Hexatus Clash and Fractured Loyalties
A moment later, Jeong Myeong-ho asked,
"What now?"
"We head back."
"To the Pink Team?"
Kim Jun nodded.
"Going back to the Pink Team won't help. Kwon Joo-chan's already got his hands on Lincoln Team's elite members."
"There must be a way."
Even in this dire situation, Jeong Myeong-ho found Kim Jun's nonchalant tone grating.
He wanted to scream that if Kwon Joo-chan made an offer from Ju Shin, every member of the Pink Team would betray him just like this bastard and jump ship. He held it in, not wanting to lay all his cards bare.
Suddenly, Kim Jun glared into the darkness.
"What is it?"
"Shh."
Jeong Myeong-ho clamped his mouth shut and watched as Kim Jun rose and walked toward the shadows.
Something horrific lurked there somewhere.
He couldn't see it, but he could feel it.
Then, a monster resembling a sea anemone burst out and lunged at Kim Jun. A single tentacle stretched over 5 meters long... It was the massive Hexatus, mentioned in the report with a 9.2% appearance probability.
As the Thunder Brain Sword pierced through space and materialized, Kim Jun gripped it and thrust forward.
Flawlessly precise swordsmanship that drew a gasp of admiration.
The sparks from the Thunder Brain Sword charred the tentacle black, but after a few strikes from the others, the wound healed with astonishing speed.
"Focus on one tentacle!"
Jeong Myeong-ho shouted.
At that moment, dozens of protrusions embedded in the creature's skin launched from its body like small missiles.
He tried to block them with Water Creation, but unable to move his right arm, the skill faltered midway.
This is it—I'm done, he thought. Then Kim Jun was suddenly in front of him, extending his sword to unleash the Thunder Brain Wall.
The powerful lightning barrier shattered or deflected dozens of protrusions.
More came flying back.
This time, their numbers had multiplied several times over. The Thunder Brain Wall couldn't block them all.
Kim Jun touched the bluish armor he wore and pointed at Jeong Myeong-ho.
Something astonishing happened.
The chain-like links of the armor lifted off one by one. It was like hundreds, thousands of beetles swarming through the air. Each beetle settled on Jeong Myeong-ho's shoulders, chest, abdomen, thighs, and elsewhere, linking together to form a perfect suit of armor.
Jeong Myeong-ho unleashed the Thunder Brain Wall toward the protrusions once more.
Bzzt, crackle.
Sparks exploded with eye-searing intensity.
Most of the protrusions were blocked, but some slipped through the gaps. A few headed straight for Jeong Myeong-ho, but the armor left him unscathed.
One had lodged in the creature's forearm.
Kim Jun grinned and flicked it out with his finger, crushing it underfoot.
He pressed a finger to his lips toward Jeong Myeong-ho, then charged at the Hexatus with the Thunder Brain Sword raised.
Jeong Myeong-ho watched the battle in a daze.
At best, it was Mok Honbo, Po-noe Strike, and the first form of Yeon Ga Shipil Geom: Yeon Yeop. The Thunder Brain Wall consumed too much internal energy to use often.
Yet Kim Jun... exploited the powerful monster's openings, gradually accumulating wounds.
Kim Jun wasn't unscathed either.
His clothes were torn, blood streamed from his arm and side, and several times the tentacles' impacts nearly knocked the sword from his grip.
Still, he dragged himself up and charged ferociously. He barely escaped crises that would sever limbs or snap his spine, clenching his fists without realizing it as he watched.
One tentacle was sliced clean off—a result of Kim Jun's relentless focus on a single target.
As the second fell, the Hexatus let out a roar and fled into the darkness beyond.
Kim Jun, panting heavily, held the Thunder Brain Sword and glared into the shadows. Blood trickled from his elbow, dripping in steady drops.
"...Impossible."
Jeong Myeong-ho couldn't believe his eyes.
With a low-grade footwork like Mok Honbo, a mid-grade skill like Po-noe Strike that didn't work well on large monsters, and a swordsmanship limited to one form that prevented combos... he'd driven off the Hexatus.
Alone.
Objectively, Hexatus should have won.
Kim Jun should be dead, and a severely injured Jeong Myeong-ho, unable to move, would have been absorbed by its tentacles, ending his life.
What if it had been him?
Even in peak condition with Water Creation, he'd barely repel it with luck.
How could this happen?
After deep thought, Jeong Myeong-ho reached a conclusion.
Above all, Kim Jun's Mok Honbo was key.
He'd never imagined Mok Honbo could be so fluid, agile, and sometimes forceful.
Kim Jun's core—dodging devastating tentacle strikes and slipping in to swing the Thunder Brain Sword—was Mok Honbo.
The footwork enabled attacks.
It let him evade shocks or minimize damage even when hit.
In that instant, he recalled the day he fought Kim Jun.
They'd kidnapped cocky Baek Seung-tae to extract info on angular Raiders, and Kim Jun had shown up at the warehouse. He'd subdued him effortlessly that day.
I was played. I didn't win—he let me. If he'd used that Mok Honbo from the Hexatus fight, I'd have struggled too.
Kim Jun approached the campfire and sat, pulling a white orb from the leather pouch on his belt.
He clutched it and closed his eyes.
The moment Jeong Myeong-ho recognized the item, his jaw dropped.
"White Spear?"
"...Yeah."
Kim Jun barely lifted his eyelids.
"Borrowed from Yoo Wan-seop sunbae?"
"Well, actually, it's a gift."
"...What?"
He wanted details, but Kim Jun clammed up.
The more he saw, the stranger the guy seemed. A high-grade item worth over 5 billion, gifted? It didn't feel like a lie, somehow.
Jeong Myeong-ho couldn't look away from Kim Jun.
He remembered Kwon Joo-chan's words.
"Found a dungeon item. Right where that guy passed."
Kwon Joo-chan could lie at will, but the Mars team leader's story of losing a buffer fighting the Guardian for it rang true.
Considering he'd pinpointed the item, Kim Jun was definitely an angular Raider.
Which meant... he'd sensed the dungeon item and deliberately passed it by.
His mind cleared.
He burst out laughing.
Kim Jun was staring at him.
"You hid the dungeon item's location to screw over Mars, didn't you?"
Kim Jun grinned.
For the first time, he liked this guy.
In that moment, Jeong Myeong-ho changed his mind. Kim Jun was too valuable to use and discard.
His combat prowess against Hexatus alone was impressive, but reading the shifting tides and maneuvering in his own way... that wasn't common talent.
The absurd rumor from the awakening test day—the Dungeon Association lockdown—might be true.
With a guy like that by his side, he'd be useful for years.
Even his pipe dream of the Five Stars... with Kim Jun's help, it could become reality.
"Help me, and I'll take responsibility to bring you into Brave. I'll guarantee a team leader spot and climb even higher with you. What do you say?"
"Pfft."
Kim Jun snorted with laughter.
Jeong Myeong-ho's face flushed red.
He couldn't blame Kim Jun. No guarantees his arms and legs would heal—or even that they'd escape the relic alive. Who'd believe such a promise?
Besides, his own actions so far... were the worst, unworthy of trust even if he swore on his life.
A good idea struck.
For a stubborn type like Kim Jun, who sacrificed for others without gain, sincerity might work best.
Sincerity—that was the issue.
That offer was his true feeling.
So, crafting a believable "sincere" appeal tailored to Kim Jun's tastes could help now.
Jeong Myeong-ho mustered his saddest, most remorseful expression.
Then slowly spoke.
"I'm sorry."
As expected, Kim Jun looked at him with slight surprise.
"I tried to use you and toss you aside, but you saved me from Kwon Joo-chan and just now risked your life against Hexatus. I know words won't convince you easily, but I want you to know I'm truly sorry."
"Pfft, heh, hahaha!"
Kim Jun burst out laughing.
Jeong Myeong-ho glared, eyes fierce. Laughing with spit flying while he apologized sincerely!
Was he just trash with no manners after all?
"Doesn't suit you. That apology. You're not sorry at all. Just regretting how bad things got. And if you're acting, at least do it right."
The pinpoint critique left Jeong Myeong-ho speechless for a moment.
"...How'd you know?"
"A normal person would've thanked me first."
"Huh, fair point."
He nodded—it made sense—but then realized the guy was speaking casually to him.
The nerve!
He was furious but had to hold it. Antagonizing Kim Jun now... would be suicide.
"You're from the famous Jeong family, right?"
Kim Jun asked.
Brave was built by countless talents' blood and sweat, but also the towering achievement of four families.
The Jeong, Lee, Im, and Jo families.
Current guild master Im Cheong-ha was the Im family's greatest Raider. But to reach that position, he needed not just Im family power, but Jo family influence.
The Im-Jo alliance had propelled Im Cheong-ha to the top.
This weakened the Jeong and Lee families relatively. Through gritted teeth and effort, they nurtured talent—and out came Lee Hwan.
The genius Raider who surpassed Im Cheong-ha's lifelong fame in his twenties.
The Lee family rejoiced, of course.
The Jeong family, in a similar spot, viewed Lee Hwan's rise favorably. With their own genius Jeong Yeon-su emerging, the two families began aligning.
"Why ask? Everyone knows."
Jeong Myeong-ho declared his pride openly.
"Being from the Jeong family meant no one messed with you."
"Obviously. Who'd dare touch the Jeongs? Any lunatic who did... wouldn't just face us—we'd have the Lees, Jos, Ims, the whole Brave Guild avenging us."
"Then why is Kwon Joo-chan trying to kill you?"
"......"
It felt like a baseball bat to the back of his head... his mind went blank.
"Weird, right? I thought Kwon Joo-chan joined the expedition to catch me, but the setup screams you're the real target."
Jeong Myeong-ho couldn't deny it.
Kang Hyeon-woo's arrow at the team leader and defection to Kwon Joo-chan... meant prior arrangements. Decided before entering the dungeon.
"Kang Hyeon-woo knows Brave's dynamics well, huh?"
"...Why ask that?"
Jeong Myeong-ho felt a chill. What next?
"If Kang Hyeon-woo betrays you, the Jeongs won't sit idle. Not in the dungeon—in reality, in Seoul, they'd avenge you. He knows that full well, yet when he shot your thigh earlier, no hesitation."
"Don't talk about that mongrel bastard. Just dirties my mouth."
Kim Jun stared silently.
The gaze weighed on him, but averting eyes felt like defeat, so he glared back fiercely.
"Even if you die here, the Jeongs either can't avenge you... or won't."
Kim Jun dropped the bomb.
"What?"
Jeong Myeong-ho lurched up instinctively... then grimaced in pain.
He barely raised his charred right arm for Water Creation. But mana stuttered, the skill failed, and agony wracked him with a groan.
How dare he! How dare he!
Insulting the Jeongs!
Kim Jun just watched calmly.
His rage, flaring hot, cooled just as fast.
He realized why. Despite his broken state—unable to use limbs—Kim Jun never mocked him openly. Never boasted about saving his life.
So that bombshell... probably wasn't condemnation.
Composing himself, Jeong Myeong-ho met Kim Jun's eyes.
"What do you mean?"
"Just a guess, but it seems the higher-ups already agreed."
"Agreed?"
"Saw Brave's guild master in the VIP seats during gate open."
"Yeah. So?"
"Ju Shin's CFO Gu Mi-yeong was right beside him. From what I know, she's the one who planned Mars joining this expedition."
What Kim Jun implied... was an ugly truth he didn't want to face.