* * *

Doyoung’s sharp instincts told him one thing as the skeleton mask’s gaze lingered on him with thinly veiled intent:

“They don’t plan to let me leave alive.”

It must have been like this from the beginning.

Now that I think about it, it wasn’t just simple intimidation.

He was threatening me.

‘Behave, or I’ll kill you anytime I want.’

But of course, succumbing to that wouldn’t be Doyoung.

“Hey. So, where exactly are we going? You’re not just planning to keep wandering aimlessly like this, are you?”

The moment he opened his mouth, the gaze of the plaster mask, which had seemed to ignore him all this time, finally landed on him.

It seemed the man had determined Doyoung couldn’t escape, as he hadn’t even bothered aiming his gun at him anymore.

“Shut up and follow.”

But this opponent wasn’t to be underestimated either.

Doyoung shrugged and mimicked zipping his lips, though his attention was elsewhere—focused on his smartwatch.

A faint signal had been coming through for a while now.

‘Something’s strange.’

The guild members wouldn’t have passed through this area without clearing the monsters.

Yet, the smartwatch was warning him that there were other lifeforms nearby.

The smartwatch tracked three signals: green for guild members, purple for outsiders, and red for monsters.

‘Let’s take a closer look.’

What Doyoung needed now was to assess the enemy’s strength.

He could identify their rank at a glance, but their individual abilities remained unclear.

“Stop!”

The plaster mask, walking half a step behind him, suddenly raised his hand, scanning the surroundings cautiously.

“What’s wrong?”

The skeleton mask, equally puzzled, voiced the question.

“Check your watches.”

As soon as he finished speaking, warning tones erupted from their devices.

“Monsters?”

“Weren’t the ones here cleared by the Chunho Guild?”

Despite being terrorists, they were fundamentally hunters, equipped with basic gear.

They quickly grasped the situation.

And as if waiting for this exact moment—

Screeech! Scree! Scree!

The eerie cries of flying monsters filled the air as a V-shaped formation emerged in the sky.

‘Damn it.’

Spotting their crane-like long beaks and devilishly sharp tails, Doyoung clicked his tongue inwardly.

“Scaphognathus!”

“What the hell? Why are they flying here?”

The terrorists couldn’t hide their panic.

The Scaphognathus, notorious for its pack tactics, was already a difficult opponent, but their precise formation suggested this was no ordinary group.

In true S-rank dungeon fashion, their abilities seemed to exceed C-rank by far.

“Don’t panic! Get ready!”

The plaster mask shouted, pulling out a gun twice as long as the one he had pointed at Doyoung earlier.

“Get down.”

Before Doyoung could examine the weapon further, a hand pressed down hard on the back of his head.

“Ugh!”

The force was so strong that his head bent helplessly downward.

Forced onto his knees, Doyoung inhaled the earthy smell of the ground and let out an incredulous sigh.

‘This is the first time I’ve been treated like this since I got transmigrated.’

Bang! Bang-bang! Bang!

Screech! Screech! Screech!

There wasn’t even time to protest. B

efore anything else, Doyoung watched as the corpse of a monster crashed down in front of him.

Bang! Bang-bang! Bang!

With each gunshot, the number of dead monsters increased.

It wasn’t just random firing.

‘Their accuracy is incredible.’

A sharpshooter with flawless aim.

The skill was genuinely impressive.

If they were a government-affiliated hunter, Doyoung would’ve immediately made them his top recruitment target.

The weapon was also suited for medium- to long-range combat, keeping the Scaphognathus at bay before they could get close.

Sure enough, the monsters, initially flying in aggressively, began circling at a safe distance.

‘What’s going on?’

Their behavior seemed off.

Even if the plaster mask’s presence made them cautious, their circling, almost as if scouting, didn’t align with typical monster behavior.

‘They’re not attacking yet.’

Doyoung observed them closely.

The Scaphognathus maintained their distance while keeping their eyes on the group.

It was unusual for C-rank monsters to display such intelligence and caution.

‘They’re waiting for something. Reinforcements, maybe?’

Or perhaps they’d judged this group too difficult to attack and were biding their time for more advantageous circumstances.

After what felt like an eternity of tension, the Scaphognathus flock shifted their direction as if retreating.

“They’re running away!”

Seizing the moment, Doyoung pointed dramatically at the monsters as if alarmed.

The effect was immediate.

“Don’t let a single one escape!”

“Chase them! Now!”

The terrorists, one after another, began chasing after the retreating monsters.

“Don’t act recklessly!”

The plaster mask yelled belatedly, but his companions had already dashed far ahead.

“Damn it.”

Muttering curses, the plaster mask grabbed Doyoung by the collar and hoisted him upright.

“Ugh!”

Doyoung winced but missed his chance to protest again, dragged along by brute strength.

“Let go. I’ll follow on my own!”

He couldn’t reveal it to others, but he had his pride as the former leader of villains.

Struggling to pry off the hand holding him, he shouted, but his words were met with the cold touch of metal against his forehead.

“I’ll question you about earlier later. For now, run.”

The way he phrased it wasn’t necessary—he might as well have said, Follow or I’ll shoot.

“Hah…”

Doyoung’s eyes flickered with irritation.

Was there any need to play along anymore?

All the others were far away now.

‘Should I just kill him?’

At most, this guy was B-rank.

It wouldn’t be hard to redirect the gun aimed at him and fire it into his throat.

He had enough power for that now.

Screeeech!

But just as his eyes turned a faint purple, a distant shriek brought him back to reality.

A new group of Scaphognathus was gliding in from a different direction.

“Damn it! Duck!”

The plaster mask attempted to shove Doyoung to the ground again, but the three approaching monsters moved faster.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Screech! Screeeech!

The monsters, nimble and evasive, twisted their bodies to avoid the bullets, emerging unscathed.

“This is bad.”

Sensing the danger, Doyoung quickly rolled to the side.

Swoosh!

Screech!

The sharp claws of a Scaphognathus tore through the spot where he’d just been, leaving the air trembling with its piercing cry as it soared back up.

Bang!

Thud!

The sound of a gunshot and the crunch of breaking bone rang out.

“Got you!”

The plaster mask’s dual guns spat flames relentlessly.

‘So that’s their strategy. They were waiting for someone to fall behind.’

Finally, Doyoung understood the monsters’ plan.

They’d likely encountered the Chunho Guild earlier in the dungeon and found themselves overwhelmed.

So they’d divided their forces, targeting smaller groups instead.

“Smart.”

But there was no time for admiration.

If this kept up, they’d all be shredded to pieces by those sharp, menacing fangs.

Beep. Beep-beep. Beep-beep-beep.

At that moment, his smartwatch began blaring loudly.

Doyoung’s gaze snapped toward the noise.

A warning window, glowing ominously red, filled the screen.

‘No way…’

* * *