During the sudden monster assault, Kwon Taehyuk led the hunters as they fled.
Checking for stragglers at the very back, Kwon Taehyuk widened his eyes when he spotted Cha Seohu, not entering the safe room, but instead sprinting down the right-hand corridor.
"What the—!"
"Cha Seohu Hunter!"
Ryu Sunghyun, who had been helping guide the hunters, also realized what was happening and shouted after him.
But Cha Seohu didn’t look back—he just kept running with the child in his arms.
A Ronik Guild member, seeing the monsters chasing right after Cha Seohu, shouted,
"Close the door!"
"Cut the chains!"
"Wait—!"
Just as Kwon Taehyuk moved to stop the hunters from closing the door, knowing full well that Cha Seohu hadn’t yet entered, someone’s skill severed the thick iron chains holding the door up.
Clang! Clatter-clatter!
The chains snapped, and with a heavy rumble, the massive iron door slammed shut.
Dust billowed up, and the sound of the monster horde thundered just beyond the door.
Staring in disbelief at the closed door, Kwon Taehyuk turned a sharp gaze toward the hunters who had shouted to close it—and the one who had cut the chains.
Both were Ronik Guild members.
"How could you close the door when someone hadn’t even made it inside?"
Kwon Taehyuk’s voice was razor-sharp.
The Ronik Guild members flinched but soon answered with faces full of resentment.
"W-What else could we do? Were we supposed to let everyone die for just one person?"
"Yeah, sure it’s sad, but we can't risk dozens of lives for one guy."
Kwon Taehyuk’s brow furrowed, and he let out an exasperated sigh.
"You didn’t even try to wait or fight—you just slammed the door shut? You really think that’s fine?"
"Even so, for just one person—"
"You ran ahead without caring about the slow supporters trailing behind, and now you’re throwing them away because they couldn't keep up?
If you can't even protect one supporter, why are you even here?"
"......"
The Ronik Guild members shut their mouths, unable to argue back under Kwon Taehyuk’s scathing words.
If they had been his own guild members, he would’ve corrected their attitude immediately.
But he couldn’t discipline another guild’s members.
Frustrated, Kwon Taehyuk raked a hand through his hair and scanned the rest of the hunters.
Many were avoiding his gaze with stiff expressions—likely, they agreed more with the Ronik Guild members.
Even Kwon Taehyuk himself didn’t think his view was absolutely correct.
Choosing between saving a few and endangering the many wasn’t an easy call, not something that could be decided on the spot.
Still, at the time the door was closed, the danger wasn’t so immediate that it justified abandoning someone. Cha Seohu might have made it in if they had waited just a little longer.
The initial panic had been understandable—but now that they were barricaded in the room, regrouping and defending calmly could have worked. After all, no matter how many monsters there were, this was still a B-rank dungeon.
When lives are on the line, rash decisions can’t be afforded. If Cha Seohu had been from Ronik Guild, would they have slammed the door so quickly?
'...Enough. No point dwelling on it.'
They couldn’t sit here pointing fingers forever. Kwon Taehyuk turned his attention to the sensation beyond the iron door.
"...?"
He had expected the monsters to pound against the door, ~Nоvеlight~ trying to break it down. But strangely—there was no pressure, no sign of an attack.
Had all the monsters gone after Cha Seohu?
'All of them chasing after one person...?'
Realizing the situation was far worse than he had thought, Kwon Taehyuk clicked his tongue and shouted urgently.
"Hunter Ryu Sunghyun!"
"Yes?"
"We're going after Hunter Cha Seohu. The rest of you—move toward the boss room. The ogre boss is already out here, so the boss room should be empty."
The portal to exit the dungeon was located beyond the boss room.
It made sense to send the party ahead.
"Guildmaster, should we go with you?"
"No. Stay here and lead the party."
Taking a large group would only cause chaos. It was better for two S-rank hunters, with their superior speed and senses, to handle the search.
'He’s probably already dead, though.'
There was a high chance he wasn’t just dead, but devoured entirely, with nothing left.
Even so, Kwon Taehyuk didn’t waver. He was the raid leader—this was his responsibility.
And... there was another reason.
["Aah, I overdid it... I'm getting dizzy..."]
The memory of Cha Seohu staggering, looking deathly pale, flickered in his mind.
Someone that weak... Why had he not come into the room? Why had he run another way instead?
The questions gnawed at him, but there was no time to think about it now.
Turning to Ryu Sunghyun, Kwon Taehyuk said,
"If you don’t want to come, say so. I can go alone."
Standing there looking conflicted, Ryu Sunghyun quickly shook his head.
"No, I’ll come."
"Good. Let's move."
If they exited through the door on the opposite side, they could loop around and intercept Cha Seohu’s path.
Ryu Sunghyun followed after Kwon Taehyuk, his heart heavy.
'Pathetic...'
When the iron door had slammed shut before Cha Seohu could reach it, Ryu Sunghyun had been just as horrified—and furious.
But that was all. Unlike Kwon Taehyuk, he hadn’t stood up to the Ronik Guild. He hadn’t protested, even though Cha Seohu had offered to help his guild.
He clenched his fists, then slowly released them. Cha Seohu's support skill was still coursing through him, strengthening him.
Meanwhile, the one who gave it... they didn’t even know if he was alive.
The guilt crushed him.
Ryu Sunghyun hated relying on strangers.
This situation made it even worse.
Boom, boom!
Screeeeech... scree...
Tap, tap, tap.
The ground trembled with every heavy step of the ogre.
I swallowed dryly, hearing the constant scratching sounds of monsters searching nearby.
I had sprinted madly until I found a room—a cramped space with just enough of a gap in the rubble for one person to slip inside.
I hid there, pressing Cha Sahyeon close against me.
Pure luck had saved us.
I considered using my hidden skill, but no matter how much stronger it made me, there was no way I could handle so many monsters alone.
Besides, this was a dungeon owned by the Yesung Guild.
Later, they would review the monster kills.
If my identity as "Cover" were revealed, it would be over.
'Dammit.'
Cramped to the point of suffocation, I clutched Cha Sahyeon and peeked outside.
Tap, tap.
A sharp spider leg brushed right past my face.
The monsters still patrolled close by, attracted to Cha Sahyeon’s aura of catastrophe.
Maybe if she calmed down, the monsters would disperse.
'Honestly, I still have no idea why this kid’s mad...'
Without knowing the cause, how was I supposed to apologize or comfort her?
I couldn't stay hidden here forever—and with the monsters so close, I couldn’t even talk to her properly.
"Haaah, kid... why are you doing this to me?"
I whispered as I leaned my head lightly against Cha Sahyeon’s shoulder.
My sigh made the fine hair near her ear flutter.
Her small body stiffened, and her ears flushed red.
'No one's coming to save us unless they're completely insane.'
It might come to using my hidden skill and fighting to the death after all.
Exposure could be dealt with later.
Otherwise...
"......!"
While I was desperately thinking it through—
I realized the atmosphere outside had changed. I snapped my head up and cautiously peeked outside again.
'...It’s not my imagination.'
The monsters that had been hovering nearby were suddenly farther away.
[Main Quest: Successfully clear a B-rank or higher dungeon with the villain. (Remaining Time: 3 days, 9 hours, 38 minutes)]
[Sudden Quest: Prevent Additional Progress of the Seed of Catastrophe]

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