The Truth Behind the Altar
Jung Shin-woo, an F-class hunter, stared at the carnage unfolding before him. ‘This is… strangely familiar…’ It wasn't the kind of emotion one should feel in the face of death. And it certainly wasn't a thought an F-class hunter should be having while even S-class hunters were scrambling to survive. Yet, for some reason, Shin-woo couldn't shake the feeling that this situation was something he had seen before.
‘Gintaion… I’ve definitely heard that name somewhere. And this situation, too…’ Why? Shin-woo had never stepped foot in a dungeon this dangerous. And yet, he felt as if he had experienced it all. Those massive giants. The moving stone statues. A space where a single wrong step meant immediate decapitation. Hunters being crushed like ants beneath the giants' feet. And in the middle of this hellish chaos, that altar, sitting there completely untouched…
‘…Wait. Huh?’ In that instant, something exploded in the back of Shin-woo’s mind. This was a story he knew.
“Everyone, get to the altar!”
Simultaneously, Shin-woo shouted out of pure instinct. He didn't look back; he ran toward the altar. There was no room to worry about others. In any case, there was no one here weaker than him. It was a miracle he could even reach the altar himself.
——!
And just as expected, the shadow of a giant’s foot loomed over him. He knew it was coming, but his physical abilities were too pathetic to dodge in that split second. Just before the giant’s foot touched his head and he was crushed like an ant,
“Ugh?!”
“Is there a way out?”
Kim Yeo-won, who had flown in from somewhere, barely managed to snatch Shin-woo’s body. With agile movements, she dodged the attack and arrived at the altar in an instant.
“I, I’m not entirely sure, but as long as we’re on the altar, we should be safe.”
“I won’t ask how you knew something like that. The important thing right now is surviving. And first of all,”
As Shin-woo said, once they climbed onto the altar, the giants turned their attention away from the two. Even the boss’s attacks couldn't reach the top of the altar.
“It seems Jung Shin-woo’s words were the truth.”
Kim Yeo-won didn't even take a breath; she grabbed her sniper rifle and aimed at the boss’s head. A red bullet fired from Kim Yeo-won’s rifle with a deafening blast. However, it failed to blow the boss’s head apart. Clicking her tongue, Kim Yeo-won turned her gaze back to Shin-woo. In the meantime, the surviving hunters were arriving at the altar one by one.
“So. What do we do next?”
For some reason, Shin-woo knew about this dungeon. No one bothered to ask how an F-class hunter knew information about an S-class dungeon. There wasn't enough time to survive, let alone ask questions. Shin-woo’s only job was to keep the party alive.
“The altar really is safe. How on earth did an F-class hunter know this? No, more importantly, did Shin Jiwoo know this and put this guy in…”
Kim Eunji, who had arrived late, gasped for air as she spoke. As she said, Kim Yeo-won’s faith in Shin Jiwoo was being restored. He wasn't the type to put an F-class hunter into a raid without a plan.
‘How on earth did you…’ Surely, Shin Jiwoo was just as ignorant about the dungeon boss as they were. And yet, it was incomprehensible how he had predicted even this and assigned an F-class hunter to the team. Just how far ahead was Jiwoo looking? And how much had he prepared for?
Could they really clear the dungeon if they just followed his lead? And to construct such a meticulous rescue plan with the body and brain of a non-awakened person—how much blood and sweat must he have poured into it? Kim Yeo-won felt guilty for doubting Jiwoo even for a moment. She regretted that she hadn't supported her son’s efforts and hadn't been a better mother to him. But she had to push those feelings aside for now. Whatever happened, she had to survive to set things right. Instead, she felt that if they followed Jiwoo’s plan, they really might make it out alive.
However, Shin-woo’s follow-up answer shattered Kim Yeo-won’s expectations immediately.
“I, I don’t really know. I just felt like the altar would be safe…”
Shin-woo avoided her gaze, unable to continue. Finding out the altar was safe had been nothing more than a coincidence.
‘…No. There must be more that Jiwoo prepared.’ Kim Yeo-won shook her head vigorously. Doubting her son again was not something she could bring herself to do. There was no way Jiwoo, who had achieved this much as a non-awakened person, hadn't thought this through. She decided to trust her son.
When Kim Yeo-won made up her mind, all the surviving hunters had climbed onto the altar. At the same time, all the giants returned to their respective positions. The tremors stopped. However, the ‘Last Gintaion’ was still laughing.
“What? Then how did you know that!”
“I, it was just a feeling…”
A disappointed Kim Eunji grabbed Shin-woo by the collar and shook him. Shin-woo swayed back and forth, unable to keep his wits about him.
‘…Is it really a coincidence?’ On the other hand, Kim Yeo-won thought. It was a reasonable assumption to make, seeing as only the altar remained intact amidst the chaos. But could an F-class hunter have realized what she, an S-class hunter, hadn't in that situation? It didn't seem likely. But doubting him wouldn't change anything.
“Wait, stop it…”
Whoosh—
Just as Kim Yeo-won was about to stop Kim Eunji, a blinding light suddenly poured down from above. Several beams of light illuminating the altar were descending from the ceiling. And someone shouted.
“T, the door!”
The door that had been closed was now open. The giants were still motionless. It looked as if they could survive just by crossing that door.
“Wait, don’t move. Something is wrong.”
Kim Yeo-won stopped the excited hunters. She counted the number of people left. There were a little over twenty. And the number of lights falling from above was fewer than the number of survivors. It seemed like there was some connection, but she couldn't figure it out. Still, walking out that door seemed like an obvious trap to anyone.
“C, can’t we just go out there? How are we supposed to clear a boss room like this!”
“Y, yeah! If they had a conscience, they wouldn't have made a dungeon like this!”
Dungeons didn't have consciences. Kim Yeo-won sighed at the foolish thoughts of hunters who only chose to visit easy dungeons.
“But isn't that an obvious trap? If you’re so sure, why don’t you go out yourself?”
Pi Yuri, who had been watching them with a pathetic look, said sarcastically. At that, the people grumbled and shut their mouths; no one stepped forward. They didn't have the courage to be the first to act.
“That place—”
Just then, Lee Jiyoo, who had been looking beyond the door, opened her mouth. All eyes were instantly focused on her, but Lee Jiyoo cut herself off. Beside her, Jung Shin-woo was gripping her arm.
“That place…”
“Ms. Lee Jiyoo. Do you see something?”
“O, oh, no. I’m not sure. I’m sorry…”
Lee Jiyoo lowered her head. The people turned their gazes away, looking deflated. In truth, Lee Jiyoo was seeing something the others couldn't. To human vision, what lay beyond that door was simply the outside of the boss room. But what Lee Jiyoo saw was something entirely different. One thing was certain: they shouldn't just blindly cross over.
-…You must not, Ms. Lee Jiyoo.
But Lee Jiyoo didn't reveal that fact. It was because Jung Shin-woo, the F-class hunter beside her, had been mouthing the words repeatedly. When others weren't looking at this spot, he kept shaking his head, signaling that they shouldn't go. She didn't know the reason. But since it was Shin-woo who had discovered the altar was safe, she decided to believe he had a plan. And above all, since he was a hunter chosen by Shin Jiwoo, he surely had a role to play. If it hadn't been for the fact that he was someone Shin Jiwoo had picked, Lee Jiyoo would have revealed the truth. But because Lee Jiyoo had once been in a similar situation, she couldn't ignore Shin-woo.
“Aren’t we all going to die anyway if we stay here? If that’s the case, I’m leaving! The Unbound Awakened’s eyes don’t see anything, so what could possibly be there!”
Just then, an A-class hunter jumped off the altar and ran toward the entrance. It was one of the negative hunters who had been grumbling the whole time.
“No…!”
Grab—
Lee Jiyoo tried to stop him, but Shin-woo grabbed her. Shin-woo was clenching his teeth and shaking his head. For some reason, he looked incredibly distressed.
-Wahahahaha! Wahahahahahaha!
As that hunter disappeared beyond the door, laughter echoed. It sounded like a sigh of relief, as if he had survived. At the same time, one of the lights above went out.
“W, what? One of the lights went out!”
“Could it be that the number of lights is the number of people who can survive?”
“N, no way…!”
Then, without a second thought, the hunters started to run. The ‘Last Gintaion’ was still laughing, and the giants remained motionless. People scrambled and shoved each other as they ran. Lee Jiyoo tried to hold them back, but Shin-woo’s determination to stop her was stronger.
“Party Leader…!”
And Shin-woo also sent a signal toward Kim Yeo-won. The lights above were disappearing one by one, but Shin-woo focused only on holding people back.
Nod—
Kim Yeo-won was startled for a moment, but she soon nodded. At that point, Kim Yeo-won was certain. The reason Jiwoo had brought Shin-woo along. Surely, if they just followed that F-class hunter, they could clear the dungeon.
Pop— Pop— Pop—
The number of lights began to disappear rapidly. Soon, all the lights went out, but other hunters were already running toward the door. Now, they didn't even care whether the lights were on or off. They were simply running away, chased by the fear that they might die if they were left behind.
Left on the altar were Kim Yeo-won, Kim Eunji, Pi Yuri, Lee Jiyoo, Jung Shin-woo, and the last S-class hunter who belonged to the same guild as Kim Eunji. The door was still open. However, Shin-woo no longer even glanced at the door and shouted. His eyes were fixed on the Gintaion, which was laughing even more grotesquely. For some reason, the Gintaion’s belly looked a bit bloated.
“W, we have to fight now!”
“…What did you say?”
“Before Gintaion digests those people! We have to fight now!”
“…Excuse me?”
“……What?”
“Those people! They’ve been swallowed into Gintaion’s stomach!”