As soon as he crossed the blue barrier of the safety zone, Yigyul heard footsteps following close behind.
Seong Yohan had entered the dungeon right after him.
Though Seong Yohan stared intently at his back, Yigyul ignored him and quickened his pace.
Habitually covering his nose with his hoodie sleeve, Yigyul moved forward.
To reach Hesse’s Castle in the distance, he had to traverse about 500 meters of forest path.
He scanned his surroundings for anything worth harvesting as he walked.
Whether Seong Yohan was following him, chasing him, or just tagging along, it was vital to stay focused on his goal.
Step, step.
But that presence.
That overwhelming aura sticking to his back was impossible to ignore.
It was as if Seong Yohan was intentionally matching his stride, step for step.
When Yigyul sped up, Yohan sped up.
When Yigyul hesitated, Yohan stopped.
His patience fraying, Yigyul spun around, struggling to hide his twitching lips.
Seong Yohan just stared back with a shameless expression, as if asking, “What?”
“……”
“……”
‘Is this guy kidding me?’
Even if the entry point was the same, doing this was practically an invitation to a fight.
Yigyul glared with wide eyes, but Yohan just stood there, blinking blankly.
Yigyul’s fists trembled, but he eventually sucked it in and turned back around.
Only then did Yohan speak.
“Why did you enter the dungeon?”
Yigyul ignored him, stomping forward.
“I can feel a foul demonic energy coming from here…”
Yohan wrinkled his nose slightly, surveying the area.
“Did you come here to meet your own kind?”
Yigyul’s eyebrows twitched.
“Own kind”—that actually stung a bit.
This clean-cut guy, the self-proclaimed and world-recognized Rank 1, had been treating him like some low-ranking demon that had crawled out of the Abyss since the moment they met.
Though anger simmered in his chest, Yigyul kept his mouth shut.
There was no point in engaging with someone who only thought what they wanted to think.
Yigyul stopped walking and pulled a well-worn hand hoe from the small backpack at his waist.
It was a tool Grandma Oksun had cherished, and now it was his.
He crouched down and began poking at the dark, tangled bushes by the roadside.
“……”
Yohan looked down at the bizarre sight.
The man, who had begun digging at what looked like common weeds with a somewhat flushed face, soon pulled out a whole bunch in quick succession.
“…What are you doing? Why are you digging up grass?”
Unable to help himself, Yohan finally asked.
“Are you so poor that you have nothing to eat but grass?”
Thud— thud— pull!
“Ah, is it for making elixirs?”
Thud, thud, thud!
Yigyul completely ignored him, stuffing his haul into a black plastic bag.
He started walking again, stopping whenever he saw a plant with red leaves to dig it up.
Yohan rubbed his chin with a serious expression.
“…Are you truly that destitute?”
“Hey, you brat! Do you think I’m doing this for fun?!”
Unable to take it anymore, Yigyul exploded.
“Then why are you digging it up?”
“I’m digging it up because I need it! Do you think I’m doing this because I’m bored?”
“What is it, then?”
“It’s a medicinal herb.”
“A medicinal herb?”
Yigyul didn’t offer any more explanation.
He worked hard until the bag was half-full, then stood up with a satisfied look.
Yohan’s brow furrowed further.
Yigyul began walking again, eyes darting around. Yohan followed him tenaciously.
Even if the path was narrow, Yohan was staring at him with far too much intensity.
It was then.
Kieeeek!
At the two o’clock position, a beast with gleaming red eyes appeared from behind the ruins of a collapsed wall.
It was a ‘Blood Elk,’ a deer-type monster with savage horns.
Yigyul instinctively lowered his body.
‘I should avoid it.’
He didn’t want to stand out by using his strength unnecessarily.
He didn’t want to give Yohan—who was already making a fuss just because he’d saved a kid—any more ammunition.
Yigyul tried to move into the monster’s blind spot, silencing his footsteps.
However.
Clank—!!
A chilling energy surged from beside him.
As Seong Yohan gracefully extended his hand, dazzling chains of light erupted from the air and coiled around the monster.
[Chains of Judgment]
It was Seong Yohan’s signature skill.
Kieee—ck…
The Blood Elk was sliced apart and killed instantly, barely managing a whimper.
“……”
Yigyul stared blankly at the scattering blood droplets before slowly turning his head to look at Yohan.
‘What is a high-level player doing in a low-level hunting ground?’
He looked at Yohan with “salty” eyes, but the man just tilted his head.
“Were you going to catch it?”
It was a question asked with total innocence.
“I saw you suppressing your presence, so I thought you were going to ambush it. I just beat you to the punch.”
“Haa…”
Aghast, Yigyul let out a deep sigh.
He turned around and trudged forward.
Yohan, looking confused, started following him again a moment later.
Finally, Yigyul whirled around and snapped.
“Why are you following me?”
Yohan replied casually.
“I am not following you. Our destinations just happen to be the same.”
“The same destination?”
“Aren’t you going to catch the boss? Your goal is the demon, isn’t it?”
“What? I’m a harvesting hunter! I have zero intention of catching a boss or some terrifying demon!”
“…You’re talking nonsense.”
“What’s nonsense about it?!”
“A person who endured my divine power has no intention of catching a demon? Ah, perhaps it’s some kind of… tragic family internal struggle?”
Yohan gave a smirk.
“A melodrama where you can’t bring yourself to kill your own brothers?”
“You little…”
A vein popped on Yigyul’s forehead.
“Stop with the ‘own kind’ crap and quit talking nonsense to a perfectly normal human. I am a very ordinary and law-abiding citizen of the Republic of Korea.”
“Hmm… that’s something even a fluttering platypus-mole passing by would laugh at.”
“……?”
Yigyul’s expression twisted.
He narrowed his eyes as if trying to decipher the words he had just heard.
“…Why specifically a fluttering platypus-mole?”
“It’s a secret.”
“Tell me, you punk! Now I’m curious!”
“It’s a secret.”
“You real—!!”
His fists shook.
He wanted to give the guy a good smack on the head.
How could someone be this irritating?
Yigyul gave Yohan a fierce glare and whipped his head back around.
‘I’m the stupid platypus-mole for even talking to him. Dammit.’
Yigyul pulled out his hoe again, intending to get back to harvesting.
But then, Yohan suddenly cut to the chase.
“Kang Yeongwon. That boy.”
Yigyul flinched.
“He probably entered this place.”
Yigyul’s hand, which had stopped, moved again as he adjusted his grip on the hoe.
“Why are you telling me that? I don’t care.”
“You do care. You were looking for him. I saw you observing the surroundings carefully.”
“Don’t make me laugh. I was just looking for herbs.”
“Why are you looking for herbs?”
“That’s because I—”
Rumble—!!
A roar that shook the earth cut him off.
The ground heaved.
Yigyul frowned at the intense vibration that felt like motion sickness and looked around.
Not far away, the gates of Hesse’s Castle were opening.
From within, people who had entered earlier began pouring out like a swarm of ants.
They were the harvesting hunters.
“Dammit, they said it was C-class!!”
“The boss room opened! Who the hell was it?!”
“Which idiot tried to clear it on their own?!”
“The raid teams aren’t even here yet, why is the rank going up?!”
Along with the people’s screams, the sky began to turn black.
The blue sky was instantly engulfed in a night-like darkness.
Beep, beep-beep—! Beeeeep!!
The watch on Yigyul’s wrist and the one on Yohan’s wrist erupted in warning sirens simultaneously.
Yigyul glanced at Yohan, who was watching silently, and pulled a bucket hat from his backpack, tossing it to him.
It would be troublesome if people recognized him as Seong Yohan.
It might cause chaos like it did with Mr. Kwon…
Yohan glanced at Yigyul and obediently put the hat on.
Yigyul quickly grabbed one of the people running past.
“Hey, sir! What’s going on?”
“Someone opened the boss room! The boss came out!”
“What? What do you mean—”
“It’s a C-class dungeon, but a demon appeared and the rank is—!”
He screamed, his face pale with terror.
“The exit is open, but the entrance has vanished! We have to evacuate to the safety zone first!!”
He shook off Yigyul’s hand and ran.
Yigyul checked his watch with a grim face.
[Warning! Dungeon Rank Reassessment]
[Measured Mana Levels Exceed Limit]
[Hesse’s Castle]
[C-Class -> B-Class Reassessment]
[Contamination Level Rising Rapidly]
Beep— beep— beep!
The watch’s warning sound hammered as fast as a heartbeat.
Yigyul found himself looking at Seong Yohan.
Beneath the brim of the hat, Yohan’s dark eyes were fixed on Yigyul.
Their gazes locked in the air, a strange tension pulling tight between them.
The situation was spiraling toward the worst.
