* * *
Just like in the cave.
Maybe these two actually work well together, though they’d probably freak out if they heard me say that.
“Hey… you know that cave we went to earlier? I think the spirit beast is there.”
“You mean, for you to clear this, you have to capture that thing?”
“That’s what I’m thinking.”
It felt like the gate would open if I took down the island’s only monster.
Of course, it was just my gut feeling, not certainty.
“And the plane crash survivors?”
“We have to save them, obviously.”
There had to be a reason the survivors were thrown into this dungeon.
If we defeated the spirit beast and protected the survivors from the natives, it would probably meet the ending conditions.
“So here’s my point—don’t you think me getting captured as a sacrifice would be the easiest way to lure the spirit beast out?”
The leader seemed to have chosen me as a sacrifice because of the chirping device, but since I already had blood on my face, playing bait didn’t sound so bad.
Our abilities were gone anyway; rankings didn’t matter anymore.
“Are you insane?”
“No way.”
The two immediately rejected my idea in unison.
I reassured them by tapping the item pouch strapped to my waist.
Once they saw what was inside, they’d have no choice but to agree.
“I’ve got gear, it’s fine.”
It wasn’t just any gear—one of the items I brought was specifically for escape.
I packed it just in case, and turns out, this was the perfect moment to use it.
“I’ll draw the spirit beast’s attention, and you two—”
I stopped mid-sentence, whipping my head toward the temple.
A gut-wrenching scream echoed through the air.
The other two heard it too, their eyes fixed in the same direction.
“Hyung?”
Without thinking, I bolted toward the sound.
It could’ve been a mistake, but the voice was far too familiar.
Crashing through the forest, the other two followed close behind.
Sure enough, my instincts were right.
The leader still stood at the same spot, but now familiar faces were lined up beside him.
At some point, the plane crash survivors had been captured, frozen with fear.
And among them, of all people, a small child was in the leader’s grasp.
“Yoonhoo! No!!”
The boy’s father screamed, completely losing control.
His arms were restrained on both sides, but he struggled desperately to break free.
Damn it.
Just how twisted was this culture?
The leader held a blade to the child’s neck, ready to slit it without hesitation, his face void of emotion—as if this were an everyday occurrence.
The child couldn’t even cry, trembling, his face pale as a sheet.
Watching the cheering natives, I finally stood up from my hiding spot.
“Stay hidden.”
I raised a hand toward the two whose expressions had instantly hardened and stepped forward.
Honestly, what else could you expect from barbarians?
It was almost unbearable to look at them.
As I slipped off my jacket, revealing the full appearance of the ‘sacrifice,’ the cheering natives’ attention locked onto me in an instant.
The noisy surroundings settled into eerie silence as if the commotion had never happened.
The same went for their leader.
The one glaring at me with eyes dark as obsidian flicked his gaze to his subordinate, an unmistakable look of blame flashing across his sharp expression.
But I didn’t care.
I walked slowly toward the center of the gathered natives, spreading my arms wide like some sacred figure.
Even I knew how shameless I looked, but I had one thing to rely on:
A book made of inpi leather.
According to that book, the natives believed that when a sacrifice died, they became a guardian deity protecting the tribe.
So they would treat the chosen one with extreme care and unwavering reverence.
After a brief silence, the faint sound of shuffling feet echoed through the temple.
Just like the illustrations in the book, all the natives dropped to their knees before me, bowing their heads deeply.
Some clasped their hands in prayer, while others bowed repeatedly as if performing 108 prostrations.
With the situation like this, neither the leader nor his subordinates dared lay a hand on me.
They could only clench their jaws and glare at me sharply.
What are you gonna do?
Just keep staring.
“Let’s go meet the spirit beast.”
They wouldn’t understand me anyway, but I raised my chin stiffly and gestured toward the cave with my thumb.
It wasn’t part of the original plan, but at this point, I had no other option.
I’d have to just charge straight in.
And that’s when it happened.
The leader, who had been glaring daggers at me all this time, shoved the child beside him aside and began descending the steps.
The way he walked toward me with a blood-dripping blade dangling from his hand was nothing short of terrifying.
“Stay still.”
The words were for the ones watching from behind, the two who I was sure were keeping an eye on this scene.
Come to think of it, they’d never actually agreed to follow my lead, yet somehow things had ended up going entirely my way.
Maybe I was being reckless… but how could I just sit back and watch?
I glanced at the child now sobbing in his father’s arms, then turned my attention to the leader, who was now standing right in front of me.
The leader stared down at me coldly, then suddenly grabbed my arm and yanked me toward him.
With his other hand, he drew a blade from his waist.
It looked like a dagger carved from obsidian, its surface dark as midnight.
He’s not going to kill me now… right?
I swallowed dryly, watching his actions in silence.
But I couldn’t hold back a quiet grunt as the razor-sharp blade sliced into the inside of my arm without hesitation.
Slice— Slice—
The leader carved a familiar pattern onto my skin, as though painting with a brush.
I bit down the pain and watched; sure enough, it was the same symbol I’d seen inside the cave.
It marked me as the sacrifice.
Though he could’ve done it in one stroke, he deliberately dragged the blade across my skin multiple times, clearly intending to cause pain.
I barely managed to hold back the curses threatening to spill out, and finally, the knife pulled away.
My arm, torn and shredded, was already dripping blood profusely.
So this was part of the sacrificial ritual too.
I’d suspected as much—smearing blood under my eyes, the scent of blood wafting in the air—they were probably trying to lure out the spirit beast.
Leaving behind the sound of frenzied prayers, I followed the leader into the forest.
About five of his armed men naturally tailed me, all equipped with bows and spears, probably to prevent me from pulling any tricks.
But… would the others move the way I expected them to?
All I’d told them was that I’d lure the spirit beast.
I hadn’t exactly explained what to do afterward.
Well, if you could even call “kill the beast” a plan.
Lost in thought about the two following quietly behind, we soon reached the cave.
“……”
I stared at the still-dark cave entrance when someone shoved me from behind, urging me to enter.
How many sacrifices had been pushed inside like this?
Hundreds?
Thousands?
Probably not a single one had ever come back alive.
That’s why they were standing so casually at the entrance—confident.
They’d wait around for a while, leave one person to keep watch, and the rest would disappear, knowing no one ever escaped.
“They’ve clearly done this a few times before. No way they’re wasting time.”
My goal was to lure the spirit beast out of the cave before they left.
Ideally, I’d take those bastards down while I was at it.
I turned my head, briefly scanning the bushes, then slowly stepped inside the cave.
I wasn’t sure how long I walked, but as I reached a certain point, the darkness thickened, making it impossible to see even an inch ahead.
And unlike earlier, there were no glowing bugs to light the way—
“Ah.”
The dumb sound escaped me as I hurriedly rummaged through my item pouch and pulled something out.
“Why didn’t I think of this sooner?”
It was my phone.
After falling into this dungeon, I hadn’t needed it, so I shoved it into my pouch and completely forgot about it.
A few taps later, the phone’s flashlight illuminated the cave.
Compared to those glowing bugs, it was pathetic, but at least I could see what was in front of me now.
“This is about where I nearly tripped earlier…”
As I pointed the light toward the ground and walked forward, something caught my eye, crumbling on the floor.
A skull?
It was a half-shattered skull, probably the one I stepped on before.
Instinctively, I lifted the phone higher and spotted a massive mound of bones towering ahead.
The sheer scale of it was unbelievable—how had I missed it before?
“Guess it’s been snacking a lot…”
Swallowing nervously, I fished a pair of shoes from my pouch and slipped them on.
S-rank leather boots crafted from manticore hide.
Just as I mentioned earlier—specialized for escape, boosting movement speed by a full 100%.
It wouldn’t make an ordinary person superhuman, but it should be enough to outrun at least one monster.
As long as it wasn’t an A-rank or S-rank beast…
Holding my breath to steady my nerves, I straightened up—and that’s when it happened.
Rumble—
Vibrations rolled through the ground from all directions, instantly putting me on alert.
Raising the phone as high as possible, I aimed the light ahead—and there it was.
Something massive, stirring not far away.
* * *
