These Lunatics are Obsessed With Me

Rumble!

An enormous force swept across the desert. As I stood there, staring blankly with my mouth open, the gusting wind pushed me back helplessly.

However, the barrier Kang Yoo-hyun had set up around me still held firm. Judging by the aura he emitted, it seemed the barrier had become even stronger than before.

It was hard to believe my body could still be pushed back despite such a powerful shield. The duration of the skill had increased, and the intensity of the skinship seemed to have boosted his stats even more.

At this rate, is he going to surpass SS-rank? What comes after SS-rank? SSS-rank? I shook my head at the pointless thought and quickly approached Yong-sik, who had fallen on the sand.

“Yong-sik-a!”

“Kyau…”

Yong-sik seemed completely out of energy as his head drooped weakly. It pained me to see him so exhausted. I carefully picked him up and held him in my arms.

“Thank you, Yong-sik. Get some rest now."

I could see how much Yong-sik had pushed himself for me. In his youngling form, even slight exertion could leave him exhausted and collapsing, so I couldn’t imagine how many times he had used Breath to handle those villains. Perhaps due to overexertion, Yong-sik was breathing erratically.

"Dad is sorry for not being good enough."

“Kyau, kyauu…”

As if to deny it, Yong-sik slowly shook his head and let out a strained groan. Feeling sorry for him, I gently stroked his rough skin. Then, a loud explosion suddenly erupted, and I looked up in surprise.

Boom! Boomm!

“…!”

Those crazy… As Kang Yoo-hyun and Baek Si-hoo clashed, warning system windows kept popping up, advising me to leave immediately. It was the first time I had seen such a fierce battle that triggered system warnings. I don’t recall seeing anything like this in the novel either.

「Warning! Channel connection is unstable due to the massive flow of energy.」

「Disconnection may result in penalties.」

「Please leave the area.」

「Warning!」

「Warning…」

If the warning is about the channel connection, it likely means it’s the Muspelheim dungeon. Losing the connection might force us out of the dungeon.

If that happens, would we return to the original entry point, like using the portal? However, it felt too ominous to entertain such hopeful thoughts. I could end up lost forever, just like those hunters who went missing in the dungeon.

For now, I decided to ignore the constantly appearing warning windows. Even if I left this place, I’d be powerless on my own and would likely become prey for the monsters nearby. At the moment, not even a single bastard could get close amidst the superhuman battle between SS and S-classes.

“Ugh… Kang Yoo-hyun!”

I shouted, but he appeared to be almost in a trance. Kang Yoo-hyun was fiercely attacking Baek Si-hoo and Evan. The villains desperately parrying him were no joke either. At that moment, a faint voice came from the pager I had forgotten. After a brief hesitation, I pulled out the pager amidst the chaos.

"Who… is this?"

[Hunter Han Yi-jin?]

"Uh… Hunter Sung Yoo-bin?"

Surprisingly, it was Sung Yoo-bin’s voice. Sensing something ominous in her urgent tone, I raised my voice.

"What’s going on?"

[I'm glad you're okay… Wait, we're in trouble. The portal is about to close!]

"What… did you say?"

[You need to come here quickly. I’ve already contacted the raid team, so you need to hurry as well…]

"Hunter Sung Yoo-bin!"

The pager suddenly cut off, as if something was wrong. Staring at it in dismay, I lifted my head with determination. I needed to act quickly before the portal closed and inform Kang Yoo-hyun about this immediately.

"Hey, Kang Yoo-hyun…!"

However, my shout was drowned out by a roar-like sound. Whose skill is that? Who summoned a wolf-like monster? As I stood there dumbfounded, another powerful wind slammed into me. My body was pushed backward and then lifted off the ground into the air.

"Urgh!"

I'm in trouble if I get swept away by the wind like this. I tried to get back on the ground, but my B-rank body was incredibly weak. I held Yong-sik tightly and closed my eyes.

Tak!

"…Huh?"

Just then, something wrapped around my body. Feeling a firm and warm presence, I slowly opened my eyes.

"Eden!"

"Yi-jin-ah."

Eden looked at me with teary eyes as I remained in his embrace, floating through the air.

"Why are you here… What about the raid team?"

“We subdued that weirdo bastard and they headed for the portal.”

"Then you should follow them. Why are you here…”

“I’m not going anywhere without you.”

"You…"

His words tugged at my heart. Han Yi-jin clearly hadn’t lived his life in vain. Even in this dire situation, here was a loyal friend who stayed by my side, risking his life to the very end. I looked at Eden with an emotional gaze.

"Let’s go to the portal now."

"Ah, wait a moment."

"Why?"

Eden asked, puzzled. ‘Why?' Because we need to bring the main character back with us too. I frowned and pointed toward Kang Yoo-hyun.

"We need to take him too."

"…"

For a moment, Eden’s face crinkled with displeasure, but then he straightened his face as if nothing had happened.

"Right… We should take him with us."

“How do we tell him that the portal is closing?”

The battle was so intense that I couldn’t get near him. Meanwhile, Yong-sik was clinging to me in a near-death state, and I was starting to feel unwell.

”Don't worry. You rest here, I'll take care of it.”

"…?"

Eden, who had been flying through the air, dropped me off at a considerable distance from Kang Yoo-hyun's fight and then quickly ascended back into the sky.

I muttered to myself, ‘He’s going to be okay,' while watching Eden’s back as he soared into the sky with a smile.

But soon, my vision began to blur. I had pushed myself too hard. My B-rank body ached all over, as if screaming that it could take no more. And just like that, I lost consciousness.

“That crazy bastard!”

Evan was shocked to see Kang Yoo-hyun deflect all of his skills. As warning system windows filled his vision, he clicked his tongue in frustration and took a step back. A gut feeling told him that if he kept fighting like this, he would die.

Since his awakening, Evan had never known the fear of death. He was stronger, prouder, and more skilled than anyone else. A perfect predator who had never known what it was like to be prey. An absolute being who took pleasure in tormenting his victims before killing them.

Yet, all that pride crumbled the moment he faced Kang Yoo-hyun, whose stats had been pushed to their peak. Now, he looked utterly pathetic as he ran for his life.

"Keuk… Hound!"

Leaving his target behind and running away went against his nature, but he had no choice. Wasn’t it better than dying a dog's death in a place like this? That’s why he called Baek Si-hoo and found that Baek Si-hoo was also rampaging wildly like Kang Yoo-hyun.

"Fuck…!"

Evan frowned as he watched their fierce battle, wondering if they had been enemies in a previous life. The shield Evan had created was crumbling like a brittle eggshell. It was truly at its limit. It was then—

[Kang Yoo-hyun!]

"…!"

A sudden gust of wind swept past Kang Yoo-hyun’s ear, carrying someone's voice. Kang Yoo-hyun, who had been fiercely attacking Baek Si-hoo and Evan, paused for a moment.

[The portal is closing soon, you crazy bastard!]

"…"

[Yi-jin is waiting for you, hurry up.]

The brusque voice came to an end, and Kang Yoo-hyun immediately knew who had sent the message. It was the wind user who was always with Han Yi-jin.

“…You guys are lucky."

Kang Yoo-hyun struggled to manage the turbulent energy within him. The overflowing power was damaging his body to the point where he could not control it properly.

– The worse it is for your body, the sweeter it is.

Kang Yoo-hyun shook his head to clear the unidentifiable voice from his mind and then looked at the person who was staring at him.

"Next time, it won't end like this."

"Kang Yoo-hyun…!"

Even with his body covered in blood, Baek Si-hoo continued to glare at Kang Yoo-hyun. Kang Yoo-hyun knew well that Baek Si-hoo was the type of man who would fight to the death—just like he would. After swinging his sword one last time, Kang Yoo-hyun turned away.

Kang Yoo-hyun saw the wind user carrying the unconscious Han Yi-jin and furrowed his brows deeply. But that wasn’t his main concern right now. The portal was closing soon. Kang Yoo-hyun dashed toward the open portal.

“This way.”

“…Let's go together!"

Eden clicked his tongue and followed Kang Yoo-hyun. The desert was left desolate after the intense battle.

“Ugh…”

As I opened my eyes, a flickering blue light came into view. I struggled to keep my eyes open and scanned my surroundings.

"Yi-jin-ah! You're awake?"

"Where… am I…? Ugh."

As the headache surged, I furrowed my brow. A large hand was placed gently on my face, and then the person continued speaking softly.

"Don't worry. It's all over. We're going through the portal now.”

"The portal…"

"The others… they're pretty fine, so don't worry."

"Ugh…"

Though something about the words felt unsettling, I nodded with relief for the time being. Soon, a bright light enveloped me. The chaotic Muspelheim dungeon raid had come to an end.