Chapter 240. The Gluttony Incident (4)

Seonwoo Yeon felt as though all the blood in her body had frozen.

It was horrifying. It seemed that the saying "having your mind go blank" was meant for a situation like this. In front of her, Kim Giryeo was lying, covered in wounds as if he had been through an Iron Maiden, his body pierced all over. By the door along the corridor, there were thorny plates soaked in what appeared to be human blood.

Could it be that Kim Giryeo's flesh was pierced by something like that? Dungeon traps are usually coated with poisons like that. Even the strong hunters who enter nests to match the monster's level can sometimes fall victim to traps, as these traps often carry attributes that bypass immunity and can pierce through defenses.

"...Heuk!"

Seonwoo Yeon gasped for breath.

"Heuk! K... Kim... Hunter Kim Giryeo."

She had a pale complexion as she ran towards the hunter in front of her.

However, no matter how much she called his name or shook his shoulders, there was no response from him. Eventually, a familiar emotional expression from Earth appeared on Seonwoo Yeon's face. That is, a small amount of fluid leaked from her almond-shaped tear ducts.

"This, this... what is this..."

Seonwoo Yeon, with tears welling in her eyes, turned to look at the other Awakened who had come with her. However, their reactions were no different. Esther's skin had turned pale as she clutched her mouth in shock. Jung Haeseong's expression hadn't changed, but the uncontrollable surge of magic within him acted as an answer, revealing just how chaotic and bewildered he was.

"Huh."

The trembling voice of someone barely holding it together. Among them, the one whose mindset most resembled that of the Alphaur—Esther—regained just enough composure to pour the stockpiled medication into the patient's wounds.

Was it because the wounds had been inflicted to long ago? Or was it because the person lying in front of him was no longer alive and it was not effective? Somehow, she couldn't see the man's wound healing at all.

The fluid that had welled up in Seonwoo Yeon's eyes could no longer withstand its own weight and fell to the ground in heavy drops.

"Huh."

She cried. However, this was actually a phenomenon that should be seen as shock and a reflection of it rather than sadness. Despite the numerous events they had gone through, perhaps due to their innate personalities, Seonwoo Yeon and Kim Giryeo still had a rather business-like relationship when it came down to it.

So, from Seonwoo Yeon's perspective, this scene just felt like a deputy manager from a neighboring department—someone she occasionally ran into—had died. And yet, even so, she took an immense blow. She was so overwhelmed by fear that even the color drained from her face.

Kim Giryeo was a man of steel—someone who didn't do much as flinch even when faced with a cannibalistic fairy that could speak like a human. Not only did he subdue the rampaging Imoggi, but he also knew so much about the world around him. Even someone like herself, who wasn't particularly interested in research, had looked up to him from a distance for his remarkable skills as a hunter.

The object of her admiration had suddenly appeared in such a state—how could anyone not be afraid? What was worse, the injuries on his body were so severe that anyone with a weak stomach would have trouble even looking at them directly.

"._."

Seonwoo Yeon was once again on the verge of tears. Despite not being directly connected to the injuries, her inefficient empathizing with the pain of another and genuinely feeling hurt was undeniable. The association's employees suddenly recalled the time when the blonde hunter had helped her in the past, and she trembled greatly, her hands shaking.

It was then.

Haa...

An even more shocking event unfolded. While Seonwoo Yeon was sobbing and lowering her head...the man, who had looked unmistakably like a corpse, slowly took a deep breath.

"Kyaa!"

"Why... why are you..."

"Seonwoo Yeon-ssi! Look over there! Look! Hunter Kim's eyes just opened!"

"Heuk!"

The surroundings quickly became chaotic. It seemed that the recovery potion Esther had just applied was starting to take effect, as the wounds on Kim Giryeo's body began to heal rapidly. The rescue team, confirming that Kim Giryeo was alive, rushed over and shouted.

"Giryeo-ss! Giryeo-ss!"

"Hunter Kim Giryeo!"

"Are, are you okay? Can you hear me?"

The blonde hunter turned his gaze toward the loud sound that almost stung his ears.

"Ugh, that scared me."

The moment Giryeo successfully transferred his consciousness back into his original body, he was startled by the faces of the hunters that had gathered right in front of him. The noise had been so overwhelming that he had urgently stopped controlling the monster, but he hadn't expected 5-rank hunters to be causing such a commotion.

Cough, cough.

It seemed that the broken ribs from the trap had pierced his lung. Giryeo quickly spat out the congealed blood from his throat and uttered his first words.

"You guys came quickly."

"Is now the time to say something like that?!"

As Esther raised her voice, Giryeo reflexively lifted his eyebrows. Due to his natural traits, he often struggled to understand the context of expressions, as if he were dealing with a true psychopath, rather than taking things as a joke. The sight of her reddened face, lightly scrunched up and shouting loudly, was interpreted by Giryeo as a slight anger rather than concern or relief, at least from the perspective of an alien trying to comprehend human emotions.

"She's angry?"

However, Giryeo at least had the intelligence to guess why the curse sorcerer might be angry. So, he quickly voiced a certain assumption that had come to mind. It wasn't the correct answer, though.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I said I'd hold out as best as I could inside, but seeing me like this must've startled you."

"What did you say?"

"I tried to open the door in a hurry and ended up making a small mistake..."

After checking a few times to ensure his forearm muscles were functioning properly, Giryeo moved his body and pointed toward one side.

"As you can see, I got caught in a trap. Well, it's inevitable that hunters with unlocking skills are more likely to fall into traps than others..."

Muttered.

Giryeo sincerely apologized for not properly fulfilling his role in preventing the collapse. However, since he had known the monster count of this dungeon from the beginning, his apology wasn't genuine. He simply wanted to avoid drawing the scolding of powerful 5-rank hunters. So, with unnecessary excuses, he tried to downplay his own faults as much as possible.

"Crazy."

However, Kim Giryeo's actions and statements mostly had the opposite effect. Each new sentence that left his mouth caused the rescue team's cortisol levels to rise steadily. In other words, their blood pressure was increasing.

"._."

"._."

This was the typical reaction of planetary inhabitants when a foreign consciousness took over a vessel. Kim Giryeo's rational attitude felt like an immense disconnect to them. Jung Haeseong had already experienced this emotion deeply during the [Labyrinth of the 13th Month] incident, but the other two companions only realized it in the depths of their minds once they reached this point.

"Why is everyone acting like this? Could it be that you all got injured on the way here?"

That hunter, something was fundamentally wrong with him. It was no longer something that could be masked by his strength or coping abilities. Everyone in the room could sense that he was an unfamiliar being. However, that didn't mean the fact his soul came from a binary star system was revealed to everyone. The Earthlings simply processed the current sense of unfamiliarity in their own ways.

The first to recover from the shock was Esther, ranked second.

"Giryeo-ssi, please don't speak for now. I've been hearing a coughing sound from your throat. Is there something seriously wrong inside?"

"It's not that bad..."

Just as the conversation between the 5-rank hunters was flowing, Seonwoo Yeon, her face still pale, took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the blood trickling down Kim Giryeo's chin. That gesture made Giryeo briefly turn his head, and only then did he notice something glistening in the Earthling's eyes.

"Tears? Don't tell me... she cried because I was hurt...?"

Just that?

There was one wound, but two people were in pain. The Alphaur paused for a moment, thinking that no other mammal could be as wasteful as this. The Earthling's unique sensitivity was certainly an interesting phenomenon that he wanted to analyze further, but unfortunately, there was no time for that at the moment.

Giryeo stopped observing Seonwoo Yeon's face and briefly rolled his eyes beneath his eyelids. After confirming that the connection with the six-legged amphibian (temporary golem) had been completely severed, he quickly took to his missing comrades.

"...Anyway, this is not the time for us to be like this."

He asked them to hurry and help Ahn Yoonseung.

"If you go inside this door, you'll reach a fork. If you turn left there, you'll quickly feel Hunter Ahn Yoonseung's magic. Please start the rescue from there."

"No, the person right in front of us is in this condition! How can we just leave like that?!"

In this way, he could easily adapt to various unexpected situations. Even though Kim Giryeo had used medicine, it was clear that it would take quite a while before he would be able to act again, as he was severely injured. From a purely efficiency standpoint, the blonde hunter's argument had no flaws. The problem is that this was something a man whose body was half destroyed said so calmly.

"Understood. Then, I will move to Neo Team 3 right now."

"Seonwoo Yeon-ssi, the skill effect has worn off, right? Please reactivate it immediately." 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

They were confused, but ultimately made a quick decision. They began running toward the survivors of the dungeon, who were desperately waiting for help even at that very moment. And at that moment, from deep within the long corridor beyond the door, a heavy "thud" echoed as if it had been waiting...

***

It's a familiar tension. The pressure, like a human stranded alone in space, makes it feel as though the breath is being choked off.

Thud!

At the deafening noise coming from somewhere, the young man with almond-shaped eyes adjusted his grip on the shield.

They were in an unfamiliar, otherworldly place. The Neo Sisters' regular Team 3 had originally been tackling an A-rank gate known as the [Rotating Heaven Labyrinth], a task so routine that its strategy had become standardized. Yet, what had started as an ordinary mission in the morning quickly spiraled into this disaster.

Tick.

[Unconfirmed Gate]

[Description: No gate information available.]

[Rank: 5]

"Even after checking multiple times, it's the same."

Like the Inca civilization, the atmosphere was ancient and classical, yet bright and threatening like gold. Ahn Yoonseung looked up at the inverted dungeon ceiling and spoke a word. The team leader of Team 3, who was standing behind, scratched her head and responded.

"Yeah, I usually try not to say negative things like this, but it seems like we're doomed."

No matter how skilled and powerful A-rank elites are, it's hard to guarantee survival in front of the enemies of a top-tier gate.

"Everyone, let's move further into the corridor. The monster we saw earlier is still following us."

"Tsk."

Fortunately, there's a teammate with detection-based support skills in the team, so we're managing to avoid the monster for now. But will buying time really make a difference? This is an 5-rank nest, after all. What if outside support takes more than a day to arrive?

"Kough..."

One of the team members couldn't bear the pressure and let out a pained groan. The atmosphere of fear spread quickly to those around them.

But at that moment, a young man, standing in formation, turned his head toward them without breaking his stance. Besides the characteristics of the awakened attribute, that defensive hunter often turned his back to his colleagues. So, seeing them face each other like this inside the dungeon was surprisingly rare, but the expression on the young man's face remained exactly the same as usual.

"Don't worry, everyone."

Ahn Yoonseung was smiling. Of course, this wasn't a sign of overconfidence in his defensive abilities. Whether it was good luck or bad luck, the regular Team 3 members had, by chance, made a rare agreement before entering this place today.

"We will definitely be rescued."

"Yoonseung-ah..."

"We're the team that was supposed to have lunch with Hunter Kim Giryeo! Isn't that right?"

Even just to hold us accountable for the restaurant reservation cancellation fee, he must be desperately looking for us. Yoonseung said with a joking tone mixed with a smile. Though cold sweat kept dripping down his face from the confusion and tension, his determination was still unwavering.

"Let's hold on a little longer."

He trusted his one and only mentor. At the same time, he tried to imitate the calm demeanor that Korea's fourth 5-rank hunter usually displayed in the dungeon.

Thud!

Despite his best efforts to conceal his body, at some point, the smell of human flesh was inevitably detected by the otherworldly monsters. But as long as he didn't die, as long as he could endure, that hunter would definitely come to his rescue.

"Given that they're not coming straight toward us, I guess the monsters don't have that great of a sense of smell."

"Should I try using an ice skill to lower the surrounding temperature a bit?"

"No, don't do that. If the enemy is a monster that's sensitive to detecting magic, it could backfire instead..."

And so, Neo Sisters' regular Team 3 continued their cautious escape, steady as if testing each step on a stone bridge, grounded in unwavering faith. Before long, their persistence began to bear meaningful fruit.

Thud!

"Hm? What's this? That sound just now... it suddenly felt a lot closer...?"

Just when the marking—headbutting—noise of the 5-rank boss monster seemed to grow louder, unmistakably so.

Tak, tak, tak.

From across the hallway, noises that were presumed to be the sound of human footsteps began to be heard.

"Huh?"

And when they turned their heads toward the direction of the sound, they saw awakened ones emerging—figures who, even in this deadly nest, felt like a ray of light.

"Uh-uh!"

"Oh!"

"Gasp! Oh my god, oh my god...! This is insane, I almost screamed without realizing it."

A hunter wrapped in a long white coat. And at the same time, the second-in-command with a striking presence appeared alongside them. The legendary top two figures of the industry were rushing toward where they stood. The Neo Sisters' hunters, upon seeing this scene, all stood frozen with mouths agape. After all, this was a high-level mutated gate. Honestly, they never imagined a rescue operation would be carried out this quickly!

"It looks like Hyung-nim must have taken some action!"

As expected, Giryeo Hyung!

Sparkle.

Yoonseung was deeply moved by the appearance of the 5-rank hunters, rolling his eyes in awe. He instinctively turned his gaze to find the person who had just come to mind. However, for some reason, there was no sign of golden hair anywhere, and instead of greeting the survivors warmly, the rescue team appeared with tense faces, suddenly shouting orders.

"Ah! Oh my god, everyone, fall back!"

"Everyone, move to this corridor and stay at least two blocks away! Only the healing-type awakened ones, please wait separately within the range where you can apply your skills! Immediately!"

Huh? Just as the survivors were making dumbfounded expressions, the sound of footsteps suddenly rang out from the right hallway connected to the room.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

The leader of this nest had a special ability called [Giant-killing]. In other words, the sand-colored reptile absolutely despised having any 'strong opponents' of equal or greater power enter its territory, to the point where it became incredibly obvious.