Chapter 238

Anyway, that meant Im Haekyung’s first plan had gone off the rails.

I didn’t think Im Haekyung would’ve explained their plan as empty talk. Right now, it wasn’t like they looked overflowing with leisure, either.

‘We can’t stay here forever.’

Even if I’d fallen back from the main fight, the scene was still right in front of my nose. If I slipped up, dying here wasn’t exactly impossible.

I quickly checked my situation.

‘There’s a limit to hiding my body with a stealth item anyway.’

There were already a truckload of Hunters with Insight-type Skills or items. They weren’t paying attention to me because they were focused on the fight, but once the battle radius widened, it’d only be a matter of time before I got spotted.

My condition itself wasn’t bad. With all my magical power drained out, it felt like I’d gone an entire day without eating, then gotten the shit kicked out of me, and then worked out for seven straight hours... but whatever. I could still walk around with my mind intact.

‘And this bastard looks like it’ll attack whether I’m stealthed or not, if it feels like it.’

Kicking at the floor that was slowly, slyly wrapping around my legs, I tried to organize what was happening in front of me.

After copying and using Im Haekyung’s Skill, I could kind of understand why that bastard wasn’t just dumping Skills at random. If the Dungeon itself could change on the fly depending on the shape of the mind, then from the moment you used a mental Skill on the Dungeon Boss and affected the space, it became hard to separate “me” from the Dungeon.

Just mimicking it briefly was enough for me to feel it, so Im Haekyung was probably dealing with something even worse.

They probably weren’t going to wipe out fear completely and make the Hunters charge in like lunatics.

‘Even if they did, it doesn’t feel like the odds would be that great.’

Just then, a sharp voice rang out from where the fighting was in full swing.

“Move!”

After dropping another creature that had spawned in an instant, scraps of its corpse were strewn across the floor. Watching the Hunters get ready for the next round like it was routine, I half pushed myself up.

‘Fuck.’

And in that moment, whether it was because of some unconscious assimilation effect or not, I could tell instinctively.

‘The space is changing.’

Before I could even think about how to respond, Im Haekyung’s hand shot out toward Hunter Seok. The instant I checked that, I spat out the Stealth Orb and stood up completely.

Everything happened before I could even get my head straight.

“Huh?”

Hunter Seok, not understanding the situation, activated a Skill toward the Hunters who were clustered in one place.

Gust (A) has been activated.

Shaaah—

“Why am I—”

It probably wasn’t their will. A Status Window was floating clearly near Im Haekyung’s head.

Because of Hunter Seok’s Skill activation, the Hunters who’d been packed together got shoved backward all at once and went down. And right after that, the ground split open and the entire space started to change.

I moved fast, but it was already too late.

‘...Ah, fuck.’

Around the moment I felt like I’d made eye contact with Im Haekyung in midair, the ground I’d been standing on was already splitting in half and gaping open.

“Keuk....”

I clenched my teeth and threw my body forward, grabbing the edge with my hands and hanging on.

There wasn’t any proper terrain to brace against, so it wasn’t easy to hold. A black liquid like sticky tar couldn’t keep a grip and kept sliding down endlessly.

“You fucking piece of—”

I tried to curse, but my breath caught in my throat and I snapped my mouth shut fast. Air slipped out through my teeth in a dizzy rush, then came back. When I turned my eyes downward, I saw a dim space whose depth I couldn’t even begin to gauge.

“Hah— th, fff....”

I wanted to use recoil or bounce my body up, but there was nothing to grab. I scraped as much of the ground toward me as I could, then bared my teeth and stretched my arms out as far as possible.

Along with someone’s shouting from somewhere I couldn’t see, a wind sound that resembled that weird scream from earlier howled violently.

On the slick ground with no friction, my body dropped down in one sudden lurch.

Then, as the ground on the opposite side split, the space that had been opened far away began to slide toward me little by little.

‘Is it changing again?’

Around the time I was grinding my teeth and holding on, I felt a faint groove near my feet.

‘Got it.’

I immediately planted my foot there and braced my weight with arm strength, kicked off the wall, and launched my body up. Then I rolled forward and barely managed to kick the floor and climb up.

My arms were so stiff from hanging on that they were aching. Lying there, I took a breath, then waited like I was hanging on by sheer patience before I dragged myself out of the gap.

I roughly shook off my filthy clothes and got up—and the scene in front of me was a complete mess.

The ground that had been slick just a moment ago was cracked everywhere, and the Hunters had been flung all over the place like paper dolls.

‘Did it stop?’

Just then, I met eyes with Im Haekyung, who was looking this way.

And in that instant, I was sure.

‘We’re fucked.’

Because I was staring straight at the Skill window flashing above Im Haekyung’s head.

Mental Domination (S) has been activated.

This wasn’t being used on the Hunters. It was Mental Domination applied to this entire Dungeon.

‘So the foothold groove was something Im Haekyung did, too.’

Just then, a familiar voice called out.

“Hunter Seo?”

“.......”

Song Hwayoung, her brow slightly furrowed like she’d gotten hurt somewhere, looked at me and called out with a puzzled expression.

“Why are you here?”

“Hello.”

“Hey— it’s not ‘hello,’ it’s—”

Over the flustered-looking Song Hwayoung’s shoulder, Im Haekyung called to me.

“Jehyun.”

I didn’t answer and walked straight toward them. The closer I got, the more I could see how fucked the situation was.

When I reached right in front of Im Haekyung, I naturally felt Song Hwayoung nudge me.

“Hunter Seo, no— why are you here?”

“Haeseong’s Guild Master sent me.”

“What?”

At that, Song Hwayoung immediately snapped her head toward Im Haekyung.

“Are you out of your mind? Why the hell are you stuffing my guild’s appraiser in here?”

“Guild Master Song. That’s not what matters.”

Im Haekyung answered in an even voice, tilting their head slightly as they looked at Song Hwayoung.

“Then what the hell does matter?”

“What’s right in front of us. Don’t get in my way and make me fail twice.”

“Get in your way?”

“Your Skills have been a beat late since earlier. Is your magical power circulating properly?”

“.......”

“I’ve never picked a fight with you, noona. I’m just asking about the situation.”

At Im Haekyung’s question—calm from start to finish—Song Hwayoung started to nod, then hesitated and turned her gaze toward me.

“You know what’s going on between us. We’re siblings, right?”

Even though we don’t share blood and our family registry is different.

‘Fuck, then we’re not siblings.’

I corrected myself quickly.

“Not anymore, I guess. Well, right now you’re basically strangers. You can tell just by looking.”

Ignoring Song Hwayoung staring at me, I asked Im Haekyung about their condition.

“You used your Skill? On the Dungeon?”

“Yes.”

“You said you wouldn’t.”

“If I didn’t, you would’ve died, Jehyun. You’re a Hunter I brought in... so I have to keep you alive.”

When Im Haekyung said that, they looked unusually tired. Dumping magical power into something on this scale clearly wasn’t easy even for them.

“Listen, Guild Master Song. The situation isn’t that good right now. One of the Haeseong Hunters was already injured. Jehyun kept them alive with potions, but their condition is... not great.”

“I know. They escaped when they were with me.”

“This Hunter’s a support-type to begin with. A-rank, but weak in attack power. And Hunter So is....”

“Hunter So’s going to need a decent amount of time before they can get back into the fight.”

After slowly dragging a hand down their face, Im Haekyung looked up into the air and nodded.

“Yeah.... Then, Guild Master—are you okay right now? Since earlier, you keep—”

“I’m fine.”

“Realistically.”

“I answered realistically.”

After hearing that much, Im Haekyung stared at Song Hwayoung for a moment, then nodded.

“Then can Jehyun help with support?”

“An appraiser, what support?”

“Quickly assess the Hunters’ conditions and....”

Im Haekyung paused, then turned their gaze to me. The instant our eyes met, Im Haekyung’s mouth opened again.

“...there’s no one else here who has a usable Skill right now except you.”

“.......”

“You almost died just now. Are you scared?”

I answered shortly.

“No.”

“Good. The creatures are going to keep getting made no matter what. Don’t get too buried in attacking—focus on getting rid of the Dungeon Boss while factoring in that the space itself moves. I’ll do my best to stop the space from deforming.”

“Attack? Hunter Seo?”

“You’ll support from the back. We need one mental-type Skill. Don’t ask more, and....”

At Im Haekyung’s words, Song Hwayoung finally nodded.

As Song Hwayoung returned to her position and prepared for battle, I heard Im Haekyung’s voice.

“Can you copy my Skill again? Or ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) is there a limit?”

“There’s a limit.”

“Then just support.”

Saying it was fucking easy.

The moment Im Haekyung finished speaking, the Dungeon Boss’s huge mouth closed, and a vibration that sounded like speech came through.

—Nooo....

The instant the Dungeon Boss finished “speaking,” a grotesque-looking stalk popped out between the split gaps.

“Guild Master?”

And right after that, the fast-shooting stalk pierced straight through the body of a Hunter who’d been down.

With a brutal sound of flesh being punched through, a scream burst out.

“Aaaagh!”

Im Haekyung was right. The monsters would get generated endlessly anyway.

‘So even if we have to accept a few deaths, focusing on the Dungeon Boss is the right call.’

Staring at the Dungeon Boss’s mouth, which was grinning, I calmly reassembled my magical power.

Mental Domination (S) has been activated.

Kugugugung—

Over the split gap, creatures were slowly emerging, and Im Haekyung—trying to close the gap that held those creatures—crossed my vision like overlapping images.

With a wet, strange sound, half of the creature’s body came into view, and then I heard footsteps kicking off the ground as someone sprinted.

“Guild Master Song!”

In an instant, the creature’s body that was about to cover the Hunter got cleanly cut in half. Right beside the Hunter crawling on the floor, half the corpse dropped with a thud.

“Ah, damn....”

And then, the Skill window that had been clearly floating over Song Hwayoung’s head vanished in an instant.

As I turned back toward Im Haekyung, I realized about halfway.

‘Ahh....’

They’d deliberately placed Song Hwayoung as far away as possible. Close to the Dungeon Boss.

Meaning—within a radius where, even if they used their own Skill to the maximum without warping the space, they could still save her.

The problem was, Song Hwayoung wasn’t the kind of person who could focus only on the Dungeon Boss even if a few people died.

Srrk— with a vicious sound like flesh being sliced, the area fell silent for a moment.

‘Song Hwayoung?’

The Hunter the creature had been about to attack earlier was hunched on the floor, coughing dryly.

Meaning they were alive.

Then this sound was....

Just before I could step closer, Im Haekyung’s voice called out.

“Jehyun.”

The moment I turned my gaze, Im Haekyung’s mouth opened.

Was they going to tell me to go help, or to stay here?

But right before Im Haekyung could finish speaking, the creature’s corpse was swallowed by flames in an instant.

Fwoosh—

“...This is.”

There were eight Hunters here total, not counting Im Haekyung and me. Out of those, excluding two dead and the Hunter whose state we couldn’t confirm, there were five.

And among them, there wasn’t a single fire-type Hunter.

It was the end of the grace period.