* * *
“W-What are you—!”
“Your wounds are opening up! Stay still!”
“Oh.”
Ah. He was trying to treat me. I shut my mouth obediently.
My body was a mess, just like my tattered clothes.
The front had taken a direct hit from the massive tail, and the back was slammed into a concrete wall.
It was my body, and yet I wondered if it still counted as a human one—it was in such a brutal state.
Looking at the wounds brought back the pain I had somehow forgotten.
“Agh… ngh…”
“This is gonna hurt. But just hang in there—it’ll be over quick.”
Cha Taeyang quickly took out a potion and popped the cap.
As the clear liquid touched my wounds, I clenched my teeth.
They said potions made you feel all the pain at once—and they weren’t wrong.
The agony made my whole body tremble, until eventually the sensation began to fade.
When I cautiously opened my eyes, I saw that my body was slowly returning to its original color.
How expensive was this potion? ‘Sun’ wasn’t exactly a wealthy guild…
And yet he took out another potion—one that looked just as high-grade, with a glossy label that definitely didn’t scream “low-class.”
“Here. Drink this.”
“Um… Why are you alone? Where are the others…?”
“Worry about yourself. Everyone else is fine. I’ve hidden them somewhere safe.”
“I’m okay too. I can still move…”
“Bullshit. You’re not okay. You’re just riding on adrenaline. Drink it. You’ve got nothing to lose.”
“Save it. It’s expensive, and… you might need it later…”
“You need it right now! I’m trying to be nice, but if you won’t drink, I’ll force your mouth open!”
“But…”
I was trying to argue that the battle wasn’t over and we weren’t in a critical situation, so we should conserve our resources while we could.
—BOOM!
Before I could finish, a loud crash echoed—something huge and solid breaking apart.
I gasped from the shock and swallowed my words.
Could something have happened to Gray Coat?
Alarmed, I turned around—but no.
The monster was running away from him, and his greatsword had merely shattered an unrelated boulder.
In other words… Gray Coat had swung for no reason.
What? That’s… odd.
It kind of felt like he made that loud noise on purpose…
“See? Even Gray Coat’s telling you to drink it!”
“…Okay.”
Maybe not.
Probably a coincidence.
But it bothered me enough to just go along with it.
Contrary to the belief that good medicine tastes bitter, it was sweet.
Not syrupy—more of a crisp, refreshing sweetness.
It washed away the gloom left by the fierce battle.
I had only just started drinking, but I already felt like my insides were soothed.
Potions worked fast, but they drained your energy just as quickly.
I grew drowsy, like I’d had a drink.
I’ve never had alcohol before, but this must be what being drunk feels like—just as hunters always said.
Only after confirming I’d finished the potion did Cha Taeyang stand up.
“Leave the rest to me and Gray Coat. You rest. You’re not just injured—you used your power like crazy. You must be exhausted.”
He wasn’t wrong.
I was exhausted.
If I let my guard down even a little, I might pass out right then and there.
I hadn’t felt this drained since the first time I wore two restraining cuffs after awakening.
Now, I could wear two and still feel nothing… but I guess using my ability with that much focus was harder on my body than I thought.
Or maybe it was because I wasn’t skilled enough to use it efficiently yet.
Still—I couldn’t sleep just yet.
I had been waiting for the right moment as I drank the potion.
That moment was now.
“Hunter!”
The monster, perhaps realizing it couldn’t just run away, raised its tail toward Gray Coat.
As soon as I saw that, I called out to him—and almost simultaneously, I tore one of the blue lines I had carefully prepared.
—Screeeeech!
The monster’s venom, aimed at Gray Coat, dropped right back onto its own head.
It had worked well last time, but this time, the effect was even greater.
Gray Coat had already left its body riddled with wounds.
The pitch-black corrosive poison seeped into every open injury, melting the once-glossy scales and causing chunks of them to fall away.
Even the hide beneath began to crumble before our eyes.
Gray Coat wasn’t the type to miss such an opening.
—Slice.
Two more arcs of light split through the air.
With its regenerative ability weakened by the venom, the monster couldn’t withstand the blow.
It didn’t even have the strength left to groan.
Its massive body tilted—
—THUD.
And collapsed with a heavy, resonant crash.
“…Haa.”
Cha Taeyang, who had gotten up so resolutely, but never found the chance to intervene, looked at me with a dazed expression and said:
“You’re… a lot more ruthless than you look.”
“Haha…”
I could have passed out and left things to them.
I never doubted that Gray Coat and Cha Taeyang could handle that monster, even if the venom had flown freely—they would’ve dodged it just fine.
But only I could reflect that venom back onto the monster and weaken its regeneration.
If my help meant the battle could end sooner—then I wanted to do it.
I got caught off guard too. You never know what might happen.
If that thing had dug into the ground and fled, returning might’ve been impossible…
I’m just glad it all worked out…
Rustle, rustle…
As the boss-level monster possessing the ‘dungeon core’ fell, the dungeon began preparations for its collapse.
Its form gradually crumbled, and before long, a massive, glowing gate opened in midair.
An exit. Proof that the dungeon had been cleared.
As the area quieted down, those who had been hiding started to reveal themselves, one by one.
Murmurs of “what just happened?” began to spread, slowly rising in volume as people took in the situation—then finally, it exploded into cheers.
‘It’s over…’
It only truly sank in for me when I heard the joyous voices around me.
I could leave. I could go back to reality.
Relief and joy mixed within me, washing away the pain in my body.
I closed my eyes to savor the victory—but then, I heard footsteps approaching.
I thought it might be Cha Taeyang, but it wasn’t.
He was still helping others down from the cave.
Naturally, I assumed the one in the ‘gray coat’ would be busy dissecting the monster’s corpse, but strangely, he wasn’t.
He wasn’t even looking that way—he was walking straight toward me.
“Uh…”
I don’t know much about dungeons and monsters, but… it was a pretty strong one.
This dungeon was already famous for dropping high-quality mana stones.
The boss in particular might’ve dropped rare items.
So why was he ignoring it?
I was a bit dazed, but also genuinely happy to see him.
I wiped my dirt-smeared face with my hand and bowed my head.
“Thank you for your hard work. Thanks to you—ah?”
Suddenly, the world flipped.
My body was turned upside down in an instant, and my vision swam.
The potion’s effects were still kicking in, which made it worse.
“Ah, um…”
By the time I came to, we were already outside the dungeon.
The ‘gray coat’ had slung me over his shoulder and carried me through the gate.
The sudden brightness overwhelmed my vision, and coming from the dead-quiet dungeon to this crowd of people, the noise was almost unbearable.
My ears were ringing.
“We’re reporting live. Just moments ago, the dungeon appears to have been cleared—”
“A total of 13 people are confirmed missing due to the sudden incident. Most were non-combat awakened individuals—”
“This area may be dangerous. Please stay back from the dungeon’s entrance and exit!”
I don’t know how much time had passed inside, but judging from the crowd, news of the incident had clearly spread.
Reporters, government officials, guild reps—even a lot of civilians were present.
Of course, even before the accident, this dungeon had been a hotspot, so crowds weren’t unusual, but the atmosphere now was completely different.
Before, it was all tension and rivalry; now, it was grim.
Maybe people were clinging to some hope since the dungeon was cleared.
Still, considering there had been casualties, and even someone as famous as Cha Taeyang was involved, the shift in mood was understandable…
As for me—well, who knows if news of my presence had even gotten out.
It’s a delicate matter.
Now that I think about it, even if my name wasn’t known publicly, someone was bound to be worried about me.
Han Jihye.
She was the one who brought me here, so she must be worried sick.
I started scanning the crowd for a familiar face.
“Ah… huh?”
But I couldn’t find her.
The ‘gray coat’ was still carrying me, quickly cutting through the restricted area guarded by the Bureau, and moving away from the scene.
* * *
