“Jeong Daon, snap out of it!”
“No, don’t worry about Jeong Daon. Just go,
now!
”
After thrusting Xuemei into Lee Pyeonghwa’s arms, Han Jaeyeong issued quick orders.
Yu Hanul, their greatest asset, had collapsed, and Jeong Daon stood frozen, completely unresponsive. Even so, this wasn’t a situation where they could afford to do nothing, and right now, the most urgent priority was getting Xuemei out of here.
With a stiff expression, Lee Pyeonghwa hugged Xuemei tightly and nodded. “Yes, understood!”
Pop!
Equipping the movement-speed boost item Han Jaeyeong handed over, Lee Pyeonghwa quickly disengaged from the area. It was a relief, at least. For a rookie Hunter, the mana cost would be a bit taxing, so escaping this place made using the item well worth it.
After confirming that Lee Pyeonghwa and Xuemei had disappeared beyond the thick fog, Han Jaeyeong finally let out a breath and focused on the scene before them. “Hah. What a complete mess.”
Yu Hanul was kneeling on the ground, nearly unconscious. Jeong Daon stood rigid, not moving an inch. And surrounding them, so many soldiers’ corpses that it was frightening to even try counting them.
It was a situation that would rattle even a veteran, but Han Jaeyeong forced themselves to stay calm and assess things methodically. First, the mummified soldiers in front of them.
Did they die trying to attack that castle?
The soldiers’ faces were etched with the emotions of their final moments. Shock. Agony. Terror. Every one of them.
Looking more closely, Han Jaeyeong realized it wasn’t just soldiers’ bodies strewn about.
There are animal corpses mixed in, too.
Had they tried to feed on the soldiers’ bodies?
Among the fallen soldiers lay the carcasses of animals as well. And every single corpse was a mummy, completely drained of mana.
So that’s why there was no life around here except fish.
Everything that wandered into this area must have been caught in a mana-draining current like a black hole and died on the spot.
Han Jaeyeong approached one of the soldiers, placed a hand on them, activated their mana, and tried channeling it in. They couldn’t stop thinking about the Hunter they’d found just before death in the Yeongjongdo dungeon.
There’s no way they’ll revive—but if a soul remains, maybe I can make brief contact.
Sometimes, when a body dies suddenly, a soul lingers on, unaware of its own death. And since mana is the driving force of the soul, pouring mana in like this can allow for a short exchange.
But no matter how much mana Han Jaeyeong poured in, none of the souls here showed any sign of returning.
“How many years have they been here…?”
“Hey, don’t you hear that?”
“Ah! You startled me!”
At the sudden voice, Han Jaeyeong jumped a good ten centimeters straight up. The speaker, of course, was Jeong Daon.
“You scared me!”
“What’s there to be scared of? Who else would it be but me?”
“You were basically a ghost just now—no, someone who wouldn’t react no matter how much I shook you!”
The shock faded quickly. The important thing was that Jeong Daon, who had been completely unresponsive no matter how much they called, was finally conscious again.
“That thing just now, was it some kind of mental magic?”
“That’s what I’m asking you. You really don’t hear this?”
“Hear what?”
“So you don’t hear it.”
At Jeong Daon’s certain tone, Han Jaeyeong felt a headache coming on. They already knew Jeong Daon was a fascinating person full of secrets, but this just reinforced another fact: inside a dungeon, she was an absolute nightmare to cooperate with. The worst possible type of teammate.
“Oh, this is driving me insane. At least tell me what you’re talking about so I can respond!”
“…I hear drums. They’re coming from inside the castle.”
"What?" Han Jaeyeong strained to listen as well, but there was no sound of drums whatsoever.
Jeong Daon muttered under her breath, “It feels like they’re blatantly trying to lure us in. I don’t like it.”
“That makes sense. Hmm… maybe it’s calling in something to drain mana from…”
Considering the sheer number of soldiers’ and animals’ corpses, and remembering how the “lifeless idol” had lured Hunters in at the Yeongjongdo dungeon, it was a plausible theory. Still, the fact that Han Jaeyeong couldn’t hear anything at all was suspicious.
It might be because I’m a mixed-blood of a different species.
There wasn’t time to analyze it in detail, but the magic governing this place was an extraordinarily elaborate barrier, one so complex it was impossible to even estimate how much time and how many resources had gone into creating it. Since no one could even enter the barrier without a “child,” the drumbeats that only Jeong Daon could hear might also be something triggered by a keyword.
“Then what about Yu Hanul? Was there some kind of curse that only affects men?”
Now that Jeong Daon had come to her senses, Han Jaeyeong shook Yu Hanul once more, but he still didn’t move. Han Jaeyeong glared at Yu Hanul, who had gone from being their most reliable asset to a heavy burden in an instant. “This is driving me crazy. I can’t exactly just leave him behind…”
“We’ll clear it ourselves.”
The answer came as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“What kind of confidence do you have to say that…?” Han Jaeyeong started to retort in disbelief, then stopped.
After all, hadn’t they cleared the last lifeless idol together with Jeong Daon?
It was true that Jeong Daon wasn’t exactly cooperative, but as someone capable of incantation magic, her destructive power was undeniable. At this point, it wasn’t reasonable to treat her as just an inexperienced rookie Hunter anymore. Even if she wasn’t as crucial as Yu Hanul, she was more than capable of handling a support role.
Besides, retreat wasn’t an option anyway.
Unless they defeated the boss monster and cleared the dungeon, there was no going back to Earth. And as Jeong Daon said, there was no better option than pressing forward.
“…Then can you help support Yu Hanul?”
“I thought
you
weren’t leaving him behind?”
“Aren’t you two close?”
“…Why do
I
have to carry him?”
“Because it’s better if my hands are free than yours, Hunter Jeong Daon.”
Han Jaeyeong knew Jeong Daon was hiding some power, but that didn’t mean her raw stats could possibly surpass theirs. Jeong Daon seemed to understand that as well. She clicked her tongue once, then hoisted the unconscious Yu Hanul onto her back.
“Why is he so heavy?”
“Unconscious people always are.”
Yu Hanul was tall enough that his feet dragged along the ground, but there was no helping it.
The two of them began moving forward through the hundreds—no, thousands—of corpses. It was a thoroughly chilling experience.
And as they drew closer to the castle, one thing became increasingly clear.
“The flow of mana feels similar to when we found the lifeless idol last time.”
The lifeless idol that had sucked in surrounding mana like a black hole; it was the same now. They could feel a powerful pull, drawing mana toward somewhere inside the castle walls.
Han Jaeyeong fell silent, lost in thought.
If there’s a lifeless idol here too… doesn’t that make no sense?
According to their working theory so far, the lifeless idol was likely a monster created by humans. But this place had been an unconfirmed dimension until Yu Hanul entered it, and Han Jaeyeong had ended up here by sheer accident as well.
If it’s an artificial monster, how did it even get placed here?
If someone had deliberately created a monster inside this dungeon, it wouldn’t be an unconfirmed dimension in the first place.
…No, the question itself is wrong.
Han Jaeyeong wasn’t the issue here.
They cast a sideways glance at Jeong Daon. Her expression, as she walked on with Yu Hanul on her back, was hard to read.
When logic doesn’t add up, you have to overturn the assumptions you took for granted. It was definitely a man-made monster, but if this was an unconfirmed dimension in Earth’s system…
Then it wasn’t made by humans from Earth.
A fact most people on Earth chose to ignore: that humans might exist in other dimensions as well. It was a conclusion Han Jaeyeong could reach precisely because they were a fairy hybrid.
And if the culprit is someone connected to Jeong Daon, then what exactly is Jeong Daon…?
“It was the right call to send Lee Pyeonghwa and Xuemei out.”
At Jeong Daon’s words, Han Jaeyeong snapped back to the present and nodded. There were countless unanswered questions, but none of them were immediately urgent.
“That’s true.”
If those two had stayed any longer, their mana would have been drained and they would have turned into mummies in no time.
“Though, according to the original plan, you were supposed to leave too, Jeong Daon.”
“If you really want, I can still follow the plan and leave now.”
“I’d rather not be alone, so don’t say that. That aside… why do you think this massive barrier is called ‘Foolish Honor’?”
As with incantation magic, a mage’s words carry weight. For illusion magic on this scale, the name of the spell was bound to hold meaning. And yet, despite being so exquisitely crafted that it could rightly be called a masterpiece, its name sounded as if it were mocking its own creator.
“Yeah… figures. It was obviously made by someone who wasn’t right in the head.”
There was an oddly vivid sense of hostility in that remark.
The walls, the gate—so old it was on the verge of crumbling—opened with ease. Inside the castle walls, nothing remained intact; everything was rusted and decayed. What must once have been the central plaza now held only shattered statues and a dried-up fountain.
But that was merely the outer castle.
Han Jaeyeong’s eyes widened in shock. “No, what in the world is that…?”
Amidst all the collapse and ruin, the inner castle, the true core of the fortress, stood in stark contrast, preserved in near-perfect condition.
The system has detected the presence of a monster.
“…If the system is being kind enough to give us a warning like this, then it must really be a tough opponent.”
“Looks like it.”
Just then—
“…Ugh…!” Yu Hanul, who had been unconscious while being supported by Jeong Daon, let out a groan.
At the same time, Jeong Daon released the arm she’d been using to support him.
Thud!
As a result, Yu Hanul dropped straight onto the bare ground.
Han Jaeyeong stared at Jeong Daon in disbelief. Sure, supporting him must have been tiring, but was it really to the point of just letting go halfway?
Weren’t those two supposed to be close?
“Yu Hanul, are you okay? Are you conscious?”
“Did I collapse?”
“You’re really out of it.”
The fact that he didn’t even realize he’d been knocked out suggested the situation was fairly serious.
“It looks like some kind of mental attack. Maybe we should check your mana flow—”
“No, I’m fine.” Still seated on the ground, Yu Hanul took a deep breath and shook his head. “It’s just that lately… I’ve been getting headaches more often. I think my wavelength doesn’t match this illusion barrier.”
“What, are you into some cult these days? ‘Wavelength,’ my ass…” It was ridiculous, but since Yu Hanul himself was refusing help, there was no reason to push further. “Anyway, you get the situation, right? The monster is probably inside that inner castle.”
At that, Yu Hanul stared at the inner fortress for a moment, then nodded. “Yes, I’ve gathered that. But there’s one thing I’m curious about.”
“What is it?”
“Why is she here?”
As he spoke, Yu Hanul pointed at Jeong Daon. It seemed her involvement in the raid bothered him. Originally, she should have taken Xuemei and Lee Pyeonghwa and withdrawn immediately.
If Yu Hanul had remained unconscious, that would be one thing—but now that he’d come to, there wasn’t really a reason to keep Jeong Daon here.
“Well, circumstances changed. She’s still young and inexperienced, but in this situation it’s better than leaving her alone—”
“No, that’s not what I mean… Why is Her Highness the Princess here…?”
Her Highness…the Princess?
Had he had some kind of fever dream?
Startled, Han Jaeyeong turned to Jeong Daon.
Jeong Daon looked just as stunned as Han Jaeyeong, wearing an unusually bewildered expression, as if she’d heard something she was never meant to hear.
“What did you just say?”
“…Yu Hanul, you’re not actually in some weird cult lately, are you?”
Just as Han Jaeyeong was seriously considering whether they needed to check if Yu Hanul was still sane—
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
“What the hell is that now?”
A massive cloud of black fog burst forth out of nowhere and swept over the group.