"Kuaaaaah!"
Blue flames erupted on the body of Eun Sang-min, who had been confidently leading the way. The energy protectors equipped on his shoulders flickered incessantly.
Screaming, he rolled on the ground. The energy protectors only absorbed the damage, but the pain was entirely his to bear.
"Aaaaah!"
Han Ha-rin and I, startled, rushed toward Eun Sang-min. In a hurry, I took off my top and tried to smother the flames on his rolling body. But they wouldn't go out.
The blue color suggested these weren't ordinary flames.
"Dammit. There's no water here…! Senior Sang-min, are you okay?!"
"Ahhh! Aaah!"
"There's gotta be a way… Senior! Mana release! Try using mana to put out the fire!"
The method I came up with was forcibly exploding the mana inside his body to extinguish the blue flames. Even if they weren't normal flames, I thought mana could do it.
"Kuaaaah!"
But Eun Sang-min seemed too panicked to hear me properly. The agony of his body burning made it impossible for him to regain his senses.
"Senior Ha-rin! Can't you use gravity to put out the flames?!"
"Impossible! Those aren't normal flames. If gravity could extinguish them, they'd have been gone already!"
"Huuaaaah!!"
Eun Sang-min let out a scream-like shout and released his mana. But the blue flames only shrank momentarily before flaring up again.
"Give up. The mana release from your level can't extinguish Inferno."
I turned toward the voice. Three people, who had been hiding behind a tree, revealed themselves. Two men and one woman.
One of the men held a spear, and the blonde woman carried a bow. My gaze fixed on the man in the center.
A black-haired man wearing a black coat, holding no weapon. He stared at us with an expressionless face.
'It's Kang Seok-soo!'
Kang Seoksu. A C-rank Hunter and a mage.
A few years ago, newspapers and TV had excessively hyped him as Korea's greatest genius mage, so I knew of him.
'That bastard wasn't there on the assembly day.'
Thinking back, there was no strict rule saying everyone had to attend the assembly day.
"It's over."
At Kang Seok-soo's words, I quickly looked at Eun Sang-min.
The blue flames on his body vanished. And the energy protector on his shoulder turned from blue to red. Elimination confirmed.
"We'll take the eliminated participant now."
An association employee who had been observing the situation helped Eun Sang-min up. Though his body bore no wounds, he was breathing heavily.
"Fuck…"
Eun Sang-min's faint muttering was clearly audible as he was led away.
Twang!
An arrow flew toward us. I swiftly drew my sword and deflected it, then glared at the woman who had shot it.
The blonde woman. It didn't seem dyed—her hair color likely changed due to awakening.
She had a B-cup chest and a slender figure with long limbs. Though not as striking as Eun Sang-min, she was undeniably quite a beauty.
"You two should be eliminated like that guy."
Kang Seok-soo swung his right hand. A magic circle of light formed in front of him, and a watermelon-sized spike of rock shot toward us at considerable speed.
"I'll block it."
I didn't dodge. Because of Han Ha-rin's voice I heard when the magic circle appeared.
A translucent gravity shield materialized in front of me. The spike collided with it, shattered, and fell to the ground with a thud.
"You… You're Han Ah-young's younger sister, aren't you?"
Kang Seok-soo recognized Han Ha-rin. Not surprising. Han Ah-young was a Hunter famous enough that most Koreans knew of her.
"But compared to Han Ah-young, you're pathetically weak."
"..."
Han Ha-rin silently glared at Kang Seok-soo and threw a gravity sphere. A transparent magic barrier surrounding Kang Seok-soo blocked it. The barrier cracked, but the gravity sphere also dissipated.
"Hmph. Is this all you've got…?"
Mana surged from Kang Seok-soo's body, causing his coat to flutter wildly. He was undoubtedly preparing a powerful spell.
The pressure I felt from him was incomparable to Eun Sang-min, who had barely scraped into C-rank.
'…Dammit. The pressure is no joke. I was waiting for a chance to use Instant… Should I use it now?'
I gauged the distance.
Using Instant, I could close the gap in one move. And if I attacked consecutively with Instant… There might be a chance.
Just as I was about to move, a whirring sound came from above. Kang Seok-soo and I looked up.
A drone was delivering a white supply box. It wasn't heading toward us but somewhere slightly farther away.
"Wrong place, huh."
Kang Seok-soo clicked his tongue.
"Securing supplies comes first. You're lucky."
Kang Seok-soo spoke to us.
My eyelid twitched. His attitude—acting like he could kill us anytime—irritated me.
"Middle-school syndrome much? Aren't you 24? At that age, it's just mental illness."
"Cheap provocation."
"Your side…"
I stopped myself.
I was about to say, "Can the blonde bitch next to you say that after getting wrecked by me?" but held back.
'This is being recorded. Recorded. Gotta hold back.'
Even if it got edited out, with so many people around, rumors would spread. I had to watch my actions and words to avoid crossing the line.
"Seok-soo hyung. Shouldn't we forget the supplies and deal with them here? From what I see, those two seem dangerous too."
The spear-wielding man asked Kang Seok-soo.
"We can handle that level anytime. Right now, securing supplies and maintaining proper condition is more important. This forest doesn't have as much food as you'd think."
They turned away from me.
Crackle!
Thunderstorm materialized in front of me. Lightning rotated in a swastika (卍) pattern, concentrating power at its center.
"A lightning ability user…?!"
Kang Seok-soo hastily deployed a magic barrier.
Kwaaaaarung!
Lightning shot from Thinderstorm's center. Not toward Kang Seok-soo—but at a slightly higher angle. The blue lightning streaked toward the sky.
It struck the drone and supply box perfectly. The drone shattered, and the supply box splintered, raining debris to the ground.
"You bastard, the supplies…!"
"Haha. If I can't have them, neither can you."
If I can't have it, I'd rather destroy it.
If I can't have it, you shouldn't either.
That's me.
The prince of double standards.
Yours is mine. Mine is mine.
"...If your wish is to be eliminated right now, I'll grant it."
Kang Seok-soo's coat fluttered again.
"Seok-soo hyung! Twelve Hunters nearby are heading this way! They must've seen the supplies get blown up by lightning."
"...Tch."
"Huh? Not doing it?"
The blonde woman, who had been drawing her bow, tilted her head in confusion.
"If twelve gather here, they'll likely target me first."
Kang Seok-soo was a celebrity. Hunters would recognize his threat and naturally try to eliminate him first.
"Dungeon Survival is only the first day. No need to show everything I've got right away."
"Ugh. How boring."
Kang Seok-soo's team turned to leave.
I kicked an arrow lying on the ground upward, caught it with my right hand, and channeled mana into it, charging it to its limit.
'Lightning.'
Crackle!
Confirming the blue lightning enveloping the arrowhead, I hurled it at the back of the blonde woman's head.
"Jeong-mi noona!"
Kang Seok-soo moved. He stretched out his hand and caught the arrow I threw.
I noticed the energy protector on his shoulder flicker. Meaning he took damage.
Kang Seok-soo glared fiercely at me before disappearing.
'His reaction was a bit slow when I shot Thundertorm too. Apart from magic, he doesn't seem that overwhelmingly strong.'
What's concerning is the spear-wielding man. I'm certain he's a detection-type ability user. In this situation, detection-type users were treasures.
With that ability, they could find monsters or hidden items to sweep up survival points.
Kang Seok-soo's team was the real contender for victory.
'Kang Seok-soo's ability was Sensory Maximization, right?'
As the name suggests, it temporarily maximizes senses. From what I recall, it doesn't just enhance the five physical senses but also 'mana perception.' That ability was partly why Kang Seok-soo was called a genius mage.
'If just two conditions are met, I can take on Kang Seok-soo alone.'
One: Kang Seok-soo isn't using his ability. Two: I'm in close range.
'Using Instant, I can win.'
But meeting those conditions is extremely difficult. The first might be easy, but with a detection-type user by his side, getting close is tough.
"Eugene. Look here."
"..."
I looked at the ground Han Ha-rin pointed to. Cleverly concealed under leaves, a red magic circle was drawn between them. A magic circle using monster blood.
"Inferno is a high-tier spell. Even for him, casting it instantly is impossible. Senior got caught in a magic trap."
"...We'll have to watch the ground carefully from now on. Let's go. From what I heard earlier, people are gathering here. We need to escape fast."
Han Ha-rin and I left the area.
***
"Yes! The first eliminated participant has been decided! Engulfed in blue flames, his screams are terrifying to hear. But thanks to the energy protectors, his body is unharmed."
Main MC Jo Seok-hoo forced a bitter smile even as he spoke. Though he tried to sound cheerful, watching Eun Sang-min's agonized screams was unsettling. This scene would likely be heavily edited.
"Mr. Hong Suwon. What are your thoughts?"
Hong Suwon, an executive of Blue Bird—one of Korea's top 10 guilds—stared intently at the screen.
"A magic trap. Look closely at the ground beneath his feet—the trap is hidden there."
"Ah. Here's the footage. Earlier, they used monster blood to draw a magic circle on the ground."
"As expected of Hunter Kang Seok-soo. Inferno is a spell even ordinary mages struggle to cast. And drawing the magic circle there means he perfectly predicted his opponent's path. Amazing. Hunter Kang Seok-soo. He leaves me in awe every time."
Baek Ji-eun clicked her tongue inwardly.
Hong Suwon had been praising Kang Seok-soo nonstop.
'It's so transparent, old man.'
Kang Seok-soo currently wasn't affiliated with any guild. Hong Suwon was undoubtedly here to scout him. For someone of Kang Seok-soo's caliber, under-the-table dealings started from minor moments like this.
Next, the screen showed Kang Seok-soo's team facing off against Seong Eugene's team.
'If Eugene gets eliminated, I'll have to comfort him.'
Even to her, Seong Eugene's team stood almost no chance against Kang Seok-soo's in a direct fight.
But the situation didn't go as expected.
"Ah! They're retreating."
"Hunter Kang Seok-soo must've judged supplies as more important. He's looking ahead, not just at the present."
"Whoa?! Hunter Seong Eugene shot lightning and destroyed the supplies! The lightning was powerful and cool!"
"...Better to destroy them than give them to the enemy. A decent call. But was it really necessary…?"
Hong Suwon spoke awkwardly. From his perspective, he wanted Kang Seok-soo to be flawless.
Baek Ji-eun, who had been quietly observing, opened her mouth when Seong Eugene appeared.
"Hunter Seong Eugene made the right call. Better to burn the supplies than hand them to the enemy."
"...Well. That's true."
Kang Seok-soo's team turned their backs and began to leave.
Seong Eugene grabbed an arrow and hurled it at them with full force. Kang Seok-soo raised his hand and blocked it, preventing the attack from succeeding.
"W-What! Sneak attacking their backs… How cowardly!"
"Cowardly? The ones who turned their backs are at fault. There's a reason they say never show your back to a beast. Hunters shouldn't carelessly expose their backs to enemies."
"...."
Hong Suwon glared. Baek Ji-eun didn't avert her gaze. If Hong Suwon was an A-rank Hunter from a major guild, Baek Ji-eun was an A-rank Hunter from the Hunter Association. She bowed to no one.
'What? Try me if you dare.'
Despite her aggressive thoughts, outwardly, she wore an innocent, delicate smile.
***
Rest area.
Hunters could use the rest area once a day for one hour, starting at midnight. Combat was strictly forbidden here, and there were no cameras inside. Toilets, showers, and laundry were available. Exceeding the time limit incurred penalties.
The rest area we found at 10 PM was a luxurious two-story cabin.
"Senior. Let's rest here."
We arrived safely, though later than expected.
'Actually, I kinda knew this location.'
Before joining Dungeon Survival, I contacted Baek Ji-eun and got some info about this dungeon. Connections are for moments like this.
"At the very least, being able to shower here is nice."
"Yeah. True."
I smirked and opened the cabin's front door.
My face twisted instantly.
Inside the cabin, sitting on the sofa, was Kang Seok-soo. He looked surprised to see me, then curled one corner of his lips.
'Fuck. I'm screwed.'
***
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