KWA-GAGANG!
Each time the Earth Spider lunged violently, the earth shook as if an earthquake had struck. Whoosh—the creature raised its thick leg high. The distance had closed so much that even the hairs covering its leg were clearly visible.
Two legs lashed out mercilessly toward Sihyeon.
KWAGANG! TANG!
Legs as massive as its enormous body slammed against the barrier and were blocked. As cracks began to spread with a sharp creaking sound, Sihyeon hurriedly poured more mana into it, biting his lip. The Earth Spider’s attack power exceeded expectations. This was the moment he understood why it had been classified as Hazard-level.
Dragging this out would put them at a disadvantage.
TANG! TANG! TANG!
The legs striking the barrier relentlessly carried fierce destructive force. Even with added mana, the barrier wavered under the continuous assault.
—Siiik!
As if enraged, the Earth Spider suddenly raised half its body. The number of attacking legs increased from two to four. The moment its body lifted to raise all four legs—
Pak.
Sihyeon drove his dagger into his own wound once more.
—Siiiiiik!
Stimulated by the thickening scent of blood, the Earth Spider grew excited and attacked Sihyeon. TADANG! The barrier trembled under the fierce assault. At that moment, Sihyeon thrust his bleeding hand forward so the spider wouldn’t lose focus and opened his mouth.
“Baek Geonwoo!”
At the call of his name, Geonwoo—who had been waiting for an opening from afar—leapt forward. The sword he had taken from a corpse proved quite useful, plunging straight into the spider’s abdomen.
—Siiiiiik!
The Earth Spider writhed in agony. While ordinary attacks couldn’t penetrate its hardened exoskeleton, skills were different—Geonwoo’s brows furrowed.
Thrust!
With mana infused into the strike, Geonwoo’s blade finally pierced through the spider’s abdomen. Siiiiiik! The screaming spider thrashed violently, and Geonwoo—who had been bracing himself atop its body—lost his balance and staggered.
“Hold on!”
If they missed this chance, it would end at a mere critical injury. There would never be another opportunity like this. Shouting, Sihyeon looked down at the dagger in his hand. He tightened his grip. To neutralize the spider faster, a different kind of attack was necessary.
Squeeze.
After a brief moment of deliberation, Sihyeon made his decision.
Srrk.
As Sihyeon dismissed the barrier, Geonwoo’s eyes widened.
Sihyeon had no offensive skills. Nor did he have the strength to pierce that thick exoskeleton.
But—
Inside its mouth was a different story.
—Siiiiiik!
Realizing the barrier had vanished, the Earth Spider lunged at him even in the midst of a life-or-death struggle. Sihyeon deftly slipped between the attacking legs and drove the small dagger between the spider’s fangs as it opened its maw to devour him.
—SIIIIIiik!!
The spider thrashed, and the dagger burrowed deeper into its mouth.
At the tip of the blade, he felt a soft, squelching sensation.
It was revolting.
“Baek Geonwoo!”
At his shout, Geonwoo—who had frozen—poured strength into his blade once more. Drip, cold sweat beaded on Sihyeon’s forehead. Just as the spider’s legs tried to seize him—
—Sii… siiik….
With a different, weakened cry, the Earth Spider collapsed limply to the side.
THUD!
As its massive body fell, the space within the Earth Spider trembled. Tremble—its body twitched like a convulsion. Pulling himself free from between its enormous legs, Sihyeon panted heavily. His heart pounded, and his vision blurred for a moment before returning to normal.
This is insane. How are we supposed to kill things like this?
If Baek Geonwoo hadn’t been there, he would’ve been devoured without question. Even if he wouldn’t truly die, the horrific sensation of having his bodily fluids sucked out would’ve been seared into his mind.
Relieved that the worst hadn’t happened, Sihyeon dropped to the ground. As he caught his breath, Geonwoo shook his hand to fling off the spider’s blood and approached him. Despite that, the viscous green blood of the spider still clung thickly to the sword in his hand.
“……”
Their eyes met. Unsure whether to say “good work” or “thank you,” Sihyeon hesitated over what to say. Then Geonwoo, now close, examined Sihyeon’s hand.
The hand that had been white—now a mess of red blood.
“…You didn’t say you’d use a method like that.”
His low, soft voice carried a quiet complaint. Only then did Sihyeon realize he hadn’t healed his wound yet, and he cast Heal on his hand.
As mana drained away, the wound closed. After also using Clean to restore its appearance, his hand returned to its pristine state as if time had been reversed. Only a faint afterimage of pain remained.
“There wasn’t any other way.”
“If I had tanked—”
“My attacks are too weak. We both would’ve died.”
“……”
At those words stating the reality, Geonwoo’s gaze dimmed. His eyes wandered before he clenched his fist tightly. Watching him silently, Sihyeon saw Geonwoo hesitate before finally speaking.
“It was dangerous.”
“We couldn’t have killed it without taking that risk.”
“You didn’t need to drop the barrier.”
“What, were you trying to gamble on whose life would last longer—yours or the spider’s?”
“…That’s not it.”
“In the end, we’re fine.”
Besides, I’m a healer—what’s there to worry about?
Though he had consumed a significant amount of mana, more than half still remained. No matter how bad his condition was, it wasn’t as severe as Geonwoo’s, who had likely nearly depleted his mana. Seeing the boy still wearing a dark expression, Sihyeon sighed and patted the ground beside him.
“After some time, the Earth Spider’s space will disappear too. Until then, there’s no safer place than here, so rest. You can barely stand right now.”
He knew what it felt like to completely exhaust mana—he’d experienced it many times during practice. Seeing Geonwoo’s trembling fingertips, Sihyeon offered his advice. After hesitating, Geonwoo walked over and sat down beside him.
And then suddenly, he grabbed Sihyeon’s hand.
“Baek Geonwoo?”
Startled by the unexpected contact, Sihyeon widened his eyes. Without a word, Geonwoo wrapped his hand around Sihyeon’s smaller one and looked at him.
Seeing his face up close, Sihyeon swallowed.
Those deep blue eyes were fixed entirely on him.
Thump, thump—his heart seemed to pound.
“Just because it heals completely doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.”
The calm voice wrapped around Sihyeon’s flustered state. The quiet words felt like care, and Sihyeon’s fingertips twitched slightly.
It tickled in a strange way.
“Don’t do that again.”
“Uh, uh….”
“…I’ll protect you.”
“……”
Silence followed. At the added remark—because I’m a tanker—Sihyeon stared at him blankly. No matter how much time passed, he just couldn’t get used to it.
That face was still dangerously handsome.
It was then that a system window appeared.
[You have defeated the Hazard-level Irregular: Earth Spider.]
[Contributors: Kang Sihyeon, Baek Geonwoo]
[You have obtained 500 points.]
The three consecutive notification windows snapped Sihyeon back to his senses. Thanks to the same delayed settlement as before, he regained clarity. Letting out a long breath, he pulled his hand free from Geonwoo’s grasp.
“Right now, your mana’s depleted, so I’m the one who has to protect you.”
“……”
“That’s enough, just rest. Did you get the points?”
Even at the somewhat awkward remark, Geonwoo obediently nodded. Relieved that they had at least avoided the lowest score, Sihyeon leaned against the wall and steadied his breathing. He could feel his mana slowly recovering.
How long had that brief peace lasted?
KUGUGUNG!
A tremor ran through the Earth Spider’s space. It was time for the safe zone to be released.
As if the massive land was collapsing, the ground beneath Sihyeon and Geonwoo rose upward. The space that swallowed the dead and spat out only the living brought them back above ground. Squinting, Sihyeon frowned as sudden sunlight hit his eyes after being in darkness for so long.
The land that had expelled them returned to normal as if nothing had happened. Watching the scene, Sihyeon wrapped his arms around himself. Even after seeing it with his own eyes, it felt incredibly unreal.
And unexpectedly—
[You have survived the first night. You have obtained 1,000 points.]
A day had passed in this damned world.
“How much mana have you recovered?”
“…About 20.”
“That’s a lot, but still not much.”
At the paradoxical remark, Geonwoo nodded in agreement.
If we run into Kang Haeun, we could get a mana recovery buff.
He showed up even when not called before, but now that they actually needed him, he was nowhere to be seen.
The flower field looked exactly the same as before they’d been dragged into the Earth Spider’s space. Not a single soul—no Kang Haeun, not even an ant—was in sight besides the two of them. Sighing, Sihyeon helped Geonwoo along as they began walking aimlessly.
First priority was to meet others and regroup, or head to a safe zone to recover their lacking mana. His own mana was cut in half, and Geonwoo’s was barely crawling up from empty.
The more he assessed their situation, the more he missed having a Buffer. He should’ve just chosen Buffer during class engraving.
Seriously, Kang Haeun is never helpful when it counts.
Grumbling inwardly, Sihyeon stepped into the vast meadow.
Then—
He narrowed his eyes, thinking he saw figures in the distance. As time passed, distinct hair colors came into view, and his blue eyes widened. Tilting his head at the vaguely familiar color, Geonwoo suddenly exclaimed beside him, as if confirming Sihyeon’s suspicion.
That gave him certainty.
“Kang Haeun…?”
“Sihyeon!”
The moment he spoke the name, a voice called out. As the figure became clearer, Sihyeon’s eyes widened, and he stopped in place, staring at the silver-haired boy.
No. To be precise, he was looking at the boy half-carried on Haeun’s back.
“Sihyeon! Seowoo is…!”
Unlike usual, the voice was serious and urgent. As the distance closed, shock filled Sihyeon’s eyes.
Kang Haeun was walking toward him, carrying Yoo Seowoo on his back.
Yoo Seowoo, drenched in blood.
