Dungeon & Commander (95)
His body shot up into the air.
Choi Muhyun dimly caught sight of Kim Jun flying much farther away, having absorbed a far greater shock than he had.
He pushed himself up.
A searing pain stabbed into his side like a red-hot wire, forcing a scream from his lips.
Grabbing a tree, Choi Muhyun barely managed to stand and scanned his surroundings. It was a steep, pine-covered hillside. Down below, part of the exploded warehouse was still burning.
To have flown this far and not suffered major injuries.
It was a miracle.
'It's because of Kim Jun. He blocked the blast for me and softened the impact.'
Choi Muhyun's mouth fell open.
"…Kim… Jun."
His mouth was parched from the heat.
"Kim Jun."
A slightly louder voice.
"Kim Jun!"
This time, he bellowed at the top of his lungs, his vocal cords straining.
Then, a sound came from below. Someone was climbing up, crunching through fallen leaves and twigs.
His relief vanished in an instant. Beyond the pines, the figure's silhouette revealed a sharp protrusion. The object in the man's right hand… was a sword.
Choi Muhyun tried to flee but was quickly caught. His legs wouldn't obey after the blast's shock.
The sword-wielding man blocked his path.
Breathing raggedly, Choi Muhyun glared at him. A stranger.
A realization flashed through his mind: Just because he got orders, he can kill someone he doesn't even know. This is that kind of world—no, the world has always been like this… This is the dungeon.
The sword rose high.
As it fell toward Choi Muhyun's neck, a massive hand appeared beside the man's ear.
The hands casually twisted the man's face left and right, and with a loud crack, his neck vertebrae snapped.
As the man tumbled down the slope, Choi Muhyun's father appeared—his face and clothes singed, some of his hair burned away.
Choi Min-su approached with a grin.
"Looks like clothes will be a good birthday gift this year."
Choi Muhyun burst into laughter at his father's joke, but it faded quickly.
"…What about Kim Jun?"
"Don't worry. That guy's tough. He'll be fine."
That guy?
His father, who had never even deemed carriers worth evaluating.
"Let's go."
Choi Min-su took his son's hand and pulled him to his feet.
Lying on a sloped patch in the woods, Kim Jun stared at his arm, now twice its normal length.
The hilt of the Thunder Brain Sword had stretched like a tendon, enveloping his hand.
He couldn't tell where his hand ended and the sword began. The Thunder Brain Sword had become part of his hand, and through it, his entire right arm had become the sword.
Still sprawled on the ground, Kim Jun gazed at the unified hand and sword.
Slowly, the blade's ridge and edge that had crept over his arm receded, returning to their original form.
His fingers finally loosened, and the Thunder Brain Sword dropped with a thud onto the leaf-strewn ground.
Footsteps echoed from afar, drawing closer.
In Kim Jun's field of vision, as he lay tilted, a man in black clothes appeared.
A swordsman.
'Yeon Ga people.'
Kim Jun reached out and gripped the Thunder Brain Sword.
The man startled at the sight and raised his sword. His eyes gleamed coldly.
'He got orders to kill me. No hesitation.'
"Farewell, carrier."
The swordsman said.
At that moment, a fireball streaked from behind and lodged in the swordsman's hand. He dropped his sword, screamed as the flames spread up his forearm, and fled.
Propping himself up against a pine tree, Kim Jun spotted Yoo Min-jeong running toward him and let out a sigh of relief.
That fireball just now… Fire Arrow.
'To manifest a Fire Arrow in the real world. As expected.'
Yoo Min-jeong arrived.
"You're gonna be the death of me."
"Muhyun?"
"Your uncle went after him, so he should be fine. How about you?"
"I'm dying."
"What? Badly hurt?"
"Starving to death."
"…."
Yoo Min-jeong was speechless. Her cheek just twitched uncontrollably.
"Mandu-guk still left?"
"Sigh."
Shaking her head, Yoo Min-jeong helped him up. He was in no shape to walk alone.
Together, they made their way down.