#85
Handling all the healing alone. The burden and weight of it was considerable.
It was especially so because the hunters forming the team were S-Class and A-Class. They occupied important positions for conquering dungeons in the future. If they were lost in this dungeon, it would lead to an enormous loss of combat power for future dungeon raids.
Since they couldn’t know what kind of environment the dungeon would be, they entered carefully.
Considering the possibility that the dungeon might be difficult to endure right from the entrance, the hunter with the highest HP, fully buffed, took the lead with Seo Yi-young following right behind. This was to immediately heal in case problems arose and someone became incapacitated. But such concerns proved unnecessary—it was an unremarkable dungeon with an endless desert stretching out. It was so quiet that the only sounds were the occasional sniffling and coughing of a hunter who had caught a cold. Not only did it not live up to the name “Disaster-class,” it was even boring as far as dungeons go.
“What the… They said it was Disaster-class, but this is nothing special?”
“It’s just a desert?”
Everyone advanced with puzzlement. But despite not having walked far, the hunters, who possessed much stronger stamina than ordinary people, strangely showed signs of fatigue. Perhaps the degree of stamina consumption was different because it was a Disaster-class dungeon. As Seo Yi-young was about to heal them, Choi Do-jun approached and spoke.
“What’s wrong with your hands?”
At Choi Do-jun’s comment, Seo Yi-young looked down at the back of his hands with an expression that seemed to ask what he was talking about.
“Huh?”
Seo Yi-young was surprised at the sight of his hands, then his mouth fell open as he looked at the back of Choi Do-jun’s hands. The issue wasn’t just with his hands. Choi Do-jun was in no position to talk about others. Wrinkles were visible on the backs of both their hands. Not only had wrinkles appeared, but their skin also lacked elasticity and felt dry. Similar phenomena were occurring simultaneously. This meant that getting tired faster than usual wasn’t simply a stamina issue.
As Seo Yi-young and Choi Do-jun exchanged glances after alternately looking at each other’s hands, the voices of other hunters could be heard.
“What is this?”
“Are there wrinkles on your face…?!”
“Gasp. Oh my God… What’s happening?”
Voices filled with shock erupted from all around. Everyone had wrinkles forming on their faces, and some even had age spots. What all these phenomena clearly pointed to was aging.
The longer they stayed in the dungeon, the faster the aging process—they had never seen a dungeon with such conditions before.
The other hunters seemed to feel the same way, unable to hide their agitation.
“Wh-what??”
“AHHH!”
The hunters shouted in panic as mobs rose up, parting the sand. What emerged were dozens of black pillars that extended countless leg-like appendages and began attacking the hunters. Just as Seo Yi-young was about to check if any hunters were injured, Choi Do-jun pushed him forcefully toward where the support hunters were.
The support hunters had already cast various buffs on the combat hunters and were creating defensive walls in preparation for the mobs’ attacks.
“Hey, what are you doing?!”
“Don’t get involved, just wait.”
“Choi Do-jun!”
Although Seo Yi-young protested, Choi Do-jun didn’t listen and immediately headed elsewhere. While it was true that no one was injured yet, so jumping in prematurely might be more of a hindrance, as with all dungeons, no one could predict who would get hurt and when.
He could cast healing from a distance, but with these mobs blocking the view, it was impossible to aim properly. If healing accidentally hit a mob in this situation, it would be sabotage rather than assistance.
However, Seo Yi-young’s worries didn’t last long. Though surprised by the ambush, the hunters, experienced in combat, quickly regrouped and began counterattacking.
There were many mobs, but if they cut the base, they could eliminate them quickly. The other hunters seemed to have the same idea, attacking from the base up. As the first hunter swung his kukri and cut one of the black pillars, a black liquid spurted out from inside.
“…Argh!”
A hunter nearby let out a sharp scream.
“My eyes! My eyes…! Ugh!”
Seo Yi-young immediately cast healing on the hunter who had collapsed between the black pillars, screaming in pain. Thanks to his practice, the healing didn’t accidentally hit the wrong person but reached the target directly. The recovered hunter exhaled roughly and shouted:
“This bastard’s fluid is hydrochloric acid! Be careful!”
But that wasn’t the end of it. From inside the severed black pillar, a new stem rapidly grew, regenerating to its original state. Moreover, it became even stronger than before.
“…Shit, it’s just one thing after another!”
Another hunter clicked his tongue and cursed. A green mist began slowly spreading across the floor. The color itself looked ominous, and a hunter who had fallen to the ground screamed as he got up. The arm of the hunter who had fallen and risen was turning a dark blue. It was a poisoning effect.
Just as a support hunter inside the protective barrier was about to use his ability, the ground shook violently with a loud noise. The hunter who was trying to neutralize the poison lost his balance and fell.
“It looks like something’s trying to break through the floor!”
“It’s going to break!”
“Put up another layer of protection!”
“Ten layers is the maximum! I can’t add any more!”
“Then what are we supposed to do?!”
With another “BOOM” from below, the cracks in the protective barrier covering the floor spread further.
At this rate, they would fall victim to the mobs. Clustered inside the barrier, how easy a prey they must look to the mobs. Rather than staying inside the barrier, wouldn’t their chances of survival be higher if they escaped?
It was hard enough dealing with the mobs, but with status ailments affecting them, it was difficult to perform at full capacity. The hunters’ poisoning seemed to be getting worse. Some hunters were managing with potions for now, but even that seemed to have its limits.
As the protective barrier was shaken by the mobs’ attacks, the support hunters cast poison removal. However, even with the poison removed, the aging wasn’t resolved. The hunters continued to age rapidly. Even these elite individuals were like sand castles crumbling in the face of aging.
Among them was Lee Chung-mo. They couldn’t afford to lose a single hunter. Even if that person was Lee Chung-mo.
If they left the protective barrier, they would be fully exposed to the poison mist and mob attacks.
But… Seo Yi-young looked down at his arm. The aging progressed even if they did nothing. When the body ages, reaction speed naturally slows down. How is this any different from sitting and waiting to die?
“What are you doing?!”
The support hunter An Byeong-wook, who was next to Seo Yi-young, grabbed his arm and shouted.
“I’m going out.”
“Are you insane?”
Seo Yi-young caught sight of tentacles whipping toward Lee Chung-mo. Normally, he would have been able to dodge such attacks and counterattack without difficulty. But the problem was the current status ailment.
“AAARGH!”
In the brief moment Seo Yi-young hesitated, a tentacle sliced past Lee Chung-mo’s arm, severing it. But no blood came out. Whether due to the poison, only a viscous fluid oozed out like mucus. If left alone, he would surely die.
With that thought, Seo Yi-young immediately rushed out of the protective barrier and cast healing on the hunters nearby. Hunters who seemed about to be overwhelmed instantly regained their strength and attacked the mobs. When he checked on Lee Chung-mo, his severed arm had been restored. Of course, his skin color, which had changed due to the poison, had also returned to normal.
After confirming everyone was safe, Seo Yi-young collapsed where he stood. The aging process affected not only others but Seo Yi-young as well. Unlike usual, he felt an intense fatigue. A ringing sound echoed in his ears. The hunters seemed to be saying something, but he couldn’t hear properly because of the tinnitus. Panting, Seo Yi-young immediately cast healing on himself. He couldn’t lose consciousness here. Then something unexpected happened.
His skin, which had lost its elasticity and sagged, returned to normal. Surprised, Seo Yi-young touched his face. The wrinkled face had also returned to normal. When he checked the hunters he had healed, they had all returned to their state when they entered the dungeon. It was a problem that could be solved with Seo Yi-young’s healing.
Good.
Seo Yi-young instinctively looked around.
Choi Do-jun.
Without realizing it, he was searching for him. Aging and poisoning were affecting all the hunters who had entered the dungeon, and Choi Do-jun would be no exception. If he was attacking from the front line, he would certainly not be taking care of his own condition. So he needed to be healed quickly.
No matter how strong Choi Do-jun was, if his physical body withered, it would be hard to overcome.
Seo Yi-young was so focused on finding Choi Do-jun that he wasn’t properly alert to his surroundings. Only when someone called his name did he feel a chill down his spine, and when he turned his head, he discovered tentacles flying toward him. If he could sustain an injury that he could self-heal from, it would be okay. Seo Yi-young gritted his teeth and stared directly at the approaching tentacles. It’s okay. It would just be terribly painful, not fatal. Of course, it would hurt a lot, but he wouldn’t die. He just needed to heal immediately afterward. …Though he really hated pain.
Seo Yi-young clenched his teeth. But the terrible pain he anticipated didn’t come. Seo Yi-young realized his body was floating up into the air. The one holding him was Choi Do-jun.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
