CHAPTER 84…………………………………
Kim Jun, having noticed that I was looking for Ryu Jisoo, answered first.
“Jisoo is late.”
Although the other guild members seemed to have finished quickly, it was unexpected that Jisoo would be the last.
“Let’s wait a little longer. It hasn’t even been an hour since we entered here.”
Not even an hour had passed? I hadn’t realized the time at all, having been so pressed during the fight.
“Right. Let’s sit and rest for a bit.”
After tending to my newly acquired items and using potions to heal my wounds, fifteen minutes passed in no time. Yet Ryu Jisoo still hadn’t returned, and growing anxious, I clenched and unclenched my fists repeatedly.
“No matter what, Jisoo is taking way too long.”
“Yeah. Slower than I expected.”
Kang Kwonhoo had hurriedly looked for me when I didn’t arrive shortly after clearing the stage himself, yet he was cold toward Jisoo, who was even later. My growing impatience made me spring to my feet.
“My teleport can reach him too, right? I think I should go find Jisoo.”
“Jisoo isn’t a kid. Won’t he come on his own?”
Kang Kwonhoo shrugged casually.
‘So that means he thinks of me like a kid.’
I bristled briefly, but this wasn’t the time. I didn’t want to interfere with Jisoo, who was subtly proud, but safety had to come first.
“I still feel uneasy leaving him like this. I at least need to check that nothing’s wrong.”
“Then let’s go together—me and Woojin.”
“Can I go too?”
Jun, who had been resting on the floor, jumped up. I didn’t know how he had managed to quickly handle the Planariont, but it was clear that it had taken a serious toll on him. He was still breathing heavily.
‘He must have used a very energy-consuming skill. It wouldn’t be good to take him somewhere potentially dangerous.’
Jun, perhaps thinking I wouldn’t immediately agree, lowered his hand cautiously.
“Stay with Jia here. It’s easier to handle things in pairs than alone.”
“Got it, brother. Understood.”
I signaled to Lee Jia, who nodded as if she understood.
“Alright. Be careful, brother.”
Following Kang Kwonhoo’s instructions, I rubbed the piercing once and clicked the color of the piercing Jisoo wore. A map appeared, showing his location, but it was unclear whether it was a man-made space or something else.
In other words, knowing exactly where he was didn’t have much meaning. I rubbed it twice quickly, and a prompt appeared: [Teleport to holder “Ryu Jisoo”?] Without hesitation, I pressed [Yes].
“You’re teleporting a lot today.”
“Yeah.”
Even while moving, Kang Kwonhoo spoke calmly. I, still thinking rationally, waited to be transported to where Jisoo was.
I was worried about Jisoo, but knowing how strong he was, I unconsciously believed there wouldn’t be a major problem. But the situation I saw next shattered that complacency.
“We’ve arrived.”
I turned from looking at Kang Kwonhoo to the room we had arrived in. The small smile I had formed faded. The screen flickered like an old black-and-white film, images skipping like stretched tape. At the edge of my vision, Jisoo rolled on the floor, soaked in blood.
“Ryu Jisoo!”
I shouted, almost screaming, and instantly felt my blood pumping as I ran.
[Skill “Blessing of Lightning Lv 29” swirls at your feet.]
I ran without thinking. Only after lifting the fallen Jisoo did I realize that a single Planariont, over ten times larger than the others, was about to swing its club. I had intended to shield Jisoo with my own body.
Bang!
Kang Kwonhoo, wielding a massive shield, blocked the Planariont’s attack. When he glanced at me, his eyes were full of displeasure—probably thinking I had acted recklessly again.
‘No, this was instinct.’
My reflexes weren’t under conscious control. Had I been more rational, I would have blocked the Planariont’s attack myself instead of shielding Jisoo with my body. My narrow focus due to shock was the problem.
“U… Woojin?”
Jisoo regained consciousness just then. Fortunately, he hadn’t completely lost it; he had only fainted briefly from the shock.
“Are you okay? What happened, Jisoo?”
I helped him lean against the wall as he forced himself to sit up.
“What happened?”
“Well… my skill was taken. Then, someone who was tiny like a dwarf suddenly grew huge… and attacked me in a way I’d never seen before.”
Even in pain, Jisoo tried to explain carefully. From what he said, I understood why this had happened.
‘Our worries became reality faster than I thought.’
We were unlucky. The Planariont Jisoo had encountered had a growth-related skill. I didn’t know if it had stolen the giant race’s skill or simply a size-increasing skill from another hunter.
But it was clear that the Planariont’s skill synergized with the “Descendant of Giants.” The skill couldn’t have been used effectively by simple theft alone.
‘No… was this really just bad luck? Or did someone send this Planariont to exploit Jisoo’s weakness?’
Maybe I was overthinking. But doubts that arose this way weren’t easy to shake.
‘I should have told Jisoo about his weakness sooner.’
I had refrained from saying anything, worrying it might offend him and thinking that even if the Planariont stole it, no one could use it as effectively as Jisoo. That turned out to be a mistake.
“Both of you, fall back for now.”
Kang Kwonhoo drew his greatsword with a slightly annoyed tone. The shield was still out, but it had shrunk slightly, perhaps in preparation to swing the massive blade.
“Jisoo, let’s move a bit farther away.”
I supported Jisoo and moved him out of the Planariont’s reach.
“Drink a recovery potion, at least. Let’s get you treated as quickly as possible.”
The potions couldn’t fully heal him, but they could stop the bleeding.
“Thanks…”
Jisoo took the potion with trembling hands, his expression dark—not only from pain but also from bruised pride.
“I hate to admit it, but he’s strong… that guy.”
Jisoo drank three potions I handed him, regaining some color. Though he had lost a lot of blood, his robust body could endure it.
“He is strong.”
Kang Kwonhoo, without using other skills, blocked the massive Planariont’s attacks with his greatsword. Despite the size difference, he skillfully redirected its force and delivered effective hits.
“Grrr…!”
Frustrated that his attacks were blocked, the Planariont gathered red flames in its club. With Jisoo’s strength and the weapon in hand, the pressure was suffocating.
“Noisy.”
Kang Kwonhoo enveloped his greatsword in darkness. When the flaming club struck, it shattered as if it were nothing. The Planariont didn’t even scream before being consumed by the sword.
‘That was sheer skill and overwhelming magical power.’
The residual magic scattered through the cave but soon dissipated. Kang Kwonhoo’s attacks, unlike his calm demeanor, had a greedy, black-hole-like edge.
‘Huh?’
In that brief instant, the Planariont, perhaps using a defensive skill, released smaller versions of itself, roughly the size of ordinary Planarionts.
[Skills “Spear and Swordsmanship Lv 30” and “Blessing of Lightning Lv 29” resonate. The spear extends like lightning.]
Just like when I protected Jisoo, this was almost a reflex. Before I could realize I’d used a skill, the spear shot forward.
“Thud…”
The spear hit the smaller units, incinerating them instantly. I stared at my hands in disbelief. I had occasionally felt my body act on its own, but this was an entirely new sensation.
“Well done.”
Kang Kwonhoo tapped my shoulder, snapping me back to reality.
“Let’s get out of here.”
Like the room we had been in, once the Planarionts were dealt with, a door appeared leading back to the original location.
