LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 14. Baek-ui Maze (2)
Two S-Class Hunters and one F-Class.
It’s painfully obvious who the poor sacrificial lamb will be.
‘I’m screwed?’
While preparing for death,
The S-Class Hunters were still in a rather gloomy mood.
“Am I any different? We all face the same risks. Besides, I’ve already been a sacrifice twice.”
“What about Kim Gi-ryeo? Why not ask that Hunter over there for help?”
“Are you really suggesting we pass the responsibility to an F-Class Hunter when we have two S-Class Hunters?”
Jeong Ha-seong raised his red sword aloft.
He looked like he was ready to forcefully extract blood if you refused to cooperate.
I didn’t know about his swordsmanship, but getting caught in a fight between S-Class Hunters wouldn’t end well for me.
‘Please don’t pay attention to me!’
I cautiously stepped back, fearing to get caught in the crossfire.
But then, it happened.
–Grrrrrrrr…
The growling of a beast filled the hall.
Upon hearing this sound, the S-Class Hunters stopped talking and simultaneously turned their heads, and unfortunately, their gazes landed on me.
That meant this beast was behind me.
‘Wait, what?’
Nervously forcing my stiff neck to turn, the scene I least wanted to see unfolded before my eyes.
‘Weren’t there supposed to be fewer of them?’
Eight black wolves made of shadows.
…Monsters. They appeared from the empty wall.
–Awoooooo!
The leader of the pack howled loudly at the empty air.
Whether it was a call for companions or not, newly appeared black wolves spread through this room, darkening the pure white light.
Why did monsters suddenly show up?
“The Lion Statue’s eyes are glowing.”
Amidst the confusion, Jeong Ha-seong provided the answer. He had the most experience in conquering gates among us.
“It seems to be a system that triggers a monster wave if blood isn’t offered within a certain timeframe.”
If selecting a sacrifice takes too long, they’ll nudge it along, huh?
There wasn’t time to curse. The swarm of black wolves charged toward us.
Their teeth and claws were hardened with blue magic, easily cutting through Kim Gi-ryeo’s soft layers of fat.
‘Gaaah!’
When a person is startled enough, no scream comes out.
I swallowed and quickly walked to dodge the black wolves.
‘As if I could outrun a wolf!’
But due to Kim Gi-ryeo’s inability to run, escaping was out of the question…
I tried hard not to look, but one black wolf had already caught up to me.
Is getting torn to shreds the only thing left now?
‘I was curious about the structure of humanity, but I didn’t want to see it firsthand…!’
I couldn’t bring myself to witness the impending disassembly show and tightly closed my eyes.
But the fear was short-lived.
–Whoosh!
“Ugh?”
A flash of red rushed past my thin eyelids.
At the same time, I felt a sharp heat on my skin.
When I opened my eyes, there it was, the intense flames engulfing the monster.
‘Fire? Flames in the empty air?’
I recalled the situation I had experienced at the dungeon’s entrance.
Now that I think about it, there was a mage who used fire magic on that door that wouldn’t open.
“…Step back.”
Jeong Ha-seong!
He readjusted his grip on his sword and stepped forward. He started taking down the black wolves as if protecting me.
With powerful strikes like a raging wave, monster heads fell one after the other.
Moreover, this guy wasn’t limited by the typical range issues of swordsmen.
‘This is the primitive mage’s magic, huh?’
–Whoosh!
With Jeong Ha-seong’s awakening skill, the area was once again engulfed in fire.
To be able to create such power in one go…
I thought while watching Jeong Ha-seong handle the flames.
‘At this level, it’s hard to dismiss him as just a primitive mage.’
And it wasn’t just Jeong Ha-seong. Although I had momentarily forgotten due to the dazzling flames, there was another top-ranked Awakened here.
“Hmm.”
Kang Chang-ho.
He was observing from his spot, and only when a black wolf rushed in did he finally move.
He pulled his hand from his pocket and slammed it down onto the black wolf’s elongated snout from above.
As a result, the head of the wolf burst without leaving a trace.
“Seeing as its body is soft, it’s roughly a C-Class monster.”
What incredible physical strength…
Kang Chang-ho’s awakening skill must be physical enhancement.
‘Huh? Even if magic is regained, conquering Earth might be tough…’
Coming back to myself, I saw the S-Class Hunters swiftly slaughtering the surrounding monsters.
My face turned pale.
The comforting part about it was that both Jeong Ha-seong and Kang Chang-ho seemed to be using only their initial awakening abilities from rank one…
But does it even matter whether they have one or two attributes?
I’m stuck with zero attributes!
‘What the hell.’
I vowed not to challenge the S-Class Hunters until I regained my magic.
Then, Kang Chang-ho spoke up.
“It’s about time.”
Kang Chang-ho lightly brushed off the black wolf remnants on his arm and began walking somewhere.
He headed straight for the Lion Statue.
Without anyone being able to stop him, Kang Chang-ho plunged his arm into the Lion Statue to make an offering.
–Gurgle…
The Lion Statue opened after satisfying its hunger with Kang Chang-ho’s blood.
“If there are traps that cause monsters to spring out, then it can’t be helped.”
I never expected him to cooperate so easily.
‘At least no one will get caught in this S-Class fight!’
Jeong Ha-seong relaxed his expression at his actions. It was the moment a dramatic peace treaty was established.
“Who’s next?”
“We’ll take turns opening the door. We don’t know if the F-Class can handle it.”
Through all this, I learned about Jeong Ha-seong’s humanity.
‘Jeong Ha-seong Hunter…’
He first excluded me from the candidates for sacrifice when he found out I was F-Class, and he also protected me when the monsters appeared.
One could definitely say he lived up to the title of National Hero by thoroughly standing up for the weak.
‘Thanks to that, I’m moving forward without spilling a drop of blood, but at this point, I feel a bit guilty.’
The fifth room followed.
After making the offering, I looked at Jeong Ha-seong, who was swaying from blood loss, in surprise.
“Jeong Ha-seong, are you okay?”
But he quickly steadied his expression and said coldly.
“Unexpected gates are usually small in scale. We shouldn’t be far from the exit now.”
The already pale person now looked even whiter.
I worried he might collapse, so I kept my gaze fixed on him while walking. I didn’t even notice the guy in front had stopped.
“Hmm?”
Now it was Kang Chang-ho’s turn to open the door.
But he didn’t take action, instead staring blankly at Jeong Ha-seong who had entered from behind.
“Jeong Ha-seong.”
It seemed he had something to say.
“Let’s pause for a moment.”
“Why?”
“Thinking about it, there’s no guarantee that there’s an exit beyond here. We’re all starting to feel pressure on our bodies.”
“……”
“There might be a clue we missed, so how about we investigate the rooms we’ve passed through?”
That sounded reasonable.
However, Jeong Ha-seong’s response was cold.
“Going back is just an excuse; you actually plan to buy time, don’t you?”
“What do you take me for?”
“The standard攻略法 (攻略法 refers to the method of攻略 of dungeons) for EX-Class Gates is to follow the conditions presented. You know that as well.”
And at that moment, a name I had heard before slipped out of Jeong Ha-seong’s mouth.
“I wonder if you’re thinking of attacking me amidst the confusion of the monster wave, just like with Choi Jin.”
The top-ranked Hunter tilted his head, as if questioning when he had ever faltered.
“Isn’t it your mindset that it’s better for everyone to die than for you to take a loss?”
“Jeong Ha-seong.”
“I absolutely cannot trust you, and I don’t have time to waste stuck in this gate. We’re in a hurry…”
With a voice as sharp as the blade hanging at his waist, he conveyed his opinion.
“I won’t say more. Open the door.”
What if they actually come to blows?
I nervously darted my eyes between them.
But then…
“Fine.”
That was unexpected.
Kang Chang-ho fell silent for a moment and then raised his hands in resignation.
“Just hurry up and open it, don’t make this difficult.”
Surprisingly, he had a yielding personality.
“I didn’t say I wouldn’t assist with the攻略 (攻略指) right now. Also, there seems to be some misunderstanding between us.”
“What misunderstanding?”
“The incident with Choi Jin was an accident. I’m not some crazy person who attacks fellow Hunters recklessly.”
He quietly explained.
“Of course, it’s true that I’m a former criminal, so I understand not being trusted. But Jeong Ha-seong, you’re being overly wary of me right now.”
“That’s….”
“Is it because you want to escape quickly from here, so you’re making hasty decisions?”
“……”
“Think seriously about what I just said. I think it would be wise for you to reconsider even if just this once.”
“Alright.”
“Just open the door.”
Then, Kang Chang-ho swiftly turned and thrust his arm into the Lion’s mouth.
Click, followed by the sound of the lock being released and the room vibrated. The door opened.
‘Looks like rumors can’t be trusted after all.’
He seems to have some common sense.
But at that moment…
I widened my eyes in shock at the sight of Kang Chang-ho. Jeong Ha-seong looked equally surprised.
“What the…!”
“Kang Chang-ho!”
Kang Chang-ho, who had placed a hand on the Lion Statue, leaned back, half-collapsed.
He looked dizzy, similar to Jeong Ha-seong, and soon began breathing heavily as he said.
“Don’t worry about it. I brought recovery potions with me.”
Now that he mentioned it, I could finally see it. There was a hip pouch hanging from Kang Chang-ho’s waist, probably containing potions.
“After taking this, I think I can open the door two more times.”
He struggled to stand up, leaning on his knee.
Seeing this, Jeong Ha-seong pondered for a moment before turning and speaking up.
“If the next room doesn’t show an exit, I’ll be looking for other options.”
I was worried I might have to support Kang Chang-ho, so I walked a bit behind Jeong Ha-seong.
Kang Chang-ho next to me seemed to be rummaging through his bag to pull out a small glass vial.
‘Is that the recovery potion?’
But I was astonished by what happened next when he used it like a typical Earthling would.
–Smash!
Kang Chang-ho swung the potion vial over Jeong Ha-seong’s head, shattering it to pieces.
The liquid gushed out into the air and evaporated instantly.
Jeong Ha-seong, who had been attacked, turned around too late but was already exposed to the potion.
“Gah!”
Next, Jeong Ha-seong’s eyes rolled back, and he collapsed sideways.
Paralyzed? Sleeping? I didn’t know exactly what the effect was.
“Oh, it works well on S-Class too.”
At least I know that stuff isn’t recovery potions.