit under teacher inspection.
I tidied my bag and turned casually.
'They survived. This route changed right.'
Originally, nearly half died here.
No one did.
No trauma, no breakdowns.
Hae-sol too.
Yoo Han-seong too.
All back alive.
I exhaled slowly.
Warm air leaving lungs, mind easing just a bit.
'Time to prep the next.'
Moon Haze was just the start.
The morning after the Moon Haze Dungeon, the air at Narin Academy felt off.