“Thank you… always…”
‘……….’
Something transparent began to swell up roundly from her eyes.
It gently slid down, mingling with the blood that splattered on her face, before finally rolling down her cheek.
The teardrop stole the light from Yeon-hee’s brilliant eyes and fled.
Her gaze no longer met mine, fading into darkness.
Death.
‘Yeon-hee is dead…’
My bones trembled violently, and an unending darkness and terrible fear constricted me from all sides.
Even though if I just endured a little longer, I would see her smiling brightly again, this moment was utterly terrifying, and I already deeply missed her.
‘I will never… never let this happen again. This is something that must not be done.’
As I pledged and repledged, I soon found myself back in that nostalgic scenery.
‘Huh… is this some sort of illusion?’
An astonishing space so intricately rendered that I couldn’t distinguish it from reality.
Since I was pushed to the limits in a dire situation, I could barely recognize the slight difference.
‘No one would be able to tell it apart. What kind of being could create such a space?’
I would bet it must be at least a divine being of the caliber of a Seven-headed Dragon.
Tremble, tremble, tremble—
My bones were still shaking violently.
I must have thought too lightly of suppressing her.
While an unbearable mental shock continued to squeeze me, there was someone behind, holding me tightly.
“Ugh…”
Yeon-hee was sobbing.
Had she been watching me shake in fear from behind?
She then apologized to me, claiming she would do better.
‘Why are you saying what I should say…?’
We stood together in silence, embracing each other for a long while, and naturally, I activated my camouflage, beginning to explore each other’s bodies.
– You are freed from the binding of Summoner Lee Yeon-hee.
The message that appeared while we were mindlessly exploring each other’s lips.
That single line was all that changed in our relationship.
“Ugh… huh…”
Did she see that message too? While sharing love, she kept reddening her eyes.
I vowed over and over, as if swearing that I would never leave her.
Finally, she insisted that I must keep the promise, making me reaffirm it repeatedly.
She was the benefactor of my life, the reason I lived.
For her, I could do anything, but it was truly painful not being able to show my true feelings.
* * *
As our emotions peaked, the intensity of our actions was fierce.
She fell asleep, completely exhausted, and I thought to myself that I wouldn’t leave her side today.
Training in the Dark Space was off for today.
‘What a nice scent…’
As I reveled in her fragrance, enjoying a peaceful time, I couldn’t help but sigh at the impending future that worried me again.
The camouflage time was now only about ten minutes left.
Suddenly—
I placed a potion named the Alchemist’s Death Potion in my mouth and quietly observed my body.
Stirring—!
“Ugh…? Is this what Yeon-su meant by thrilling? This is serious.”
It still seemed to carry a cold essence. If I felt this way, a lower-ranked Hunter might suffer effects close to a status abnormality right after taking it.
‘The other potion that was made by the Ilseom Guild was called Hwanbangryeonghwan, right? A potion made to counter Frizkana. It would be nice to get that recipe too. No, meeting the Alchemist who creates it would be even better.’
If I could somehow mix the two recipes suitably and adjust them again, wouldn’t I be able to solve the problem quickly?
‘Let’s ask Yeon-su to do that. I have to explore the dungeon again starting tomorrow. The bindings are lifted… maybe it’s time to take a completely different route now.’
There’s no need for inefficient movements while waiting for a small gate to appear within the dungeon.
With the joining of the S-rank Hunter Grim Reaper Jung Tae-hyung, that situation accelerated.
In a way, having someone of higher status than me as the bodyguard of our party will give me more freedom of movement.
‘If things go smoothly, I should go to the Red-haired Dire Wolf dungeon, but… I’m thinking of going a bit more boldly.’
The giant dungeon ‘Nando’ in Jeju Island came to mind.
That hidden dungeon recently discovered there was the first thing I thought of.
‘Will I meet the entry conditions…?’
As far as I’ve heard, only a handful of Hunters have passed through that place.
‘I’ll find out once I go there.’
Even if I’m denied entry, there’s plenty to do there.
* * *
“Guuaaargh! Krrk!”
With a crunch─!
A man’s head was severed from his body like a rice cake being smashed.
The cut surface was rough, and the person who did it had his mouth wide open, drenched in blood bursting from the head.
“Ahh— this feels great. The first taste of an Awakened One’s blood is something special. This is somewhat relieving.”
Jo Gi-man had just crossed over into China via Russia.
He needed to consume Hunters that were to be taken at this point.
As the rounds repeated, the stats obtained from consumption rapidly decreased.
With every cycle, Jo Gi-man felt his sanity cooling down.
‘Although I came to China for the small quest of the Seven-headed Dragon… it’s still not the time to draw that guy out.’
Jo Gi-man had a feeling that the Seven-headed Dragon was in a bit of a rush lately.
With his head filled entirely with the thought of acquiring water attribute powers, Jo Gi-man was somewhat dissatisfied with the pace being set by the Seven-headed Dragon.
But the directives from the Seven-headed Dragon that had his back were absolute.
Every round, acquiring the blood and flesh of a new Awakened One in a certain amount was a requirement that must be fulfilled.
China was a place Jo Gi-man had avoided for this timing due to the special existence known as ‘Liu Xiao-Wo’, meaning there were plenty of Awakened Ones fitting those conditions.
“Chirp— What’s the significance of obtaining a new Awakened One, huh? You won’t tell me?”
[……]
“Well, when has there ever been a complicated reason anyway.”
The Seven-headed Dragon, who had recently grown taciturn.
Jo Gi-man’s clone was now fast asleep, leaving him to lead a rather lonely life.
“Hmph! In any case, life is alone!”
Chomp, chomp—
While Jo Gi-man was busy consuming an S-rank low-tier 3rd rank Hunter, a massive group of Hunters was approaching him.
“…Looks like it’s a banquet today.”
[……!]
The Seven-headed Dragon seemed to be pleased with the prey coming to serve itself.
It was quite strange to think that such a great being, who had granted Jo Gi-man seven lives, was chasing a mere trivial joy like this.
Jo Gi-man felt a fundamental curiosity and question about what kind of being the Seven-headed Dragon really was.
‘For now, I should increase the number of my lives more and then think it over. Once that happens, I should naturally find out.’
After just a few more repetitions of life, it seemed certain that he would get what he wanted.
‘So just watch my back a little longer.’
– Wh-what’s that?!
– Looking at the dagger that fell to the ground, it was Jo Liang.
– They said a crazy monster brat came in. Could he overpower a 3rd rank Hunter?
– Everyone, stay alert!! It’s a monster of at least 2nd rank!!
Jo Gi-man spread his arms wide as he observed the top-tier Hunters from China closing in.
“Come on! Liu Xiao-Wo’s dogs!!”
“How dare you! To casually mention the name of ‘Dragon Gate’!!”
“Kill them!!”
Seeing the moths flying into the flame, Jo Gi-man and the Seven-headed Dragon behind him simultaneously lifted the corners of their mouths.
* * *
From the next day, we took a completely different route.
I flew to the ‘Living Statue of Strength’ dungeon with Yeon-hee and met up with the companions.
“Aren’t you planning to do something alone again?”
“Clap, clap, clap.”
“Is it not fun going through dungeons with us anymore?”
“Clap, clap…”
“Then shall we stick together?”
“Clap, clap…”
I was being lectured gently by Ah-rin and Ha-yoon, who’d caught me at the gate, asking where I was going alone.
‘I should have just gone straight away.’
But I also had something to give them, and for some reason, I felt like I should see them off today.
“Oh? What’s this potion?”
When I handed each of them a potion, they all hurriedly examined it, keeping their mouths shut.
“It’s been improved a bit compared to what Yeon-su unnie took, but it’s still said to have an immensely cold nature. You might come close to a frostbite-like state when taking it, so timing is important.”
“Oh, really? Well… if there’s Hwanbangryeonghwan, that would fit perfectly…”
‘Right, you should look into that, Ah-rin.’
That was exactly what I was about to say.
“I’ll ask once. But still, it might be a lower access level than Killbard.”
“Thank you, Ah-rin. For now, let’s try to avoid taking the potions. We’re still unaware of the side effects.”
“However, if it becomes a life-or-death situation, it’ll be a great help.”
It varies from person to person, but it’s an amazing potion that can boost combat power by around 30% for almost an hour. Of course, with additional effects, it’s a priceless item in its current state.
‘Take care of it. Don’t get distracted.’
– Yes. As this is my first mission, I assure you won’t be disappointed.
The Grim Reaper Jung Tae-hyung couldn’t enter the dungeon with our party members because of his high status. Therefore, any crisis inside the dungeon had to be overcome solely by my companions.
Of course, with Yeon-hee’s current power and even ‘Azraelon’ around, I wasn’t worried even if variables occurred inside.
And with Tae-hyung preventing mishaps outside the dungeon, I felt incredibly secure.
“I’ll contact you at the first sign of trouble, okay?”
“Clap, clap, clap.”
After seeing my companions off, I moved directly to the association building instead of going to Jeju Island.
Holding Yeon-hee in my arms at dawn, I realized that meeting Maeng Seong-yong to gather internal information was a higher priority for me.
If there’s nothing special, I could still go to Jeju as originally planned.
Since Maeng Seong-yong had the Flame Mark, it was easy to know where he was.
When I arrived at the association building, Maeng Seong-yong was diligently training in the underground training area.
‘He’s really working hard since morning.’
Sneaking into the association’s underground was now too easy for me.
Of course, going to the very top or bottom floors would be another story.
As I descended into the underground training area, I first sensed Maeng Seong-yong’s massive physique.
I detected a few Hunters in different training areas who seemed to be examiners.
However, since each training area was perfectly soundproofed, I didn’t think I would get into serious trouble even if I made some noise.
“Haah! Hah! Hyahhh! Huh!”
‘He’s making a lot of noise while working out. Is it because it’s a personal training area? All the surveillance cameras have been cleared too. Fortunately.’
I approached Maeng Seong-yong, who was sweating profusely using specially crafted exercise equipment.
Even though I got right up to his face, he remained oblivious to my presence, as the three Flame Marks circled around his shoulder like pinwheels.
[Camouflage]
“Ugh?! Hah! Hah!”
Boom─!!
Camouflaging reduced my stats momentarily, but I maintained stealth. Yet, Maeng Seong-yong cleverly sensed my approach and launched a powerful strike.
“Who dares to sneak into my training ground?!”
He pretended to act calm, but I could tell he was quite flustered.
‘How creepy must it be to discover someone has snuck into a thoroughly hidden secret training area?’
Even though I had never experienced it, I could sense how Maeng Seong-yong felt.
Drip—
I could feel the cold sweat trickling down his back.
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