* * *
Choi Dokyum, who was running towards me, saw Seo Inhu lying at my feet and widened his eyes. It must have looked suspicious to be with a man who was fully restrained.
“Heewon, why is this guy…?”
“He’s not ‘this guy.'”
“Huh?”
“He’s the bastard who kidnapped us.”
Choi Dokyum confirmed Seo Inhu’s face. His expression quickly twisted in anger.
“How did you catch him?”
“He was lying there. Maybe he was attacked by a monster.”
“Yeah, right.”
Muttering quietly, Choi Dokyum carefully surveyed the surroundings as if checking for others. Then he smiled at me.
“Should we kill him?”
“Huh?”
Responding lightly, Choi Dokyum’s smile grew wider. The sudden menace in his voice sent chills down my spine.
“No one would know if we killed him here.”
“In this day and age, where’s the perfect crime?”
“The closest place to a perfect crime is in a dungeon.”
If the gate closes, the connection is severed, making it a perfect place for a crime. I glanced at Seo Inhu again.
“They’re the ones who kidnapped us. We’re lucky to have escaped, but who knows what might have happened otherwise.”
“That’s true…”
“They ran away last time. Do you think they’ll get the punishment they deserve?”
“If we kill him, he won’t have the chance to pay for his crimes.”
Choi Dokyum stared at me. I swallowed dryly. After a moment, he laughed lightly as if he hadn’t just spoken threateningly.
“I’m joking.”
It didn’t sound like a joke.
“Heewon, you’re so kind.”
“You’re scary…”
“I said it’s a joke.”
Choi Dokyum slung Seo Inhu over his shoulder, grimacing as if disgusted by the contact, but he led the way obediently.
“Let’s go. The others should be in the dungeon too.”
“Yeah. But… isn’t it strange that Seo Inhu is here?”
“It is. If he was close enough to be caught in the dungeon, it’s too much of a coincidence…”
Choi Dokyum’s eyes darkened. I stood beside him and confessed.
“He’s from the Baekmyeon Sect.”
“What?”
“Last time we were kidnapped, I provoked him by insulting their leader, and he got really mad. Besides, the Baekmyeon Sect has targeted me before. I think they aimed for me again this time.”
“Are you sure it’s safe for you to be wandering around like this?”
Choi Dokyum was horrified. I nodded to reassure him.
“It’s fine. There’s no problem.”
“No problem? If Seo Inhu hadn’t been attacked by a monster, you would have been…”
I had nothing to say to that, so I looked around. It wasn’t a monster but me who attacked him.
Choi Dokyum looked at me as if I were the bravest person in the world.
“Be careful.”
“Okay. And… the two people we met today are also from the Baekmyeon Sect.”
“What?”
“They wouldn’t have brought us to such a secluded place for no reason.”
Choi Dokyum looked stunned as if he had been hit.
His lips trembled, and then his face twisted in anger.
“So you knew everything and still met them? It could have been dangerous.”
I didn’t expect him to point that out.
“Uh, sorry. That’s why I didn’t want to involve you…”
“Is that the issue here?”
“I didn’t expect to be undercover.”
Choi Dokyum approached me and slapped my back.
“Ow, it hurts!”
“You’re crazy! A civilian should know their place!”
“I didn’t come without any safety measures.”
“Whatever the case, take care of yourself!”
“…Yes.”
He wouldn’t stop nagging until I agreed. Finally, I answered quietly, and Choi Dokyum sighed and led the way.
The dungeon wasn’t filled with many monsters.
Choi Dokyum was a hunter specializing in physical enhancement, and even with Seo Inhu on his back, he easily dealt with the wandering monsters.
As we wandered through the dungeon for a while.
“Ahhhh!”
A scream ripped through the air. It was Woo Hyungsik’s voice.
“Oh no.”
Choi Dokyum and I ran towards the sound. Passing through dense trees, we soon saw Woo Hyungsik.
He and Kim Narae were surrounded by monsters, screaming.
“Do something!”
“What do you mean do something!? I never heard about this!”
Annoying conversation.
I shot the monster charging at them. It fell with a splatter of blood, and they recoiled in terror.
“What did you not hear about?”
I asked while shooting at the approaching monsters.
Kim Narae glared at Woo Hyungsik, who had been babbling.
“Did Baekmyeon Sect order this?”
“What are you talking about?”
I pointed to Seo Inhu.
“You know this guy.”
“Wh-who is that?”
Feigning ignorance.
I decided not to persuade him further and looked around before shooting again.
Bang! With a loud noise, the monster charging from a distance fell, bleeding.
The two of them trembled at the sight.
“If you don’t tell me the truth, we’re leaving.”
“We’ll die if you leave us!”
Woo Hyungsik screamed, pale-faced. Choi Dokyum, knocking away the approaching monster, glared at them.
“Speak if you don’t want to die.”
I didn’t intend to leave them to die. I couldn’t let innocent people die. But I knew they would only speak if I pushed hard. I fiddled with my gun, staring at them.
“Did Baekmyeon Sect order you to lure us?”
“Lure us? It was just for evangelism… I don’t know that guy.”
Woo Hyungsik kept making excuses. It seemed there was nothing more to get out of him. I stopped questioning and looked at Choi Dokyum.
“What should we do?”
“We take them.”
Choi Dokyum answered with surprising composure, different from when he talked about killing. It seemed he wasn’t as angry with them as with the actual kidnappers.
Choi Dokyum walked ahead with Woo Hyungsik and Kim Narae between us. I walked at the back.
At the front, Choi Dokyum took down the monsters, and I shot the vines creeping out of the dungeon walls.
“These things are annoying. Don’t overdo it.”
Choi Dokyum grumbled, kicking the vines I shot down. I held back the words that these vines were stronger than the monsters.
‘What kind of dungeon is this?’
To others, it would look like I was shooting and killing them. But the vines were at least A-class monsters. I used my skills on every shot, making it seem like the bullets were cutting them.
It was a struggle to control my power precisely.
Choi Dokyum, leading the way, stopped.
The forest was ending. In the distance, there was a vast plain and a broken structure in the middle.
In the center of the structure was a huge silver snake. Even from afar, it looked enormous.
“That’s probably the boss monster.”
Choi Dokyum said, his face tense. I looked between him and the boss monster. The boss monster didn’t look special on the outside. But…
Choi Dokyum can’t handle this.
I have a skill called [Sage’s Eye]. It lets me see how strong something is. No matter how I looked, the boss monster was much stronger than Choi Dokyum.
“Stay hidden here. I’ll be right back.”
Choi Dokyeom, who knew nothing, babbled cheerfully. I had no choice but to nod.
“Go ahead.”
Revealing my identity was not an option. Of course, I had no intention of letting Choi Dokyeom die either.
Choi Dokyeom stood before the snake. The snake slithered, raising its head to glare at him.
Choi Dokyeom’s body stiffened. It was the snake’s paralyzing ability.
The snake lunged at the paralyzed Choi Dokyeom. I used my skill to divert the snake’s path to the side. The snake, attacking a random spot, quickly lunged back at Choi Dokyeom.
The paralysis seemed to have loosened a bit, as Choi Dokyeom tried to dodge. I gave his body a push to the side, knocking him away.
“Huh?”
Choi Dokyeom rolled on the ground with a dazed expression. Fortunately, he quickly came to his senses. Without looking directly into the snake’s eyes, Choi Dokyeom clenched his fists and charged. He landed a solid blow.
Thwack!
A loud noise echoed as his fist hit the snake’s tough skin. The snake flew back from the impact.
Choi Dokyeom looked at his fist in bewilderment.
Is he wondering if his punch was always this strong?
Of course, I had used my skill to assist.
“Is Choi Dokyeom really a B-rank?”
Woo Hyungsik and Kim Narae watched the situation unfold with interest, having forgotten the danger.
They didn’t seem to feel threatened, given Choi Dokyeom’s seemingly easy handling of the situation.
Unlike the two relaxed spectators, I was focused on Choi Dokyeom’s movements.
After all, he was the one who had to deal with the boss monster here.
Choi Dokyeom clenched his fist and jumped into the air, diving toward the snake below.
He seemed to be aiming for a finishing blow, but the S-rank snake recovered quickly.
I used my skill to pin the snake down from above. The snake, which had intended to dodge swiftly, struggled helplessly in place.
Thud!
Choi Dokyeom’s powerful punch struck the snake, causing the ground to cave in and the snake’s body to be driven into the earth. Of course, I had added a bit of force to the effort.
Though still confused, Choi Dokyeom didn’t miss the opportunity and delivered a flurry of punches.
I enthusiastically followed the rhythm of his punches with my own skill, battering the snake.
In an instant, the snake was reduced to shreds, unworthy of its S-rank title.
Choi Dokyeom grabbed the snake’s torso, seemingly thinking it was over, and tightened his grip.
At that moment, the snake’s eyes glowed a bright blue. It opened its mouth wide.
* * *
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Thanks
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Thanks for the chapter
Buddy u need to shoot those people who used u as bait…. but ik he can’t cause they gotta be used as info but if I were him id be pissed af