Baek Yeonjun moved his left foot first out of habit. He was the type with well-balanced strength and speed, but he had always found it hard to correct the habit of letting his weight lean to the left.
Whoosh—the blade swept past Song Taewon's ear. The sword strike of an A-rank Hunter, now close to S-rank, was enough to tear at clothing with the wind wrapped around it alone. Song Taewon twisted his body only as much as necessary to avoid the attack and grabbed the arm Baek Yeonjun had extended.
A black shadow flickered over Song Taewon's palm, instantly nullifying the defensive skill resting over Baek Yeonjun's arm. Crunch—his fingers bit into flesh and shattered bone. Song Taewon then yanked hard on the arm as though tearing it off and rotated his body to the left.
For Baek Yeonjun, that was to the right.
'His right side is still…'
Weak.
His reaction speed was faster than Song Taewon remembered, but compared to his responses on the left, it was still lacking. As Baek Yeonjun's body was dragged along, Song Taewon's knee—charged with rotational force—drove into his right side.
Crack.
A groan slipped through Baek Yeonjun's teeth. In Song Taewon's mind flashed the image of Baek Yeonjun from before, taking only about half of this much force, whining, and surrendering. But the current Baek Yeonjun swallowed even the scream and gritted his teeth as he twisted his body. Accepting that the arm caught in Song Taewon's grip would be mangled, he forced himself backward.
In the brief moment he bought for himself, the Hunters from the Awakened Persons Management Office approached the main gate.
"Here!"
Someone threw a potion bottle toward Baek Yeonjun. For a healer with low physical stats, throwing a potion was faster emergency treatment than running over in person. But before the bottle could reach Baek Yeonjun—
Crash!
A chunk of pavement kicked up by Song Taewon shattered the bottle. The translucent liquid spilled uselessly onto the ground. It was a movement as though he had anticipated the potion being thrown and been waiting for it.
Or rather, Song Taewon did know.
Better than anyone here.
The Hunters of the Management Office in this place had longer careers than the current Song Taewon. But in pure combat experience, even more than three years was not enough to catch up to him. Even if they had become similar in quantity, the difference in quality still remained.
As soon as he dealt with the potion, Song Taewon chased after Baek Yeonjun, who had already retreated into the road. Lowering his body close to the ground, Baek Yeonjun slid all the way to the sidewalk across the lane and grabbed the rear of a parked minivan. Crunch—his fingers bit into the vehicle, and then he shoved the minivan toward Song Taewon as though throwing a bowling ball.
Screeeech—
With a scraping noise as it dragged against the road, the vehicle rushed in and blocked Song Taewon's view. For an instant, he had no choice but to lose sight of Baek Yeonjun. But Song Taewon did not panic. Without leaping over the car or smashing it apart, he sidestepped and sprinted to the right.
"What—!"
Shock flooded Baek Yeonjun's face as he moved precisely to the right—in other words, to his own left. But only for a moment. A thick, hook-callused hand shot toward his throat. Baek Yeonjun hurriedly threw up his good arm to block.
Song Taewon grabbed Baek Yeonjun's arm, wrenched it with a crunch, yanked, and with his other hand slashed with the dagger. Fresh blood spilled hot over bloodstains that had not even dried yet.
Song Taewon then whipped the arm holding the dagger straight back after drawing it long across flesh. The dagger flew from his fingertips and pierced the support-type Hunter who had been standing there awkwardly.
'Support-types need to be even faster in their judgment than close-combat-types.'
He had once said that.
'You must be able to protect yourselves while keeping your distance so you can use your skills at the right time. Depending on the situation, you also need to know how to retreat coldly.'
But it was not easy to turn away while a comrade was in danger.
Since if I'm the only one left, I won't be able to clear the dungeon and come back out anyway.
He had heard those words before too.
Thud.
The corpse dropped from Song Taewon's hand. As he turned around, he saw the defense-types stepping forward. Among the faces tense with strain, only one was familiar. There were also faces he did not know.
But behind them, there were still more faces he did know.
"When is support from Haeyeon arriving?!"
"We haven't been able to make contact!"
"What about Seseong and the Association?"
"Those places too..."
After Song Taewon's death, no new S-rank Hunters had entered the Awakened Persons Management Office. Unlike the Korean Hunter Association, there were no S-rank Awakened who wanted to become completely state-affiliated. As a result, its influence had shrunk a great deal, and when situations arose that it could not handle alone, it had no choice but to request support from the major guilds and the Association.
"Are you a monster or a Hunter?! If you can understand us, state your identity!"
Song Taewon did not answer. Instead, he pulled a metal staff from his inventory. It was the weapon he mainly used when dealing with large numbers of weak monsters. An A-rank item that was simply sturdy, with no special skills attached.
A few people recognized it and frowned. But it was equipment too simple and too common to define a person by.
"Stall for as long as possible until we get through to someone!"
Using the defense-type Hunters as the core, they blocked the main gate. Three shields were raised side by side. Behind them, bows were drawn and wind began to swirl.
Piiing—!
Following the path of wind created by a magic-type Hunter, an arrow shot out. It was not merely an attack meant to hit the target; it contained a skill that slowed the enemy's movements. It would activate the moment it touched not only the body, but even the shadow.
Song Taewon lightly jumped backward to avoid it and gripped the metal staff with both hands. The first arrow was for aiming. The moment it struck the ground—
Whoooosh!
Wind burst outward violently, and more than a dozen arrows began pouring down like rain! Song Taewon spun the staff in his hands in a wide circle. Tadatadat—arrows struck the rotating staff and ricocheted away, and Song Taewon's body shot toward the defense-types.
"Hold him!"
Boom, boom, KWAANG! The defense-types drove their legs into the ground. At the same time, violent winds battered against Song Taewon to slow his charge. Bows and melee weapons aimed upward in preparation for him to leap over the shields.
It was a formation made to deal with powerful ground-type monsters. There were a few new faces, but the one who had created the formation was none other than Song Taewon.
'Winds at this level cannot stop high-rank monsters, nor can they bind them even briefly. But they can definitely weaken the power of an attack. And with only that small amount of help, a defense-type Hunter will be able to hold out.'
'It is easier to block attacks when you have a support point than when you're just standing on flat ground. However, it restricts your movement, so don't use it alone.'
The staff swung widely, cutting through the wind.
BOOOONG—!
A terrifying force smashed into the shields, but the defense-types endured it by bracing one another. The powerful rebound made Song Taewon's grip sting faintly. Not missing the instant his motion stalled, another rain of arrows poured down. Arrows fired almost straight up into the sky, then dropping in a spread. At the same time, spearheads thrust through the gaps between the shields.
Screech—Song Taewon's right foot scraped long across the ground as it shot out almost in a straight line. His left leg bent deeply while he swung the staff over his head. Tadatak—the staff that had blocked the arrows turned in his grip, standing vertical and colliding with the spearheads.
KWAANG!
Then he slammed it into the ground.
Centered on the point where the staff pierced the earth, cracks spread outward as if an earthquake had struck. Grabbing the end of the staff, now buried nearly halfway into the ground, with both hands, Song Taewon poured his full strength and weight into it.
Kugugugugung—!
"Move!"
The ground was torn up, split apart, and surged up nearly a meter on both sides. Beyond the main gate and deep into the parking lot, the solid cement floor and chunks of earth rose and bucked in a long wave. The defense-types, who had planted their legs into the ground, scrambled in a panic to avoid it. A few of the lower-stat Hunters behind them lost their balance and fell.
Song Taewon let go of the staff, now leaning at an angle, and kicked off the ground. As his body soared into the air, wire unfurled from his arm.
Whirrrk!
The thrown wire wrapped around the neck of a support-type Hunter. Landing, Song Taewon immediately stamped down on the defense-type right beside him and yanked hard on the wire. Crack—the sound of a neck breaking rang out. Song Taewon kicked up a spear that had fallen to the ground. Catching it out of the air, he threw it and moved at the same time, kicking an archer in the chest.
A Hunter who had come back to his senses swung a sword at Song Taewon. The bare hand shrouded in shadow gripped the blade.
"That skill—!"
Crack. Song Taewon's hand snapped the blade in two, and the broken edge immediately ripped through its owner's throat. A spear and a sword flew at him at the same time. From above and below, a combination honed over long years so that their movements did not interfere with one another.
Song Taewon again raised the arm wrapped in wire and caught the spear aimed at his neck. At the same time, he planted his foot on a shield lying on the ground and raised it. Crack, clang! The wire around his forearm was scratched, and the shield slid back and struck Song Taewon's leg. The blow landed, but the blade did not bite in.
Those two Hunters still worked perfectly together. Even a seasoned high-rank Hunter would have found it difficult to block attacks thrusting in simultaneously like that.
But Song Taewon understood almost every one of their trajectories perfectly.
Even the small habits that surfaced no matter what, every last one.
Both high and low were blocked. The sword and spear were withdrawn, and next they would come in from both sides, enclosing him. The placement of the spearman's feet, the way the swordsman drew back his arm. The direction and position of the next attacks were vividly drawn before Song Taewon's eyes.
Both of them high.
Song Taewon's body dropped sharply. At the perfect timing, the attacks swept past uselessly, and staying low, using that recoil, Song Taewon shot toward the two of them. Their weapons had not yet been fully withdrawn; there was not enough time to defend.
Song Taewon's arms spread wide and bent forward. Both hands caught the men by the throat.
That was the end.
The corpses piled up. The two defense-types who remained were unable to put up much of a resistance either. Song Taewon walked toward the archer who had been flung some distance away, his chest caved in. There was still breath left in him.
"Who… the hell… cough… Director…?"
His expression and voice were both full of confusion.
"No."
The answer slipped out before he knew it. The corners of the archer's eyes twitched.
"Just now… you really looked exac..."
Silence.
No sound at all could be heard anymore. The crumpled paper cup rolling across the ground entered Song Taewon's sight.
Next.
What came next.
Nothing rose to mind. He should not have even needed to think about the order of dungeon-clearing steps, and yet he could not move.
'First priorities...'
Eliminate the monsters. No, before that, the team members. He wanted to run a hand down his face, but his hands were drenched in blood. Was the water system still working? If he only walked a few steps, there was the familiar restroom. He could wash his hands.
And there would be no one there.
Because they were dead.
Because he had killed them.
'…This place is a dungeon.'
Song Taewon had to clear the dungeon and get out. Once he returned to Korea, there would be a mountain of things waiting for him to do. In the scenery he remembered just as it was.
"You look like a ghost if ever there was one."
At that moment, someone's voice rang out. Song Taewon jerked up the head he had been hanging.
"You don't look like you're right before dying, so how old are you?"
Walking down the stairs, Moon Hyuna spoke.
"…Hunter Moon Hyuna."
"So you heard about my death?"
Song Taewon stared fixedly at Moon Hyuna as she jumped down the remaining stairs in one go. Moon Hyuna had not entered this dungeon. She had not even come to China with them. Her hair was black, and the aura she carried was stronger than that of the real Moon Hyuna.
Then was she also a monster belonging to this place?
"Why… didn't you stop me?"
"Hm?"
"If it were you, you could have stopped me."
Moon Hyuna scratched the back of her head.
"I wasn't supposed to be here in the first place."
The current Moon Hyuna was not in Korea.
"I did get offered the position of Director of the Management Office. Director Song even asked me himself, remember? Back when Breaker Guild started to wobble. Did you know you were going to die back then? Is that why you recommended it? That's a face I've never seen before."
"...."
"So this is definitely strange, but at the same time it feels like something is forcibly trying to erase that sense of wrongness. Just look around. There's nobody here."
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With a grimace, Moon Hyuna said it felt unpleasant.
Han Yoojin, Sung Hyunjae, and Bak Yerim had connected originals. Because of that, it was relatively easier for them to notice that their current state was suspicious. But Moon Hyuna and Riette—and the other Hunters—did not.
Those of lower Rank, even if they briefly sensed that something was strange, soon had the suspicion itself erased away. Riette felt it clearly, but did not care. After finding Noah, she even deliberately chose not to think about it. It was perhaps a sensation like realizing you are in a dream and waking up.
On the other hand, Moon Hyuna, though her awareness was weaker than Riette's, felt greater resistance to it. She was making an effort not to let that sharp sense of dissonance slip away.
"So how old are you? Am I around your age now? Or are you even younger?"
"Right now, Hunter Moon Hyuna…"
"I'm the strange one, aren't I? Tell me I'm right."
Song Taewon hesitated, then nodded.
"This place is a dungeon, and I am a raider."
"Then am I… a monster? Really?"
"Yes."
Moon Hyuna let out a laugh of disbelief.
"It doesn't feel like that. But this situation definitely is strange. Feels rotten. Anyway, if we've both more or less ended up in the same position, I'm just going to talk casually."
"…Weren't you already talking casually?"
"Taewon-ah, what are you doing here?"
Clicking her tongue, Moon Hyuna looked Song Taewon up and down.
"And why did you die? Did Sung Hyunjae really kill you?"
"I don't know. In the first place, this is only a false future created by the dungeon."
"Looking at the state of things right now, it doesn't seem all that likely to turn out different. And from my point of view, I'm the real one. You died, and Sung Hyunjae left Korea. After he was officially listed as missing, I happened to run into him exactly once."
Even knowing it was not real, Song Taewon found his attention drawn to Moon Hyuna's words.
"You know how Sung Hyunjae is. He lives exactly how he wants, with boredom laid over everything. But when he was with you, Taewon-ah, he actually looked like he was having a decent amount of fun. Then all that vanished."
"…Vanished?"
"At a glance he looked the same, but how should I put it… it felt like he'd already lived out the whole world? He was kind of like that before too, but after that, the only thing he seemed remotely interested in was sending postcards to the Haeyeon Guild Leader's hyung."
"He is close with Han Yoojin-ssi."
"What? They were? I had no idea."
Moon Hyuna's eyes widened.
"That aside, he said there were never any replies. And even if he told the Haeyeon Guild Leader to smuggle them away from his hyung, he just ignored him. He also ignored every question about Song Taewon. It got boring after that, so I never saw him again."
The word boring felt profoundly out of place when attached to Sung Hyunjae. Song Taewon slowly clenched and unclenched hands stiff with dried blood.
"Do you want to come inside and wash up?"
"…No."
"Still the same. So stiff. I was pretty stiff too, but compared to Song Taewon, I was downright soft."
With a smile, Moon Hyuna started walking toward him. A faint tension settled over Song Taewon's shoulders.