'Don't tell me... don't tell me this is Soul Devourer!' Park Hyeonwhoo thought, his heart beginning to beat rapidly. Fear gripped him as he recalled the legends.
Lee Seung felt equally nervous. Yung's clothes were all that remained. Although it seemed unbelievable, it was as if his entire body had turned into smoke and vanished into the monster. His hands trembled at the thought of what had just happened.
That wasn't all. It also seemed that after the monster 'absorbed his soul,' it increased in strength, making the atmosphere more eerie and instilling fear in everyone. The oppressive air felt thicker, each breath a struggle.
"Everyone, run! Run if you value your life!" Park Hyeonwhoo shouted in an anxious, cautioning tone. His voice quivered, betraying his desperation.
Everyone was shocked by his command. How bad was the situation for their leader to decide to flee? Jiwoo's eyes widened in disbelief. Was their strongest fighter really telling them to run?
"Didn't you hear what I said? Run away!" Park repeated, sprinting toward the exit. The urgency in his voice snapped them into action.
"Let's move quickly!"
"Come on, get to the exit, Jiwoo!" Lee Seung urged, grabbing Jiwoo's arm and pulling her along. His grip was firm, but his eyes were filled with terror.
Suddenly, as the team raced toward the small exit, the monster widened its palm in their direction. A dark mist mysteriously cobwebbed the path and vanished after a few seconds, leaving an ominous chill in the air.
"The exit is gone!" Lee Seung shouted, pointing at the transformed path. His voice cracked with panic.
After the mist cleared, the path they had taken into the boss chamber was blocked by the same dark stone that made up the walls, now merged seamlessly. The realization hit them like a sledgehammer.
Simply put, the chamber had no entrance anymore. All that surrounded the anxious hunters were dark walls. The oppressive silence amplified their dread.
Jiwoo fretted, "How are we going to get out now?! We are trapped inside!" Her voice was loud and trembling, filled with the fear of ending up like Yung. She only wanted to survive, knowing she must stay alive for her boyfriend's sake—besides, she was all he had.
Lee Seung looked at Park Hyeonwhoo desperately. The man was staring anxiously at the floor, panting lightly. It was clear he didn't have the courage to face the monster either. But why? Wasn't he strong?
'Please come up with a plan, Mister Park! We'll all die at this rate!' Lee Seung thought, his mind racing with fear and frustration.
In that moment, Park's voice emerged, low and strained, "I can't believe we are unfortunate enough to meet the legendary evil spirit, Soul Devourer. It escaped from a relic several millenniums ago, and history has it that it took down a city on its own..." His voice trailed off, filled with a mixture of awe and terror.
A gentle step approached them, but they didn't notice it, too absorbed in their fear. The air grew colder, and an unnatural silence settled.
"As a matter of fact, its power is above S-rank monsters. So we don't stand a chance against it!" The man spoke with every hint of fear. His face had grown tense in that brief moment, and sweat oozed from it.
'Stronger than the strongest beasts?! We're doomed!' Seung thought, his face becoming pale. The reality of their predicament sank in.
DAHH!
Park's eyes widened once he turned around. The nightmarish figure was dashing rapidly toward him, despite its size, while raising a punch high in the air. Time seemed to slow down as the monster closed in.
"Everyone, get down..." He tried to warn the others, but before he could complete his statement, the punch hit his chest brutally, and he crashed into the wall. The impact was bone-crushing.
"Argh!!!" The man gasped as he found himself back on the floor. Multiple vibrations soared through his head, and his heart ached in an inexplicable manner. He tried to get up but couldn't, due to the pain. His vision blurred, and he tasted blood.
He couldn't believe the creature had been carefully watching them when they were distracted and performing a sneaky attack on him. Park Hyeonwhoo sighed lightly, then chuckled weakly, "You're always one step ahead, aren't you?"
Meanwhile, the team members had heeded Park's earlier warning, and now, they were right behind the monster. The tension was palpable, each second dragging on interminably.
Seongjin and Minho stood directly behind it at about three meters, while Lee Seung and Jiwoo were standing by a distant wall. The two men exchanged a determined glance.
As soon as the Soul Devourer turned around, Seongjin's and Minho's blades began to swirl with an orange arcane energy. Their faces bore an unsettling thirst for revenge. They looked very serious about inviting the creature for a fight. The air around them seemed to crackle with energy.
Swoosh...
The creature dashed towards them. With a sense of cooperation, Minho moved to its right side while Seongjin went to the other. Their movements were synchronized, a dance of deadly precision.
Observing this, Park Hyeonwhoo chuckled weakly, "I see where this is going." His voice was faint, but a glimmer of hope shone in his eyes.
Spontaneously, the two men raised their orange-swirling daggers high in the air, energy crackling at the tips of their weapons as they converged above the monstrous creature.
Just then, four transparent walls swirling with arcane energy fenced the creature. This magical formation, originally devised by the four Hunters, was their trump card in dangerous operations.
"Yung is gone, and Park can barely stand. The rest of us must push our limits to keep the monster at bay," Seongjin said, his voice strained with determination.
The monster pounded against the transparent walls.
"Boom, boom!!!"
Minho coughed up blood, pushing himself beyond his limits to resist the force of the monster.
"Minho! Are you alright?" Seongjin asked, his brows furrowing with concern.
Minho replied weakly, "Does it really matter? As long as I can save everyone from this place, I'm ready to sacrifice myself."
Seongjin nodded grimly, understanding Minho's resolve. They called themselves Hunters, yet had lost a teammate due to cowardice.
He gritted his teeth and channeled more arcane energy. "Be my guest, Soul Devourer!"
Lee Seung hesitated nearby. "Shouldn't I be helping them?" he wondered. "This is what got Yung killed. No one was truly ready to work as a team. All we wanted was our share of the profit or treasure."
He walked a little away from Jiwoo. She glanced at him nervously, as if she had known what he was going to do.
An array of lightning crackled on Lee Seung's palm, and the Shadow Blade appeared. His eyes gleamed with azure light, and his stance balanced.
'I already know that this monster doesn't have what I was looking for. So, instead of slacking off, I must ensure that I stay alive. For my sister.'
When Park saw him walking closer to the formation, he thought the guy was crazy after all. How could a person like him think of facing such a formidable creature?
"Back off, young man! Don't you see how dangerous the situation is?! Back off!" Park Hyeonwhoo warned Lee Seung.
However, Lee Seung continued to close the distance between himself and the formation.
'I am not a washed-up fighter, old man.'
Minho was shocked to see him.
"What... what are you doing here?" He asked, almost yelling, as he suffered extreme pain. He feared he would black out once his energy was exhausted while containing the monster.
"You guys are only imprisoning the beast, but it'll continue to attack when your energies deteriorate," Lee Seung said, standing behind Seongjin. "Let's fight together, big bros. We can-"
Seongjin cut in, angrily, "The problem is that you're not strong enough. If you enter the formation, the monster will overpower you, which may affect our magic too. So stop being a distraction and back OFF!"
Just then, Jiwoo remembered that Park Hyeonwhoo was injured. She had been distracted throughout the operation, neglecting her role. Quickly, she rushed over to him and knelt down to his eye level.
"Please close your eyes, Mr. Park. I'm going to heal you."
Park Hyeonwhoo nodded and complied.
Jiwoo pressed her palms together, closing her eyes as well. A violet light shone in the gap between her palms. She turned her hands towards Park Hyeonwhoo, and the violet energy enveloped him from head to toe.
Seung sighed loudly. "I'm sure Yung wouldn't want us to end up like him. Please, let me help."
***
[In Seoul]
At a rooftop terrace, a squad of men in high-quality gear marched into a chopper. Some were equipped with firearms, others with blades. Once everyone was inside, the pilot stepped out and informed, "Sir, the creature has been located in Gangnam, near Ivory Tower. It's a rank S."
Before the pilot stood a man with a stoic expression and a cold-looking lady.
"Uhm, S-rank," Kim Seijin mumbled, adjusting his spectacles. "Eunji, do you know why A-rank Hunters are referred to as first class?"
"Not at all, Director Kim," Eunji replied swiftly.
"It's because S rankers can't be compared with other Hunters. Their powers are unmatched, and their presence paralyzes onlookers with inferiority. Therefore, they are called 'Legendary Lords,'" Seijin elucidated. "As these metahumans are exceedingly powerful, so are the equivalent rank of monsters. That's why this covert mission is very important, and we should be ready to sacrifice our lives if need be. Understood?"
"Very well, Director," Eunji and the pilot said, bowing their heads.
[Back in the dungeon]
The formation was briefly opened to allow Lee Seung inside. They had no choice but to heed his request as he was too adamant.
Snarl!!
The beast delivered a punch toward Seung, but he sidestepped the assault and leapt onto its broad shoulder. The monster's chest was shrouded in darkness as it towered close to the ceiling, with the only illumination coming from the lightning of Seung's Shadow Blade. The air was thick with a foul stench, and the oppressive silence was broken only by the monster's guttural snarls.
Without hesitation, he activated Dread Strike and struck its serpent-like head. But to his astonishment, the screen didn't pop up as it was supposed to. Seung's brows furrowed. It was unusual for the 'AI' not to react. He recalled his fight with the D-rank criminal—where the 10% damage was displayed immediately after using the skill.
What was happening?
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The monster snarled again, and Seung smelled an offensive odor from its mouth—creepy and irritating.
'Bleh!' Lee Seung almost threw up and quickly jumped back to the ground, rubbing his nose. 'Kunf. I see not only your magic is used in killing.'
He activated Shadow Manipulation, but the result was the same.
"Seriously?" he pondered.
Before he knew it, the dark wide fist had already slammed him to the floor. The tiles shattered, and blood started to ooze out from beneath him. Seung gasped repeatedly, unable to stand. Each attempt sent searing pain through his spinal cord, forcing him back down. Blood dripped from his forehead, evidence of the attack's severity.
He pushed up with great effort. "I won't...die here..."
At that moment, the monster stamped on him.
"ARGH!" He vomited a mouthful of blood as the attack landed. Fearing for his life, the Hunters destroyed the formation themselves. With his remaining energy, Minho assaulted the monster with ultrasounds—his special ability. The high-pitched sounds pierced through, affecting the nervous system of anyone nearby.
The other team members blocked their ears, except Lee Seung. The sounds were unbearable, heating his heart, liquefying his bones, and suffocating him. Despite the uproar, the monster hurled Minho into the air with an invisible force and used it again to pick up the Shadow Blade, thrusting it through Minho's chest.
"Get down, Min-" Park Hyeonwhoo paused, tears streaming down his face. "Minho! Not again..."
Jiwoo curled downward, gentle tears pouring down her cheeks. Her breathing shuddered, and she muttered some words. The dagger was inscribed in Minho's chest, red hue spreading on his white shirt. His eyes gently closed as he fell lifelessly to the ground.
'This...this isn't right. No, it's my fault. He wouldn't have died if I had listened to him.' Lee Seung raised his hand weakly toward the body, sobbing silently. He felt an overwhelming urge to crush the monster's soul, to avenge Minho and Yung. But he couldn't rise.
As the monster's body swirled with golden light, Seongjin ran to stop it from repeating its actions. The creature used its invisible power to remove the dagger from the corpse, and in the next second, Seongjin's headless body hit the floor.
"Ahhh!" Jiwoo shouted, covering her mouth. Her breathing trembled more, and her eyes widened. "He is...he is...dead as well."
Park Hyeonwhoo blamed himself for the team's downfall. As the leader, he was supposed to ensure their safety at the expense of his own. But, instead of doing that, he was greedy for his own portion of the profit. He believed no one in the world was as pathetic as he was.
"Jiwoo," he said, a light smile on his face.
"Yes?" she responded, her voice trembling.
"Forgive me, I should have listened to you earlier. I promise to take full responsibility for the rest of you," he vowed earnestly. Jiwoo's eyes followed his ascent, her heart pounding with uncertainty as he walked toward the monster.
"Mister Park! You don't-" Her voice hollered at him.
"I only want to plead with the monster to let us go. You need not worry," he assured, though his internal struggle was palpable. "I've done extensive research on monsters. They can sometimes be swayed by praise. I promise, I'll get us out of here."
"Ahjussi," Jiwoo whimpered, her heartbeat slowing as she clung to a fragile hope. Perhaps he could appeal to the creature's unknown weaknesses.
Park Hyeonwhoo moved toward the monster despite its continuous angry snarls. The beast closed the distance, but when Park knelt a few steps away, it stopped.
Silence...
An oppressive hush set in, broken only by the distant sound of dripping water and the pained moans of a human.
Park Hyeonwhoo pressed his palms together, raising them high in the air. Bowing his head to the ground, he began to praise:
"In the presence of the mighty dungeon god, I, your humble servant, offer myself as a sacrifice, for your greatness knows no bounds. Your divine strength protects us all, and your dominion over this sacred realm fills us with awe..."
Lee Seung watched Park's desperate act as the monster inched closer.
"Mister Park! You have to stop now!" Jiwoo shouted, her voice trembling with awe and fear.
Nonetheless, Park continued, "...As I lay my life at your feet, I plead for your mercy upon my companions. Spare their lives, O revered guardian of the dungeon, and may your majesty shine forevermore in this hallowed domain."
Snarl, snarl!!
Buzz!
"Let go of him, you monster!" Jiwoo shouted at the peak of her voice. The monster had lifted Park into the air, absorbing his soul just as it had with Yung. She screamed again, "You godforsaken creature, I won't let you take him away! Let go already!"
But that was where it ended.
Hiss...
Park vanished as well.
Lee Seung wished he could have prevented his demise. He had hoped for the screen to refill his energy, but it didn't. He was now on the verge of losing his mind.
Tears rolled down his cheeks. 'Yung, Seongjin, Minho, Mister Park, please forgive me. If only I was strong enough, I could have saved you guys. It's all my fault!'
On the other hand, Jiwoo knew this was the end for her too. The E-rank guy, the only fighter left, couldn't stand anymore, let alone protect her.
'There's absolutely no one. I have to make my own decision, whether my soul gets trapped in darkness forever or I put an end to my life myself.' Following that, she unzipped the bag and took the dagger she had given to Seung.
Without hesitation, she plunged it into her chest.
"No!" Lee Seung screamed in agony.
Her body fell flat below.
That was her end too.
Seung gritted his teeth tightly, summoning all the strength remaining in him to stand up, though it was painful.
He panted lightly. "I can still kill you, fucker. Don't be-"
But before he knew it, the monster had flashed to his front and kicked him into one of the pillars fencing the altar.
Sounds of bones breaking echoed through the chamber.
He winced loudly.
Jolted to the floor, he leaned weakly against the pillar. Gently opening his eyes, he was surprised to see the monster in front of him again; punches began to fly in like a thunderstorm.
Bang!!!
The pillar shattered into pieces and Seung's head hit the altar. His sight blurred, and he feared he was gradually losing consciousness. In an interval of five seconds, the altar was overly covered with blood.
"I'm not going to die easily, fucking bastard. So don't be cocky already," he cursed, his voice showing a low hint of energy in it.
Truth be told, he was very scared right now. It was only a matter of one step for him to cross to the other world. He didn't want to die like this. He also wanted to hang out with friends, go clubbing like other kids do, and go on a date.
'What a fool I was. I thought by creating clones, I would do most of the things I've never done before. But I ended up using them to fight monsters alone.'
He gasped as he lost more blood.
'However, during those times, I knew I really wanted to survive. That's what gave me strength to overcome my obstacles. I still have a long way to go! Only if my death can be prevented...
Slash!
Clatter!
Seung saw his blade clatter on the altar by his left side. No, that's not the only thing there. There was something familiar beside the dagger.
'Wait, isn't that...an arm?!'
It was then he realised blood was gushing out of his left shoulder.
'My...arm is gone!'
Tears lined up on his eyelids at this revelation. He had just been crippled by the monster.
'No! This isn't possible! No fucking way this isn't an illusion! My arm...!' he cried.
There was no faking it; his arm had been cut. Then, he saw the dagger rise again, this time directly facing his neck. His heart raced.
'What's going to happen now? Am I-?'
The dagger relentlessly jabbed into his throat. Suffocation set upon him. A sensation as if his head and the remaining body had been disconnected. Neither pain nor agony could explain how he was feeling right now.
"Orgh...orgh...help me. Some-one, please...help..."
His eyes were forced to close. He was just a sixteen-year-old boy; death shouldn't be his portion already.
Gradually, air stopped circulating in him, and a part of his brain, whether the brainstem or another part, was telling him he was finally dead.
--------
Suddenly, Lee Seung awoke on a frigid surface. Astonishingly, the sky was entirely azure and devoid of the sun.
Of course, he realized this wasn't the dungeon at all.
"Am I truly dead? Is this heaven?"
Springing to his feet, he examined his surroundings further. He found himself in an expansive place with a chilly atmosphere that carried the scent of perfumes. It was indeed soothing.
The surface was icy, though not completely.
Brim!
"What the hell is that?" He was momentarily startled by the sound. But his eyes widened the moment he saw what was before him.
It was the screen that had refused to open when he was in peril.
[Side Quest: Survive a fight for six hours.]
[Status: Completed.]
[Congratulations. You are now eligible to become a Mutant.]
[Options: Accept, Decline.]
[If you decline, you won't get the chance to be resurrected. Please accept quickly, you have just five seconds to decide.]
[Countdown: 5, 4, 3, 2...]
[...1]
[Countdown is over.]
[Option chosen:...] [Accept]
[Hang on tight, you will begin to mutate with the System. This is just the beginning.]
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