Chapter 44
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Translator: MJK
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Roar of the Blue Dragon (4)
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"I just tossed it. For real. I'd mentioned it during practice, so it worked out."
In practice, I hadn't fully demonstrated the bomb potion's power, but I had brought it up.
Good thing our timing synced up.
I could feel the stares from the other classmates huddled in the corner, stunned.
Gong Seo-yoon and the others guarding them didn't seem all that surprised, unlike everyone else. That confirmed it was the result of our training.
"You did great. You were flying around even more than usual."
Lee Seo didn't nod at my words.
His fingertips trembled slightly as he pointed at the monster on the ground.
"But... something felt different. It wasn't just that my movements were good—they felt weird... I don't know why, but everything seemed sharper, clearer."
I drew in a quiet breath.
What Lee Seo was feeling right now might be the precursor to his awakening.
In the original story, he'd said the same thing in the Blue Dragon's Abyss.
And in the battle right after, he'd grown explosively.
"Could just be your imagination."
I said it as casually as possible.
If his mental state got unstable, the awakening signs could destabilize too.
Lee Seo was usually pretty calm, but once rattled, he had trouble settling down.
"Just think about how well you did!"
But Lee Seo's expression had already hardened ominously.
Han-seong was already prepping for the next section.
"Let's move. That thing's noise probably carried, so more could come from around here."
We all nodded and pressed forward.
I hung back, packing up our gear and quietly falling in step.
'That Blue Dragon was probably just a mid-tier monster the others handled in the original story, right?'
The only difference from the original was that we were all going together now, so it made sense that the trash mobs we'd encounter on the way to the boss might change.
My heart was still racing, but what bugged me more was what Lee Seo had said.
Everything seemed sharper.
That was the signal that this abyss's core was opening up.
Lee Seo's awakening was happening so abruptly because his mana resonated with the dungeon's waves.
The S-rank Blue Dragon boss probably sensed him too.
And that flow would soon erupt explosively.
We plunged into the next section without even a moment to catch our breath.
The Blue Dragon's Abyss's signature damp air clung to our skin.
Mist rising from the floor trailed slowly after our footsteps.
It was eerily quiet.
The aftershocks of battle still lingered in my body, but the air felt even more unstable.
"Jin Hari, you okay?"
Lee Seo, up ahead, turned his head to ask.
He was still moving with his fists clenched.
Not like someone who'd just finished a fight—more like he was holding back something about to begin.
That look in his eyes worried me.
"I'm fine. You?"
"Me... yeah, something's off. Not like usual."
He bit his lip, swallowing whatever else he wanted to say.
His breathing quickened a bit, some emotion surging up.
The signs of awakening were growing clearer.
Cataclysm dungeons had a tendency to provoke that kind of stimulation in hunters who entered them.
And the Blue Dragon's dungeon was practically a catalyst for Lee Seo.
'Maybe it'd be better if he just awakened already.'
Mana depletion would follow, making it risky, but Yoo Han-seong would cover that.
Han-seong raised a hand slightly, drawing both our attention forward.
"Hold up. Sound."
He was staring at a crack in the wall.
I took one more step and strained my ears.
The long scrape of rock on rock.
A big one.
Probably faster and lighter on its feet than that mutant earlier—Han-seong had already labeled it a mutant and stuck with it.
"Ready."
Han-seong's voice dropped low.
And almost simultaneously, the wall burst open as a monster leaped out.
Blue sheen flickered between its scales, its movements far more agile than the last one.
A sharp whoosh cut the air, and I instinctively leaped back.
Lee Seo met it head-on.
"Hari, behind!"
Han-seong pointed to the opposite side.
A second monster slid down from the cave ceiling.
It dropped fast with its mouth wide open.
I snatched a potion from my belt.
This one amplified senses.
It subtly boosted vision and reaction speed.
Normally a bit risky, but exactly what Lee Seo needed right now.
I rolled the potion—lid and all—in my hand to gauge the angle.
"Seo! Catch!"
I lobbed the vial lightly toward him.
Lee Seo, defending near me, dodged the monster's arm and snatched it on reflex.
It shattered with a crack, blue energy blooming over him.
As the potion soaked into his skin, his eyes widened for a split second.
I heard him suck in a breath.
And in the next moment, his movements completely changed.
Like the feel of his soles hitting the ground for the first time was different.
He charged forward.
Matching the monster's attack speed perfectly.
Its razor claws tore the air, but Lee Seo's body sense was a half-beat faster.
Han-seong backed him up precisely.
"Nice. Keep pushing it!"
The clash echoed repeatedly through the cave.
I gripped the empty potion vial, scanning for vibrations from behind.
The Blue Dragon's Abyss varied in difficulty by layer, but this one seemed tougher than expected.
Times like this called for tighter prep and movement.
"Agh! Ughhh!"
"What the hell is this mess?! Insane!"
"Save us, please."
Most classmates, who hadn't faced the mob directly, were protected farthest from the monsters.
Whether by Yoo Han-seong's orders or not, Yoo Hee, Gong Seo-yoon, and Hae-sol's faces were grim but resolute.
Staying put to guard the kids showed guts.
As one monster fell, its body twisted on the ground in final nerve spasms.
Lee Seo stared at it with vacant eyes.
Even as he caught his breath, his gaze looked different somehow.
Han-seong approached and grabbed his arm.
"Hyun Yi-seo, you good?"
"...Yeah. But... something's changing."
It wasn't a precursor anymore. It had begun.
Mana purification underway.
He'd entered the stage where awakening truly kicked off.
'Faster than in the original.'
Even faster than Yoo Han-seong had anticipated—he paused for a moment.
I glanced down at my hands slowly.
More variables than I'd expected were cropping up because of me.
But all I could do was play dumb and reassure him.
"Feeling bad?"
"Nah... doesn't seem like it."
"Then don't worry for now. Focus on clearing. We've still got a lot ahead."
Lee Seo exhaled shortly and nodded.
Han-seong seemed to assess the situation quickly too.
"Be extra careful from here. There might be more of those mutants."
We pushed on.
The deeper we went, the heavier and chillier the air grew.
It felt like awakening energy was slowly filling the entire abyss.
And Lee Seo was heading right into its center.
We ventured further in.
Water puddles on the floor rippled quietly at our feet.
The Blue Dragon's Abyss had a complex layout—even within one layer, paths split in multiple directions.
Han-seong navigated without a map, his sense of direction shining here.
"Left from here."
The moment he pointed, we shifted that way on instinct.
Lee Seo's breathing seemed a touch ragged, but his eyes were sharper.
Residual potion effects must still be lingering.
Along with that pre-awakening flow seeping through his whole body.
I trailed behind the two, listening for sounds.
A metallic scrape echoed from afar once.
Then the patter of falling pebbles from the same direction.
A small warning sign.
Han-seong shot his hand up.
We froze instantly.
Tense silence gripped the cave.
I breathed as shallowly as possible.
In moments like this, even tiny noises could draw monsters.
That's when it happened.
I felt the brush of furry something skittering across the floor.
Crouching noises came from all sides.
I reflexively grabbed a potion.
Lee Seo tensed too, fingers twitching.
At the same time, two pairs of red eyes gleamed from the dark.
Monsters crawling up from the floor.
Short legs, long stretched-out bodies.
Not super fast, but their bites packed nasty poison.
"Hari, I'll cover the rear."
Han-seong stepped in front of me.
"Got it."
I quickly pulled an antidote potion from my bag.
And tossed a few more to the classmates barely keeping up behind Yoo Han-seong.
They caught them on reflex—seemed like they were snapping out of it a bit, but it wouldn't change much.
'This is S-rank territory.'
I hoped they'd all make it out alive.
Glancing their way, I saw Hee waving us off with an angelic smile, signaling they were fine. Then I turned to Han-seong and Lee Seo.
I had to support them right.
One bite here would paralyze you in seconds.
This potion had weak shortcuts originally, but my tweaks a few days ago made it hit harder.
"If you need it, say the word."
I positioned myself between them, potion in hand, wrist tensed.
The monsters lunged from two directions at once.
Their long bodies whipped forward faster than expected.
Han-seong advanced, slashing to block the first.
Lee Seo instantly kicked up the one behind.
The motion was leagues more precise than before.
A dull thud, and it slammed into the wall.
The second it hit the floor, Lee Seo pounced.
Power gathered at his fingertips.
Blue light flashed briefly through the dark.
And the monster's body tore apart like it was unraveling.
"Seo."
Han-seong called shortly.
Lee Seo heaved a deep breath.
His eyes glowed brighter than before.
Something kept surging from deep inside.
He seemed aware of it himself, but still within his control.
I spoke cautiously.
"Drink this."
I dabbed a bit on the back of my hand, then handed him the rest of the vial.
Lee Seo took it and downed it easily.
"Thanks."
The power tracing his skin felt a little more settled.
The potion was suppressing the paralysis response inside him, stabilizing things.
We delved deeper.
Sounds were the same as before.
Beast-like howls from afar, metallic rock fragments clattering.
And amid it all, a faint vibration blending in.
The telltale tremor when the boss room was near.