Chapter 169: Scenario Gate (3)

Moreover, that wasn't the only headache. It was around 3 minutes after the game of tag had started.

"U, ugh..."

The C-rank Hunter seemed to finally realize that he couldn't catch the fairy, and he soon stopped moving. He stood there, drenched in cold sweat, unable to overcome his fear, and eventually started transferring his anxiety onto others.

Tuk!

He grabbed another raider.

"Heuk, heuk..."

But why was it me?

"I'm, I'm sorry. I'm sorry..."

After doing everything he did, what kind of nerve does he have to apologize now?

Flash.

I absentmindedly looked at the glowing ring that had transferred to my shoulder. The flaws that I couldn't fill were clearly revealed here. While I had increased my defense with the [Sacred Tree Seedling], my physical abilities were still at rock bottom.

"I couldn't avoid the jump."

Hmm. But that hunter probably didn't know that I had poor reflexes.

"Why S-rank of all people?"

I glanced at my right arm and asked the question. Logically speaking, if you pass the role of the tagger to an S-rank, it's obvious they'll be back in no time, so I was curious about what they were thinking.

"Th, that's... I'm sorry. I just couldn't stay as the tagger anymore. I, I seriously feel like I'm going crazy right now..."

"..."

"B, but, Hunter Kim Giryeo, you're S-rank, right? You should be able to... catch a fairy like this, right?"

"No. With the teleportation, honestly, it would be difficult."

"Really? That's true, but..."

The C-rank hunter in front of me spoke with panicked eyes.

"But you're still an S-rank."

Being a mid-tier hunter, he should know full well that in a special gate like this, rank doesn't have much influence. And yet.

"If you're S-rank, it's different, right? I mean, even if you end up taking the penalty, you're tough, so... you won't die, right? Please, could you just keep the role of the tagger? P, please. Please don't give it back to me..."

"Chief Lee!"

Unable to watch any longer, Seonwoo Yeon shouted at her colleague, but I stopped her from intervening.

"...It's fine."

Anyway, there's no point in arguing over role changes right now. As soon as I received the tag of the chaser, I began to calm myself down from the inside. I couldn't rush to pass the mark back. The other side was a C-rank veteran, while I was just a fake with a forged rank.

"I'm at a disadvantage in an agility contest."

So I made my decision. I thought I needed to divert everyone's attention elsewhere. If I could ease the tense atmosphere among the group, that damned employee who dumped the role of the tagger on me would eventually let his guard down.

"Even aside from that, I have to make sure people don't get too far away from me!"

Tremble.

I hid my trembling hands inside my pockets and spoke with all my might.

"The employee is right. It's better for me to keep the role of the tagger."

"Yes?"

"It's not good to get too caught up in confusion inside the dungeon from the start. For now, to help everyone calm down..."

I won't pass on the role of the tagger. As I pretended to be calm, as if reassuring them, the people around me predictably stopped running away. The tension was beginning to ease.

"Y, you're really going to keep it? Really?"

"This is proof that I'm staying still. Don't worry, just come over here. Don't get lost for no reason."

"Hmm."

"I'll handle the fairy somehow. It might be difficult to catch it, but if the punishment involves tearing people apart, at least it will come closer then." 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

I poured out all sorts of sweet talk to close the distance between myself and the potential tag candidates. Meanwhile, I continuously analyzed the mark on my arm, but unfortunately, it wasn't something that could be erased with F-rank magic.

In other words, if I wanted to survive, I had to somehow pass this on to someone else...

"That damn kid!"

The problem was that the C-level hunter I was targeting was still out of my reach. That employee, despite hearing my refusal to pass the tag, still remains in place. No matter how cleverly I try to persuade them, they refuse to come closer. Moreover, as the 10 minutes promised by the fairy drew near, even the others, who had seemed relieved, subtly start distancing themselves from the tag...

"Ugh."

I felt anxious. If they kept staying so far apart, when I eventually passed on the role of tagger, my F-rank physical abilities would be exposed to the world for everyone to see.

"If I had known it would turn out like this, I should have done something about this sluggish body first. No, but with limited resources, what am I supposed to do!"

My thoughts became tangled, and at that moment, the fairy spoke clearly from the sky.

"There's only one minute left~"

I had done everything possible to keep people from focusing on the game of tag. But with just a single word from the creature's signal, the tension surged again. The other hunters took a few more steps back from me, their tension rising. Honestly, I just wanted to crush that innocent little head of the fairy.

"Haah."

At this point, I really had no idea what to do. I paused for a moment, deep in thought.

For now, the person closest to me is Seonwoo Yeon. However, she's a B-rank. Even now, her face is as stiff as ice, glancing at my tag every so often. If I made a move, she'd probably run away at full speed.

"Hunter-nim, maybe you should should try catching the fairy from now on..."

"As I mentioned earlier, it's impossible. It clearly uses teleportation skills."

"That's true, but."

"Not just me, but even Jung Haseong or Esther wouldn't be able to do it. This is one thing that's certain, so don't waste your energy trying beforehand."

There were only 50 seconds left. It was time to make a decision. Should I take revenge on the scoundrel who passed the ring to me, or should I target the slow artist for safety? But it seemed there was an obvious answer to this. To be certain, I had to target the weaker one.

The C-rank hunter from the association could defend himself if the ring were passed to him right before the end. Whether I ring me to me, or should I target the slow artist for safety? But it seemed there was an obvious answer to this. To be certain, I had to target the weaker one.

"Yeah."

In that case, it was the same value judgment I always made.

"It's hard to die in their place just because I feel sorry for them."

I decided to sacrifice an innocent weakling to preserve my own life. It was a thought far from noble, characteristic of someone like me, an Alphauri. I may have liked altruism, but I never once claimed to be virtuous. However, just a few seconds later, someone else suddenly stopped me from making that choice.

"...I"

A sudden surge of mana. A hand reached out, touching my back.

In an unexpected situation, I quickly turned my gaze. Then, what I saw was the long black hair of an Awakened person.

"What...!?"

"Tuk!"

Flash!

Seonwoo Yeon, who had touched my back to take the tagger's mark, hesitated and then stepped back. She seemed just as surprised, her eyes wide open in shock.

"3 seconds from now!"

And at this moment, a signal marking the end of the game echoed through the air.

"2"

"1"

"That's..."

Just as the fairy was about to do the unpleasant calculation, the Earthling in a suit explained the reason for her actions in a trembling voice.

"...Giryeo-ssi, you're an S-rank Hunter, right?"

Strangely, the reason was exactly the same as what a certain association employee had said.

"Because you're an S-rank hunter..."

She had taken my mark. As if imagining the future that awaited her, she took a deep breath, her face filled with fear.

"That's it! Now, the tagger has to face the penalty!"

At the same time, the 10 minutes came to an end. Soon, a green afterimage appeared at the fairy's fingertips. That afterimage grew into a powerful flash, stretching with the speed of light.

Then, the sound that followed was a dull thud.

"Seonwoo Yeon!"

The Association's B-class hunter collapsed without even making a sound as her stomach was pierced.

Akkk.

The wingless fairy laughed lightly, despite causing such a mess. As much as I wanted to strip that fairy's skin off right then and there, it wasn't the time for that. Seonwoo Yeon, with her abdomen pierced, was still bleeding out onto the ground.

"Why?"

The other party had already explained the reason, but... still I couldn't understand the actions of the Earthling. Doubts filled my mind.

"Why on earth?"

What on earth does it matter that someone else is an S-rank hunter?

I quickly examined Seonwoo Yeon's condition. A wound about 4 cm wide pierced through her side. Even now, lukewarm blood, typical of homeostasis, was leaking from the gaping wound, and looking at this, I suddenly thought...

"Huh?"

So it's not a fatal wound? Right. It's not fatal. The area where she was struck wasn't close to any vital spots, and after calming my anger, I realized that the amount of blood loss wasn't all that significant either.

"Wait a minute, now that I see it, it's almost a minor injury?"

Come to think of it... Everyone subconsciously assumed the penalty would be death because of the behavior of the fairy during the festival. Looking back, that mischievous creature never actually said that losing in the game would result in death.

As soon as I realized that Seonwoo Yeon was in a treatable condition, my mind cleared up in an instant.

"Potion!"

I soon shouted toward the.

"Is there anyone who brought healing potions? Hand them over right now! Quickly!"

Then, another staff member from the association pulled out some emergency medicine. It seemed to be a mid-to-high-grade healing potion. I poured the medicine over the wound in front of me. Fortunately, because the magic bullet had missed the bones and vital organs, the regeneration process was relatively quick.

Given the circumstances so far, it's highly likely that Seonwoo Yeon fainted not because of the severity of the injury, but due to the fear of death and the intense stress.

"Ah..."

As expected, when I shook her shoulder, it wasn't hard to bring her back to consciousness. She opened her eyes and took a deep breath like someone who had just escaped from water.

"Uh? My head... Am I not dead? I'm alive?"

She seemed still dazed. I sat next to her and began explaining.

"The punishment was different."

"Yes?"

"The fairies in the plaza were killing people, so we misunderstood, but this time, they just made a hole in your body and that was it."

Seonwoo Yeon slightly opened her mouth. It seemed that her survival was quite a surprise to her, but it wasn't anywhere near the bewilderment I felt. After all, I never expected that B-rank Hunter to do something so reckless as throw away her own life.

"No, but why did you take the tagger's mark in the first place?"

I asked because I was genuinely curious about the inside of the alien's brain, and so Seonwoo Yeon answered.

"Giryeo-ssi seemed like you really weren't going to pass it on, so..."

"Yes?"

"Maybe we could lose an S-rank Hunter in a place like this, but that's just... not something I want to happen, right?"

Seonwoo Yeon had made such a brave sacrifice, yet she was still trembling in fear. It seemed like the effect of having faced death, even for a short time, was still lingering.

"Actually, the whole 'because you're an S-rank' excuse was just that—an excuse. I just felt uncomfortable, that's all."

"..."

"...Ever since my parents passed, I just can't stand watching others get hurt right in front of me."

"..."

"So I did it to make myself feel better. Honestly, it was easy to my own mind..."

She continued. She's originally like this, and that she would have taken the tagger's mark regardless of who had it, so I shouldn't feel guilty. Of course, even if she hadn't said that, as someone with an Alphauri soul, I wasn't feeling much guilt to begin with...

I fell into a long silence upon hearing Seonwoo Yeon's words.

"Hunter-nim?"

And at that moment, a voice suddenly cut in from the air, interrupting my thoughts.

"~ Thank you all for granting my wish!"

A high, tearing laugh. A fairy-like tone.

"Playing was fun. It was so much fun! I'm going to write about today in my diary. I'm glad you all came to the kingdom."

Chatter chatter.

At that moment, the others couldn't hide their anger and frowned deeply at the fairy's words. But no matter how infuriating its remarks were, it was nothing more than a puppet acting according to its design.

"Hold my arm and stand."

"Ah, thank you..."

Pouring emotions into an object was a foolish act. So, ignoring the fairy, I focused on taking care of Seonwoo Yeon. Even though we had used a healing potion, she would still need support for a while.