Chapter 60

At those words, Gu Dongjae's expression darkened again, and he glared at Suho.

"What did you just say?"

"I'm going to keep my distance and fight on my own."

"Why?"

"You'd get in the way."

Of leveling up.

Suho left that part unsaid.

'I'd get less experience.'

Having companions fighting beside him would inevitably reduce the experience he earned. Besides, this raid party was already full of rookies. If his summons came swarming out, they would disrupt the formation and everyone would just get in everyone else's way.

Apparently, though, he'd left a little too much unsaid.

"What, you little punk? Who's getting in whose way? Huh?"

GRAB!

At last, Gu Dongjae seized Suho by the collar with one enormous hand. He tried to haul him off the ground, but came to an abrupt stop.

'Huh?'

Suho hadn't budged.

"Wh-what the—? Hrrgh!"

Flustered, Dongjae tensed his forearm to lift Suho. It was no use. No matter how hard he strained, Suho's seemingly light body wouldn't move an inch, as though his feet were glued to the floor.

"Hey, you're going to stretch my shirt."

Suho took hold of the wrist attached to the hand clutching his collar and gave it a gentle twist.

CRACK!

"Aaargh...!"

A scream of pain burst from Dongjae as he writhed with his wrist trapped in Suho's grip.

"Oh, sorry. I've been having trouble controlling my strength lately."

He meant it. Looking sheepish, Suho shook the man's hand off him. Dongjae's wrist dangled like a broken doll's.

"Aaaargh! M-my...!"

Dongjae was shocked. So were the other hunters, who had been watching anxiously from the sidelines. Even Suho, who had done it, was startled.

"What? Don't tell me it's broken? You look so sturdy—why are you so fragile?"

"Y-you...! Urrgh!"

Dongjae glared at Suho, his face contorted in pain. At the sight of those bloodshot eyes, Suho thought:

'Oof. That must really hurt.'

He hurriedly took out an item.

[Using 'Item: Mummy's Bandages.']

WHIRR!

"Wh-what's that?"

Pure white bandages suddenly shot from Suho's hand like a snake, winding around Dongjae's dangling wrist. Then, like a cast, they forcibly held it in place.

CRACK!

"Nnngh!"

Naturally, that process hurt too.

"There, you should be all right now. Could someone heal him?"

At Suho's request, the healer among the three Baekho Guild members stepped forward almost reflexively and grasped Dongjae's wrist.

"Aaaargh!"

"Bear with it. Heal."

FLASH!

'He really is hurting him with one hand and healing him with the other.'

The healer chuckled as he treated Dongjae. He, too, had privately found Dongjae's behavior irritating, and the scuffle had ended at just the right moment.

These contests of wills outside dungeons were common among hunters, especially freelancers with no guild affiliation. Hunters were, after all, fighters who risked their lives killing monsters for money. Add superhuman strength to the mix, and it was only natural that they got rough.

Besides, with a healer around to treat injuries, one broken wrist was really just a minor...

'But what are these bandages? They've aligned the broken bones perfectly.'

An intrigued gleam appeared in the healer's eyes as he examined the bandages around Dongjae's wrist. Items with special abilities like this occasionally turned up in dungeons. But he had never heard of bandages that flew out on their own and wrapped an injured area.

'Things like this are usually single-use consumables.'

And Suho had used something so precious without hesitation on a guy who had merely picked a fight with him?

Naturally, setting and immobilizing displaced bones with first aid before applying healing made recovery faster and saved mana. Had he really spent his own item so freely just to keep the healer from wasting mana on this little incident?

'A newly awakened rookie is even managing his party members' mana? Here's the real leadership material.'

Had the others guessed what the healer was thinking? The Baekho Guild members exchanged glances, apparently sharing similar thoughts.

'He's an interesting one, in more ways than one.'

'Who called this party a bunch of misfits? This is pretty entertaining.'

Meanwhile, as he received treatment for his wrist, Dongjae was breaking into a cold sweat over the monstrous strength he had just experienced.

'What the hell? They said he was a summoner. No, he is a summoner, isn't he?'

A summoner with strength like that? It made absolutely no sense.

Of course, a C-rank hunter could have additional skills even if he was a summoner. But hunters of the same C-rank generally had similar total amounts of mana. The reason summoners were looked down on in the first place was that they spent most of that mana on summoning.

Yet Suho had been keeping that palm-sized black summon out for ages already!

'... Ah! Could that black thing be a summon that gives him a strength buff? Yes, that must be it!'

Convinced, Dongjae looked at Beru. Suddenly, Beru darted right up to his nose and thrust his face into his.

["Kiek? What are you staring at? You're worth less than a bug's shed skin. I'll rip those eyeballs right out!"]

Under that savage glare, Dongjae quietly lowered his eyes.

* * *

[Times Square Field]

※No Entry Except Baekho Guild Personnel

Before long, Suho's raid party arrived in front of a grand, imposing building. Once a landmark of Yeongdeungpo, the Times Square building had now become a monster-infested den, completely consumed by blue mist.

'More importantly, it's another field dungeon.'

With so many large buildings packed tightly together in Seoul, there were plenty of dungeons like this one, where a dungeon break inside a building had caused an unstoppable spread of field contamination. A field dungeon that had already been explored to some extent was safer than an unknown dungeon beyond a Gate, but that was no reason to let their guard down.

'This is a C-rank field, after all.'

WHOOOOSH...!

The moment they stepped into the field, the vast, majestic interior of Times Square spread out before them. It had an open central atrium, with corridors on each floor circling its perimeter. The sight reminded Suho of the Pantheon.

Except that thorny vines covered every wall and ceiling, writhing and crawling like living creatures.

"F-f-finally, the dungeon."

Dongjae, who had made such a fuss about becoming leader earlier, now looked as if he desperately needed to pee, the corners of his mouth trembling. The other rookie hunters' faces were also filled with tension and grim resolve.

Suho chuckled and gave Dongjae a few hearty pats on the back.

"Come on! What are you doing? Our leader should be out in front."

"Urk! Urk...!"

Each pat sent Dongjae lurching forward, until he found himself at the very head of the hunters. Suho slipped past him.

"Then I'll go off on my own, like I said."

"Hunter Sung Suho."

A Baekho Guild member called to him.

"I won't stop you from acting separately, but please don't go too far. It's dangerous."

It was unreasonable to expect strategic teamwork from a temporary raid party of freelancers anyway. He had no intention of interfering in every detail of the raid's operation, but as a senior hunter, he still had to warn him.

"If the villain turns up, it'll be difficult for us to protect you."

"Understood."

Suho readily agreed, but for precisely the opposite reason.

'If I go too far, it'll be hard to get back if the villain shows up here.'

Suho was just about to move away from the hunters when he stopped short, his expression hardening.

"... Oh, great. We're surrounded already?"

CREEEAK...!

They had been inside the field for less than a minute, yet the otherworldly invaders occupying it had already surrounded them on all sides.

[Thornvine Scarecrow Woodvine]

[Thornvine Scarecrow Woodvine]

...

They were wooden puppets formed from tangled masses of thorny vines.

CREEEAK!

The hideous magic beasts creaked as they moved, attacking the hunters from every direction. They were far more agile than anyone could have imagined, and their movements were every bit as grotesque as their appearance.

'The hunt begins.'

Suho's eyes flashed fiercely as he sprang forward. The other hunters snapped to their senses and began fighting too.

"Everyone, be careful! Their thorns have a paralytic toxin! Even a scratch will dull your senses!"

A Baekho Guild member's urgent shout came from behind him.

'They're poisonous?'

So what?

The reward Suho had received for completing the pyramid quest was already in effect.

[Blessing: Grand Shaman Kandiaru's Blessing]

Grand Shaman Kandiaru has gifted you a special enchantment. As long as Kandiaru's blessing remains with you, you will always enjoy a strong and healthy life.

"May light shine upon the challenger's future."

-Passive Effect 'Health and Longevity': Grants immunity to all diseases, poisons, and status effects. Regenerative ability increases exponentially during sleep.

Immunity to all poisons. Poison was nothing for Suho to fear.

Still, the thorny vines lashing like whips were threatening enough on their own. The other hunters were scrambling before the endless waves of enemies pouring in from every direction.

"S-summon!"

The experienced summoners, who had quickly retreated to the rear as soon as the battle began, brought out their summons at just the right moment.

Flame Bugs.

Tiny fireflies burning red flew out in every direction and began exploding against the Thornvine Scarecrow Woodvines.

FWOOSH—BOOM!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Crimson flames clung to the Woodvines' vines, setting them ablaze.

"Whoa! Flame Bugs!"

"Talk about a perfect matchup!"

"No wonder our team has so many summoners!"

The hunters cheered as though they had never looked down on summoners in their lives. Clearly, the Baekho Guild had known what it was doing when it sent the experienced summoners here.

There was just one problem.

SNAP! CRACK!

The Woodvines tore off their burning vines without hesitation. Missing arms made no difference. Neither did missing heads.

CREEEEAK!

They charged again, just like zombies.

"Gah!"

"Th-these persistent bastards!"

"Don't you have any more Flame Bugs?!"

"What are you doing? Keep summoning! Summon more!"

At the very front, Dongjae battered the Woodvines with his enormous sword as he urged the summoners on.

But even summoners couldn't churn out summons without pause.

"W-we need a little time before we can summon again...!"

"What? This is exactly why summoners are so damn useless!"

Dongjae exploded in anger.

Just then, Suho came to a sudden halt. He had run far ahead on his own, right into the midst of the enemy ranks, where Woodvines swarmed everywhere.

"Hunter Sung Suho! When did you get all the way over there? It's too dangerous! Hurry back—!"

The Baekho Guild healer, spotting him a moment too late, shouted urgently in alarm.

["This spot is perfect."]

"Isn't it?"

Suho exchanged a glance with Beru and nodded. Now that he was a fair distance from the others, all he had to do was wipe out everything in sight without anything getting in his way.

CREEEAK!

CREEEEAK!

Right on cue, dozens of thornvine scarecrows hurtled toward the lone Suho. Standing in their midst, he gave an imperious smile and stamped down on his own shadow.

"Arise."

At that moment—

KYAAAAAH!

Mummies wrapped in black bandages rose in unison. Black vapor seethed from the Shadow Mummies' entire bodies. They opened their mouths and unleashed savage shrieks at the enemies that dared try to harm their master.

["KYAAAAAH!"]

"Wh-what are those...?!"

"Mummies?"

Even in the thick of their frantic battle some distance away, every hunter found their gaze drawn helplessly to the wondrous sight.

With all those eyes upon him, Suho gave his Shadow Mummies an order, like an Egyptian pharaoh out of an ancient legend.

"Now, kill each other."

And become my new shadows.