304 – HGL 304

304

Thud. A man in a black suit collapsed. Red blood began to spread thickly on the white ash. It was a familiar sight. One he had seen so much in the West Sea Rift. Mackerel rushed over and grabbed Min-gi Seo. Eui-jae stared blankly at the scene. Then, a black shadow fell over the two.

The lion’s paw once again tore through the air. Instinctively, his body moved. And.

Thwack!

Keuk, a sound he couldn’t swallow burst out. A terrible pain struck his head. But Eui-jae steadied his swaying body, using his spear as a support, barely managing to stand on two legs. His vision was a mess, shaking violently. Beeeep— tinnitus shook his head. The surrounding sounds faded away, and the tinnitus and the sound of his own heart filled the world. His mouth must have burst, as the stench of blood filled the air.

“Hyung!”

Eui-jae grabbed his throbbing temples. They were damp. When he took his hand away, his palm was covered in bright red blood. The emotion that dominated his entire body the moment he saw the blood was….

‘It’s still red.’

Relief.

Eui-jae let out a hollow laugh. He felt dizzy every time his body shook from the laughter, but he couldn’t stop laughing. Mackerel’s voice echoed through the terrible tinnitus.

“Hyung! Are you okay?”

Eui-jae slowly turned his head. He saw two, then three Mackerels and Min-gi Seos. But Mackerel’s wide eyes were clearly visible. He pointed at Eui-jae with a trembling hand.

“Hyung…. The mask….”

“…….”

Eui-jae touched the mask with his blood-soaked hand. The left eye area of the mask was broken. No wonder his vision was such a mess. Hong Ye-seong, that bastard, boasted so much about being The Artisan, but how could it break after just one hit…. Eui-jae turned his head to the front.

The lion was looking at him in confusion, its paw raised. Red blood dripped from its white paw and claws. Its pure white eyes asked.

Why did you block it?

Instead of answering the Monster’s question, Eui-jae staggered over and knelt next to Min-gi Seo. The lion lowered its threatening paw. And began to observe him quietly. Eui-jae spoke cautiously.

“…Min-gi Seo.”

Perhaps because the mask was broken, the voice modulation function wasn’t working. Eui-jae’s natural voice came out.

Min-gi Seo gasped, clutching his chest. Red blood gushed out over the hand that was pressing on the wound. The three claw marks were too deep. Especially the wound on his chest was so deep that bone was visible. At this rate, he wouldn’t last long. The black eyes behind the cracked sunglasses flickered and returned to their place. Eui-jae endured the dizzying vision and tinnitus and muttered.

“Don’t lose your mind.”

“Customer…nim.”

Min-gi Seo gasped heavily. The red puddle spreading around his body was getting bigger and bigger.

“Are you…okay?”

“I’m okay.”

“I’m sorry…. I…. Should have blocked it….”

“It’s not Min-gi Seo’s fault.”

It was Cha Eui-jae’s fault for sending the Monsters to where Min-gi Seo was. He shook him off, saying he was in the way, but he couldn’t protect him. Eui-jae muttered quietly.

“It’s my fault.”

Then, Mackerel, who had taken out a few Elixirs from his Inventory, said urgently.

“I have Elixirs, but it’s not enough for the wound. We shouldn’t be doing this here, we need to get him to Doctor….”

“Yeah, take him right away.”

“What about you, Hyung? You got hit too! Why did you block it with your body… no, it’s a relief your head isn’t broken, but if you get a concussion, it’ll be a disaster!”

“My body moved first…. I’ll follow you, so go first.”

“…Are you going to be okay alone, Hyung?”

“Take him to get treatment quickly.”

Eui-jae grabbed his spear and stood up. A quiet whisper followed.

“I’ll block it properly this time. Sorry.”

Mackerel bit his lip, then picked up Min-gi Seo and started running. Behind him, a trail of blood was left like a road.

The lion, seeing its prey running away, roared loudly.

But it couldn’t move rashly. Because the sharp tip of the spear was aimed at its neck.

“…….”

Eui-jae squeezed his dizzy eyes shut and opened them. The spear tip aimed at the lion kept appearing as two or three. But the hand holding the spear didn’t shake at all.

Don’t hesitate.

Eui-jae bit his tongue. The stinging pain awakened him.

[Title, ‘Ruler of Solitude’ is activated.]

Thud….

The air twisted. The Monster line that stretched out behind the lion stirred. Anxious roars echoed through the persistent tinnitus. But that was only for a moment, slowly from the back of the line….

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

They knelt.

Eui-jae raised his head. Finally, even the Master of the Dungeon, the lion….

Thud.

It crouched on all fours and lowered its head.

“…….”

They were waiting for the Ruler’s judgment. To take their lives, or to spare them. It was all the Ruler’s choice. Eui-jae readjusted his grip on the spear.

[Trait Strength Enhancement (S+) is activated.]

[Unique Trait, Hand of the Skilled (S+) is activated.]

[Unique Trait, The One Who Pierces All Things (S+) is activated.]

System Windows popped up. A tingling sensation lingered at his fingertips. He slowly took a breath. He didn’t feel the same sense of liberation as before. Rather, the spear felt heavier.

It’s okay. This is more familiar. Eui-jae raised the arm holding the spear. And pulled it back greatly. He stopped breathing. His blue eyes captured the scene before him. Instead of the people he had to protect, there were only things he had to kill.

Eui-jae closed his eyes. But the spear would not miss.

Kwaaaaang—!!

Pure white light burst out.

…Eventually, Cha Eui-jae slowly opened his eyes.

“…….”

It was quiet.

The small Monsters that had been running around excitedly, the mothers who had been taking care of the small Monsters. And the countless Monsters that Eui-jae had passed by.

All of them were bleeding and collapsed. He pulled out the spear. Hot, white blood gushed out, soaking his head and shoulders. His heart was beating like crazy.

Thud…. The giant lion fell to the ground. As Eui-jae approached, the pure white lion, gasping for breath, rolled its eyes and looked at him. Its pure white eyes asked.

Why are you attacking?

Why are you killing?

Question.

Eui-jae did not answer the question. Instead, he raised his spear high. The innocently blinking eyes slowly closed.

Stab.

Once again, white blood splattered. Eui-jae turned his body away from the Monsters’ corpses. The Dungeon Break was resolved. Now the fish market would not be attacked.

‘This is enough.’

And he started walking along the scattered bloodstains….

Thump.

He couldn’t go far before his legs gave out. Eui-jae collapsed to the ground.

He slowly blinked his eyes, which were exposed outside the mask. The blue eyes gradually lost their light. Strangely, he couldn’t put any strength into his body. A deep sense of exhaustion pressed down on his entire body.

‘…Tired.’

Through his blurry vision, he saw white ash scattering. His rapidly beating heart slowly found its pace. Eui-jae suddenly thought with his dazed head.

Will Lee Sa-young come?

He seemed to come whenever this happened.

He missed the black cloth that covered his vision. And the voice that spoke to him kindly. And the lukewarm warmth that reached him through his clothes. Eui-jae chuckled.

…There’s no way he’ll come.

Eui-jae erased the small expectation as he always did. In moments like these, when loneliness washed over him, Lee Sa-young stayed by Eui-jae’s side. He didn’t give him a chance to be lonely….

But now, Lee Sa-young was not here.

He had to endure it alone. Like before.

‘It’s not bad.’

His flickering eyelids slowly closed.

‘I have to get used to it….’

Darkness came.

A pungent scent wafted through the air. His vision swayed.

People in black suits were gathered in the broken hall. He could hear sobbing and weeping. Everyone was holding something. It looked like paper flowers. The white petals were covered in black writing. Had they torn pages from a book to make the flowers?

One by one, they placed the flowers on the desk. Before long, his turn came. He placed the flower on the desk and raised his head. He met the eyes of a smiling face.

Two black ribbons were wrapped around Jung-bin’s photo. Gray smoke rose from the incense. People whispered.

How did he die?

He was suddenly bitten in the neck by a mutated team member. He tried to subdue him to prevent further damage….

Was he so badly injured that even Doctor couldn’t save him?

That’s part of it, and there was a risk of Mutation….

We’re developing a cure, shouldn’t we at least try it on him…?

It failed.

…….

What do we do now? If Team Leader Jung isn’t here….

Who will lead us…?

Deep despair overflowed. It was the moment when destruction was approaching rapidly.

It’s over now.

Scritch, scritch, the sound of writing on paper was heard.

[Jung-bin is dead.]

The smell of incense that had tickled his nose disappeared.

Cha Eui-jae opened his eyes.

A pure white ceiling greeted him. It was a strangely familiar ceiling. The smell of disinfectant and the white curtains surrounding him. It was a perfect hospital room scene.

‘It’s a scene I’ve seen often in Memorial Dungeons….’

Had someone moved him to the hospital? Eui-jae carefully raised his body. And realized something was wrong.

‘…Where’s my mask?’

Eui-jae hurriedly groped his face. There was no sign of the broken mask, only a smooth, bare face. He looked around, but there was no black object like a mask. A chill ran down his spine. Then, a voice was heard from beyond the curtain.

“Master, the patient has woken up.”

That mechanical tone. It must be the doctor’s young secretary. Shuffling, shuffling…. He could hear the sound of footsteps dragging closer. Eui-jae hurriedly covered himself with the thin blanket he had been lying under.

At the same time, the curtain was pulled back with a whoosh.

“Oh, he really woke up. And his head seems to be fine.”

Someone with their arms crossed stood beyond the white cloth. A voice mixed with laughter, but also sarcasm, asked.

“So, did you use the Artisan Exhibition ticket I gave you well?”

…Fucking hell!

Eui-jae realized that all his efforts were in vain and threw off the blanket he had been covering himself with.

Nam Woo-jin smiled crookedly.