It had been three days after entering the gate. Although anomalies were discovered, the team, who arrived safely on the third floor without any major disruptions on the set schedule, made a thrilling expression in front of A-grade monster.
“It’s the first time I’ve been so happy to see an A-grade monster.”
“Is this an S-grade gate, really…”
The A-grade monster ghost floated in the air wearing black cloth. More than 20 monsters rushed in with their bright blue eyes flashing, but the team members just smiled and swung their weapons happily.
Guooo, guoook!
Kuooo!
Watching the monsters falling to the floor while screaming, each one made me feel pitiful. The ghosts of the historical site, which had maintained their original grades for a short time with an A-grade of 11.3%, were annihilated without being able to hold out for even 10 minutes.
Park Geon-ho, who was watching the battle slowly, opened his mouth.
“At this rate, we will leave the gate before lunchtime today.”
“It’d be nice if we left sooner.”
“Haa. When I go out, I have to do an interview and I have to go to the management headquarters. Gates are not as fun as usual, and there are only a lot of things to do. What a loss.”
“Don’t complain and work hard, Team Leader.”
It bothered him about everything. While criticizing Park Geon-ho, I found Woo Seo-hyuk staring at something in the corner.
“Woo Seo-hyuk-ssi. What are you doing?”
As I approached him, Woo Seo-hyuk turned to me and pointed to what he was looking at.
“This is… a skull?”
“It’s a pattern I’ve never seen before.”
It looked like a skull with its mouth open, enveloped in black smoke. The pattern was not seen on the first and second floors, so it was necessary to look carefully.
“Team Leader.”
After thinking for a while, I called Park Geon-ho. While having a conversation with the guild members, he approached with a puzzled expression.
“What is it?”
“This pattern. Have you seen it before?”
Seeing the skull pattern, Park Geon-ho frowned and tilted his head.
“Hmm. No. This is my first time seeing it.”
“It wasn’t even on the first and second floor, right? I didn’t see it.”
“As far as I know, it wasn’t there.”
“There is no other place on this gate where the pattern is engraved except for the device that opens the door.”
“Then this is…”
“It sure is strange.”
Park Geon-ho, who was patting his lips, then shrugged his shoulders lightly.
“There is no major damage right now, so let’s leave it alone for now. There is no way to find out at this moment.”
“That’s true.”
Whether Woo Seo-hyuk agreed or not, there was nothing else to say.
“I’ve been thinking about it.”
In the end, I turned my back on the pattern without any result, and Park Geon-ho spoke to me skillfully, putting his arms around my shoulder.
“Clear will be over early, so I would like to have a meal we have been putting off for a long time today.”
“I am tired. And you said you had to do an interview, and you had to go to the management office?”
“If you go out for an interview, reporters will be waiting for you, so you can do it right away, and the management headquarters… Well, it’s not the first time I’m late, so it’ll wait.”
“What are you talking about? Do it properly.”
While replying to Park Geon-ho’s nonsense roughly, I felt a subtle feeling. What.
As I tilted my head, later I realized what was different from usual. Kim Woo-jin, who was chasing Park Geon-ho’s accusation, was nowhere to be seen.
Looking around, Kim Woo-jin was standing among the healer team. Kim Woo-jin, who was glaring at Park Geon-ho with his cold eyes, turned his head in a hurry when our eyes met.
‘That guy…’
What are you doing? Are you going to keep your distance from me?
I thought there was nothing I could do, but when I saw it with my own two eyes, I got a little annoyed.
“Then even tomorrow… what’s wrong?”
“…no. Why are you so obsessed with eating? I thought you weren’t even going to scout me.”
At my words, Park Geon-ho slightly raised the corner of his lips and answered.
“I still have the desire. Isn’t that obvious?”
“I thought you gave up.”
“It’s just that I refused to show it because I was so resolute. Do you feel sorry? Then I can tempt you hard.”
“No, thank you.”
“Don’t do that. Why don’t we have a conversation while having a meal?”
“Later, later.”
Well, it’s not the time to worry about the past, so I’m not interested to it at all. I grew tired, and shook off Park Geon-ho’s heavy arm that was wrapped around my shoulder.
“Don’t rush. You have to pay me anyway.”
“Come to think of it.”
Park Geon-ho’s attitude that he had completely forgotten was ridiculous. If it wasn’t for what happened at the representative office, why would I be here…
Kugugugung!
“Team Leader!”
“Argh!”
That was then. The ground rumbled loudly, and the screams of the guild members resounded. I barely managed to balance my staggering body and looked straight ahead.
“Be careful!”
“Dodge! Damn it!”
The floor was collapsing at high speed. This crazy! As I watched the guild members falling, I quickly raised my ability.
“Ah, Han Yi-gyeol! Catch!”
The floor on which I and Park Geon-ho were standing collapsed in an instant. I found Kim Woo-jin and Min Ah-rin while sticking to Park Geon-ho, who was pulling my body.
“Kim Woo-jin! Min Ah-rin-ssi!”
Fortunately, Woo Seo-hyuk held the two of them so they didn’t collide with the debris. I took the opportunity to take advantage of it and raised my ability to the max.
Huung, the bodies of the team members who had fallen down rose into the air. Fortunately, unlike the D17 Area gate, the ability was activated normally. The team members, who were bewildered by the sudden situation, barely regained their rationality.
“Is there no one left behind?”
“Finished checking the number of people! Everyone is fine.”
“Damn, I dropped my weapon.”
There was only darkness under my feet without a place to step. I said with anguish, feeling the energy escaping at great speed.
“I can’t, stand it for a long time.”
Jiiing, the bracelet trembled and filled with energy, but it was clear that it would not last more than five minutes. Park Geon-ho, who found me in a cold sweat, said aloud to the team members around him.
“Hold each other so we don’t separate. Go down. Han Yi-gyeol, drop the kids just enough they don’t get hurt.”
“What do you mean…”
I slowly lowered the bodies of the team members while controlling the wind. As we entered the darkness, one of the guild members took out a flashlight and lit it below.
“Huu…”
Tap. When my feet touched the ground, a sigh of relief came out.
“You worked hard.”
Park Geon-ho, who supported me when I was falling down, asked Woo Seo-hyuk.
“Is that okay over there?”
“For now, yes, but from now on, it’s a problem.”
“Yi-gyeol-ssi!”
Min Ah-rin and Kim Woo-jin ran to me. Min Ah-rin looked at my complexion with careful eyes.
“Are you okay? Your energy…”
“It’s a little better now.”
I looked down at the bracelet. The red jewel was shining brightly. It was definitely an A-grade item, so the effect wasn’t bad.
“I’ll fill it for you in just in case.”
“That would be great. I don’t know what will happen from now on.”
I received energy from Min Ah-rin and calmly looked at the situation. We fell down, so at least the second floor. Or it could be further down.
Woo Seo-hyuk, who was handed a flashlight from the guild member, lit alternately on both sides.
“The terrain itself is like a historic site.”
“Then… it could be a hidden place on the first floor we were going to go to.”
“We fell from the third floor, so it’s not impossible.”
“Team Leader.”
One of the guild members hastily approached. It was Shim Soo-yeon, a guild member with ponytail hair, who handled the spear, grabbed the hand of the person with the ability to measure.
“What is it?”
“Look at this guy. He suddenly said he was not feeling well.”
“I’ll take a look.”
At that moment, Min Ah-rin, who filled me with energy, took action. The person with the ability to measure, who frowned as if in pain, opened his mouth with difficulty.
“Weird. I don’t even use my ability, but I feel as sick as when she lacks energy.”
Min Ah-rin, who grabbed his hand, tilted her head with a firm expression.
“The condition is not bad. It seems to be something other than energy.”
“Ugh…”
Shim Soo-yeon grabbed the shoulder of the staggering measuring ability.
“I think I’m getting motion sickness…”
“This is bad.”
Shim Soo-yeon put the person with a measuring ability, who was unconscious, on her back.
“What should we do, Team Leader?”
“If it’s not a matter of energy, this space itself would be a problem. We need to get out of this place before there are more victims.”
As I watched the situation quietly, I heard a faint sound behind my back.
‘What?’
I looked back, but nothing happened.
The moment I thought I heard it wrong, I could see something wriggling through the darkness.
Sasak. Sasasak.
The sound of moving sounded secretly. A chill and goosebumps ran down my spine.
“Kim Woo-jin!”
I quickly grabbed Kim Woo-jin’s arm in front of him.
Kiaaaak! Kyaaaah!
The moment Kim Woo-jin’s body came into my arms, the spider monster that flew in aiming at the back of his head made an unpleasant cry. Then, the other spider monsters that were coming from behind also cried out all at once.
Kiaaak! Kiaak!
“Please stand back!”
Woo Seo-hyuk tore his shirt and deformed his arms. As he said, while holding Kim Woo-jin, I quickly pulled my body back using my ability. Measuring ability and Shim Soo-yeon also quickly retreated.
“Protect the long-distance team and the healer team. Close teams are in line.”
At the same time as Park Geon-ho gave an order, he threw an iron ball. Kuuung, the ground shook and sparks flew.
Kkiaaak!
Pleasant smoke spread through the purple blood. The close team covered their noses and mouths and shouted.
“It’s poison!”
“Tsk. Change the ranks! Long-distance team!”
“Stay here.”
I left Kim Woo-jin, who had an anxious expression, between the healer team, and stepped forward. I swung my hand away, driving the poisonous smoke that was flowing towards us in the opposite direction.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
“…what is this sound?”
A heavy drum sound could be heard from behind the crowd of spiders. Thud. Thud. The guild members retreated with anxious expressions at the sound of getting closer.
Kiiik, kii!
Syaaaak!
When the drums sounded, the spiders stopped all at once and did not approach. As if waiting for something, an ominous feeling came over.
“The situation is not good.”
The drums sounded getting closer and closer. The monsters were waiting for something. I swallowed dry saliva and looked back at Park Geon-ho.
“Team Leader, this is probably…”
“Yeah. I can’t deal with it now.”
“We’d better leave as soon as possible.”
All the guild members who were watching the situation with tense expressions agreed.
“Just in case, I’ll open the shield. In the meantime, run away!”
The shield ability man came forward and shouted. That was the moment.
“……!”
Black tentacles popped out of the darkness and wrapped around my arms. Thick and squishy like an octopus leg, sticking to my arms like a straw and began to pull strongly.
“Ugh…!”
Chijijijik!
When I gave strength to my legs and held out, my feet were dragged in the direction of the monster.
…okay, the kidnapped scene *no
And the tentacles… Go away, you my pervert mind! *slapped