#11
Everyone headed toward the door without hesitation, and Seo Yi-young followed them in confusion.
Just as Seo Yi-young was about to pass through the door, he stopped. Another object that had fallen to the floor caught his eye. It was a fountain pen. He thought it strange that such a thing would be lying there, but there wasn’t time to dwell on it. For Seo Yi-young, who was in a dungeon for the first time, 30 seconds wasn’t that long.
Concluding it would be better to exit first and then either ask other Hunters or look it up on YouTube, Seo Yi-young went straight through the door.
Once outside, he felt nauseated again along with dizziness that made him light-headed. The symptoms were a bit more severe than when he’d entered the dungeon. A ringing in his ears made it impossible to focus. Seo Yi-young squeezed his eyes shut to endure the sensation.
After a moment, the ringing disappeared and the bustling voices of people stimulated his hearing.
“Congratulations on clearing the dungeon!”
“Hunter Seo Yi-young, how was your first dungeon with Hunter Choi Do-jun?”
“Please give us a comment!”
“This is the fastest time for clearing an S-Class dungeon. Please share your thoughts.”
About the same number of reporters who had been there when he arrived at the site were lined up waiting.
Choi Do-jun was nowhere to be seen. There wasn’t even time to look for him, as reporters kept bombarding Seo Yi-young with questions. It was as if Seo Yi-young had cleared the dungeon all by himself.
Even though Choi Do-jun was absent, this seemed a bit excessive.
Setting aside Choi Do-jun, who seemed to have left early, even the other Hunters were only looking at Seo Yi-young. They showed no signs of letting him leave easily. The public relations representative was also standing behind Seo Yi-young, watching him.
Everything pointed to one conclusion: Seo Yi-young had to face the reporters himself.
Realizing he couldn’t get help from anyone, he finally opened his mouth with difficulty.
But what should he say?
He hadn’t prepared any comments for such an interview.
Yet it wasn’t something he could avoid just because he disliked it. Seo Yi-young cleared his throat lightly.
“Thank you for waiting. I’m truly happy to receive such a warm welcome after completing the dungeon. As you can see, the raid was successful, and Hunter Choi Do-jun’s dedicated consideration, along with the help of Hunter Kim A-rin, Hunter Jo Yeon-woo, and Hunter Nam Jun-seok, was invaluable. I’m quite tired after finishing the raid. That’s all.”
Whether due to fatigue or his jumbled thoughts, he ended the press conference quickly, unable to think any further.
“We’ll take more detailed questions during the Q&A session at the upcoming press conference,” said the PR representative, finally stepping forward in front of Seo Yi-young. The rest could be left to him. Seo Yi-young moved to the back. Though he was walking, each step felt like the ground was shaking beneath him.
After entering the area where outside access was restricted, Seo Yi-young asked someone who appeared to be an official, “Where did Hunter Choi Do-jun go?”
“He went home.”
“Is that so? …I see.”
Though he had asked already knowing the answer, hearing it confirmed made him feel deflated.
He had used his ability, but it wasn’t satisfactory. To think he believed such basic practice would be sufficient for real combat—it was a miscalculation. If only he could have used his ability better. He felt pathetic for being so rattled by the injuries that he couldn’t use his ability as practiced.
He considered visiting Choi Do-jun’s quarters but decided it wasn’t a good idea to show up unannounced.
He hadn’t properly thanked him for saving him in the dungeon.
“What’s the schedule after this?” asked Seo Yi-young.
“There’s a press conference tomorrow morning,” replied the person standing next to him. Seo Yi-young thought that was fortunate. Though he felt he had been comfortable in the dungeon, he was extremely tired, perhaps from maintaining constant tension.
“Is that so? Then I’ll be going now. Thank you for your hard work.”
Let’s rest a bit first.
Seo Yi-young rubbed his face with both hands as he moved. A driver was waiting at the time of his exit, so he immediately got into the car.
“It’s good to see you after a long time.”
“Well done, sir. Shall I take you home?”
“Yes, please do that.”
After exchanging brief greetings, Seo Yi-young sank deep into the seat.
Upon returning home, Seo Yi-young exchanged a few words with Butler Choi who welcomed him, then went straight to bed without even washing up. The fluffy bed sheets smelled nice.
Though he wondered if it was normal to be this tired even after being tense, he couldn’t stay awake long. Seo Yi-young fell into a deep sleep before he knew it.
*
He was inside the dungeon.
When did I enter the dungeon?
Before the question could even fade…
Wasn’t the raid over?
He clearly remembered returning home and lying in bed.
…
…Or had safely exiting the dungeon after the raid been a dream?
The scene felt so real that Seo Yi-young couldn’t be certain, and he turned his head to look around.
He spotted Choi Do-jun on one side, facing off against monsters.
Yes, he needed to help him first.
Just as he was about to take a step—
“Hunter Seo!”
He momentarily froze at the sound of his name being called.
A vine shot toward Seo Yi-young. It moved too fast for him to block, and Choi Do-jun couldn’t come to his aid. It was aimed precisely at his heart.
I don’t want to die.
Not like this.
There’s still so much I want to do.
Thwack.
When he felt something pierce through his flesh, Seo Yi-young jolted awake in shock, his entire body stiff. His wide-open eyes revealed the perfectly peaceful scene of his room. He immediately sat up in bed.
Cold sweat trickled down his temple.
At that moment, someone grabbed Seo Yi-young’s shoulder. Startled, he swung his arm to shake off the hand, and there was the sound of hitting something. His hand felt sore. As he opened his mouth to scream, a familiar voice reached his ears.
“Hunter Seo Yi-young. It’s alright. You’re safe here. It’s alright. Hunter Seo Yi-young.”
Only after hearing the same words repeated a couple of times did he manage to suppress his trembling body and look around. The soft, cozy blanket. The well-organized room. It was no different from what he had seen right before falling asleep.
Only then did he realize he had been dreaming.
A nightmare.
When he came to his senses, Butler Choi came into view. Noticing that Seo Yi-young recognized him, he smiled with relief. He seemed accustomed to this, as if it wasn’t the first time. Butler Choi’s cheek was slightly reddened. It wasn’t hard to guess that he had been hit when Seo Yi-young swung his hand earlier. But he didn’t seem to mind at all.
“I’m glad you calmed down quickly today. Would you like me to stay until you fall asleep again?”
“No, I’m fine. You may leave. …Thank you.”
After Butler Choi left, Seo Yi-young remained still for a while, then felt his own body. Fortunately, there was no injury or pain anywhere.
It seemed the near-death experience wouldn’t be easily forgotten.
With his eyes closed, he pressed his forehead with his hand. As he curled up and took deep breaths, he felt as if the fog surrounding him was clearing.
How long had he been like that?
Suddenly glancing out the window, he saw it was daylight. He must have slept for quite a long time. He was also incredibly hungry. The rumbling sound was no joke. People often compare stomach rumbling to thunder, and that was exactly Seo Yi-young’s condition right now.
Unable to sit still even for a moment, Seo Yi-young immediately got up and opened the bedroom door.
He needed to put something in his mouth right now. It felt like a matter of survival.
“You’re awake.”
Having heard the sound of the door opening, Butler Choi immediately came out to greet Seo Yi-young. He hadn’t expected him to be there. Seo Yi-young stopped in his tracks and hesitantly opened his mouth while looking at the mark on Butler Choi’s face.
“Um, Butler Choi, I’m sorry about earlier…”
“Please don’t mention it. I’ve prepared a meal.”
Seo Yi-young was grateful for Butler Choi’s unconcerned attitude.
“Really? Wow… Butler Choi, you’re my hero.”
Seo Yi-young said with sincerity. He walked to the dining room without hesitation and lost his mind at the sight of a table full of Korean food.
When he regained his senses, his cheeks were stuffed with food, and he was holding a piece of braised short rib in his hand, gnawing at it diligently.
It seemed he had grabbed another rib despite already having food in his mouth.
Seo Yi-young cleared his throat and first put down the utensils. He thought he should finish chewing and swallowing what was already in his mouth before eating more. As he chewed thoroughly and swallowed, he noticed three or four empty plates in his field of vision. They were completely clean, as if even the sauce had been scraped off.
“Would you like more?”
At Butler Choi’s voice, Seo Yi-young blinked.
“Ah. No, I mean… Did I eat all this?”
“Yes, that’s right. Shall I prepare more?”
“Ah-. …No. Yes. No, no. Um, for now, no. Thank you. I’ll let you know if I need more.”
Seo Yi-young was confused. To think he had eaten all this. He had no memory of it.
Seo Yi-young picked up a nearby fruit juice and sipped it.
Never in his life had he eaten like this. He liked delicious food and would seek it when hungry, but not to this extent—he had absolutely never lost memory of eating. He wondered if this reaction might be due to his being an Awakened One, which seemed a reasonable curiosity.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
