Rumble!
An enormous force swept across the desert. As I stood there, staring blankly with my mouth open, the gusting wind pushed me back helplessly.
However, the barrier Kang Yoo-hyun had set up around me still held firm. Judging by the aura he emitted, it seemed the barrier had become even stronger than before.
It was hard to believe my body could still be pushed back despite such a powerful shield. The duration of the skill had increased, and the intensity of the skinship seemed to have boosted his stats even more.
At this rate, is he going to surpass SS-rank? What comes after SS-rank? SSS-rank? I shook my head at the pointless thought and quickly approached Yong-sik, who had fallen on the sand.
“Yong-sik-a!”
“Kyau...”
Yong-sik seemed completely out of energy as his head drooped weakly. It pained me to see him so exhausted. I carefully picked him up and held him in my arms.
“Thank you, Yong-sik. Get some rest now."
“Kyauu...”
I could see how much Yong-sik had pushed himself for me. In his youngling form, even slight exertion could leave him exhausted and collapsing, so I couldn’t imagine how many times he had used Breath to handle those villains. Perhaps due to overexertion, Yong-sik was breathing erratically.
"Dad is sorry for not being good enough."
“Kyau, kyauu...”
As if to deny it, Yong-sik slowly shook his head and let out a strained groan. Feeling sorry for him, I gently stroked his rough skin. Then, a loud explosion suddenly erupted, and I looked up in surprise.
Boom! Boomm!
“...!”
Those crazy... As Kang Yoo-hyun and Baek Si-hoo clashed, warning system windows kept popping up, advising me to leave immediately. It was the first time I had seen such a fierce battle that triggered system warnings. I don’t recall seeing anything like this in the novel either.
「Warning! Channel connection is unstable due to the massive flow of energy.」
「Disconnection may result in penalties.」
「Please leave the area.」
「Warning!」
「Warning...」
If the warning is about the channel connection, it likely means it’s the Muspelheim dungeon. Losing the connection might force us out of the dungeon.
If that happens, would we return to the original entry point, like using the portal? However, it felt too ominous to entertain such hopeful thoughts. I could end up lost forever, just like those hunters who went missing in the dungeon.
For now, I decided to ignore the constantly appearing warning windows. Even if I left this place, I’d be powerless on my own and would likely become prey for the monsters nearby. At the moment, not even a single bastard could get close amidst the superhuman battle between SS and S-classes.
“Ugh... Kang Yoo-hyun!”
I shouted, but he appeared to be almost in a trance. Kang Yoo-hyun was fiercely attacking Baek Si-hoo and Evan. The villains desperately parrying him were no joke either. At that moment, a faint voice came from the pager I had forgotten. After a brief hesitation, I pulled out the pager amidst the chaos.
"Who... is this?"
[Hunter Han Yi-jin?]
"Uh... Hunter Sung Yoo-bin?"
Surprisingly, it was Sung Yoo-bin’s voice. Sensing something ominous in her urgent tone, I raised my voice.
"What’s going on?"
[I'm glad you're okay... Wait, we're in trouble. The portal is about to close!]
"What... did you say?"
[You need to come here quickly. I’ve already contacted the raid team, so you need to hurry as well...]
Since his awakening, Evan had never known the fear of death. He was stronger, prouder, and more skilled than anyone else. A perfect predator who had never known what it was like to be prey. An absolute being who took pleasure in tormenting his victims before killing them.
Yet, all that pride crumbled the moment he faced Kang Yoo-hyun, whose stats had been pushed to their peak. Now, he looked utterly pathetic as he ran for his life.
"Keuk... Hound!"
Leaving his target behind and running away went against his nature, but he had no choice. Wasn’t it better than dying a dog's death in a place like this? That’s why he called Baek Si-hoo and found that Baek Si-hoo was also rampaging wildly like Kang Yoo-hyun.
"Fuck...!"
Evan frowned as he watched their fierce battle, wondering if they had been enemies in a previous life. The shield Evan had created was crumbling like a brittle eggshell. It was truly at its limit. It was then—
[Kang Yoo-hyun!]
"...!"
A sudden gust of wind swept past Kang Yoo-hyun’s ear, carrying someone's voice. Kang Yoo-hyun, who had been fiercely attacking Baek Si-hoo and Evan, paused for a moment.
[The portal is closing soon, you crazy bastard!]
"..."
[Yi-jin is waiting for you, hurry up.]
The brusque voice came to an end, and Kang Yoo-hyun immediately knew who had sent the message. It was the wind user who was always with Han Yi-jin.
“...You guys are lucky."
Kang Yoo-hyun struggled to manage the turbulent energy within him. The overflowing power was damaging his body to the point where he could not control it properly.
– The worse it is for your body, the sweeter it is.
Kang Yoo-hyun shook his head to clear the unidentifiable voice from his mind and then looked at the person who was staring at him.
"Next time, it won't end like this."
"Kang Yoo-hyun...!"
Even with his body covered in blood, Baek Si-hoo continued to glare at Kang Yoo-hyun. Kang Yoo-hyun knew well that Baek Si-hoo was the type of man who would fight to the death—just like he would. After swinging his sword one last time, Kang Yoo-hyun turned away.
Kang Yoo-hyun saw the wind user carrying the unconscious Han Yi-jin and furrowed his brows deeply. But that wasn’t his main concern right now. The portal was closing soon. Kang Yoo-hyun dashed toward the open portal.
“This way.”
“...Let's go together!"
Eden clicked his tongue and followed Kang Yoo-hyun. The desert was left desolate after the intense battle.
“Ugh...”
As I opened my eyes, a flickering blue light came into view. I struggled to keep my eyes open and scanned my surroundings.
"Yi-jin-ah! You're awake?"
"Where... am I...? Ugh."
As the headache surged, I furrowed my brow. A large hand was placed gently on my face, and then the person continued speaking softly.
"Don't worry. It's all over. We're going through the portal now.”
"The portal..."
"The others... they're pretty fine, so don't worry."
"Ugh..."
Though something about the words felt unsettling, I nodded with relief for the time being. Soon, a bright light enveloped me. The chaotic Muspelheim dungeon raid had come to an end.