Chapter 25
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Fierce Clash and Reinforcements
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“…Tsk.”
Poof. White stars materialized in my palm and shot straight forward. The white-masked figure let out a chuckle at the noticeably reduced number and dodged with ease.
“Already tired?”
“Speak for yourself. You look plenty worn out yourself.”
Attack led to counterattack, and counter led right back to attack. We’d been trading blows so amiably that neither of us had much left in the tank.
“Still, I feel like I’ve got the edge.”
The white mask exhaled sharply, struck a confident pose, and glared at me.
‘I can’t burn through all my potions.’
I only had one left. I had plenty of low-grade ones, but unlike Yoo A-han’s potions, they didn’t heal wounds on the spot. They didn’t fully neutralize poison either.
I’d used up all my antidotes. Plus, recovery potions didn’t restore stamina, so my Pattern’s power had weakened considerably. A short break would help, but I couldn’t exactly pause mid-fight.
A quick scan of the surroundings turned up zero helpful items.
Whoosh! I blocked another charge from the white mask—it felt heavier this time—and fired back at him.
“Nothing special about you after all. Disappointing. Do it like before!”
Boom! His fierce lunge sent me skidding backward with a grinding screech.
‘I really didn’t want to use this.’
Click. Something solid formed in my hand, soon turning into a cluster of rattling magic stones.
“What the—”
Whoosh. I looked up, and there he was. My body tilted, then slammed into the ground.
“......”
“Wow, you’re vicious.”
“......”
Rattle. The three magic stones in my grip glowed obnoxiously bright.
“What’s this?”
“If you’re curious, take ’em.”
He could’ve snatched them anytime if he’d wanted.
Clink! The stones shattered in my fist, their power flowing into me. My body, on the verge of collapse, regained some stamina—not fully, but enough.
“What did you...!”
“What does it look like?”
The pitch-black sky filled instantly with pure white stars. The white mask whirled around, sensing it, but...
“Too bad.”
Snap. I flicked my fingers lightly.
Kaboom! The stars rained down like meteors, engulfing him in an instant. The area around us crumbled like the end of the world.
“…Wow.”
I’d put real power into that one.
It happened in a flash. The white mask grabbed my collar mid-attack, using me as a shield while maneuvering. I glanced at his grip and spoke.
“Unfortunately, my own attacks don’t hurt me.”
My body, held up as a shield, was unscathed. His, on the other hand, was drenched in blood. I’d definitely landed damage, but damn, was he resilient.
“Why not just give up?”
“Like hell! From now on, you’re—”
“...Yeah?”
He flung me away by the collar and bolted somewhere. Or more precisely...
“What the—”
He grabbed random black-robed residents and shoved them into his mouth.
‘They’re not on the same side?’
Makes sense—he wouldn’t have killed the white one otherwise.
I tightened my grip on my scythe and charged at the white mask devouring the black robes. I swung for his neck. As he stupidly turned his head, I thought this was it—and then.
Grab.
“......”
A gate. The portal connecting the real world to a dungeon. One had appeared right in front of me, inside the dungeon. From it emerged a man in a neat suit with drooping navy rabbit ears, who caught my scythe and hurled me aside.
“Ugh.”
He’d tossed me lightly—no injuries. The problem was the extra enemy.
“What’re you doing here? Things were just getting fun!”
“In that state?”
The man glanced at the white mask and sighed. Completely ignoring me, the two bickered.
‘Shit.’
Two was too many. If it’d been from the start, I might’ve had a shot, but after burning so much energy, no way. I edged back a step, turned to run—and then.
Boom! A kick sent me sprawling. Someone pinned my shoulder hard, keeping me down.
“These don’t usually show up often. And you’re making a fuss over this...?”
“This? This is the power the king wants!”
“The king doesn’t crave trash like this.”
“Right?! That’s because this power—”
“Watch your mouth.”
King.
Thanks to their chatter, I caught it clear as day.
‘King... Their king?’
New info, new faces. Everything was a first. The king, the hunters appearing in dungeons—all of it.
“......”
Whoosh! I grabbed the man’s ankle and flung him.
“What.”
I sprang up from the stumble, pulled out five magic stones, and crushed them. Low-grade ones barely restored stamina, and most of the energy dispersed due to the mismatch with human essence, but better than nothing.
I downed my last potion. Toss. I chucked the empty bottle and called out.
“Hey.”
It was forced energy, so exhaustion lingered, but that was for me to know.
“Say that again.”
“...You’ll answer for this.”
The man shot a cold glare at the white mask.
Boom! I leaped at him, unleashing a barrage of heavy strikes. Boom-boom! I dodged his explosive counters, blocked his kicks, and hammered back.
“I said say it again!”
“You always this feisty?”
The white mask’s voice from behind made me grin involuntarily.
I whipped around at the sound—and an attack came from the front. I deflected it, only for one from behind to send me flying, wounds blooming everywhere, stamina draining, but screw it.
“You’ve really changed! I like it!”
The white mask, looking somewhat recovered, charged me in a blood-soaked frenzy. Blocking attacks from both sides was rough, but I could tank a few hits and swing back.
“Who the hell are you guys?”
At this point, injury or death didn’t matter. It’d been ages since I felt this thrill. Smiling from the excitement—yeah, that’d been a while.
“No need to know.”
“We’re—”
“□!”
The man barked something incomprehensible, and the white mask clammed up.
“...Got it.”
“Finish it quick—”
“Who’re you finishing?”
Not my words. A woman’s voice.
Boom! Someone dropped from above, stomping the white mask’s head into the ground. It hit hard enough to shatter it, but the mask held firm.
“......”
Hop. She stepped off and approached me casually.
“Yoo A-han?”
“Why’re you alone, Han Ji-eon? Where’s Ryu Cheon-hwa?”
“And you...”
“Me? I...”
Thud! A massive water stream blocked the white mask charging at Yoo A-han’s back. It coalesced into a blob and shot toward the rabbit ears and white mask.
“What the!”
It froze on contact.
“Han Ji-eon Hunter, you okay?”
“Huh? Oh... yeah.”
“You’re not.”
Seung-hyeon asked, I said yes, and Yoo A-han grabbed my wrist—rubbing the Pattern spot.
“Your stamina’s shot. How long were you fighting...? The mess around here tells the story.”
“…Haha.”
“Used all your potions?”
“Low-grade ones are left—”
“Here.”
Clink. She handed me three vials of blue liquid.
“Huh?”
Before I could speak, she continued as I stared blankly.
“I don’t need ’em anyway.”
“Why—oh. Right.”
Asking a healer why she doesn’t need potions? Dumb. I shut up and stowed them in my inventory.
Thud! Up ahead, the two mystery men—free of the ice now—faced off with Seung-hyeon. Two-on-one, and he was starting to give ground. Then—
Stab.
“Seung-hyeon!”
“I’m fine. Just need healing—”
“That dagger’s poisoned!”
“Oh. If that’s why you yelled, I’m good.”
“Huh?”
“Guild leader’s Pattern includes poison immunity.”
“Oh.”
I made another dumb face. Yoo A-han’s lips quirked up. Before turning to walk off, she glanced back.
“Rest here, Han Ji-eon.”
“Huh? Okay.”
Finally, a break.
She pressed my shoulder down with “rest,” so I flopped onto the ground, pretending to comply, and watched blankly. Yoo A-han approached Seung-hyeon.
“Doesn’t hurt?”
“......”
“Kidding.”
Her hand neared his stab wound, and it healed instantly.
“What’s that □□□□□ with the □□—”
“Quiet.”
Rabbit ears shut down the white mask’s unknown tongue again.
“Anyway, she can’t fight worth shit? Hey, you even able to fight properly?”
The white mask pointed at Yoo A-han, mocking her to bow out.
“Wow, haven’t heard that in forever.”
Yoo A-han smiled faintly, and rabbit ears lunged. He timed it for her guard drop, but too bad—our healer was S-Rank.
Thud! Her arm met his leg and parted.
“......?”
Rabbit ears eyed his ankle. It was blotchy black. He frowned, then glared at her.
Her heal—overdone to damage instead. Overkill, basically. Hidden attack skill.
“Tsk.”
He clicked his tongue, tested his leg, and reset for battle.
After that, it was straightforward. Pure combat. Buildings collapsed, streets shattered, cars mangled beyond recognition.
‘Good thing this isn’t the real world.’
If it were, the Pattern engineers would’ve been shredded.
For the record, I dodged flying debris while recovering stamina—or just resting. I’d tried joining once, but Seung-hyeon yelled to stay put, so I huddled in the corner.
‘Looks like it’s wrapping up.’
Kinda—really—disappointing. More fighting might’ve yielded info.
‘They’re not idiots; they’ll ask questions.’
Excitement loosens tongues, perfect for interrogating mid-fight. Yoo A-han taught me that, so she’d handle it.
An alley by a wall with nothing left to crumble. I slipped in to catch my breath. Finally, some peace—
“Hello, friend!”
“......”
A freakish guy dangled upside down beside me.