Chapter 130

Chapter 130

Whether it was because he was swayed by Jeong Seojin’s words, or simply out of pure anger, the Beggar didn’t show the reaction he’d wanted. The bastard tightened its grip on me once more. I coughed up blood from the pressure that felt like my entire body was about to burst, and looked at Jeong Seojin.

‘…At the very least, Nostalgier, I won’t let things go the way you want.’

If what Nostalgier wishes for is Jeong Seojin’s annihilation and my survival…

Then the result I hand her must be the exact opposite.

Seizing the brief moment when the Beggar’s grip weakened, I drew on my life force instead of my mana, which was now reduced to not even a speck.

—…You, hey! What are you, doing—!

“Wait, Yoon Seohee, you—!”

If I had to describe it in color, a red, formless power blazed up in an instant. Feeling as if I’d wrapped a ball of fire in my arms, I poured all my strength into activating ‘Ruler’s Garden’ once more.

‘If the reason I can’t dominate the ‘Beggar Who Devours Memories’ is because it’s an ‘external being’…’

The surging mana followed my will and became a tree of dominion. The tree made of mana immediately reached out toward the ‘Beggar Who Devours Memories,’ just as I intended.

<WARNING!!>

<WARNING!!>

<WARNING!!>

[Tutorial 3. The Strong Prey on the Weak]

Quest Progress (2/3)

Save your ‘strong one,’ ‘Jeong Seojin.’

*Hint!

Sto p it n o w

You’ v e  g o n e  c r a z y  r i g h t  n o w

Success: Jeong Seojin’s safety

Failure: Jeong Seojin’s annihilation

Time Limit: (Due to Jeong Seojin’s crisis) ? hours

As if it had somehow gauged what I was doing, the system’s urgent notifications and quest windows flashed before my eyes one after another, but I completely ignored them.

‘Even if I have to sacrifice all my life force, I just need to dominate the ‘internal being’ that bastard possesses.’

Soon, the branch of dominion made of golden mana reached toward the ‘thing belonging to Jeong Seojin’ that lay deep inside the bastard’s belly.

—Ah, n o, d o n ’ t, s t o p  i t !

[S t o p  i t  n o w]

Thud! Just as the branch of dominion was about to touch the ‘memory’ inside its belly, something huge slammed into the Beggar’s face. And just like before with me, something large and sharp pierced through its wrist once more.

—Ah, aah, aah!

“Hey, move! Jeong Seojin’s partner is falling!”

A familiar voice I thought I’d heard somewhere rang out, and as a matter of course, my body began to plummet from the bastard’s grip toward the ground. Thump. A familiar warmth caught me as I fell. Coughing up blood, I looked up at the person who had caught me.

‘Ah.’

A face that felt a bit more youthful compared to what I remembered, but with willow-green eyes that, despite her appearance, gave off a strangely firm impression.

‘Why is Joo Minjeong here…’

“I caught Jeong Seojin’s partner, Kang Mujin!”

Hunter Joo Minjeong shouted toward the large man who had presumably thrown a shield at the Beggar’s face from afar, right after safely catching me. I forced my creaking neck to turn and looked at the figure I assumed was Guild Master Kang Mujin.

“Good job, Minjeong.”

The man, whose back was more reassuring than anything I’d ever seen, pulled a new shield from his Inventory as if to replace the one he’d thrown at the Beggar. He planted the massive shield on the ground, gripped it firmly, and faced the ‘Beggar Who Devours Memories,’ which was gnashing its teeth from the mouth on its belly.

“How did you get here….”

“Let’s talk later, Seojin.”

Jeong Seojin sounded startled by the sudden appearance of Guild Master Kang Mujin and his companions, but Kang Mujin cut him off immediately. And as if to take over, he gripped his shield again and continued.

“For now, our priority is retreating safely, all of us.”

* * *

The retreat from the ‘Beggar Who Devours Memories’ was far from smooth. The Beggar Who Devours Memories kept attacking us as we tried to fall back, blocking our path at every turn. But fortunately, the monster couldn’t chase us all the way. Thanks to a massive barrier spread across the mountainside that prevented it from entering.

[You have left the <Beggar Who Devours Memories> raid area.]

The bastard seemed furious at the invisible wall that suddenly blocked it, throwing all sorts of tantrums. But even that didn’t last long, as the barrier seemed to take effect, and it vanished from our sight.

And the moment the Beggar Who Devours Memories vanished from my sight, I passed out cleanly. “Yoon Seohee?!” “Hey, Yoon Seohee!” Jeong Seojin and Hunter Joo Minjeong called my name, apparently startled by how I suddenly went limp like a dead person, but naturally, I couldn’t respond.

How much time passed after that?

When I finally managed to regain consciousness and opened my eyes, I was lying on a makeshift bed inside a tent.

“Oh, you’re awake? Hey, don’t move. If you move now— tsk.”

“Ugh, uuugh…”

I had no idea what was going on. I let out something akin to a ghost’s wail, like a drunkard who’d downed liquor like there was no tomorrow and then had the misfortune of actually seeing tomorrow. My head ached and spun, my stomach churned, and my gut felt like I’d swallowed a ball of fire. On top of that, my limbs ached all over as if I’d caught a bad case of the flu.

“I told you not to move.”

A strange woman whose face I couldn’t even properly make out through all the pain and dizziness let out a deep sigh and laid me back down.

“Overconsumption of mana potions, excessive mana use, muscle pain from overexertion, various injuries, and even a fever. Right now, Yoon Seohee, you’re basically a walking corpse, so don’t try to move and just stay still.”

“Yes, yes… Ugh, uuugh…”

From the way she talked, she seemed to be medical staff or an Awakened with a healing-related skill. She was probably the one who’d taken care of my injuries. I reflexively tried to thank her, but before I could even finish the words, I started dry heaving.

“Don’t even bother with thanks. Just lie there like a dead mouse. Honestly.”

“G-guuugh…”

“Watch the news once in a while. These days, they’re constantly telling people not to chug mana potions recklessly.”

I wanted to argue that I hadn’t drunk them because I wanted to, but I didn’t have the strength. She clicked her tongue at me a few more times before getting up from her seat.

From what I caught, she said she’d bring someone else and told me not to even think about getting up, just lie there. Not that I had the strength to get up anyway.

‘Ah, I’m dying… No, seriously, I’m dying. It feels like my brain is boiling alive.’

I’d always known that mana potions had stronger addictive properties and side effects compared to other potions, but experiencing it firsthand was on a whole different level from just hearing about it.

I kept groaning and writhing, caught between pain that felt like my joints were being crushed in real time and dizziness like I was being tossed around inside a huge barrel.

‘Oh.’

At the same time, I spotted a familiar man. The moment I saw Jeong Seojin lying on the makeshift bed next to mine, my eyes went wide and I tried to sit up.

“Jeong Seo— *cough*.”

…I tried to get up, but I just flopped back down. When I actually attempted to rise, the pain in my arms and legs was so severe that I couldn’t move at all.

Groaning from the hot, sharp pain wracking my entire body, I checked on Jeong Seojin, who was lying there peacefully. The small cuts on his face seemed to have disappeared, and at least the bleeding from his waist injury appeared to have stopped…

‘…Thank goodness.’

At least that guy wasn’t going to suddenly drop dead. I felt a wave of deep relief and flopped my head back onto the pillow. Even though my consciousness was hazy from the dizziness and fever caused by the mana potion overdose, seeing Jeong Seojin’s unharmed face didn’t feel too bad. Not that it felt good, either.

“Cough, ugh, cough… See, this is what happens when you go running off on your own, cough…”

“Shouldn’t you be saying that to yourself?”

“Wha— Agh?!”

Ack, was this bastard awake the whole time? I reflexively tried to jump up from my spot… but couldn’t, and my body crashed back onto the bed. Apparently, my body had no intention of allowing even my reflexive movements, because even that brief motion sent pain through me like my bones were shattering.

“Wh-when did you, cough, ugh, uuugh…”

“I woke up way before you. Unlike some people, I have fast recovery.”

True to his word, Jeong Seojin seemed to have already recovered from his injuries to some extent. He glanced at my condition from where he was lying, then immediately sat up. He settled into a chair and quietly watched me, still groaning and lying there.

“Yoon Seohee.”

“Hey, Jeong Seojin, cough, p-painkillers… Go find me some painkillers…”

“The doctor who just left said not to give you any. Anyway, Yoon Seohee.”

“Ah, what is it…”

How can they expect me to endure this without a single painkiller? This is pure torture. I kept groaning in agony, clutching the bedsheet tightly. It hurt, I was dizzy, my stomach was upset. Truly, it was the worst of the worst piled together to create the ultimate worst experience.

“Why did you save me?”

“What kind of random question is that… Hoo, it hurts…”

“If you’d just left me behind, you wouldn’t be in this pain, you idiot.”

“Would you… ugh, cough! Have been able to leave me behind…?”

“Of course I would have left you.”

As I groaned from the pain and dizziness, a cold hand touched my forehead, beaded with sweat. Even while gasping for breath, I looked at Jeong Seojin through narrowed eyes. He was staring at me quietly, his expression so complicated it was impossible to describe in words.