The sword plunged into the phoenix’s body.
Only when the massive bird began thrashing wildly did I snap back to my senses and shout in a panic.
“We have to aim for the core!”
If we didn’t precisely strike and dig out the core, it was pointless. No matter how many times we killed it, the creature would just keep resurrecting. At my words, Baek Tae-beom hesitated for a split second, then pulled out the sword he’d embedded. At that exact spot, an arrow fired by Lee Myung-won pierced into it.
Originally, we’d used a diversion strategy with a large team to target the core and bring down the boss. But now, we didn’t have nearly enough people. We had to take it down purely by force.
“Where’s the core?”
Kang Si-hoo looked down at me, speaking like he just assumed I’d know. I twisted my mouth into a grimace and replied,
“On top of the left wing.”
I had the sudden urge to smash that mask of his to pieces.
The moment he heard me, Kang Si-hoo took off running. And then, just as the phoenix tried to spew flames while thrashing, he slashed at its wing. His speed was on par with Baek Tae-beom’s. And the way he cut through flames like they were nothing…
He had to be at least an A-rank hunter.
But the blade narrowly missed the core. The phoenix spread its wings wide and stumbled backward toward the wall.
Baek Tae-beom growled.
“Get lost. This one’s mine.”
“Get your head on straight.”
The way Kang Si-hoo spoke so informally made Baek Tae-beom’s brow twitch. Even as he glared in sheer disbelief, Kang Si-hoo just kept staring at the phoenix behind that damned mask.
“I get that you’re trying to impress someone,” he said, “but right now, you look like a wild beast flailing around trying to squeeze into a toy dog’s leash.”
“What?”
“I’m saying this little show of yours doesn’t make you look cool. If anything…”
He slowly turned his head, letting his gaze drag up and down Baek Tae-beom.
“You just look childish and stupid.”
“What the hell did you just say?”
Baek Tae-beom’s blade was pressed against Kang Si-hoo’s throat. And yet, the guy who’d looked shaken just moments ago stood perfectly still now, voice laced with a faint, mocking smile.
“I said you look stupid.”
“You son of a—”
The tension between them was about to blow, but a sudden burst of flames interrupted them before it could.
I didn’t waste the moment. I pulled up the shop page with shaking fingers.
[It’s Okay to Be Hot! Flame-Blocking Potion E]
[Swallow this potion and you’ll be free to move in intense heat! Walk right through the flames! (Duration: 10 seconds)
Price: 4,000 Coins
Would you like to purchase?
( Yes / No )]
[You have purchased ‘It’s Okay to Be Hot! Flame-Blocking Potion E.’]
[Remaining Coins: 600]
[You have sponsored an item to the Contractor.]
I gestured across the transparent screen, and a small potion materialized—dropping straight into Baek Tae-beom’s hand.
He looked down at the bottle in disbelief, then glanced at me, then the phoenix—before letting out a dry, almost bitter laugh.
“Hey.”
“…?”
“Take a good look and figure out who the real idiot is.”
Then, without hesitation, he threw back the potion and charged head-on toward the phoenix.
The startled creature let out a screech and tried to engulf him in flames, but Baek Tae-beom didn’t even flinch. He took the fire full-on, pushing forward with his sword—and in a single, brutal motion, sliced through the left wing and drove his blade straight into the hidden core.
A piercing shriek split the air.
I dropped to my knees, clapping my hands over my ears. It felt like the scream was drilling straight into my skull. The death wail of something that had been resurrected dozens of times—lashing out as it finally crumbled for good.
[Congratulations on clearing the dungeon! Rewards have been distributed.]
[You have cleared <The Tomb of the One Who Awakens>. A new title has been granted.]
As the phoenix vanished, a massive roulette wheel slowly descended from the ceiling.
“A roulette?” Lee Myung-won muttered, sounding dazed.
That thing would randomly assign a reward to one of the dungeon participants. In the original story, Kang Si-hoo had been the one to receive it.
The reward had been a skill—a temporary summon of the phoenix.
Since Kang Si-hoo was here like he was supposed to be, I figured there wouldn’t be any surprises.
That is, until Baek Tae-beom suddenly stormed over and grabbed Kang Si-hoo by the collar, making him jerk in surprise.
“Tae-beom…!”
“What the hell are you?”
Baek Tae-beom’s voice came out low and hoarse, almost like a growl.
“Why are you so desperate to get my hyung’s attention that you’re pulling all this stupid crap?”
“……”
“You’re the one who incited Kim Ki-won too. There’s clear evidence that you used a skill to provoke his madness. Don’t tell me you’re actually planning to deny it?”
“You figured that out?”
“Unless I’ve gone blind, there’s no way I wouldn’t notice.”
The supposedly blind one fell silent for a moment.
‘What the hell is he talking about?’
So Kang Si-hoo wasn’t pretending to be friendly with him to get close to Baek Tae-beom—he had made him the target from the very beginning?
“It really was strange. No matter how stupid Hunter Kim Ki-won is, he’s not that stupid.”
Even Lee Myung-won nodded in agreement. So I was really the only one completely blindsided?
“So I was the only one who didn’t know?”
“You didn’t know?”
“I didn’t.”
“I assumed you were just playing along knowingly…”
Baek Tae-beom gave Kang Si-hoo a violent shake by the collar. Kang Si-hoo flinched as he hit the wall, then slowly turned his gaze toward him.
“I…”
At that moment, the roulette wheel began spinning with a loud, grotesque sound echoing from the ceiling.
<Who will win the prize? Spin, spin, roulette!>
Just as their eyes seemed to meet through the mask, a strange message appeared before his eyes.
[Power is being drawn to you.]
“I’m interested in Choi Ga-hyeon.”
<Ding ding ding! Congratulations!>
[You have acquired a new skill.]
[Skill: Chain of Flame]
[Links yourself and a target in flames. When the chain is formed, you can transfer your life energy to the linked target.]
‘Why the hell is this coming to me?’
The phoenix? What happened to the phoenix skill?
Then—pop!—fireworks exploded above his head, and a congratulatory message played. He was left completely speechless.
[The Constellation, ‘One More Dazzling Than the Sun,’ whistles.]
[CH.#990O3/One More Dazzling Than the Sun]: Love triangle?
‘These bastards better be kidding.’
***
Baek Tae-beom was about to beat Kang Si-hoo to a pulp when I stopped him. After Lee Myung-won cleaned up the remnants of the phoenix, we left the dungeon along with the people who had been held captive.
Even though we tried to keep things under control, the moment we stepped out, we were immediately overwhelmed by a mob of reporters and civilians. I flinched at the chaotic scene, but the others acted like they were used to it.
“Mom!”
“Oh my God, how—how did you get so skinny… Oh, sweetheart, really… I was so… sob…”
As families reunited, the press furiously snapped photos, flashes going off in every direction. Members of the Hansung Guild blocked the reporters from getting too close, but one man managed to push through and shoved a mic toward me.
“You’re Choi Ga-hyeon, the Hunter with an unmeasurable rank, correct? What was your experience in this dungeon?”
“…What?”
I instinctively stepped back, startled, but the reporter came in even closer—two steps forward as I took one back—thrusting the mic in like he was going to stuff it into my mouth.
“Please, just a few words—Ah!”
Baek Tae-beom suddenly reached out from behind me and grabbed the microphone. The sleek, expensive-looking device was crushed in his hand like water, disintegrating with a loud crackling noise.
“Ah, my mic! Again?!”
Again?
I glanced up at Baek Tae-beom. He wore an innocent expression like he didn’t know anything. Lee Myung-won pushed his glasses up with a sigh.
“We should relocate. Let’s head to the Association for the report. Also… you two can go ahead. Choi Ga-hyeon, let’s talk later about what happened.”
At that, Baek Tae-beom pulled me by the shoulder.
“Then we’ll head out first. You, follow me.”
“You don’t have to tell me—I was going to follow anyway, so don’t worry.”
Kang Si-hoo adjusted his mask and answered with a grin in his voice. Baek Tae-beom pushed through the crowd toward one side, heading for a parked car. What was absurd was that, despite the crowd originally gathering to see him, they all silently stepped aside as he passed—no one dared to speak.
There was a moment of silence before the car started, presumably driven by a chauffeur. I parted my lips, uneasy at having to sit so closely pressed between two massive men.
“Baek Tae-beom.”
He replied obediently.
“Yes, hyung.”
“Why’d you run off earlier without listening to me? Other people could’ve gotten hurt. You knew there weren’t many who could stop you.”
Baek Tae-beom opened his mouth slowly. I deliberately avoided looking at his face. If I did, I’d probably forgive him too easily.
“That bastard beside you was hiding his power. He was all over you, acting like he owned the place—it was pathetic and childish.”
“Who are you calling pathetic…!”
“You, obviously. Quiet, please.”
As Kang Si-hoo shut his mouth, I let out a sigh. My head was a mess. Why were grown adults acting like children?
“If you notice something like that, tell me first. Why didn’t you say anything in the first place?”
“But hyung—”
“Hyung what?”
Baek Tae-beom quietly turned his gaze to the window. I could see his ears turning red.
“Because… you looked way too close with that asshole… Like how you used to be with me. It was… too much.”
“You were jealous?”
“……”
Pfft.
Kang Si-hoo stifled a laugh, his shoulders shaking. Baek Tae-beom muttered through clenched teeth.
“Fucking bastard…”
“Baek Tae-beom.”
He shut his mouth.
“Watch your language.”
“…Yes, hyung.”
“And Mr. Kang Cheol-su.”
Kang Si-hoo hesitated at my words before replying cautiously.
“Yeah?”
“What’s your real name?”
“What?”
“You’re using an alias, aren’t you?”
“How did you… find out… Ha.”
Kang Si-hoo faltered, then let out a breath. His voice echoed faintly under the mask he wore.
“Kang Si-hoo.”
Hearing the name aloud made it hit me all over again. This really was a world inside a novel—and right now, sitting on either side of me, were the protagonist and the villain.
“Alright then, Kang Si-hoo. Why are you so interested in me?”
“Well…”
“Well?”
Kang Si-hoo turned his head slightly. I could see his reddish-brown hair and the mask resting over one ear. His throat moved with a visible gulp, like he was swallowing a lie.
“Because you’re an unmeasurable-ranked Hunter.”
“That’s not the only reason, is it?”
I looked down at Kang Si-hoo’s twitching hand. If I had to guess the most plausible reason, it would obviously be—
“You’re connected to a Constellation, aren’t you?”
“How did you—!”
“So it’s true.”
“……”
“I was just fishing.”
“……”
“Don’t bother acting anymore. It’s painfully obvious.”
Silence settled inside the car. This time, it was Baek Tae-beom who couldn’t hold back his laughter, his shoulders shaking.
“Man, your acting is absolute shit…”
