Il-wol stood at the brink of battle against the Skeleton Knight.
The younger brother of Hyeon Joong-gil, the leader of the Ilseom Guild, Hyeon Joong-seob.
His youngest son, Hyeon Woo-seok, was charging at Hyeon Joong-seob, unleashing his unfiltered anger.
“Father! What on earth happened? Didn’t you say the deadline would be extended?”
The intensity was quite fierce, and while Hyeon Joong-seob felt somewhat pleased, seeing his son like this was something he couldn’t accept as a parent.
“What difference does it make if we delay the deadline? There’s nothing more to be done, just go!”
“But father!”
“Tsk tsk—foolish… That kid will now be under investigation. Although the special department will manage it since the kid’s not in good shape, it will be quite a struggle for him, given his temperament. Evil intentions tend to spread to those around him, so you’d do well to keep your distance.”
“Father, how can I do that—”
Bang─!
Hyeon Joong-seob slammed his hand on the desk, pressing his youngest son.
“Isn’t the world watching? You’re not unaware of what that kid did, right? The one who took his life after being bullied by that kid surely didn’t go beyond a hand! Don’t you realize that trying to protect him will get you tangled up in it too?”
Hyeon Woo-seok, who had been clutching his head and sobbing, finally spoke in a calm voice.
“… I understand… But please tell me one thing. Who is the human that has put us in this position…”
The youngest son, Hyeon Woo-seok, wasn’t completely foolish. He must have realized with recent information that Heo Min-sol wasn’t the virtuous woman he thought she was. But Hyeon Woo-seok had his pride too.
He vividly remembered the resentful gaze of Heo Min-sol as she was taken away by the special department staff, the same gaze he had when he boasted that he would help her until she finished her treatment.
“Please tell me… I promise I won’t do anything foolish anymore. Just that, and I’ll achieve something that will satisfy your anger. I will…”
Smirk─
Hyeon Joong-seob, with his hands behind his back, looked out the window, a smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
‘So this is how it works? That woman, Heo Min-sol, is finally showing her worth.’
“Ahem—he is a being of tremendous power that even I cannot handle. Do you think you can surpass him?”
“There’s no way to know without trying… I have never spoken it aloud, but I know my talent reaches the heavens. Give me a chance. I will make it happen.”
‘Hahaha! Yes! That kind of poison is what I need!’
“He is known as [The Wave of the Battlefield].”
“─!!”
Hyeon Woo-seok couldn’t believe his ears.
Isn’t he a colossal figure who stood shoulder to shoulder with my uncle among the first awakened? Was it any wonder why such a person would obstruct his affairs?
“I worked hard to find this information, so don’t carelessly reveal it.”
“Yes. Thank you…”
“His granddaughter is said to be in the same party as those guys.”
“… I see…”
Hyeon Woo-seok bowed to Hyeon Joong-seob and quietly took a step back.
Even if one could understand those who made the first person he held close miserable as victims, it was inexcusable for someone unrelated to use their power to interfere with his affairs.
‘Someone of such stature wouldn’t act on just his granddaughter’s request.’
It was likely a warning directed at him, trying to climb to the status of one of the top three guilds. They imply that no matter what, you guys are too weak to do anything, so just stay quiet.
‘How powerless I am. I’ve heard my relationship with my uncle isn’t good, but this is how it comes back to me.’
That sense of powerlessness is like a swamp; the more it accumulates, the harder it becomes to escape. The old ghost knew that well.
Exiting Hyeon Joong-seob’s office, Hyeon Woo-seok murmured softly as he reached the end of the long corridor.
“Shadow… bring me all the information about [The Wave of the Battlefield].”
“……”
“I’ll be waiting.”
Hyeon Woo-seok tossed his words into the empty air, and in an instant, he vanished.
The information he spoke of couldn’t just be something anyone could search for.
After he disappeared, someone in the previously empty air spoke, sounding somewhat troubled.
“You casually mention impossible tasks. Since you were a child, young master…”
The mysterious being known as Shadow showed a hint of a smile before concealing its existence again.
* * *
“Let’s get going!”
With Yeom Tae-seok’s booming voice, the hunters began to rise from their hunched positions.
Fifteen minutes before the labyrinth door closed.
It was time to wrap up the sweet rest and move out.
“Make sure to gather everything without forgetting anything! We won’t come back here!”
Not long after, they quickly organized their gear and assembled orderly in front of the entrance to the labyrinth.
“Guides, use your abilities to sense danger, but this lead guide role will be taken by Miss Lee Yeon-hee!”
At Yeom Tae-seok’s call, Yeon-hee awkwardly raised her hand in response.
Of course, the guide role Yeon-hee was taking was directed at me, and it seemed the other hunters had no significant complaints.
“The path is ridiculously complicated, is that alright?”
“It’s certain that there are bats. The unique stench is overwhelming.”
“Not much buzz, but there could be some minor bugs!”
There were three others besides me also acting as guides, and if they compensated for the areas I couldn’t sense, we could navigate a much more precise path.
Buzzing or stench was something they could react to more sensitively than I could.
– ‘We have entered a somewhat complicated passage. We are released from penalties.’
“Phew─!”
“Finally, I can breathe, damn it.”
After escaping the chamber filled with swarms of bats, the penalties that had been bothering us were lifted. Though bats inhabited this passage too, it meant the numbers weren’t enough to impose that level of penalty.
Flap flap─!
“They’re coming!”
“Ah! Damned annoying things!”
Less than ten minutes after starting to move, we were attacked by a swarm of bats hidden in the cave ceiling. Numbering around eight hundred, but to us who had emerged from battling thousands, it felt like child’s play.
‘A dagger in the left hand!’
After a while of swinging the daggers with both hands, we quickly wiped them out and could set out once more.
But such trivial battles continued one after another, and people were starting to lose patience.
“This path is ridiculously twisted, really.”
“While we are going the right way.”
“I know that, but it feels like we keep circling back to the same place. This isn’t humanly possible. Damn it!”
“I’m actually starting to find that skeleton’s ability more and more terrifying. I was confident in my guiding role, you know.”
“I think the same. What kind of monster is this? To find only the correct answers without any hitch?”
Though guides were making it a bit easier, being constantly praised from behind was also a distraction, making it harder to concentrate.
“Still, thankfully the air in the cave circulates sufficiently.”
“The flow of magic… there’s definitely a magical energy blowing in from a different area.”
‘They can even discern the scent of magical energy in the air…’
This person was more sensitive than I, as I only picked up aromas from specific magical circuits.
Two hours passed like that, and it was lunch time.
Without even telling Yeon-hee, the truth was we still had to travel another two days.
It wasn’t too bad now, but surely those who later suffer mentally will appear. The scariest thing here wasn’t the monsters but the people.
I had to manage them before they lost their sanity.
‘Still, Irmana’s water is still at hand… should I share some Big Boar meat?’
Though the cave wasn’t narrow, it wasn’t an ideal environment for grilling. The hind leg of the Big Boar could be eaten raw without the need to cook, and it was a suitable food source without any issues on the body.
I prepared food surrounded by monsters and cut away the hind leg to generously distribute to everyone.
“…… Skeleton, are you a saint?”
“Thank you for the meal!”
“I promise I’ll repay you outside! Really.”
“Wow… can I possibly join that party from the next dungeon?”
“… I-I want to too!”
As they chewed on the chewy and flavorful hind leg of the Big Boar, the recipients kept asking about possibly joining our party.
“Hm hm— we aren’t planning to accept any additional members for now.”
We had already agreed not to take additional members unless they had skills equal to Noh Ha-yoon, so the party leader, Baek Ah-rin, clearly expressed our refusal.
Though other party members looked disappointed, none seemed overly disheartened. They were likely just probing without any great expectations. It was just a fuss about being given food.
In fact, if we looked strictly at abilities, Joo Ye-seul was undoubtedly the best. But what could we do? All we could do later was take her down and obtain the stat rewards.
‘Will I be able to use her until the end…’
Dragging her along was the most rational choice, despite the risks.
Even now, there were about four fools sticking close to her, trying to ingratiate themselves. Dumb kids. They had no idea she’s a Grim Reaper. Tsk tsk—
“Hmm?”
“What? What’s wrong?”
Baek Ah-rin suddenly perked her ears. She seemed to start sensing it too.
“There are… a few undead, but not too many.”
But just encountering undead again in a dungeon that was previously filled with bats was enough to raise tensions. The expressions of the people grew serious, and their voices gradually quieted.
Thus, they traveled for another day.
Now, the number of bats began to decrease, while the Skeletons and Ghouls were on the rise.
Fortunately, there was no drop in the morale of the hunters or group hysteria.
Whether it was due to my constant supply of Big Boar meat or the sense of stability from not losing our way, it remained to be seen.
Generally, trouble occurs when getting lost on the same path. I could say my role was significant.
“Impressive. I wish I could tell everyone about Yeon-hee’s prowess once we get outside.”
Hong Yong-seok would often come over to chat with us, and each time, he would give long speeches about how great our help was, as if to be overheard by the other hunters.
‘There’s no need for that; if they are people, they should be thankful.’
Of course, I knew that many hunters lacked such fundamentals, which was probably why Hong Yong-seok acted this way. Still grateful, thanks to him, the rewards to gain outside would likely increase a bit.
– Eliminate 10,000 enemies while in stealth using daggers. (4,221/10,000)
‘Hmm… not bad.’
Now, what remained were the dagger quest and leveling up.
– You have obtained the Rune of Rage (Intermediate).
– Your level has increased. Choose three stats to raise.
Having leveled up by eliminating the undead for a day was nice, but more impactful was the rune I obtained this time.
Rune of Rage (Intermediate)
– When health is below 15%, attack power increases by 40%.
I had obtained the maximum available rune for this level, often referred to as a graduation rune.
My shoulders involuntarily lifted.
Though I wouldn’t use it right away, it was something to keep safe. The Rune of Rage doesn’t appear in C-rank dungeons.
“That’s a nice rune! I can see how much you love it, Il-wol.”
“Clap, Clap, Clap!”
“Pfft, it’s really fun!”
Even while picking up such small joys, we continued our march and eventually arrived right at the location where the Skeleton Knight lay sleeping.
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