#22
Choi Do-jun, who received the report before Seo Yi-young, quickly flipped through the pages and read it. As Seo Yi-young watched him, his face gradually soured.
It was exactly the same face and expression as when he read the complaint in the previous dimension.
Well, Choi Do-jun is Choi Do-jun, so what would be different?
With that calm and cold expression, he would read complaints and then unleash such cutting remarks that one might suspect he had knives on his tongue.
“…”
It felt like a terrible trauma was creeping up on him.
Inwardly, he quietly repeated, “He’s a different person, a different person,” but it wasn’t easy to separate them.
Seo Yi-young closed his eyes, made a small groaning sound, and began to skim through the materials submitted by the preliminary investigation team 2. However, he hadn’t read much before he frowned.
In the mob’s main attribute section, it was written ‘Humanoid.’
Having become somewhat accustomed to the strange twisting sensation felt when entering dungeons, he could at least avoid the unseemly staggering he’d shown at first.
Unlike the new-type dungeons with scenery that seemed impossible in reality, this was a typical forest environment not much different from outside the dungeon. The scent of fresh greenery filled his lungs.
This was his first original dungeon, so he stepped forward nervously.
Seo Yi-young walked, watching Choi Do-jun’s back ahead of him.
Even as they moved, they could hear bird songs and insect sounds. The wind carried the scent of grass and flowers. It was certainly very different from new-type dungeons.
It was so peaceful that it felt like they were just hiking, but since mobs could appear from anywhere, they continued forward while maintaining their vigilance.
“Huh? Over there… is that a person, no, a mob?”
Everyone’s eyes widened at someone’s voice. Though no one spoke, signs of agitation spread. They had seen reports about humanoid mobs, but they hadn’t expected such a normal-looking form. They had vaguely imagined something grotesquely twisted in appearance.
Only the back was visible at the moment, but it was properly dressed and walked normally.
Is that typical for humanoid types?
Seo Yi-young was confused, but judging by the reactions of the other hunters, this wasn’t an ordinary situation.
At this level, wouldn’t communication be possible? However, no one dared to act rashly. The air felt tense.
“Uh…”
It seemed to have heard the rustling sounds made by the hunters as they entered.
After staggering once, it suddenly turned its head and looked in their direction. As soon as they saw its face, the hunters gasped.
Only the clothes it wore were normal.
As preliminary investigation team 2 had reported, it was a humanoid mob. Moreover, it was an aggression-type.
There was a reason it was called human’oid.’
Though it had a human appearance, communication didn’t seem possible. That’s because its skin was melting down like candle wax. The muscle tissue beneath the skin was even visible. The mob was moving in that state.
This was closer to a zombie.
It would have been better if it was the type that wouldn’t react unless attacked first.
Do they really have to face mobs like this?
“Grrraah!”
It was on a completely different level from previous mobs. It would feel like killing another human, or at least something that was once human.
“Move aside.”
While other combat hunters hesitated, Choi Do-jun was the first to step forward, as expected.
He aimed precisely at the mob’s head like a laser and fired, shattering its head.
SPLAT!
After a sound like something bursting, the mob’s brain matter scattered.
It really was human.
…
No, it wasn’t human. The proof was clear as loot dropped where it fell, confirming it wasn’t human. But still.
“Ugh, urgh!”
Someone from the rear support team vomited at the sight. Seo Yi-young felt the same urge.
But there was no time to stand dazed.
As one fell with a thud, others that had been hiding in the grass began to emerge one by one. Choi Do-jun quickly began to dispatch the mobs and move forward. There wasn’t a hint of hesitation in his movements.
Choi Do-jun literally “wiped out” the mobs with “insane firepower.”
When he had first entered a dungeon with Choi Do-jun and had no basis for comparison, he hadn’t really known, but now he could clearly see.
Choi Do-jun was a crazy cheat code.
The other hunters who had entered the dungeon together couldn’t close their mouths as they watched him conquer the dungeon. Choi Do-jun, with his overwhelming offensive power, pushed back the mobs before they could attack the other hunters, so the others only had to deal with a few mobs that had evaded his attacks, making it not too challenging.
Severed limbs flew through the air, and burst eyeballs rolled on the ground. In previous dungeons, there had only been a vague fear of mobs, but now there was an added taboo that was hard to describe, causing disgust, fear, and revulsion.
“Wow… I’ve participated in dungeon conquests over 30 times, but this is truly amazing.”
Even Hunter Kim Mok-woo, the eldest in the current conquest team, wagged his tongue while watching Choi Do-jun.
The other hunters seemed to be surprised by similar points.
One was Choi Do-jun’s astonishing conquest speed.
The other was his relentless attacks.
Mixed with the admiration was also shock.
Indeed, despite the mobs having human appearances, Choi Do-jun showed no hesitation. Even A-Class hunters with extensive dungeon conquest experience had initially hesitated to attack, but Choi Do-jun truly seemed to feel no emotion.
Two people who appeared to be hunters who had entered the original dungeon to collect the dropped loot seemed to be so disgusted that they couldn’t even eat properly.
“…Wow, how can a person be like that?”
“Look, one of the hunters over there can’t even eat.”
“He’s amazing. That’s why he’s S-Class.”
All the whispers were audible. It certainly appeared that way.
People often use the term “bloody smell,” but it was in this dungeon that he first truly understood why the word “fishy” was attached to it.
Wherever Choi Do-jun went, the sounds of mobs howling and something bursting could be heard. Listening to this, Seo Yi-young sighed.
Soon, they discovered an abandoned village.
It looked like ancient-style private houses, and fortunately, some buildings were still intact. For now, they paused the dungeon conquest and set up camp.
It felt strange because items like tableware and bedding that someone had used were still there, as if people hadn’t disappeared too long ago. They explored carefully because mobs might appear, but fortunately, all the buildings were empty.
On the first day, the combat hunters who had taken the lead sat with their backs against the wall, their faces pale and silent.
Other hunters didn’t readily approach them.
Understandable.
They were only called mobs, but in reality, it must have felt no different from killing people.
What one sees is that important. Even in previous dungeons where animal-type mobs appeared, it had been quite grueling, but this seemed even worse in comparison.
Each time hunters killed a mob, there were sounds of bones breaking and muscles tearing. Even Seo Yi-young, who wasn’t a combat hunter and stayed in the back, was disgusted, so how much worse must it have been for the combat hunters who faced them directly? He had thought he had become somewhat accustomed to dungeons, but Seo Yi-young retracted that thought.
This was something one could never get used to.
Seo Yi-young suddenly looked at Choi Do-jun, who was sitting at a distance.
Would he be okay after experiencing this?
At a glance, he seemed unaffected.
Or had he become so accustomed to it that he appeared okay?
It was hard to tell. But seeing him sitting alone bothered Seo Yi-young, so he approached him with a water bottle.
“Drink.”
Choi Do-jun raised his head at Seo Yi-young’s voice.
How could he maintain such an expressionless face, as if not a drop of blood would come out even if he were stabbed?
It was secretly impressive.
However, Choi Do-jun just stared at the water bottle Seo Yi-young offered and then ignored it, standing up. It was an awkward moment for the kindly offered water bottle. But surprisingly, he didn’t feel that bad about it.
Was it because he had seen everything Choi Do-jun had done since entering this dungeon with his own two eyes?
He thought, it must be difficult for him.
Of course, that was just Seo Yi-young’s imagination.
In reality, Choi Do-jun might not care that much.
But still, it was hard to think that he wasn’t affected at all.
People can only think based on their own values. So when Seo Yi-young imagined what it would be like for Choi Do-jun to kill the mobs in this dungeon, he couldn’t help but think that even someone like Choi Do-jun would be mentally troubled.
Even if he had acted as despicably as he did in the previous dimension.
Seo Yi-young stood up, took Choi Do-jun’s hand, and placed the water bottle in it.
It was because he hadn’t seen him eat or drink anything during the break.
As expected, Choi Do-jun gave a look that seemed to ask what on earth he was doing. But Seo Yi-young breezily brushed it off and said:
“Drink. You’re thirsty.”
“What are you doing?”
“Can’t you see? I’m giving you water to drink. Don’t worry. I’ll just give you this and then go away.”
After quickly saying what he wanted to say, Seo Yi-young withdrew from the spot. Choi Do-jun’s gaze stung the back of his head. But fortunately, it didn’t seem like he would throw or discard the water bottle.
After all, Choi Do-jun is human too, and he would get tired if he moved like that without drinking a drop of water.
Watching him stubbornly resist, Seo Yi-young couldn’t help but shake his head. He must have his reasons.
Having achieved his modest goal of providing water, Seo Yi-young also didn’t stay any longer.
Everyone composed themselves and ate.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
