LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 15. Baek-ui Maze (3)
“What the….”
My body froze at the unexpected situation.
But Kang Chang-ho, with an unfazed expression, hoisted the unconscious Jeong Ha-seong and said,
“Have you heard of the Iron Maiden gate that appeared in Northern Europe?”
“Uh?”
“That’s exactly like this dungeon. You have to sacrifice one matched Hunter to escape.”
He chuckled softly, revealing a dimple.
“Moreover, according to recent statistics on the trends of EX-Class dungeons, it’s said that the survival rate is only 60%, regardless of Hunter rank.”
In other words…….
“60%… That’s kind of unsettling for risking my life. So let’s make sure of it.”
Is he planning to use that S-Class Hunter as a sacrifice!
It wasn’t hard to understand his intentions.
Kang Chang-ho had predicted that this dungeon would ultimately demand lives and had prepared a scapegoat in advance.
“Now that the annoying barking has stopped, it’s so much more convenient.”
There seemed to be personal feelings mixed into the selection of the scapegoat, but…….
I silently acknowledged the situation.
After all, it would be wise for me, in my magic-less body, to obediently follow the S-Class’s orders, right?
If the gate truly demands a living sacrifice, I certainly don’t want to die.
I’d rather have either Kang Chang-ho or Jeong Ha-seong perish, but I lacked the strength to choose a sacrifice.
“Um.”
So for now, it’s best to just go along quietly.
That’s the calculation I made in my head. However…….
Just after that, the moment I saw Kang Chang-ho push the unconscious Jeong Ha-seong’s arm into the Lion Statue, I instinctively exclaimed,
“Wait a minute.”
This was a situation where I had finally escaped the danger of a living sacrifice, yet.
‘This isn’t right.’
The number one ranked Hunter was a decent earthling who, despite being a complete stranger to me, would protect me inside the gate.
Yet here he was, about to kill such a person with an unexpected attack?
“I’ll open the next room. So please put down Jeong Ha-seong.”
I decided to take action, knowing this was a dirty game of sand grabbing.
“Why? Are you suddenly feeling guilty?”
“…!”
“Just stay out of it while someone else takes charge. Don’t worry. I’ll let you go.”
Damn it. But this Hunter had no intention of negotiating at all.
How can I save the unconscious Jeong Ha-seong? What can I do?
“Since I saw the bloodthirsty thief at the Lion Statue, this trial should soon be over….”
Just as I started to rack my brain for a solution.
Surprisingly, the key to resolving this situation was handed to me in an absurdly simple manner.
“Huh?”
Because the next room was……. an exit.
“Whoaaa!”
At the end of the all-white path, a buzzing gate mixed with blue hues was opening.
Moreover, in the center of the room was a fountain sculpted with a smiling woman.
Looking closer inside, I spotted a golden bracelet gleaming.
I picked the bracelet out of the clear water to check it.
This is a Magic Tool. Which means…….
‘It’s a passage leading outside and a reward for clearing the gate!’
Finally, that damn white prison was over!
Shocked from the sudden encounter with the exit while being tense made me a bit surprised as well.
“Is this really the end? Just like that?”
Kang Chang-ho’s expression changed upon seeing the exit as well.
“No, but the recently appeared EX-Class Iron Maiden……. dungeon statistics….”
He dropped Jeong Ha-seong onto the floor and pressed his hands to his forehead.
“Oh no, I thought I would definitely need a living sacrifice, so I targeted Jeong Ha-seong.”
Well, I thought, at least I’m still alive.
But hearing what he said next indicated that the situation was not so simple.
“If Jeong Ha-seong wakes up and protests, it’ll really be a big deal.”
“There’s a dungeon reward here. Why not try apologizing with this?”
“Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter, I’m sorry, but messing with the number one rank is not something to be brushed off easily. The Association won’t let it slide.”
What, are we going back to prison again?
As I stared blankly at him, Kang Chang-ho sighed.
“If this guy has completed his role, then you, who survived thanks to his sacrifice, should keep the secret, and things would have been neat.”
He scratched his long hair like a lion’s mane.
Until now, his gestures and tone had been lighthearted, so I hadn’t felt the seriousness of the situation, but a few seconds later.
“Since we’re inside the gate, shall I just go ahead and kill Jeong Ha-seong?”
Kang Chang-ho’s face darkened as he began to look down at the unconscious Hunter.
“What?”
“Anyway, the corpse will disappear with the gate closing.”
And then, the man with the Dragon’s Eye twisted his neck.
“However, the problem is…”
He focused his cold gaze on Kim Gi-ryeo.
“The fact that there’s a witness.”
Help!
I could only stand frozen in place, unable to utter a sound.
“It’s different for someone who witnessed the murder as a third party unrelated to the sacrifice they overlooked to save themselves.”
Kang Chang-ho swept his gaze over me from top to bottom and said this.
“For you, there’s no reason to keep silent about my killing Jeong Ha-seong.”
“So you’re going to kill us both…?”
Killing related individuals to prevent information leaks wasn’t uncommon in my hometown.
So it seemed like I was going to be murdered by Kang Chang-ho…….
“Ha. Why would I kill Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter? That’s just absurd.”
Huh?
“I’ll have to give up on Jeong Ha-seong. That’s the path of least damage.”
Upon hearing this, a glimmer of hope blossomed in my chest.
“But I do have one request.”
Unfortunately, Kang Chang-ho didn’t intend to let the unfortunate witness go.
“Hey. Kim Gi-ryeo, could you possibly testify that you did indeed incapacitate Jeong Ha-seong?”
Kang Chang-ho pulled his hands out of his pockets and began to lightly roll his wrists.
“If you don’t want that, then you’ll die here.”
His fierce gaze was still directed at me.
*
Kang Chang-ho has sharp eyes.
He received the Dragon’s Eye, a rare item from the A-Class monster, the Green Dragon.
This granted him eyesight similar to a Mongolian, allowing him to identify objects far away.
He had never squinted to look closely at something until now.
‘Did I just see something wrong?’
But one day.
Kang Chang-ho found himself doubting his own eyes for the first time.
The Dragon’s Eye not only amplifies the wearer’s magic but also gives the ability to gauge another’s Awakening Level by sight.
So whether he liked it or not, he had seen the magic of countless Hunters.
‘I didn’t see wrong.’
The Hunter he just made eye contact with had an incredibly strange form of magic he had never seen before.
The total amount of power was utterly insignificant compared to his S-Class level.
But Kang Chang-ho couldn’t take his eyes off the man.
Having seen hundreds, even thousands, of Awakened, this was the first time he had come across such a case.
“Your name?”
“Kim Gi-ryeo.”
Perhaps this man possesses the ‘that skill’ the Hunters around the world yearn for.
Given the slim chance of such a possibility, it was worth making a connection.
Originally, he approached with such a lighthearted mindset.
However.
“Your rank?”
“F-Class.”
As time passed, Kang Chang-ho became increasingly intrigued.
The Hunter who introduced himself as Kim Gi-ryeo was shamelessly lying right in front of him.
‘When was the last time I was treated like this…….’
Ordinary people or so-called low-ranking Awakened between F and D ranks often perceive the magic gap with S-Class Hunters as a sheer size difference, so they would usually tremble like they had encountered a massive beast.
It had been a long time since he had purchased even a single item from a convenience store.
But to think he was now conversing and making eye contact with a low-ranking Hunter.
‘What’s he up to?’
It’s fascinating.
What is he hiding?
Why isn’t he afraid of S-Class?
“Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter.”
Kang Chang-ho used this small curiosity to poke the bear a bit.
But the outcome was ridiculous.
“Ha.”
Whether it was due to a bizarre traffic accident or a luxurious offer worth millions, Kim Gi-ryeo showed no reaction at all. Not a single response could be seen.
At this point, it felt as if he was looking down on Kang Chang-ho as if he were a bug.
‘How boring.’
Yet Kang Chang-ho didn’t mind.
In fact, he preferred that indifferent attitude—having been tormented by various gazes.
So it wasn’t that Kim Gi-ryeo’s attitude annoyed him to the point of doing something rash.
“Hey. Kim Gi-ryeo, could you possibly testify that you did indeed incapacitate Jeong Ha-seong?”
Returning to the situation in the [Unconfirmed Gate].
Kang Chang-ho made a deal with the F-Class Hunter he had met inside the gate.
“Even if Jeong Ha-seong remembers the situation, there’s no evidence of what happened inside the gate. Ultimately, the testimonies of the challengers would take precedence in court.”
“You want me to lie….”
“Just say one thing. ‘There was friction during the challenge, so I subdued Jeong Ha-seong.’”
This was not really a proposal; it was essentially one-sided coercion.
“Of course, if you refuse the offer or think you can change your words later…”
Kang Chang-ho lowered his gaze and scrutinized the Hunter in front of him.
“I can’t go down alone. If it gets caught by the Association, my life in Korea ends, so I’ll do whatever it takes to kill you first.”
He issued a warning.
But despite his serious appearance, he honestly didn’t care what choice the other person made.
This was merely a test.
‘After all, handling things like Jeong Ha-seong should be feasible enough, but it worked out quite well.’
Kang Chang-ho was genuinely curious about what kind of ability the indifferent Awakened before him was hiding.
That’s why he had tested him with such a ridiculous request.
If the other party has some extraordinary power or backing that they had kept hidden, then when faced with unreasonable threats, they would inevitably show a reaction borne of frustration.
‘Let’s see how he responds.’
However, the answer that returned was enough to disappoint him.
“Alright. So I should go around saying that I’m the one who put Jeong Ha-seong to sleep?”
Kim Gi-ryeo accepted the offer, bowing his head.
No matter how fearless you are, was he ultimately a low-ranking Hunter at heart?
‘Something’s odd here.’
No. Kang Chang-ho looked closely at the man before him again.
Though Kim Gi-ryeo appeared to be troubled and lowered his head, there was no glimmer of fear on his face, not even a flicker.
‘Hmm?’
From this, it was clear that he wasn’t accepting the false testimony out of fear of the threat. If that’s the case then?
‘…To avoid friction?’
Kang Chang-ho’s guess was unexpectedly close to the truth, but it took a dramatic turn at the most critical point.
‘Could it be that his magic appears unstable because….’
He used the Dragon’s Eye to scrutinize Kim Gi-ryeo.
Even at this very moment, there was magic inside Kim Gi-ryeo that was wavering precariously like a candle.
‘If that’s being suppressed by a status abnormality skill…?’
A skill that seals another’s Awakening ability.
Those affected often show their magic quivering slightly. It just might not shake as violently.
Despite this, Kang Chang-ho had originally ruled out the possibility of a status abnormality.
After all, a status abnormality affecting the Awakening Level could be undone with a low-grade potion, making it inherently unstable……
‘He mentioned that he “currently can’t” enter an S-Class gate. That implies he used to be able to.’
Considering his prior attitude, it was highly likely that Kim Gi-ryeo was a High-Ranking Awakened.
But if he had reduced his magic level to such a bug level, then the frustration he felt must have felt akin to being gagged and bound in a restrictive suit.
“……”
The man who made eye contact with an S-Class and claimed he currently couldn’t enter an S-Class gate was trying to avoid a fight at this moment.
Just like that, accepting this ridiculous request without hesitation.
‘As if he couldn’t reveal his true abilities.’
Moreover, reducing his Awakening Level to F-Class, what might he use that for?
Logically thinking, an ordinary Hunter would have no reason to do such a thing.
“……”
But then again… in this world, nothing is absolute, right?