episode_0093

It’s all as I thought. Thanks to that, I ended up smiling with a relaxed expression.

In fact, from the beginning, I believed that if it was Yoo Seo-ra, she would come to her senses quickly. And I also knew that when she came to her senses, she would immediately help me because of her actions. Thanks to that, I was able to give up my life right away.

Of course, if I fail, my life will be in danger. So when I first thought about it, I was a little anxious, but I was able to quickly get rid of that feeling.

Obviously, she would be able to make a good judgment on the situation right away.

‘Well, I was still a little anxious.’

After all, if my judgment was wrong, it would be no different from death. It was the worst crisis of all.

‘But anyway, it’s okay since it was a success, right?’

Right now I’m alive. That’s the end of it.

As I was laughing to myself with that thought, Yoo Seo-ra came up to me.

“Are you okay?”

What? Did I look like a crazy person because I was laughing alone?

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“What, is it okay?”

Actually, there wasn’t much pain. Still, Yu Seo looked at me with eyes that seemed to genuinely care about me and said,

“Really? You’re not hiding it? Stop being so stubborn and show me your scars!”

“No, why are you like that when I said I’m fine? What’s wrong with you?”

He asked with genuine concern, frowning slightly. The guy was talking so excitedly that it seemed like she still hadn’t come to her senses.

Is there really any problem?

“Oh, no. I think you might have gotten hurt somewhere… … .”

Yuseo was acting a bit timid, which was unusual for him. Could it be that he was worried because he knew he had made a mistake?

No, I don’t think so. The Yu Seo I know isn’t that kind of person.

“Yeah, if it hurts, I’ll say it hurts. You don’t have to worry so much, so don’t worry about it.”

Even though I kept telling her that I was okay, Yu Seo-ra still looked at me with worried eyes. Why was she still like that? Given her personality, if I had told her that I was okay, she would have just let it go, except for Seo Jae-hyuk.

Does that mean he’s that confident in his own attacks? That’s why I think he must have gotten hurt somewhere.

It was a very possible idea.

“Hey, you blocked it properly. Then it has to be okay. So it’s okay to ignore it.”

If that’s really the case, then all I have to do is focus on other parts of Yusera. She blocked me perfectly without any mistakes. If I keep talking like that, won’t she just let it go?

“No, but still… … .”

It was the moment when Yusera was about to say something.

Suddenly, I heard a booming sound from behind me. I turned around reflexively in panic, and there were some familiar looking creatures.

‘I’ve seen those somewhere.’

Yeah, it was in a webtoon a long time ago.

Or illustrations or something like that.

“Ah, Cobalt.”

A group of goblins holding thick wooden sticks were staring at us intently. I thought for a moment about where they came from, and soon realized.

‘I see, that’s what came out of that rock earlier.’

I immediately assessed the situation, took out my gun, and took up a stance. But Yu Seo-ra was still staring at me.

“Let’s just hurry up and take care of those guys instead of spending more time saying sorry. Okay?”

“Oh, yeah.”

Even Yu Seo-ra quickly came to his senses and raised his sword.

“Then I’ll take care of it all by myself.”

Suddenly, her eyes turned fierce and she kicked the ground, leaping towards the group of goblin swarms.

It was a speed that was difficult to keep up with in my eyes, so I had no choice but to observe the situation for a while. At the same time, I was careful not to let my guard down as much as possible.

Kaang!

A strong cracking sound was immediately felt. It was confirmed that Yuseo was exerting all his strength as if he was determined to pour all his energy into the current situation.

He continued to swing his sword and quickly cleared the area, then immediately began to watch his surroundings. Then he glared at me, and I could feel him gathering mana into his sword again.

It seemed like there was something around me.

I immediately looked around with the little bit of mana I had left and confirmed the problem.

‘Just over there.’

I could attack it myself, but it would be quite dangerous since it would drain a lot of mana. So I decided to use another method.

Just wait for the right timing.

I immediately flew up and rolled on the ground. At the same time, I screamed loudly.

“Attack!”

As if he understood what I meant, he quickly swung his sword and cut down the being behind him.

Bam, some part of the bastard’s body fell off. I sat up to get a better view of what it was.

“What is it?”

But he was nothing special.

No, at least to me it would have been quite a dangerous monster, but it was safe as long as Yusera was by my side.

To put it simply, he was an ‘orc warrior’.

‘Ugh, fuck.’

The bastard’s shoulder was cut open, revealing a horrifying vein. Dark red blood was dripping down, and I couldn’t help but curse.

“Still, that dirty blood didn’t get on it.”

If clothes that were already dirty get even dirtier, it becomes unnecessarily uncomfortable.

I clicked my tongue and got up from my seat. It seemed like the situation was sorted out for now.

“Wow, thanks for helping me out.”

I expressed my gratitude to Yoo Seora, who had just fired the sword. Of course, it would have been natural to help in that situation, but I still had to be polite.

As she spoke with a slight smile, her eyes still seemed wary.

‘what.’

Is there anything left?

I looked around for a moment. At least, there was nothing that felt dangerous, so I couldn’t help but feel even more anxious.

“Hey, are you still here?”

When I spoke to her in a slightly monotonous voice, only then did Yusura’s eyes open wide, as if she had come to her senses. Then, after hesitating for a moment, she shook her head.

“No, that’s not it… … .”

“Then what is it? Could you explain it to me?”

If it’s still dangerous, you need to explain the situation to me so I can make a decision.

But she says that’s not the case. She says it as if there’s some kind of misunderstanding.

So then what the hell is the problem?

It was a frustrating situation in many ways.

“That’s it, I just haven’t let my guard down yet, just in case.”

“Is that so?”

Well, I guess I was more cautious because I made a mistake earlier. Only then did I feel like I understood her actions.

“If that’s the case, I don’t think we need to worry yet. Based on the situation so far, it seems like it’s relatively safe after defeating the monster.”

“I guess so too… … .”

“Then what are you worried about? You and I are both thinking the same thing, so that must be the right answer. So relax.”

I deliberately reassured her with a soft voice. Of course, to be honest, I said that because I thought I would become nervous because of Yusera’s nervous appearance.

I should get some rest too.

“Oh, I got it.”

“Okay, let’s take a break now.”

As soon as I finished speaking, I immediately sat down. To be honest, I felt like all my energy had been drained, so I didn’t want to move my mouth. I decided to close my eyes to rest for a moment and then look at Yoo Seora.

She also hesitated for a while at first, but after a while, she sat down on the floor like me.

“Let’s take a break for a bit though. We need to move quickly.”

“You have to move quickly?”

“Yes. When I sensed the presence of Mana earlier, I felt something slowly approaching from behind.”

Something coming from behind me?

I decided to think about it for a moment. Obviously, coming to us in this situation means explaining that it is dangerous. So, as the will says, it would be better to move right away.

‘Or is it actually a trap?’

No, that can’t be. Even if it was a will, I would have been able to guess at least that much. I could tell that he had clearly considered that and judged it to be dangerous. Thanks to that, I feel a little uneasy.

“Okay, I understand. Then let’s rest for one or three more minutes and then move on.”

“Okay.”

Yusura nodded and answered.

A moment of silence.

In fact, since neither Yoo Seora nor I are good at having private conversations, this kind of blank time was natural. While we were enjoying this time, Yoo Seora opened her mouth.

“Oh, I’m sorry about earlier.”

“Huh? What.”

I answered as if nothing had happened.

“I was just saying. I didn’t pay attention to my surroundings properly.”

It seems that Yuseo is still concerned about her feelings.

I honestly don’t understand why, but maybe it’s because he was so shocked that he made a mistake.

I searched for something to say for a moment and then answered.

“I told you it was okay.”

“Still, my life was almost in danger because of that.”

Did you know I could have died?

“It’s already past anyway. So let’s ignore it and focus on what we can get this time.”

Yu Seo-ra bowed her head deeply at my words. I couldn’t know what was in her mind, but one thing was certain.

Clearly, the will is a secret promise from him not to make the same mistake again.

“Hey, more than that. Honestly, I have a question?”

“? What is it?”

I took a moment to catch my breath and slowly opened my mouth.

“Why did you make that mistake?”

“Yes?”

“No, I’m just curious because you wouldn’t make that kind of mistake. Can you answer me?”

I felt like I needed to satisfy my curiosity to feel better, so I asked, but I guess I was a little rude.

Just as I was about to apologize, Yoo Seora answered.

“Just, strangely, I kept using mana, so I felt dizzy. Actually, I don’t know why either… … .”

“Hmm, I guess so.”

I took a moment to clear my head.

He explained that he was losing focus and becoming dazed because he kept using Mana. That probably means that it had something to do with it.

“Does that mean that using mana is a trap?”

“… … .”

Even though she had the same guess as me, she kept silent. However, she didn’t explain it directly, perhaps because it felt like rationalization from her own mouth.

“Okay, then it’s simple. Just don’t use mana.”

“Yes?”

At my words, Yusera sounded slightly embarrassed.

“But it can be dangerous… … .”

“I thought about that part too, and it’ll probably be okay. After all, with your reaction speed, you should be able to react immediately as soon as you sense that level of danger.”

“… … .”

Yusera looks at me in disbelief at my explanation. It seems like she thinks my method is a bit strange.

“I might be okay, but you might be in danger?”

“Hey, it’ll be okay. Hey, you’re not going to lose it, are you?”

To be honest, I’m a bit nervous too. But I can’t help it since this is the only way I can think of.

It was a really annoying situation in many ways.

“Then let’s just walk. What could happen?”

When I stood up first and took the lead, Yusera followed suit, looking flustered. Then she walked right next to me.

“Okay, I get it. Since it’s your decision anyway, it’s none of my business.”

“Okay, that goes without saying.”

I agreed with even the most unreasonable things so that Yoo Seol-ra could understand as much as possible.

No, it doesn’t matter. It really does matter, so why are you ignoring it like that? I’m a little lonely, man.

You really don’t think so, do you?

I believe in you.

*

It seemed like it took several hours.

A few more monsters appeared, but they weren’t as dangerous as before, so I was able to defeat them easily.

“As expected, my choice was right.”

Of course, there were a few times when I was in a bit of a crisis, but I think it’s okay since I got through them all. As we continued walking like that, Yoo Seo-ra said.

“I’ll be there soon.”

“Already?”

I was a little embarrassed.

I kept my mouth shut at the situation in this dungeon that was ending sooner than I expected. It must be because I’m here that it’s so easy, right?

I felt a strange sense of discomfort and just followed Yusera.

“A door will appear now, and if you meet certain conditions, you can open it right away.”

“Specific conditions? What are they?”

“It uses some corrupted mana. You can somehow make it and enter it right away as soon as you return.”

Corrupted mana?

A keyword that I had vaguely heard reached my ears, but I decided to ignore it for now. The important thing was what was ahead.

“Okay, I’ll open it now.”

I nodded at those words. Then I stared straight ahead without letting my guard down.

‘Phew.’

I feel anxious for no reason.

I feel a strange sense of discomfort somewhere, and my mood is getting uncomfortable. It feels as if my entire heart is dripping with dirty sweat. It is an indescribable, uncomfortable feeling that I could melt away in this hot steamer at any moment.

‘It’s strange.’

Why do I keep feeling this way?

Did I miss something? Did I make a mistake?

Is there still something left?

I found myself frowning without realizing it.

Actually, it’s a feeling I had before I even came in.

But still, it wasn’t this intense at first.

‘What the hell is the problem?’

Even in these deep thoughts, the door was slowly opening.

“Now go in.”

With those words, Yusera moved first. I also put aside my thoughts for a moment and decided to follow her.

So I entered a dark space with a red light.

“What is this?”

Hot torches were regularly attached to the bricks. Although not bright, they provided a clear view of the entire space, and this enabled one to know that one had entered a dangerous place.

The atmosphere is somehow heavy.

“What kind of place is this?”

“Well.”

As you might expect, this place is related to Masinism.

Perhaps, just like back then, it is a natural guess that it was built to hold offerings.

Thump thump, my heart is pounding.

My gut keeps telling me that this place is dangerous.

Run away right now.

‘where?’

I don’t know. Let’s just go outside.

‘But what about the item I heard from Yoo Seol-han? I have to bring it with me.’

… … .

“There seems to be something up ahead?”

Yusera pointed to a distant place with her finger. Naturally, my gaze followed there.

My heart still beats.

The feeling of discomfort becomes more intense, almost to the point of feeling pain.

I feel thirsty and try to drink from a stream, but it feels like mud.

So, it seems like I shouldn’t drink it right now, but I’m trying to drink it right now.

My fingertips are shaking violently.

Something is gradually approaching.

Something I can’t figure out keeps coming to me.

Chump chump.

The sound of footsteps.

It resonates loudly throughout the space.

We couldn’t say anything. Obviously there should have been no one else here but us, but there was someone.

What is that being?

What the heck?

“Come quickly, our savior, the returner.”

The low voice of an old man. There was weight in his voice, and at the same time, a sense of kindness, but because of that, it was dangerous.

Things that shouldn’t come keep coming.

There is someone here who shouldn’t be here.

My lips are so dry. It’s almost like a desert.

“It’s nice to finally meet you. ”

Of course, I had never seen that character in the original.

But at the same time, I felt like I had seen it before. Yes, it was as if the identity of the sense of discomfort I had felt while reading the novel was all explained by that being.

“Do I really need to introduce myself?”

That was the moment.

A phrase I’d heard before came to mind. The memory kept surfacing to the surface.

‘I was caught regressing to the Masin Church.’

I remember the conversation as clearly as if it had just happened. From Yusera’s tone of voice to her facial expression.

And I tell you all about how I felt.

“Oh, shit.”

The sense of discomfort could finally be erased. The truth came into view.

This fucking idiot.

Me and Yuseo were both idiots.

Those stupid kids who forget such an important thing.

‘It was a trap.’

This place was a trap from the start. I even thought that maybe today would be my biggest crisis.

No, beyond the crisis it could be my grave.

‘Then now… … .’

What should I do?