Chapter 6: Flames of Fate: Trapped in the Dungeon with the Male Lead

A familiar voice cut through the alley, stopping the delinquents in their tracks.

I didn’t even need to turn around to know who it was.

Ban Eun-hyeol.

Of all people, why did it have to be him?

I was still fuming over being called a kid when the delinquent who’d grabbed my shoulder stuttered out:

“Y-You’re Ban Eun-hyeol? Rank 1?”

Cliché line, but effective.

“You know me. Still planning to stand there?”

“S-Sorry! We didn’t know she was with you!”

“Let’s go, man!”

Watching them scurry off like rats, I tried to slip away too—but Eun-hyeol closed the distance between us in an instant.

“Take the main road next time, kid.”

Kid?!

Did he mistake me for an elementary schooler?

His uncharacteristic kindness was unsettling.

He’d already turned to leave when—just for a split second—he glanced back.

And recognized me.

His face twisted like he’d bitten into something sour.

“Oh. It’s you.”

I didn’t blame him.

Before I possessed this body, the original owner had been that obsessive fan—the one who followed him everywhere, even on weekends, the one who confessed despite his obvious disgust.

Among all the Four Heavenly Kings’ fans, I (well, this body) had been the most relentless.

His eyebrow twitched before he spun on his heel.

“Don’t pull stupid stunts just to get my attention.”

I swallowed the urge to yell, “I WISH that’s what this was!”

Instead, I mustered the exact tone of a timid girl forcing herself to speak up:

“Th-Thanks for saving me, Eun-hyeol!”

Not bad.

Just as I turned to leave, a chilling wave of mana pricked my skin.

The alley warped.

Eun-hyeol and I locked eyes as the surroundings distorted—walls melting into jagged terrain, the air thickening with magic.

A sudden dungeon gate.

No.

NO.

After all my efforts to avoid him!

My entire “Stop Being a Stalker” plan—ruined in one day.

And now, we were trapped.

Probably alone.

***

[Title: “I Possessed a Novel’s Extra and Got Stuck in a Dungeon With the Male Lead – AMA.”]

If I ever got back to my original world, that post would go viral.

As if mocking me, the system window popped up:

[Awakened Chat]

[▶Kiyomi◆(9): OMG WHERE DID EUN-HYEOL GO??]

[Focus (1): Busy.]

[»Zi-Zone Strong(4): @Focus WITH WHO???]

Perfect.

The new interface on the screen was driving me crazy.

The weird font, the irritating little messages, and especially the phrase “Good luck in the dungeon” felt like a mockery.

This system was definitely messing with me, and I wasn’t having it.

Upon entering the dungeon, I noticed right away the sudden shift in the environment.

The alleyway I was just in had transformed into a snow-covered forest.

It wasn’t anything I hadn’t seen before in these types of dungeons, but the change always hit differently.

And the cold.

Why did it have to be so cold?

The system was probably laughing behind the scenes with that “Good luck” message.

It wasn’t like it had ever been there before.

I had the distinct feeling that the system was intentionally teasing me.

“Wait, does that mean I have to pretend like I’m freezing?” I muttered to myself, trying to act the part.

I started shaking and hugged my arms tightly around myself, trying to sell it.

How did it come to this?

I felt ridiculous, and I could feel my cheeks burn with embarrassment.

But before I could fully sink into my acting, a soft object suddenly landed on my head.

Startled, I looked up to see a fluffy item hovering above me.

When I caught it, I realized it was a fur coat.

“Here, put this on,” came a familiar voice.

It was Ban Eun-hyeol.

He was handing me an item, and my mind immediately jumped to conclusions.

Is he really giving me this now?

“It’s an item that helps reduce physical stamina loss. It should keep you warm,” he explained casually.

I blinked, surprised. “Wait, you want me to wear this?”

“Don’t get the wrong idea. If something happens to you, it’s my problem too,” he replied, his tone stern but not unfriendly.

I didn’t know how to react to his unexpected kindness.

I fumbled for words, a bit caught off guard. “Th-thank you.”

Ban Eun-hyeol’s eyebrow twitched as if he was done with the pleasantries.

Without another word, he started walking ahead.

The coat was surprisingly warm.

Once I put it on, it seemed to shrink and adjust to fit me perfectly, making it easier to move around.

I was glad for the warmth, especially with how the snow was quickly accumulating around us.

But as I walked, I noticed my feet sinking deep into the snow.

If I wasn’t careful, I’d trip. I hope I don’t fall in front of him, I thought, keeping my balance.

Still, there were more pressing concerns.

I couldn’t let my abilities slip out here.

If Ban Eun-hyeol saw anything suspicious, I’d have no choice but to reveal I was an Awakened Hunter.

And with that, I’d have to join the Hunter Association.

Once that happened, I wouldn’t be able to keep a low profile anymore.

I’d be swarmed with guild offers, and finding a way to return to my world would become much more difficult.

I had to be careful.

If they found out I wasn’t from this dimension, the consequences could be even worse.

I had no idea how I’d handle the fallout if the truth came out.

“Is this your first dungeon?” Ban Eun-hyeol asked, his voice softer than usual.

I quickly adjusted my expression, but he seemed to misinterpret my nervousness.

“Don’t panic. I’ll make sure we get out of here alive,” he added, his tone reassuring, though he was still as cold as ever.

His words somehow calmed me.

Maybe he wasn’t as bad as he seemed, but I knew I still had to be careful.

Being in a dungeon with an Awakened Hunter like him was a dangerous game.

He threw out a quick comment and walked ahead again.

I pretended to be scared and ran to catch up behind him, pretending it was my first time getting dragged into a dungeon.

“Walk a bit further behind.”

Tch.

I walked a little further back from him, but I felt something flying toward us from the left diagonal front.

“Move back!”

“Kyaaaa!”

A heavy tree root pierced the ground between us, making the distance between Ban-hyun and me a little larger.

I quickly rolled on the snow, pretending to dodge the attack, and hurried to get back up.

“A scream in a dungeon… me?”

The high-pitched scream that came out of my mouth hit me with a deep sense of reality.

Thinking about making such a sound every time made my mind go blank.

Starting with the tree that threw the first punch, all the surrounding trees suddenly sprouted sharp, crimson eyes.

The liquid flowing from their eyes seemed like tree sap, but the red hue made it look like blood, creating a really creepy atmosphere.

“It’s like a horror movie.”

With the continuous attacks of flying tree roots, Ban-hyun immediately set up a shield around me, so I didn’t have to roll in the snow again.

Watching someone else’s battle from inside a shield turned out to be a lot more comfortable and fun than I expected.

Originally, I would have been the one protecting others and fighting in dungeons, so this moment felt strangely out of place.

‘I heard that Ban-hyun, as one of the Four Great Kings, must have contracted with the Fire King, Eun-ba-da with the Water King, Han-ji-bin with the Earth King, and Ji-gang-han with the Wind King.’

That’s why they summon elementals to fight or handle monsters using their own abilities, just like Ban-hyun was doing now.

Ban-hyun, being the contractor of the Fire King, was mercilessly burning the tree monsters to death.

The monsters with flames engulfing them swung their long roots like whips, slamming them into the ground, but the fire didn’t go out.

Before long, many of the monsters turned into blackened ash.

“It’s annoying. I wish they would just burn all at once.”

Ban-hyun grabbed the tree root wrapped around his wrist with his hand and burned it, then increased the firepower to burn the monster’s body.

Behind him, the scene unfolded of a forest turned into ashes, half burned down.

‘To burn half of it so quickly… and still find it annoying.’

His attitude toward the battle was completely different from mine.

Even though he seemed annoyed, he still did everything that needed to be done, which I found fascinating.

“Hurry up and find the boss and get rid of it.”

“Okay!”

Ban-hyun walked ahead, planning to find the boss first.

I followed him, keeping my distance.

That’s when it happened.

Swiish—

I sensed a sharp presence beneath my feet.

When I lowered my head, I saw a heavy tree root coiling around the shield and rising upwards.

It seemed like the tree thought it could break the shield, so it moved closer to me, shooting sharp leaves at me like shurikens.

I looked at the leaves bouncing off the shield nonchalantly while glancing at Ban-hyun, who was ahead, as if he was going to burn the entire remaining forest.

‘Should I call for help, or not?’

If I used my power now, Ban-hyun might sense the flow of mana, and that could be troublesome.

What should I do?

Seeing the monster charging at me with its shield-breaking body slam, I quickly made a decision.

‘Safety first. I’ll hide it as long as I can.’

“Ban-hyun…!”

Just as I was about to call out to him, before I could even speak, Ban-hyun turned around and burned the monster attacking me in an instant.

Then, as if planning to crush the one behind him, he leapt lightly over the falling tree and said:

“You’re quite fearless.”

Ah.

As he walked toward me, sending fierce flames behind him, he looked at me as if he found me interesting.

“Most people are either too scared to make a sound or scream loudly.”

His sharp comment made my eyes lose focus for a moment, and I became unsure of how to respond.