Chapter 238. Gluttony Incident (2)

Ahn Yoonseung is a creature with a tendency to be favorable and will yield profits in the long run if kept alive. So, taking on this level of risk is definitely an economical choice.

"Of course."

I muttered some form of rationalization or whatever and took the first step in my strategy. Like many disaster scenes, from now on, it was a battle against time.

.

.

.

Wait a minute. Cancel that. The part where I said it was a battle against time, forget it.

"Dammit."

Right. I had barged into this monster's nest, so it's not like I'd only be dealing with a few minutes or hours of trouble.

~Grmmgg~

By the time I heard a beast's cry from somewhere, I hid myself in a corner of the dungeon and swallowed dryly.

"I'm going crazy."

To explain, this place is about 3/5 of the way through another world. Therefore, there are only two more traps left before reaching the section where Ahn Yoonseung's team is presumed to be trapped. However, as you can see, I've now come face-to-face with an unavoidable trial at the door leading to the next path.

"Greuk, geuk. Greuk."

The creature's forehead was covered in a hard, armored shell, much like an armadillo's. Its snout curled upward like a wild boar's, baring its teeth. The legs are somewhat unfamiliar in this world, but to me, they are a six-legged aquatic animal that doesn't feel particularly strange.

"Ah, damn it. I'm sure I've seen this animal in a book before, but I can't remember its scientific name."

It's a monster. In terms of rank, it appeared to be a terrestrial amphibian with about the strength of an A-rank mid-tier monster. Since I don't carry Earth's analyzer, I couldn't know the exact classification of the opponent, but at least this much I could be sure of.

"If I face it head-on, I feel like I'll lose..."

No, I'm not joking. I really will...

There was a big difference between a fight with set rules like a tournament and a real fight. Back then, there was a time limit of three minutes. Most importantly, the objective of the game was to break the pendant of a necklace, which was much less hard than a sorcerer's body, so winning was relatively easy.

But now?

"With an F-rank body, I have to take down an A-rank monster? It looks like its stamina is pretty strong, so I don't think I'll die easily from poison."

Kaaak, kaak.

In the distance, the strange creature with six legs moved one by one, scratching the ground. It began a repetitive behavior, much like a zoo animal pacing in circles, stuck in a confined space.

"Kyu."

And of all places, it floated on the spot right in front of the door I had to pass through. I tried using telekinesis to throw nearby stones in an attempt to distract it, but strangely, as soon as I took just a few steps away from a certain range, the monster would return to its original position.

"Ugh! This is so frustrating."

I've already disabled seven traps to get here, and at the same time, I easily evaded the tracking of a monster that seems to be S-rank with my stealth.

"I can't help it."

After thinking for a while, I came to a conclusion. This time, there was no other choice but to charge straight ahead. Normally, I would have spent more time reflecting and trying to find another way, but right now, there were stranded survivors in the dungeon that I had to rescue.

"It seems like they're still managing to avoid the dungeon boss for now, but if those Earthlings who can't distinguish traps end up getting caught by some severe magic..."

Tsk.

I glanced in the direction where Ahn Yoonseung's team was and soon rolled up my sleeves. Despite the dramatic appearance, though, if you look deeper, I wasn't really that tense. I was just calculating the risks and making a calculated move.

~Prrrr~

At least, according to my calculations, I can defeat it.

Having finished my thoughts, I took a deep breath and circulated my mana. What followed was the fierce battle between an A-rank monster and a mere David.

.

.

.

9 minutes later.

~Thud!

A huge chunk of meat was thrown to the ground. At the same time, a rough sound like the panting of an exhausted castaway in the middle of the desert was heard.

"H... heuk..."

The corpse of the monster, with thin scratches etched all over its shell, lay before me. I shouted loudly after witnessing its final moments.

"This damn thing!"

Anyway, it's so damn persistent!

"I did it!"

As I said earlier, I, as an archmage, proudly defeated an A-class monster with the body of an F-class. However, there was no cause for pure celebration, as things certainly didn't look pretty. The 9 minutes that were glossed over contained a battle so grueling that it was almost too painful to watch with open eyes.

To be honest, it was probably the least cool fight I've ever had in my life. With the measly amount of mana I had as an F-rank, breaking through the A-rank monster's innate resistances was practically impossible. If I tried to cast magic on major organs like the brain or heart, the magic power flowing through the monster's body would automatically disrupt the spell.

So I relied on the deadly poison of [Hydra] and stabbed the enemy in the mouth to poison them through the mucous membrane. Once its immunity was weakened by the poison, I took advantage of the openings to cast spells without incarnations...

"Haa..."

I achieved victory by summoning a chunk of rock directly into the monster's throat. But this method required precisely targeting the airways—one of the few areas where internal magic circulation was low. So taking down a crazed beast thrashing like a rabid raccoon by blocking its windpipe was, truly, something even an archmage wouldn't be able to pull off easily.

"Damn it. I missed my magic so many times that my mana's completely drained..."

Whoo, whoo.

I've been hit so many times by the monster's strong forehead, and the protective effect of [Sacred Tree Seedling] has long since come to an end. At this point, the coating was almost broken, so further fighting would be impossible.

"I've been wasting too much time."

Being left in a dungeon with an S-class monster is like standing aimlessly under a roof that's out of alignment. I urgently sharpened my senses and observed. Ahn Yoonseung's team was gradually being cornered. They had managed to avoid the monsters up until now, but it wouldn't be long before they encountered the dead end of the dungeon...

"Ugh."

I manipulated the muscles in my neck to force down the rising breath. Then, with staggered steps, I hurriedly pushed open the door in front of me. But the moment my eyes met the next corridor of the dungeon connected to that door, I heard a sharp, whistling sound of wind nearby...

~Taang!

Suddenly, a massive, thunderous roar like the sound of gunfire rang in my ears. It was a dungeon spell that was triggered by opening a stone door. Like a rat trap, rectangular tiles with spiked edges shot on both sides, designed to eliminate anyone caught in the middle.

To put it more simply, I was just caught in a trap!

"No!"

Crunch.

I realized the situation after the irreversible damage had already occurred. Having been caught in a trap while the protective effects had almost worn off, my body was in a literal state of ruin. The tiles, with numerous spikes like crocodile teeth, had pierced through, tearing apart the fat layers of my body as a direct consequence.

My shoulder, shoulder blade, wrist, hip, ribs, thigh, etc., were broken. Since the stone thorns were embedded more than 6cm deep, my various internal organs were inevitably not safe.

"Damn it!"

Bam!

The trap plate, having completed its role, returned to the floor. However, this only worsened the situation. Once the thorns embedded in my flesh were pulled out, how could the bodily fluids not spill through the new gaps? As expected, my white shirt quickly turned red as blood began to gush out

Tuk.

"Oh no."

If I hadn't been in a state of magic exhaustion, I would've surely sensed the trap the moment I touched the door!

No, more than that. If it were in my prime, I would've been able to clearly read the blueprint of this mere trap from 100 meters away. But after exhausting my stamina in a battle with an A-rank mob, my judgment had deteriorated drastically. Because of that, I failed to notice the magic hidden in the door.

"Huh..."

Damn it, it was urgent. This situation can be summed up with that one phrase.

"Hoho."

Creeping.

Seeing the state of my half-destroyed body, all that came out of my mouth was a dumbfounded scoff and a bitter laugh. I crawled on all fours to a safer patch of ground nearby. Then, leaning my upper body against the corridor wall, I thought to myself. Even if my expression looked composed, I was anything but calm inside.

"All the things I've done in my life... I can't believe I'm making a mistake like this."

First of all, there are a few things that even an archmage cannot do. One of those is bringing a creature back to life.

"And what if it's a dead body that can be used as a golem? But restoring 'someone else's living body' is a field that even a selfish Alpharius like me are particularly unsure about!"

But what if, while I'm hesitating like this, Ahn Yoonseung ends up getting critically injured?

As I circulated the hemostasis magic through my entire body, I thought. Even though my condition had worsened to this point, there was no major issue with survival on this side. Fortunately, my lungs hadn't been completely destroyed.

"It's a good thing I still had some of the protective effects left."

However, the overall damage was so severe that full recovery would be impossible even with roughly two days of effort.

"After having some money left, I bought quite a few Earth magic recovery potions just in case, but I ended up drinking most of them while deactivating traps on the way here."

Moreover, with that last hit, the protective effect was completely broken, and now I'm back to being a real F-rank body. What should I do?

"Anyway, this is all because of Kim Gilyeo. If that b*stard hadn't died, I wouldn't have been in this body."

Grumble.

I tried to blame others out of habit, but soon came to a conclusion.

"OK. Let's just throw away the main body."

Of course, I didn't mean to completely change the body. Rather, the Golem Control technique was originally designed based on the idea of a wizard using mental signals to move specific substances, rather than physically inhabiting the body... In this case, you could think of it as a very high-performance remote control.

~Glance.

I half-lay down, only rolling my eyes. Then, in my line of sight, the corpse of a six-legged amphibian appeared.

Immediately after my reincarnation, I was unable to control monsters in any grade range. However, now that I've healed my lungs, if my only intention is to simply rise to my feet, without fully utilizing the abilities of that creature, then...

~_~

I closed my eyes. When the darkened vision finally cleared again, I noticed that my height had drastically changed, and I could hear the sound of something breathing softly in my ears, "Huff. Huff."

***

[Web transmission] <Safe transmission number>

[S-rank Hunter Se Esther. Please confirm and reply immediately.]

Meanwhile, outside. The association was thrown into chaos due to an anomalous mutation event at a certain Blue Gate. Who would have expected an S-rank Gate to suddenly appear like this?

~ Flap!

Immediately after, a massive white creature appeared from the sky. Upon realizing the appearance of the S-class gate, the Hunter Association of Korea promptly called upon the highest-ranking hunters. They urgently summoned Jung Haeseong, who was having a meal at home. To bring in Korea's second S-class hunter, they even went so far as to turn around a perfectly fine airplane.

She had originally planned to visit her mother, who runs a large business in Vietnam, after a long time. But as of this moment, all her plans were ruined.

"Anyway, there are more inconveniences than I thought in becoming an S-rank."

"Hunter Esther!"

"Yes. Hello— I'm Seo Esther, the one who couldn't attend my mom's birthday party, which only happens once a year."

Esther, having jumped off from the transport magic tool, looked around at the hunters waiting and spoke.

"So, which dungeon is the one that turned me into an unfilial daughter? Is it this one?"

"Ah, yes."

"As expected, Kang Changho didn't come."

However, when Esther made a comment about someone, an employee from the Hunter Association stepped forward.

"K, Kang Hunter is currently inside the Gate."

"Uhm?"

"We checked, and there's a record of the Association granting him clearance... He entered the [Nameless Cave] that appeared in Songpa about 30 minutes ago. So it seems he's currently unable to respond to the summon."

Kang Changho is raiding a dungeon? Even if he had properly received the message, the chances of that Hunter complying with the Association's orders were low anyway.

While Korea's second S-rank brushed off the staff member's words, Jung Haeseong quickly skimmed through the report prepared by the Association and murmured to himself.

"At approximately 1:19 PM, the abnormal mutation was confirmed. Neo Team 3, led by Hunter Park Seunghye, entered first, and the confirmed entity to have appeared is an A-rank Red Tentacle..."

The last paragraph of this paper had a conspicuous name written on it.

[Entry List: Park Seunghye, Baek Jakyung, Ahn Yunseung. --- (Additional) Kim Gilyeo]

"Excuse me for a moment. I apologize for the interruption. Kim Hunter's name is already on the entry list. What does this mean?"

When Haeseong asked the question, the person in charge of the Neo Sisters Guild stepped forward to begin the explanation. This man, wearing glasses, was someone who had personally witnessed how an S-rank entered the dungeon.

"You're saying he came to look for him?"

"I've heard that there was some kind of dinner appointment with Team 3."

Since it was an emergency situation, Jung Haeseong probably wouldn't be interested in unnecessary details. Therefore, the head of Neo quickly skipped over the trivial descriptions and went straight to the point.

"Anyway, Hunter Kim Gilyeo entered the dungeon first and is currently disabling traps. He said he would open the way."

"Yes?"

"Huh? You're saying Gilyeo is inside that gate right now?"

At those words, both Jung Haeseong and Esther, who had been checking their equipment, immediately stopped what they were doing. After a brief moment, a remark that seemed to scold came back.

"No, look! Even so, how could you let him go in alone? It's way too dangerous!"

However, even from the Hunter Association's perspective, this was an entry that they couldn't stop.

"That, it... it couldn't be helped. This is an S-rank mutated gate, after all."

"What's wrong with that?"

"As Hunter Kim Gilyeo himself said, it's better to have one S-rank inside for safety. After all, having him there alone will be much more stable for survival than sending in other personnel..."

The characteristic of where the number of enemy entities changes, and the mention of "more stable survival" made sense to those standing there. Each of these individuals was a capable hunter with terrifying hunting experience, so understanding the situation was not difficult for them.

"...I'm not sure if I understood correctly, but are you saying that Hunter Kim Gilyeo is currently out inside there to prevent a potential break?"

"If there were survivors, the otherworld structure would never collapse completely. Because of that trait, during the early days of dungeon shocks, there were often cases where a person would be used as a living keystone to temporarily delay the worst disasters. In other words— it was a modern-day human sacrifice."

"Yes. Because the A-rank Team 3 might be wiped out at any moment."

"..."

"Hunter Gilyeo said that just sitting at the entrance wouldn't help— if an S-rank gate respawned there, he'd have to fight it anyway. So he figured he might as well explore the inside a bit while waiting for you two to arrive..."

"Ah, for that reason..."

A moment later, having grasped the entire situation, Jung Haeseong gripped the Sword of Sunset tighter, his pupils trembling like waves crashing ashore.

But fortunately, the top-ranked hunter didn't enter the S-rank gate without any additional preparation.

"Ah! Haeseong-ssi! Stop, stop. Hold on for a sec! There's something I absolutely have to tell you before you go in!"

A woman with drooping eyes, who had been standing nearby, urgently clung to him and stopped the top-ranked hunter from moving.