Chapter 37
“Damn it! What the hell is this?”
“Why is it suddenly blocked off?”
The D-rank men of the Wings Guild, who were panicked, pounded on the transparent wall with their fists.
Some even attacked with their weapons, using skills.
But all that returned was a faint cracking sound.
None of them could get back to where Si-hyun and Han-gyeol were.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, they felt cold sweat dripping down their backs.
They saw Si-hyun and Han-gyeol talking on the other side.
However, none of their conversation could be heard.
The men fully grasped that they were isolated.
That was when it happened.
“Keeheehee—”
A chillingly eerie sound that sent shivers through their bodies.
At the grotesque laughter that scratched like nails on their throats, the men gasped and turned around.
A monster that had crossed half of the clearing was slowly approaching them.
Its body wasn’t overwhelmingly large—just a bit bigger than an adult male.
But all the guild members held their breath.
Its appearance was like something straight out of a horror movie—a clown-like face.
Painted white skin and long, pointed teeth showing in a grin that was far from human.
Teeth that extended like fangs.
A mouth stretched disturbingly wide and twisted into a grotesque smile.
“Keeheeheee—!”
The bizarre laughter added to it made the viewer’s spine go cold.
“I’ve never seen a monster like that before…”
“Isn’t that some kind of magical creature…?”
“Damn it, we’re in big trouble…”
The men, who had been enjoying the dungeon like a stroll with Si-hyun, were gone.
All that was left were people trembling at the looming threat of death.
The beautiful woman who had ensured their safety was no longer there.
Neither was the C-rank hunter, one of only two in the guild.
All they had were the four of them, mere D-rank hunters.
The men instinctively realized it: This was their grave.
“Damn it… Sorry, babe… Looks like this is the end for me…”
“Hey, don’t give up already! Don’t start calling for your girlfriend!”
“How are we supposed to beat that thing?”
“…Ugh.”
One of the men cried out in despair.
Even the one who told him not to give up had closed his mouth.
One of the known characteristics of condition-based dungeons:
The boss often turns out to be stronger than those in dungeons of the same rank.
Sometimes, it could be as strong as a monster in a B-rank dungeon.
“Keeheehee—”
The clown continued to laugh eerily as it approached.
Its movement was slow.
But to the guild members, it felt like it was deliberately toying with them.
“Guys, guys!”
At that moment, the archer shouted loudly.
Everyone’s attention focused on him.
“L-Look at his mouth! Look at his mouth!”
The archer pointed a finger at Han-gyeol, who was on the other side of the barrier.
They all turned their heads that way.
He was mouthing the same words repeatedly.
At the same time, he pointed back and forth between himself and Si-hyun.
“What’s he saying?”
“Hold on? Sur… Vival? …Ah, isn’t it ‘hold on’?”
“….”
After someone voiced their guess, they all looked toward Si-hyun.
She stood with her hand on the wall, deep in thought.
Then, her gaze shifted to the men.
Nodding slightly.
As if telling them to trust her.
She nodded a few more times, then returned her gaze to the air, focusing.
One of the men shouted with a glimmer of hope.
“If it’s Si-hyun, won’t she do something?!”
Another man joined in enthusiastically.
“Right! She’s a professor, after all!”
But not everyone was in agreement.
“Are you crazy? Can’t you see she can’t come in?! We’re restricted from entering the boss room!”
“Damn it, we’re all done for now!”
The voice of despair echoed through the clearing.
But there was no time to just talk.
Regardless of their feelings, the boss kept advancing towards them.
Sweating and tearful, the men turned around.
The clown observed them from a short distance, wearing a grotesque grin.
“Keeheehee—!”
That sound was creepy no matter how many times they heard it.
It stopped briefly, then began moving again.
Its body moved unnaturally, like a puppet on strings, its joints bending and twisting at strange angles.
“Why does something like that even exist…?”
“Really, it’s the embodiment of malice.”
The men muttered curses, unable to hold back.
Just then.
“Keehee?”
“Argh!”
The clown’s head suddenly vanished from its body, and then twisted space, reappearing in front of the spearman.
Snap—
Its mouth opened absurdly wide.
A stench of rotten flesh and decay wafted out, making the man scrunch up his face.
“Get lost!”
He immediately pulled back and swung his spear.
At that moment, the clown’s head bent grotesquely and bit onto the spear.
Crunch, crunch.
“Now! Attack!”
“Aaah!”
The rest of the guild members, gripped by fear, scrambled forward.
But the clown’s head instantly returned to its original position.
“The spear that Master crafted for me….”
The Spearman looked down at his weapon with a hollow expression.
The blade of the spear had been crushed and turned into scrap.
“Kee-hee-hee-hee——”
Once again, the eerie laughter filled the open space.
At the same time,
“Guh!”
“Aaah!”
This time, the clown’s two arms vanished.
Simultaneously, two hunters were lifted into the air, hands clutching their necks.
“Sa… save me…!”
“Gah!”
The two men tried to pry the choking hands from their necks.
But there was an undeniable difference in power.
Not a single finger would budge.
As the suffocation took hold, their faces turned a sickly shade of blue.
The Archer, who hadn’t been targeted, hastily picked up a new arrow.
He quickly took aim.
‘What… what should I do?!’
Where should I shoot to stop that thing?
Could I actually hit its weak point?
Would attacking it just make me the next target?
Countless thoughts raced through the man’s mind.
“Ugh… ah!”
“Huuk…!”
There was no time for hesitation.
The Archer aimed his arrow at the clown’s head.
In a brief moment, the events of the day flashed through his mind.
[Well done!]
[Oh, ha-ha!]
He remembered how Si-hyun had praised his archery skills.
If not now, then when would he show what he was capable of?
‘I can do this!’
Determination filled the man’s eyes.
The muscles in his arm tensed as he drew the bowstring taut.
The target was the clown’s eye!
Pang—!
The arrow, infused with all his remaining mana, shot through the air.
The clown, who had been smirking while holding the men, turned his head toward the Archer.
A sudden whooshing sound had caught its attention.
And at that moment,
“Kiieeaah——!”
The arrow struck directly in the clown’s eye!
The clown let out a pained scream.
The hand that had traversed the dimensions returned to pull out the arrow embedded in its eye.
“I did it! I really did it!”
“Cough, cough!”
“Ugh…”
With the hands gone, the two men fell to the ground, gasping for breath.
Luckily, it wasn’t too late.
But they couldn’t relax just yet.
The furious clown glared at them with its one remaining eye.
Moreover,
“Guys… the buff just wore off.”
“Oh no…”
The buff magic Si-hyun had cast on the Wings Guild members wasn’t particularly powerful.
Moreover, this was a separated space where Si-hyun’s mana couldn’t reach.
All the mana that had been helping them had vanished.
Now, they were back to being regular D-rank hunters.
“Kee-hee…”
The clown tilted its head, selecting its next target.
Its grotesque movement settled on a choice.
The target was none other than the Archer.
“Shit…”
As soon as the clown began moving, the Archer bolted from his spot.
Sharp teeth narrowly missed where he had been standing.
With the buff now gone,
the Archer was frustrated with his own sluggish body.
He longed for the sharp agility he had experienced earlier in the day.
“Aaah!”
Ultimately, he couldn’t escape.
Once again, the space twisted, and an arm emerged to grab both his ankles.
The grip was so tight that blood started to ooze from his ankles.
Then, once more, the space distorted.
The clown, wearing a bloodthirsty grin, leaned in.
Drool dripped down as it stared directly into the face of the fallen Archer.
Creeeak—
Its mouth slowly opened wide.
Though it could bite down in an instant, its movements were sluggish.
The monster was savouring the terror of its prey.
Overcome by the foul smell, the man squeezed his eyes shut.
No matter how much he moved his arms, he couldn’t escape.
‘Is this… the end…? Damn it…’
He gave up on resisting.
Just then!
Thud!
The sharp, solid sound of metal and bone clashing echoed.
Sensing something unusual, the Archer slowly opened his eyes.
“Brother! Are you okay?!”
“H-Han-gyeol! Thank you!”
Somehow, Han-gyeol had suddenly appeared and was now struggling against the clown’s head.
Seeing Han-gyeol appear, the other men looked back at the spot where the space had been divided.
And all of them opened their eyes wide.
Creeeak, creeeak—
Rumble!
The entire space shook as if vibrating.
From Si-hyun’s outstretched hand, a distorted line spread through the air.
From the cracked part, brilliant light radiated out as if the glass had shattered.
Si-hyun’s pulsating mana continued to invade the space.
With it, the cracks kept spreading wider and wider.
The endlessly growing cracks eventually covered the entire barrier surrounding the open space in a semicircle.
Finally,
Crackle, crackle!
Kwanng——!
The space tore apart, and a thunderous roar that shook the heavens and earth reverberated.
Thud, thud.
Si-hyun, who had been standing still, began to move forward.
Now, nothing stood in her way.
“Oh my god!”
“She… she broke through the entry restriction?!”
The men shouted, stunned expressions on their faces.
Si-hyun, her white hair flowing, stepped into the clearing.
At her arrival, the expressions of the Wings Guild members began to change.
“No… no way! She really came to save us?”
“Are… are we going to live? Really?”
Hope, joy.
The men who had fallen into despair regained a new sense of emotion.
As if a blocked path had suddenly opened, a flame reignited in their hearts.
In this moment, they were witnessing their ‘salvation.’
Striding forward confidently, Si-hyun spoke.
“Dimension Clown…, it’s been a while.”
“Kraaah!”
The clown, angered by the intrusion into its domain, glared at Si-hyun with blazing eyes.
But Si-hyun scoffed, ignoring it.
‘Your magic is nothing special, huh?’
This was the thought that crossed her mind at that moment.
—
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