RBS 10

Chapter 10

The Corrupted Bulvega was a monster that had once been a fairy.

But even though it had fallen into corruption, it had not lost the abilities unique to fairies.

Suddenly leaping out from a corner or unexpectedly attacking from behind—

Those were traits possessed by fairy-type monsters.

“Kyakyakya!”

At the sound of the Bulvega’s distinctive laughter coming from behind him, Han Siwoo immediately turned around.

At the same time, he drew the sword at his waist and delivered a strike as swift as a flash of lightning.

Craack—!

The Bulvega did not have particularly high attack power, nor was its defense especially impressive.

However, it continued launching surprise attacks without warning.

It was obvious that even the slightest attacks would become fatal if they accumulated over time.

But the fact that one has appeared means the entire group of Bulvegas is on guard against me. This is going to be rather troublesome.

That was what made fairy-type monsters so annoying.

Han Siwoo took a short breath and began walking again.

But perhaps killing one Bulvega in a single blow had been a mistake.

Having realized that clumsy ambushes were meaningless, the monsters no longer appeared.

They must all be gathered near the boss room. Well, I can just wipe them all out at once.

If anything, they had saved him the trouble of dealing with them along the way, so it was not a bad thing.

Just as he thought he could increase his movement speed a little more—

AnotherindividualhasenteredtheCorruptedBulvegaDungeon.Another individual has entered the Corrupted Bulvega Dungeon.

He stopped short.

Was today cursed or something?

Irritation surged through him, and he resumed walking.

Damn it. I’m not letting this one slide.

His generosity for the day had ended with him giving a few verbal jabs to an unregistered Awakener.

Now, all that remained were a heavy hook and a straight punch.

He strode toward the entrance, and when he heard footsteps, he sharply turned around the corner and said,

“Hey, someone else entered this dungeon first, so—”

At that moment, Han Siwoo stopped speaking.

Three men and one woman.

They were the people he had encountered at the Center earlier.

Then the woman must be…

…Jang Suyeon?

Why was she in this dungeon?

The question immediately arose in his mind, but there was nothing strange about it.

The undiscovered dungeons in Peace Park often became targets for countless Awakeners, and before his regression, Han Siwoo and Jang Suyeon had not been traveling together at this point in time.

“Whoa, his level is ridiculously low.”

“Did he enter the wrong dungeon or something?”

Two of the men whispered among themselves while Han Siwoo was briefly lost in thought.

But only for a moment.

A man who appeared to be the leader of the party stepped toward Han Siwoo.

However, Han Siwoo was staring intently at Jang Suyeon, who stood behind the man.

“This dungeon is dangerous for someone at level sixty. Why don’t you just leave?”

He had clearly seen it just before the man stepped forward.

Jang Suyeon had been pushing the man’s back as if encouraging him.

…Jang Suyeon.

The moment he saw a side of her he had never known, his heart went cold.

Han Siwoo looked at the man in front of him with an expressionless face and casually said,

“You’re being rather rude. Do you know me?”

“I don’t. You looked about my age, so I spoke casually. Is that a problem?”

Han Siwoo stared at the man expressionlessly, then crooked a finger toward the area behind him.

“Dark Knight.”

Clank—!

As soon as the words left his mouth, the Dark Knight appeared from beyond the corner.

Its gray eyes glowed as it emerged from the darkness.

The man facing Han Siwoo visibly flinched at the Dark Knight’s sudden appearance.

“My lord, did you call?”

“Two at level ninety-seven, and one each at ninety-five and eighty-one. Can you handle them?”

“If you give the order, my lord.”

The Dark Knight drew its sword and stood firmly beside Han Siwoo.

Overwhelmed by its presence, every member of the group began radiating wariness.

It was hardly pleasant to see a creature that appeared to be a summoned beast displaying hostility.

But at that moment—

“Oppa, apologize.”

“Huh? Wh-what?”

“We were the ones who were rude first.”

At Jang Suyeon’s words, the man facing Han Siwoo looked flustered.

Should he be forced out of the dungeon, or should he apologize here?

The man stood at a crossroads, and his choice was—

“…I’m sorry for being rude when we’ve only just met.”

Apparently, he had decided that apologizing after being persuaded by his companions was better than being forcibly driven out.

But Han Siwoo was looking at Jang Suyeon with icy eyes.

She provoked him and is only stepping in to mediate now. Yes, she did have a sly side to her.

Back then, he had been in unbearable pain.

After losing his family and then one companion and friend after another—

The only thing supporting him had been Jang Suyeon, the woman he loved.

But looking at the situation coldly now…

So this was your true self.

There was no guarantee that a relationship from the past would continue into the present.

And so Han Siwoo decided to let go of his feelings for Jang Suyeon.

“Anyway, I’d appreciate it if you would leave this place.”

At Han Siwoo’s words, Jang Suyeon stepped forward.

She wore an expression that seemed extremely earnest.

“But… this is my first time in a fairy-type dungeon. We came all this way because I wanted Oppa to gain some experience, so couldn’t you make an exception? This is fate bringing us together, after all. If we form a party and hunt together…”

Her words were exceedingly polite.

But after witnessing her earlier actions, they seemed nothing more than hypocrisy.

“…Ha.”

Han Siwoo squeezed his eyes shut.

At the very least, it was true that he had once sincerely loved her.

Because of that, a small fragment of lingering affection made him nod.

“Wow! Thank you!”

When he nodded, Jang Suyeon jumped for joy.

Han Siwoo stared at her face for a moment, then turned away and let out a small laugh.

Yes, I’m grateful too. I’ve managed to filter out one person like this.

He could have chosen to leave the dungeon immediately.

But he needed the item dropped by this dungeon’s boss.

Therefore, he decided to stay with them until the dungeon was cleared.

“I’m Kang Seonghyeok, this guy is Jeong Daegang, and she’s my girlfriend, Jang Suyeon.”

“I’m Han Siwoo.”

Han Siwoo looked at the remaining member.

He was a small, slender man wearing a mask and pulling his hood deeply over his head.

“What about him?”

At Han Siwoo’s question, the others fell silent with strange expressions on their faces.

Jang Suyeon even began pretending not to hear him.

This is getting tiresome.

Han Siwoo rose to his feet with an indifferent expression.

There was no need to force everyone to introduce themselves.

At that moment—

“Hayun… nice to… meet you…”

An unnatural voice, like metal scraping against metal, drifted out.

The voice sounded as though it had been forcibly squeezed from his throat, and Han Siwoo nodded.

“Nice to meet you.”

They first checked one another’s types.

Although balanced-type parties were preferred in this world, everyone had their own specialties.

Kang Seonghyeok was a typical tank who used a sword and shield.

Jeong Daegang used a bow, while Jang Suyeon belonged to the mage class.

Hayun was a swordsman like Han Siwoo, using a single sword.

“I’m a tamer-type who uses summoned creatures. I use the Dark Knight as a shield and strike with the strength I have left. That should be enough of an explanation. Since everyone knows what Bulvegas are, let’s get moving.”

There was no reason to explain himself in detail, so Han Siwoo gave them a vague explanation.

The hastily assembled party began exploring the dungeon.

Fortunately, the Bulvegas, which had hidden themselves and remained motionless when Han Siwoo was alone, began launching ambushes now that there were more people around.

There are openings everywhere, so it’s easy for them to attack.

Thanks to that, they gained a considerable amount of experience.

“Suyeon, hide behind me! I’ll protect you!”

A textbook combination of a knight-type and a mage.

But when the two were lovers, it was an unpleasant sight to behold.

Still, they fight pretty well for their levels. Though I doubt they’ll improve much beyond this.

There was another person worth watching closely.

More importantly, was his name Hayun? That guy could become incredible if he fixed the slight awkwardness in his movements. He has a good chance of surviving all the way to the final battle. But I’ve never heard of anyone named Hayun before…

As Han Siwoo cut down another Bulvega while lost in thought, his eyes suddenly widened.

Kang Seonghyeok was standing in front of Jang Suyeon, who was casting a spell while pressed against the wall.

He had carefully secured his defenses, but Bulvegas were monsters that were not restricted by the dungeon’s layout.

Before anyone noticed, one of them sprang out of the wall and aimed for Jang Suyeon’s back.

Damn it.

Even though he had fallen out of love with her, he did not want to watch her die again.

Having made up his mind, Han Siwoo instantly threw himself forward.

Whoosh—!

Kwa-zik—!

The Bulvega was sliced in two along with the wall by Han Siwoo’s sword.

Seeing its corpse slowly slide down, Jang Suyeon spoke in a flustered voice.

“Th-thank you.”

Although Jang Suyeon expressed her gratitude, he casually brushed it aside.

Not long afterward, the battle came to an end.

“Whew, I’m exhausted. It feels like we’ve been fighting for almost an hour straight.”

Jeong Daegang complained as he sat down on the floor.

But no one responded to him.

From the beginning, Hayun had seemed to be excluded by the others. Although he belonged to the group, he did not really fit in.

Moreover, Jang Suyeon was staring intently at Han Siwoo, who stood some distance away, while Kang Seonghyeok merely sat there with a hardened expression at her behavior.

The atmosphere is awful.

Unable to bear the awkward silence, Jeong Daegang stood up.

Then he approached Han Siwoo, who was standing apart from the others.

“Oof. What are you doing all by yourself?”

“…?”

He was the man who had been standing behind Kang Seonghyeok when they first met.

But what could be his intention in suddenly speaking to him now?

“Did you need something?”

“Hehehe. It’s not like I have anything particular to say. But…”

Jeong Daegang grinned and spoke in a deliberately lowered voice.

“You helped Jang Suyeon earlier, didn’t you?”

At those words, Han Siwoo gave a small nod.

He had not done it with any particular intention.

But Jeong Daegang continued with a very serious expression.

“She tends to cling to anyone who looks strong. She’ll be quite a nuisance.”

“…What?”

“She helped me out once earlier, too. That’s why I’m telling you.”

Jeong Daegang grinned, stood up, dusted off his backside, and walked back to his original spot.

Watching him go, Han Siwoo let out a hollow laugh.

“…Ha!”

Now it all made sense.

In the past, he had been the strongest among the Awakeners.

Was that why Jang Suyeon had loved me?

And now she’s attached herself to Kang Seonghyeok, who seems to have some potential?

“Pfft—hahahahaha!”

Han Siwoo burst into loud laughter and wiped away his tears.

It was so ridiculous that he actually began to cry.

I never would have imagined that.

Those had been such difficult times that he had never even considered it.

He had never imagined there could be a reason like that.

Thud!

“All right, we’ve rested enough. Let’s get moving.”

“Huh? A-already?”

“We’ve rested plenty. What’s so tiring about fighting Bulvegas?”

“W-what did you say? I’m exhausted to death…”

Some time passed after that.

During every break, someone had gradually edged closer to him, and now that person was clinging tightly to his side and asking him all sorts of questions. It was driving him crazy.

Who could it possibly be?

Jang Suyeon. I wish you’d tone it down a little.

Clicking his tongue, Han Siwoo rose to his feet and said,

“Let’s stop resting and move on. Judging by the decrease in the frequency of the ambushes, their numbers must have fallen considerably. The remaining ones will have fortified their defenses near the boss.”

“Let’s rest a little longer. I’m tired.”

“Dark Knight, stay beside Mr. Jeong Daegang. Cover his left and right sides and his rear when he fires his arrows.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Han Siwoo ignored Jang Suyeon’s words.

She continued clinging to him, but he simply kept walking regardless.

He did not want to give her even the slightest bit of attention anymore.

As Han Siwoo walked ahead indifferently, Jang Suyeon clenched her fists tightly.

“…Suyeon, over there.”

“What?”

When Kang Seonghyeok spoke to her, Jang Suyeon replied in an irritated voice.

Kang Seonghyeok flinched at her reaction.

“N-no, never mind.”

At that moment—

Han Siwoo stopped walking and let out a quiet sigh.

“Ms. Jang Suyeon?”

“Yes? Ah, yes!”

When Han Siwoo spoke to her, Jang Suyeon smiled brightly.

As though returning her smile, Han Siwoo smiled gently and raised his hand.

“There seems to be something stuck here.”

“Huh? Oh, really?”

“I’ll remove it for you.”

Jang Suyeon smiled shyly and leaned her forehead toward him.

At that moment, Han Siwoo curled his finger—

Ping—!

Baaam—!

“Eeeek!?”

Could that really have been the sound of a flick to the forehead?

Jang Suyeon’s body was sent flying from the blow. She rolled across the ground.

Thud!

“Ow! Ah! Ah!”

As she lay sprawled on the floor, groaning, Han Siwoo smiled coldly.

Then he stood in front of her and said,

“Ms. Jang Suyeon, please stop pushing your luck.”

“You, y-you crazy… bastard…! Aagh!”

As she shouted almost like a scream, Han Siwoo smiled.

Then, in a deep, heavy voice, he said,

“If you draw your sword, you’re dead.”

Kang Seonghyeok’s face had gone deathly pale at the unexpected turn of events.

Clutching the hilt of the sword he had not managed to draw, he said,

“W-what are you doing right now…?”

Han Siwoo looked completely relieved as he replied,

“You’re openly causing trouble. Why would I take you along just because you’re pretty?”

“What…?”

“Take your girlfriend and get out. Live happily ever after. If possible, make it all the way to marriage. Please.”

“Y-you bastard…”

Kang Seonghyeok hesitated, then hurriedly helped Jang Suyeon to her feet.

And as the two of them rushed toward the exit—

“Uh… W-what about me?”

Jeong Daegang asked in a flustered voice.

Han Siwoo replied indifferently,

“If you want to remain loyal, leave.”

“…”

“If you want practical benefits, stay.”

“…”

“Those lines were pretty good. I don’t particularly have any loyalty to uphold, so I can stay, right?”

This time, Han Siwoo looked at Hayun.

Hayun hesitated slightly before finally forcing out a few words.

“I… too…”

Hayun’s words conveyed his intention to stay with them.

Han Siwoo wore a relieved expression, as though he had finally set down a heavy burden, and said,

“As someone said, this is fate bringing us together. Let’s keep going.”