Chapter 167

I hadn’t said it expecting a real answer. I didn’t expect that kind of nerve from Do Yehyun anyway.

'Half a joke, really.'

I hadn’t killed anyone myself—why would Do Yehyun have?

But I was curious how he’d answer, so I held his gaze for quite a while. He looked at me steadily and spoke quietly.

“If it’s necessary.”

“Can you kill?”

“I don’t know.”

I studied him for a long moment, weighing whether it was just words blurted in the heat of the moment or something he meant.

Do Yehyun killing for me? Hm... I could kind of picture it, and also not yet.

'You don’t really know until it happens.'

I slowly let my hand fall and nodded.

“Alright.”

“......”

There wasn’t much point arguing this now anyway. I smiled and jerked my chin toward the path ahead.

“Let’s do it your way.”

“...You’re going to join them?”

“Yeah.”

It was the first time he’d pushed a suggestion this far; I could grant him that. Besides, in our current situation, I doubted a better plan would magically appear.

Just as we started to move, he suddenly gripped my arm tight.

“Why?”

“What I said just now... it wasn’t a lie.”

Not lying about handling someone? I nodded, unbothered.

“I never assumed you were lying.”

“......”

I wasn’t judging truth or falsehood—just feasibility.

I slid an arm around his shoulders and pulled him close.

“Let’s go.”

Either way, the priority was meeting those bastards again.

***

Maybe this dungeon’s maze didn’t shift, because finding our way back was easier than expected. It took a while, sure, but that was within expectations—not a problem.

We reached the entrance to their hideout.

“Here?”

“Yeah.”

Before stepping in, I stopped Do Yehyun and checked the entrance first.

'As expected.'

Judging by how suspiciously they’d gone in yesterday, I’d figured they had basic security set up. And sure enough.

A thin film blocked the opening—subtle enough you could walk past if you weren’t paying attention. Here and there it rippled, but unless you focused, you’d miss it.

'As expected.'

I didn’t know the details, but there was definitely at least one person inside who knew their way around machines.

“We shouldn’t go straight in.”

“It’s blocked?”

“Yeah.”

I picked up a rock and threw it at the film. It passed through instantly without catching.

'So it only triggers on living things?'

If it just set off an alarm, fine. If it was lethal, that was the problem.

I touched the wall lightly and thought for a moment.

'We only need to draw one person out.'

Since they’d gone to the trouble of setting up a security screen, this wasn’t some one-off hideout. Which meant there were people inside—maybe not everyone, but some for sure.

Decision made, I dragged the guard bracer up from my wrist to my forearm.

When I fed mana into my hand, a prickling sensation ran down my arm. That living presence in my palm right before using a skill always felt strangely new.

'Maybe I’m just feeling cowed lately.'

How many lives was I sealing into one arm?

Amused by the thought, I fired ice upward.

The ice swelled in an instant, punching through the faint film and boring inward.

I wasn’t trying to attack, so I didn’t bother solidifying the ice. The goal was to announce someone was outside, not to launch some half-baked assault.

I kept creating big, flimsy chunks of ice and shooting them inside.

'That should do it.'

After tossing in a few excessive blocks for good measure, I slowly drew my mana back.

For a moment, I felt the pulse of other living things running along my arm—then it faded.

“Let’s wait a bit.”

At this level, worry would drag them out.

I tipped my chin casually and took a step back.

After a short while, three people stepped over the ice debris and approached the wall.

'Saw him yesterday.'

Two crept forward cautiously—nothing remarkable about them. The one who caught my eye was at the rear, watching this side with wary focus.

He was the one who’d kept prodding the others yesterday when they came to collect Ryu Taejun.

From the conversation, he was probably the guy who rigged the communication device onto the molar.

They stared at us across the thin film for quite a while without trying to cross it.

We stayed locked in an odd standoff until the one in the middle finally stepped up and asked,

“Name?”

Rude little shit, cutting words like that.

Instead of answering, I looked the security screen up and down and asked,

“Can we come in?”

“If you can.”

Hmph. So it’s not just an alarm.

His voice stayed guarded and crooked. I rapped the wall and skimmed their Status Windows.

'Three F-ranks?'

I didn’t know what gave them the confidence, but numbers aside, it was a fight I could handle.

Still tapping the wall, I let a smile tug at my mouth.

“Looks like you set up something fun... I’m just worried I’ll die if I step wrong.”

No sooner had I said it than the one in back grabbed the front guy’s sleeve.

“Wait.”

“What?”

“Looks like the ones from yesterday.”

“What are you talking about?”

So I’m the quicker study here.

When the front didn’t get it, the guy frowned in frustration and spoke quietly,

“The ones who disappeared yesterday. There were three, right? They said only one was left.”

“You think the other two are them?”

“Probably.”

“......”

They started whispering among themselves, and the bickering resumed in low tones.

I waited, patient, for about a minute—then slammed the wall hard.

“......”

“......”

With a dull thud, all eyes swung to me. I looked them over briefly and spoke, unhurried.

“You’re the ones who came looking yesterday. Don’t play dumb. You planned to bring us back too, didn’t you?”

“......”

“If you abduct someone in broad daylight, you should expect a follow-up visit.”

“How’d you find this place?”

Only one out of three had a working brain. Depressing.

I shoved down my annoyance and answered,

“A hunch?”

“Don’t talk crap.”

“Then what, you think I tailed you?”

“......”

Of course I’d tailed them here.

I stared straight at the one in the back; he flinched, then murmured,

“Let them in.”

“Shut up.”

“Like he said, they were coming anyway. More hands are better.”

“......”

I nodded along to back him up and added, pleasantly,

“Exactly. You even sent a guy with a comms device in his mouth... didn’t you have things you wanted to discuss?”

“......”

“Let’s talk in person.”

***

In the end, they let me and Do Yehyun into their hideout.

“Not sure this is a good idea.”

“Wasn’t it Cheongmin who told us to find the other two? If they walked here on their own, we could just leave it.”

“Yeah, well, Gi Cheongmin happens to be out right now.”

“Fuck! Drop it already.”

While they kept their voices low and bickered, I took my time looking around inside.

'This place...'

I’d known there were big {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} clearings scattered through the maze, but this one was on a different level.

Huge trees stood here and there. Sleeping bags with the wear of daily use, and rough makeshift shelters dotted the area.

'A campsite?'

Even a cursory glance said they’d been here longer than a day or two. A fire pit, some kind of tent with unclear purpose, scorch marks everywhere.

Assuming three or four people per tent, there had to be at least a dozen gathered here.

I asked the one still wrapped up in the war of words,

“Where are the others?”

“...On a sweep. We’re on watch, so we stayed.”

“Uh-huh.”

So they sent out regular search parties? If they wanted to escape, why hadn’t they yet?

I turned the question over in my head when the guy who seemed to handle machines spoke up.

“You came to find your teammate?”

“That’s right.”

“......”

I answered flatly, finished scanning the area, then finally met his gaze.

“You did that, didn’t you?”

He knew I meant the security screen, and instead of answering, he flinched.

“And the little trick with the tooth yesterday—that was you too?”

“...You pulled the tooth?”

“I hit him a few times and it popped out on its own.”

“Don’t lie. It wouldn’t come out that easy.”

Paranoid, aren’t we.

If I had to grab one of them, this guy would be the most efficient pick.

I watched him in silence and came to a conclusion.

'This is the maze’s midpoint.'