Chapter 11

To think it had been hiding something of this size underground. Judging by its sheer scale, the thing he just killed was either the dungeon’s true boss monster or something of an equal tier.

He had found it strange that the boss room was unusually easy for the dungeon’s rank, but perhaps it was because part of the boss had already escaped through the crack. Even so, it was exceptionally massive.

When monsters escaped a dungeon through a crack, they grew unnaturally gigantic in the real world. Even the Nuckelavee, which was merely the size of an aircraft carrier inside the dungeon, grew vast enough to blot out the entire sky once it emerged into reality—leaving humanity to do nothing but watch helplessly.

“Everyone, stop gaping and pull yourselves together! We need to head back to the main force soon. Check your gear.”

Snapping back to his senses belatedly, Kwon Shin-joo gave orders to his squad. Unlike his earlier dazed state, he now checked on his fallen squad members and rallied them together. Hunters were still Hunters after all; their injuries amounted to nothing more than minor scratches from flying tree branches.

After confirming that his squad was safe, Shin-joo let out a sigh and walked over to Nam Shin-hoo, who was inspecting the sinkhole.

“Hunter Nam Shin-hoo.”

Shin-joo bowed his head respectfully.

“Earlier… I am truly sorry for being so stubborn.”

After witnessing Shin-hoo’s attack, Shin-joo had no choice but to admit it: Shin-hoo hadn’t excluded him out of a desire to look down on him or compare him to his brother like everyone else did. He had simply given objective advice to evacuate because of the overwhelming difference in power.

Shin-joo’s own sense of inferiority had nearly caused a disaster. Lowering his head even deeper, he spoke again.

“And for doing the job the squad leader should have done… thank—no, um, I’m sorry.”

Shin-hoo stood up from examining the sinkhole. He looked down at the crown of Shin-joo’s deeply bowed head and noticed his clasped hands trembling slightly.

‘He’s quite fragile. Unlike his brother.’

Even as an A-Rank Hunter, he was timid and lacked confidence.

In truth, Shin-hoo was the one who had meddled in another guild’s raid. Even though he had acted to help, it was a situation where the other side could easily have made an issue out of it, yet here Shin-joo was, offering an earnest apology. It was the kind of personality that was bound to be taken advantage of anywhere he went.

“It’s fine. It was an understandable situation.”

Even with Shin-hoo’s casual reply, Shin-joo showed no intention of lifting his head. Shin-hoo scratched his cheek, feeling awkward. Comforting people was never his strong suit. He was someone far more accustomed to facing challenges head-on and overcoming them than shrinking back or running away. If someone got in his way, he knocked them down; if someone looked down on him, he crushed them. If he felt he fell short of others, he was the type to overcome it by any means necessary.

‘And living that arrogantly led to ultimate failure in the end.’

A bitter gloom cast a shadow over him once more. Clearing his emotions with a light click of his tongue, Shin-hoo spoke.

“You did pretty well.”

“Pardon?”

“Your final orders were solid, and no one got hurt. That’s good enough. You’ll get better at it as you gain more experience.”

“…Really?”

Seeing the disbelief on Shin-joo’s face, he seemed like the type who rarely grew up hearing praise.

“I don’t say things I don’t mean.”

“Th-thank you.”

The ears of the bowed Shin-joo flushed red. To be this happy over such simple praise… The two brothers were truly opposites. It would have been perfect if they could just blend the two together.

Perhaps the clumsy comfort worked, as the tense stiffness melted from Shin-joo’s face. Shin-hoo tapped his shoulder twice and turned around.

“Let’s wrap this up quickly. We should head home.”

“Yes, sir!”

Now that the boss was dead, things seemed to have settled down to some degree.

‘Still, something feels off.’

Why did he feel uneasy even when things went smoothly? Perhaps because it was resolved too easily, a lingering discomfort kept tugging at Shin-hoo’s nerves.

‘Am I just being overly sensitive?’

Shin-hoo exhaled deeply. All he had to do now was pack up and meet Han Woo-yeon to wrap up today’s goals, yet it felt like the job wasn’t quite finished.

It was right at that moment.

A small fragment glittered behind Shin-joo’s back as he turned to walk the other way. The instant Shin-hoo noticed its presence, the fragment shot toward Shin-joo at blinding speed.

“Look out!”

Shouting aloud, Shin-hoo threw himself forward, wrapping his arms around the bowed Shin-joo as they rolled across the ground. Tree roots struck his head and gravel scraped his body as they tumbled across the torn-up earth, but he paid it no mind.

“Tch…”

Coming to a stop after rolling quite a distance, Shin-hoo clutched his shoulder. A warm liquid trickled down his back. Pushing himself up from the ground, he glared at the sinkhole. Sly bastard. To think it would target the weaker Shin-joo instead of him nearby.

The guild members who had been standing farther away came running over.

“Squad Leader! Hunter Nam Shin-hoo!”

“What happened? Don’t tell me the monster is still…”

“No. That thing is definitely dead.”

The monster was dead. Neither its presence nor its form remained. However, the unsettling feeling that had bothered him earlier had finally revealed itself.

He should have realized something was wrong sooner. There was one thing missing that should always be present when defeating a boss-tier monster: a magic stone.

Boss monsters had magic stones without exception. Yet, there was no stone in the ashes left behind by the burned monster.

A raid was never truly complete until the magic stone was retrieved, but he had let his guard down while distracted by Shin-joo.

“Th-then how did it attack?”

“It seems to have been a spore-propagating type of monster. With its main body dead, it was probably trying to launch its magic stone to find a new host.”

This boss monster was a type that propagated by shooting out its magic stone upon death. Having lost its host to Shin-hoo’s attack, it likely intended to find another forest or tree to parasitize.

“Ugh…”

A throbbing pain, like tree roots spreading through his flesh, radiated from his left shoulder down his back where the stone had struck.

Because he had shielded Shin-joo, he hadn’t been able to dodge cleanly. Shin-hoo probed the magic stone embedded in his shoulder. The stone squirmed as if trying to dig deep into his skin and take root.

Watching from behind, Shin-joo’s face drained of color. The stone had clearly been aimed at him. Had Shin-hoo not blocked it, it would have struck him right in the head.

“W-what should we do? Because of me…”

“It’s a plant-type in the first place, so it won’t be able to breed in a human body anyway. It’s just a final dying struggle.”

Shin-hoo went to search his belongings, then sighed. He had left all his necessary supplies back at the dungeon entrance.

“Does anyone have a knife? A dagger would be even better.”

“Here it is!”

One of the guild members watching from behind hurriedly offered his weapon. It was the very blade he had been fighting monsters with moments ago. Looking at the person offering the weapon, Shin-hoo flicked his finger.

“You’re a fire mage, right? Heat the blade up for me.”

“Pardon? Ah, yes. I’ll try.”

Taking back the dagger whose blade glowed red with heat, Shin-hoo drove it into his shoulder without hesitation. At the sound of tearing flesh, the watching Hunters covered their mouths in horror. Swallowing their screams, they watched Shin-hoo carve out the roots embedded in his back.

The sizzling smell of burning flesh spread through the forest. After cutting around the stone, Shin-hoo seized the magic stone that was burrowing into his flesh without a second thought. Rip— The sound of the stone and its roots being torn free from the skin rang out sickeningly clear.

To prevent any chance of infection, he had to carve out an area twice the size of the stone. Even for Shin-hoo, it was a level of pain that forced him to close his eyes and swallow the agony.

“Phew…”

Barely catching his breath, Shin-hoo secured the severed magic stone. His fingers trembled faintly. Once his body stabilized, he popped open a potion he had brought along and poured it over the wound. The flesh gradually began to knit together.

Seeing this, the surrounding Hunters rushed to assist him.

“H-Hunter Nam, you’re still bleeding…”

“Hurry and wipe it! Here are some alcohol swabs!”

Even as the wound healed, blood pooled heavily on the ground. A waiting Hunter hurriedly tried to wipe his back with cotton, but it was futile; the swabs turned bright red instantly, rendering the effort useless.

“That’s enough. I poured a potion on it, so it will heal if left alone. I can just change my clothes later.”

For an S-Rank body, this amount of blood loss was hardly an issue. However, the roots that had dug beneath his skin seemed to have irritated his nerves, as the pain did not subside easily. Shin-hoo flexed and unflexed his numb fingers.

Lifting his head, he made eye contact with a trembling Shin-joo.

“I’m so sorry. Because of me… I really am useless…”

Shin-joo dropped his head, his lips quivering slightly. There was really no need for him to blame himself to that extent. Hunters getting hurt during battle was an everyday occurrence.

Shin-hoo raised his uninjured hand and patted Shin-joo on the head. Startled, Shin-joo looked up.

“It’s fine. It happened because I let my guard down. It’s not something you should blame yourself for.”

“Sniff…”

“We’ve secured the magic stone properly now, so there won’t be any more danger today.”

Shin-joo’s eyes reddened. Shin-hoo patted his head once more.

Unlike Shin-joo who was drowning in self-blame, Shin-hoo was actually pleased with the outcome. He had felt uneasy about the missing magic stone, but now that point of uncertainty was completely resolved. An injury like this meant nothing to him. Trading a bit of temporary damage that would heal with time was well worth the gain.

Now it truly felt like things had wrapped up properly. He felt certain that he had saved Kwon Shin-joo, who was originally supposed to die here.