Lee Sihyun Rescue Operation (1)

…Huh?

What the hell, all of a sudden?

No—that wasn't what mattered right now.

I opened the main quest window.

Last time, I'd been so fixated on the line about bringing Lee Sihyun back safely that I'd completely overlooked something else.

Complete the Mist Forest expedition.

You'd think that was something you could just clear without much trouble, right?

That would be a mistake.

This dungeon expedition actually had one more restriction.

If you didn't finish the expedition within fifty minutes, it simply ended right then and there—immediate return, no questions asked. The students still waiting outside needed their evaluations too, so dragging things out any longer ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠would throw the entire exam into chaos.

Which meant we had to keep moving at a steady clip…

"…What the hell are you guys doing?"

I watched my teammates flounder around in front of me.

"Hey, just hold still for a second. I told you I know what I'm doing."

"You realize you've been saying that exact same thing this whole time?"

"Um… I think we should maybe listen to what Jihyuk has to say as well…"

From the very start they'd told me to hang back and stay out of the way.

Oh, for crying out loud.

I let out a sigh and walked over to them.

"Hey. Move."

"What do you want? I told you to just watch from the back."

"I was watching. We've been stuck here for ten minutes with zero progress."

"What? You think you can solve this?"

"It'll take less time than you, Lee Dohyuk, at least."

"The hell did you just say?"

Han Jihyuk and Seo Yuna, who'd overheard everything, jumped into the conversation.

"Dohyuk, cool it. I think Seol Dam actually knows something."

"…I also think it might be good to watch Seol Dam for a bit…"

Lee Dohyuk clicked his tongue and took a step back.

"Tch… Waste even a little more time, and I don't care what you say—I'm taking the lead myself."

"Then you can watch from the back."

Something had been bugging me for a while now.

A blue point.

I walked straight toward it.

"What are you doing? Anyone can see that path is blocked."

"You've been yapping nonstop. I said watch."

"This guy is seriously—!"

"Hey, hey, calm down."

I ignored Dohyuk's voice behind me and touched the blue point.

—Tap.

The instant my fingertip met the blue point—

The flow of mana—invisible until now—unfolded before my eyes.

A tangled, intricate array of mana. At its heart sat a magic formula woven from countless characters and symbols.

…Ha. What even is this?

I let out a hollow laugh.

How the hell am I supposed to decipher this?

Then, nestled among that labyrinth of formulas, a tiny light appeared.

…This is…?

Almost without thinking, I reached for the white light. The moment my hand touched it, the light traced the next path—like a guide showing me exactly how to solve it.

Spellbound, I followed where the light led, adjusting the magic formula as I went.

A moment later—

—Crack.

A blue fissure spread outward from my fingertips. The solid wall of space that had been sealing the path ahead split open, revealing a way through.

"…What?"

Dohyuk's stunned voice drifted from behind me. Han Jihyuk and Seo Yuna weren't far behind with their own gasps of awe.

"Whoa… holy crap. How did you do that?"

"I… I believed in Seol Dam from the start…"

Still unable to process what he'd just seen, Lee Dohyuk fired off a question from the rear.

"Hey, Seol Dam—how the hell did you pull that off?"

"……"

"…Skillfully?"

This was only the second time I'd used my unique trait. I couldn't claim to be completely used to it yet, but I at least had a sense of how it worked.

When a blue point appears, it activates.

Probably?

That was my working theory, anyway.

"Hahaha… Well, I guess that settles it, right?"

"Uh… yeah. Sorry for doubting you."

"Let's just trust Seol Dam and keep pushing forward!"

"…O… okay!"

"Group 17, forty-five minutes fifty-four seconds."

If we'd run into monsters along the way, we would've been completely screwed.

Thankfully, we hadn't.

"Hey, without Seol Dam we really would've been toast."

"Th… that's right…"

"Haha… Don't mention it."

A few more barriers had blocked our path after that. None of them were a problem anymore. Insight laid the structure bare, and all I had to do was touch the right spots.

I think I've pretty much got the hang of how this works now.

Lee Dohyuk came out right behind us.

"Hey. Aren't you going to say thank you?"

"……"

"…Thanks."

"Yeah, yeah. Out of the vastness of my mercy, I forgive you."

Anyway…

Was it because we'd arrived late? A lot of groups had already gathered at the dungeon exit.

Still, at least the main quest is clea—

…Not cleared?

That was when I overheard the supervising teachers talking nearby.

"Strange. I was sure Group 4 would come in first."

"Right? With the second-year number one and number five in the same group, I figured they'd take first for sure."

…What?

A blood-red window flared ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠into existence in front of my eyes, carrying a wave of pure dread with it.

"Oh, look—there they are now."

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

"Looks like you got careless. Do better next time."

As if to explain the floating window, a male student and a female student came stumbling out of the Mist Forest exit, gasping for air.

"Hah… hah…"

"Teacher, that doesn't matter right now! A Wild Fang Wolf appeared inside!!"

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

The teachers' eyes went wide at the boy's report.

"A Wild Fang Wolf kidnapped Lee Sihyun?"

"Recall every student still inside the dungeon to the exit—now!!"

"…We can't. Lee Sihyun and Kim Jinhyuk were fighting the Wild Fang Wolf earlier. The device is probably destroyed…"

…The return device is broken?

…Lee Sihyun is going to die?

No. No, no, no.

Snap out of it, Seol Dam!!

I can't just stand here.

I strode over to Lee Dohyuk.

"Hey, Lee Dohyuk. You said you were grateful earlier, right?"

"Huh? …Yeah, I did."

"Then I'm borrowing your sword. Thanks."

"Huh? Hey!! What are you—!!"

"Where the hell are you going!!!"

"There's somewhere I need to be. I'll take good care of the sword."

With that, I stared at the blinking red window in front of me and plunged straight back into the Mist Forest.

As I charged into the dungeon, only one person filled my thoughts.

Kim Jinhyuk—you said you'd protect Lee Sihyun, you bastard!!

—Thud-thud-thud-thud.

Lee Sihyun's body dangled limp, jostled with every stride. The Wild ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Fang Wolf clamped its jaws on her collar and tore through the forest in a frenzy.

How did it come to this…?

Lee Sihyun slowly pieced together everything that had happened to her.

The joint department dungeon expedition.

For her, this event had been an enormous opportunity—because she'd been assigned to the same group as Kim Jinhyuk, the boy she admired and liked.

Determined to catch his eye, she had thrown herself into training. Morning and evening, she went to the magic practice grounds, refining her spells one layer at a time.

But even that hadn't been enough…

The reason sat diagonally behind her in class: Kang Harin.

Kim Jinhyuk had sparred with a girl who commanded magic of a far higher caliber than hers. There was simply no room for Lee Sihyun to enter his field of vision.

…I can't go on like this.

On the morning of the dungeon expedition, she visited the 3rd Magic Practice Ground. She who had only ever trained at the first ground came here for one reason—

Ice magic.

It's still incomplete, but if I can use it successfully during the expedition and show ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Kim Jinhyuk…

And so the dungeon expedition began.

The early mood had been good. Kim Jinhyuk telling her to stick closer… the others teasing that he was flirting…

She'd been quietly happy. Being next to Jinhyuk almost felt like a date. Her steps even felt lighter than usual.

Chatting and laughing with her teammates, they headed deeper into the forest.

Then they met it.

The Wild Fang Wolf.

A B-class monster that had no business being here. Even so, she hadn't been particularly tense—not with Kim Jinhyuk standing beside her, the strongest second-year at Frontier.

But the fight refused to go the way anyone expected.

In that moment, she saw the Wild Fang Wolf angling for Jinhyuk's blind side.

No.

"Jinhyuk!!"

—CRACK!

She managed to stop the Wild Fang Wolf—but the sudden overexertion drained her mana dry in a single breath. Jinhyuk must have seen it; he told her to rest for a bit. She knew she couldn't fight anymore, so she agreed.

But was that the mistake?

The Wild Fang Wolf moved as if it had been waiting for exactly that. Sensing her mana was depleted, it lunged at her in an instant.

It happened too fast for the rest of the group to react.

—Chomp.

The beast seized only Lee Sihyun in its jaws and vanished into the forest. No one could stop it.

And now—

—Thud.

The Wild Fang Wolf flung the girl from its mouth onto the ground.

"Kyaah!!"

"Grrrrrr…"

The beast growled low and slowly opened its maw. Gleaming fangs rushed toward Lee Sihyun's face.

I want to live.

I don't want to die in a place like this.

Anyone—please…

Just as those jaws began to close—

Save me.

—BOOM!!!!

"Hah… hah… hah…"

"Barely made it in time."

"Hey!! Lee Sihyun, are you okay?"

Huh… who is that…?

A dark brown-haired male student stood in front of her. The moment she recognized his face, Lee Sihyun's pupils trembled violently.

There was no way she wouldn't know him. The person who had spent sixteen years of her life at her side.

"Seol… Dam…?"

She called his name in a shaking voice—and then lost consciousness.