CHAPTER 103…………………………………………….
Unlike the result of the sudden appearance in the fourth floor library, since the door going down had disappeared, we had to go down to the ground and then re-enter. Leading everyone back up to the castle would have been inefficient. Besides, everyone was probably quite exhausted from the battle, so I planned to return to the castle alone.
“I’ll just go quickly and bring Yaong. You all stay here.”
But the response was lukewarm.
“We’ll have to go back together anyway. It’s better to go together than to stand around waiting here.”
Especially Kim Jun voiced his desire to go along, even giving a logical reason.
“There will probably be guilds fighting in the gate room to get to the next floor. It could be more dangerous if we rush in together. It’s better if only a few people go. Everyone else should rest here, not just Jun.”
“Then let’s go as a pair.”
I had been planning to go alone all along, but Kang Kwon-ho stepped forward. He was saying this without even having fully come out of Baek So-hyeok’s body, yet he spoke so confidently.
“Why are you going with them? If anyone should go with him, it’s me.”
Baek So-hyeok didn’t back down either.
“Hyung, I want to go too. If it’s just a few people, wouldn’t three be okay?”
With Kim Jun joining in, my head spun. I had just wanted to handle this simple matter comfortably by myself, but now the situation had become unnecessarily complicated.
“I… I’ll be quick. Yaong always comes running when he sees me. So there’s no risk of him getting caught up in a fight or anything dangerous.”
I knew it was useless to argue once they started opposing me, but I tried anyway.
“That won’t do.”
“That can’t work, Woo-jin.”
As expected, neither of them had any intention of listening. They quickly countered my words without even pausing to breathe. It was infuriating how, despite always disagreeing on things, they somehow had perfect synergy in these moments.
‘If anyone’s going to respect my decision, at least Ryu Ji-soo would.’
I turned my gaze to Ryu Ji-soo, silently hoping for help.
“I’m too exhausted. My magic is almost depleted, so if something happens, I won’t be of any help.”
Unfortunately, Ryu Ji-soo was overwhelmed with fatigue after finishing the previous task. I felt genuinely sorry for even thinking of making him help before he’d had a chance to recover. I looked at Lee Ji-ah beside him, but he seemed just as tired and in need of rest. I had no choice but to make a decision from the options available.
“Then one more person can go with me. Let’s decide fairly by drawing lots.”
Kim Jun’s eyes sparkled as if thrilled by the chance. Baek So-hyeok, however, looked displeased, though he couldn’t object to such a fair method.
“Here, use this.”
Kang Kwon-ho took an item from Baek So-hyeok’s pocket as if it were his own—similar to the pen and notebook I had.
“You’re not going to do anything reckless, right?”
“Baek So-hyeok’s things… can’t you trust me?”
Baek So-hyeok didn’t mind Kang Kwon-ho using his belongings, but he did suspect him of any mischief.
“Hyung, let me see that for a second.”
Baek So-hyeok took the notebook and pen from my hands, examining them thoroughly. Even someone like Kang Kwon-ho couldn’t possibly deceive everyone in this situation, so there was no problem. Still, Baek So-hyeok handed the items back to me with a wary expression.
“Then I’ll make them.”
I carefully tore a page from the notebook to make slips for drawing lots. I divided the paper into thirds, marking two with an O and one with an X, creating a simple makeshift lottery.
‘It looks a bit shabby, but oh well.’
I folded the slips and held them in my palm, shaking them.
“Pick any.”
I offered the slips to the three of them. While Kim Jun and Baek So-hyeok hesitated, Kang Kwon-ho picked the top slip.
“I’ll take this one.”
Baek So-hyeok reluctantly picked one of the remaining slips, and finally, Kim Jun took the last. And the result was…
“Looks like we’re almost there, Woo-jin.”
We were in the space leading back to the castle. Even as we passed the first floor heading upward, Baek Kwon-ho casually waved the slip marked X, and Baek So-hyeok and Kim Jun couldn’t hide their expressions.
“Did he… really write some kind of mark in the notebook like So-hyeok said?”
I wasn’t naive—I knew Kang Kwon-ho must have done something—but I couldn’t figure out exactly what method he used.
“What method? You did it, Woo-jin.”
When I gave him a questioning look, he smirked mischievously and laughed softly.
“The slip I picked was about two millimeters longer than the others. I had noticed it when you marked it.”
I had thought I hid it well, but he had seen it—impressive.
‘Baek So-hyeok, who values rules, wouldn’t even attempt this.’
“Isn’t that cheating?”
“I just used my ability; it’s unfair to call it cheating. There were no rules against it.”
He was shameless, truly.
“Woo-jin, start getting ready for combat. Who knows what’s happening inside.”
Kang Kwon-ho said this while inspecting his rapier.
“When will his body return to normal?”
“It’s been about three hours with no change. Seems pretty potent. I thought it would return by now.”
Even though his prediction was wrong, Kang Kwon-ho didn’t seem bothered.
“What will you do if he doesn’t come back?”
“The other body performs better, so I want to get back quickly. But it seems like there’s more to extract from this one than I thought, so it’s not all bad.”
He evaluated not only other people’s bodies but his own as if they were objects. His mindset was unusual, but considering the harsh world he had survived in, it made sense, and I felt a twinge of sympathy.
“Ah, the gate to the second floor.”
Upon arriving at the second floor, the background shifted rapidly, and we reached the door we had seen earlier. Even though it was the same day, it felt like ages ago because of everything that had happened.
“I’ll open it.”
Kang Kwon-ho wrapped his body lightly around mine, pressing close. Baek So-hyeok’s familiar scent reached my nose.
[Arrived at the 2nd floor gate.]
“Hmm?”
But the situation inside was completely different from before. It was a battlefield, with fights erupting everywhere. The strangest thing was that Planarients weren’t fighting humans.
‘What the hell…’
Before I could comprehend it, the system window rang loudly.
[This area currently has a temporary system quest.]
A temporary system quest? I’d never seen this in the game. Kang Kwon-ho’s expression also stiffened.
[System Quest: Hunter Hunt
Difficulty: ???
Clear Condition: Render all hunters except yourself unable to fight.
Time Limit: ???
Individual Reward: Steal one item from each defeated hunter’s inventory.
Gain one skill level per three defeated hunters.
Penalty: None]
The quest content that followed was even more absurd. It wasn’t a team battle; it was free-for-all against other hunters. This type of quest was unprecedented.
‘Normally, no one would move recklessly with this quest active.’
“The guilds fighting in there are the Footprint Guild and the Haeun Guild.”
Kang Kwon-ho whispered to me. Now I fully understood the chaos. These two guilds were notorious rivals, and Haeun Guild was especially unscrupulous, reportedly ambushing high-ranking members of Footprint Guild. Dropping this event in their midst guaranteed disaster.
‘You can level up a skill regardless of current status. Crazy opportunity. Why pass up a chance to attack a rival guild and profit?’
So the hunters were a mix of those fighting the opposing guild, those handling Planarients, and those knocked out. Even battlefields rarely looked like this.
“What should we do?”
But the most tragic part was that Kang Kwon-ho and I had landed right in the middle. I tried to call Yaong while unnoticed, but it wasn’t easy.
Grrrrr.
“Yaong!”
I finally spotted Yaong, who was fighting three hunters. If the hunters had been attacking him one-sidedly, I would have been furious—but the opposite was true.
Grrrrr.
Yaong let out a low, booming roar I’d never heard, attacking the hunters relentlessly. Even those already wounded on the ground weren’t spared.
“He’s lost his senses.”
Kang Kwon-ho was right. Yaong had grown even larger than before, his eyes red, and seemed completely out of his mind.
“Yaong, over here!”
I called louder than before, trusting that he would respond. Our eyes met—but the usual affection I’d seen in his gaze was gone.
