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Chapter 69: Chapter 69
Five minutes flew by very quickly.
Two hours — that was the length of time they needed to endure. đđ«eeweđŻđ§đveđ„.cđđ
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The thudding footsteps and screeches of the creatures could be heard coming from all five paths.
The bizarre, sorrowful-sounding wail of the Silk Mermen was mixed among them, too. It seemed that every type of monster they had encountered so far while reaching this place was going to flood out from those paths.
Hiiii-eeeek—
Bark, baaaark—!
Their initial number didnât seem high, at one creature per path.
Su-hyeun looked back at the other three in the group and addressed them. âLetâs take care of one each.â
âOne each?â
âA monster will emerge from each of the paths.â
âBut, that means one of them wonât be dealt with?â
âItâll be fine since Iâll be hunting down both of them.â
Aile groaned deeply as if she already guessed Su-hyeun would answer like that. âAlright. Weâll go with your plan, then.â
âH-hold up. You defeated dozens of monsters all by yourself while coming here, yet you want to fight only two this time?â Howal asked in sheer dumbfoundedness.
With the skills Su-hyeun had displayed until now, he should have no problems dealing with all five monsters, never mind just the two. But now, he wanted them to fight the monsters here?
âWell, were you thinking of lazing around forever, then?â Su-hyeun asked.
Howal found it impossible to argue back after being smacked by that loaded question.
The reality was, both he and Keshunirn could only hide behind Su-hyeun and pick up the stray Ether stones until now. That was all they could do. The description of them lazing around doing nothing was pretty accurate.
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Howal glanced at the bulging bundle still on his back.
At this rate, heâd end up getting only a couple of Ether stones and nothing else, since he hadnât done anything of note so far.
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Five minutes flew by while he was thinking of this and that.
Keshunirn and Howal grew deeply tense. They had been hiding in Su-hyeunâs shadow ever since entering this dungeon, but for the first time ever, they needed to do their jobs and fight against the monsters for real.
<<30 minutes.>>
Howalâs eyes gleamed as he stared at the path about to spit out a monster.
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Act 2
Countless monsters poured out.
The first five monsters were merely the start. Soon, the number gradually grew to ten, then fifteen, and eventually, a whole horde poured out next.
âPant, pant, ha-ah—â
Once the fighting was underway, it quickly revealed who among the group possessed the weakest constitution.
The first one to get injured was Keshunirn. He was currently resting on the sideline after experiencing a near-death encounter.
âAre you alright?â
Su-hyuenâs question was met by Keshunirnâs rough, heavy breathing as he held the wound on his waist.
âAh, yes, Iâm fine. Iâll be back on my feet if I rest for a bit longer.â
The wound itself was minor, but the real issue was his stamina. His complexion was deathly pale after having to rapidly exhaust his magical energy, and his movements had become unnatural from all the bleeding.
âPlease rest for a little while. Or, would you like to wait for a bit and leave first since the exit should open up soon?â
âN-no, not at all!â
Keshunirn was stunned by Su-hyeunâs question and shouted out loudly. He even hurriedly got up and waved his hands in denial, too.
âIâm really fine. Ten minutes. Iâll be alright if I can just rest for ten minutes.â
â....Is that so?â
The group had already made a pledge to one another. Even if the exit opened up, no one would try to escape from the dungeon first. If that happened, the remaining people would have to shoulder the additional burden.
Keshunirn swore that heâd uphold that pledge no matter what.
âIn that case, please go ahead,â said Su-hyeun.
âThank you.â
Keshunirn bowed his head towards Su-hyeun.
Soon, another five minutes went by. The remaining time was about an hour and a half.
Kiiiaaaahk—!
â....They are rushing in like a pack of wild dogs again,â Aile muttered out as if she had grown sick and tired of this situation.
That was understandable, however. Dozens of them appeared the last time and that was enough to cause the group a lot of headaches, but the next incoming wave of monsters would be higher in numbers than before.
If Su-hyeun wasnât here, never mind two hours, they wouldnât have lasted even one.
âHere they come.â
Su-hyeun completed his preparations to fill the void left behind by Keshunirnâs absence. Just as the monsters poured out and the battle commenced again.
âAhh-aahk!â
Howalâs scream exploded out from the side.
Su-hyeunâs gaze immediately spun in that direction. He spotted Howal sprayed out on the floor, while Keshunirn was hurriedly dashing towards the round tower, the location of the exit.
He instantly figured out what happened.
Keshunirnâs shoulders were currently carrying Howalâs bundle filled to the brim with the Ether stones.
Rumble—
Kkaah-aahk—!
The bird created out of the Flame, Phoenix, appeared on Su-hyeunâs hand. It quickly flew past the gaps of the monsters and headed straight to the fleeing Keshunirn.
âW-whatâs this?â
He panicked at the sudden entrance of the Phoenix and cried out. He mistakenly thought that a monster supposed to be fighting against the other three people had slipped past and was somehow blocking his path.
âEeeek!â
Keshunirn hurriedly swung his hand in the Phoenixâs direction. Unfortunately, his swatting attempt only managed to scatter the small figure of the bird for a moment but failed to stop it from reforming again to torment him endlessly.
âDammit, just... get out of my way!â
It was then.
Ka-booooom—!
Rumble, ruuuumble—!
Gigantic walls of flames suddenly raged on in every direction, and the high-density magical energy started oppressing the atmosphere.
The deeply-stunned Keshunirn fell into even deeper panic and tried to look behind him.
âWhere do you think youâre going?â a voice abruptly said.
âHeo-urk!â
However, he was shocked by the voice coming from right behind him and ungainly fell to his side. After his behind crashed on the floor, he raised his head only to discover Su-hyeunâs face.
But, didnât he witness him fighting against the monsters on the other side just now...?
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Keshunirnâs eyes shifted in the direction where Su-hyeun was fighting earlier. In the next second, those very eyes were jerked violently open.
âA-already?â
All those numerous monsters were instantly incinerated to death.
That explosion earlier was caused by Su-hyeun killing all the monsters away in one fell swoop.
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Keshunirn finally realized that he had been underestimating Su-hyeunâs abilities until now. He never thought that Su-hyeun would be able to deal with the monsters so quickly.
The Phoenix landed on Su-hyeunâs shoulder and looked down on Keshunirn.
âWhat were you planning to do after escaping with all of those stones?â Su-hyeun asked.
âT-that is... T-there must be some kind of a mistake....â
âSo, if thereâs some kind of a mistake, you should stab your comrade, steal the loot, and run away?â
As expected, Keshunirn couldnât reply.
When that happened, Su-hyeunâs previously-friendly expression asking questions hardened like solid ice. âMisunderstanding, my ass.â
It was right then, Su-hyeunâs gaze suddenly shifted to the other side.
Kka-aaahk—!
âOuch, ouch! Ahk!â
Howal, who was attacked by Keshunirn earlier, was trying to rush towards the exit only for his movements to come to a crashing halt. Two Phoenixes were surrounding him, while yet another bundle of stones was being carried on his back.
âB-but, how?â
Keshunirnâs eyes nearly popped out of his sockets.
Then, his gaze quickly locked onto the bundle he dropped as he fell.
Shu-wuuu—
The bundle began melting down like a lit candle. Keshunirn alternated his gaze between his melting, disappearing bundle and Howal with a confused, lost expression.
âYou couldnât even recognize the duplication skill at work, and risked your life to steal some random rubbish?â Su-hyeun stared at Keshunirn and softly tutted.
Both men had similar goals, but Howal was slightly smarter of the two.
He used the Duplication skill, which allowed its user to disguise one item to make it look like something else, to swap out the real Ether stones and fooled Keshunirn into stealing the fakes. It seemed that Howal had noticed Keshunirn being a similar type of b*stard as he was a while ago. Su-hyeun had already figured out that Howal was also the same sort of person, too.
âFooling us with your injury, duplicating the Ether stones and stashing them away.... Besides the question of whoâs dumber than the other, you two are exactly the same. How laughable. I guess you donât give a ratâs ass about the safety of your own comrades?â Su-hyeun asked.
âIt-itâs a m-misunderstanding....â
Howal was already wounded, and he could only swing his hands about in a fluster at the sudden attacks of the two Phoenixes.
Su-hyeunâs expression crumpled as he stared at Howal.
âThat stupid âmisunderstandingâ again. Arenât you sick of repeating the same thing over and over again?â
âIt-itâs the truth! It-itâs just that I realized that bastard was trying to steal the Ether stones, so....â
âIn that case, how do you explain that?â Su-hyeun spoke as he pointed at the high-grade Ether stone embedded in the middle of the round towerâs magic circle. âThatâs also a fake, isnât it? Are you telling me that you didnât know about the second exit not being generated if that stone was removed from there? Why? You didnât want anyone else besides yourself to escape? Was that it?â
âB-but...how did you...â
Howalâs brows shot up incredibly high.
At the same time, the high-grade Ether stone in the middle of the magic circle began melting down. The Duplication skill had come undone.
âI wasnât sure, but it turned out to be true,â said Su-hyeun.
âW-what??â
âThe duplication skill loses its effectiveness the moment its user thinks someone else has seen through their ruse. I only spotted you sneakily touching the stone earlier, but I couldnât be sure because I was still fighting the monsters, you see.â
Only a handful of Awakeners knew about the Duplication skill. Not only was it a rare skill to begin with, but its usage was also rather limited as well, so not much was known about the skill itself.
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His plan was seemingly perfect. He knew Keshunirn would betray them, so he decided to use that window of opportunity to escape with the Ether stones.
This many Ether stones wouldâve afforded him a life free from all worries for the rest of his time on this planet, after all.
But now...
âIâd much prefer it if you donât start ruing your missed chances here. Because, even if you used that exit, you still wouldnât have reached the outside, anyway,â said Su-hyeun.
âWhat was that....?â
The expressions on both Keshunirnâs and Howalâs faces were dyed in confusion as Su-hyeun continued on. âI tinkered with the magic circle at the beginning, you see. I changed the coordinates a little. If you used that exit and transferred elsewhere, youâd probably end up among the pile of the monster corpses over there.â
âIn.... such a short time?â
âWhat are you so surprised about? All I did was tinker with the coordinates a little. I mean, weâll all be able to leave in two hoursâ time, so it wasnât going to be a problem anyway, right?â
Despair dyed the faces of the two men after hearing Su-hyeun out.
From the beginning, they shouldnât have schemed about escaping. According to what Su-hyeun had said, no such thing as an escape route existed to begin with.
âAs for the damaged Ether stone, itâll be fine after putting it back in its original position.... Well, then. Any last words?â Su-hyeun asked.
âL-last words?â
âP-please, spare me!â
Howalâs complexion paled in an instant, while Keshunirn hurriedly got down on his knees. In the midst of desperately rubbing his hands and pleading for his life, Keshunirn inwardly thought to himself.
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The âSu-hyeunâ Keshunirn observed for the past ten days was a really kind-hearted person.
A good example was earlier when he asked if the injured Keshunirn wanted to escape outside first. Even if he had changed the coordinates as a safeguard, Su-hyeun seemed genuine when he said that back then.
He was a hero-like person who could never forsake the injured, helpless people. A person as kind as that might really spare his life — thatâs what Keshunirn thought.
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His mouth was pleading for his life, while he was thinking of something else in his head.
As he pleaded tearfully and desperately, Su-hyeunâs voice stabbed him from above. âThe thing is, thereâs a reason why Iâve been wasting my energy explaining to b*stards like you why youâre going to die....â
âEh?â
Just as Keshunirn raised his head at that unexpected reply...
Stab—
Su-hyuenâs blade pierced into his throat.
â...So that you may know what your sins are and repent on your way to the afterlife.â
Step—
Su-hyeun turned around unhesitatingly and strode towards Howal next.
The latter and his deathly-pale face stared at the former walking in closer, his teeth clattering incessantly.
Su-hyeun watched Howal whisper the words âspare meâ under his breath and could only sigh softly to himself.
âYou know, I donât think Iâve ever met anyone of your kind that genuinely repented for their sins and tried to ask for forgiveness.â Su-hyeunâs gaze was directed to the dead Keshunirn. âNine times out of ten, you lot always say âspare meâ first, instead of âforgive me.ââ
âU-uwaaaah—!ââ
Perhaps realizing that Su-hyeun wasnât going to spare his life, Howal suddenly shot up from his spot and pounced on the former.
Crack—
Bang—!
Su-hyeunâs hand grabbed Howallâs neck and slammed him to the ground below.
âKeo-hurk!â
âI have no idea how you two thought of me until now, but...â
Break—
âYou see, Iâm not always such a nice guy.â