“Now, what…”
My body froze at the unexpected turn of events.
However, Kang Chang-ho looked down at the unconscious Jeong Ha-seong with a calm expression and said,
“Have you ever heard of a gate called Iron Maiden that appeared in Northern Europe?”
“Pardon?”
“It had exactly the same format as this dungeon.
You could only escape by sacrificing one of the hunters trapped inside.”
He smiled faintly, a dimple appearing on one cheek.
“Furthermore, recent statistics show that EX-rank dungeons only have about a sixty percent survival rate regardless of the hunter’s level.”
That means…
“Sixty percent…
I’m not comfortable betting my life on those odds.
I’d rather make sure I survive.”
Was he planning to use that S-class hunter as a living sacrifice?
His intentions weren’t difficult to understand.
Kang Chang-ho had assumed this dungeon would eventually require a human life and had prepared a scapegoat in advance.
“It’s much quieter now without someone barking at me every five minutes.”
It seemed personal feelings had also played a role in choosing the sacrifice.
…
I silently accepted the situation.
With a body that couldn’t use magic anyway, wasn’t it only natural to obey an S-class hunter?
If the gate truly demanded a living sacrifice, then of course I didn’t want to die.
If possible, I’d rather Kang Chang-ho or Jeong Ha-seong die instead, but I didn’t have the power to make that choice.
“Hm.”
So for now, the best option was simply to follow along.
That was the conclusion I reached as I stood there…
But the moment I saw Kang Chang-ho grab the unconscious Jeong Ha-seong’s arm and push it toward the lion statue, the words escaped my mouth before I could stop them.
“Wait.”
Even though this was my chance to avoid becoming the sacrifice.
‘No.
This isn’t right.’
The number one-ranked hunter had protected me inside the gate despite meeting me for the first time.
And now…
To kill someone like that after knocking him unconscious with a sneak attack?
“I’ll open the next door.
So let Hunter Jeong Ha-seong go.”
Even knowing it was a terrible move, I stepped forward anyway.
“Why?
Feeling guilty all of a sudden?”
“…!”
“Just stay quiet and let someone else carry the burden.
Don’t worry.
I’ll make sure you get out alive.”
Damn it.
This hunter had no intention of negotiating.
How was I supposed to save the unconscious Jeong Ha-seong?
What could I even do?
“Anyway, considering how much blood that lion statue takes…
this trial should be ending soon.”
Just as I started desperately searching for a solution.
“Uh?”
Surprisingly, the answer appeared in the simplest way possible.
Because the next room…
…was the exit.
“Ah!”
At the end of the pure white corridor, a blue gate shimmered invitingly.
And in the center of the room stood a fountain carved with the figure of a smiling woman.
Looking closer, I noticed a golden bracelet submerged in the clear water.
I picked up the bracelet and examined it.
It was a magic item.
Which meant…
‘A gate reward!
And that gate leads outside!’
The cursed white prison was finally over.
The sudden appearance of the exit caught me completely off guard.
“It ends here?
Just like that?”
Even Kang Chang-ho’s expression changed when he saw it.
“No, but the most recent EX-rank Iron Maiden…
the dungeon statistics…”
He dropped Jeong Ha-seong onto the floor and pressed a hand to his forehead.
“Well…
I attacked Jeong Ha-seong because I was certain a living sacrifice would be necessary.”
I thought it didn’t matter anymore since we had survived.
However, what he said next suggested otherwise.
“If Jeong Ha-seong wakes up and complains, this is going to become a huge problem.”
“There’s a dungeon reward right there.
“Hunter Kim Gi-ryeo, unfortunately it isn’t that simple.
Messing with the number one-ranked hunter isn’t something people overlook.
The Association won’t stay quiet.”
So he was worried about going back to prison?
As Kang Chang-ho stared at me, he let out a sigh.
“If things had gone according to plan, it would’ve been neat.
You would’ve survived thanks to his sacrifice, so you would’ve kept quiet too.”
He ran a hand through his long mane-like hair.
Up until now his tone and gestures had been lighthearted enough that I hadn’t fully grasped the seriousness of the situation.
But then…
“Should I just kill Jeong Ha-seong while we’re still inside the gate?”
Kang Chang-ho’s expression went completely calm as he looked down at the unconscious hunter.
“Pardon?”
“The body will disappear when the gate closes anyway.”
Soon, the man with dragon eyes tilted his head slightly.
“But the problem is…”
His blue gaze settled on Kim Gi-ryeo.
“There’s a witness.”
Save me.
I couldn’t even force out a sound.
I just stood there frozen.
“Watching a murder as an unrelated third party carries a different weight than silently accepting a sacrifice for your own survival.”
Kang Chang-ho slowly looked me up and down.
“From your perspective, there’s no reason to keep quiet if I kill Jeong Ha-seong.”
“So you’re going to…
kill me too?”
Even back on my home planet, eliminating witnesses to prevent information from spreading wasn’t uncommon.
Naturally, I assumed Kang Chang-ho intended to kill me as well.
“Hah.
Why would I do something so depressing as kill Hunter Kim Gi-ryeo?”
Huh?
“Getting rid of Jeong Ha-seong should be enough.
That’s the option that causes the least trouble.”
A tiny spark of hope rose inside me.
“In exchange, I need a favor.”
Unfortunately, Kang Chang-ho had no intention of letting the witness walk away for free.
“Hey.
Kim Gi-ryeo.
Would you be willing to testify that you were the one who knocked Jeong Ha-seong unconscious?”
Kang Chang-ho pulled his hands from his pockets and casually loosened his wrists.
“If you refuse, you’ll die here.”
Those cold eyes remained fixed on me.
Kang Chang-ho had excellent eyesight.
After all, he possessed a rare item known as the Dragon Eye, obtained from the A-rank monster Green Dragon.
His enhanced vision allowed him to see distant objects with exceptional clarity.
He had never once needed to squint to examine something.
‘Did I see that wrong?’
But one day.
For the first time in his life, Kang Chang-ho began doubting his own eyes.
The Dragon Eye didn’t merely increase magical power.
It also allowed him to gauge another person’s awakening level at a glance.
Because of that, Kang Chang-ho had observed the magical power of countless hunters throughout his life.
‘I didn’t see it wrong.’
The hunter he had recently met possessed a type of magical power unlike anything he had ever encountered.
The total amount was insignificant compared to his own S-class reserves.
Yet despite that, Kang Chang-ho couldn’t take his eyes off him.
He had seen hundreds, perhaps thousands, of awakened individuals.
But never anything like this.
“Your name?”
“Kim Gi-ryeo.”
Maybe this man possessed that ability—the one hunters around the world desperately sought.
The possibility was too intriguing to ignore.
At first, he approached him with only that much curiosity.
But…
“What rank are you?”
“F-rank.”
As time passed, a different interest emerged.
The hunter named Kim Gi-ryeo had lied to his face without the slightest hesitation.
‘How long has it been since someone treated me like this?’
Ordinary people.
Or low-ranked hunters from F-rank to D-rank.
To them, the gap in magical power between themselves and an S-class hunter felt like the difference between a rabbit and a predator.
Many trembled just by standing near him.
It had become difficult for him to even buy something from a convenience store without causing a scene.
Yet here was a low-ranked hunter who met his gaze directly and spoke normally.
‘What is he?’
Interesting.
What was he hiding?
Why wasn’t he afraid?
Kang Chang-ho used that small curiosity as an excuse to prod him further.
But the results were surprising.
“Hah.”
Whether it was a sudden car accident.
Or an extravagant offer worth hundreds of millions.
Kim Gi-ryeo remained expressionless through all of it.
He showed almost no reaction.
At some point, it even felt as though Kim Gi-ryeo regarded him, an S-class hunter, as nothing more than an insect.
‘He’s dry.’
But Kang Chang-ho didn’t dislike it.
If anything, after enduring endless attention for years, he found that indifference refreshing.
So it wasn’t because Kim Gi-ryeo’s attitude offended him.
“Hey.
Kim Gi-ryeo.
Would you be willing to testify that you were the one who knocked Jeong Ha-seong unconscious?”
The scene returned once more to the unidentified gate.
Kang Chang-ho proposed a deal to the F-rank hunter.
“Even if Jeong Ha-seong remembers what happened, there won’t be any evidence from inside the gate.
In the end, the testimony of those involved carries the most weight.”
“You can’t be serious…”
“All you need to say is one sentence.
‘There was a disagreement during the raid, so I restrained Hunter Jeong Ha-seong.'”
It was a deal in name only.
In reality, it was a threat.
“Of course, if you refuse now or change your mind later…”
Kang Chang-ho lowered his eyes toward the hunter standing before him.
“I can’t afford to fail alone.
If the Association catches me, my life in Korea is over.
So no matter what happens, I’ll kill you.”
His voice was serious.
Yet despite his threatening words, he wasn’t particularly invested in the answer.
Because this was merely a test.
‘I can deal with the Jeong Ha-seong situation myself anyway.
This is just convenient.’
Kang Chang-ho was curious.
He wanted to know what abilities the hunter who remained so calm before an S-class was hiding.
So he presented an absurd proposal.
If Kim Gi-ryeo possessed some extraordinary power or secret…
Then surely an unreasonable threat like this would finally force him to reveal it.
‘Let’s see what you do.’
However, the answer he received was disappointing.
“All right.
So I just need to tell people that I was the one who put Hunter Jeong Ha-seong to sleep?”
Kim Gi-ryeo gave in immediately.
No matter how fearless he seemed, was he ultimately just another low-ranked hunter?
‘Something feels off.’
No.
Kang Chang-ho looked more carefully at the man before him.
Kim Gi-ryeo lowered his head as though troubled, yet there wasn’t the slightest trace of fear on his face.
‘Hm?’
He hadn’t accepted because he was frightened.
Then why?
‘…To avoid conflict altogether?’
Kang Chang-ho’s guess was surprisingly close to the truth.
But he made a critical mistake.
‘And that unstable magical power…’
He activated the Dragon Eye again.
Even now, magical power flickered within Kim Gi-ryeo’s body like a candle in the wind.
‘What if it’s being suppressed by a status-condition skill?’
A skill capable of sealing another hunter’s awakening ability.
Victims of such abilities often appeared as though their magical power was fluctuating.
Though admittedly, not usually to this extent.
Still, Kang Chang-ho had dismissed that possibility from the start.
Status ailments that affected awakening levels were notoriously unstable and could usually be removed with even low-grade potions.
‘And he said himself that he can’t enter an S-class gate right now.
Which means he could before.’
Judging from his behavior, there was a high chance Kim Gi-ryeo had originally been a high-level awakened hunter.
But if his magical power had truly been reduced to that of an insect, the discomfort would be like living with a gag and a straitjacket.
…
A suspicious hunter who looked an S-class directly in the eye.
A hunter who claimed he couldn’t enter an S-class gate for now.
And when faced with an absurd threat, instead of resisting, he tried to avoid conflict entirely.
‘As though he can’t afford to reveal his abilities.’
And why would someone reduce their awakening level all the way down to F-rank?
From a rational perspective, none of it made sense.
…
Then again.
There are no absolutes in this world.