Chapter 56 : Damn Raid 5

Snap, snap, snap!

Crunch! Gulp!

Crack!

The sound of bones breaking.

The sound of flesh being chewed.

It felt like I had entered a slaughterhouse.

What was scarier were those monsters being eaten alive by the tentacles without even screaming.

'So those damned monsters only screamed when… they found prey?'

That could be a possibility.

Even while running from that unidentified tentacled human, they didn't scream.

And that horrifying bastard, who had a baby-like smile plastered on his face, didn't lose that smile even when his spine was crushed by the tentacles as he died.

'Damn it, they'd be perfect working in customer service.'

Snap!

And the tentacles, which had eaten all the nearby monsters, clacked their teeth as if still hungry, expressing their starvation.

Jinseong and Yuhwa were hanging from the cliff, barely holding their breaths.

Though they were veteran A-rank hunters with assigned hunter names, the two clung to each other, trembling like frightened children who had just seen a ghost in a rural village.

Even though Jinseong and Yuhwa were hardened as A-rank hunters, they were still human in the end.

The fear caused by those terrifying, grotesque forms.

The visceral disgust triggered by the distorted gorge.

And the pitch-black darkness that severely limited their vision evoked a primal fear, one ingrained deep in human DNA.

Wasn't it said that humans can be brave precisely because they have fear?

But fear that becomes too overwhelming makes it impossible for a human to function as one.

Snap!

Snap!

Crack!

Snap!

The grotesque tentacles crawled between the ground and trees, as if searching for something, scanning the surroundings.

Had they hidden behind any trees or rocks carelessly, they would have been discovered for sure.

'It's coming this way…!'

The tentacles seemed neither adept at seeing in the dark nor with fully functioning eyesight, but they meticulously swept over the trees and rocks, closing in on Jinseong and Yuhwa.

"Hah, hah… hah…"

"Shh…"

Yuhwa, who was normally confident for a woman, was trembling uncontrollably, unable to endure the fear that had penetrated her bones.

Jinseong's hands were trembling in fear as well, but he was acutely aware that he was the only one who could protect his girlfriend.

Meanwhile, the tentacles were slowly closing in on the cliff where Jinseong and Yuhwa were hiding.

Jinseong was a close-range fighter type hunter, using a lightning-imbued spear, skilled in speed and melee combat.

Maybe the tentacles didn't need to move quickly because they had been feasting on sluggish monsters, or perhaps the tentacles weren't inherently agile.

Either way, the speed at which the tentacles moved was slow enough that Jinseong could have easily outrun and escaped.

But Yuhwa was with him now.

Yuhwa was an awakened sensor-type hunter, sharing sight and intuition with other hunters to identify weaknesses.

Although being awakened gave her a body far stronger than the average person, she was not as physically powerful or fast as a typical A-rank hunter.

While she could predict incoming attacks and evade or counter them with her sensing abilities, this was only effective against humans or human-like enemies.

Against those massive, twisted tentacles, Yuhwa wouldn't stand a chance and would be killed instantly.

'If we're discovered… Can I escape with Yuhwa?'

Even Jinseong didn't know the answer.

And Yuhwa wouldn't be able to give a definitive answer based on the fragmented information they had gathered.

They didn't know the tentacles' abilities, strength, speed, reflexes, or whether they hunted prey with vision, hearing, or smell.

It was too dangerous to make assumptions based on insufficient information.

'Damn it, I'm a man. How could I just leave my girlfriend behind and run?'

Jinseong made up his mind.

Even if it meant becoming bait, he couldn't let those tentacles take Yuhwa.

Objectively speaking, even if he survived and regrouped with the other hunters, Yuhwa would be more useful to them than he would.

There were other hunters who could take the front lines.

Hunters like Yuhwa, with extraordinary sensing abilities to oversee the battlefield and command a raid party from the rear, were rare.

Even if Jinseong died, Yuhwa needed to survive, to join up with the other hunters and either destroy this terrifying raid dungeon or hold out until the association sent reinforcements.

'Yeah, whew… After all, Yuhwa once saved my life. Now, it's time for me to repay the favor, right?'

In the academy, Jinseong had been quickly isolated due to his arrogant demeanor, being mistaken as a snobbish rich kid.

Yuhwa had been the girlfriend who stayed by his side through all of that.

Jinseong whispered softly into Yuhwa's ear as he held her.

"Yuhwa, if we get caught, I'll throw you over to the other side. Don't look back, just run."

"…Wh-What about you, Jinseong?"

"I'm not some loser."

To be honest, I'm scared to death.

I want to see my mom.

I regret coming here. Damn it, I really do.

But Jinseong, concerned that Yuhwa would get even more frightened, forced a confident smile and lifted the corners of his mouth.

"When did I ever say I was going to die? Not until I knock you up with triplets and we go on our honeymoon to the Maldives. Plus, I'm fast, you know that, right? I'll buy some time and lure it in the opposite direction…"

"But…!"

"Quiet. This is the only option."

Jinseong forcefully covered Yuhwa's mouth and bit his lip.

The tentacles, now moving extremely slowly, were close enough to feel right under the cliff where they were hanging.

Yuhwa couldn't agree with Jinseong's plan.

Both of them likely understood.

With so little information, making a gamble like this in the dungeon was akin to betting their lives.

And Yuhwa realized that Jinseong had already prepared himself to die instead of her.

As his girlfriend, she wanted to stop him.

Of course, she wanted them to live together.

But deep down, Yuhwa despised herself for feeling a sense of relief when Jinseong said he'd sacrifice himself.

She did love Jinseong, but wasn't she a selfish woman, happy that she could live in his place…?

"Don't say anything. If those tentacles find us, I'll throw you immediately."

"...!"

Before I hesitate, before I let the fear consume me, just listen to me.

Reading Jinseong's heart, Yuhwa felt tears welling up in her eyes.

'You idiot! If you had been this cool outside, I would've slept with you ages ago…!'

You were always so clueless.

Even after graduating from the academy, you'd piss off senior hunters with your cocky tone, and I'd have to apologize for you!

I worried every day about when you'd finally grow up, and now, of all times, why…!

Damn it, just you wait.

If we survive and get out of here, I'm gonna sleep with you like crazy!

Crack! Snap, snap!

"…!"

Yuhwa and Jinseong held their breaths and covered their mouths as the tentacles passed right over their heads, moving past the cliff.

Jinseong readied his spear, prepared to strike as soon as the tentacles turned towards them.

[Screeeeaaach!!!]

Suddenly, a chilling sound, like an adult imitating a baby's cry, echoed, and the tentacles instantly recoiled and turned in that direction.

For some unknown reason, the tentacles quickly withdrew, disappearing into the darkness, climbing trees as they left Jinseong and Yuhwa behind.

Even after the tentacles vanished, the two clung tightly to each other, trembling and holding their breath for a long time.

"D-Damn… are we alive…?"

"Y-Yeah. There's nothing nearby. Nothing at all… hah, hah, hah…"

Finally climbing back up the cliff, Jinseong and Yuhwa collapsed onto the ground, heaving deep sighs.

"…Damn it, I really thought we were screwed this time…"

"Jinseong, when we get back, I'm gonna sleep with you like crazy, just so you know."

"…What? Why are you suddenly saying that?"

I thought I was about to die, and now you're talking about sex?

Shaking off the tension, Jinseong and Yuhwa, supporting their trembling bodies, made their way back to the hotel, Yeongwoljeong, where they had stayed the previous night.

Fortunately, on the way back, they didn't encounter that terrifying tentacled human, nor did they see any of those grotesque transformed monster-humans.

Of course, because of the darkness, their visibility was limited, and those monsters could still be hiding or camouflaged somewhere, but at least nothing attacked them on the way back.

"Be careful, Jinseong. Someone's here."

"Someone's here? Could it be the other hunters?"

"I don't know. Something feels off."

Jinseong and Yuhwa prepared their weapons, cautiously pushing open the door to Yeongwoljeong.

Creeeaaak…

Unlike the darkness outside, Yeongwoljeong was brightly lit, as if it were a normal, functioning hotel.

The red carpet that had been spread out at the hotel's entrance was neatly laid out all the way to the end of the hallway.

If it weren't for the fact that there wasn't a single hotel staff member around, it would have seemed like they had returned to the real Yeongwoljeong rather than a copy dungeon of it.

"…Alright. At least we have visibility secu—"

"Jinseong, watch out…!"

Clang!

"Ugh, damn it!?"

Instinctively raising his spear at Yuhwa's warning, Jinseong cursed as he felt a heavy impact reverberate through the weapon.

Trying to deflect and counter the attack immediately, Jinseong realized that the one who had attacked him wasn't a tentacle monster or one of the grotesque humans from outside, but someone wielding a weapon that seemed somewhat familiar.

"What the hell, were you a friendly?"

The person, who casually retrieved their bladed weapon, was a hunter who had fallen into this raid dungeon along with Jinseong.

Of course, the dungeon's illusion was still in effect, so this person didn't appear human but looked as monstrous as the aberrant humans outside.

It made sense, though—only an A-rank hunter like them could evade Yuhwa's detection and suppress their presence.

"I'm Choi Yuhwa, and this is Han Jinseong."

"Ah, so it's you two."

"You were the last ones."

Finally feeling a sense of relief, Jinseong couldn't hide his surprise as several more hunters emerged from somewhere.

Because of the time delay caused by the tentacled human, Jinseong and Yuhwa had been the last to arrive at Yeongwoljeong.

The hunters hadn't even coordinated beforehand to meet here, but veteran hunters instinctively knew where to regroup, even when the dungeon randomly scattered them.

"Why the hell did you attack me?! I had the identification mark on!"

"You blocked it, didn't you?"

"What if I hadn't?!"

"If it wasn't you, then it would've been a monster. If it was a monster, it would've died."

"They might look terrifying and scary, but they're not that strong."