Chapter 69

Kim Si-hoon’s frantic thrashing ground to a dead halt. He blinked, jaw hanging slack, having never imagined in his wildest nightmares that the man before him was the Guild Master of Cheongho.

A man who, moments ago, had looked like a portly middle-aged ajussi had suddenly cast off his disguise, revealing his true self like a deity descending onto mortal earth. Even Eui-rim would have questioned whether he was awake or dreaming.

Tucking the mask into the pack he handed to Son Chaeyoon, Seo Hae-gun looked down at Kim Si-hoon. “I figured if my name was on the roster, you’d refuse to come along, so I hid it,” Hae-gun said. “It would be our loss if someone with prior raid experience backed out.”

“What… the fuck… kind of sick stunt is this?” Kim Si-hoon gasped out.

Snapping out of his stupor, Kim Si-hoon ground the words out through clenched teeth. His jaw was clamped so tight his voice slurred as if chewing gravel.

“Why… without warning… to me…” His words rasped between ragged gasps for air.

“When I saw you last, you didn’t seem physically or mentally composed enough for a calm conversation,” Hae-gun explained. “So I borrowed a few sedative items. Figured you’d need at least this much to exercise sound judgment.”

Just as Seo Hae-gun said, the collar and handcuffs were sedative restraints borrowed from the Association, designed to pacify agitated hunters suffering from mental debuffs. Moreover, removing them was impossible without a registered administrator key. No matter how high an Awakened’s rank, the wearer could never undo the bindings themselves.

Of course, the Association had lent them out to secure erratic survivors, not Kim Si-hoon.

“In a dungeon, agitated people always cause accidents, don’t they?” Hae-gun added pleasantly.

“…” Kim Si-hoon choked on his rage.

“As a Guild Master, I have an obligation to protect my people, which led me to take a slightly drastic measure,” Hae-gun said smoothly. “But as a fellow Guild Master, Hunter Kim Si-hoon, I’m sure you understand.”

“Insane… What kind of—” A violent cough wracked him. “—what kind of bullshit is that supposed to be?!”

Even while snarling, he still meticulously used jondaenmal. Eui-rim knew the man was spinelessly obsequious around anyone stronger than him, but he hadn’t realized he was this transparent. Under ordinary circumstances, he would have spewed a barrage of profanities and crude insults.

Eui-rim shook his head and looked away, deliberately avoiding eye contact with Kim Si-hoon to keep from getting dragged in.

“Why would I—” Panting, eyes wild, Si-hoon forced the words out. “Why the hell would I do anything to your guild member?!”

“Well, that’s your opinion,” Hae-gun said.

“No, really, what reason would I have to harm that kid… If anything, aren’t you the one hitting on him under the pretext of protection?” Si-hoon sucked in a rasping breath. “You’re the one who was pawing at his face!”

Why is he dragging me into this when I was just standing here? Hae-gun hadn’t even mentioned my name.

“How strange. I never specified Eui-rim-ssi,” Hae-gun said.

“Th-that…” Kim Si-hoon sputtered, tongue tied.

“Got a guilty conscience, do you?” Hae-gun asked.

My thoughts exactly.

Just as Eui-rim was quietly cheering Hae-gun on, Son Chaeyoon stepped up beside him with pitying sympathy. “How on earth did you get tangled up with someone like that?” Her tone suggested she had deduced what kind of scumbag Kim Si-hoon was from this exchange alone.

Eui-rim started to mention that other healers had suffered similar ordeals, but stopped himself. He recalled that he had been the only one whose personal address the bastard had tracked down, bombarding him with relentless calls and messages.

…Was what Hae-gun said actually true?

Did Kim Si-hoon really have romantic feelings toward me? But treating someone you like in such a vile manner isn’t remotely normal.

A sudden clinking of metal echoed as Kim Si-hoon was hauled upright from the floor.

“Well, we didn’t come here for small talk, so let’s wrap this up,” Hae-gun said.

The mirth vanished from Seo Hae-gun’s voice. The mocking sarcasm and subtle condescension evaporated without a trace.

Instead, Hae-gun continued in a crisp, businesslike tone, “Lead the way.”

“Wh-what…” Kim Si-hoon doubled over, coughing. “What do you expect me to do?”

“I told you to take the lead,” Hae-gun repeated coldly.

“Wh-why should I?” Kim Si-hoon stammered. “I’m the designated manager here. Clearing the raid… that’s your job…”

“Yes, that’s right. Clearing the dungeon is our job,” Hae-gun said. “You just need to guide us, Guild Master Kim.”

At Hae-gun’s command, Son Chaeyoon let out a low whistle. Coils of reinforced cord were already looped around her hands—her signature weapon since her Academy days.

“Eui-rim-ssi, grab a weapon too. You’re wearing the watch, right?” Chaeyoon asked.

“Yes,” Eui-rim said.

She retrieved a hunting knife and two handaxes from her pack. The moment Eui-rim took the knife, she handed the axes to Seo Hae-gun and slung the pack over her shoulder.

“Too bad the General Manager isn’t with us,” Chaeyoon muttered. “Honestly, for this kind of dungeon, she’s way more efficient than the Guild Master.”

“Do you mean the Vice Guild Master?” Eui-rim asked.

“Yeah. She’s got a real knack for blowing heads off with gunfire,” Chaeyoon said.

Tap, tap

Son Chaeyoon bumped her fists together with a grin. Ignoring Kim Si-hoon, who was yelling about refusing to lead, Eui-rim asked about something that had made him curious: “By the way, why do you call her ‘General Manager’? Everyone else uses that title too.”

“‘Vice Guild Master’ is too long. Moonhyuk-oppa kept whining that it tripped up his tongue, so we just shortened it,” Chaeyoon said with a shrug.

I see. A nickname of sorts.

As he traded trivial banter with Son Chaeyoon, the surroundings grew quieter than before. Turning his head slightly to check the situation, he saw Ahn Moonhyuk fastening Kim Si-hoon’s leash to the Divine Steed he had summoned.

“Let’s move,” Ahn Moonhyuk said, giving the tether a testing tug.

Only after Kim Si-hoon and the Divine Steed were tethered together like a pair did Seo Hae-gun walk over. Eui-rim scanned the man’s striking features and narrowed his eyes slightly.

What is that? That oddly dissatisfied expression.

“Is something the matter?” Eui-rim asked.

“Hm?” Hae-gun turned.

“You look like something’s bothering you,” Eui-rim observed.

At the subtle probe, Seo Hae-gun’s eyes widened. “Mmm…” After a brief hum, he offered a smile tinged with regret. “I’m just a bit disappointed that Seonha opposed it so fiercely, so I couldn’t get rid of him.”

“…” Eui-rim fell silent.

“And since we’re using him as a sniffer dog, I can’t even muzzle him,” Hae-gun added with genuine chagrin.

Eui-rim did not ask what he had intended to ‘get rid of,’ because an instinctive realization flashed through his mind.

“Ah… yes,” Eui-rim mumbled, brushing the topic aside. He had a feeling that continuing the conversation would force him to confront a chilling truth.

No matter how pathetic and foul-tempered the bastard is… surely he wouldn’t try to eliminate a living person in a place like this…

“White Noise only manages small-fry dungeons anyway, so losing one Guild Master wouldn’t cause any real problems. We could just take over their dungeons and manage them ourselves,” Hae-gun went on.

He really was planning to get rid of him. “Please don’t,” Eui-rim said.

Making him walk at the front of a mutated dungeon was already more than enough. On top of that, they had slapped a collar and handcuffs on him to keep him from pulling any tricks. Even if his skills weren’t sealed, restraining Kim Si-hoon under these conditions was practically driving him into the jaws of death.

Seo Hae-gun stared down at Eui-rim, then reached out and pinched his nose. Wincing at the stinging pinch that brought tears to his eyes, Eui-rim pulled his head back, prompting Hae-gun to click his tongue and point toward Kim Si-hoon’s retreating back.

“All right, all right, relax that scowl. I won’t secretly bury him or anything,” Hae-gun relented.

How very reassuring. Kim Si-hoon would weep with joy if he heard that.

Eui-rim watched Kim Si-hoon trudge forward like a captive tied to the Divine Steed.

Right. Let’s look on the bright side.

In any case, Kim Si-hoon wasn’t actively participating in the combat, so this was better than before. As long as he maintained a proper barrier with his shielding skill, he shouldn’t be in severe danger.

Passing through the long corridor into the interior, the scenery from his memories unfolded in intact detail. Walls stripped bare of paint. Ceiling pipes and steel furniture corroded with heavy rust. Shattered tiles. A musty stench of mold.

And overpowering all of it, a chorus of deafening howls.

“…What is that sound?” Son Chaeyoon asked.

“It’s likely the howling of zombies,” Eui-rim said.

“Do zombies roar this loudly?” Son Chaeyoon asked.

Having previously mentioned she had never fought humanoid monsters, Son Chaeyoon was clearly a novice in this domain. Eui-rim curled the corner of his lips slightly and replied, “Zombies tend to move in swarms. If my guess is right, they’re packed inside each patient room, and their cries are echoing through the halls.”

At that, Ahn Moonhyuk—who had declared his absolute detestation of zombies—let out a whimper entirely unfitting for his massive build. “There’s no way to bypass them without going into the patient rooms, right?”

“…Most likely. We’ll have to eliminate every last one of them for the core room to open,” Eui-rim said.

For a second, Eui-rim had spoken instinctively like an experienced veteran, forcing him to soften his phrasing. While he had revealed that he had prepared for the raid with Kim Si-hoon in the past, he was not supposed to have actually stepped foot inside back then, so it was better to avoid sounding too certain.

“Fuck. Something’s off,” Kim Si-hoon muttered with an uneasy look.

Forcing the Divine Steed dragging him to a halt, Kim Si-hoon pressed his back flat against the wall. “Uh, excuse me. The layout is…” He cleared his throat. “…different from last time.”

“Different?” Eui-rim asked.

Hearing Eui-rim’s voice, Kim Si-hoon snapped his head around. Locking eyes with Seo Hae-gun standing beside him, Si-hoon grimaced grudgingly before answering, “Back then, there weren’t this many passageways. And there were way more monsters.”