Lee Sihyun Rescue Operation (2)

In front of the Mist Forest dungeon exit.

"…Wh-what do we do? Seol Dam went back into the Mist Forest…."

"W-we should probably tell the teachers first."

Han Jihyuk and Seo Yuna exchanged a nod and hurried off to find the instructors in charge.

"Teacher, Seol Dam went back into the dungeon."

"Th-that's right… If this keeps up, he might end up in real danger…."

The teachers' faces hardened at the news.

"Seol Dam went back into the dungeon?"

"What now? First Lee Sihyun and Kim Jinhyuk, and now Seol Dam on top of that…."

"What do you mean, 'what now'? We force-recall him, that's what."

"…Um, excuse me."

Seo Yuna carefully slipped between the teachers.

"This is… something Seol Dam left behind on the ground…."

The moment the teacher checked it, his expression froze solid.

"Th-this is…?"

"I think it's a return device…."

A brief silence fell.

"He… discarded his return device?"

The teachers stared at the device with grim faces.

"Prepare a rescue."

"There's no time."

"Wait a moment."

A cold voice cut in from behind the teachers.

Every gaze snapped toward the speaker at once.

"Kang Harin?"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

The teachers looked startled, but she simply strode forward without pause.

"I know where he is."

"What?"

"Seol Dam. I know exactly where he is."

A few minutes earlier.

Kang Harin, assigned to Group 1 after the team lottery, had entered the dungeon together with Kim Jinhyuk, Lee Sihyun, and Seol Dam.

The result was exactly as expected.

"Group 1, thirty minutes twenty-seven seconds."

An overwhelming record. First place, of course.

Yet after exiting, Kang Harin felt a strange sense of dissonance.

…….

Why isn't Kim Jinhyuk here?

She only got her answer near the end of the dungeon expedition.

"Oh, speak of the devil—they're coming out now."

"Group 4, forty-nine minutes fifty-two seconds."

"Looks like you got careless. Try harder next time."

"Teacher, that is not the issue right now! A Wild Fang Wolf appeared inside!!"

"The Wild Fang Wolf kidnapped Sihyun, and Kim Jinhyuk went after it to save her!"

……!

…Huh. So that's what happened to Kim Jinhyuk.

She quickly decided there was nothing she herself could do and prepared to follow the teachers' instructions at the exit.

That was the plan, at least….

What the hell is that guy doing?

Seol Dam.

He had always been a weird one.

First he went viral on Wetube for some ridiculous video.

Then he floated mana orbs in the strangest ways imaginable.

He clearly had zero talent for magic, yet he kept sneaking into the magic practice grounds every single day.

And he would rather die than attend remedial classes.

Weird, no question about it.

Then he borrowed a sword from a friend standing right next to him and charged straight back into the Mist Forest.

"Hmm…."

Kang Harin watched his retreating figure in silence.

What's he thinking this time?

—Slip.

A faint, invisible thread of mana sank into Seol Dam's back.

Tracking magic.

A simple marking spell that dealt no harm to the target.

And now, in the present.

"Seol Dam has almost certainly gone after Lee Sihyun."

"What…? Kang Harin, how would you know that?"

Kang Harin shrugged.

"Intuition."

"He's just that kind of weird guy."

Well, the mana flow of the tracking spell is thrashing around like crazy, so something's definitely happening over there.

"I'll guide you to where Seol Dam is."

"Please prepare the rescue."

After a short silence, the teachers nodded at once.

"Fine. We move out."

Kang Harin quietly studied the residual traces of tracking magic still clinging to her fingertips.

Honestly.

Weird right to the very end.

Did she pass out?

I caught Lee Sihyun with one arm as she crumpled into my chest.

Her ragged breathing gradually evened out.

Luckily, she had only lost consciousness.

Whew… thank god….

Good thing the Wild Fang Wolf had charged toward me while still holding her in its jaws.

If it had run the other way, things would have gotten truly terrifying.

But.

I was in no position to relax either.

"Grrrrr…."

I locked eyes with the low-growling Wild Fang Wolf.

In the first place—

Why the hell was this thing even here?

No wonder Kim Jinhyuk couldn't protect her.

At his current skill level, just handling a single B-class monster was already a stretch.

In the future he would become a monster who solo-wiped packs of S-class beasts, but that was later.

Not now.

And then a Wild Fang Wolf had shown up right in front of him.

This balance is completely broken.

The one silver lining was that the wolf was also panting hard after its earlier clash with Kim Jinhyuk.

I guess I just have to hold out until Jinhyuk gets here….

A glance at the map floating in the red window showed Kim Jinhyuk heading this way.

Distance-wise… roughly ten minutes.

Right then—

"Dam…."

A whisper-faint voice rose ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠from below.

…Huh?

I instinctively looked down at the sound.

Lee Sihyun's lips, still unconscious in my arms, were trembling ever so slightly.

"Save me……."

…….

…Ha.

I let out a short, empty laugh as I stared at her.

She's ridiculously pretty, I'll give her that.

Seeing her this quiet and vulnerable made it hard to believe she was the same Lee Sihyun I knew.

…Still.

I'm glad.

Thank you for staying alive.

I carefully supported her head so it wouldn't hit any rocks, laid her on the ground, and slowly rose to my feet.

"…Come on."

"Grrrrr… Awoooo!"

I had already used Power Strike earlier while protecting Sihyun, so it was still on cooldown.

This was where the real suffering began.

The only skills I had left were Iron Man and Reaction Acceleration.

Somehow I had to survive ten full minutes with just those.

Then—

Analyzing behavioral patterns?

While I was still processing that random message, the Wild Fang Wolf vanished from sight.

Shit.

I lost track of it for a split second.

…….

Focus. Read every single nerve and figure out where it’s coming from.

But this was the same speed that even Kim Jinhyuk had failed to react to properly.

How was I supposed to keep up with that kind of movement right now?

Right side.

No.

…Left?

My judgment wavered for an instant.

And then—

"—Kraaaagh!!"

The Wild Fang Wolf appeared dead ahead.

Kh… damn it!

Time seemed to slow to a crawl.

No—more accurately, I had sped up.

I can dodge this.

I twisted my body instantly.

—Slash.

My clothes tore as the claws grazed past.

A hair’s breadth.

What now….

My unique trait had announced its activation ages ago and then gone completely silent.

"—Grrrrr…."

The wolf let out a low howl and kicked off the ground once more.

It gave me zero time to think before charging straight at me.

"Damn it."

I couldn’t dodge this one.

There was no way to spike my reaction speed again so soon.

"……!"

"…Behind?"

—BOOM!

"Guh!"

My body went flying.

The impact against my back knocked the breath clean out of my lungs.

"Haa… haa…."

The moment I tried to stand—

—CRUNCH!

The Wild Fang Wolf’s paw slammed down right beside me again.

I rolled desperately and avoided a full hit, but I didn’t get away clean.

My side burned as if it were on fire.

—Cough!

Dark red blood sprayed from my mouth.

Damn it… how the hell am I supposed to dodge this shit.

"Ugh…."

I looked down and saw the wound on my side steadily widening.

"Fuck…."

The agony in my side vanished as if it had never existed.

But the wound itself hadn’t healed, so blood continued to pour out freely.

…I’m screwed.

Every single card I had left was now spent.

Power Strike was already used.

Reaction Acceleration had just ended.

And Iron Man only let me endure—it gave me no power to reverse the situation.

There’s no guarantee I can last until Jinhyuk arrives.

The Wild Fang Wolf refused to give me even a second to gather my thoughts and was already preparing its next attack.

—Whoosh!

The moment its paws left the ground, its form vanished again.

…Right side.

I twisted on pure instinct.

—Slash!

Too late.

My clothes tore and a shallow cut opened across my flesh.

…Left.

—Slash!

Blood sprayed once more.

I failed to dodge again.

Damn it.

Even if I couldn’t feel the pain, every second this fight dragged on carved my wounds deeper.

My vision began to blur at the edges.

…Ha.

I bit down hard on my lip.

Am I…

going to die?

The thought flashed through my head for a single second.

No.

That couldn’t be right.

I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠knew the original story.

I knew everything that was supposed to happen next.

And I was going to die here of all places?

Without changing a single thing?

Dying in a place like this?

No.

I refuse.

I am not going to die a dog’s death like this.

I forced strength back into the hand gripping my sword.

But maybe ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it was the death staring me in the face—my trembling fingers refused to stay still.

…….

I’m scared.

Honestly, I wanted to run right this second.

In that moment the letter I had heard in the Grand Auditorium flashed through my mind.

I turned my head just a little and looked to the side.

There lay the unconscious Lee Sihyun on the ground.

I want to live.

Yeah.

I want to live.

But.

If I run away and leave Sihyun behind—

then what the hell was the point of coming this far?

I tightened my grip on the sword once more with still-trembling hands.

"…You’re lucky, Lee Sihyun."

"I’m getting you out of here alive no matter what."

In that instant, a blue window bloomed before my eyes.

…Huh?