Chapter 168

Chapter 168. Scenario Gate (2)

A moment later, I led the survivors I met in the dungeon toward the hill that the fairy had pointed out.

During this process, we had at least minimal greetings between the raiders. Before leaving the festival grounds, we also asked the fairies for additional advice for our search.

– Do you know where the other hunters who came a few days ago went?

The fairies in the square answered like this when asked about the whereabouts of the Treasure Hunter team.

– As you said, other guests did come here.

– That’s right.

– They also went to the house on the hill that we told them about! After that, we don’t know.

So raiding the dungeon and rescuing the missing advance party all have to do with meeting that ‘Apa’ entity... While I

– They also went to the house on the hill that we told them about! After that, we don’t know.

So raiding the dungeon and rescuing the missing advance party all have to do with meeting that ‘Apa’ entity... While I was sorting through my thoughts, I could hear the conversation of the group from behind.

“B, by the way, I’m really glad that Hunter Kim Giryeo is here. Even if you accidentally came in, you’re still an S-rank.”

“Right?”

“Wouldn’t things work out somehow?”

They seem greatly relieved just by my presence, but Seonwoo Yeon, who knows the truth about the EX-rank gate, wears a dark expression throughout the walk. Gates of this kind usually don’t have a clear rank, and on top of that, she’s already witnessed the moment when the fairy’s magical power surged to an unmeasurable level after revealing its true form.

‘If I consider the worst-case scenario from their perspective, a section that demands sacrifices, like the one in [White Maze], could appear.’

I remained silent and led the way. Meanwhile, the voices of the people behind me continued to echo.

“But, now that I think about it, how on earth are the fairies living here able to communicate?”

'Let's be careful.'

Today, it was necessary to maintain silence. I had to keep my identity hidden to avoid being exposed as an alien. With that thought in mind, I scanned my surroundings. Then, I noticed the large tree the fairies in the square had mentioned. To be precise, it was a small plant, barely reaching the height of a human shin.

'This is big enough for a fairy.'

I bent my knees and checked the hut nestled in the tree's shade. Through the window of the hut, I could see a small shadow busily moving around. So, what should I do now? Should I call out to the homeowner first?

Knock knock knock.

"Heuk!"

I lightly knocked on the door of the hut. The survivors, still shaken from their harsh encounter with the fairies, flinched at my actions. Fortunately, nothing happened that warranted their concern.

Kieeek.

Soon, the door creaked open just a little, and the owner of the hut greeted us warmly.

"Who, who are you...?"

A timid tone. A calm demeanor. The newly appeared fairy had a strangely uneasy appearance, but I could immediately recognize the culprit.

'Ah, it doesn't have wings.'

The true identity of Apa, as mentioned by the creatures in the square, was a fairy without wings.

"Are you the guests who came to the kingdom?"

But the flying ability is perfectly fine.

Prrr.

Soon, the fairy flew out of the door and hovered at my shoulder level, and I followed it with my eyes as I spoke.

“That’s right. But if it’s okay, could you tell us where the guests who came before us are now?”

The association staff, who were reluctantly standing behind me, had the duty of searching for the dungeon survivors. So, I asked about the whereabouts of the Treasure Hunter team, who had gone ahead first, on behalf of Seonwoo Yeon.

“Guests? What guests? I don’t know.”

Oh my. The response I got was different from what I expected.

“The ones in the plaza definitely said those people came here, though.”

“Yes? No, you are my first guests. I don’t understand who you’re talking about.”

The wingless fairy shook its round head from side to side and said that it had never seen a person before.

‘Are you lying?’

'Are you lying?'

At first, I considered the possibility of perjury, but surprisingly, the chances of that were very low. The cognitive entities seem to have a poor grasp of the concept of 'deception.' They are, in fact, more honest than us. Even in dungeons, the rules presented are mostly truthful, even if there are some discrepancies here and there.

'Is it a design error?'

I thought of a few more possibilities. Honestly, no matter what, I couldn't find the location of the advance team for now. Despite Seonwoo Yeon's tracking, it seems like they're nowhere to be found—perhaps the fairies have already taken them. Therefore, it's better to use my time more efficiently right now.

"Then, do you know how to get out of here?"

I finally brought up the main topic, which was not even a simple lie.

"How to get out of here?"

Fortunately, there was no problem with communication. The fairy understood the topic I brought up and smoothly continued the conversation.

"If you're looking for a way out of the kingdom... I have a clue. But I can't just tell you."

Fortunately, there was no problem with communication. The fairy understood the topic I brought up and smoothly continued the conversation.

“If you’re looking for a way out of the kingdom... I have a clue. But I can’t just tell you.”

“Then?”

“If you grant me one wish, I’ll show you the way.”

I slightly moved my facial muscles at the fairy’s suggestion, meaning I furrowed my brows.

“Wish? What wish?”

“I can’t tell you before you promise to grant my wish.”

“No, but I need to know what it’s about...”

“I can’t tell you before you promise to grant my wish.”

I didn’t expect this artificial creature to have such a setting. I have no idea what kind of request it might make, and yet, I have to accept the offer without knowing it. It’s unsettling.

I didn't expect this artificial creature to have such a setting. I have no idea what kind of request it might make, and yet, I have to accept the offer without knowing it. It's unsettling.

"Hmm."

But there's no other choice. We're in a situation where we need to clear the dungeon and leave as quickly as possible. And aside from listening to the wingless fairy's words, there's nothing else worth trying.

"What should we do?"

After a brief discussion, we decided to grant the fairy's wish. It was unanimous.

"Really? Are you really going to grant it? Is that a promise?"

But what the fairy wanted was...

"Then... could you please play with me for just 10 minutes?"

I can't believe this is what it was about. We were stunned for a moment after hearing the fairy's words, but the round creature flew around us, chattering happily. It was a joyful gesture.

“I don't have any friends! I've always been alone. So, I wish you would play tag with me!”

“Tag?”

“That's my wish!”

At first, it might seem like a rather simple request, but...

The problem is that this fairy species has a history of killing hunters through balloon games.

“The rules of tag are simple. One person becomes ‘it’ and tries to catch the others. If you’re caught by ‘it,’ you become the next ‘it’!”

“Easy?”

“And as we keep passing the role of ‘it’ around, when the 10 minutes are up, the last person who was ‘it’ will receive a ‘penalty,’ and that will be the end of the game.”

And as we keep passing the role of 'it' around, when the 10 minutes are up, the last person who was 'it' will receive a 'penalty,' and that will be the end of the game.

I'll take back what I just said.

As expected, the wingless fairy made the very declaration we feared the most.

Hiiik, penalty!

Most of the people here have experienced what a 'fairy-style penalty' is.

'The loser gets their head ripped off and killed, right?'

So, in other words, this is essentially ten minutes of torment, where we're forced to pass around a death-triggered bomb.

But something felt off. This feeding ground was undoubtedly a trap set by the peculiar, selective appetites of the spirit constructs. They shouldn't be particularly interested in human death or suffering.

'They deliberately included a process that guarantees a casualty on the essential path to clearing the dungeon?'

As my expectations were overturned, I found myself tensing up in stark contrast to the confidence I had when I first...

'They deliberately included a process that guarantees a casualty on the essential path to clearing the dungeon?'

As my expectations were overturned, I found myself tensing up in stark contrast to the confidence I had when I first a greed to grant the wish. But at this point, there was no backing out of the promise.

“You have 10 minutes left!”

Next, the dungeon’s resident announced the progress of the wish.

Blink!

A bright light suddenly burst from the right side of my vision. When I turned my head to check, I saw that one of the su rvivors had changed. A man in his 30s now had a beautifully crafted ring of light wrapped around his shoulders.

“By the way, this is the marker for being ‘it.’ It will automatically transfer to someone else when it touches their body.”

Well, that’s what they said. The fairy, with eyes shining in a maple-like hue like expensive topaz, opened its mouth and laughed heartily.

What returned was a sharply piercing voice.

“What, what is this! Why am I the one who’s it?”

“The first tagger is chosen randomly.”

“F*ck! No, I mean, why the hell are you deciding that on your own…!”

“Anyway, it doesn’t matter since the last tagger is the important one, right?”

The adventurers, suddenly burdened with a great danger, forget their fear of the fairies and start cursing. After all, that glowing ring was essentially a mark of a death sentence. Who would dare to feel happy about it?

Slowly.

The rest of the group, now understanding the situation, cautiously start to distance themselves from the one tagged as the seeker. Just moments ago, they were all relying on each other, united in their resolve to conquer the gate…

“Keurukk!”

The wingless fairy let out a sound, something between a sneer and a laugh, as it watched us scatter. Its high-pitched

"Keurukk!"

The wingless fairy let out a sound, something between a sneer and a laugh, as it watched us scatter. Its high-pitched, almost tearing laugh was eerily similar to the laughter of the fairies in the plaza.

"This, this f*cking monster..."

But at that moment, the hunter selected as the “it” started to channel mana into their veins. That fairy clearly asked to play tag ‘with me’. That meant that the same rules of the game applied to that creature.

'Right. Now that I think about it, there's no need for us to fight each other!'

Bam!

The one selected as the tagger was none other than a C-rank staff member from the association. C-rank. It might seem like they could easily be killed by the deadly venom of [Hydra], but in reality, compared to an ordinary person, they are still very much close to being superhuman.

The C-rank hunter waited for the fairy to fly low, then seized the moment to act. He rolled his feet and used this momentum to close the distance and reach out to the opponent’s torso. It all happened in an instant. The analysts here probably didn’t even notice the action, and even I missed most of the movement because I blinked.

"Ugh!"

The C-rank hunter waited for the fairy to fly low, then seized the moment to act. He rolled his feet and used this momentum to close the distance and reach out to the opponent's torso. It all happened in an instant. The analysts here probably didn't even notice the action, and even I missed most of the movement because I blinked.

“Ugh!”

Blink.

At that moment, just as a faint light flashed, when I regained my senses, I realized the fairy was already floating high in the distant air.

“W, what...”

“Gyah! This is fun! This is fun!”

The hunter who missed the fairy was bewildered, not understanding what had just happened, but it was that very scene that made me give up on the last shred of hope in my heart.

‘D, damn it, why the hell did they include the [Blink] spell for the fairy...!’

What the fairy just did was a short-range teleportation, and as long as the opponent has that ability, there's no chance for us half-baked magicians to win.

'We can't catch that. Not just us, even Jung Haseong would struggle without any equipment!'

I'm going crazy. The C-rank hunter, who had no way of knowing the truth, kept struggling to catch the fairy, but no matter how many times he tried, the result was always the same.

Prrrr.

The fairy smiled brightly, never once accepting the role of the tagger. The loser of this game could only be one of the humans, as it was bound to happen between them.

'The gate really has been designed terribly.'

Anyway... once I regain my strength, I'll make sure to wipe these damn creatures out for good...

I turned a blind eye to the chaos around me and gazed at the ceiling of this otherworldly space for a moment. It was a habitual escape from reality.

Author's Thoughts

Hi, from now on, I will update this novel 3 chapters/week. Thank you for all your support so far:)