Chapter 186: The Path of Three Days and One Hour (3)
‘But honestly, it’s a bit unfair. I feel like I’m quite humble for my level of talent…’
Hmm.
Anyway, it’s hard for talented people not to be arrogant.
This side briefly recalled the past life before returning to the current conversation.
“Anyway, because of that, I lack a bit in common sense. So, please be generous if I say something strange sometimes.”
“Uh, uh, okay.”
On one hand, hoping that this talented mage wouldn’t follow the same path as someone else.
*
What is a life that no one understands like?
At least, there was one woman in a certain cave who could clearly answer that question.
It felt like she had fallen onto Jupiter with an Earthling’s body.
Being swept along in a sea of liquid hydrogen with nowhere to stand, she dared to think.
So why couldn’t she receive understanding?
The first time she felt something unusual was in the third grade of elementary school.
That day, everyone changed their seating arrangements for the new semester, and a girl with a sleepy impression happened to pair up with a classmate from English kindergarten.
Seo Esther had been a pretty girl with long eyelashes since childhood. And coincidentally, the boy beside her also had a fair complexion and a strikingly handsome face.
The kids in class would tease Esther and her special friend, wondering if they were dating.
“Hey! Esther! You’re not a kid anymore, why do you still have glitter in your hair? That’s so childish. And your name is really weird.”
And the boy, embarrassed, treated his partner poorly.
“Ahhh!”
“Uwaaaah.”
“Teacher!”
The fresh start of the third-grade class was soon wrapped up in a shocking picture.
On a Wednesday.
The girl with droopy eyelids had stabbed her partner’s hand with the metal chopsticks handed out during lunch.
.
.
.
“Why did you do that?”
The young Esther wanted to ask.
Teacher, why did my partner do that?
Despite being told not to, they continued to bully and laugh at her name.
Moreover, the boy seemed to have conveniently forgotten that he had ripped someone else’s sketchbook without permission back in kindergarten.
Still, Esther bore everything and had given him a total of three chances.
“I couldn’t stand it anymore.”
It was around this time that Esther realized her tolerance for anger was incredibly low compared to others.
Normal people wouldn’t be so vividly angry about events from years ago, nor would they jab at classmates when upset.
But what would change by learning that?
It wouldn’t make her good memory any worse.
In fact, the problems Esther faced were all foreshadowing that she would awaken to curse-type magic.
As some alien had said, curse mages are born with sensitive tempers and generally hold grudges.
“Our princess~! I left dinner outside, so don’t skip it today, okay?”
Ordinary people told Esther to stop being so dramatic, to just forget those past events, but her feelings were inherently rigid.
It was cold and solid, something that did not dissolve in the flow of time; how could she easily utter forgiveness like others?
Even though she knew in her heart that she loved deeply, there were moments when old memories made her resent her family. If life was this tough, wouldn’t it have been better not to be given the talent for awakening at all?
“……”
But Esther was in a position where she couldn’t choose her genetic information.
Thus, the only choice was to step back from society before using chopsticks to stab her peers again.
In the online game [SOM].
Fortunately, the newly established world was barely livable for her.
In there, it was fine to kill people she disliked multiple times.
‘Whenever I come to a dark place like this cave, it reminds me of those days.’
Seo Esther reflected on her school days but soon let those thoughts drift away.
Thinking back, Dungeon Shock was a thankful phenomenon for some characters.
Before that incident, she was just a foul-tempered mutant, but after gaining power, at least she could express that anger positively.
Despite someone’s worries, Esther was already exceedingly arrogant as a mage.
She dreamed of endlessly growing her power and one day representing all psychics.
Having found a great goal, she no longer got angry over trivial matters like her partner’s bullying, and her life naturally gained vitality.
Broadcast activities to improve the image of awakened ones, running the Magic Tower, death row inmates, dungeon raids, and other such things.
“……”
Everything was done by her own will, so there was no regret.
“Cough.”
Suddenly, a coughing sound echoed from somewhere.
Esther closed her eyes tightly and stopped walking.
Now, in the middle of a cave whose end was unknown, her companion had stood up and resumed the raid about 30 minutes ago.
Even a seemingly cold-hearted person who wouldn’t bleed a drop from a dagger was now bleeding profusely before her eyes.
‘They say this is a side effect of work. Something must’ve happened in that S-Class Gate in Japan…’
On a normal day, she would have been slyly pleased to discover a strong person’s weakness, but for some reason, her mood had been oddly subdued since earlier.
Why didn’t such thoughts come to her now?
– Anyway, I’m worried. I’ve been watching Esther Hunter, and it seems like she overworks herself.
Did Kim Gi-ryeo say something like that?
– Childhood? Digging into that would leave little to say. Being an orphan means I don’t have diverse experiences.
Or did he say something like that out of sympathy?
Most likely not.
In fact, when she opened up about her school days, his gaze had changed her attitude.
When people heard that the guild master of the Magic Tower was a recluse, they typically responded with things like, “That makes sense.”, “But you’re bright now, so it’s fine, right?”, “I also like games.” and mixed in flattery and embarrassment.
But Kim Gi-ryeo was different.
He…
He sent a gaze so dry that not even a curse mage’s family could send away.
It was just a hunch, but somehow he seemed to genuinely understand the failed school days of someone, unlike countless others.
“Cough, cough.”
Did Esther feel moved by Gi-ryeo’s understanding?
Unfortunately, no. Of course, Esther often questioned her own prickly personality, but that didn’t mean she desired understanding from others.
Esther was ironically displeased by the earlier conversation. Whenever she stood before Kim Gi-ryeo, it felt like her weaknesses were being laid bare, and she felt uneasy and guarded.
Perhaps that was why.
That man didn’t look weak at all due to his unique monster-like insight. Even while witnessing the scene of him bleeding, she couldn’t sense any weakness.
“Ah, I’m sorry. I’m fine now, so you can walk again…”
With a complicated feeling, Esther resumed the raid.
One hour, two hours, and five long hours later, there was still no sign of an exit, and she began to worry.
‘I came in here with light luggage, but if this isolation continues for too long, it’s going to be a big problem.’
Grrrroooowl.
As expected, her stomach began to rumble.
These days, dungeons tended to be long, and it was trending among hunters to carry emergency rations, but it was an F-Class Gate, so she had let her guard down.
Would she end up starving to death without even seeing the boss’s face?
“Esther Hunter, are you hungry?”
“Uh, um…”
It was then.
The quietly following man quickened his pace and pulled something from his pocket.
It was a packaged chocolate snack.
“I don’t remember when I bought it, but I found it in my pocket. I think I bought it all on sale at the convenience store but was just too lazy to take it out.”
“Oh my! That’s a relief. By the way, can I really have some?”
“Of course. I have quite a lot. But just in case, eat sparingly for now.”
“Thank you.”
Grrrroooowl.
Esther slowly ate the snacks he provided to soothe her whimpering stomach. The sugar gave her a little bit of comfort.
*
…However, a day later.
“Ahhhh! So annoying!”
BANG!
A loud noise erupted in the dark cave.
“Esther, I get your feelings, but if you thrash around like that, you’ll only tire yourself out more…”
The trapped raiders had learned after over 20 hours of marching that this cave indeed had an enormous length.
And for an S-Class Hunter, this point posed an immediate life-threatening situation. After all, high-ranking awakened beings consumed calories at a higher rate than commoners, meaning they were really inefficient beings.
‘I’m starving! My stomach is churning to death. Just how far does this cave go? Just how far!’
Esther vented her frustrations on a bone monster blocking her path.
Gi-ryeo was in poor condition and had to refrain from vigorous activity, so he started using a strategy where he carried his companion and ran at full speed.
S-Class Hunters don’t exhaust themselves much just by running. So, Esther had run for two full hours on nothing but drinks.
“Ughhhhh…”
As you can see, today too they couldn’t find the exit.
She had no idea where the end of the cave might be, and now felt a vague sense of fear creeping in.
But for now, it was okay. This place had fountains placed at regular intervals, so she wouldn’t die from lack of water.
-Bloop!
Esther decided to supply herself with energy using a potion she always carried. It seemed more nourishing than plain water.
At first, she took a relatively cheap detox potion.
Next came a mana potion.
…And finally, when she opened the premium healing potion she had been saving, it happened nearly two days and seventeen hours after entering the dungeon.
“Ha.”
Now, Esther, who had become a machine moving only her legs in a daze, thought through her hazy vision.
I want to kill.
I don’t know who or what might be the subject of that desire, but if the one who made this dungeon exists, I would rip them apart and kill them.
“Oh, this fountain has clean water. Please drink it with peace of mind.”
But even filling my belly with water has its limits!
‘I’m drained. It feels like my brain is tightening up.’
As her body became deficient in nutrients, it began to consume its own flesh for survival, and the pain resulting from that act truly went beyond imagination.
At this rate, wouldn’t she become the first S-Class to die in an F-Class Gate?
Feeling dizzy, Esther endured for a long time before tremblingly speaking up.
“Um, excuse me. Gi-ryeo, I’m really sorry, but could I have just one more cookie? Ugh, of course, I already had my share today, but then could you please bring the next portion forward…”
The companion raider next to her had been sharing chocolate snacks every twelve hours, but no matter how she thought about it, this amount was simply unbearable.
“We’re almost out now.”
“Whaaat?!”
“Calm down. Still, Esther, you could survive for a day, so it’s okay.”
There was no helping it.
The man muttered briefly and then shook his pockets, handing over all the remaining snacks to her.
“Here. This is the last of it, enough for dinner and tomorrow morning.”
Already the last one?
Thinking back, it was a huge stroke of luck that he even had biscuits in his coat, but…
“Ah.”
At that moment.
Esther suddenly snapped to attention and said to her companion.
“Wait a minute. If you give me both of these, what will you do? You won’t have any for yourself. You should eat one too.”
Then the calm voice of the fourth S-Class slowly filled the cave.
“It’s okay. That was a lie.”
“Wha?”
“I was calculating that there’d be enough for just you all along. I never thought it was mine to begin with, so go ahead and eat.”
“…?”
“If we argue over this simple matter at every meal, we’ll just use up our energy, so I said let’s divide it roughly… No, wait a minute. Why are you wasting salt on something pointless…?”
