Chapter 62
Kwon Jihan seemed to have something to rely on, remaining relaxed unlike the others.
"How much durability does the hot air balloon have left?"
"1% remaining."
"Then should I hold our hyung?"
"You need to fight."
"I can fight while holding you, hyung."
Yoon Seo openly frowned.
[The
He subtly floated into the air just enough for only Kwon Jihan to notice inside the hot air balloon.
Kwon Jihan wasn't surprised, he just looked at Yoon Seo with calm eyes.
"How about stepping in now?"
"...."
"I'm not telling you to fight. Just figure out a way to help people fly. Use a hidden skill or a hidden item. You're not seriously planning to just let them all die, are you?"
The surroundings grew silent. The guild members were focused on their conversation. In the distance, the monsters' roars echoed. Explosions rang out, bang, bang, probably from a skill Alec was using while blocking their march alone.
When Yoon Seo didn't respond, Kwon Jihan continued.
"To be honest, I can take down every single monster in this dungeon by myself. But I can't protect these people. If they all fall into the lava and die while I'm busy killing the boss, then what's the point? I'll survive, sure, but that kind of survival would be miserable."
"...."
[The God of Death takes interest in 'Kwon Jihan.']
[The God of Life is overcome with sorrow.]
Yoon Seo couldn't say anything.
Because he was right.
What meaning was there in clearing a dungeon if all his allies were dead?
No one understood that kind of miserable survival better than Yoon Seo, because he had survived that way himself.
Yoon Seo had always thought: Kwon Jihan may look like that, but he only ever says the right things.
"Then I'll leave it to you, hyung."
Without even waiting for Yoon Seo's response, Kwon Jihan turned around and swiftly took off toward the monsters. Soo Jaehee glanced at Yoon Seo briefly before following after him, and the couple activated their skills to fly, trailing behind their teammates. The other hunters who had the ability to fly hesitated before heading toward the monsters as well.
Kraaaargh!
The A-rank monsters let out vicious roars. With a series of explosions, boom, boom, blinding flashes of light flickered.
"Ah, shit."
Hong Euiyoon wanted to go too, but he was carrying Hwashim, leaving him stuck there, swearing under his breath. The fairies from The Cloud Dream of the Nine also kept glancing toward their summoner, as if they wanted to join the fight.
"Yoon Seo."
Park Soobin approached. He was also flying using an item that had only 5% durability left. His eyes were cautious yet resolute.
"No matter how strong they are, they need at least one healer. I don't want to ask you to protect us just because you're hiding a great power. But if there's a way to fly, at least let me… let me help them."
"No."
"What?"
"Let's all go."
Yoon Seo blinked. A blue light flickered in his brown eyes.
[The
A blue aura spread from around Yoon Seo. It rippled outward in waves, reaching far beyond sight before disappearing. No one could determine whether it was a shield or something else. Then, Yoon Seo jumped out of the hot air balloon.
"Huh?"
"Yoon Seo, the lava…!"
Park Soobin hurriedly flew toward him, but there was no need.
Yoon Seo landed safely on the ground.
He was standing on solid land.
The earth that had formed above the red-hot lava was, at first, only large enough for one person. But in the few seconds that Park Soobin and the guild members held their breath in astonishment, it rapidly expanded. The lava hardened, and dirt covered the cooled surface. Grass and flowers sprouted. The air, once thick with toxic gas that had required purification just to advance, became clear enough to see the S-rank hunters fighting in the distance.
[The Gaia System informs all Awakened in the dungeon.]
[The dungeon is undergoing
[
[
[
[
[The dungeon has been Earth-ified.]
How long had it been since he last stepped on solid ground? Breathing in the clean, fresh air deeply, Yoon Seo placed his hands on his waist and stretched a few times. Then, he glanced upward.
His look said, 'What are you waiting for? Come down already.'
"Ha… What the…."
Still frozen in shock, Park Soobin let out a hollow sigh before deactivating his flying item.
He landed smoothly on the ground.
One by one, the stunned guild members followed suit.
"I've never even heard of a skill called
"How… How is this possible…?"
"Hey, you. What the fuck did you just do?"
Hong Euiyoon practically tossed Hwashim aside before stomping toward Yoon Seo. His aggressive stance made it clear he was ready to pick a fight, prompting Park Soobin to quickly step between them.
"Huh?"
Then, everyone suddenly stopped moving. A new system message had appeared.
[The Gaia System informs all Awakened in the dungeon.
The dungeon's
However, to protect the planet's native ecosystem, the Gaia System will impose a time limit on
[
"Protect the planet's native ecosystem…?"
"Wait a second. Did the Gaia System just use the word 'understanding'?"
Having used
[The God of Life criticizes the Gaia System for being stingy.]
[The God of Death calls the Gaia System a miserly system.]
[The God of Life spreads rumors about the miserly system far and wide.]
[The God of Death fiercely condemns the miser.]
[A flood of criticism is directed at Gaia from the Gods of Death and Life.]
[Gaia is composing a message ···]
[Gaia System Global Message.
The Gaia System is not a miserly system.
As a token of appreciation for your understanding, the Gaia System gifts all participants a 'Dungeon Clear EXP X 2' bound item.
Please check your inventory.]
'Wow, the guardian gods are actually useful for once. They never used to hand out items like this back in the day.'
Yoon Seo immediately used the item that had entered his inventory. He wasn't particularly greedy for experience points, but there was no reason to needlessly save an item either.
"What the…."
"Haa…."
Everyone stared blankly at Yoon Seo, as if they were entranced. It was like gazing at something sacred in the far distance. They probably had a lot of questions, but now wasn't the time to idly discuss his identity.
"You all saw the duration of
Yoon Seo turned his gaze away from them.
[The
[All monsters within a 40km radius are struck with overwhelming fear!]
[All monsters in the dungeon experience a significant drop in attack power and defense!]
Kyaaaak!
High above, monsters screeched as they plummeted from the sky. Their piercing cries snapped everyone back to their senses.
Though they were still full of questions, as Yoon Seo had said, battle came first.
"Everyone, charge!"
"Yes!"
Park Soobin summoned a vehicle from subspace, and the hunters swiftly mounted it, heading toward the ongoing battle.
"...."
Yoon Seo stood with both hands on his hips, watching their retreating figures.
'Once we kill the boss, I'll use
He had revealed his power with a purpose in mind. Checking his status window, he assessed his remaining strength.
[Health 4010/8101]
[Mana 1099/9999]
The only issue was if Kwon Jihan managed to resist it.
If that happened… he would have no choice but to reveal that he truly was an S-rank. Yoon Seo had already come to terms with that possibility.
It was better than watching these people leave their wills behind and die.
And…
He wasn't sure how to describe this feeling, but he thought it would be okay if Kwon Jihan found out. He had a gut feeling that even if Jihan knew, things wouldn't become troublesome. Regardless of the
'I must think he's a good person if I'm opening up so easily like this.'
Even though Kwon Jihan had spoken as he did, he probably didn't realize that Yoon Seo had already flung his emotional walls wide open. Maybe he'd gone too far, but what could he do? Human emotions never flowed according to plan.
'Now that all the hunters have joined the fight, the battle will end soon.'
He detached the body cam from his collar and pulled out a 'Giant Bird Egg' from his inventory. He wasn't planning to infuse it with mana just yet, he had already gone a whole week without even stroking it, so he took it out now. Until now, he had refrained from doing so due to the presence of others, but with everyone occupied in battle, no one would be paying attention to him.
'Once I get out of here and take a break, I'll give you all the mana you want. Just hold on a little longer.'
Yoon Seo gently ran his hand over Riceball.
"...."
Unbeknownst to him, one hunter in the distance had been watching him intently.
Kyaaak!
Shrrk. A monster foolish enough to attack was instantly decapitated by a greatsword. The hunter who had cut it down was none other than Kwon Jihan.
His lips were pressed into a firm line, and his golden eyes swirled with a storm of complex emotions. Though he had finally gotten a glimpse of Yoon Seo's true power, he couldn't simply be pleased about it. If Yoon Seo really was Seo Chaeyoon…
'I'll survive, sure, but that kind of survival would be miserable.'
Because that was a truth that should never be spoken aloud.