Wrath of the Earth
I used sorcery just as Kang A-jin had taught me, locating the hole that one of Kang Min's underlings—a former tomb raider—had dug into the dungeon wall.
As soon as I activated the sorcery, a talisman floated up into the air, drifting lightly toward the spot on the dungeon's outer wall where mana was leaking out.
"That's amazing," Kim Se-in said in a tone full of wonder.
I was just as amazed, since this was my first time using this particular sorcery. In truth, I had dozens of sorceries at my disposal. Depending on how I applied them, I could expand that into hundreds or even thousands of variations. But I wasn't Kang A-jin, who had been active as a sorceress for years and was hailed as Korea's top shaman. It was beyond me to go that far. That's why I hadn't even realized I possessed a sorcery capable of detecting holes already bored into dungeon walls.
"Mr. Sung-gi, is there really nothing you can't do? How is that possible?"
Kim Se-in's awe didn't seem to stem solely from the sorcery I'd used. The mere fact that I could wield sorcery at all appeared mystical to her. I hadn't properly demonstrated my abilities to her yet, aside from sex. All she knew was that I was an S-rank hunter with a bunch of women under my wing. When you put it like that, it felt embarrassingly flattering. For some reason, I felt a pang of guilt toward the women in my life.
We followed the talisman as it bobbed through the air. It clung to a section of wall that looked utterly unremarkable at first glance. Up close, sure enough, a faint breeze whistled out from it.
"These guys are playing a dangerous game. Tomb raiders."
"Yeah, this is my first time actually seeing a hole like this. It's so seamless."
I had no doubt that recklessly poking holes like this could trigger a dungeon break. The thought of the potential damage made my head spin. And to think she'd had to accept even a tomb raider into her guild. Though I hadn't known her long, I could already tell what kind of person Kim Se-in was. She would never have tolerated something like this. Her state of mind back then, forced to obey Kang Min's demands, must have been utter despair.
Gazing at Kim Se-in's back as she peered into the hole, I felt a deep pity for her. How much had she suffered before meeting me? She'd probably entered dungeons alone, scraping together money, all while feeling like she couldn't see a way forward. On one hand, she'd gritted her teeth to earn cash; on the other, she'd known deep down this wasn't the right path. She might have even foreseen a future like the one that befell her friend.
'Those bastards.'
I'd confronted Kang Mancheol and made him hand over his company for 10 billion won, but that hardly quenched my rage. He was the mastermind behind it all, the one who'd orchestrated everything. Inside this dungeon, I'd get to face the scum who'd directly laid hands on Kim Se-in.
I examined the wall, which looked no different from the rest of the exterior. Looking closer, I could tell there was a hole big enough for a person to slip through, temporarily sealed up.
I pressed both palms against the wall. Sensing the mana beyond it, I generated a magnetic pull. This was the same principle as the ability I'd used to draw in mana crystals after killing monsters.
The wall surface stuck to my palms, and I peeled it away. A hole leading into the dungeon. Kim Se-in and I slipped inside.
Once we'd put some distance behind us, I demolished the inner wall. Rumble—
Rocks tumbled down, completely filling the hole. The tomb raider had targeted a relatively weak section of wall to make his breach, but now this spot was even tougher to penetrate than the rest.
"Let's go."
I moved forward with Kim Se-in. After a short walk, a familiar space opened up—the area I'd cleared yesterday, the same floor where I'd found her.
"Grrrrowl!"
A monster's cry suddenly echoed. This was inside a dungeon, after all; it was to be expected. Kim Se-in instinctively dropped into a combat stance, but there was no need to waste energy. The moment I flared my mana,
"Kee-yeeek!"
the approaching monster shrieked and fled.
Kim Se-in looked at me with eyes full of awe.
"S-ranks really are on another level..."
It was a little different for me, but I'd learned the same thing on my first dungeon raid with Kim Seol-bi—S-ranks operated on a whole other plane.
We headed together toward the site of yesterday's horrors, a place harboring nothing but bad memories. Walking behind her, I could sense her emotions surging. But she kept them in check, proceeding calmly. Partly because the situation had changed, but mostly because that was her nature. I could picture her steadfastly enduring countless hardships.
As we drew nearer our destination, I picked up signs of life from ahead—muttered voices, highly agitated ones at that.
"Good thing they're still here. No waiting around."
Kim Se-in had heard them too and responded coolly.
"Yes."
We hadn't bothered hiding our presence, yet Kang Min and his crew remained oblivious as we approached. Just as expected, they were huddled at the scene of yesterday's crime, milling about in confusion.
"Fuck! What the hell happened, you bastards? Where's the body?!"
The most furious one screaming was unmistakably Kang Min. Mid-20s, maybe? He had the bulky build and greedy vibe of what Kang Mancheol must have looked like in his youth.
As he barked at them, the others floundered, glancing around helplessly. As if they could magically find Kim Se-in's vanished corpse.
Then one of them turned our way.
"Huh?"
He froze like he'd seen a ghost.
"Hey! What the fuck are you staring at? Find it, now!"
Trembling, he pointed at us—me and Kim Se-in—with a quivering finger.
"B-Bro... th-there..."
"What the fuck is it?!"
Kang Min irritably swung his gaze toward us. He froze too, locking eyes on me and Kim Se-in—more precisely, on her—like a statue of ice.
"Looking for something?"
My words made all the members jolt and turn.
"Maybe a body? You killed her pretty brutally. No normal human could do that. Know who might've done it?"
My words left the six of them pale and speechless. But they barely registered what I was saying. Their eyes were fixed on Kim Se-in. To them, she must have looked like a ghost. With her porcelain skin, slender limbs, and alluring face, she exuded an aura that overwhelmed these thugs.
"S-Se-in... how...?"
Kang Min's jaw trembled.
"What? Disappointed I'm not dead?"
"N-No, that's not... Yesterday was, uh, you see..."
Kang Min floundered, brain frozen, at a loss for words. No amount of eye-rolling would conjure a response for this situation.
"Fuck! What are you staring at? Kill her!!"
In the end, he fell back on ordering his underlings to kill Kim Se-in—same as before.
Whoosh-crack!!
I witnessed something incredible. The ground bulged and heaved, brown vines bursting forth. Over a dozen plant tendrils wrapped around the legs of the frozen members.
Skill 'Wrath of the Earth' acquired.
Understanding of the Druid class has increased.
Druid? I had some familiarity with this type of ability. It wasn't as alien as sorcery, soul sorcery, or tomb raiding. But my knowledge was limited to general common sense about what powers it entailed—this was my first time seeing it in action. I'd just learned that Kim Se-in was a hunter with druid abilities.
A fierce energy poured from her in her rage. It wasn't just the vines erupting from the ground; the dungeon floor and ceiling trembled. This was beyond what a typical A-rank hunter could unleash. It wasn't quite S-rank either, but everyone knew she'd grown tremendously in just one day. The trigger? Obviously, sex with me.
"Th-This...!"
Kang Min's eyes widened. Shocking enough that the woman he'd brutally killed yesterday was alive again, but her power was far greater now. Rationally, he should realize they outnumbered us. They could use that advantage without panicking. But Kang Min and his goons weren't in any state for calm thinking or judgment.
"Fuck!!"
Kang Min turned tail and bolted.
Whoosh-crack! But soon, Kim Se-in's ability snared his legs.
"Aaaargh!!"