Sibling Bond Destroyer
“I thought something was off with that guy Paul today.”
Milo's hand, which had been glaring at me, moved toward the scabbard at his waist.
“He's not a gentleman, but he knows how to separate personal grudges from business.”
Shring-.
The moment the blade of Gladius slipped free from its sheath toward me, the other squad members scattered around drew their weapons in unison, all aimed my way.
...Whoa, that's pretty intimidating.
“Whether you're some promising S-rank from Korea or not, we don't give a damn. Tell me. Where's my brother?”
One wrong word, and they'd come at me full force.
I hadn't even cleared the dungeon yet— no need to spill precious blood this early.
'Why does that bastard's posturing look so damn annoying?'Constellation 'Sung Hyun-sook' frowns.
Mom too? Same here.
This won't do. I have to put that Milo bastard in his place for sure.
Instead of answering his question, I pulled a recorder from my pocket.
“......?”
Silence fell over the group.
I held the recorder high and grinned at Milo.
“What's this?”
“...A recorder?”
“Right. But I'd rather call it something else.”
“...Something else?”
“Sibling Bond Destroyer.”
Milo furrowed his brow like that was nonsense.
Curious? Fine, I'll tell you.
Just as I opened my mouth—
Kurung-!
“......!”
A savage rumble suddenly shook the cavern, the ground trembling violently.
The epicenter was the massive iron doors embedded in each of the four walls.
Three of them began splitting open left and right.
“Gasp...!”
“My God...”
Several squad members paled at the sight beyond the doors.
I flinched too.
Krr... Kee-eek-.
Dozens—no, hundreds of glowing red eyes glared from the pitch-black darkness, eerie cries echoing.
“Everyone, to the center!”
Milo quickly regained his composure and shouted orders.
The scattered squad members swiftly assembled in the middle with perfect discipline.
“...What about me?”
Joining them would look weird...
So I stood at a spot reasonably distant from the doors.
Feeling like an outcast...
Constellation 'Sung Hyun-sook' looks at 'our son♡' with pity.
Don't look at me like that—it makes me sad— I was about to complain to Mom when—
The Second Trial begins!
Choose one of the two conditions!
If no choice is made, you will die!
[1. Survive the monster wave for 120 minutes.]
[2. Sacrifice one person at random.]
[For option 2, the sacrifice is selected immediately upon one or more choosers and dies of cardiac arrest!]
“W-what?”
“Hold on...”
Everyone panicked at the sudden dilemma.
Wow, for real. I wanna crack open the skull of whoever designed this.
Constellation 'Sung Hyun-sook' expresses disgust, calling it the worst hidden dungeon ever.
“...Who do they think we are, toys?”
The second trial was as vicious as the first.
This was basically forcing everyone to pick 2.
“F-fight that many monsters in this cramped space?”
“For two hours...?”
“W-worst case, we could all wipe...”
“No. Wait. This option 2...”
The moment someone uttered “option 2,” the cavern went deathly silent.
As that person said, fighting nonstop for two hours in this enclosed space was suicide.
But pick 2, and no such risk.
The only gamble? Getting picked as the random sacrifice.
Even then, less than 2% chance.
Skip that slim odds, and survival's guaranteed.
Decide within 10 seconds.
Damn. Now they're rushing us too.
As the timer ticked, screams of shock erupted everywhere.
“Give us time to think!”
“Ten seconds? What the hell!”
“Shit...! Shit...!”
Reactions grew frantic as it neared zero.
It was chaos, but a strange feeling rose in me.
Option 2 activates the instant even one person chooses it.
Yet even at 6... 5...
No one died.
With 3 seconds left, I quickly picked.
You have selected [1].
Option 2 felt too iffy, and for me, 1 was better anyway.
With that many mobs for XP, why waste it on 2?
Timer hit zero, heavy silence fell like lead.
Some squeezed eyes shut, lips trembling.
But soon—
“A-any dead people?”
“...Idiot. How could a dead guy talk?”
“Looks like no one's dead...?”
“I-I picked 1, honestly...”
“Check your neighbors. Heart might've stopped.”
Sweat-drenched faces scanned around.
No one collapsed from heart failure.
That's right.
“...This is surprising.”
No one here picked 2.
Constellation 'Sung Hyun-sook' smiles, saying at least the underlings seem like a clean guild.
“At least they're not the type to sacrifice comrades to save their own skin.”
No. Even if someone had picked 2, I couldn't outright condemn them.
One sacrifice for dozens saved? Could be wise.
But—
“W-we all picked 1? For real?”
“We'll die together if we go down.”
“After all these years, you think we'd haggle with squadmates' lives?!”
“...No regrets here.”
In that crunch, they didn't even weigh it.
The squad leader deserves it, but...
These underlings are rare breed of players these days.
Constellation 'Sung Hyun-sook' strokes her chin, thinking they'd make solid allies.
“Allies, huh...”
...Once I crush Milo, the leader and vice gone means the guild implodes.
These guys become stray eggs on the Nakdong River.
They're all veteran stars, so other guilds will snatch 'em quick...
But ideally...
I smirked, picturing a scene, when—
Survive the monster wave for 120 minutes!
Kee-eek-!Kaaak-!Kuwooo-!
Monsters roared from the doors, charging in hordes.
From low goblins to minotaurs that could overwhelm an A-rank one-on-one.
Facing the monster flood, I made one request.
“You guys take that one door over there. I'll handle the other two.”
That way, I snag more kills and XP.
But the squad stared like I was insane.
...Yeah, fair reaction.
But Milo's glare pissed me off.
“Why should we follow your orders? I'm the commander—.”
“Don't like it? Take two then. I'm offering to lighten your load, and you complain.”
“......”
“Think about it. One door for your numbers? Manageable, right?”
Way better survival odds than three doors.
They're not dumb enough to miss that.
“...We'll take the left door.”
Milo grudgingly accepted.
Constellation 'Sung Hyun-sook' shakes her head: Does he only listen after nagging?
“At least he gets it eventually. Good enough.”
I headed for the center and right doors, wrapping my arms in fiercely swirling rotational mana. Kiiiiing-!
Amid the endless spawn and slaughter of monsters—
The squad members each thought:
Tough... but doable.
We might actually last two hours!
We're killing more than spawning.
Hope dawned.
Honestly, when everyone picked 1 earlier, joy mixed with despair.
Two hours seemed impossible then.
But now? Totally different.
53 on one door made it feasible—no, easy.
If we'd taken all three...
Makes me wanna puke.
Maybe 30 minutes tops.
Chwaaak-!
Plus, their leader Milo Holt led the front— world rank 13, top sword user.
Him going all-out made the doable fight smoother.
Of course—
...Good thing Hwang Jae-min took two doors.
Dunno why he's here, but it eased the clear.
They knew deep down.
The real MVP turning the tide wasn't them.
Those with breathing room glanced back.
Captivated by Jae-min butchering foes in a trance, they gasped unwittingly.
“...Wow.”
“Unreal...”
World rank 13 fought nearby, yet eyes stuck to Jae-min's dominance.
He handled two doors. Alone.
Vs. their 53 on one. Worlds apart.
Is he fighting barehanded?
What mana is that? Monsters shred themselves.
Three hearts? Not even winded.
Who was player, who monster?
Rumors of Korea's stellar S-rank, but this overwhelming? They swallowed hard.
The Second Trial ends!
Kurung-!
No sooner had two hours passed than the doors slammed shut.
I dispersed the mana swirling on my forearms and whistled.
“Unlike the first trial, this one has its perks.”
Constellation 'Sung Hyun-sook' is glad the trial went with option 1.
“If I didn't level up after that frenzy, I'd be pissed.”
Only one level after two hours straight.
Means XP requirements skyrocketed.
But no disappointment.
Player: Hwang Jae-min | Level: 28
Thanks to Custom Growth Potion
One level, but stats jumped noticeably.
Vitality hit 700s from solo 600s.
Nice and comfy.
“Hey.”
As I basked in pride at my status window—
London psychopath #1 called from behind.
“Got some breathing room now. Finish that story from earlier.”
“......”
Music to my ears.
I pulled out the recorder again and turned to him.
“Was explaining why this is the 'Sibling Bond Destroyer'?”
“I don't care about that bullshit! Last warning. Spill my brother's whereabouts now, or I'll execute you here!”
Gladius brimmed with sharp mana.
Others tensed mid-rest, on guard.
「.......」
Unlike earlier confidence they could kill me anytime, now rigid faces screamed tension.
I smirked mockingly.
“You really cherish your brother.”
“Cut the crap, I said—.”
“But the moment I play this recording, you'll resent him.”
I hit play without pause.
“That's why it's the Sibling Bond Destroyer.”
Click-.