Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: 3. The Runner
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Yes.
It didn't matter anyway. Even if Il-woo hadn't lifted a finger, Sung-hoon would have come up with some excuse to suggest they grab a snack or something before heading into the boss room.
The only difference would have been that Il-woo's poison was a lingering one, while Sung-hoon's was fast-acting. After that, they easily took down a few more werewolves, and before long, the path split into two branches.
Dong-cheol, who had already cleared this up to Massacre difficulty once before, pointed to the right.
"Let's go right. The left one's a pain."
"Why? More monsters on the left?"
He knew, but he tossed out the question for politeness' sake, and Dong-cheol lit up, launching into an explanation.
"Tch tch. I'm only explaining this once, so listen up. The left has no monsters, but it's packed with traps. And the path's a total maze. Last time we went that way, we got totally lost?"
"If I hadn't lucked into finding the way out, we'd have wiped right there. Be grateful for my instincts."
"Ahem. A-yeon's right. The right path just has werewolf packs popping up in reasonable numbers. Only two or three at a time, so we can handle 'em. Then you take out the 'Awakening Moonwolf' in the final boss room, and you're done."
"Then let's hurry! I'm dying to see what this Moonwolf looks like!"
Ellie bounced ahead excitedly, and the others followed with helpless smiles. Everyone was letting their guard down.
With this group's strength, they could clear the Moonlit Cave mission without a hitch—or so they thought. Everyone was pushing forward with renewed energy, but Sung-hoon subtly lagged a step behind, the corner of his mouth curling up.
Tap.
He lightly raised his arm and struck a spot on the wall. A faint vibration hummed through immediately.
No one knew about this trap. It was cleverly hidden, but Mid Trap Detection would spot it easily. Even if they did, most would probably just tilt their head and think, 'Do we really need to disarm it?' It was just a trap that sealed off the passage, after all.
And it only triggered by touching a specific mechanism on the wall. Disarming it was a nightmare, so most would ignore it and move on—but Sung-hoon had hit the exact activation point. The trap sprang to life.
Groooowwwl!
"Everyone, run!"
"W-what?!"
"Run! We're gonna get crushed!"
At Sung-hoon's shout, the group bolted like mad. Anyone would panic with the ceiling starting to descend. They might laugh at scenes like that in Indiana Jones movies, but in the real thing? No way you could stand still. The four, already deep in the passage, had no choice but to sprint forward. Sung-hoon, right near the fork from the start, just took a few steps back to dodge it perfectly.
Sung-hoon had found this trap by accident, too.
A werewolf had fled into a cavern once before. Naturally, he'd chased it relentlessly, and the wolf bolted to this fork, triggered the trap, and vanished leisurely beyond the cave. Of course, Sung-hoon had gone left, sliced the boss, and later tracked it down, sending it warmly off to join its comrades.
Boom!
The trap fully activated. No passing through this way now. They'd need heavy machinery to punch a hole in the wall.
"Yaaawn! Acting all dramatic wore me out, but perfect timing. I would've gone with them otherwise..."
He'd needed to feed them the poison, so sticking together until the boss room had been necessary. But now? Different story. Il-woo had poisoned them for a reason—he had some trick up his sleeve. The hunter conditions were already met, and they'd chosen to proceed with the mission. To bail, they needed 100 werewolves and the Moonwolf down, plus checking the moonstone.
So the party should be safe at least until the boss. If he were there, he'd have to reveal his true skills, like it or not. Unless someone had already died once and faced total death, they'd remember his face and power even if they killed him.
Rumble, rumble.
The wall trembled faintly—they were probably trying to break through from the other side. Whatever. Sung-hoon shrugged and headed left. Trap-filled path? No issue for him. He'd already mapped this Moonlit Cave perfectly.
The internal map was 100% complete for both paths combined, and he'd scouted 120%—boss room and secret rooms included. Monster spawns and traps shifted slightly per run, but the overall structure never changed.
"Time to pull out the familiar tools."
He set up his thief-exclusive trap-disarming kit, knife in left hand, small hammer in right. Sung-hoon's Trap Disarm was Mid-level. Detection too. To others, it was just a plain passage, but to him, glowing spots and protrusions dotted it at intervals.
He hammered carefully, dismantling a wall section to expose the mechanism, then jammed a wooden splinter in. Arrow trap neutralized perfectly. His speed and finesse put Il-woo's to shame.
Each disarm sent a thrill through Sung-hoon.
If he'd poured all his guild points into one path, he could've reached Advanced Swordsmanship by now. But instead of specializing, he'd diversified—and now, each skill shone when needed, filling him with glee.
"Munchkins who dominate solo are cool, but I prefer a jack-of-all-trades who handles any situation."
The party could reach the boss without him. Just five packs or so. To arrive on time without being late, Sung-hoon quickened his pace.