Chapter 105

Chapter 105

"No...!”

I caught a glimpse of Hae Song-ha slowly turning his head with a puzzled expression on his face. At that moment, I started hearing a strange crackling noise—like static from a broken machine—disturbing my hearing.

[...Key Character... Confirmed. Protection... Activated.]

‘What...?'

The intermittent mechanical sound was similar to the system's voice but slightly different. The system's voice was a low—curt female voice—but the voice I just heard sounded like a man whispering. As I frowned, something leaped up in front of my eyes.

Swoosh!

“Ugh...!”

“Ah!”

Creatures emerged from the sand and charged at Baek Si-hoo. Startled, Baek Si-hoo retrieved his sword and retreated.

“Jjyu jjyu!”

“Kyaang! Kyaaang!”

“...!”

As if in response to Lati's long cry—a sharp—cat-like sound echoed around us. Dozens of foxes leaped out of the sand and began attacking Baek Si-hoo.

“Fennec foxes...?”

With their big ears—small bodies—and high-pitched cries—they were unmistakably desert foxes. I watched in surprise as these creatures suddenly appeared to assist us. Despite their appearance, they were clearly dungeon monsters.

But to appear out of nowhere and help us... I glanced at Hae Song-ha—who appeared just as confused as I was—and recalled the status window I had seen earlier.

‘Title: Loved by Animals (S)’.

“...”

What perfect timing to receive help. Despite the strange system's voice I heard earlier and all the confusion I had, none of it mattered now. Survival was my priority. I grabbed Hae Song-ha—who was still dazed—and shouted.

“Let's get out of here first!”

“Ah, yes, yes!”

Hae Song-ha replied in surprise. Kang Soo-hyun approached the fallen Eden—grabbed his shoulder—and lifted him while muttering something. Eden then rose to his feet like a zombie.

“Are you oka... Whoa!”

“...”

Eden stood up without a word and suddenly used his power. He lifted me up and started flying. I glanced back to see Kang Soo-hyun carrying Hae Song-ha on his shoulders, trailing behind us.

It seemed like Kang Soo-hyun had said something to Eden... Even though I felt uncomfortable, I remained silent because I thought I should leave this place first.

“By the way... Are we now going to the raid team’s place?”

“Yeah... I guess?”

“Oh...”

Since the only people who could help us were from the raid team, it appeared that Kang Soo-hyun had been heading in that direction from earlier. Kang Soo-hyun looked at me and nodded. Hae Song-ha’s face then went pale.

"Well, speaking of which, the raid team now..."

"What happened?"

I felt a familiar uneasiness as Hae Song-ha cowered like a frightened squirrel. Nothing seemed to go right in this Muspelheim dungeon, and Hae Song-ha’s reaction only confirmed my anxiety.

In a dungeon, anything could happen. Moreover, the story flow had diverged significantly from the original plot. I felt responsible for this.

Anyway, I knew I wouldn't survive if I didn’t get it together. In front of me was the original boss monster—and behind me was Baek Si-hoo—who was just as threatening as the boss monster.

‘First, let’s help the raid team to take down that centipede.’

As soon as I made my decision, the state of the raid team came into view.

“Aaargh!”

“Shield! Why aren't you using your defense skill!”

“Damn it! What are you doing?”

“...”

It was chaos. It was embarrassing compared to the Freya Guild leading the battle in the Sæ Dungeon. Without Seo Ha-joon’s command, they were struggling this much against a single elite S-rank monster. It was ridiculous. I surveyed the battlefield and saw someone fighting at the front of the combat unit.

“Huh? That person...”

What was his name again? Was it Lee Geun-ho? I remember he claimed to be an all-rounder, despite being only B-rank. However, he had a good sense. He was more skilled in hit-and-run tactics and using his abilities compared to the other S-rank hunters.

Thinking it through, it made sense. The other hunters were accustomed to following commands within the raid team. So, in this situation where they needed to act independently, they couldn’t fully utilise their abilities.

But that person was different. Though he was an all-rounder and often regarded as disposable due to his low rank, he was skilled in tactical fighting. I glanced in his direction and called Kang Soo-hyun.

“Soo-hyun-a!”

“Yes, hyung.”

“Let's go to him.”

“Who?”

"The one with the brown hair over there.”

Kang Soo-hyun—quick-witted as always—looked precisely in the direction I was pointing. His eyes narrowed slightly as he assessed Lee Geun-ho. He seemed hesitant about using my skill on someone unfamiliar. However, I didn’t have time to convince him now. When I tugged on his sleeve, Kang Soo-hyun let out a small sigh.

“Okay, let's go.”

“Hunter Hae Song-ha, stay with Eden here!”

“Ah, okay.”

Hae Song-ha nodded at my words. Kang Soo-hyun and I quickly entered the battlefield. We soon approached Lee Geun-ho, who was catching his breath after momentarily retreating from the centipede.

“Hunter Lee Geun-ho!”

“Oh? Hunter Han Yi-jin?”

“We don’t have much time, so I’ll get straight to the point. I’m going to cast my auxiliary skill on you.”

“On me?”

Lee Geun-ho tilted his head, seeming doubtful about my offer to use my skill on him, a lower-ranked hunter. In fact, I had never applied my skill to a B-rank hunter before, so I was uncertain about its effectiveness.

“Oh, it's because Hunter Lee Geun-ho seems more skilled in fighting than the others.”

“Ah...”

Lee Geun-ho, after tilting his head and scanning the devastated surroundings, smiled. He turned to me and continued to speak jovially even in this situation.

“That sounds fun.”

His voice sounded a little low and languid.