Entering the dungeon almost last through the portal entrance, I lifted my gaze and looked around.
The damp water dripping from the walls and ceiling covered in dull gray, the quietly burning torches—among the various types of dungeons, this was one of the most common environments.
This kind of dungeon typically consisted of hallways connecting different rooms, with complex paths and dim lighting, making it easy to get lost if you weren't careful.
However, because it was indoors, monsters only came from one direction, and the number of monsters appearing was significantly less than in other dungeons, so the difficulty itself wasn’t very high.
While the hunters prepared for battle, ready for monsters that could appear at any moment, I pulled out a piece of candy from my pocket and handed it to Cha Sahyeon.
"Here, eat this."
It was a snack I had specially prepared so Cha Sahyeon wouldn't get anxious or scared in such a damp and dark place.
I figured that if she was busy eating candy, she might pay less attention to the surrounding environment. Seeing the child staring blankly at the candy I handed her, I added,
"I have more, so just tell me if you want another."
If giving her a few pieces of candy could stabilize her emotions, it was a small price to pay.
If she got cavities from eating too many sweets, we could always visit the dentist for treatment, but once the Seed's progress increased, it could never be reversed.
"......"
Cha Sahyeon blinked and stared at the candy for a long while. I grew curious at the sight of her not eating it right away.
"Don't like candy? Should I swap it for chocolate?"
Since I had no idea what she preferred, I had prepared all sorts of snacks just in case. Good call, it seemed.
I pulled out some chocolate from my pocket and handed it to her as well. Cha Sahyeon's ears turned slightly red as she carefully took both the candy and chocolate.
"I like both."
"Good. No need to watch the adults fighting. Just stick close to me and enjoy your snacks."
Opening the chocolate first and popping it into her mouth, Cha Sahyeon nodded enthusiastically at my words. As expected, a kid was still a kid. She really liked sweets that much?
As someone who didn't particularly enjoy sweets, I found it a little hard to understand, but I accepted it—it was normal for kids her age to crave sweet, salty, and stimulating flavors.
While Cha Sahyeon and I quietly exchanged snacks at the very back of the group, the first monster appeared.
"First monster spotted! C-rank arthropod type!"
The moment one of the Yesung Guild members shouted the briefing, an eerie sound echoed.
Tak, tak, tak.
Before I could make sense of it, spider-like monsters with six legs came pouring out from ahead.
Screeching and hissing, they emitted a dark, poisonous mist as they charged toward the hunters who had invaded their territory.
No matter how accustomed one got to dungeons and monsters, the moment you faced creatures that looked too much like giant spiders, instinctive disgust was unavoidable. Especially when the monsters were bigger than the average adult—it was horrifying.
"Fuck, gross!"
"Ugh!"
The dealer hunters who were at the forefront screamed in frustration.
They had to kill them, but every time they swung their weapons, severed spider legs flew everywhere and sticky blood splattered all over, making the stress overwhelming.
'Yep, times like this, being a supporter is a blessing.'
Smiling in satisfaction, I watched the hunters scream while slaying monsters.
In everything in life, there were advantages and disadvantages. Being a supporter, with a body no different from a regular human, meant I didn't have to deal with those disgusting bugs—no, monsters—directly.
Of course, now that I had a hidden skill, I could technically jump into the fray with my sword if I wanted to... but I shook my head. No, I needed to keep the fact that I could transform into an S-rank hidden for as long as possible.
"Hey, kid. Can you see it? See how hard the older brothers and sisters are fighting?"
While I was at it, I decided to show Cha Sahyeon just how brutal society could be. Holding her in my arms, I tilted her so she could glimpse the battle scene ahead and warned her earnestly.
"If you start liking fighting, you’ll just end up having to kill gross monsters like those. So don't ever use your skills. Just pretend you don't know anything. Got it?"
"......"
"You don’t have to worry. I'll protect you."
I hated disgusting things too, but if it meant stopping the Seed's progress, I would put up with anything.
Fortunately, my sincerity seemed to get through. After staring blankly at the battle ahead, Cha Sahyeon soon turned her face away and buried her forehead into my shoulder. Good. Better to cut off her attention entirely.
After the appearance of the C-rank monster, every time we crossed into a new room, more monsters kept rushing out.
Leading the charge with the other hunters, Kwon Taehyuk narrowed his eyes.
'What the hell...?'
While standing still, six blades flew rapidly around Kwon Taehyuk, instantly slicing the monsters' necks clean off.
Thud, thud. As corpses and blood piled up around him, Kwon Taehyuk noticed a subtle difference and touched his lips thoughtfully.
'I'm not imagining it. There are way more monsters appearing than before.'
We had already expected a larger number of monsters since the dungeon was nearing a break. But no matter how you looked at it, this was far beyond «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» what we had predicted.
Had something gone wrong inside the dungeon? No, the internal environment hadn't changed. It wasn't the dungeon itself—it was the monsters' behavior that was strange.
As if possessed, monsters were pouring out nonstop. Even when attacking hunters, their reactions were slightly slower. Thanks to that, even with the increased numbers, they weren't difficult to deal with, but it was definitely not normal.
'I need to properly investigate this.'
Whether the issue lay with the monsters or the dungeon, it was clear that something was wrong, and it couldn't just be ignored. Kwon Taehyuk stopped his skill, intending to gather the responsible parties who had entered the dungeon together.
With a faint whine, the blades that had been slaughtering monsters joyfully returned to hover behind Kwon Taehyuk. The other hunters, seeing that all the monsters had been dealt with, breathed heavily and rested.
"God, I'm dying."
"Doesn't it feel like there are way more monsters today?"
The hunters from the Circle Guild were equally exhausted. Sitting down heavily on the ground, they grumbled among themselves, and Ryu Sunghyun gave an awkward smile.
"Yeah. When we came last year, it wasn’t this bad."
"Could it be that the number of monsters increased over the past year...?"
"Come on. Not even S-rank dungeons show that kind of phenomenon. No way a B-rank would."
"If that were the case, wouldn’t the raid schedule have been moved up?"
Ryu Sunghyun answered casually, then turned his gaze toward Kwon Taehyuk, who was huddled with the Yesung Guild members discussing something.
'Judging by the atmosphere, even Guildmaster Kwon Taehyuk doesn’t know the cause.'
Hopefully, it was nothing serious. Still, strange phenomena inside dungeons were directly linked to the dangers of the world they lived in. Worry was inevitable.
If the number of monsters kept exceeding expectations like this, the burden on the dealers would grow heavier too. While he and Kwon Taehyuk were S-rank Awakeners and unlikely to suffer injuries, the members of his guild, who consumed a lot of stamina, would need to rest more frequently.
'I’ll have to ask Guildmaster Kwon later to extend the rest periods.'
Rubbing his piercing while pondering, Ryu Sunghyun spotted a familiar man.
Among the hunters, standing while holding a child in his arms, was a black-haired man he recognized. He quickly remembered where he had seen him.
He was one of the victims rescued from the illegal laboratory they had raided recently. Even back then, he had a child with him. He also remembered helping him when Kwon Taehyuk had been suspicious.
"Hyung, where are you going?"
"I saw someone I know. I'll be back in a bit."
"Someone you know... here...?"
Leaving the confused guild members behind, Ryu Sunghyun started walking toward the man.
He had regretted not being able to recruit him into the guild back then. Meeting him again here was an unexpected but welcome coincidence.
"Is the chocolate good? Should I bring you some jelly next time? Kids these days really like jelly."
The man, oblivious to Ryu Sunghyun’s approach, was chatting warmly with the child. Just as Ryu Sunghyun opened his mouth to call out to him—
"......!"
A chill ran down his spine. Reflexively, his fingertips twitched as he felt an overwhelming bloodlust. Ryu Sunghyun shifted his gaze from the man to the child nestled in his arms.
Deep green eyes stared directly at him. The child’s pale, expressionless face radiated an ominous aura that made it impossible to approach lightly.
[Main Quest: Successfully clear a B-rank or higher dungeon with the villain. (Remaining Time: 4 days, 1 hour, 47 minutes)]

Comments

Loading...