‘My hand hurts like hell.’
Im Haekyung’s head, which had snapped to the side as-is, paused for a mont, then they covered their own jaw with a hand. I’d hit them with a decent amount of force, but maybe because it was an S-rank body, they looked fine on the outside—other than being a little red.
“.......”
Im Haekyung’s quiet gaze turned back toward again.
‘Looks like they’re pissed as fuck.’
But the one who shoved in here was them. And the one who almost died just now was .
I casually rolled my wrist and said calmly.
“So you’d co to your senses.”
“.......”
“No matter how much I can copy the Guild Master’s abilities, whether I can actually use them on the Guild Master is a different problem. When you’re out of it, this is better.”
I’d already known Im Haekyung wasn’t in their right mind ever since they used that Skill. In the first place, they know their ntal-type Skills don’t work unless the target is a living creature with consciousness—so using ntal Domination when there’s nobody around? That alone ant they were °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° already buried in this Dungeon.
Still, thanks to them using ntal Domination and pulling in, I did find out what they were afraid of.
One punch wasn’t going to snap them fully awake, but at least it’d let them draw a line between reality and unreality. Of course, there was intent mixed in too.
‘If you sent soone all the way here, accept this much.’
Im Haekyung pressed their tongue once into their cheek, then narrowed their eyes slightly.
“Ah-ha.... You woke up because you thought I might not be in my right mind?”
“.......”
“I was actually kind of out of it, so I can’t really say anything.... But I’ve never been hit like that anywhere in my life, so it feels really....”
“.......”
“Interesting. Not in a positive way.”
As Im Haekyung said that, they looked vicious for the first ti in a while. Normally they would’ve said even that softly, but their tone was strangely stiff.
“Does it hurt?”
“Thought it was going to break.”
As if soone with an S-rank body would pretend to be weak.
“Be glad you at least brought a decent excuse.”
Leaving that cynical line to the end, Im Haekyung slowly lowered the hand they’d been rubbing their jaw with and looked at quietly.
“How did you get here?”
“I don’t know either. So black... wave suddenly covered .”
Im Haekyung nodded faintly like they understood, then stared at and asked,
“You ran away, though?”
“I have to live too.”
“Staying next to would’ve been safer. Who wanders around an S-rank Dungeon alone?”
“If I stayed next to you, I feel like I would’ve died faster. Considering you ended up like this too, Guild Master.”
“Since earlier... you keep making it so I can’t argue back.”
After saying that, Im Haekyung swept their hair back in a sowhat irritated motion.
“I’m in a bad mood.”
“Yes....”
What, do you want to clap?
I pretended not to hear and asked,
“So what’s the situation.”
“I failed. I guess I couldn’t handle controlling the Dungeon Boss and the other Hunters at the sa ti.”
“The Dungeon Boss is S-rank too.”
Im Haekyung nodded and filled in the explanation on their own.
“It’s hard to touch the Dungeon itself. Because it’s a Dungeon that stimulates the mind—if I touch it wrong... I don’t think I’ll be able to get out.”
“Seems like your compatibility would match pretty well, though.”
“That’s why it’s a bigger problem. The compatibility is too similar, so if I ss up, I feel like I’ll get dragged in instead.”
Yeah, I got it. Probably sothing like Tae Hyunjin selling off their own sword made from the water dragon’s heart—because it matched too well.
When I nodded, Im Haekyung looked at for a mont, then asked,
“So... I don’t know where the other Hunters went. No—how did you find , Jehyun?”
“I just got swept up and then got out, and then there was soone who was obviously you.”
“Got out? How?”
“Just did.”
Even if I tried to explain, there wasn’t really anything I could explain properly. I got bounced out by magical power—how the hell am I supposed to explain that?
When I didn’t add anything and stayed still, Im Haekyung let out a hollow laugh.
“Jehyun is really... a strange person. It’s hard to predict what you’ll do. No—it's not just hard to predict.... Sotis I wonder if you act without thinking and things just turn out well anyway.”
What kind of ridiculous crap is that?
“You’re the one who put in here, Guild Master.”
“Yes.”
“Thinking about it makes it even more absurd. If you dragged so small fry all the way in here, you should’ve protected at least. I’m the one who survived and ca out on my own. , I always think hard before I move.”
“You ran away when I was facing the Dungeon Boss. If you wanted protection, you should’ve stayed glued to my side.”
“If I stayed then, I think I would’ve ended up like the other Hunters. You said you don’t even know where they are right now.”
“Fine. Want to hit you one more ti?”
Are you saying that because you really want another punch? I stared at Im Haekyung like they were fascinating, then jerked my chin.
“Let’s go.”
“Go where?”
“The other Hunters should be nearby. You’re not going to go save them?”
“Save them.... Hearing you say that is really interesting, Jehyun.”
Why are you picking fights with nonstop? Did getting punched rearrange your brain structure?
“Does it really hurt?”
“What. The place you hit? Of course it hurts. Jehyun is strong.”
“How do you know I’m strong.”
“How would I not know? When things are ambiguous, you try to solve it with strength.”
It wasn’t that I solved ambiguous things with strength. It was that if I could solve it with strength, I didn’t bother using my head.
“Let’s not get too mad.”
“Ha ha....”
“There’s no scratch on your face. You’re clean and—well, pretty.”
“Stop.”
When I brushed the spot I’d just hit with the back of my hand, Im Haekyung’s eyes sharpened again. I t their eyes head-on and, without acting like it was anything, rubbed the area with my thumb.
“Ah.”
“...What.”
“Hm.... Hunter Seok is alive.”
Im Haekyung lifted a hand like they were about to smack mine away, then paused at that.
“Haeseong?”
“Yes. I thought they were dead, but I ran into them. They were basically right on the verge of dying, though.”
“.......”
“I stuffed them full of potions and left them alive, so you don’t need to worry. But since things turned into this, they might’ve died again.”
Well. If they’re alive at all, that’s a miracle.
At that, Im Haekyung finally cald down. I kept touching the spot I’d punched once, then brought the back of my hand to it again. Like this, it kind of feels warm?
“Take your hand off.”
“Want an ice cube?”
Instead of waiting for an answer, I used a Skill right away, made a small piece of ice, and handed it to them. Im Haekyung stared at the ice for a mont, then said like it was absurd.
“What is this.”
“Ice.”
“Jehyun, seriously....”
Even as Im Haekyung accepted the ice without a fight, instead of pressing it to their jaw, they stared at and said sothing I didn’t expect.
“Thank you.”
“I punched you. For what.”
“No, not for that. I’m saying thanks for saving a Haeseong Hunter.”
“Ah.”
Only then did I nod, and Im Haekyung sighed like they couldn’t believe .
“Let’s go.”
So I followed Im Haekyung and started walking. The farther we walked, the more the space that revealed itself was nothing but black shapes.
“Jehyun, wait.”
Stopping for a mont, Im Haekyung took out an item and lit up the area.
“It’s better to walk while you can see.”
“Yes.”
Even with light, it didn’t really change much.
‘But I can see better.’
The floor was sticky and unpleasant, the sa kind of squelchy ground I’d stepped on before I ca in here.
‘Wait.’
I walked for a long while following Im Haekyung, then stopped suddenly.
‘Sothing....’
The space itself felt strangely off. Of course it was a weird space, but....
“Do you know where the Dungeon Boss is?”
“The Dungeon Boss?”
Im Haekyung went quiet for a mont at my question, then looked down at the floor and slowly reached out, brushing the ground.
“I think this space itself is connected to the Dungeon Boss.”
“Then how do you kill it?”
“There’s still going to be a main body. If we remove that, the Dungeon Boss will naturally die.”
“Then where’s the main body?”
Im Haekyung thought for a mont at my question, then spoke softly.
“If we want to find it, we can. Either way, the flow of magical power... will be flowing in one direction. But....”
“Yes.”
After hesitating briefly, Im Haekyung looked at and asked,
“Jehyun, what were you afraid of? You must have seen sothing.”
“I didn’t see anything. I’m the one who got bounced out.”
I answered without thinking much, and Im Haekyung stared at , then tossed out nonsense.
“Do you want to see?”
What the hell... is that a threat?
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