"Cha Seohu Hunter!"
"You're bleeding..."
While I was coughing up blood, Kwon Taehyuk and Ryu Sunghyun hurriedly tried to support me, panic on their faces.
Kieeeee! Kyaaaak!
Screeeech!
Thud, thud! Thud!
Sharp cries pierced my ears like blades, and the heavy sound of the ground trembling shook my body to the core.
The monsters that had dispersed were now gathering back toward us.
Kwon Taehyuk and Ryu Sunghyun both picked up on the rapidly approaching presence and their expressions hardened.
I spat out the blood still in my mouth and bit down on my lip.
'So even though the quest failed, the "Villain's Rage" still continues?'
Villain's Rage.
Drawn by the catastrophic energy radiating from Cha Sahyeon, the monsters were relentlessly converging on this place.
I lowered my gaze to Cha Sahyeon, who was clinging to my waist.
Through my blurred vision, I could see the terrified look on the child's face.
She must have been just as shocked by the sight of me suddenly coughing up blood.
I felt cold sweat dripping down my chin and closed my eyes tightly.
'Stay calm. Don’t panic. Think, just think...'
Standing here bleeding like an idiot wouldn’t help anyone.
From what I saw while running earlier, there were over thirty monsters.
And among them, the ogre that should have been in the boss room.
In contrast, our fighting strength was me, Cha Sahyeon, Kwon Taehyuk, and Ryu Sunghyun.
I had no intention of using my Hidden Skill in a place like this, and I didn’t want to send ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) Cha Sahyeon into battle either.
Which meant, realistically, the only ones who could fight were Kwon Taehyuk and Ryu Sunghyun.
Both of them were S-rank, so they could definitely win against that number of monsters, but...
The real issue was whether they could protect me and Cha Sahyeon while fighting.
If we weren't careful, Cha Sahyeon and I would be in more danger than the ones on the front lines.
'Of course, it’s not like we’d just die outright...'
Cha Sahyeon, despite being B-rank, had her skills, and if push came to shove, I could use my Hidden Skill.
But it would be better to have some insurance rather than gamble on a bad outcome.
"Please, give me your hands."
Having made up my mind, I opened my eyes and spoke.
Kwon Taehyuk and Ryu Sunghyun, who were standing in front of us ready for battle, turned to look at me.
Ryu Sunghyun immediately caught on to my intention and looked startled.
Kwon Taehyuk, on the other hand, gave me a look like I was spouting nonsense in the middle of a crisis.
"Quickly."
"You can't! If you use a buff skill in your current state— Cha Seohu Hunter!"
I could feel the monsters practically breathing down our necks, so I ignored Ryu Sunghyun’s protest, grabbed his hand, and immediately activated the skill.
《Skill: Bond of the Guardian (S-rank) activated!》
《Primary skill damage increased. (Target: Ryu Sunghyun) (Duration: 4 minutes 59 seconds)》
《Base speed increased. (Target: Ryu Sunghyun) (Duration: 4 minutes 59 seconds)》
《Stability effect applied. (Target: Ryu Sunghyun) (Duration: 4 minutes 59 seconds)》
As soon as the system window popped up, confirming the skill had activated properly, Ryu Sunghyun flinched, his cheeks flushing bright red.
There was no time to worry about his reaction.
I immediately grabbed Kwon Taehyuk’s hand too.
"What the...!"
Kwon Taehyuk reflexively tried to shake me off, but then froze as he felt the clean surge of energy flow into him.
《Skill: Bond of the Guardian (S-rank) activated!》
《Primary skill damage increased. (Target: Kwon Taehyuk) (Duration: 4 minutes 59 seconds)》
《Base speed increased. (Target: Kwon Taehyuk) (Duration: 4 minutes 59 seconds)》
《Stability effect applied. (Target: Kwon Taehyuk) (Duration: 4 minutes 59 seconds)》
The effects were way too good to be coming from a mere B-rank.
The clean, pure energy was something even Kwon Taehyuk couldn’t hide his surprise at.
His eyes shook violently as I grinned at him.
"I don’t want to die here."
The moment I let go of Kwon Taehyuk’s hand, dizziness swept over me again.
Just as Ryu Sunghyun had warned, my already poor condition had worsened after using the skill.
Still, collapsing now was not an option.
Forcing myself to stay upright with sheer willpower, I lifted the corners of my mouth into a shaky smile.
"I’ll leave it to you two."
Now that they had received S-rank support, it was their turn to earn their keep.
Thud, thud!
The ground shook violently with every step the ogre took, its massive, muscular body lumbering closer.
Feeling the bloodthirst of the countless monsters surrounding him, Kwon Taehyuk took a slow, deep breath.
His fighting instincts as an S-rank dealer were boiling to the surface before the battle.
'My body feels light and clear.'
Kwon Taehyuk raised his hand and clenched his fist tightly.
The enhanced strength made his heart pound with anticipation.
Ryu Sunghyun, standing beside him, was likely feeling the same.
Although he pretended to suppress it, the way he kept clenching and unclenching his fists betrayed his nervous excitement.
Kwon Taehyuk glanced over at Cha Seohu.
Leaning weakly against the wall, Seohu's face was deathly pale, eyes closed.
The child clung to him, frantically wiping away his cold sweat with her small hands.
'A B-rank, doing support like this?'
No way.
This was definitely S-rank quality.
The purity and strength of the buffs were so high that they could be considered among the best even among S-rankers.
Recalling the documents he had received before coming to the dungeon, which had listed Cha Seohu as B-rank, Kwon Taehyuk narrowed his eyes.
Cha Seohu was clearly hiding the true rank of his skills.
Graaagh!
At that moment, the ogre finally arrived, bulldozing the walls in its path with loud crashes.
Other monsters surged into the room behind it like a breaking wave.
Kiieee!
Eight blades floated into the air, circling Kwon Taehyuk.
Activating his skill, Kwon Taehyuk couldn't help but keep thinking about Cha Seohu.
'Since he’s hiding his rank, maybe I could... threaten him?'
Realizing where his thoughts were heading, Kwon Taehyuk grimaced.
Just because he wanted to bring Seohu into his guild, he was already thinking of dirty tricks.
Was he really that petty?
Besides, Cha Seohu didn’t seem like someone who would move just because of a little blackmail.
If he were that type, he would’ve joined an established guild instead of founding his own.
'Maybe he created a guild with his sister just to hide his rank?'
Once they got out of the dungeon, he would have to look into it more carefully.
If there was a way to scout him properly—peacefully—it was absolutely worth it.
There were a few suspicious points, but if he was brought into the guild, it would be easier to keep an eye on him.
Besides, a powerful Hunter with such a rare skill was priceless.
As the leader of a guild, Kwon Taehyuk understood better than anyone how valuable it was to recruit top talent.
Especially an S-rank supporter.
Plenty of others would be eyeing Seohu too.
Having thought it through, Kwon Taehyuk moved the floating blades around him into position and reached a conclusion.
'For now, I should help him hide his rank.'
If word got out that Seohu was an S-rank supporter, even more competitors would appear.
Until he figured out the full story, it was best to keep things under wraps.
With his mind made up, Kwon Taehyuk kicked off the ground first.
Launching forward like an arrow shot from a bow, he caught one of the flying blades mid-air.
Chaang!
The blades that fanned out behind him shot forward all at once.
As they tore through the monsters, fountains of blood sprayed into the air.
Kieeek! Kyaak!
Seven blades danced around him, piercing, slicing, and tearing apart the monsters with blinding speed.
The monsters couldn’t even react before being killed.
Kwon Taehyuk could feel it himself—his blades were sharper and faster than ever.
Whooosh! Crack!
Then—
A radiant orb shot past him and exploded among the monsters.
Like shooting stars falling across the night sky, dozens of luminous orbs poured down from Ryu Sunghyun, bursting into savage explosions upon contact with the monsters.
Unlike Kwon Taehyuk, who wielded specially crafted blades, Ryu Sunghyun fought using pure light energy.
As long as there was even a speck of light, he could expand it and use it as a weapon.
Ryu Sunghyun was just as desirable an ally as Seohu.
Having watched him fight multiple times, Kwon Taehyuk knew—Sunghyun was strong, skilled, and had excellent battle instincts.
Honestly, Kwon Taehyuk never understood why someone like Ryu Sunghyun stayed in such a weak guild.
Even accepting a vague vice-guildmaster position.
Despite knowing how firm Ryu Sunghyun’s will was, it still left a bitter taste in his mouth.
[Main Quest: Successfully clear a B-rank or higher dungeon with the villain. (Remaining Time: 3 days, 7 hours, 16 minutes)]

Comments

Loading...