The Whip's Echo

I stared blankly at the light emanating from the party members' bodies. Yeonhee sparkled briefly, but Helen and Jin-gyeong's glow lingered for a while. They must have gained at least three levels from defeating the boss monster. All three stood with their mouths agape, gazing into empty space—probably reading about their newly acquired achievements.

Damn...

While I spread my sensory waves around, wondering if there was anything left to scavenge, a message appeared.

What? So achievements related to dungeon restrictions get shared?

I hadn't received any benefits from stat-boosting achievements like the 100-Person Combat one, so I hadn't expected anything. Yet this type apparently transferred over. It felt arbitrary, but I wasn't complaining.

This should make things much easier for a while. Our income might jump by at least twenty percent, right?

One run through the Lizardman Dungeon brought in roughly 900,000 won, excluding runes. Even split four ways, the lizardman hides made it more profitable than other dungeons. If we sold every rune we obtained, our earnings would more than double. Nine hundred thousand won a day... It felt like yesterday when we were scraping by for 100,000 won in the Goblin Dungeon.

Kick—

Anyone watching would think I'd made it big.

I snapped out of it and invested the stat points from my two level-ups into Agility, Wisdom, and Perception, just like before.

Hmm...

But... can I really keep going like this?

Once I assigned the points, the unease I'd pushed aside resurfaced. I clenched and unclenched my fingers. The fragile collection of bones creaked with a dull sound.

Weak......

The memory of barely blocking No Hayun's attack and my dangling arm flashed vividly. Then ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the image of the man with snake-like eyes sneering at me surfaced. A sudden question arose.

Have I ever seen Jo Giman go all out?

......Never. Not once. Even during his sparring with Kang Yeonsu, that monster hadn't shown even half his true power. He'd ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠claimed he was giving it his all, but while he might fool others, he couldn't deceive my senses.

If that was forty percent... then at one hundred percent, his strength would be... Damn it... I can't even begin to measure it.

Right after being summoned by Yeonhee, my first thought had been surviving against Jo Giman. I'd believed preparing a powerful finishing blow to counter his attacks was the answer, and luckily, I'd managed a class change close to the ability I'd longed for. Skeleton Bomber—a class with enough destructive power to instantly subdue both "Fang" and the Lizardman Champion.

It was strong. If I continued this way, eventually even that monstrous man wouldn't be able to ignore my attacks. Of course, that depended on landing the powerful strike on him... but I could think about that after obtaining the "Ghost." Skeleton Bombs were strong—very strong—but something still felt lacking.

There are moments in life when one suddenly views oneself objectively. As my vision cleared, I saw Yeonhee smiling faintly, along with Helen and Jin-gyeong, to whom I'd grown somewhat attached. And the summons, now invisible since their summoning had ended.

Comrades...

Realizing I had comrades, a crack began forming in my heart to accept them. The crack that had already opened couldn't be undone.

From now on, I need to pull myself together...

What was certain was that I'd grown softer than before. I recalled Kang Yeonsu once answering on a popular program about the secret to her strength.

"When thoughts like 'If I keep going like this,' 'This should be enough,' or 'This is fine' arise, that's when you must whip yourself harder. By then, you're already falling behind—only you don't realize it."

Hmm...

Once we finish the dungeon today, I should organize my thoughts about the future in the Dark Space.

Having made that compromise with myself, I focused on my newly increased Perception stat.

Uuuung—

With Perception rising by six, the distance I could be from Yeonhee now exceeded 100 meters. The efficiency of my Perception was steadily improving. Though I wanted to whip myself, there was no need to belittle the rapidly rising numbers. The fact that my Perception range matched the distance I could be from Yeonhee was both proof of our strong connection and the shackles binding me. Even if I kept increasing my Perception stat, I wouldn't be able to stray far enough to sever the link with Yeonhee, but expanding my range of activity held significant meaning for me in many ways. If I could scout ahead even a little and return, I could warn the party members in advance.

Still, seeing the numbers jump so much after investing makes it worth it.

Okay, both a trait and a skill leveled up.

Obez's Blessing and Skeleton Bomb each rose one level, increasing damage by ten percent, and the number of bombs I held increased to fifty-eight.

Skeleton Bomb levels up really well. [Stealth] doesn't level even after constant use. Well, it never leveled when I was a hunter either, so why would it now...

"We've gotten everything we can, so shall we head back right away?"

While I was lost in thought, Helen suggested returning, noting the increasingly hostile atmosphere of the battlefield. There had been a total of five runes detected from the Champion's body. Since we'd taken three, the others were probably searching for the culprit behind the unusually low rune count and the mysterious explosion. They'd likely pinpoint a suspicious group, whether they were the real thieves or not. I'd taken our share quietly to avoid commotion, but since it was rightfully ours, I wasn't worried about future issues.

"Let's go. Staying longer will only cause unnecessary trouble."

With Jin-gyeong also wanting to return, we finished a quick equipment check and headed toward the entrance—which also served as the exit.

Is No Hayun pretty? I can't tell anymore. Heh heh—

Hunters passing by as we emerged from the swamp each had something to say. Even though we were a suspicious party leaving without searching the Champion's body, No Hayun's presence provided a plausible excuse. This was why major guilds were convenient.

. . .

"Ehehehe~ ♪"

The atmosphere on the way back was quite cheerful. No Hayun had been quietly working since her incident, and we'd acquired two more runes from battles on the way to the exit. That was why Jin-gyeong was humming to herself.

Runes are dropping strangely well...

While the rune drop rate was higher here than in other dungeons, our party's haul was abnormally high. As I walked, I let my imagination run wild.

Could it be because of the Lizardman squad?

Maybe there was some invisible buff increasing the rune drop rate for each Lizardman affiliated with our party? It was a far-fetched idea, but it seemed the most plausible. In any case, the two lower-grade runes we'd obtained on the way back went to Helen and Jin-gyeong, and they were overjoyed. A single lower-grade rune was worth more than their half-month's income, so their reaction was understandable. Giant's Runes fetched good prices due to their versatility.

As we neared the exit, Helen's duo predictably turned to Yeonhee with sparkling eyes. Working with us had accelerated their growth and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠significantly increased their income, so they probably wanted to keep partying together. They didn't spare No Hayun a glance, but surprisingly, it was No Hayun who seized the opportunity to speak.

"Um..."

The party members tensed for a moment.

"I'm sorry about today. And... I learned a lot thanks to you."

"...Huh? What did you learn?"

Helen asked, understanding the apology but wondering what No Hayun could have learned from people with such a gap in skill. No Hayun gave a meaningful smile but didn't elaborate. Watching her, our minds were filled with unease. But regardless of what we thought, she was too excited to care.

Puhuhuhut— Probably no one knows. The true identity of the skeleton soldier......

When No Hayun woke up draped over Lizardman #2 due to mana exhaustion, she was startled by the message that had appeared in her mind.

It was an achievement she'd never heard of before. The ability to think more rationally in combat could be an enormous advantage depending on how one looked at it. What caught No Hayun's attention was the obscured word in the achievement description. She, having experienced it firsthand, knew exactly who it referred to.

Lee Yeonhee showed emotions too, but it wouldn't have been enough to earn this achievement. The one who raged was definitely that skeleton!

In truth, it was based on flimsy evidence—she was simply believing what she wanted to believe. Still, No Hayun had never heard of traits, skills, achievements, or even artifact descriptions being censored like this. But one thing was certain: it signified an existence of a special caliber. That must be why the achievement had been granted to her.

I want to know... I want to know... I'm curious! I want to see more, more! How can I...... Hmm......

She thought for a moment, but nothing came to mind that she could do in her current state of being disliked.

Damn it...