Chapter 68

Yeonhee Woo felt her world crumble when the monsters came jumping out of the darkness for the first time. She realized how insufficient her imagination had been, despite having thought that she was “prepared”. How laughable! Yeonhee Woo simply had been unable to imagine the reality of the shrieks and growling roars of hunting predators, the putrid stench of carrion eaters and the metallic scent of their blood, and the terrifying speed of these creatures.

The monsters that Sunhoo had drawn were real, and she could feel the emotions coming from the monsters. She shuddered at the monsters’ rage and hunger towards Sunhoo, and was horrified by their frenzy to rip and tear at his abdomen, to feast on his soft innards. Her world crumbled for the second time when Sunhoo sat on the monster to stab its chest. It was not a battle between good and evil, the dungeon was a war of survival.

The standards between monsters and humans did not exist there, and the man who survived was a stranger to Yeonhee Woo. Her face went white when the bloody man came to her to demand she plunge a dagger into a monster.

Now, her world was about to crumble for the third time due to the man standing at the door and the nightmare she could see beyond his shoulder. The room beyond was filled with monsters, and her mental preparations did not work. The shrieks and the savagery of the creatures that wanted to kill her were hell. And in hell, instead of fire, there was darkness, and monsters screamed instead of sinners. Bleeding and still twitching and thrashing monster bodies piled up in front of the man.

“Heal!”

Yeonhee Woo used her skill, as she remembered one thing that the man had said. If he died, she would die too. If he died, monsters would come for her through the door currently blocked by the man and his blades. She could not take her eyes off their glowing yellow eyes, as they were filled with the instinct to kill. Yeonhee Woo shuddered again, and she felt faint. Her world was becoming a ruin, but a human scream filled her ears. It was from the man.

[You cannot use the skill.]

[Cooldown time: 03:30]

She could still use ‘Marie’s Hand,’ but a monster rushed at her when Sunhoo had stumbled for a moment. She met its eyes, and the monster’s movements were too fast as it charged at her.

“No!”

Yeonhee Woo screamed not at the monster but at the man, as the room would be filled with monsters when he moved from his position. It was right after her scream that she saw the monster’s body on the ground with an arrow sticking out of it.

She remembered screaming at Sunhoo but did not remember what she did with her bow. She came to her senses now as she stabbed the monster’s chest. Yeonhee Woo started in surprise when the man spoke.

“Good!”

She looked at the man, and while the man was now looking forward again after confirming what she had done, she could read in that brief instant their eyes met that he had praised her. Yeonhee Woo’s world was restored again, and she placed an arrow in her bow as she covered his back.

***

[Declan Extermination: Exterminated Declan Soldier 54/60]

[Accumulated Points: 184]

There had been nineteen monsters in the first room, and now there were six left before the quest was completed. There were no other monsters after the last message. While the mutts had some intelligence, they were not smart enough to hide when they could attack.

“Clear.”

We returned to the first room as we walked past the corpses until we could see none. We both sat on the ground, and Yeonhee Woo offered me a white pill with her bloody hand. While my dagger was laced with Odin’s Wrath and my left arm had been hardened by the Iron Skin skill, we could not go into the next room like this. I swallowed the pill and lay down.

“Continue to heal me while I rest for a while.”

I could not sleep immediately, and there were still some pains left despite the painkiller. The scenes I just saw flew by. Trying to protect Yeonhee Woo was a luxury, and I had to forget her when I went into battle. Then, I just improvised as I fought hand to claw, despite being a battle between weaklings. If my levels increased, we would not need to do this again. Until then…

[Yeonhee Woo used Physical Healing.]

[Your wounds heal a little.]

The message would pop up even when my eyes were closed, as she was doing her job. Healers would shine during times like this, especially when the party was weak. I remembered when I had let a mutt pass, as it rushed at her despite being nearly dead. I thought she would manage it and did not move from my position. She had done so, and I was proud of her for what she had screamed at the time.

“No!”

She yelled this so that I would not move, and the battle was now over. The win meant a lot, as we learned that we could clear a room like this without using The Man Who Overcame Adversity or an insignia. I did not feel the pain, as it had dulled enough for me to sleep.

***

I heard Yeonhee Woo’s voice in my ear, and she was saying that she could not apply her skills anymore. My right arm had been injured enough so I could not hold the sword, but now I could move it easily. I clenched my fist to test if I was ready to fight again.

“The treatment ended, and I got a silver box for completing the treatment of a party member for the first time.”

I saw that she held a necklace in one hand, and she held it out to me.

[Medal of Restraint (Medal)

Effect: Restricts the target.

Class: E

Cooldown Time: Seven days]

I took it silently and wore it on my neck. We did not need words, she remembered her contract in her silence. She was to give me any items that she could hand over, but I did not expect Yeonhee Woo to react this way. She should have realized the value of items, but she did not seem dissatisfied as she looked at me. Yeonhee Woo spoke.

“If we go back alive, right?”

I nodded. I would give her the money as written on the contract. Did she like money this much? I did know how stupid it was to presume to know a person. What mattered was that she had a strong goal. She spoke again.

“There’s a dungeon box here.”

Edited by Userunfriendly