How to Steal the Hero's Woman - 334: Yggdrasil (3-43)
A bat-shaped monster flying straight at me took my arrow to the face and plummeted to the ground in a plume of smoke, letting out a short death cry.
Kieeeek….Splat.
The bat that hit the floor vanished in a holographic flicker moments later.
The instant I confirmed the last monster was dead, the gem on my back emitted a green glow.
“Whoa!? What the hell?”
“Kyaaak!”
Everyone spun around in surprise, staring at the gem.
Behind me floated a man-sized green gem alongside a timer that was still ticking down.
But now there was something new: details displayed below the timer.
1st Wave Cleared.
2nd Wave begins in 29 minutes and 28 seconds.
It was a clear sign revealing the nature of this place.
Defense….
A mission to protect a base against waves of enemies pouring in relentlessly.
Simple, but that simplicity often meant it came down to sheer overwhelming numbers.
The monsters from the first wave we'd just faced were all the kind you'd see on Floor 0—nothing challenging at all.
But thirty straight minutes of that volume was enough to wear out everyone except me.
“Ah… Guess that was just the 'all clear' signal. Scared me for a sec….”
“Everyone okay?”
“Hoo… Yeah.”
Starting with Park Seon-hee, the others caught their breath and responded to my question.
“I was worried we'd have to keep going non-stop, but luckily there's a break.”
“Thirty minutes fighting, thirty resting?”
“If so, the endgame's gonna suck. Means no sleep for a full day?”
“Still, we're lucky. We prepped thoroughly before entering the dungeon.”
Just as Min Hayeon said, our meticulous preparations had greatly eased our nerves.
Everyone spread out mats on the ground, taking a break and munching on snacks.
“For this wave, let's rest lightly beforehand, check the next one, then catch some sleep if we can.”
“Yeah, sounds good.”
From our experience in the first wave, defense battles ramped up dramatically in the later stages—more monsters, tougher ones.
Getting off to a strong start was crucial.
Screw up early, and most defenses crumbled midway.
And there was one key fact about breaks.
“Hey, Han Yeoreum.”
“…What?”
“Go pick up the dropped items and bring 'em here.”
Han Yeoreum summoned red wriggling worms between her brows at my order and muttered.
“You tryin' to boss me around right now? Don't you know we gotta conserve energy? Didn't you see me fightin' my ass off earlier?”
“If you were actually helpful, would I be asking? Dumbass….”
“Kgh….”
Han Yeoreum had done nothing but hinder us throughout the fight.
Fucking around in front of me, then heading to where the trio was battling and screwing them over too….
The problem was it didn't even feel like accidental interference—she was blatantly sabotaging us.
The trio—excluding Min Hayeon and Han Bom—muttered with dissatisfied looks.
“Yeah, wouldn't it be better if you just stayed put?”
“Looks like you're just trying to rack up points by jumping in, but since it's a party, loot gets auto-distributed anyway. Just chill.”
“Right? We're worried you'll get hurt….”
Everyone snickered at Park Jin-hee's words.
“Fuckin' hell….”
I grinned at the trio's comments and said.
“Hear that? Your job ain't fighting anymore.”
“…Then what?”
“Collect every item the monsters dropped and pile 'em here. Steal even one, contract's void. Got it?”
“Urgh….”
Han Yeoreum stood on trembling legs and began gathering the scattered drops as ordered.
I watched her, chuckling loud enough for her to hear.
“She's useful after all, huh.”
Pfft.
The trio smiled back.
Truth be told, they'd carried the bulk of the work—not me or Min Hayeon.
Even with our ranged prowess, weak mobs like these were far more efficient for melee to sweep.
These Floor 0-level scrubs died two or three at a time to their swings.
That meant they'd earned their rest.
“You three, rest up proper. I'll wake you before Wave 2. Sleep if you want.”
“Heh, thanks.”
The trio shot me finger hearts and lounged out comfortably.
While everyone rested, Han Yeoreum dumped all the loot in a pile.
Crash.
“Hey, set 'em down quieter.”
“What? It's all junk anyway. No need to be gentle….”
“Can't you see people resting next to you? Use your brain.”
“Fuck….”
I checked every item she'd gathered.
All junk.
As she said—vendor trash only.
Expected from Wave 1 mobs.
After inspecting it all, I told her quietly.
“From now on, during fights, don't lift a finger. Just stand there.”
“I can fight too, y'know?”
“You call kids' play fighting?”
“Fuck….”
“Drop the pointless pride and behave. Loot after. Okay?”
“Grrrr….”
A dentist would freak at those grinding teeth….
After that, Han Yeoreum sat obediently on her mat without retort or rebellion, staring straight ahead.
…Plotting something?
[Armonia: That vibe is strong.]
She usually wore an irritated scowl, venting complaints. Sitting so quietly, lost in thought while staring? Definitely scheming.
But she was just a regressor in my palm.
Still, with Hayeon and Bom nearby, even if she regresses, I can just take them along.
I checked the time on the green gem.
1st Wave Cleared.
2nd Wave begins in 3 minutes and 12 seconds.
“Alright, everyone—get ready.”
My voice was the cue. They stood, weapons in hand, staring into the darkness.
And soon….
Kieeeek! Kuek!
The monsters' cries greeted us.
***
Han Yeoreum picked up the scattered junk, sweat beading coldly on her brow.
Fuck… This can't be a real boss fight, can it?
At first, she'd panicked thinking it was a Floor 0 boss rush.
But seeing the trash mobs pour in, she'd relaxed.
Pathetic compared to Shockbie—yawn-worthy even.
Relative to Floor 0 boss fights, anyway….
She hadn't thought much of the easy defense at first.
But wave after wave, she caught on.
Early waves were Floor 0 fodder.
After Wave 6, Floor 1 monsters started mixing in.
Even spectating Wave 7, she knew.
This wave was brutal.
The difficulty spiked hard….
Wave 7 on: one hour runtime, one hour rest… and ramping difficulty….
The scale and quality were night-and-day.
Mobs now formed ranks, bypassed melee to target Min Hayeon and me.
Luckily—or unluckily—our skills turned them into pincushions before they closed in.
Followed by Han Bom's heals.
Offense, defense, and breathing room—a perfect party combo.
Minus one person….
Fuck, fuck, fuck! This won't work. If this turns into a Floor 1 boss fight….
Han Yeoreum hadn't fought at all—just looted during breaks.
Yet she looked more exhausted than the actual fighters.
Haven't even seen the footage yet.
Per our contract, the recording gem's contents were locked for now.
No way to sneak a peek in this open space.
But that's not the issue anymore! If we hit Floor 2 like this….
Defense end-time was contract end-time.
Clear early, and it voids.
She had to stop that.
Sabotage? Stab that bastard Seong Su-ho in the back? Fuck, he blocked attacks and suicides!
Seong Su-ho had ordered her immediately: no attacking him, no suicides.
Why block suicide? Probably to torture her with hellish experiences.
Fine, let him go up without me—as long as I don't… Wait….
That thought hit as she stashed junk in her inventory—two half-circles reflected in her eyes.
Two halves that could lock into a full circle key.
…Could this work?
Han Yeoreum fiddled with the two halves, deep in thought.
***
I signaled the party once no more monsters charged.
“Looks all clear. Rest up.”
“Haa… haa… Damn, this is no joke.”
They collapsed onto mats or lay flat, panting in a daze.
Wave 9 done—11 hours total.
9th Wave Cleared.
10th Wave begins in 59 minutes and 43 seconds.
They'd snatched naps between waves to recover stamina, but fatigue piled up anyway.
It was past sunset—bedtime by normal standards.
Yet we had to push this half-done defense further.
I sat slowly on my mat, addressing the others.
“Rest as much as you can. I'll warn you three minutes early.”
“No, you rest too now, mister.”
Han Bom insisted I take a break.
Truth was, I wasn't fresh either.
Outsiders might think archery was easy—just shoot arrows.
Far from it.
Arm strain, penalties for glancing shots, constant focus.
And critically: don't hit allies.
Muscle fatigue, precision per shot, friendly-fire stress.
It demanded melee-level labor.
Knowing this, Han Bom pushed rest for me and Min Hayeon.
“I'm fine. You're spamming heals—that's tough. So….”
“I'm good. You collapse here, we're screwed. Rest already.”
“Mm… Thanks.”
I pretended to yield.
Truthfully, her heals weren't that taxing.
Not useless—just less desperately needed than her support implied.
Odd, right?
[Armonia: Yes. The monsters are aggressive, but less targeting people…]
[Armonia: They seem more focused on the central gem.]
They did attack us.
But their charge patterns screamed focus on the giant central gem.
The trio took minimal damage, and waves ended with full heals anyway.
Built assuming no healer, huh.
Green light at wave-end healed all wounds.
But a healer still boosted morale.
Minor scratches disrupted focus.
And with mob swarms, potions risked openings.
Nobles really are nobles.
Proved how vital healers were.
Another hour of rest passed.
“Halfway left. Let's push.”
“Yeah.”
The trio steeled themselves, hiding exhaustion.
Then Wave 10 triggered.
No flood of monsters.
“What the—?”
Min Hayeon scanned warily.
Grrr… Grrooo….
Eerie voices echoed from all sides, slow dragging footsteps like something scraping the ground….
Then they entered our view.
We knew what they were without words.
But we didn't want to believe.
Eyes wide, we all wore denial-stricken faces.
One, two—numbers grew.
Park Seon-hee broke first, gaping as she forced us to face reality.
“Th-those things over there… they're zombies, right?”