Chapter 203
Chapter 203
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 204
Chapter Title: Nayeo-ju Saves the World Part 2 Ch. 24
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"Ugh, it's hot."
The heat hit me the moment I woke up.
I wanted to keep sleeping, twisting around under the covers, but my face scrunched up anyway.
Then, out of nowhere, a gentle breeze wafted in.
It was just the right amount to lift my spirits.
Did I leave the fan on while I slept?
They said I'd suffocate to death if I did.
I forced my heavy eyelids open—they felt glued shut like wet paper.
Through my bleary vision, I saw someone using a wide-brimmed hat to fan air toward me.
"...Kang Han?"
"You awake?"
"Mm. What... Oh, right. We entered the dungeon."
Memories I'd forgotten in my sleep-fogged brain started flooding back one by one.
"How's Ji-seong oppa...?"
"He's fine. The poison's fully cleared, and after downing a stamina potion, he's resting now."
"Oh, good."
Then a sudden curiosity struck me.
"How long was I out?"
"A little over five hours."
"Must've slept deep. I feel almost human again."
"Sleep more. Your color's still off."
"Mm. Think I will."
I didn't argue.
I was way better than when I'd collapsed, but still exhausted enough to groan about it.
And just like that, I drifted off again without realizing.
When I opened my eyes next, that soft breeze was still rustling over me.
Day 5 in the dungeon.
Han Ji-seong and I had gotten plenty of rest and were back on our feet.
With the rear guard operational again, it was time to take down the boss monster.
Hoping we wouldn't need to return to base camp, we packed up the tents and camping gear completely.
"By the way, Guild Master."
"Yes, Nayeo-ju-ssi."
"That boss monster. Centipede or scorpion or whatever—supposedly super cunning. Hides and ambushes. Sounds like a nightmare to fight."
"This time, I'll take the front line. Su-ho and Teacher Yu will swap for rear protection."
"Makes sense. Teacher Yu said she's faced scorpion-types before, right?"
"She's hesitant about A-rank monsters but agreed readily anyway."
"Lucky us. Still, she won't clash with it directly, will she?"
"She'll prioritize defense and support over attacking."
"I trust Teacher Yu."
I breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
Last time, Han Ji-seong's condition from the boss's poison had been so dire.
"Guild Master, you stay far back too—no getting close. Just hurl lightning spears from range. Got it?"
Kang Han gave a soft smile at my words.
"I'll do my best to make that happen."
"No 'best'—just do it."
As Kang Han and I bickered, we arrived at the boss's territory.
It was slightly off-center, up ahead.
"Nayeo-ju-ssi, Ji-seong hyung, Su-ho—hold here. The rest of us push deeper into the center."
At Kang Han's order, five members advanced further into the boss area.
But something felt off from there.
Kang Han said something to the other four, then started walking alone.
"What the—why's he going solo... What is he doing?!"
I couldn't help shouting.
Kang Han suddenly drew his spear and sliced open his left arm with the blade.
Red blood dripped straight onto the desert sand, plop plop.
I started forward on instinct to heal his wound.
If he hadn't raised his right hand to stop me, already knowing my intent.
"That damn idiot..."
"Han-i's luring the monster right now."
Han Ji-seong spoke calmly to me as I ground my teeth.
"Monsters swarm to the smell of human blood?"
"Humans are just prey in front of monsters anyway."
"Even so."
Who uses such a brutal method?
So this was what he meant by taking the front?
Thankfully, the S-rank combat healer's natural regen kicked in again.
The streaming blood slowed to drips as the wound closed.
Right then—from the sand stained red with Kang Han's blood—a massive something erupted in a whirl of sand.
It screeched as Kang Han safely retreated. The thing was a centipede with a scorpion-like tail.
Even from this distance, its enormous body was clear—hundreds of legs bristling along its length, each one visible.
A primal revulsion made my skin crawl all over.
"Eugh. Urgh."
"Close your eyes if you have to, Nayeo-ju-ya."
Han Ji-seong said it to me, his hair rippling as he began skill casting, mana flowing through him.
"No. I need to watch this straight."
If I was gonna run from the creepy horror just because it grossed me out, I'd still be holed up in the tent.
"Kieeeek!"
Luckily, the fight seemed to be going smoothly.
No injuries or poisonings—they were methodically carving wounds big and small into the giant centipede.
It even gave Jang Su-ho and me a chance to chat.
"Su-ho, what do you think? Centipede or scorpion?"
"Tail's got a stinger. Scorpion, right?"
"But all those legs. Gotta be a centipede."
"Still, it mostly attacks with the tail."
"...Huh. True."
Come to think of it, that tracked.
Centipede or scorpion—who cares? I shrugged.
"Su-ho."
Han Ji-seong, finishing his cast, called to Jang Su-ho.
He planned a wide-area attack to halt the boss's movements.
To boost accuracy even a bit, Jang Su-ho escorted Han Ji-seong a few steps deeper into the zone.
"Ice Spear."
Dozens of razor-sharp ice lances flew at the boss amid Han Ji-seong's chant.
"Kiiiek! Kieek!"
One struck true in its torso. The centipede thrashed, shrieking.
Sneaky bastard had gone for the rear and wrecked Ji-seong before—serves it right.
"Kii! Kiiiiek!"
The critically wounded boss kept up its tearing screech.
Loud enough that any nearby monsters would've charged just from hearing it.
"Wait."
My earlier chat with Jang Su-ho flashed in my mind.
"Su-ho, what do you think? Centipede or scorpion?"
I checked the boss's info again.
Centipede.
The system classified it as a 'centipede.'
And when Han Ji-seong explained how he'd gotten hurt, Lee Yu-chan had said:
The monster vanished underground, reappeared, and suddenly struck the rear.
'What if those two weren't the same one?'
The suspicion hit me just as—
Thud—!
A spot mere steps from where I stood.
"Kyaeeeeek!!"
Another centipede burst up from there.
It propped up high on its tail, then lunged at me with jaws gaping wide. I stared blankly, thinking:
Oh, right.
Centipedes travel in male-female pairs.
"Kek!"
The centipede's shriek rang out very close.
But no pain came.
I cracked open the eyes I'd squeezed shut on reflex.
One person stood between me and the centipede.
"...Jang Su-ho?"