#127
Even in the face of a monster tidal wave, Dan Joo-hyuk’s usually calm heart began to race uncontrollably. For the first time since his awakening, he felt his movements were too slow.
He saw Yoon Pa-ran crouching, ready to launch himself. It seemed he intended to jump and cling to the shield since he couldn’t reach it by hand.
What if he falls?
Strangely, Dan Joo-hyuk’s breath caught in his throat. He wanted to use a ranged skill in a hurry, but all of them were on cooldown.
Catching his breath with difficulty, Dan Joo-hyuk ran towards the cliff. The monsters surrounded him, slowing his pace frustratingly.
In this situation, Yoon Pa-ran finally launched himself into the air.
The scene appeared to move in slow motion to Dan Joo-hyuk. The sharp teeth of the approaching monsters seemed to draw near like a stretched-out projection screen.
Dan Joo-hyuk watched, holding his breath, as Yoon Pa-ran barely managed to cling to the shield and immediately used a skill upon contact.
The moment the shield Yoon Pa-ran was hanging onto began to tilt, Dan Joo-hyuk abandoned all defense and simply ran.
Crunch!
He used the monsters as stepping stones to move forward. Minor wounds accumulated on his legs and back, but he ignored them.
As expected, Yoon Pa-ran’s body began to fall.
“Ah…!”
Dan Joo-hyuk could clearly see the surprised expression on the pale face. Even as he fell, Yoon Pa-ran’s eyes widened upon noticing Dan Joo-hyuk running towards him.
Below where Yoon Pa-ran was falling, there was still a tidal wave of monsters.
I want to protect him.
Thinking this, Dan Joo-hyuk instinctively swung his sword. He just wanted to reduce the number of monsters that would bite into Yoon Pa-ran like a pack of piranhas, no matter where he fell.
Surprisingly, as he swung the sword, an unintended red flame burst forth.
[Hero’s Will]
A status window with no explanation suddenly appeared. Simultaneously, the erupting flames enveloped Dan Joo-hyuk like a bubble made of fire. The attacks of the monsters biting at his defenseless form were blocked by the flames.
Only then did Dan Joo-hyuk recall one of the many options on his sword. Didn’t it say something about defense increasing when protecting someone?
It was an option he had seen but paid no attention to. He thought it would never be useful anyway.
In any case, it was quite useful now.
“Ugh…!”
“…”
Dan Joo-hyuk ran with unstoppable momentum towards Yoon Pa-ran, who was still clutching the shield as he fell. The movements of the monsters being pushed back by the fire sphere looked like the undulation of waves.
When he finally got close to Yoon Pa-ran, Dan Joo-hyuk forcefully plunged the sword he was holding into the ground.
Screech screech…!
Crunch!
The flames, now even larger, swept around and spread out at once. Dan Joo-hyuk let go of the sword handle and kicked off the ground forcefully towards the front.
“Yoon Pa-ran!”
“…!”
Dan Joo-hyuk reached out his hand towards Yoon Pa-ran, who was falling through the air.
“Ugh!”
“Argh!”
He pulled Yoon Pa-ran hard as he caught him by the fingertips. His body rolled forward with the momentum of his run. Dan Joo-hyuk reflexively cupped the back of Yoon Pa-ran’s head with his hand.
After quickly rolling several times, Dan Joo-hyuk got up while holding Yoon Pa-ran. The monsters, temporarily held back by the sword’s flames, would soon charge again.
Hurry to retrieve the sword and get out of here…
“Huh…?”
Just as he was about to act on instinct, Yoon Pa-ran in his arms let out a surprised exclamation.
At the same time, a blinding light burst from the dark shield.
“Ugh.”
The flood of light was so brief that even Dan Joo-hyuk could hardly react. As the explosively spreading light subsided, everything around them suddenly became very quiet.
Then, the sound of heavy flesh masses falling to the ground continued like applause.
“…”
“…”
The monsters all stopped moving at once. An uncountable number of monsters fell backward like grass in a strong wind.
It was an eerie scene, as if someone had suddenly turned off the power.
“Look at this!”
Dan Joo-hyuk coldly looked down at Yoon Pa-ran, who shouted brightly from his arms. Despite his pale complexion, Yoon Pa-ran held out the shield he was holding with a bright expression.
The shield, which had been an ominous black color, had now turned white.
“When I purified it with my skill… Huh?”
Yes, it was certainly strange. It was a situation worth paying attention to.
However, Dan Joo-hyuk pushed away the shield Yoon Pa-ran was holding out and set him upright on the ground.
Then he immediately grabbed Yoon Pa-ran’s collar and pulled him close to his face.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
The dull sound of the shield falling to the ground echoed between the two.
“No, I thought you were in danger…”
In the eerily quiet clearing, Dan Joo-hyuk spoke harshly through gritted teeth, as if he himself had become a monster.
“So what if I’m in danger? What could you possibly do?”
The flames that his sword had produced earlier seemed to still be burning. Everything before his eyes was red. His head felt hot.
“When there are this many monsters gathered, you should have the sense to run away.”
No matter how he thought about it, Yoon Pa-ran’s actions were not rational. Even if he thought that item was a problem, there was no reason to recklessly climb the wall.
The moment when Yoon Pa-ran fell defenseless into the midst of the monsters kept invading his mind. The more he recalled that moment, the more something deep in his stomach churned strangely.
Why do you keep trying to save me?
‘Don’t just stand there stupidly.’
It had been like that from the first moment he recognized Yoon Pa-ran. From then on, Yoon Pa-ran kept meddling unnecessarily.
Why?
“Do you think you can solve everything just because you have some skill?”
Dan Joo-hyuk’s harsh words strangely pierced Yoon Pa-ran’s heart.
“…”
He knew he was in danger too. But he couldn’t just stand by when Dan Joo-hyuk was in danger. He also thought he could do it.
But at this moment, he felt very wronged by Dan Joo-hyuk’s actions, pushing him away as if he were a complete stranger.
Why did it make him so upset?
“Right. I should have just left you to die by the monsters.”
Even knowing that he should be the one to speak calmly, Yoon Pa-ran couldn’t help but sneer. A strange feeling, similar to betrayal, kept welling up and he couldn’t contain it.
He thought Dan Joo-hyuk at least considered him a comrade.
Moreover, his criticism felt extremely unfair to Yoon Pa-ran. Hadn’t his instincts been correct, and hadn’t the anomaly been resolved by purifying that ominous item?
Perhaps that’s why. In response to his next words, Yoon Pa-ran finally exploded.
“Should have just left you to die. …Instead of meddling where you don’t belong.”
“You…!”
In his anger, Yoon Pa-ran swung his fist without realizing it. He simply couldn’t tolerate Dan Joo-hyuk’s reckless behavior with his life anymore.
But the fist he swung with considerable force landed squarely on Dan Joo-hyuk’s face.
“…!”
His handsome face whipped to the side, and the grip on Yoon Pa-ran’s collar loosened. Yoon Pa-ran was startled by the impact he felt on his fist.
I thought he would dodge for sure, why did he take the hit?
As Dan Joo-hyuk slowly turned back, Yoon Pa-ran flinched momentarily at his gaze. This time, they might really end up in a real fight.
However, Yoon Pa-ran soon raised his eyes, building up tension. No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t tolerate this anymore.
Why does he keep acting so dangerously?
Moreover, he thought they could at least trust each other to watch each other’s backs, how could he say such things?
“…”
Despite the palpable tension, Dan Joo-hyuk just stared silently without saying a word.
As the two fell silent, a heavy silence filled the wide open space. As that chilling sensation continued, a sense of despair gradually enveloped Yoon Pa-ran.
Maybe Dan Joo-hyuk really did find his help bothersome. Considering what he had just said…
His stomach churned again. A feeling of injustice and sorrow welled up.
“Just some skill, you say? Fine. If that’s how you want to put it, I guess you don’t need it anymore.”
Yoon Pa-ran said as he slowly backed away. Dan Joo-hyuk’s face contorted even more, but he didn’t avert his gaze.
Suddenly, Yoon Pa-ran didn’t want to endure this situation anymore. Especially if Dan Joo-hyuk wouldn’t even treat him as a comrade.
“Let’s end this damn contract too.”
So Yoon Pa-ran calmly declared.
As soon as he spoke, he turned his back completely. He planned to go to a safe zone or somewhere to cool his head.
You have passed the test.
*Each gate returns to its place.
*The gate entrances are reactivated.
*You have prevented the axis.
Just then, several status windows popped up in front of him. There seemed to be important information there, but he wasn’t in the mood to focus on it.
His footsteps, moving away from Dan Joo-hyuk, felt quite heavy.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
