The rattling sound of trembling hands echoed in the tense air, but Gye Tae-in didn’t lower his gun. No—he pressed the muzzle even closer to the back of my head, as if he was seconds away from pulling the trigger.
“What are you—”
“Don’t move. I… I can shoot right now.”
“Hunter Gye Tae-in. What do you think you’re doing?”
Despite the fear flooding his voice, Gye Tae-in spoke clearly.
“It said we have to kill more than one living being. That must mean one of the five of us has to die, right? Then obviously, you all would try to kill me first…”
I took a deep breath and spoke.
“There’s clearly been a misunderstanding… No one’s thinking that right now.”
“That’s right, Hunter Gye Tae-in. Please put down the gun—”
The moment Lim Chang-joo stepped forward, Gye Tae-in screamed.
“Don’t move!”
The cold muzzle pressed against the back of my head was shaking violently.
“I swear, the second someone moves—I’ll shoot. I… I can do it. I’ve warned you.”
I rolled my eyes toward Baek Tae-beom beside me. He stood about two steps away, glaring at Gye Tae-in like he was ready to kill him on the spot, but still calculating the distance. When our eyes met, Baek Tae-beom gave me a slight smile, maybe to reassure me—but that didn’t mean I could just sit still.
Gye Tae-in was an A-Rank Hunter—he wasn’t someone to take lightly. No matter how fast Baek Tae-beom was, if Gye Tae-in so much as twitched a finger, he’d blow a hole in my skull.
And if that happened here, I’d probably wake up after the world had ended. Or maybe I’d never wake up again. There’s no guarantee the Constellations would still be around after the world’s collapse.
[The Constellation, ‘One Who Seeks to Prevent Destruction,’ is synchronizing with the Holy Vessel.]
It was probably thanks to this synchronization that I could even stay this calm. Otherwise, I’d probably be sobbing for my life right now.
What if I used <Sanctuary of the Soul> to escape?
[Skill: Sanctuary of the Soul
You will be transported to your space.]
[You are using the skill: Sanctuary of the Soul.]
[Skill: Sanctuary of the Soul has been canceled.]
[Reason: You are not in a safe enough location to use the skill.]
I knew that would happen.
[CH.#31lkk0/Free Wind: Are you okay, Ga-hyeon?]
[CH.#31lkk0/Free Wind: What should we do, Apollo? At this rate, Ga-hyeon’s gonna end up with a new hole in his head!]
[CH.#31lkk0/One More Dazzling Than the Sun: Calm down.]
[CH.#31lkk0/One More Dazzling Than the Sun: Shaking me by the collar isn’t going to help the situation.]
[CH.#31lkk0/Free Wind: What do we doooo! ヽ(￣д￣;)ノ]
[CH.#31lkk0/One Who Guides the Dead: Ga-hyeon. Noisy. Must stop.]
[CH.#31lkk0/One Who Weaves Euphoria: Oh no, Ga-hyeon…]
[CH.#31lkk0/One Who Weaves Euphoria: I only just met you and now…]
[CH.#31lkk0/One Who Weaves Euphoria: I never thought you’d die like this…]
[CH.#31lkk0/One Who Holds Two Snakes: Uh,,,,,,]
[CH.#31lkk0/Free Wind: Ah! Long time no see!]
[CH.#31lkk0/One Who Holds Two Snakes: Yeah,,, nice to see you too,,, but maybe,,, quiet down a little,,,]
[CH.#31lkk0/One Who Holds Two Snakes: Someone’s gonna die,,, seriously,,,]
I second that.
[CH.#31lkk0/Horseback Herald: This is a trap! A trap from my brother, Baldr!]
[CH.#31lkk0/Horseback Herald: He’s the only one who could come up with a dungeon like this…!]
[CH.#31lkk0/One Who Seeks to Prevent Destruction: And the escape plan?]
[CH.#31lkk0/Horseback Herald: I don’t know…!]
[CH.#31lkk0/One More Dazzling Than the Sun: Useless bastard.]
I glanced between Lim Chang-joo and Lee Myung-won, both of whom looked ready to spring into action at any moment. Then I spoke.
“Hunter Gye Tae-in. We really do have a way for all of us to make it out of here alive.”
Calming him down had to be the priority. The self-assured Gye Tae-in from before had vanished—now he looked far more shaken than necessary. I couldn’t see his face, but I could feel it.
“So just lower the gun and—”
“Don’t lie to me!”
Gye Tae-in shouted, pressing the gun barrel even harder into the back of my skull.
“M-my Constellation says… you’re going to kill me. Don’t lie. I know what’s going on.”
…What?
I opened my mouth to speak, then closed it again. A Constellation?
Gye Tae-in definitely didn’t have a Constellation before entering this place.
No way…
[Displaying target information]
[Gye Tae-in of the Fivefold]
[Title: The Fivefold, Cryptic, White Sun
Rank: A
Status: Cannot be confirmed
Contracted Constellation: One Who Is the Purest in the World
Coins: Cannot be confirmed
Skills: [I Won’t Let This Slide!] [Let Me Show You My Dexterous Hands!] [Taste My Bullet!], etc.
This is an Awakened who has formed a contract with a higher-grade Constellation. Caution is advised.]
One Who Is the Purest in the World. It was Baldr.
A dull numbness settled into the back of my head. Hermóðr had said it was a trap—and he was right. Baldr had been waiting for us to walk into this dungeon on our own. And now, my instincts screamed that something was wrong.
…A diversion tactic?
Jin Ha-yoon, who was transported to where Park Gil-seon was, and the conveniently timed emergence of an S-Rank dungeon. They probably assumed we’d prioritize entering the S-Rank one first, since that’s where the biggest problem would logically break out.
Which meant—something must have already happened to Guildmaster Park Gil-seon. We had to escape this dungeon and contact her immediately.
I slowly raised my hand to show I had no intent to attack, bringing it up to the side of my head.
“Then shoot me instead.”
In the heavy silence, Lee Myung-won spoke. Lim Chang-joo shook his head.
“No. Shoot me, Hunter Gye Tae-in. I’ll take full responsibility.”
Baek Tae-beom’s eyes were murderous, locked onto Gye Tae-in like he might lunge at him at any second. The bloodlust was so intense it gave me chills.
“How… How could I shoot you, sunbae…?”
“So it’s okay to shoot someone else instead? That’s a contradiction. You said you became a Hunter to protect people, didn’t you, Hunter Gye Tae-in? Is this really what you wanted to become?”
The muzzle trembling against the back of my head shook even harder. While they spoke, I quickly accessed the shop. A few swift finger movements brought up the list, and purchasing the item only took a moment.
[You have purchased Sparkler Bomb Ball E.]
[Remaining Coins: 2,000]
A small, round object formed in my hand, which I held close to my ear. There was no way Gye Tae-in wouldn’t notice.
“W-What’s that? You! Drop whatever you’re holding!”
“Drop it?”
“Yes! You’re holding something weird!”
I complied and let go of the ball. It hit the floor and burst with a pop, releasing a thick spray of glittery powder. I ducked my head and spun my body away.
BANG!
The fired bullet grazed the edge of my ear. My hearing went dull, but in the obscured vision from the smoke, movement was still possible.
“Don’t move.”
In an instant, the tide turned. I had grabbed Gye Tae-in’s gun and now pointed it at him. He stood frozen, one hand still halfway inside his coat.
“I know you’ve got another gun in there.”
“……”
Gye Tae-in stood drenched in cold sweat, his pupils dilated, darting between us in desperation. I tried to appear unfazed, but I couldn’t stop the tremble in my fingers.
Without Hermes’ blessing, this wouldn’t have been possible.
We had about ten minutes left. Hunched and shaking, Gye Tae-in suddenly cried out to me.
“P-Please… don’t kill me.”
It was pitiful.
“I’m sorry—please, spare me. Okay? I was wrong. You said—there’s a way we can all survive, right?”
“……”
“I-I really respect you, Hunter Choi Ga-hyeon. It was all my fault. So please… let me live. Please.”
Tears and snot ran down Gye Tae-in’s face as he begged in anguish.
“I was wrong! I swear I’ll never do it again! Just—just please…!”
I bit my lower lip. I could feel the strength slowly draining from my hands.
And at that very moment—
Gye Tae-in reached for the gun hidden in his coat.
Baek Tae-beom, who had been behind me, grabbed me and wrapped his hand over mine. With swift, unhesitating force, he pulled the trigger.
BANG!
Gye Tae-in collapsed.
All I could do was stand there dumbly and watch. Blood gushed across the pristine white floor. His unfocused eyes stared into the void.
“This…”
I dropped the gun and turned toward Baek Tae-beom. He looked down at me and spoke.
“I killed him.”
“Tae-beom…”
“I did it.”
[Congratulations on clearing the dungeon! Rewards have been issued.]
[Reward: 0 Coins]
[By clearing <White Room>, you have been granted a new title.]
I looked up at Baek Tae-beom, speechless. He glanced once at Lee Myung-won and Lim Chang-joo, then locked eyes with me again.
“This had to be done. You know that, hyung.”
Baek Tae-beom placed a hand on my shoulder and gently slid it down.
“You can’t protect everything without sacrifice.”
That was the end of it. The room, once blindingly white, shifted back to the small house.
Baek Tae-beom opened the door and stepped out first. Lim Chang-joo knelt before Gye Tae-in’s collapsed body.
Lee Myung-won turned to me.
“Choi Ga-hyeon-ssi. Are you alright?”
“Yes.”
Baek Tae-beom was right. Thinking we could protect everything without sacrifice was a delusion.
But even so—
I will always choose the path with the fewest sacrifices.
Even if I’m the one to be sacrificed.
