Chapter 26
1021 Words
"Arf! Arf! Arf!"
His eyebrows rose as his wide eyes turned to the wall, slowly returning to its original position. Then they dropped, hesitantly glancing toward his legs… his body was intact.
With his heart racing, his body gave in, collapsing onto his back on the ground. The discomfort from the rocks beneath him was ignored, as his mind filled with the relief of feeling pain, a sign that he was still alive.
"...Thank you..."
The effect of the earlier burst of energy had ended, and his body was about to fall, but with that touch—someone pulling him with one hand—his life had been saved.
Understanding why Hye had done it, even though he almost got them all killed earlier due to a stupid mistake, was easy. He was still useful, or rather, his ability remained crucial in these unpredictable and dark tunnels.
A flame flickered to life, illuminating the surroundings. Again, they found themselves in a large chamber compared to the tunnels. Apart from the atmosphere, this place had little in common with the previous levels—it lacked the dangers present there. It felt like... a waiting room.
Hye remained the same, indifferent. Saving him or not was merely a matter of necessity. As for Samantha... what was in her eyes wasn't indifference, nor was it fear. If I had to guess, I'd say... anger. An anger she was trying to hide or control, but it was still evident in her gaze.
"Is it...?" the man thought as he stood up. "...Was she that upset about my mistake, or... was it more about who would have been affected by it first?"
"Uh... sorry about what happened back there, and... thanks again for helping me."
"No problem, it's fine."
No anger, no remorse. How could he be so unaffected, even in this kind of situation? His life had nearly been lost, and while that might be common for hunters, I'd never heard of one who handled it so casually—someone who acted like they didn’t care at all.
"As expected," Hye said, stopping in front of the entrances, "we have three options now."
He paused, analyzing the passageways.
"These two are definitely filled with creatures and traps, but this one... it's clean, and thanks to those scattered points of light, it's also relatively illuminated compared to the others. What do you think?"
Samantha approached.
"The path with the traps is out of the question. It’s easier to face the monsters than deal with those."
"So, should we go with the slightly lit one?" Hye asked, tossing a few stones into the tunnel. Nothing happened. "It doesn't seem like there are any traps here."
"A safe path...? No, I don’t think that’s likely."
Hye turned, looking at the man who hesitated to approach. Somehow, even though she wasn't looking at him, Samantha’s gaze still weighed on his mind.
"And you? What do you think?"
"You two can decide..." he said, avoiding eye contact. "I'll go with whatever you think is best..."
"I see..."
For a brief moment, Hye's eyes scanned the man's body. His deep, reddish eyes, trembling body, especially the legs. Soon, he wouldn’t be able to continue.
"Was he poisoned...? Could one of those arrows have hit him?" Hye wondered.
He turned, walking toward the chosen path.
"So, since neither of you want to choose, we’ll take the illuminated one."
[Congratulations]
[You have successfully completed Level Two of the second floor of the Tower of Six]
[Complete Level Three to proceed]
"Hmm... Yeah, this one is relatively easier than the others."
"Easier...?" Samantha frowned. "We’ve barely started, and I'd say the heat is already around a hundred degrees."
"But at least there are no creatures or traps."
With no spears or arrows, they continued down a path consumed by an unbearable heat. After more than twenty steps, they realized the temperature doubled every ten meters or so.
"What the hell is this...?" the man thought.
His vision darkened and then blurred as it returned.
"Like it or not, I'm still a rank B hunter, so how... why is this happening to me...?"
His body grew heavier, and the stones beneath his feet had never felt so slippery. Every step required not only strength but intense focus and concentration. If he fell now, he couldn’t guarantee he’d get back up.
"Why is this heat, which shouldn’t even be affecting me, doing this?!"
As expected, despite their high resistance, their clothes were starting to show signs of damage from the heat, with smoke rising from various parts.
"Being optimistic, at the beginning, the temperature was around one hundred and fifty degrees. Now, after it has doubled about five times and nearing a sixth, it must be close to over two thousand degrees. But even so..."
The two continued walking normally, even under such abnormal heat, completely unfazed by the temperature. Their clothes remained unchanged.
"How much did those things cost...? At this point, they’re basically rank B artifacts, at the very least..."
It had been a while since his sweat had even been able to drip down his skin—it evaporated before it could do so. Let alone now...
He took another step. His body grew even heavier, and the smoke rising from his clothes turned into small flames. Even though the exit was only a few steps ahead, running wasn’t an option.
"Arf! Arf! Arf!"
His legs almost gave out, and his vision darkened. When it returned, his knees were on the stones.
Fortunately, there were no other traps here. But, unfortunately, it seemed like no one was going to help him either.
Digging his fingers into the stones, he dragged himself forward. His knees were wounded from the repetitive movements.
The flames slowly spread across his clothes, and at some point, they reached his body. His fingers bled, and though his vision was remarkably good, everything ahead remained dark.
His trail extended a bit further, the flames around him extinguished along with the heat. And with a fleeting return of his vision, one filled with rage, the other with complete indifference... He collapsed.
- Writer
