Chapter 80

Chapter 80

From far away, a light so bright it couldn’t even compare to the faint glow of a Mana Orb whose latent mana had been completely drained was approaching them. Yoon Seohee turned her head toward the direction the light was coming from, finally finishing her last words.

“I want more than just proof that Yoon Juyeong and I are connected.”

* * *

[Official Name of New Dungeon… ‘Mirage Dungeon’]

[Mirage Dungeon Generated in the Middle of a Parking Lot… Disappeared Immediately After Clear?]

[Mirage Dungeon Generated in ○○ City, What Is It?]

[Threat of Sudden Dungeon Generation… “The Government Needs to Come Up with Measures.”]

[Interview with Victim Who Lost His Livelihood Truck Due to Dungeon Generation… “If This Keeps Happening, How Am I Supposed to Live?”]

After the dungeon that Yoon Juyeong and I were swept into was generated, various media outlets began reporting on the incident one after another.

However, the media, which was churning out all sorts of articles, seemed to be doing their best to avoid talking about the people directly involved in this dungeon generation—namely, me and Yoon Juyeong.

“That’s because there’s an embargo on it.”

Jeong Seojin peeled an apple for my share and said it with a calm, composed face. I stabbed one of the apples he’d already peeled with a toothpick and popped it into my mouth.

“Embawgo?”

“It just so happens that the people caught up in this incident are one new S-Rank hunter and one S-Rank production-type hunter.”

“An’ that matters?”

“The strongest weapon of humanity, an S-Rank hunter, collapses without a fight in front of a new dungeon. If something like that gets published as an article, what do you think people’s reactions would be? Oh, and as a bonus, the precious production-type hunter who was barely rescued almost kicked the bucket too.”

I didn’t think Yoon Juyeong had collapsed without a fight, though. I chewed on the apple in my mouth, recalling what had happened inside the dungeon that had been named ‘Mirage Dungeon’ this time.

Watching me, Jeong Seojin silently placed all the peeled apples on a plate and pushed it toward me.

“Compared to other countries, this one is relatively stable, but fundamentally, we’re in a state of war. News that could have a big impact on morale will only be reported after going through discussions.”

That was a pretty intuitive and clear explanation. A state of war… As Jeong Seojin said, that was definitely the most appropriate word to describe the current situation.

‘No matter how many people are living ordinary daily lives, the fact remains that the threat to their lives right in front of them hasn’t disappeared.’

Dungeons are the enemy’s operational bases, and the monsters inside them are the enemy forces that can actually harm us.

As long as dungeons exist, and as long as the ‘Monster Parade’—where monsters sometimes burst out of dungeons—exists, humanity still has to face a very real threat.

“Alright, so.”

While Avan had gone to get my share of water, Jeong Seojin, who had finished cutting all the apples Avan had left behind, put the fruit knife he was holding onto the tray and met my eyes.

“How about you tell me a bit now? What exactly happened in there?”

“It’s just like I told you. A dungeon was generated while Yoon Juyeong and I were on our way to get a car—”

“No, not that part. The part much later than that.”

The sunlight streaming through the hospital room window lingered in Jeong Seojin’s golden-tinged black eyes.

“I’m asking about what happened after that fake-nice guy collapsed.”

“I already answered that too. I said I don’t remember.”

“No, Boss. Think about it logically. In a situation like this, who’s going to believe you if you say ‘I don’t remember’?”

Well, that was true. In fact, the Dungeon Management Committee employee who came to see me after I was rescued from the dungeon by Jeong Seojin and Avan had the same reaction.

He came to me while I was lying in bed after receiving treatment for a while and asked what had happened inside the dungeon, and I told him as much of the truth as I could within the scope of what was possible.

‘I was suddenly caught in a dungeon generation and fell down.’

‘There, I encountered an enemy that even S-Rank hunter Yoon Juyeong couldn’t handle.’

‘I used Thoth’s Spectacles to find a safe zone.’

‘Yoon Juyeong moved me to the safe zone and fought alone.’

‘I realized Yoon Juyeong was in danger, so I went there too. And I don’t know how it happened, but the dungeon was cleared.’

That was the explanation I gave to the DMC employee, and naturally, he kept pressing me on the ‘I don’t know how it happened’ part.

And I just repeated the explanation I’d already given. Unfortunately, that was really all I could say.

“You really don’t remember anything? For real?”

“Hmm… I’ve already told Jeong Seojin everything I remember.”

Apart from the explanation I gave the DMC employee, I’d told Jeong Seojin even more than that.

For example, about the unidentified voice that kept speaking to me ever since I entered that dungeon, and about what that voice whispered to me after Yoon Juyeong trapped me in the cave.

Ah, I even told him about the dream I had about Yoon Juyeong after that unexplained gap in my consciousness. Along with my guess that I might be able to dream about targets affected by my ‘Ruler’s Garden’ skill.

“I really don’t remember. I know it’s strange, but… I don’t have anything more to say. After I was trapped in the cave… probably because of the Ruler’s Garden skill… anyway, I could intuitively sense Yoon Juyeong’s situation.”

“And then?”

“So I thought I had to go to Yoon Juyeong, and I did. I don’t remember what happened in that process.”

It was definitely strange. To get out of that cave, I had to get past the barrier Yoon Juyeong had created, but I had absolutely no memory of ‘how’ I crossed that barrier.

In my hazy memory, I just thought I had to cross that barrier, and I actually did. That was really all I remembered.

“After that, I ran to where Yoon Juyeong was and met him.”

“According to Yoon Juyeong, that distance couldn’t have been covered in that short a time with a C-Rank hunter’s physical abilities.”

“An S-Rank hunter ran at full speed, so of course it was that far…”

But still, what I could say was the same.

“But I got there anyway.”

“So how did you get there?”

“I don’t know that either.”

In my memory, I just kept running with the single-minded determination to reach Yoon Juyeong. Nothing more, nothing less.

Vague as it was, I didn’t suddenly awaken a new skill back then, nor did I have a sudden epiphany and awaken as an S-Rank combat hunter.

I really just ran. That was all.

“Honestly, I’m flustered too. When I try to explain, it’s just one impossible situation after another, and I have no way to clearly account for any of it.”

To be honest, even from my perspective as the one explaining, it was just as frustrating. Everything from the moment I was trapped in the cave was blurry, and most of my actions in that blurry memory were things even I couldn’t understand.

“…Haah. So you really don’t remember anything at all about what happened after Yoon Juyeong collapsed?”

“Hmm.”

I tried to recall that moment again.

First, Yoon Juyeong was lying there unconscious. Seeing that, I hurried over to him and grabbed him. Then, I think I said whatever I wanted to him, with a bit of anger and resentment. And then, and then…

“Uh… I think I used the Ruler’s Garden skill.”

“That one?”

“Yes. It’s not a clear memory, but… well, when I first used that skill, all of Yoon Juyeong’s injuries were healed.”

I think I subconsciously thought this was the only way to save Yoon Juyeong. I furrowed my brow deeply, sifting through memories as hazy as thick fog as I spoke.

Jeong Seojin stayed silent for a moment, just watching me quietly.

“After that, I don’t remember anything… then I dreamed about Yoon Juyeong, and I woke up. When I opened my eyes, both Yoon Juyeong and I were lying side by side in the cave.”

I was so bewildered back then that I didn’t know what to do and wandered aimlessly for a long time.

My whole body was covered in injuries that had barely missed being fatal, and right next to me, Yoon Juyeong was lying there with only his fatal wounds healed. On top of that, my memory of how we ended up in that state was a complete blank.

‘Still, I think it was a good call that I calmly started treating the wounds first, even now.’

If I’d just done nothing and waited for Yoon Juyeong to wake up, or waited for Jeong Seojin and Avan to rescue us… at the very least, I might have been on the verge of death from excessive blood loss.

Jeong Seojin silently waited for me to gather my thoughts in my own way. Just then, Avan, who had gone to get water, opened the hospital room door and came in.

“Master, I’ve brought the water.”

“Yeah. Thanks. …Hey, so how is Yoon Juyeong doing?”

Honestly, the reason I asked Avan to bring me water with such a trivial request wasn’t because I actually wanted water, but because I was curious about Yoon Juyeong’s condition in the next room.

Unfortunately, I was currently under strict orders from the doctor to stay absolutely still and not take a single step away from the bed, and Yoon Juyeong was in the same boat.

So if I wanted to check on Yoon Juyeong’s condition, well, was there any other way? I had no choice but to ask someone else.

“He still seems to be asleep. From the looks of it, his injuries are almost fully recovered. Honestly, for an S-Rank hunter to be fussing over a wound like that is more pathetic than anything.”

“Don’t say that. That ‘wound like that’ was never a minor thing to begin with.”

At least it seemed that using the ‘Ruler’s Garden’ skill had achieved what I wanted, and they say the critical-level injuries are now healed as if they were never there in the first place, but…

Before I used the skill, Yoon Juyeong, whom I’d seen with my own eyes, was in a state where it wouldn’t have been strange if his breath had stopped at any moment.

I recalled Yoon Juyeong, soaked in blood all over his body, vomiting blood again on top of a puddle made of his own blood, and I trembled. It was truly a sight I never wanted to see again.