Detonation
Detonation. There was one party famous among adventurers for possessing the absolute best escape speed. A four-person group consisting of two 2-Tier male warriors, one 3-Tier male pathfinder, and one 2-Tier female mage. Whenever anyone crossed paths with them, they were always being chased by something. For that reason, they were known as The Runaways.
And right now, Jackson—the 3-Tier Pathfinder and leader of The Runaways—was acutely experiencing just how painful life could be, thanks to the 2-Tier female mage Lena dangling from his back like a piece of baggage.
“Leader, I’m sorry…”
“Haaak… haaaak…. Lena, it’s hard enough already. Stop talking and blast those crazy bastards behind us with some magic!”
“…I’m out of mana.”
“What about a potion?”
“…I dropped it while trying to drink it on the run.”
“….”
“Leader… this is all my fault! Please don’t loosen your grip—save me!”
“Gahk! Ack! Lena! I got it, so ease up on my arm!”
Thanks to Lena clinging desperately to his neck for dear life, Jackson nearly tripped over his own feet. He gritted his teeth against the throbbing pain in his ankle and swallowed a curse.
Damn it. We never should have opened that cursed box.
Very rarely, one or two unidentified boxes would spawn on each floor of the dungeon. These suspicious objects, called Gift Boxes and regarded as presents from the dungeon itself, were one of the main reasons adventurers dove into the labyrinth chasing dreams of instant wealth. With a bit of luck, they could yield rare artifacts, high-quality maseok, or other valuable resources.
“What do you think we’ll get~ What’ll it be, what’ll it be~”
“Kuhuk, does this mean I can finally ditch this garbage 2-Tier gear and upgrade to 2.5-Tier? Is that what this means?!”
“What’s 2.5-Tier? If we really hit the jackpot, 3-Tier isn’t just a dream, bro!”
“Hey, hey! Everyone shut up and keep watch! What if you attract more trouble?!”
But that was only when luck was on their side.
I despise you all.
“I despise… you all…?”
“What the hell did we even do?!”
“Ah! I sense a wave of ominous energy….”
“Shit! This is obviously a curse! Everyone run! We’re heading straight to the White Zone and logging out immediately!”
Ordinary rookies might have frozen on the spot and died, but these were veteran low-tier adventurers who had somehow survived four whole years in the dungeon. Relying on experience and gut instinct, Jackson ordered the party to sprint toward the safe zone just like always. He pumped his legs hard.
Like most low-tier adventurers, their main hunting ground was the tenth floor of the Green Zone—the torso area, right at the entrance. So The Runaways did what they always did: they headed for the tenth floor of the White Zone, the neck area that served as the gateway to the head.
The problem was that the curse placed on them was a marking-type hex that attracted every nearby monster in the vicinity.
“Leader! Those insane monsters are chasing us like crazy! Are you sure we should still head to the White Zone?”
“….”
Drex the swordsman was right. The White Zone was a safe area primarily occupied by non-combat classes—miners, gatherers, and fishermen. Dragging this many monsters there could get innocent people killed.
But.
“We don’t have a choice. Just shut up and run.”
“….”
To Jackson, his own people were a hundred times more important than strangers whose names he didn’t even know. That was all there was to it.
“…Sigh. Even if we make it back alive, the guild’s going to rip us apart for this.”
“Don’t worry too much.”
The White Zone was under the Guardian’s protection. With this many monsters, he was bound to step in. Holding on to that belief, Jackson clenched his teeth and kept running.
“Haa… haa…”
Before long the long canyon ended, opening into a wide cavern. And moments later, they spotted a figure racing toward them, shouting at the top of their lungs. Cat ears folded low against the wind, gray hair and a long tail whipping wildly with every stride, and a proud white armband on the right arm. Wait, could that be—?
“You damn idiots! I wondered what crazy bastards would drag monsters into the White Zone, and it turns out to be you Runaways nyang! You all have a death wish nyang!”
“Ah! Miss Sion!”
“The Strangler!”
“Sherpa Sion! Please, you have to save us!”
Hope bloomed in The Runaways’ eyes the moment they spotted Sion. She was beautiful, responsible, and incredibly skilled—the most popular Sherpa among new adventurers. The Strangler, Sion. They had heard she was recovering after nearly dying to a monstrous entity in the Red Zone. Had she already returned?
“Haa…”
Jackson let out a sigh of relief. They were saved! Although she was a pathfinder, she was a legendary adventurer who had reached 5-Tier in just three years and earned the nickname Fast Cat. Once she stepped forward, monsters in the 2-Tier to 4-Tier range would be nothing more than rice stalks before a farmer.
But… why did she look so urgent?
“You insane humans! If you don’t want your eardrums to burst, cover your ears right now nyang!!!”
“Ears?”
“What’s an eardrum?”
"I petition the world."
"A fishing line sturdy enough to catch a truly massive fish."
"Into my hands."
⟨ Wire ⟩
Wire
Screeech!
Sion dropped low, gently raking the ground with both hands before stopping. She swung her arms toward the party and whispered. Transparent threads shot from her fingertips in an instant, binding The Runaways completely. At the same time, an abnormal amount of mana concentrated in her legs.
“Everyone hold on tight nyang!!!”
“Huh?”
“What?”
“Um?”
“Wait, um…”
Our arms are tied though? And there’s nothing to grab onto?
The Runaways’ danger sensors screamed at Sion’s cat-like cry. But the only thing the party—now strung up like dried fish—could do was scream.
“Uwaaaah!”
“You crazy—!”
They could only float through the air, following Sion as she leaped to an unnatural height. Sympathizing deeply with fish pulled from the water, they flew through the air and eventually tumbled across the ground behind a massive boulder.
“Gaaahk!”
“My back! My back!!!”
“Owww…”
“Whew… what the hell is going on?”
Maybe things were different once you reached 3-Tier? Unlike the rest of his party sprawled on the ground like caterpillars, Jackson—despite having both arms sealed—landed stably and scanned their surroundings. His eyes caught Sion leaping atop the boulder and shouting at the top of her lungs.
“Raven!!! I cleared them all nyang!!!”
Raven? And what did she mean by cleared? Us?
Jackson’s puzzled gaze followed Sion’s line of sight. As he slowly turned his head, his body suddenly froze.
“Ah.”
A single figure was reflected in his brown pupils.
A tall man wearing a bizarre crow’s head. He stood motionless, head slightly tilted, right arm extended while gripping a strange black wand.
Scratch, scratch, scratch.
Tap, tap-tap.
Slither, slither.
The monsters that had lost their target rushed toward him in a frenzy. Even though a wave of monsters surged like a tide, not a single trace of agitation could be felt from him. The sight was so noble that Jackson almost bowed his head unconsciously.
“What are you all doing nyang! Cover your ears right now nyang!”
While he was staring intently at that strangely captivating figure, Sion’s sharp cry snapped him out of it. But then—
“Miss Sion. You need to undo these first…”
“Ah, sorry nyang.”
The moment the transparent threads binding them dissolved, The Runaways frantically covered their ears without needing to be told twice. It was a reflexive action; they knew that obeying a Sherpa’s instructions was the quickest way to survive. Everyone covered their ears, and some even curled up trying to tuck their heads between their legs. That was when it happened.
BANG!
A massive sound like lightning striking the cavern echoed.
““…?”””
She told us to cover our ears for just that?
It was fairly loud, but not enough to warrant covering their ears. The Runaways turned questioning eyes toward Sion, and even she seemed to think, Did Raven make a mistake? In that brief moment—
“Nyang?”
“Huh?”
“Ah?”
“What the—?”
“Hm?”
The world flashed pure white.
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE───────────
Jackson felt something warm trickling down the side of his face. His ears felt clogged, as if they had stopped working.
“Ah?”
Why is everyone bleeding…?
He stared blankly at his party members, who were bleeding from their ears and noses with dazed expressions. Then a tremendous impact hurled him into the air. The enormous boulder that had been shielding them from the monsters shattered into tiny fragments and floated amid crimson flames. Terrible heat slammed into his entire body, and the air in his lungs vanished instantly.
Thud!
“Gaaahk!”
A heavy impact against his back was followed by hot, smoke-filled air flooding his lungs. He must have slammed into the wall.
Plop. Plop-plop.
“Cough… cough…!”
EEEEEEEEEEEEEE─────────
Damn it. What the hell is happening?!
Jackson coughed violently and struggled to his feet. He had no idea what had just occurred, but his sharply honed instincts were screaming at him to get out of there immediately. Every surface he touched burned like a heated cauldron, yet he somehow managed to stagger upright.
Thick black smoke filled the air, obscuring everything. What is this?
Then something began raining down like a downpour.
Plop. Plop-plop-plop.
“Ah…”
Whatever touched his skin was hot and smelled of iron—red and black, sometimes white, sometimes translucent. A charred black arm rolled to a stop at Jackson’s feet. Piles of browned eyeballs and organ-like lumps began to accumulate. Then, with a clack, Jackson’s eyes landed on a pair of black shoes standing amid the charred flesh and bone fragments scattered across the floor.
Against his will, his gaze slowly traveled upward along the shoes. Strange black pants and a coat that looked as if they had been crafted from burned human skin. When his eyes reached the sharply curved black beak, Jackson gasped sharply.
“Hup…”
The figure that had been far away was now standing right in front of him. Unable to lift his head, he could only stare at the man’s chest. A low, ominous voice that sounded like multiple people whispering at once drifted down.
“Ah.”
It was over. Jackson realized death had come for him. He slowly let the strength drain from his body. Overwhelmed by absolute terror, he gave up on life. The moment his mind collapsed, his body crumpled to the ground like discarded trash.
Thump.
…
Raven quietly watched the scene, slowly stroking his beak as he murmured in a low voice.
“This.”
It’s been a while. I suppose I’ll be visiting the prison again.