Declaration Of Extra Strike

 

What are they doing here? I was surprised and tried to looked down, but the rock blocked my view. It seemed like I needed to wake up Seong San-ha.

 

“Seong San…”

 

“Shh.”

 

To my surprise, Seong San-ha’s voice came from right beside me. He wasn’t sleeping. I shrank back as he grabbed my shoulder and pulled me deeper into our cramped hiding spot. It was already uncomfortable with two tall men squeezed in there.

 

Before long, the voices grew louder, and I recognized some familiar faces. It was the hunters we had met at the shop a few days ago, the ones who had suggested we team up.

 

‘They’re already here?’ 

 

I was shocked. We had managed to clear the dungeon quickly because we were riding an S-class bus. For them to be here as well meant they had someone equally skilled on their team.

 

‘They weren’t just boasting, it seems.’

 

Seong San-ha, too, recognized them and frowned as he watched them below.

 

“What do we do? You can’t reveal your identity, right? Can you still use your skills?” I whispered.

 

“Let’s see how the situation unfolds. If it gets too crowded, we’ll move to another floor. For now, let’s stay quiet and let them pass.”

 

Liek Seong San-ha suggested, the hunters left as soon as the rain stopped. As soon as their presence faded, Seong San-ha and I got up and headed to the next floor. However, when we reached the warp point, we found it completely contaminated and unusable.

 

“Damn it…” 

 

Seong San-ha muttered. The warp’s black-red pulse crackled menacingly, reminding me of the chaos from the day we fled the center. Entering it now seemed suicidal.

 

“We can’t go in. The gate vanished the last time. We might not make it out.”

 

“The progression is too fast.”

 

Seong San-ha’s eyebrows furrowed as he looked up at the sky, which still churned dangerously with blood rain.

 

“Let’s find the Abyss Crystal and get out of here as fast as we can.”

 

“What about those guys? Shouldn’t we take them with us? And the hunters on the upper floor?”

 

Seong San-ha glanced back and reached out into the air, summoning a white bird that flew off as soon as he flicked his wrist.

 

“What is that?”

 

“It will warn them of the danger,” he replied nonchalantly. “But we don’t have time to worry about them, Ho-hyun ah.”

 

“…..I didn’t say anything.”

 

“Let’s find the crystal and get out.”

 

Fortunately, the stone mountain in the center was separating us from the hunters, even though the plan to move to another floor was over. If we moved quietly like we have so far, we would be able to return quietly after seeking Abyss Crystals.

 

Moving with San-ha had become second nature in just a few days. When monsters appeared, I stayed within his protective range and followed closely after he dealt with them.

After seeing a monster that died easily this time, I chased after Seong San-ha. Seong San-ha stopped and poked holes in the ground at the end of the road. At that very moment, a clear sound rang out under his feet.

 

Sanha stopped and began probing the ground with his rod. A clear sound rang out from beneath his feet.

 

“Found it.”

 

He struck the ground hard, revealing a hidden entrance.

 

“Is it a golem’s lair?”

 

“Yes, and it’s shallow, so it should be easy to pull them out.”

 

He gestured toward a large rock a bit further away.

 

“Wait over there while I deal with it.”

 

“Got it.”

 

I leaned against the rock, fiddling with the dagger I had taken from my inventory.

Maybe because it was a quickly obtained item, it was so awkward that I couldn’t get used to it. No, is it simply because it’s been a long time since I held a sword? 

 

Anyway, I had to take a final blow to get the attributable item that was dropped from the monster. The weight of the dagger held at the fingertips felt unwaveringly heavy.

 

“Is it not done yet…?”

 

The ground rumbled faintly, and a dull noise echoed from below. I watched the stone mountain, catching glimpses of flashy skill effects from the hunters. Despite the warning about the gate warp, they continued their noisy hunt.

 

‘They’ll figure it out on their own.’

 

While I was contemplating their fate, a massive earthquake shook the ground. I barely managed to avoid the rock I had been leaning against as it toppled over.

 

“What the…?”

 

That was just the beginning. The ground began to crack and split, forming deep fissures. Worrying about Seong San-ha, I rushed toward the lair.

 

“Seong San-ha! Seong San-ha!!”

 

With a thunderous crack, the stone mountain split in half, releasing a swarm of monsters. 

 

An entire floor splitting apart… something must have happened. Likely due to the warp’s change…

 

A white figure emerged from the rift. It was Seong San-ha. Behind him, a massive golem followed and broke the ground. Relieved that he was safe, I met his eyes. His gaze communicated a clear message. I gripped my dagger tighter, pushing aside my concerns about the warp.

 

Due to the golem’s size and magical body as large as the mountain, it seemed difficult to subdue the golem even for Seong San-ha. I aimed for the gap with the gap open. Soon, golden rune letters emerged and surrounded them, trapping the golem.

 

“Now!”

 

As I approached, I noticed an exposed core in the center of the golem. I realized that Seong San-ha did not struggle with the golem, but that he assembled it so that it was easy for me to kill.

 

I immediately dashed forward, aiming for the exposed core. It was my first dagger in a long time, so I missed and slipped slightly, but when I held on with my strength, I was able to drive it deep into the core.

The golem let out a deep, resonant cry as it fell apart.

 

The pieces that made up Golem’s body lost their luster and fell heavily. I had a single item in my hand, leaving behind the widespread miscellaneous materials. I smoothed the murky, milky-white crystal with a satisfied expression.

 

“We finally got it.”

 

But there was no time to rest.

I scrambled to get back and got up to find Seong San-ha. It was a double scroll, so I had to start by combining it with the half of Seong San-ha.

 

“Thank you, Now I…….”

 

Before I could finish, screams echoed from beyond the split mountain. Seong San-ha frowned, looking in the direction of the noise.

 

“Fools, they’ve riled up the monsters.”

 

“This feels different. Is it because of the warp’s change?”

 

“Yes. Mutated monsters appear frequently in dungeons with warp anomalies. The best approach is to move quietly.”

 

Mutated monsters… If we left now, those hunters would haunt my dreams. But could I ask Seong San-ha to help them?

 

Seong San-ha’s disdainful expression made me nervous. I clenched my fist around the scroll, feeling it crumple. If Seong San-ha decided to leave, there was little I could do.

 

It was a moment when I wet my dry lips after a complicated thought and just got lucky.

 

“Hey…….You know what.”

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

I closed my mouth immediately when I heard it. Seong San-ha’s gaze touched the scroll in my hand. Seong San-ha, who came closer, held the hand holding the scroll at once and said.

 

“I have to go.”

 

My eyes were wide open at his completely unexpected words. Seong San-ha grabbed my arm and ran toward the spilt mountain.

 

“Where are you going?”

 

I shouted, struggling to keep up. But Seong San-ha didn’t answer. My voice only attracted more monsters, forcing me to stay quiet.

 

Seong San-ha didn’t let go of my arm until we reached the top of the split mountain. I was speechless when I saw the devastation unfolding beneath the mountain before I could ask what he was doing. Massive, mutated monsters were slaughtering the hunters.

 

There were already several people who had died, and those who remained were in poor conditions, barely holding their ground while suffering from various injuries. 

 

Seong San-ha gritted his teeth in frustration and dragged me to a nearby cover, then planted a rod firmly in the ground. Starting from the rod standing tall in the middle, runes glowed and formed a faint bluish dome around us.

Seong San-ha poured out scrolls from my inventory. I was surprised to see the expensive scrolls falling to the ground and asked.

 

“What’s all this? What are you doing?”

 

“They’re short-range scrolls, capable of teleporting only about ten floors down at most. Use them to transport anyone who comes this way.”

 

“Anyone who comes this way? Are you planning to…”

 

“I’ll be back soon. Just wait quietly,” he said, cutting me off.

 

“No, I’m coming with you!” 

 

I shouted, trying to follow him. But while Seong San-ha easily passed through the dome, I was blocked and trapped inside. Frustrated, I pounded my fists against the barrier.

 

“Damn it! You can’t just go alone!!” I yelled in vain.

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