Chapter 68
"My skill isn't working."
"What?"
"My skill… it's not having any effect."
"What do you mean by that?"
"The target…."
Park Soobin read the message that had appeared before him.
[Due to the target's 'Healing Skill Resistance,' the effect of
"Healing Skill Resistance?"
"Healing resistance?"
"What the hell is that?"
It was a term no one had ever heard before. Even Kwon Jihan and Alec frowned at the unfamiliar phrase. But they didn't need to think too hard about it. The meaning was clear when combining 'healing' and 'resistance.'
Yoon Seo had healing skill resistance. Healing skills simply didn't work on him.
"This… this can't be. Then the reason he's been in hiding all this time…!"
"We need to get out of the dungeon immediately!"
The previously relaxed atmosphere vanished in an instant. The cocoon was a problem, but the cave itself was about to collapse. Everyone quickly prepared to escape.
Alec shook Yoon Seo.
"Yoon Seo, wake up. This is no time to be sleeping."
"You're so damn annoying…."
"I apologize for annoying you, but are you sure the shield only has ten minutes left? No, I suppose it's down to seven minutes now… is the cave really going to collapse in seven minutes?"
"Of course it's going to collapse… I'm the one holding it up, but I'm out of mana. Are you stupid? Ah… If you really are stupid, then I'm sorry…."
"Then we're all going to die."
Still restrained by Kwon Jihan, Yoon Seo weakly fluttered his eyes open.
"What did you just say?"
"Hm?"
A sharp glare filled Yoon Seo's brown eyes. Alec instinctively stepped back, feeling pressured by the intensity. Did I say something I shouldn't have? But even if he himself wouldn't die, the Team 2 guild members could be crushed if the cave collapsed.
"Don't you dare talk about anyone dying. No one dies in front of me."
Yoon Seo's voice was low and chilling as he declared it. Then he ordered Kwon Jihan to release his arms. As Kwon Jihan loosened his grip, Yoon Seo slipped out of his hold. He placed one hand on Kwon Jihan's thigh, then flinched and quickly pulled it away. Instead, he pressed against the opposite thigh and barely managed to push himself up. Kwon Jihan supported his upper body, helping him stand.
Mana exhaustion was a battle of mental endurance. And now, Alec Switch's words about everyone dying had jolted Yoon Seo back to his senses.
"For now… all of you, get out of the cave."
"All of us?"
"Everyone except me and Kwon Jihan. Stay in the air just in case."
A heavy silence fell over the group. Was he telling them to run while only the two of them stayed behind?
The first to break the silence was Hong Euiyoon, whose face had gone pale as he bit his lip.
"Y-you said you have healing resistance! What the hell are you planning to do by staying here?! You need to escape too!"
His voice rang loudly through the cave, making Yoon Seo frown from the headache.
At that moment, Kwon Jihan, who was supporting Yoon Seo, signaled Soo Jaehee with his eyes.
"…Ah, Euiyoon hyung. Let's just listen to them for now."
Soo Jaehee also shared the same concerns as Hong Euiyoon, but seeing Kwon Jihan's signal, he figured there must be a plan. So, he quickly covered Hong Euiyoon's mouth.
"Got it, hyungs. We'll trust you and head out."
Dragging the struggling and muffled Hong Euiyoon along, Soo Jaehee took the lead. With an S-rank hunter leading the way, the others hesitated briefly before following, glancing at Yoon Seo and Kwon Jihan as they left. The one who ran away the fastest was Hwashim.
Even the leader of Team 2 had left, but Park Soobin showed no intention of leaving. Now, only Alec and Park Soobin remained.
"Yoon Seo, you need at least one healer. I can buff as well, so I could support Hunter Kwon Jihan—"
"No need. There's no time to explain. Just get out."
"Yoon Seo."
"…Are you planning to leave behind a will and die?"
"What?"
"Just try leaving a will. I'll kill you myself."
The one who should have felt hurt by the rejection was Park Soobin, but somehow, it was Yoon Seo, rambling on, that looked even more sorrowful.
Not knowing why Yoon Seo was saying this, Park Soobin just felt an inexplicable pity for him. Kwon Jihan, making a point of it, held Yoon Seo up even more firmly.
"There's no time. If you don't want to die like hyung said, get out now."
"Hunter Park Soobin, Kwon Jihan and Seo Chaeyoon are right. We should leave now."
Alec placed a firm grip on Park Soobin's shoulder. Park Soobin bit his lip. Right now, he was just an obstacle, wasting precious time and making the situation even more dangerous. Only a few minutes remained.
"…I'll see you outside, Yoon Seo."
Leaving those words behind, Park Soobin finally stood up. Alec, too, seemed like he had more to say, but in the end, he simply used
Kwon Jihan sensed that everyone had exited the cave.
"They're all out."
"Are they safe?"
Kwon Jihan let out a low chuckle.
"For now, yeah. But if we don't take down the boss and
Yoon Seo lifted his head and looked up at Kwon Jihan.
"The righteous Kwon Jihan…."
"…Yeah, hyung?"
"You've cleared S-rank Orange Dungeons solo before. You should have at least one skill strong enough to reach S+ rank without buffs."
"It's not that simple. Those skills aren't designed with allies in mind… you've seen how people got hurt because of me. Even your shield wouldn't hold up."
"Haa… Three minutes left."
Yoon Seo felt around his jacket. Kwon Jihan, frowning slightly as if displeased, reached into one of the many pockets and immediately pulled out a vial of pills. When Yoon Seo tried to pour all of them into his mouth at once, Kwon Jihan stopped him, making sure he only swallowed two.
With the medicine taking effect, Yoon Seo steadied himself and stood up.
[The
From the empty air, a sword wrapped in dark energy slowly materialized. Yoon Seo grasped its hilt.
Even though he was completely drained of mana, he still used a skill. Even Kwon Jihan widened his eyes in shock.
"If you need a sword, just tell me. I have plenty."
"Shut up."
[Your mana has reached 0.12%. You will soon lose consciousness. Prepare accordingly.]
[The
The cave rumbled with a deep kuguguung. Kwon Jihan glanced up at the cracking ceiling before looking back down at Yoon Seo. His expression remained calm, without a hint of doubt about the shield.
Through his hazy vision, Yoon Seo waited for the next message to appear.
[The God of Life blesses you.]
[Your mana is restored by divine grace.]
[The God of Death blesses you.]
[Your mana is restored by divine grace.]
[The God of Death is furious for being played by your tactics.]
As expected, the gods granted their blessings. Even in the Great Dungeon, the Gods of Life and Death would occasionally bestow such blessings just before he lost consciousness.
With his mana restored to 2%, he could now maintain both
"Hunter Kwon Jihan, use your strongest skill on this sword. If you imbue a skill into the blade before attacking, its power will double."
"…That's terrifying."
Kwon Jihan certainly had powerful skills. Yoon Seo had read his system profile before. If they doubled the firepower of his strongest skill with
[
"There's no time. Hurry… The cave will collapse in one minute. Kill the boss and teleport to the guild stone."
Yoon Seo struggled to finish his sentence.
But his voice no longer sounded sorrowful or pitiful.
It held an unmistakable anticipation. And in his brown eyes, hope flickered.
A hope named death.
He was going to die here. He could finally die.
Death had always been his wish.
Yoon Seo desperately wanted to die. He had no desire to keep living. But he hadn't been able to die because of all the wills left to him. If he died like this, though, no one would resent him for failing to fulfill them.
Because he'd be dying to protect others.
Right?
This was a death that was okay.
That's how they had all died, too.
So it was fine for him, too.
A faint smile curved Yoon Seo's lips.
He wasn't in his right mind. Even when he wasn't suffering from mana exhaustion, he had always wanted to die. And now, in his state of mana exhaustion, that suicidal urge was being amplified. He convinced himself that his death was justified, and for the first time in a long while, he felt genuine satisfaction.
Kwon Jihan watched him silently, then finally spoke.
"You really are Seo Chaeyoon."
Yoon Seo was dumbfounded. That's what he's saying in this situation?
His blue eyes, which had held nothing but the expectation of death, suddenly filled with unspoken curses.
Kwon Jihan smirked lazily.
"Hyung, didn't I tell you I could level up my skills?"
"We don't have time for this conversation right now."
"But there's still one skill stuck at B-rank. Do you know why?"
"How would I know that?"
"It's too strong, so I've only ever used it once."
Kwon Jihan casually lifted Yoon Seo into his arms. Yoon Seo, who had been about to collapse from exhaustion, was caught off guard.
"W-what are you doing?"
"Sticking close to me is the safest option."
He tried to resist, weakly waving his unmoving arms, but Kwon Jihan's hold was so steady that Yoon Seo gave up. In the end, he simply rested his head against Kwon Jihan's shoulder. Holding Yoon Seo effortlessly with one arm, Kwon Jihan raised
['Kwon Jihan' has activated the
A golden aura wrapped around both Kwon Jihan and Yoon Seo.
"Get some sleep, hyung."
How the hell am I supposed to sleep in this situation? The words never made it out. Instead, Yoon Seo barely managed to glare at the incoming skill notifications.
['Kwon Jihan' has activated the
[You cannot resist due to mana exhaustion.]
[A beautiful dream awaits you.]
['Kwon Jihan' has activated the
[
As messages flooded his vision, Yoon Seo could no longer hold on and closed his eyes.
Let this be the last time.
He desperately wished he would never open them again.