Chapter 185
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 185
Chapter Title: Honey Trap (7)
Crack!
"Guhk!"
Woo Seo-hyeon barely managed to block Ruska's kick, but even so, she tumbled across the ground.
'Whoa...'
In an instant, she chanted a spell, and a mana barrier protected her, but it shattered from a single kick. She must have cast it hastily without time to concentrate.
I'd told her she could hit back without holding back, but I hadn't expected Ruska to take it this seriously.
Woo Seo-hyeon had long since shed her act as the gentle priestess.
Her once fresh light brown hair was now dyed an ominous purple.
"Cough...! You...! Who the hell are you...!"
Woo Seo-hyeon's pupils trembled violently. She seemed genuinely shocked by Ruska's power.
'Well, she's one of the top powerhouses herself, and even she can barely hold her own.'
If Woo Seo-hyeon had been prepared, it might have been different, but in a sudden close-quarters fight, the assassin had the advantage.
As Woo Seo-hyeon struggled to fend off Ruska's attacks, she suddenly seemed to realize something and opened her mouth.
"You... you're the one who wiped out the Predator Clan..."
'Smarter than I thought. She figured it out in the middle of all this?'
Having ranker-level strength and being an assassin.
There were plenty of clues to guess from, but I was surprised she'd pieced it together mid-battle. It meant she was still thinking clearly amid the chaos.
'What about Wi Ho-yeon...'
A quick glance showed the opposite situation over there. Wi Ho-yeon was overwhelming the five of them.
'She's way too desperate.'
Those five probably had no intention of harming me in the first place, but Wi Ho-yeon was blocking them so fiercely they couldn't even attempt to approach.
Wi Ho-yeon was gritting her teeth, driving them back for fear I might get hurt.
"Aaaagh!"
One of them even had a gash from Wi Ho-yeon's sword.
"Get lost. As long as I'm here, none of you will lay a finger on Lee Yun-seong."
'Why is she so charismatic?'
The enemies were even faltering under her momentum, stepping back hesitantly.
'If I drag this out any longer, things are gonna go south.'
It was about time to "rescue" Woo Seo-hyeon anyway, and if it went on, Wi Ho-yeon might end up slaughtering the Acacia Clan members.
I quickly pulled a seed from my pocket and infused it with mana.
Boom!
Everyone panicked at the sudden appearance of the monster.
"B-Bro?"
"Don't worry, it's on our side."
'Though it has a time limit.'
Wi Ho-yeon was staring at me with wide eyes too.
Of course they were all shocked; no one here had seen this chimera before.
'Seo-hyeon first.'
I needed to pretend to save Woo Seo-hyeon from Ruska.
Bang!
Ruska was pushed back momentarily by the chimera's charge. I seized the opening to approach Woo Seo-hyeon, opening my mouth with a concerned expression.
"Seo-hyeon, I'll ask about what just happened later. For now, let me heal you first."
Prioritizing her safety over questioning her hidden class.
Emphasizing worry about her being hurt rather than resentment over the deception.
"...Okay, Oppa."
'Let's see...'
Ruska was putting on a show of being pushed back by the chimera.
If Ruska went all out, the chimera could hold for a bit, but it'd eventually be smashed.
With Woo Seo-hyeon beside me, I had to act a little too. Being too calm would look suspicious.
"Damn it, why are outlaws showing up again... Are they from the Execution Sanctuary?"
At the mention of Execution Sanctuary, Woo Seo-hyeon flinched beside me.
'Well, their executive is right here, after all, right?'
"Those damn bastards... Execution Sanctuary scum... Outlaws are worse than beasts, just like they say...!"
To Woo Seo-hyeon next to me, it would sound like I was talking to her.
I glanced at her face and nearly burst out laughing.
'You can even make an aggrieved expression?'
Woo Seo-hyeon looked utterly wronged.
"Right, Seo-hyeon?"
"Ah..."
"Say 'Execution Sanctuary bastards.'"
"Pardon?"
"Nothing, just that Execution Sanctuary guys are total scum."
"...Okay."
"Scum."
"......"
I was basically cursing at Woo Seo-hyeon right in front of her, but she couldn't respond. She wasn't from the Execution Sanctuary right now, after all.
'Enough teasing.'
I gave Ruska a subtle signal, and she retreated, speaking up.
"...Everyone, fall back."
At Ruska's command, they all began fleeing. Ruska gave me a lingering look before vanishing.
"Whew... We barely survived..."
Not just Hyun-jin, but Ho-won slumped to the ground in exhaustion too.
Wi Ho-yeon rushed to me the moment they retreated, checking if I was hurt anywhere.
"Lee Yun-seong! Are you alright?! Where are you injured..."
"I'm fine. Thanks to you, Ho-yeon, not a scratch on me. Thank you."
Wi Ho-yeon sighed in relief at my response.
"Whew... No need. I'm just glad you're safe. I thought I failed to protect you again this time..."
"You handled five of them. Good work. They were probably outlaws ambushing in this dungeon. Maybe from the Execution Sanctuary."
"Just as Lee Yun-seong says."
"Bro... I thought we were done for. Ho-won and I barely held them off..."
"......"
An awkward silence fell over everyone.
The cause was obvious: one person.
Hyun-jin kept stealing glances at Woo Seo-hyeon. Her earlier form must have burned into his mind.
As everyone eyed each other awkwardly, I spoke to Woo Seo-hyeon first.
"...Seo-hyeon, what's with your ability? Is there some reason you hid it?"
Giving her a chance to explain. I hoped she'd take it well.
"Ah... Well..."
'Don't stall, spit it out.'
In times like this, hesitating was bad. Wi Ho-yeon was already eyeing Woo Seo-hyeon suspiciously.
What I wanted was to slightly tarnish Woo Seo-hyeon's reputation and make her think her honey trap was working, giving her some anxiety—not brand her as a threat.
"I-It wasn't malicious or anything. I just hid it because the ability looks creepy..."
"...Because of how it looks?"
"Yes, Oppa. Really. Please believe me. I was discriminated against before because of it... Sob..."
Suddenly tearing up—what a sight.
'Good, squeeze out some tears, put on the pitiful act.'
"Hic... In my old clan, they rejected me because of this ability. 'You're a priestess, why do you have something so creepy?'..."
'Not bad for an on-the-spot excuse.'
"I-I was scared of being abandoned in Eternity too! Please believe me!"
Of course, revealing her true colors here wasn't an option for Woo Seo-hyeon.
She was outnumbered, and they'd seen my chimera.
"I believe you, Seo-hyeon."
"Hic... Thank you, Oppa..."
Clinging subtly. As I patted her back without rejecting her, her trembling eased.
It wasn't real trembling, of course. She'd just paused the act.
'She thinks I can't see her face in this position, so she's relaxing? Not very professional.'
Even if I truly believed her, the sudden stop to her shaking would seem odd.
Anyone with sharp senses would notice.
While Woo Seo-hyeon was like this, Hyun-jin cautiously spoke up.
"Um... Noona, I had no idea you had such a backstory. Must've been tough."
'You little...'
Hyun-jin showed no suspicion toward Woo Seo-hyeon whatsoever.
Ho-won seemed a bit wary, and Wi Ho-yeon...
"Lee Yun-seong, a moment."
Tap.
She even separated me from Woo Seo-hyeon.
"Ah, Ho-yeon."
"I understand Woo Seo-hyeon's situation. But please keep your distance from Lee Yun-seong. As his bodyguard, I hope you understand this is unavoidable."
"Y-Yes... I understand..."
Wi Ho-yeon seemed extremely on edge. Probably sensitive about my safety after the recent ambush.
The mood had soured, making it impossible to continue the dungeon raid like this.
'The dungeon wasn't the goal anyway.'
"For now... let's head back to the clan. It's too risky to keep going."
"Wise decision, Lee Yun-seong. They might come back anytime. We should hurry..."
"Mm... Yeah."
"Bro... It's a shame. We were almost done..."
Everyone else had responded.
"Seo-hyeon, you?"
"Ah... Yes. I think heading back is best too."
'Yeah, you need to report, right?'
Reporting to the Execution Sanctuary from here was impossible.
As I figured, Woo Seo-hyeon would probably contact them the moment we got back to the clan house.
All I'd have to do then was eavesdrop on her conversation with the Execution Sanctuary and decide my next move.
"...Pardon?"
Seo Yu-ju's face was stunned when our group returned and reported what happened.
"You were... ambushed by outlaws?"
"Yes, Yu-ju. I think... it was retaliation from the Execution Sanctuary..."
'Huh...?'
Everyone, including me, flinched. An enormous wave of killing intent poured from Seo Yu-ju.
'Damn it... Calm down.'
"...Yu-ju."
"....."
"...Yu-ju!"
"Ah..."
She finally reined it in at my words.
"S-Sorry, everyone... I..."
"Haha... No, it's fine, Yu-ju Noona. I-I get it."
'Get what, you punk. You were trembling in fear just now.'
For a split second, terror toward Seo Yu-ju flashed in Hyun-jin's eyes.
Of course, it wasn't fear of Seo Yu-ju as a person. A strong person's killing intent overrides a weak one's reason.
"Yu-ju, and one more thing I need to tell you."
"...What is it?"
Anger still lingered on Seo Yu-ju's face. But this couldn't wait.
'Seo-hyeon, handle this well. If you want to live.'
To stick to my plan, I couldn't let Woo Seo-hyeon be dealt with yet.
"...Let Seo-hyeon explain herself."
Calling her "Seo-hyeon" affectionately in front of Seo Yu-ju would be disastrous.
"Ah... Y-Yes. Clan Master, w-what happened was..."
Woo Seo-hyeon sniffled as she confessed to Seo Yu-ju about hiding her class.
Her story was the same as before: discriminated for the ability's creepy appearance, feared abandonment.
"...So you hid your class for that reason?"
As expected from a seasoned regressor, Seo Yu-ju didn't buy it outright.
"Y-Yes... Really."
"......"
Seo Yu-ju began tapping the table with her finger. She seemed deep in thought.
'If she's seen Woo Seo-hyeon's ability in her first timeline, Woo Seo-hyeon's dead.'
Otherwise, she'd live.
Honestly, if she died right now, it'd be a shame, but no big loss if Woo Seo-hyeon got killed by Seo Yu-ju.
Seo Yu-ju's growth plan would stall, but it'd cut off the Execution Sanctuary's schemes at the root.
Woo Seo-hyeon's fate hung on Seo Yu-ju's upcoming response.