“Could you slow down a little?! With those tiny strides of yours!”
I didn’t even bother to acknowledge Kim Ki-won’s complaint, activating a skill instead.
[You have used a skill. Skill: Condemnation.]
[Condemnation is activated.]
Just as a fanatic leapt out, something slammed down hard on its head. A ting rang out like the sound of a musical instrument, and the fanatic collapsed limply to the ground, crumbling into dust, never to rise again.
I glanced between the piano that had seemingly fallen from midair and my staff, then let out a sigh.
‘Okay, think positive…’
As expected from something that came out of a kit box, its performance was far from ordinary. When I activated the skill, it dropped something on the target’s head—starting with basketball-sized objects and escalating all the way to a piano. I should’ve known the moment I saw that absurdly short skill description.
Thankfully, Kang Si-hoo and Kim Ki-won didn’t seem to find it strange. They just figured I had some weird skill and left it at that.
“Slow. Down! I said!”
“Isn’t it just that you’re too slow, Mr. Kim?” I shot back.
With Si-hoo in the middle, I took the lead while Kim Ki-won covered the rear—but it was obvious he was struggling. To be fair, the dungeon had been estimated as A-rank. And Kim Ki-won, a B-rank with only a handful of skills, wasn’t anywhere near strong enough to handle monsters like these.
Sweat poured down his face. His once-neat outfit was now torn in spots, thanks to the fanatical attacks. That was always the problem with the Association—dressing people up in uncomfortable, flashy clothes like they were overpackaging cheap junk food.
When he heard me muttering about that, Kim Ki-won twisted his face in frustration and suddenly barked at Si-hoo.
“And you’re just standing there doing nothing?!”
“S-s-sorry! But…!”
“But what?!”
“You said… not to come near… me…”
At that, Kim Ki-won snapped his mouth shut and shot Si-hoo a murderous glare. Si-hoo flinched and ducked behind me like a terrified kid.
The pace of our exploration wasn’t going anywhere—it was just the same clumsy back-and-forth over and over. Not that it really mattered.
Still, I couldn’t just go around saying I knew everything about this dungeon…
If I blurted out, “I know how to clear this dungeon,” anyone would be suspicious. Even if I tried to pass it off as some kind of skill, the real problems would start after that.
“He is risen!”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake.”
Another fanatic suddenly popped out, and Kim Ki-won threw a punch at it. The blow made the fanatic stagger back a few steps, and Ki-won charged forward to kick it square in the head. I turned my attention to the one cornered against the wall and activated my skill again.
[You have used a skill. Skill: Condemnation.]
[Condemnation is activated.]
This time, a bathroom sink came crashing down and smashed the fanatic’s head in. I raised my arm to shield my eyes from the debris.
[CH.#990O3/One Who Seeks to Escape Destruction] : Is there something wrong with this item?
[CH.#990O3/One Who Seeks to Escape Destruction] : Why is it only dropping crap like this? Can’t it summon something cool for once?
[CH.#990O3/One More Dazzling Than the Sun] : Why are you complaining to me?
“You’re really… strong, Mr. Ga-hyeon…” Kang Si-hoo stammered.
I almost scoffed.
‘He’s the stronger one, so why the hell is he pretending otherwise?’
The fact that he hadn’t even given his real name meant he was likely hiding his identity too. On top of that, Kim Ki-won seemed to think he was just some C-rank Hunter or lower. That would explain the attitude.
Kang Si-hoo didn’t seem particularly eager to fight either. Or rather, it wasn’t that he didn’t have the will—it was more like he didn’t see the need.
‘Because I’m here?’
But Kang Si-hoo wasn’t the type to trust others so easily. Sure, he had a warm heart—he was the protagonist, after all—but his mind was always calculating.
‘Is he trying to build rapport with me?’
Maybe he thought I could become one of his key allies. I narrowed my eyes. With how fast Kang Si-hoo tended to grow, he had to have noticed how dependent I was on items.
‘Or maybe he’s trying to get close to Baek Tae-beom…’
That was the most likely reason. In the latter half of The Apocalypse Chronicles of Another World, Kang Si-hoo went out of his way to win Baek Tae-beom over—only changing tactics after watching his allies die and his country fall to ruin.
Whatever the case, I had no intention of being just a piece on his board. I was going to use him too. But first, I needed to get that damn mask off his face.
“Let’s check out this room too,” I said.
“Why do you keep going into every room…?” Kim Ki-won panted behind me.
“Because investigation comes first. We can’t just ignore everything and move on, can we?”
I opened the door to find a room with the same layout as before. A dust-covered table and chairs, a flower vase, the hem of a gothic-style dress draped carelessly over one chair, and a fallen partition that must’ve once shielded the bed.
Kim Ki-won flopped down onto the bed with a wheeze. A cloud of dust exploded around him, making him cough violently, but he didn’t budge—just sat there, stubborn as ever.
“Why are these mobs popping up like crazy even when they don’t drop any items…?”
“That just means there must be another item somewhere else,” I said.
“Hah?”
He let out a disbelieving laugh.
“You’re more optimistic than I thought, Hunter Choi Ga-hyeon.”
“Is there any point in being pessimistic?”
“Guess that’s what makes an unmeasurable-grade Hunter different, huh? You’d probably come out of a pit of fire without a scratch!”
I sighed. The passive-aggressive comments were getting more frequent. He wasn’t even raising real complaints—just picking at every damn word I said, like he needed something to gnaw on. The kind of thing that made me want to punch a wall—or someone’s face.
Hold it in. Tae-beom might pick up on this.
“Thanks for the compliment,” I said flatly.
I ignored him and opened the drawer. First one. Nothing. Second. Still nothing. Then the third—something shiny caught my eye.
Beside me, Kang Si-hoo, who’d been silently watching my every move, suddenly widened his eyes.
“A key?”
“It’s a key, but…”
“It’s broken. In half.”
“Yeah.”
It was a large key, snapped clean through the middle.
“The other half is probably on the other path. Let’s head back to regroup.”
“What’s that?”
“A key,” I replied.
Kim Ki-won finally got off the dusty bed and walked over with a curious look. I gave a half-hearted answer, tossed the key into my inventory, and turned to leave the room.
“It’s about time. Let’s start heading back.”
“Hey, Hunter Choi Ga-hyeon.”
“What now? Why do you keep calling me?”
“Do I look like a pushover to you?”
‘What the hell is this now?’
I frowned reflexively. Kim Ki-won stomped his foot, his face twisted with anger. But even that ridiculous display didn’t faze me—I just raised a brow. For nearly two hours now, he’d been acting like everything about me was an irritant. Like he’d decided from the start to pick a fight.
“I asked if I look like a pushover,” he snapped.
“No.”
“Then why’ve you been ignoring me this whole time?”
I kept my voice as level as possible. “I haven’t ignored you. Weren’t you the one doing that?”
“Me? You’re saying I did that?”
He let out a sharp, disbelieving breath—“hah”—then kicked over the nearby table with a loud crash. Kang Si-hoo flinched and ducked behind me again.
“You little shit, Kang Cheol-su brat! Why don’t you come out from behind him?!”
“B-but…”
“No buts, you fucking brat. I’ve hated the way you talk down to me from the start. Guess it’s time someone taught you some manners.”
Kim Ki-won bared his teeth as he spat out curses, seething.
“You think standing next to Baek Tae-beom makes you something? Acting all smug just ‘cause your mana can’t even be measured and you got tagged ‘unmeasurable’? Giving orders to your elders like you’re some hotshot?”
“Mr. Kim Ki-won,” I said, calmly.
“Mr.? What the fuck’s that, you little shit? Can’t even use proper honorifics?”
He sneered and tapped my forehead with his finger. Even through the mask, I could feel Kang Si-hoo trembling behind me. Something was off. No matter how reckless someone might be, no Hunter in their right mind would act like this in the middle of a dungeon.
[Skill: Eye of the Dead]
[You have used a skill. Skill: Eye of the Dead.]
[Eye of the Dead is activated. You are granted the Constellation’s blessing.]
[Kim Ki-won of Waiting]
[Title: Waiting
Rank: B
Status: Madness
Contracted Constellation: None
Owned Coins: Unable to verify
Possessed Skills: [Iron Wall], [Endurance]]
An awakened one with no Constellation contract. Currently suffering from an abnormal status. Abnormal status? He hadn’t even taken a single hit.
This situation was going downhill faster than I’d expected.
“…Honorifics?” I repeated flatly.
“Yeah, call me Sunbae-nim. Unless you want your face smashed in.”
[The Constellation, ‘One More Dazzling Than the Sun,’ slowly rises.]
[The Constellation, ‘One Who Guides the Dead,’ watches with golden eyes.]
I kept my tone calm. “You really want to be treated like a senior? What’s the point in that?”
“Oh? So you’re really gonna keep running your mouth like this to the end? Alright then. Looks like you need to get punched in the face before you come to your senses.”
He smirked.
“Baek Tae-beom’s not here. You’re all alone. You think that freakish staff is going to protect you?”
Sorry to disappoint, but I’ve never once relied on that absurd staff for protection.
I didn’t say anything. There was no good response to give in that moment.
That’s when Kim Ki-won, trembling with rage, clenched his fist—and swung.
It came too fast for me to react.
Pain exploded in my cheek, and before I knew it, I was rolling across the floor, landing with a thud.
Did I just…
I blinked, pressing a hand to the burning side of my face. Ki-won stood over me, smug and satisfied.
…get slapped?
“Pathetic little shit,” he muttered, spitting on the ground in front of me.
Staying composed, I quietly reached out to Baek Tae-beom.
[The Constellation, ‘One Who Seeks to Escape Destruction,’ begs Baek Tae-beom to save him.]
[The Constellation, ‘One Who Seeks to Escape Destruction,’ screams to Baek Tae-beom that he’s going to die.]
Pathetic?
I let out a breathless laugh and looked up at him.
[The Constellation, ‘One Who Seeks to Escape Destruction,’ cries loudly into Baek Tae-beom’s shoulder.]
You’re dead.
