I Obtained a Mythic Item
Chapter 1 — Lucky Day (1)
“You crazy bastard! You’re telling me to be a meat shield!”
“No, hyung. Don’t take it the wrong way. Besides, you said you needed the money, right?”
Even with Jeong WooMin dissuading him, Min JaeHyun shouted angrily. JaeHyun’s voice rang out through the interior of the cafe.
JaeHyun glared at Jeong WooMin, who was standing in front of him, while biting his lips in frustration.
‘Damn. No wonder he said he’d take me along on a dungeon raid.’
He had wondered why Jeong WooMin was contacting him out of the blue.
Jeong WooMin.
JaeHyun’s partner from the Raider agency. He was someone who took care of and distributed work to freelance raiders who weren’t part of any guild.
So when JaeHyun was contacted by Jeong WooMin, he thought there was work he could do for a change.
But when he heard the request — Damn.
Stand on the front line with a shield in a dungeon full of undead monsters.
It basically meant that they would use him as a meat shield in a dangerous situation.
‘Ha…’
Of course, it wasn’t that Jeong WooMin didn’t understand where JaeHyun was coming from.
However, there was no other way.
Min JaeHyun was a lower mid-level D-rank raider among the Awakened. And a Warrior at that.
It wasn’t like he was more experienced or skilled than his rank implied. So the treatment JaeHyun was currently receiving could be said to be natural.
JaeHyun sighed and lowered his volume.
“Why are there only jobs like this left, when those with a lower rank than me get pretty good jobs?!”
“Well, you know how it is, hyung. Nowadays, there aren’t many places that like to hire Warrior-class raiders even if they have a high rank.”
“So, are you insulting me for being a martial arts nut? Jeez, I apologize for the grave sin of preferring the arts.”
Martial arts fanatic.
It was basically a derogatory term for a raider who specialized in combat.
Fundamentally, Awakened raiders were classified as either Warriors or Magicians, but Magician-class raiders could get quite a lot of commissions even if they had a low rank. On the other hand, the situation wasn’t that great for Warriors.
Jeong WooMin took a sip from the cup of coffee in front of him and spoke.
“ In reality… that’s true. Nowadays, the Magicians are taking up all the jobs. Martial artists are pretty slow in completing tasks and have a higher frequency of injury, so they aren’t the first choice for employers.”
That was the bitter truth.
Compared to those who hunted monsters from the rear, martial artists who were in the front could only receive more injuries.
And it went without saying how superior Magicians were in large-scale combat.
At Jeong WooMin’s words, JaeHyun gulped down the iced Americano in his hand.
Clack!
JaeHyun put the glass down with a bang and wiped his mouth with his sleeve.
‘I’m aware. It would have been different if it was 10 years ago. But now, there is nowhere a martial artist can go. Damn… I should have chosen to be a Magician back then…’
<11 years ago, back in his third year of middle school\>
JaeHyun got a good score on the awakening aptitude test and entered the Millaes Academy, which specialized in raider training.
At the time, the score JaeHyun got on his magic aptitude test was a whopping 97%.
Even the score of the current top Magician in Korea, Seo Ina, was merely 92%, so JaeHyun’s score at that time could be said to be out of this world.
On the other hand, his combat score was just 34%.
However, JaeHyun still chose martial arts.
He didn’t have any great reason or grand purpose for doing so. There was just a tendency to disdain Magicians at the time.
Of course, it was the opposite now. Martial artists had waned, and Magicians were worshipped.
‘If I had chosen to be a Magician 11 years ago, would my life be better right now?’
JaeHyun shook his head to get rid of useless thoughts.
Normally, a raider’s growth stopped in their 20s.
In other words, even if Jaehyun regretted it now, nothing would change.
At one time, his talent was envied by all those who wished to be a Magician.
However, he was now a D-rank raider with nothing special.
The difference between Jaehyun’s past and present was incredibly vast.
After a moment of silence passed—
The person who started the conversation again was Jeong WooMin.
“Hyung. Such opportunities don’t come by very often. I was going to give this chance to someone else, but I remembered your circumstances. So I came to you first.”
“……”
JaeHyun knew from the very beginning that he didn’t have a choice. If he wanted to survive in his situation, he couldn’t do so by avoiding rough work.
JaeHyun spoke after contemplating the situation.
“I understand. I’ll do it.”
“You’re making the right choice, hyung.”
A smile spread across Jeong WooMin’s face.
“Then, I’ll see you tomorrow at 8 o’clock at the place I’ll text you the location of beforehand. Don’t be late.”
“What do you mean, ‘see you’? You’re also busy with stuff for the agency. Don’t worry about it, just do what you have to do.”
At JaeHyun’s words, Jeong WooMin laughed slightly and whispered in a low voice.
“No, I also have something to do there tomorrow. See you tomorrow, hyung.”
***
Despite what he said, Jeong WooMin couldn’t be seen at the entrance of the dungeon.
Time quickly passed from the 8 o’clock he’d promised to meet Jeong WooMin at, and it got closer to 9 o’clock. JaeHyun strolled around the dungeon entrance by himself and mumbled.
“…Jeong Woomin, that bastard. He talked about meeting the next day, but I can’t even see his shadow. It would have been better if he hadn’t said he was coming.”
Then again, for Jeong WooMin, it would be better to take care of those with better talent.
He was merely a D-rank martial artist, but Jeong WooMin was an A-rank Magician. A rank that obviously received good treatment wherever they went.
There was no way such a person could be dedicated to just him.
‘To begin with, I don’t know why such a guy is working in a mere raider agency…’
He could become a part of any guild. But to think he’s wasting his time at the agency…
It was not something JaeHyun could comprehend. But since he was receiving help with this and that due to it, he didn’t think too deeply into the matter.
Everyone has their own circumstances after all.
JaeHyun let out a sigh as he observed his surroundings.
As soon as he did so, he saw combat raiders in the same situation as him.
There were a little over forty of them. As they wiped their tiny shields, everyone’s expression showed they knew they were facing their deaths.
‘If they wipe it any more, they might bore a hole in their shields.’
This time, he turned to look in the other direction.
Unlike the indifferent labourers, the Magicians had a cordial atmosphere with bright expressions.
Even with just a look, one could see that it was a top guild filled with high-ranked raiders. It was worthy of its name as the Meteor Guild which was becoming famous as a rookie guild lately.
Seeing the view in front of him, JaeHyun reflected on his own circumstance.
Truthfully, he hadn’t wanted to participate in this raid.
However, the deposit for the room he was renting right now was 5 million won plus 350,000 rent. Thinking about the money that goes out every month for food and armor repairing, as well as the little bits that go out for miscellaneous things, there was no other option except to go on a raid.
Editor: 5,350,000 won \= 4500 dollars
Of course, seeing as he was still only 27, JaeHyun could ask his parents for help.
Above all, his father, Min Seong-Oh, was an A-rank raider. One of the people envied by all citizens.
But unfortunately, his father had no love for him. The same could be said for his mother who had already passed away.
Min Seong-Oh.
JaeHyun’s father, who physically and verbally abused the two of them, was so-called human trash.
That was why he left home penniless the moment he became an adult.
He wanted to get out of his father’s shadow.
But as a result, JaeHyun ended up in poverty.
It wasn’t that he had never tried to do other jobs. But this was the only thing he learned at the academy, so he found that other jobs didn’t suit him. He couldn’t last long at other places and always came back.
Well, the result was that he was now in a situation where he was repairing his shield to be a meat shield himself.
A familiar voice could be heard from behind JaeHyun who was deep in thought for a moment.
“Huh? JaeHyun! We’re meeting here again, huh?”
JaeHyun turned to look in the direction where the voice was coming from. Soon, the familiar face of a middle-aged man appeared in JaeHyun’s sight.
Lee Myung-Ho.
JaeHyun had met him a few times in dungeons as a scout since he was a combat raider like JaeHyun.
“Myung-Ho hyung, you came as well?”
“Yeah. There’s not a lot of work these days… These kinds of jobs may be a bit dangerous, but they pay a lot.”
“Yeah… Well, that’s true. Especially since…”
“And there’s no place for combat raiders other than this. Right? Anyway, kids nowadays don’t have any love for the sword. What’s so cool about sending out a fireball from the rear?”
‘What ‘love’. I’m about to starve to death.’
Of course, he didn’t let those words leave his mouth. He merely sighed and shrugged.
Lee Myung-Ho shook his head to show he didn’t care about it much and put a hand on JaeHyun’s shoulder.
“Well, regardless. Let’s do our best this time, too. So, do you want to go drink soju after this?”
“Yeah… sounds good. But I don’t have much money right now…”
“No can do. I paid last time too.”
At Lee Myung-Ho’s stern words, JaeHyun’s shoulders drooped and he made a pitiful expression.
Lee Myung-Ho looked at him with sympathy for a moment and then scratched his head as he spoke.
“Ah! Alright. Alright! Then I’ll pay for it this final time!”
‘He’s a really easy guy.’
JaeHyun laughed internally.
This was exactly the eighth time he was getting free drinks.
“Everyone, gather at the dungeon entrance! We will enter in 30 minutes.”
At the sudden announcement from a member of the guild, JaeHyun and Lee Myung-Ho lost their spirits.
The two quickly moved toward the area where the voice was coming from.
At that moment, JaeHyun abruptly stopped walking and turned on the phone he took out from his chest pocket.
“JaeHyun. Why aren’t you coming?”
Seeing that JaeHyun hadn’t followed him, Lee Myung-Ho turned around and looked at what JaeHyun was doing.
A smile promptly spread on Lee Myung-Ho’s face.
“Ha! Are you looking at your smartphone again? You seem to always do that before going into a dungeon. What are you looking at so diligently? Are you looking at a picture of your girlfriend?”
“…It’s nothing. Let’s go.”
JaeHyun’s stiff expression softened a little.
Inside the old smartphone’s screen, there was a picture of his younger self and his mother, Lee SeonHwa.
A slightly bitter smile appeared on JaeHyun’s face.
‘I’ll come back safely.’
JaeHyun turned his phone to dungeon mode and stuck close to Lee Myung-Ho. Without losing his smile, he was sucked into the dungeon along with Lee Myung-Ho.
***
“Hey! Tank! Raise your shield properly. Keep the line straight!”
“Fuck! Why can’t you understand human language? Maintain your position even if you die!”
The guild Magician that JaeHyun was guarding didn’t stop with the curses and verbal abuse. Since it was a scouting mission with their lives on the line, the Magicians were also high-strung.
The Warriors, including JaeHyun, had their own task.
While the Magicians were casting, the Warriors had to secure the battle line and block the monsters’ attacks endlessly.
“The glittering lights of Alfheim…”
“Flames under Surt’s command, destroy all enemies in sight…”
During that time, the Magicians would aim and shoot spells at the monsters using cringey casting.
Crash!
The monsters who were running toward the Warriors became ashes in an instant.
“Phew…”
The hand holding his shield was filled with sweat. JaeHyun panted as he returned to his position in the battle line.
All the monsters that appeared in the dungeon this time were the undead type.
They came back to life even when killed, so they had to be either cut down with weapons filled with holy power or hit with holy magic. They were monsters who were complicated to deal with.
Kieeeehhhhh!
Kaaaak!
However, displaying the power of a guild of Magicians, the members of Meteor quickly disposed of the undead monsters.
‘If it’s going to continue like this, I don’t have to worry about dying.’
JaeHyun recalled what had happened yesterday and considered himself stupid for spending the whole day worrying. At the speed they were proceeding with, it wasn’t too much to say that they could clear the dungeon by evening.
The bitter fight against the monsters continued for four hours.
The raid captain looked around the razed dungeon, then he stopped walking and spoke.
“This place seems roughly done. Let’s rest for a while!”
“Everyone heard that, right? We’re resting here for a while before continuing! Raiders who were at the front! Come back!”
At the words of the raid captain and guild member, those who were walking in front turned around.
Lee Myung-Ho, who was walking right beside JaeHyun, began to speak.
“Wow… Any way you look at it, this place is massive.”
“Yeah. With this size, we could probably build a soccer field here.”
JaeHyun said in agreement as he looked around.
It truly was a huge dungeon.
‘I’m not sure if it’s because it’s an A-ranked dungeon, but it sure is enormous.’
The dungeon the Meteor Guild was currently trying to clear was A-ranked. According to a news article that came out recently, this was the first time a rookie guild attempted to clear an A-ranked dungeon so quickly.
‘I don’t want to admit it, but a guild of Magicians… truly is strong.’
A few doors that looked like cave entrances could be seen amidst the foggy darkness.
One of those doors probably led to the boss room.
JaeHyun looked at the row of doors and gulped.
However great of a rookie guild Meteor was, this was an A-rank dungeon where hundreds of elite raiders died every year.
It was not a place that permitted carelessness.
“Whew… is the boss room the only place left?”
JaeHyun caught his breath as he sat on a folding chair at the edge and did some stretching.
“Huh?”
All the strength in his body suddenly left him, and JaeHyun started to waver like a sheet of paper.
一 ……The Aesir System is downloading.
一 The connection with the user will temporarily be cut.
一 The system is rebooting.
“Huh? What is this…”
A voice out of the blue.
JaeHyun focused on the machine tone in his ears with a dazed expression.
‘Shouldn’t the Aesir System already be downloaded? There hasn’t been anything like this until now.’
However, the confusing messages did not stop there.
一 …The Aesir System could not reboot due to unknown reasons.
‘Rebooting… failed?’
The system downloading and the reboot failing were all things that were happening for the first time.
The strange situations that he had never seen on the awakened community’s raider bulletin board continued. JaeHyun’s mind became blank in an instant.
A voice from an unknown source started to calmly spread inside JaeHyun’s head.
「……light………follow……」
一 An unknown presence is infiltrating the Aesir System!
一 Returning to safe mode.
一 …failed!
‘An unknown presence…? What the hell was the voice from a moment ago……’
“Did it say… to follow the light?”
“Huh? JaeHyun, what do you mean?”
“Nothing. Just now, I thought I heard someone tell me to follow the…”
JaeHyun was unable to finish his sentence.
Oooowoooowowww….
A firefly shining with a white light wavered in front of his eyes.
‘This light… was it saying that I should follow this light?’
Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only
JaeHyun nervously swallowed.
‘What on earth is happening right now?’
Obtained a Mythic Item
Chapter 2 一 Lucky Day (2)
一 The Aesir System has been downloaded.
一 The Status window could not be opened.
“It really won’t open.”
Even after trying it numerous times, the result was still the same.
‘The status window isn’t opening.’
一 There are a few damaged files.
一 Trying to recover the program with safe mode.
Together with the program rebooting, the system’s voice rang through his mind.
‘Damn… What the hell is happening?’
JaeHyun couldn’t hide his confusion.
Ever since he awakened at 10, the system had not crashed even once for the past 17 years.
It had never recovered the system with rebooting or whatnot either.
‘The voice I heard… there is a large possibility it is related to the system crashing.’
It was a rational conclusion. The system clearly said ‘an unknown presence’ had infiltrated it.
‘But why?’
He could not be certain about anything at that moment.
A system invaded by ‘an unknown presence’ leading to a crash. A message from the mysterious voice to follow the light.
JaeHyun tried to keep his calm and stared at the white light in front of him.
‘I’ve never read about a system crash on any forums for the awakened. Then… there might be some changes in the Aesir system.’
The Aesir System was a type of living system based on mythology.
The term Æsir, referring to the Norse gods of Asgard including Odin and Thor, is said to have been the origin for this system which was the last bastion of hope for humans at the end of despair.
Editor note: ‘Æsir’ (variably ‘Aesir’) is the plural form of the term.
<20 years ago, in 2011, which was called the Year of the Calamity\>
An enormous tree with untold height grew in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
It sprouted overnight and covered the sky after growing for only 9 days.
The true name of this tree—which was said to be a sign of the end of the world by some and a blessing by others—was Yggdrasil. The world tree that appeared in mythology.
And on the 9th day, when the tree finished growing—
A tragedy began.
An unprecedented disaster of ‘monsters’ spread rampantly all over the world.
Monsters from mythology like giants and dragons appeared, and it took too long before people realized that all of these things had become reality.
Half of the population lost their lives, and half of those remaining were killed by famine and plague.
The monsters created more corpses than any epidemic or war.
Humans resisted desperately, but the monsters were too strong. All products of science—including weapons—turned to ashes, and the armies of most countries were eradicated in the fight against monsters.
But then all of a sudden, a small hope brewed in humanity that had fallen in despair.
Humans called ‘the Awakened’ with the strength of gods appeared.
Those Awakened held the power of the gods.
That is, they started to kill monsters with the basis of the ‘Aesir System’.
The Awakened. Those among them that hunted monsters were called raiders.
The strongest weapon used by the ones humanity considered heroes.
A system regarding which no one knew when and where it was from or which existence had created it.
That was the Aesir.
However—
‘A change is happening to that Aesir System? No matter what kind it would be, it was hard to think about it positively.’
As JaeHyun was organizing his thoughts—
Tak!
JaeHyun’s feet, which were trodding busily, suddenly stopped. Because the light that had been floating in the air stopped in one location and grabbed his gaze once again.
JaeHyun raised his head and looked forward. Then, shock was visible on his face.
“An enormous…… door?”
In front of his eyes was a huge, rusted steel door.
Giving off an unknown aura of intense pressure, it was a door covered in murals that were so old that they could not be identified.
“This is…… no way!!”
The corners of JaeHyun’s mouth started to turn up, and a grin soon spread on his face.
“It’s a Treasure Gate!”
**
Treasure Gate.
A room that hid treasure, with a low probability of appearing in high-rank dungeons. It was a place concealing a very special artifact or effective ingredient item.
‘They said an item from a treasure gate was at least a hundred million, I think?’
Editor note: 100 million won ≅ 90,000 dollars
JaeHyun placed his hand on the door with a delighted face and took a deep breath.
‘If an equipment item that’s at least A-rank comes out from here… I can get out of this horrible life right away!’
Normally, an A-rank equipment item’s price easily goes over a billion won. In Korea, it was an amount that would allow one to get a good jeonse* house and live the rest of their life comfortably.
[T/N: jeonse is a way of renting a house in Korea where you pay a huge amount of deposit to rent the house. Then you don’t pay rent while you’re living in that house. You also receive all or most of the deposit when you stop renting the house.]
“Please… if there is a god, please let an artifact of at least A-rank appear…”
JaeHyun started to put some strength into the hand he placed on the door, and the door soon began to open.
Creeeeaaak……
The interior of the Treasure Gate began to enter his sight through the half-open door.
JaeHyun carefully stepped inside.
“To think there was such a place inside a dungeon… what they talked about on TV wasn’t just an urban legend after all.”
Torches that lit up every wall and a mysterious altar could be seen.
The figure of a small sphere shining brightly on the altar flickered before his eyes.
“Any way you look at it, that should be the artifact.”
JaeHyun couldn’t stop grinning.
“So, let’s see how great this hidden item is, shall we?”
JaeHyun approached the altar without hesitation.
Whiiiiirrrrl……
A sound resembling a moving motor came from the rotating sphere that was emitting a white light. After taking a deep breath, JaeHyun stretched his hand out toward the sphere.
The moment JaeHyun’s hand touched the sphere, a clear voice rang out.
一 The system succeeded in recovering some functions.
一 A new equipment item has been acquired.
一 Would you like to appraise the acquired item?
“Things are working out well today.”
The system even recovered at the right time. They did say that good things happen all at once, didn’t they?
He began to read the status window that appeared with excitement.
Then—
“……huh?!”
The pupils of JaeHyun who had been reading the item’s information contracted. Soon, a puzzled expression followed.
JaeHyun rubbed his eyes and dazedly stared at the status window that floated in the air.
[Equipment Item]
Name: Odin’s Lost Eye
Rating: Mythic
The eye given up by Odin, King of the Aesir, to gain wisdom at Mimir’s well.
When equipped, it can allow one to understand runes and use magic to disarm or destroy.
*The only Mythic item in the world.
*Warning! Bound once equipped!
[Effects]
Skill 《Universal Derivation》
With a complete understanding of runes, all kinds of powerful magic can be used without incanting.
Blank cards can be consumed to copy another person’s skills.
*When copying skills, penalties do not carry over.
Blank cards in possession: 1
The only Mythic item in the world.
A priceless item had fallen into JaeHyun’s hands.
He remarked in a voice filled with horror.
“……Is this real?”
He looked at it over and over again, but the description was still the same.
一 Rating: Mythic
‘The highest ranking that has appeared in the auction till now is S-rank. Even that easily went over tens of billions of won at the auction house. Items related to magic can especially be sold at whatever price you state…
But what? A Mythic Item?! And the only one in the world at that?’
“Ha… haha……”
The laughs burst out of JaeHyun’s mouth uncontrollably.
“I don’t have to go through all that suffering anymore. I don’t have to be insulted by various guilds or become a meat shield in dungeons! I can have whatever I want and eat whatever I want!”
Filled with joy, JaeHyun smiled broadly as he gazed at 《Odin’s Lost Eye》.
Finally, spring had come for him as well.
JaeHyun tried to calm his beating heart and put the item in his inventory.
As he was doing so, he suddenly had a thought.
“Since I got it, should I try equipping it?
……Sure. It’s not every day I get to try out a Mythic item.”
Traditionally, raiders all wanted to own high-ranked items.
The high rank of an item could be a raider’s pride. It could also save their life in a dungeon.
JaeHyun hardened his heart and opened his status window to equip the item.
Then—
一 Warning! The item 《Odin’s Lost Eye》 becomes bound once equipped. Would you like to equip?
“N-no! Cancel right away! Quickly!”
Not having read the warning because he was entranced by the Mythic rating, he calmed his surprised heart.
“Phew…… I almost blew away the Mythic item I obtained with difficulty.”
JaeHyun returned the 《Odin’s Lost Eye》 to his inventory and wiped his cold sweat away.
“I don’t have a reason to equip this. Just selling it will get me billions and billions of won.”
It was a Mythic item after all. How would there be a reason to equip it?
Over the past 7 years, JaeHyun had faced numerous enemies. There were many instances where he was frozen in fear and several times when he almost died.
For him, being a raider was something he had to do without a choice. He wasn’t continuing to do it out of any love for the job.
That was why he had no plans to equip 《Odin’s Lost Eye》.
‘A big house and a foreign car… I can do whatever I want now!’
JaeHyun left the Treasure Gate with a very light heart.
It was time to return.
***
“Ha, where did Min JaeHyun go? We have to start fighting again in a bit.”
“He will probably be back soon. It seems he went to the bathroom for a moment.”
Lee Myung-Ho frantically made excuses.
“Phew… Seriously.”
The raid captain, Park ChanHyeok, showed his impatience as he looked at his specially-altered watch.
The guild’s budget was already low, so the loss in power with just one person missing was not small.
Especially since those who stood at the rear were Magicians that were weakest at close combat.
If the monsters got even a little closer, the formation would be destroyed in the chaos.
“Let’s try waiting a little… Oh! He’s over there. JaeHyun, come quickly. We are continuing the mission now.”
“I’m sorry for being late.”
JaeHyun bowed his head with an embarrassed look. Park ChanHyeok scolded him as he sighed.
“It’s troublesome if you move by yourself like this. It would be best that nothing like this happens next time.”
“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind.”
JaeHyun apologized one more time.
Fortunately, Park ChanHyeok left without saying any more.
“Um, JaeHyun. Don’t feel too sad… huh?”
“Haha, it’s nothing, hyung. I’m fine. And I’ll pay for the drinks tonight. I can’t keep getting free stuff.”
“Huh? Uh…”
Lee Myung-Ho tilted his head at JaeHyun’s untypical reaction.
‘Did he finally go insane at the age of 27?’
Holding his shield in one hand and filing into formation, JaeHyun’s expression was bright.
‘Phew…… did he fall for it just now?’
JaeHyun did not say anything about finding a Treasure Gate.
He was still inside a dungeon.
It was a lawless area with no one outside ever knowing whatever happened inside.
Saying he found a good item in here was the same as saying he wanted to die, and JaeHyun was not stupid.
‘It won’t be too late to sell the item after clearing the dungeon as planned. It’s important not to needlessly attract suspicion right now.’
Lee Myung-Ho shook his head to express that he couldn’t understand, then he grabbed his shield as well and moved into formation.
After checking that the newly-formed frontline had no cracks in it, the raid captain shouted.
“Okay, since the frontline has been reformed, let’s start clearing…”
Boom! Bang bang bang bang!
In the next moment, a loud explosion almost burst their ears.
I Obtained a Mythic Item
Chapter 3 — Lucky Day (3)
“Kyaaaaaa!”
“Wh-what is this sound? Did a bomb go off?”
“Fuck! Don’t you know bombs are forbidden in dungeons? Which bastard was it?!”
The defense line broke formation in an instant, and noise filled the surroundings.
‘What is happening?’
JaeHyun quickly looked around inside the dungeon with dizzy eyes.
However, there were no signs of an explosion anywhere.
‘What on earth is it? I’m sure it was the sound of an explosion……’
A strange black smoke started to rise from the ground.
Shhhhhhhhhh………
The smoke spread in an instant and blocked everyone’s sight.
“Kek! Cough!”
“Cough! What the hell is this?!”
JaeHyun immediately covered his mouth and nose with his sleeve and narrowed his eyes.
The black fog that wrapped itself around them was not normal.
‘This is… poison fog?’
Poison fog.
Like its name suggested, it was a special kind of fog that had a poisonous effect on those who inhaled it.
‘If I inhale too much, I’ll die. I have to get out of here first.’
“JaeHyun. I think we need to get out of here quickly. This fog…… however I look at it, it’s dangerous.”
Lee Myung-Ho, who had come to his side while he wasn’t paying attention, said so while covering his mouth with his sleeve.
JaeHyun nodded as he yelled.
“Everyone! We need to leave this place quic—”
Before he could finish his words, JaeHyun had to close his mouth tightly.
“Augh!”
“Myu… Myung-Ho!”
Beside JaeHyun, a sharp knife was sticking out through Lee Myung-Ho’s chest.
JaeHyun bit his lips.
‘This gear is not from the dungeon.’
Lee Myung-Ho was not the only one. He could hear other people’s screams from here and there.
The coppery scent of blood filled the dungeon in an instant.
‘I have to escape.’
Tap, tap, tap.
JaeHyun quickly left his position and tried to pull himself together.
The sudden sound of an explosion, poison fog that filled the dungeon, and the people getting murdered.
Instantly, JaeHyun’s whole body was covered in goosebumps.
‘This is… not done by monsters.’
***
“Pant… pant……”
JaeHyun barely escaped from the poison fog and the assassins’ attacks and went deeper into the dungeon.
At the same time, he pondered.
What if the motive of the assassins was the massacre of Meteor Guild?
It would be worse if he headed to the exit.
There was a big chance that he would be murdered by the assassin team waiting by the entrance.
In this situation, it should be safer to request for rescue from within the dungeon.
‘Damn! What on earth is happening right now?
……Never mind. This is not the time to think like that.’
JaeHyun took out his smartphone from his jacket and turned it on.
If he could request for rescue right now, there was a possibility of him making it out of all this alive.
“Do you think I’ll just lie down and die when I just got a Mythic item after so much difficulty?”
Krrrrr! Bang!
An attack suddenly brushed past JaeHyun’s shoulder and lodged itself in the wall behind him.
“Urgh!”
JaeHyun fell to the ground. He rolled and barely avoided the attack.
‘What is this? Who the hell…’
“I knew that you’d manage to stay alive, hyung.”
Hearing the voice, JaeHyun quickly frowned fiercely.
JaeHyun spoke to the enemy standing in front of him with a shaky voice.
“…Jeong WooMin.”
“I told you, didn’t I? That we’d see each other today.”
Jeong WooMin had a smile on his face as he slowly walked toward JaeHyun.
At a glance, one could see that he had a totally different aura from yesterday. The black hoodies and rectangular glasses gave off a feeling of unknown danger.
JaeHyun didn’t take his eyes off of Jeong WooMin as he asked in a sharp voice.
“Did you plan all this? Spreading the poison fog and murdering the Meteor Guild?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Jeong WooMin admitted in a mild tone. There was no sign of guilt in his expression. Instead of his usual good-natured smile, there was only a provocative and unfamiliar expression on his face.
JaeHyun was bewildered, but he tried hard not to show it as he asked.
“Why?”
“Well, that’s because it was a request from my client. Plus… there are so many people who dislike the Meteor Guild. They have been looking down on the other guilds too much. You know what they say, the nail that sticks out gets hammered down.”
JaeHyun bit down on his lips.
Of course, he had heard that as the Meteor Guild expanded, they looked down on other guilds, especially those composed of Warrior raiders.
But to think they would be hit from behind like this.
‘I thought it was merely a small argument between guilds… I miscalculated. Damn.’
“Phew……”
JaeHyun controlled his breathing.
Unfortunately, he had to forget about the guild. He had to understand this situation first.
‘The probability of murder inside a dungeon being known outside is 0. Even if a crime is committed, it ends with the testimony of a witness.’
Dungeon assassins.
The name used nowadays to refer to those who misused a closed dungeon and committed murder inside. According to circumstances, the surprise attack on the Meteor Guild this time was perpetrated under such a blind spot.
‘Damn.’
JaeHyun gritted his teeth as he looked at Jeong WooMin in front of him.
Blue mana emitted from his whole body.
‘He isn’t someone I can beat with my current skills.’
Jeong WooMin was an A-rank Magician. He was part of the geniuses that composed the top 2% of the country.
On the other hand, JaeHyun was only D-rank. He wasn’t particularly skilled nor was he weak. He was just average.
Additionally, JaeHyun could not use the strength of the Aesir System at the moment.
‘I just have to keep my mouth shut. Then that bastard will have no reason to kill me. I wasn’t their goal to begin with. It’s unfair, but… there is no other way.’
Of course, if it were possible, he would have liked to get revenge for the dead members of the Meteor Guild and those who fought with him in the defense line. Especially Lee Myung-Ho.
But realistically, JaeHyun could not do anything.
As the Yggdrasil sprouted and the Awakened appeared, the world was tragically intolerant of the weak.
And JaeHyun was in the lowest tier of that pyramid.
‘Ha.’
It hurt his pride, but he could only bow his head down here.
Organizing his thoughts, JaeHyun opened his mouth with difficulty.
“Jeong WooMin. I’ll pretend as if nothing happened today. So…”
Jeong WooMin interrupted his words and took another step forward.
“But hyung, do you know?”
Screeee!
A yellow lightning attack extending from Jeong WooMin’s arm shortened the distance between him and JaeHyun in an instant.
Craaaaaash! Boom!
JaeHyun avoided the extremely-sharp lightning attack by rolling his body on the ground, then he analyzed Jeong WooMin’s path of movement while breathing roughly.
His arm and cheek started to bleed where the attack had brushed past him.
‘If I’d reacted a little bit late…… I would be dead for sure.’
Jeong WooMin’s attack happened in an instant. An attack filled with obvious hostility. It was too strong to say he was just joking around.
Looking at JaeHyun’s stiff face, Jeong Woomin smiled coldly.
“The target for this dungeon wasn’t only the Meteor Guild.”
***
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The 《 Lightning Chain 》flew around rapidly.
It was possible for Magicians like Jeong WooMin above B-rank to cast magic without saying the spells out loud.
Runic language.
They were able to do so because they had a higher understanding of this language, which was the basis of magic, compared to others.
Of course, it was not as strong as saying the spells out loud, but it was more than enough when facing a D-rank like JaeHyun.
Looking down at his bloody self, JaeHyun bit down on his lips.
‘I have to think of something. I need to get out of this situation.’
Jeong WooMin’s attacks were coming toward JaeHyun without pause. As he was avoiding the attacks with difficulty, JaeHyun thought about who on earth would have commissioned his death.
And at that moment—
One person passed through JaeHyun’s mind.
His whole body shook, and his face twisted in an instant.
Jeong WooMin looked at the expression on JaeHyun’s face with interest and stopped attacking.
JaeHyun’s gaze sharpened.
“……was it my father?”
Seeing JaeHyun’s contorted expression that he’d never seen before, Jeong WooMin laughed with delight instead.
“You are really smart, hyung. That’s why I like you.”
JaeHyun clenched his fists. A drop of blood escaped his tightly-drawn mouth. His whole body shook with rage.
To think that the one who had ordered his death was his biological father.
Of course, he knew that his father didn’t consider him his child. He knew that his father considered him trash for a long time.
However, wasn’t this too much? He hired assassins to kill his own son?
Then, an uneasy thought abruptly passed through JaeHyun’s mind.
‘If that is true…… no way!’
While contempt filled his whole body, JaeHyun began to speak with difficulty.
“Let me ask one thing.”
Jeong WooMin shrugged in the face of Jaehyun’s seriousness. It was an agreement of sorts.
“Did that person also commission something like this before? About 5 years ago……”
“I didn’t think you would get that one right as well. You’re really amazing.”
Thump.
JaeHyun’s forehead twisted fiercely. It felt like he couldn’t breathe.
The violent beat of his heart resounded. Soon afterward, hot tears filled his eyes.
5 years ago, JaeHyun’s mother lost her life in a robbery.
During a very cold winter, his mother—who had loved him dearly—became a cold corpse and was brought into the morgue.
The autopsy concluded that she was murdered by someone. JaeHyun, who’d only been 22 at the time, found it hard to believe.
His tears fell without end.
He had promised to pay back his mother’s care in his youth. He was a son who had merely received and given nothing back.
His mother had already left him by then.
Right after the incident, JaeHyun went to the police station everyday to try and catch the murderer. But the killer was more meticulous than expected. He didn’t leave a clue anywhere, and the case remained unsolved.
Although five long years had passed, a loathing for his mother’s murderer still remained in JaeHyun’s heart. It was a loathing that always filled him with killing intent immediately.
And now, he knew where to direct that loathing.
Jeong WooMin. And his father.
Everything became clear.
The one who killed JaeHyun’s mother, Lee SeonHwa, was his father… and Jeong WooMin, who was currently right in front of him.
His insides were tingling. Truthfully, JaeHyun had had a vague idea to begin with. His mom and father had never gotten along.
However—
Thinking about his father as his mother’s killer was incredibly brutal on him.
He was the only family JaeHyun had left.
It scared him that the only one he could lean on would disappear. So he had decided to trust him. Even though he had a doubtful character.
But then—
‘The result of all that trust…… is this?’
Uncontrollable laughter burst out along with hot tears.
He gnashed his teeth.
JaeHyun’s father, who killed his only wife and now wanted to kill his son too.
Jeong WooMin, who affably called him ‘hyung’ and took care of low-ranked raiders like himself.
‘Now… I won’t trust anyone.’
Jeong WooMin left JaeHyun deep in thought and started to release his mana to create his lightning attack again. It was 《 Lightning Chain 》, a spell Jeong WooMin was proficient with.
Fzzzzzzz…
The attack that changed its form into a sharp chain cried out as if it wished to quickly rip JaeHyun’s body apart.
“Well, that’s what happened.”
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Jeong WooMin’s eyes slanted down.
“Good-bye, hyung.”
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