I struggled to breathe, legs burning as I sprinted full speed through the winding stone corridors—still carrying the kid in my arms.
He'd followed me into the labyrinth like a duckling imprinting on the first warm body he saw, and now I was seriously regretting not forcing him stay when I had the chance. Because this place was crawling with monsters.
This damn quest...!
I was just an F-ranker. So why the hell was there a giant lurking in here?! Thank the gods I hadn't run into anything directly yet, but I had a feeling my luck was on its last life.
And worst of all, I was getting tired.
Running around with a terrified eight-year-old clinging to my neck like a backpack wasn't exactly the most energy-efficient plan but it had to do for now.
"Can't I get a skill or something?! Why did I have to awaken without any decent abilities?!" I murmured under my breath.
Then something strange happened.
『 Sorry ૮(˶╥︿╥)ა 』
I blinked.
"What the?"
Was that the system talking to me?
I knew almost nothing about the hunter world, but I was pretty sure systems didn't usually apologize with crying emojis.
"Who are you?" I asked warily, glancing around just in case something was mimicking a system screen.
No response. So I changed my question. "Can you help me get out of this dungeon?"
This time, I got an answer.
『 ദ്ദി(ᵔᗜᵔ) 』
『 Right. 』
...What the hell kind of system is this?
Still, there's no harm done.
I checked from the corner of the wall to see if there were any monsters. To my surprise, there weren't any. But I can't be too sure. There might be traps just like earlier when I stepped on a floor that triggered fire from the back, luckily there was a corner there that saved my life. But the back of my shirt was burnt in turn... It still aches until now, especially with the boy rubbing on my back whenever I run, but I had to act like everything was fine for his sake. No... For our sake, so he wouldn't make any noise loud enough to attract the monsters.
"Traps. Are there any traps?"
『 Safe. Left. 』
The system spoke in one words. Is it telling me to turn left?
The system was leading me out of this labyrinth and whenever I would ask questions that doesnt relate to the dungeon at all, they would just be silent.
I can't understand the intentions of the system, but they're my only hope to surviving this.
For thirty minutes, I diligently followed the instructions of the system. It was an endless time of running that felt like there was no end to it.
But more than that, it was amazing how easily I was countering monsters.
Eventually I found a blue portal portal swirling at the end, away from the labyrinth. Seeing this, I ran towards it quickly.
『 Quest Complete! 』
『 You have escaped the S-Rank Labyrinth Dungeon.
Rewards Earned:
‣ +2 Luck
‣ Skill Acquired: Blessed From Coffee! 』
I ignored the blue screen and focused on what was in front of me.
Hunters, dozens of them, were rushing toward us, expressions ranging from shock to urgency.
"Civilians!" someone shouted. "They're alive!"
The crowd split as a woman staggered forward. Her short, choppy hair was dyed blonde at the back, though it was hard to tell with all the blood streaking through it. A deep, jagged wound split across her side—too severe for someone still standing.
It was a horrific sight... but something was wrong.
Everything felt muffled. Distant.
Their voices echoed like they were underwater.
My knees buckled slightly.
Wait, why was the ground moving?
No. That was me.
Suddenly, my vision blurred and darkness overcame me.
·•—–٠✤٠—–•·
There was a man standing from afar, alongside the civilians that gathered around outside the portal behind the "do not cross" tape that blocked them from coming closer.
He had slightly long black hair that seem to catch the attention of another civilian who stared at him with passionately. "Hey, don't you think he's hot?!" A woman whispered to her friend, eyeing the man up and down.
On the other hand, the man was staring intently at the people who just came out of the dungeon. Specifically, Elena and Hye-in.
"Something's changed." he muttered before turning his back and leaving the scene.
·•—–٠✤٠—–•·
I opened my eyes to see a nurse holding and writing something on a clipboard. Upon seeing me awaken, her eyes widened and immediately pressed something that she was holding.
"Y-you're awake! How are you feeling?" She asked.
"Ugh... My head hurts... Is the kid okay?"
I looked around to see if he was maybe here, but it was mainly patients and nurses here. All asleep like they were in a critical condition.
"Kid? What kid?"
"T-the one that was with me after I made it out of the dungeon! I had a little boy with me. He was—"
Someone came in. A familiar bob cut hair woman with a doctor next to her. She was that girl who I saw at the entrance of the portal all bloody before I lost consciousness!
"The boy is fine. He made it out of the dungeon thanks to you." The girl said before the doctor spoke to me.
"The burn on your back should be no problem. We've had healers in the guild take care of it for you. You should be free to go."
I bow my head from the bed, "T-thank you. Uhm...How much is the hospital fee..?"
The doctor just chuckled and the woman spoke instead, "This is the guilds hospital. Ms. Seo, you went through a tragedy. This is the least the guild could do for you."
"Uhm..." I scratched the back of my hair, "May I ask which guild...?"
"Oh! My bad, I didn't introduce myself properly. My name is Hye-in from Baekwha guild."
I gasp internally.
Choi Hyein...! One of the only S-rank in the world! Or is the country...? I don't know how far her power and influence go, but I've seen her in a billboard a couple times before.
Ah, no wonder why she seemed a bit familiar.
I once considered her as a candidate for my marketing campaign! She has a very dark look to her, so I thought it was the perfect way to promote a "gothic winter latte" theme last year.
Unfortunately, her guild rejected my email.
Something about how S-rank hunters don't "do beverage endorsements." Whatever. But understandable. We weren't really a big company, so who would wanna work with us for a small budget...
Enough. That's all in the past now.
I sat up straighter in bed without thinking. "Oh. Uhm...Thank you... for helping me?"
"What are you talking about? You saved us. Actually... I'm here to talk more about your experience in the dungeon."
The doctor and nurse left the room, leaving me with a seated celebrity. It was hard not to get excited at the sight of someone this amazing, casually talking to me.
If I had a campaign and used her influence, I bet the amount of revenue will be endless!
"I'll get straight to the point," she said, arms crossed and gaze sharp. "How did you survive an S-rank dungeon?
"What?"
"You must be mistaken," I said quickly. "There's no way that was an S-class dungeon. I mean, apart from the giant I saw, nothing else really felt that dangerous?"
She arched a brow. "That giant you saw takes a full team of A-ranks and an S-rank just to bring it down. That thing was the dungeon boss."
"...Huh?"
"And while we're at it," she continued, "there were other monsters. Several, in fact. Highly aggressive types with stealth detection. I was almost caught more than once, and I'm not just any hunter. I'm an S-rank assassin with a stealth skill that even most hunters can't trace. But the boss spotted me the moment I got close."
I stared at her.
"I would've died in there," she said plainly, "if you hadn't cleared the dungeon's objective and forcibly ejected everyone."
"Wait—'forcibly ejected'?"
"Right. You probably wouldn't know this, being a civilian." She folded her arms. "But S-rank dungeons, or anything above B, are fundamentally unstable. There's not enough data on them because they're dangerous. But we do know that some of them have... unique conditions. Unconventional clearing methods."
She paused.
"Like this one. A maze-type dungeon with a survival-based win condition. If even one person successfully clears it, the entire dungeon collapses. Everyone gets booted out—dead or alive."
"...So I solved the quest. And that ended the dungeon?"
"Yes." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Which means, like it or not... you cleared an S-class dungeon. No one will stay silent about this."
I stared down at my lap.
Ah.
In other words... I'm doomed.