"To be honest, Hunter Kang, you really are strong."
"What are you..."
"And you're even so passionate about world peace that you go as far as capturing the sa person and torturing the m. Enough. It's all over now."
A bitter grudge that dragged on for a full year since last sumr. The chance to easily settle it has co—shouldn't I take this opportunity to let out all the resentnt I've built up?
"Ha... seriously. Anyway, why did you have to distrust people so much out there?"
"What?"
"Anyway, I really have nothing to do with monsters. I never thought I'd have to prove that through a gate or sothing."
Heh heh.
I barely held back a rising sneer and gave my all in an intense performance. While acting as if I would sacrifice myself for the loser caught in the trap, I was actually planning to rcilessly choose the pillar that would take his life. Let him experience the torture of false hope for once.
"But no matter how many tis I think about it, this feels right. Unlike so crazy people, I'm not the type to achieve sothing by killing others."
Okay, then I've already said indirectly that you're trash. Let's stop dragging it out and finish it cleanly.
"If you manage to get out safely, apologize to the association staff. It was definitely a mistake to accuse , who was innocent, so take this chance to reflect on that."
Crack.
I was just about to turn my head to the right side of the room to choose the pillar. From the direction where Kang Changho was, a tearing sound ca.
'Dno.'
Did he sohow instinctively realize what would happen if the victor chose the blue pillar? Kang Changho's attempt to escape was so intense that it made think that he might give up part of his skin and bones just to regain his freedom.
"That won't work."
But rather than the sturdy prison letting the loser go, it was quicker for the person to reach out and touch the pillar right in front of them. Before long, it was over.
'Ha! Goodbye, Kang Changho!'
Bang.
I struck the blue pillar in the last room, which was only a few steps away, with my arm. Then, the chanism, sensing the impact, intensified its own color, signaling that the victor's authority had been successfully exercised.
Bam!
A few seconds later, it happened. Flesh from a human body scattered through one side of the dungeon. Blood sprayed a lot more than a sprayer, along with bits of blood vessels and other fragnts. It was the result of an execution platform that had suddenly appeared between the two pillars—one yellow, one blue. A magical cannon had fired at the challenger, causing the grueso disaster.
The Earthling who was struck directly by powerful magic as a result of the victor's authority. The target soon suffered devastating damage to their body. Their chest had been pierced by a massive spell—there was no way that body wouldn't collapse to the ground.
"Huh?"
But what? Why was the attack aid not at Kang Changho... but at ?
Tilting.
Just before my pitiful body collapsed to the floor, I had a very brief thought.
'No, wait!'
My mind was confused for a while because I couldn't adapt to the sudden change, but it wasn't hard to figure out the situation thanks to the muzzle of the dungeon I found as I fell.
'I was really chosen as the one to be executed. My body!'
How—how could the dungeon's very design dare to betray ? Even setting aside the fact that my chest had been physically blown open, I was so stunned I couldn't speak for a mont. This trap, this feeding box, was supposed to reward those who chose to sacrifice themselves at the final question. As if moved by the altruism of a selfless being, the dungeon would normally flip the outco and grant life to the one who offered themselves up—turning the loser into the true victor.
"Why?"
The crazy dungeon is finally betraying my trust.
Until now, every part of the dungeon strategy had played out exactly the sa—but the most crucial final outco had changed. And this twisted consistency also extended to the power of the trap triggered by the sacrificing offer.
"Heuk...?"
Then ca the near-instant death blow. A deadly attack magic that only an innocent S-rank could withstand relentlessly tracked and destroyed the mage's vital points.
'Thud.'
My lungs were shattered, and I soon collapsed pitifully to the ground. But this is where the reason behind the dungeon's 48% death rate—a slightly less than 50% ambiguous probability—beca clear.
"Agh...?"
Usually, when a mage's lungs are completely destroyed, it becos difficult to cast magic even if they remain conscious. However, if the healer is a skilled manipulator who can delicately extend recovery magic down to the tiniest units of tissue, they can catch and repair the organs before they completely fall apart. So, relying on quick reflexes, I managed to piece my shattered lungs back together and cast a recovery spell as fast as possible. But judging by the outco, I'm barely clinging to life and have ended up completely incapacitated.
"No, how."
What in the world could sothing like this happen?
"This is unfair."
Originally, the blueprint of this place wasn't supposed to be like this. The current situation felt to like the mountain spirit from the story of the Golden and Silver Axes angrily striking down the woodcutter for daring to throw an axe and wake him from his deep slumber. In other words, it was far more unpredictable than I could have ever expected.
If I had been inhabiting the body of an ordinary S-rank hunter, then—would I have been able to detect all the hidden traps that hadn't yet properly manifested in the dungeon space and realize the changed misfortune?
I'm not sure. Looking back on the recent situation, it feels like it wasn't just due to a lack of mana or exhaustion from the previous attempts. Even a stone bridge should be tested when the weather is clear. But how can anyone stay cautious when a rising muddy flood behind them threatens to wash everything away? I'm certain Kang Changho was ready to break free from his restraints and rush forward, even if it ant twisting and breaking at least one of his limbs.
'One mistake, and everything's ruined.'
But when I thought about it carefully, at so point, I started to suspect that this too might be the karma of the Alphaul.
The Gismche, before coming to our planet, had already concluded so sort of discussion among themselves. How do fragile, easily broken intelligent beings manage to safely preserve their generations? They often seed to have co up with a mostly muddy food behind them threatens to wash everything away? I'm certain Kang Changho was ready to break free from his restraints and rush forward, even if it ant twisting and breaking at least one of his limbs.
Of all tis, the Gismche truly began to sprout just as my holand was entering the era.
'A ti when reproduction was completely analyzed by magic, and life could be created whenever necessary....'
Co to think of it, on our planet, very few ever chose the blue pillar, so the hidden condition of this trap was quickly uncovered.
'If there's a tie, the side that chose the pillar first takes the win...'
Blood trickled down from my shattered upper body. From beneath my collapsed form, I silently watched a pool of blood forming, reminiscent of the ti I attempted the body exchange technique. A few seconds later, when I finally lifted my gaze, soone was already standing right before .
"_ _"
"_ _"
Kang Changho was looking down at . The gate was cleared, creating an exit, and at the sa ti, the defeated challenger was released from his restraints.
"Ugh!"
In this position, it was difficult to take in the full appearance of the large-frad figure. But the mont I spotted the hem of his pants, all the color drained from my face.
"Hey, don't co any closer!"
In the past, I would've threatened him—told him to back off or I'd hurt him first. But things were far less favorable now. I was a ticking victim, stripped of all my belongings. Even the Pyromancer's Necklace, once my reliable fallback, was out of reach.
Co to think of it, it had been a long ti since the nape of my neck felt this bare. I had never missed the weight of that 37.5 grams—the space the necklace used to occupy—more than I did today. But really, what good would it do to mourn a shattered necklace now?
"_ _"
Thud, thud, thud.
The front of my body, struggling to regenerate in ti with each slow pump of the heart, continued to drip reddish, half-coagulated fluid without end.
'So this day has finally co.'
And so, just as I felt my body temperature dropping, I resigned myself to it and closed my eyes. I'd at least cast a recovery spell to the extent that my damaged lungs wouldn't strain themselves further, but by the ti those holes fully closed up—soone would probably already be dead. Maybe .
"Damn it..."
Yeah, Lemming. I guess I've enjoyed my ti on Earth long enough.
Because there wasn't enough blood reaching my brain, my blood pressure eventually plumted to the edge of collapse. And my flickering consciousness was soon swallowed by deep darkness.
"_ _"
So ti after that.
"_ _"
A certain scenery made up of a white color, not much different from the white of the dungeon.
"_ _"
I lifted my heavy eyelids and stared up at the ceiling for a long while. Then, upon noticing so mysterious patterns drawn there, I realized that what I was looking at was a ceiling made of plasterboard.
The place where I am right now is not inside the dungeon.
"_ _"
Moreover, when I belatedly tried to get up, I realized this place was a luxurious room, complete with freshly laundered blankets and subtly scented air-purifying plants.
"Huh?"
What the heck.
The mont I regained consciousness, I instinctively reached out to feel my body. Contrary to my fears, my overall condition was fine. Most notably, the gaping wound in my chest had been almost perfectly healed. I just stared blankly, completely baffled by what was happening.
It was at that mont that I suddenly sensed soone nearby.
"Huh."
"Huh?"
A human dressed in a strange style rarely seen on the streets—clad entirely in a bluish-green outfit from head to toe. She looked at from behind the equipnt table. She didn't say a word, only widening her eyes in surprise before rushing down the corridor and disappearing from view.
This whole situation confuses just as much as anything, but seeing an alien dressed like that wandering around here pretty much ans this place is almost certainly that place.
"Huh."
Unlike the scenery during Kim Goryeo's previous hospitalization experience, which made montarily confused, as I looked around slowly, I found this manual in the locker next to the bed I was sitting on.
[Neo Seoul Hospital]
[Building Anities Guide]
[B1 Floor: Bakery, Coffee Shop, Restaurant, Porridge Stall.]
[1st Floor: Book Cafe, ATM...]
It was just about the ti I was about to read the guide for the 2nd floor on that board.
"Patient, you've regained consciousness!"
A doctor appeared. Without a word, I waited as a new Earthling entered from the corridor, wearing a bright expression, and began to say sothing to .
"There are so many kinds."
He rattled off words like hemothorax and thoracic vertebra fracture—terms the alien still didn't quite grasp—then explained that although your condition was bad when you were brought in, you're now doing much better.
"The treatnt, especially the one including magical energy in the trauma solution, worked very well. It seems you have a constitution that responds well to the dicine."
"Included... what did you say?"
"Oh, potions. That's what hunters usually call them."
He was silent for a mont.
"Later, we'll do a simple checkup once more. From what I see, there's no need for extensive rehabilitation—just focus on recovering for a few days."
The doctor in the white gown continued to convey a few more sentences, but I couldn't hear them well.
But then, Even though the dical briefing had long since finished, for so reason the doctor beside hesitated for a while and didn't leave the room.
"Why is that?"
It was around the ti I sent a questioning voice to the trembling dical staff.
"That..."
The doctor, wearing glasses, hesitated and said.
"But... I'm really sorry to say this right after you woke up, but..."
"Hmm?"
"Actually, there's sothing I personally need to apologize for..."
If I were to be thanked, that would be one thing. But what kind of situation is it where a person who saves lives has to bow their head to soone else?
"Apologies?"
I stayed silent, unable to understand the doctor's words. But then, when they pulled out a crumpled docunt from their pocket and suddenly handed it to ...
"It's a dical certificate."
The paper handed over by the glasses-wearing doctor had a certain word written at the top.
"The patient was still unconscious, but I also conducted a separate CT scan in addition to the trauma examination."
"Scan?"
"The Hunter who brought you in insisted that we take a close look at your lungs..."
Pause.
My shoulders stiffened for a mont when I heard the ntion of my companion, which I had expected.
"I'm not sure about the full context, but from what I was told at the ti, that Hunter had said he personally seen sothing strange about your lungs..."
But the doctor didn't stop talking. He continued his confession with his eyes tightly shut, like a child bracing for a scolding.
"Your fellow Hunter was extrely insistent... So in the end, I had no choice but to run a few additional tests..."
"Wait—then this is a dical report about my body?"
The gray-haired doctor suddenly bows his head and says.
"I'm sorry."
It was another round of apologies, but now—with all the added explanations—I could more or less understand the content.
"Yes. All of these are indeed your dical records. I ran the tests without your permission, and... even gave a copy to Mr. Kang Changho."
"_ _"
"B, because that S-rank Hunter threatened ..."
I happened to learn this while reading a book on law—apparently, on Earth, it's legally prohibited for dical professionals to disclose a patient's information to others.
"Since personal information was leaked, I personally thought that the patient should definitely be inford of this fact."
"_ _"
"Of course, no matter the reason, sharing the patient's chart without consent was wrong. I sincerely apologize once again. So, even if you decide to file a complaint, I do not intend to object..."
The doctor was saying sothing beside , but I didn't take my eyes off the white paper in my hands. No matter how many tis I read it, so of the sentences were hard to understand.
"Wait a minute."
"Yes?"
"What does this an?"
Unspecified malignant neoplasm of the bronchial tube or lung. I pointed to the expression written in the center of the docunt and asked.
"Ah, that's..."
But contrary to my assumption that it referred to microorganisms coexisting with mammals, the doctor explained that the phrase actually ant...
"Cancer."
This was a word that Kim Goryeo knew.
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