"Ugh!"
A white light briefly filled the clearing. Like a camera flash going off, it flared before my eyes. Sol, seemingly unable to escape the aftermath either, dropped the staff she was holding and pressed her forehead with both hands. Even in that moment, her slightly scrunched eyes moved through the air, and I could hear her murmuring to herself in a dazed voice.
"L-Luck adjustment? Partial defense ruling? W-What on earth is this…."
Pop! Pop!
Before Sol could even relax her grimace, the white light once again flashed across the clearing, and this time, it seemed the rest of the group was also within range, as I could hear everyone groaning. Some even collapsed on the spot.
I couldn't avoid the aftermath either, but I seemed to be barely holding on through my own abilities. Forcing myself to endure the dizziness, I now poured my will into activating the Third Eye. For now, my top priority was to identify and neutralize the mental spells being fired at me and my party.
『Unconscious Reveal. This magic is an ancient spell formed in the shape of a magical formation, imbued with mental attack elements. It forcibly shifts the player's consciousness into an unconscious state, allowing the emotions sleeping within to surface. The emergence of emotion is based on the person's weakest memories—that is, their vulnerabilities—but which emotion manifests and how is related to the desires lying dormant within the player, and is therefore considered random. Unconscious Reveal is classified among the highest-tier spells even in the era of ancient Hall Plain, ranking in the upper echelon of such magic. The spell's formula and the required magical energy are so massive that it is virtually impossible to cast it alone. It typically requires dozens of high-ranking mages and the power of a magical formation…』
High-ranked anti-magic resistance, and extreme magical power stats—without at least one of the two, full defense is nearly impossible. Occasionally, with extraordinarily high luck, partial defense rulings can be granted, but at most only once or twice. Even players with solid mental immunity can endure a few rounds, but because the magic formation had a multicast effect rather than a single burst, it was difficult to keep resisting.
"What in the world…."
The more I read the information revealed by the Third Eye, the more absurd it became. I was so dumbfounded by the unbelievable content that my mouth involuntarily dropped open.
Pop! Pop!
Once again, white flashes burst forth, and my vision blinked in and out. The dizziness gripping my head grew more intense, but I barely managed to finish reading to the end. Regaining my focus, I looked around—the party members had all collapsed where they stood, writhing in pain. Only Go Yeon-Joo was still upright, clutching at her hair and biting her lip hard enough to draw blood.
And so, meaningless time passed. As the moments dragged on, the screams of the group slowly began to quiet. Their unconscious minds were finally beginning to surface. The unconscious can be seen as a process where one becomes unaware of their own words, actions, or current state. As such, blank expressions began to shift, one by one, as emotions rose to the surface.
The first person to react was Jung Ha-Yeong.
"N-No! Nooooo! Don't do it! Aaaaaaaaah!"
She was clawing at the ground, letting out a rough voice completely unlike her usual self. The sheer desperation in her scream made me instinctively take a step back. When Jung Ha-Yeong saw that, she reached out toward me with a pleading expression.
"D-Don't go. Don't leave me! Su-Hyeon! Help me, Su-Hyeon! Please help me!"
Thump.
"Su-Hyeon! Su-Hyeon! Please help me! Don't go! Y-You said you wouldn't abandon me!"
Thump. Thump-thump.
The moment I heard her desperate cries, I felt my heart pounding violently. Hwajung, who had always lain quietly asleep within my heart, suddenly stirred and began to whirl madly through my body. It wasn't as agonizing as when I had first awakened Hwajung—when the process of forcibly opening my body had made it feel like my brain was melting—but I still felt as if my entire body was dissolving. Yet, at the same time, it felt like something inside me that had been about to burst forth was now subsiding a little.
"Huuuuh."
At last, I could let out a deep sigh. Then, I composed myself inwardly. Even as another flash of light erupted and my body staggered, I quickly regained my balance and began assessing the overall condition of the party. This was no time to stand around watching. Thanks to the clarity of mind granted by my Mind's Eye, I was able to calmly evaluate the current state of the caravan.
"So-Sol. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I left you like that. I'm so sorry. I have to save you no matter what. I have to save our Sol, no matter what."
"Oppa, An-Hyun, and even Kim Han-Byeol—all of them got something, so why am I the only one like this? I don't want to be abandoned. Why? Why is it only me? Oppa… oppa? Please don't abandon me… Please…."
"I-I don't want to die. I-I-I want to live. I want to make it back alive. Aaaaaaah!"
Looking at An-Hyun, Lee Yun-Jung, and Shin Sang-Yong, I bit my lip. The unconscious emotions they had kept buried deep inside were erupting one after another. And then—
"O-Orabeoni…"
When I turned my head toward the voice calling me, I saw Sol with an expression completely unlike her usual one. At first, it seemed like she had resisted somewhat, but in the end, she too couldn't withstand the barrage of spells—her eyes had that vacant look in them. And now, with a facial expression I could never have imagined from her, Sol was slowly inching toward me.
"Sol."
"I-I'm sorryyy. S-Sol is… truly a bad girl, y'knowww. Always causing trouble, always being a burden to her Orabeoni and sister ...."
"Sol. That's not bad at all. So snap out of it."
"Reallyyy? No, it's not true. Someone like me, such a huge nuisance… someone like me thinks about Orabeoni every night, wanting to be in his arms and… That's right. Every single night I think about Orabeoni. Hnn, but if you ever found out about someone like me, you'd definitely despise me. That's why I have to hold it in. But I like Orabeoni so much. I just want him to touch me, to smell me, to let me cling to him and whineee. Because Orabeoni is the only one who… mmph."
I quickly reached out and covered Sol's mouth. But she didn't show the slightest sign of surprise—instead, she stuck out her tongue and began to lick my hand. I hurriedly pulled it away, and she stared up at me with eyes like a wounded puppy, mouthing silent words with her lips.
An-Hyun and Shin Sang-Yong were in despair, and aside from Go Yeon-Joo, the female players of the caravan were gradually approaching me. In other words, consciously or not, the female members of the caravan had begun to rely on me—and that reliance was not small. It felt like I had made a series of mistakes, but I decided to deal with that later. Rather than dwelling on what had already happened, solving the problem came first.
Besides, although I was managing to hold on thanks to my various abilities, Hwajung's support, and sheer willpower, I couldn't guarantee how much longer I'd last. That meant somewhere in this place, there had to be a core—the center of the magic circle—and destroying it was top priority. I reactivated my Third Eye and swept the clearing thoroughly and rapidly.
Fortunately, the Third Eye was working at full capacity. As I quickly but meticulously analyzed the clearing, I soon looked up at the ceiling. At that moment, I sensed the telltale flicker of another blinding flash about to go off. Without hesitation, I drew my sword and thrust my right arm sharply upward. I hadn't used any particular stance or magic, but with my strength stat alone, it should be enough to break through and deal a blow to the ceiling.
Soon after, the sword I had launched soared straight upward with tremendous force, as if it were tearing through the very air itself.
Thud! Kaaang!
"!"
It was just before it reached the target point. In that instant, a hazy barrier shimmered beneath the ceiling and easily deflected the sword's strike. As the blade fell helplessly back down, I caught it again and muttered a low curse under my breath.
'What the hell are you even doing right now, Kim Su-Hyeon?'
Another blinding flash burst forth, and I felt the unpleasant emotions I had suppressed begin to bubble up inside me again. There was no time to hesitate or overthink. So, I forcefully summoned a surge of magical power and hurled the sword upward once more. Ever since entering the dungeon, I had intended not to use that until I encountered that guy, but now I had no choice.
Whoosh!
Flames wrapped around the sword as it rose into the air, and soon a gentle but distinct blaze began to bloom from it. I drew up even more mana, feeding the freshly ignited flame with additional strength. The rising fire climbed the blade's length, forming the shape of a massive greatsword, then erupted violently into a fierce inferno that seemed ready to explode at any moment. Once I judged that the size was sufficient, I didn't hesitate—I launched the flaming sword into the air.
For some reason, I had a strong feeling that if I took just a few more hits from those spells, I wouldn't be able to hold out either.
Siiiiing! Siiiiiing!
The blazing sword of fire surged upward once again, cutting through the air with a violent roar. In response, a white barrier appeared once more across the ceiling, and the tip of the sword collided with it in a fierce clash, producing a deafening sound.
Rumble, rumble rumble!
One side was desperately trying to pierce through, while the other was doing everything it could to repel the assault. Watching the two forces crash into each other with neither side yielding an inch, I clenched my fists tightly.
"Break through. Please…!"
Maybe my desperate plea had reached it. After a prolonged struggle of force against force, a massive hole was finally torn into the barrier, and it all came to an end. The sword, still burning with residual power, smoothly drove itself into the ceiling, and soon after, I could feel the entire dungeon begin to tremble as if shaken by a quake.
*
Time passed, and passed again. The dungeon, which had been shaking as if it might collapse, gradually calmed down, and no more noise could be heard. I slowly raised my hand toward the air. Crack—a few clumps of dirt fell above my head, and soon, I could see the sword being pulled straight out of the ceiling. After retrieving the sword with Void Grasp, I activated the Third Eye again to check whether the magic circle had been destroyed. As expected, despite all that about ancient top-tier spells and so on, it seemed that even that couldn't withstand the power of Hwajung. The core had completely burned away, leaving no trace.
However, even after breaking the magic circle, the others didn't come back right away. There was a brief flinch, but it seemed like it would take a little more time for their consciousness to fully resurface. Most of the group's unconscious minds were still at the surface, but I could feel them slowly fading with time, which gave me some relief.
Jung Ha-Yeong, who had been the first to reveal her unconsciousness, was lying on the ground, breathing softly in sleep. I didn't bother to wake her. After all, nothing was better than sleep for transitioning between consciousness and unconsciousness.
Most of the group had fallen asleep as their unconsciousness began to recede. However, two players, whose unconscious minds still lingered, were stubbornly clinging to me.
"Why won't you touch meee? Hurry up and pat my head, pinch my cheeks. Or anywhere else is fine too…"
"Spank me. Hurt me. I want to get spanked by Kim Su-Hyeon. Please. Hmm?"
"…Just go to sleep already. I'm the one begging you now. Hmm?"
Today was truly a day where I learned and confirmed so many things. I let out a bitter smile and lowered my head. The two of them were whining in my arms, snuggling up to me in different ways. Vivienne was babbling nonsense like, "How could you do this to me? You're the one who made me this way," while Sol was slowly nodding off as her unconscious mind began returning to its place.
It didn't take long to receive the unconscious thoughts of the two. Soon, Sol's eyelids shut completely, and she nestled her head against my thigh. Vivienne, who had been ranting endlessly, also closed her eyes while leaning her head against my shoulder.
Just when I felt like things had finally wrapped up and wanted to let out a sigh of relief, a shadow once again fell over me, making me realize it was too soon for that. The shadow nudged and pushed away the two women lying on me, then abruptly collapsed its body. And only then did I remember one more player I had completely forgotten about.
The shadow clung to me like a child and opened its mouth with a nasally voice.
"Aiiing. Yeon-Joo wants to be touched by Oppa too, wants to be spanked on the butt, slap slap."
"..."
"What's that? That look of disdain."
"...?"
"Tch."
She let out a nasal sigh with a deflated expression, then leaned her head onto my thigh. The shadow's true identity was player Go Yeon-Joo. Though the spell was powerful in its own right, perhaps because she was one of the
"Are you feeling alright?"
"Do I look alright to you? I couldn't move a muscle and was just curled up the whole time. It felt like my brain was being rattled—it was awful. Seriously. I almost blacked out five times in the middle of it all."
As soon as I spoke to her, Go Yeon-Joo started pouring out her complaints as if she had been waiting for the chance. I let her rapid-fire words in one ear and out the other, and quietly raised my hand to close her eyes. Her face was utterly soaked in exhaustion, and her clothes were drenched in sweat. Her resistance wasn't just thanks to her innate abilities—it was clear she had fought off the spell with sheer mental strength, and I felt a sense of respect for her inner fortitude.
"I'll take the watch. I think it's best if you get some rest first. I'll explain everything in detail once the others come to their senses."
"Honestly, more than anything, I'm curious how you were able to move and break the spell from inside all that… mmph."
"For now, just sleep."
I covered GoYeon-Joo's chattering lips with my hand, pressing my palm lightly against them. I could feel her lips squirming under my palm, but soon, as if giving up, she calmly closed her eyes. Her steady breathing seemed to tickle my palm.
…
...
...….
"…Ugh."
The moment I confirmed that everyone else was asleep, a sudden wave of nausea hit me. The unease in my heart didn't fade—it grew, flooding me with self-loathing. Was that it? Had I caught it in the end too?
"What's this about being a year-10 veteran? What's this about a player who's seen the end? Without the Third Eye or Hwajung, I'm nothing. Useless idiot."
Muttering self-deprecating words, I pulled out a cigarette to soothe the bitter bile rising in my throat. I wanted to escape this maddening self-hatred, even for a moment.
I lit the cigarette and took a drag. For a fleeting moment, I wished I could exhale everything inside me along with the smoke.
.
.
.
You can read advance chapters and view R-18 images of the characters on pat reon page.
pat reon.com/GreenBlue17
200 Power Stones for 1 extra chapter.
5 New reviews for 1 extra chapter.
Goal refresh every week.