The Shadow's Request

As Ilwol, the monster who provided the meals, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠stood on the verge of battle with the Skeleton Knight, Hyeon Jung-seop—the younger brother of Hyeon Jung-gil, leader of the Ilseom Guild—watched his youngest son, Hyeon Woo-seok, charge toward him in unfiltered rage.

"Father! What the hell is going on?! Didn't you promise to delay the schedule?!"

The intensity of his fury was quite menacing. While Hyeon Jung-seop felt a secret sense of satisfaction at his son's spirit, the sight before him was something no parent could tolerate.

"Even if we delay it, what difference would it make?! There's nothing more to discuss, so get out of here!"

"But Father!"

"Tsk tsk—foolish boy... That girl is about to undergo a detention investigation. She's not in good physical condition, so the Special Forces will handle her with some restraint, but given her personality, it'll be an ordeal she can barely endure. They say malice spreads to those around you, so you'd do well to keep your distance from her."

"Father, how could I possibly—"

BOOM—!

Hyeon Jung-seop slammed his fist down on the office desk, scolding his youngest son.

"Don't you see the world is watching?! By now you must know what that girl you've been seeing has been up to! How many people has she driven to suicide through her bullying? More than a handful, isn't it?! If you try to cover for someone like that, you'll end up dragged down with her! Why can't you understand that?!"

At his father's fierce rebuke, Hyeon Woo-seok clutched his head for a moment, sobbing, before speaking in a deeply subdued voice.

"...I understand... But please, just tell me one thing. Who is it? The person who screwed us over this time..."

His youngest son, Hyeon Woo-seok, wasn't a complete fool. He must have realized through recent information that Heo Min-sol was not the decent woman he'd imagined. Still, he had his pride. The image of Heo Min-sol being dragged away by Special Forces agents, staring at him with resentful eyes after he'd boldly promised to protect her until her treatment was complete, remained vividly etched in his mind.

"Please tell me... I won't do anything stupid anymore. Just tell me that much, and I'll turn this rage into fuel and achieve something that will satisfy you. I swear..."

A faint smile crept across Hyeon Jung-seop's lips as he stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing out the window. 'To think it would work out this way? That bitch Heo Min-sol proved useful in the end after all.'

"Ahem— Even I cannot contend with this person. They possess a power so immense it's beyond my reach. Do you truly believe you can surpass them?"

"We won't know until I try, will we...? I've never said this aloud before, but you already know my talent has reached the heavens. Give me the chance. I will succeed."

'Kukukukukuku! That's it! That's the kind of venom I wanted to see!'

"—!!"

For a moment, Hyeon Woo-seok doubted his own ears. Wasn't that one of the greatest figures from ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the early days of Korea's Awakeners, standing shoulder to shoulder with his uncle? He couldn't fathom why such a person would interfere with his affairs.

"This information was difficult for me to obtain as well. Do not speak of it recklessly."

"Yes. Thank you..."

"I hear that person's granddaughter has formed a party with those bastards."

"...I see..."

Hyeon Woo-seok offered a bow to his father before quietly retreating. The ones who had reduced the first person he'd ever held dear in his heart to such a miserable state—he could understand if they were the victims, even if it took a hundred concessions. But for someone ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠with no connection whatsoever to use their power to obstruct his plans? That was unforgivable.

'There's no way someone of that caliber would act merely at his granddaughter's request.'

It had to be a warning directed at them as they sought to rise ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠into the ranks of the Three Great Guilds. A message that no matter what they did, there was nothing they could accomplish. That they were so weak they should simply stay quiet.

'How powerless... They say he doesn't get along with my uncle. And now it's come back to me like this.'

That old monster knew well that such helplessness was like a swamp—the deeper it accumulated, the harder it became to escape.

After leaving his father's office, Hyeon Woo-seok walked to the end of the long corridor and murmured softly.

"Shadow... Bring me all information on [Waves of the Battlefield]."

"......"

"I'll be waiting."

Hyeon Woo-seok spoke into the empty air before vanishing in an instant. The information he sought was clearly not something one could simply look up online. A short while after he disappeared, a voice spoke from the vacant space with a hint of trouble.

"You casually assign impossible missions. From childhood, young master, you've always been..."

The mysterious being known as Shadow showed a faint trace of amusement before concealing even the small presence it had revealed.

"Let's get moving!"

At Yeom Tae-seok's booming shout, the hunters began rising from their crouched positions. Fifteen minutes before the labyrinth's door would close. It was time to wrap up their sweet rest and start moving again.

"Make sure you haven't forgotten anything! We won't be coming back here!"

After busily organizing their gear, it didn't take long for everyone to gather in orderly fashion before the labyrinth's entrance.

"The guides should use their respective abilities to detect danger, but the role of lead guide will be taken by Lee Yeonhee here!"

At Yeom Tae-seok's declaration, Yeonhee awkwardly raised her hand in acknowledgment. Of course, the guide role she was taking on was really about me, and the other hunters didn't seem to have any major complaints.

"The path is insanely complicated. Will she be okay?"

"At least we can confirm there are bats. The unique stench of their droppings is overwhelming."

"The vibration isn't too strong, but there may be some small insects!"

Besides me, there were three other people acting as guides. Their supplementation of areas I couldn't detect would allow for much more accurate navigation. Things like vibration and smell were domains where they could react more sensitively than I could.

"Puuhaaa—!"

"Finally, I can breathe again, damn it."

The moment we left the cavern filled with the dust of bat swarms, the penalty that had been tormenting us was lifted. Bats still inhabited this passage, but apparently not in numbers large enough to impose that kind of penalty.

Flap flap flap—!

"They're coming!"

"Ugh! These annoying little shits!"

Less than ten minutes after we began moving, we were attacked by swarms of bats hiding on the cave ceiling. There were around eight hundred of them, but after fighting tens of thousands, they felt like child's play to us.

'Daggers in both hands!'

After swinging my daggers with both hands for a while, we quickly wiped them out and continued on our way. But such trivial battles repeated—one after another. The people's patience gradually began to wear thin.

"They really twisted the path like crazy."

"We're still heading in the correct direction, though."

"I know that, but it feels like we're looping around the same spot over and over. This isn't something a person should have to do. Damn it!"

"I'm actually starting to get scared of that skeleton's abilities. I thought I was pretty confident as a guide."

"Same here. What kind of monster is he? How can he find the exact right path so effortlessly?"

Having the other guides assist made things a bit easier, but their constant praise and fussing about me from behind had the opposite effect of breaking my concentration.

"Still, it's a relief that the cave air is circulating well."

"The flow of mana... There's definitely mana energy coming from a different place than here."

'They can even distinguish the scent of mana mixed in the air...'

They were more sensitive than me, who could only detect scents from specific mana circuits. We continued moving like that for another two hours until it was time for lunch.

I hadn't even told Yeonhee, but in truth, we would need to travel like this for two more days. Things were manageable for now, but eventually some would inevitably suffer mental issues. The scariest thing in this place wasn't the monsters—it was the people. We needed to manage them before they went mad.

'It's still too early for Irmana's water... Should I share some Big Boar meat?'

Although the cave wasn't narrow, it wasn't exactly an ideal environment for grilling meat. The hind leg meat of a Big Boar was a delicacy even when eaten raw, and it placed no burden on the body, making it perfect travel rations.

Surrounded by the monster swarm, I prepared the food and carved out only the hind leg portions, distributing generous amounts to everyone.

"...... Skeleton, are you a god?"

"Thank you for the meal!"

"I'll definitely repay you once we get out. I really will."

"Oh my god... Um, would it be possible for me to join your party starting from the next dungeon?"

"...M-me too!"

Those who received the meat chewed on the chewy, flavor-packed Big Boar hind leg while repeatedly asking if they could join our party.

"Ahem— We currently have no plans to accept additional members."

Since we had already agreed not to add anyone unless they were at No Hayun's level of skill, Baek A-rin, as party leader, clearly expressed our refusal. The hunters from other parties looked disappointed but didn't seem overly disheartened. They probably hadn't held high expectations and were just testing the waters. Their exaggerated reaction was likely just gratitude for the food.

In truth, if we judged purely by ability, excluding our own party, Ju Ye-seul was undoubtedly the best. But there was nothing to be done about it. I'd have to deal with her later and at least claim the stat rewards.

'I wonder if I can use her all the way to the end...'

Even though it's annoying, dragging her along by the collar would be the rational choice, but the risk is high. Even now, three or four men were hovering around her, flattering and fawning. Stupid bastards. They have no idea that big-breasted woman is the grim reaper. Tsk tsk—

"Hmm?"

"What? Is something there?"

Baek A-rin suddenly perked up her ears. It seemed she was starting to sense it too.

"Undead... Not many. Only a few of them though~"

Still, encountering undead again in a dungeon that had only produced bats until now was enough to make everyone tense. The hunters' expressions grew serious, and their voices gradually died down.

We traveled like that for another full day. The number of bats decreased while the numbers of Skeleton Decurions and ghouls began to increase. Thankfully, the feared drop in the hunters' morale or mass mental abnormalities never occurred. Whether it was thanks to my continued supply of Big Boar meat or the sense of stability from never losing our way remained to be seen. Usually, getting lost repeatedly is what causes problems. My role could be considered quite significant.

"It's amazing. It's such a shame we can't talk about Miss Yeonhee's performance once we get outside."

Hong Yong-seok would occasionally approach our group to chat, and each time he would deliver a lengthy speech about how much we'd helped. It was clearly meant for the other hunters to hear.

'Even without that, any decent human being should feel grateful.'

Of course, knowing that most hunters lacked even that basic decency was probably why Hong Yong-seok acted this way. Still, I was grateful. Thanks to him, the rewards we'd receive once we got out seemed likely to increase a bit.

'Hmm... Not bad at all.'

All that remained now were the dagger quest and leveling up.

While hunting undead throughout the day, I had gained one more level, but the real jackpot was the rune I'd obtained this time.

It was a rune with the maximum value obtainable at this grade—often called a graduation rune. My shoulder bones couldn't help but shake with excitement. It wasn't something I'd use immediately, but I needed to keep it safe. After all, the Rune of Fury didn't drop in C-rank dungeons.

"Is that a good rune? Look at you, all excited. You're rattling like crazy, Ilwol."

"Clack clack clack!"

"Pfft, you're seriously so entertaining."

Enjoying even these small moments of amusement, we continued our march. Eventually, we arrived right before the area where the Skeleton Knight slumbered.