Chương 2: Chapter 2:- The Day It All Began 2
The door ahead creaked open, revealing a dimly lit corridor that seemed to stretch on forever. The survivors hesitated, fear still thick in the air. But we had no choice.
We couldn't stay in the statue room any longer. One by one, we started moving, our footsteps echoing in the silence trying to get out of the room without catching the attention of any of those statues.
I stayed close to Jin-Woo, my mind racing. The words on the stone tablet, the command to kneel—it had saved our lives. But why? What was this place?
Jin-Woo didn't say much as we walked, his face pale and tense. I knew he was thinking the same thing I was: this dungeon wasn't like anything we'd faced before. It wasn't some ordinary dungeon, let alone a D-rank dungeon. The statues, the ominous atmosphere—everything was wrong.
Even though Jin-Woo was the weakest among us, he was always thinking about others. When the stronger hunters would laugh at him or ignore him, he never seemed to care. He just wanted everyone to make it out alive, no matter what.
I remember how he would offer help, even when it seemed pointless for someone like him. He never let his fear or weakness get in the way of trying to protect others. That's just the kind of person he was—kind, even when it didn't benefit him.
Before we had even made it near the gate, the second rule on the stone tablet had already sealed the fate of many hunters. "Praise the Lord." We had no choice but to bow and kneel, just like the tablet commanded. But even that wasn't enough.
Jin-Woo, who had read the second commandment carefully, looked around the hall. That's when he noticed something strange—the statues with weapons started attacking anyone who wasn't kneeling. Panic spread quickly.
"Wait!" Jin-Woo shouted, his eyes scanning the room. That's when he saw a few statues that weren't attacking. "Those statues aren't moving," he said, pointing toward the ones holding musical instruments.
Understanding hit him fast. "They're not attacking because they're holding instruments. We need to get to those statues!" he yelled.
We all ran toward the statues with the instruments, but it wasn't that simple. All of them stood under a single statue with instruments, yet some hunters were still getting attacked, screaming as they tried to dodge the deadly strikes.
It was then that I realized something. I had taken cover under one of the statues and noticed that the attacks stopped. But the person beside me was still in danger.
"One person per statue!" I shouted, my voice hoarse with fear. "Everyone, stand in front of your own statue!"
As soon as everyone spread out, standing under their own statue, the attacks finally stopped. We were safe, at least for now.
We had barely made it out alive. It wasn't just about surviving the monsters; it was about following the strange, deadly rules of this place.
The corridor led us to another room. It was smaller than the last but just as unsettling. At the far end stood a massive stone altar, and atop it, a glowing orb. It pulsed with a soft, eerie light, casting long shadows across the room.
Mr. Kim stepped forward, eyeing the orb warily. "Everyone, stay back," he ordered, though his voice lacked its usual confidence.
"What is that thing?" one of the hunters whispered, glancing around nervously.
"No idea," another replied. "But whatever it is, it can't be good."
We all stood there, frozen, unsure of what to do. The statues had already proven this dungeon wasn't playing by the usual rules. I had a bad feeling about that orb.
Suddenly, without warning, the orb flared up, its light growing brighter. The ground beneath us began to shake, and the air grew thick with an ominous energy. I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
"We need to get out of here," I muttered to Jin-Woo, gripping my dagger tighter.
Before we could make a move, a deafening roar filled the room. The altar split open, and from beneath it, something began to rise. A giant, shadowy figure emerged, its body shrouded in darkness, its eyes glowing red.
"What the hell is that?!" someone screamed, backing away in terror.
"It's... it's a boss monster!" Mr. Kim shouted, his voice trembling. "Everyone, prepare for battle!"
The higher-ranked hunters rushed forward, their weapons drawn, but it was clear that none of us were ready for what was coming. The shadowy figure swung its massive arm, and in an instant, three hunters were sent flying, crashing into the walls with sickening thuds.
"Jin-Woo, we need to go!" I grabbed his arm, panic rising in my chest.
But Jin-Woo didn't move. His eyes were locked on the monster, his face grim. "No... we can't leave them behind like that," he said quietly.
"They're stronger than us! They'll manage their way out of the place" I argued, my heart pounding. "We'll die if we stay here!"
He clenched his fists, his face showing that same stubbornness he had when he talked about protecting his mom and sister. "I can't just leave them. If we don't try, more people will die."
He hesitated, but before he could respond, the monster roared again, its red eyes locking onto us. It lunged, and we barely dodged its massive fist as it slammed into the ground, cracking the stone floor.
"We have to go, now!" I yelled, pulling him toward the door. But he resisted.
"I'm staying until everyone here gets out of here," Jin-Woo said, his voice firm. "Someone needs to help the others."
I stared at him in disbelief. "Are you insane? We're not strong enough for this! Think about your mother and sister."
He shook his head. "I can't run. Not when people's lives are at stake. I'm sure they would have wanted the same thing."
I knew this was Jin-Woo. Always putting others first, even when it didn't make sense. Always thinking about everyone else before himself. And right now, even though he was the weakest, he still wanted to protect everyone.
Sadly I'm not some saint like him, for me my mother and my well being and safety is the most important thing, I won't care or think about other people's wellbeing when I can't even guarantee my own safety.
Before I could argue further, the monster roared again, this time focusing on the other hunters. They were fighting, but it was clear they were outmatched. I could see the desperation on their faces as they struggled to land even a single blow on the creature.
Jin-Woo turned to me, his expression serious. "Listen... I need you to go. Now."
"What? No way! I'm not leaving you behind!" I protested.
"You have to," he insisted. "If things go bad here... If I don't make it out of here, someone needs to take care of my mom and Jin-Ah. And I know you can do that. Promise me, you'll look after them and take care of them in my stead."
I clenched my fists, anger and fear swirling inside me. "You can't ask me to do that..."
"Please," he said quietly, his eyes filled with determination. "If I don't make it out of here, you have to promise me you'll keep them safe."
I swallowed hard, my throat tight. "I... I promise."
With a final nod pushed me towards the door. Jin-Woo turned away from me, his focus shifting back to the monster. "Now go."
I didn't want to leave him, but I knew I had no choice. He wasn't going to back down, and if I stayed, we'd both die and atleast one of us needs to be alive to look after our family.
With one last glance at my friend, I turned and ran, pushing through the door and back into the corridor. My heart pounded in my chest, each step feeling heavier than the last.
Behind me, I could hear the sounds of battle—the clashing of weapons, the roars of the monster, the shouts of the hunters. But I didn't look back. I kept running, my mind racing with thoughts of Jin-Woo, of the promise I had made.
I barely noticed the world around me as I ran.
The corridors seemed to blur together, the dungeon a maze of dark tunnels and ominous chambers. But eventually, I found my way back to the entrance or so I thought, I actually ended up on the opposite side of the exit.
I kept running, my legs burning, my lungs screaming for air, but I didn't stop. Every sound from behind felt like a reminder that I was leaving Jin-Woo to face that monster alone. Guilt clawed at me, but I had to keep going. I had to get out. For him.
The corridor stretched ahead, the dim light barely enough to guide me. My heart pounded in my chest, every thud reminding me of the promise I had made. I couldn't break it. I wouldn't. Jin-Woo trusted me to look after his family, and I wouldn't let him down.
[A/N:- This is still a new fic, my priority still is MHA fic, which I wish to finish quickly, so I'm letting you know, the updates of this fic will be slow in comparison to mha fic, if you wish you can join my Patreon, where I'll be posting 6 chapters a week, 3 of MHA and 3 of this fic.
In the $8 tier, you'll get 12 advance chapters
While in the $3 tier you'll only get 4 advance chapters
Here is the link to my Patreon:-
https://patreon.com/EmperorNumix ]
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