A Vicious Trap

I was definitely beaten to a pulp. That much was crystal clear. But exactly how much time had passed, or how many times I’d been hit? That part was a blur.

“Ugh… uuuh…”

My head throbbed like it was about to split open, and there wasn’t a single spot on my body that didn’t hurt. I let out a weak groan and slowly cracked my eyes open. It didn’t take long to realize I was face-down on cold, damp ground.

(Damn it… what the hell?)

(What the fuck just happened…?)

It wasn’t just one person. I was pretty sure a whole group had been beating the shit out of me… so why had everything gone so eerily quiet? I didn’t know the details, but one thing was certain—this situation had taken a very bad turn.

I tried to push myself up with both arms to get a better grasp of my surroundings.

“Ugh! Kgh…!!”

I needed to stand, but a wave of excruciating pain crushed my brow, refusing to let me move any further. Still lying prone, I turned my head toward the source of the agony.

(Kgh… son of a bitch…)

(What the hell happened to my left arm…?)

My left arm looked like a branch on the verge of snapping—torn, mangled, as if someone had stomped it into oblivion. I tried to move it, just a little, with extreme caution. But the shattered limb screamed in protest at even the thought of motion, sending bolts of white-hot pain shooting through me.

I tried to recall exactly why my left arm was in this state, but only a few faint fragments of memory floated up. Nothing concrete. No clear answers.

(Those fucking bastards… did they break it on purpose?)

Was it just revenge? Or was there something more? I had no idea what that piece of shit was thinking when he did this… but right now, escaping and getting the hell out of here was priority number one.

I swallowed the blood pooling in my mouth, put all my weight and pain onto my right arm, and forced my body upright with everything I had.

“Ugh…! Kgh…!!”

Clenching my teeth, I told myself that if I could just stand and walk, I could make it home. Even though it pissed me off, I had to run no matter what. I dragged in ragged, painful breaths.

Yeah. If I moved now, I could still get away. Sure, one arm was wrecked, but my legs were fine. If I ran right now…!

“…”

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I thought I could run toward the distant city lights and escape.

But when I lifted my head, what greeted me wasn’t the familiar glow of the city at all.

Instead, I saw cold moonlight drifting down through a forest of trees with roots sunk deep into the earth like something out of a nightmare. I stood there frozen, like my brain had short-circuited.

(What the…?)

(Where the hell am I?)

A mountain? No. The terrain was far too flat and even to call it a mountain. And this chilly air… what was with it? It was supposed to be August right now. Why was the wind so cold and ominous?

A bad feeling twisted in my gut. I quickly pulled out my phone, but the damn thing refused to cooperate.

(What? No service?)

(Don’t give me that bullshit… where in the middle of Seoul would a phone not work…)

“…”

There was one place. One spot in the heart of Seoul where even phones that worked in other worlds wouldn’t get a signal. A single location where this kind of impossibly alien space existed right in the middle of the city.

A dangerous place my body and senses remembered all too well.

That’s right. This place was—

- Grrrrrrr…

“…”

Please. I really wished someone would tell me my suspicions were wrong.

But the threatening growl echoing between the desolate trees and the flickering red lights blinking in and out like hazard signals were telling me exactly what this place was.

A dungeon.

I spat out the blood that had gathered in my mouth again and picked up a rock from the ground.

(Fucking bastards…)

(Doing something this dirty to an innocent civilian?)

Beating me up was one thing. But to go so far as to break my arm and then dump me in a dungeon… You son of a bitch. If I make it out alive, I swear I’ll put a bullet in your fucking skull.

With my teeth gritted, I shifted my gaze toward the direction the sound was coming from.

(Sylph Wolves… right?)

Sylph Wolves. If my memory was correct, the monsters hiding in these woods were Sylph Wolves. White-furred beasts with manes around their necks, looking like wolves on steroids. Their teeth were sharp, but their durability was no different from a regular dog. Yeah… they were low-tier monsters. Nothing to be scared of.

That four-legged bastard was probably trying to draw my attention from the front while—

“!!!”

—another one attacked from behind.

That was the very first thing I learned when I entered a dungeon, and the exact warning the village chief had given me. Remembering his awkward Korean, I swung my right arm with all my strength.

“THUD!!!!”

“YELP!!!!”

With a dull impact, the dungeon dog staggered and collapsed. I rushed over quickly to finish it off, stomping down hard on its head.

And then…

“Shit…”

I needed to deal with the one in front fast, but what stopped me cold wasn’t just one beast. Countless pairs of glowing red eyes stared at me from beyond the treeline, and before I could even catch my breath, they all charged at once.

“Aaargh…!!!”

God damn it… If only my body was in normal condition… No. If even just my left arm was working, this wouldn’t be shit…

Even as I fell, I desperately tried to push away the sharp fangs closing in on my face. But my legs were already screaming like they’d been stabbed with knives, and my wrecked lungs felt like they were slowly crushing my chest, failing at their only job.

(Fuck… at this rate, I’m dead…!)

(There has to be a way…!!! Isn’t there any other way…?!)

“…”

My breathing grew ragged and uncontrollable. My strength was fading fast.

Ah… fuck… It was exactly the same as back then. That day, I’d been lying there helplessly too, just waiting to die. A useless piece of trash who’d lost all his nerve. An outdated idiot still living in the past, shooting guns instead of using magic, pretending he was hot shit when ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠one tap would knock him over. A moron who couldn’t even buy his crush a decent meal.

(Would things have been any better if I could use magic like everyone else?)

(If I had… would anything have changed…?)

Just like that rainy day, I wished for a miracle. But no miracle came.

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As the massive shadow drew closer through the darkness, I let out a laugh that sounded more like disbelief.

“Haha… fuck… this is so fucked…”

“No wonder all the little mutts ran away…”

The real one had shown up.

I looked up at the white wolf the size of an elephant and forced myself to my feet. Yeah… if I fought this monster seriously right now, I’d die 100%. So maybe I should run while I still could?

“…”

No… you idiot. Where the hell do you think you’re going to run in this condition? If I’m going to die anyway, I might as well go down swinging with everything I’ve got.

I laughed at myself—an outdated, spineless, pathetic loser—and burned with one last burst of madness.

“Grrrrrrrr…”

“What… you son of a bitch. Come on… bring it the fuck on!!!”

Like a madman, I roared. The beast lunged at me as if it had been waiting for exactly that.

The ground trembled faintly under its insane weight. It was beyond reckless. Still, I had a half-baked plan. I snatched up a fallen ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠branch from the ground.

And then—!

“Kuhk…!!”

An impact like getting hit by a car crushed my chest. I felt the air explode out of me like a popped balloon as I slammed into a tree.

Ah… fuck. This is completely fucked.

It was always like this. Whenever adrenaline surged, something always went horribly wrong. Sure enough, nothing was going right.

“CRUNCH…!!!”

“…”

The sound of bones, tendons, and muscle being crushed and torn flooded my ears all at once.

Ah, damn it… I thought my improvised plan wasn’t half bad… but who knew this son of a bitch had a bite this strong? I’d managed to jam the branch into its eye with everything I had left, but the moment my left shoulder was torn off, any chance of a counterattack vanished.

(It’s so cold…)

Every time my heart beat, blood gushed violently from my torn shoulder and neck. I tried with everything I had to force my eyes open, but my body wouldn’t listen. It was cold. Sleep was pulling me under. Without realizing it, my eyes kept…

“…”