Retire 307

307 Pitfall

“Looks like I’ve run into a nasty one.”

Hong Seok-yeong muttered the words like a sigh as he gazed up at the brilliant blue sky.

“Sorry? What did you say?”

“It’s nothing, Mori.”

Hong Seok-yeong shook his head as he spoke.

His mouth felt dry and gritty. Was it because of the sand? He glanced at the bloodstains, scattered like drops across the sand. At first, they’d at least tried to bury them, but now it seemed there wasn’t even the will to hide them.

But this was almost like…

Hong Seok-yeong looked up at the sky once more.

“Hunter Hong?”

“No… It’s nothing. Is your leg all right?”

“Ah, yes. I can still manage, for now.”

“That’s good….”

Something felt off in his chest.

A Hunter’s instincts can’t be trusted. That was something Woo Hee-jae drilled into the kids until their ears nearly fell off.

Even aside from that, there was a saying among Hunters: the ones who rely on instinct alone are always the first to die.

It meant you shouldn’t just trust your gut—you had to gather information, analyze, and think.

And yet, a Hunter’s instincts could still be a useful indicator. Especially when you had the sense that something was wrong.

“This shouldn’t have dragged on this long.”

“You mean the raid?”

“I promised I’d finish quickly and come back.”

Mori glanced at Hong Seok-yeong. Hong Seok-yeong grinned at the young Hunter’s face.

“I started a school, you know. For those kids.”

“Ah… Yes, I heard. The kids must look up to you a lot, Hunter Hong?”

“What would they know? They just like it when you praise them. Or maybe, it’s more like they’re the ones adjusting to me.”

“Oh, come on, don’t say that.”

Mori laughed with easy confidence. Color was returning to his once-pale face, which was only natural considering the potion he’d been given. Hong Seok-yeong glanced at Mori’s foot. He was still limping, but he looked much better than he had inside the dungeon.

“Do you know how many Hunters are desperate to get a word of advice from you, Hunter Hong? I bet there were plenty who threw a fit when they heard you were starting a school.”

“Are you one of them?”

Hong Seok-yeong asked with a mischievous smile. He remembered how, when they’d first met, Mori had been so nervous he couldn’t even meet his eyes.

Mori scratched his head.

“…I’d be happy to work for you, even as a janitor. Would you hire me?”

“What about your current job?”

“Well… If you called, I’d quit in a heartbeat.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Why waste your talents like that?”

Hong Seok-yeong shook his head firmly.

But the unease that had gathered in his chest remained. No, if anything, it was growing worse.

Why was that?

Given the situation, it was only natural to feel uneasy. But still…

‘Why does this all feel so familiar?’

Hong Seok-yeong looked up at the sky again.

The sky.

The sky… What was he waiting for from this sky?

Hong Seok-yeong had worked with Hunters of many nationalities. Sometimes he’d been dispatched at the government’s request, other times called in by foreign nations.

He’d never wanted to weigh the pros and cons of helping people, so despite his reputation, he’d always worked hard—working himself to the bone, as the saying goes.

When you do that, you naturally end up seeing the same faces over and over. Hong Seok-yeong was only human, and it was inevitable that he’d grow attached to those he saw often. And since they’d worked together so many times, the others usually went out of their way to accommodate him as well.

Unless it was something he absolutely couldn’t yield on, Hong Seok-yeong would yield. After all, they’d worked together for over ten years, and would likely work together for another ten. What good would come of pointless arguments?

So, what does all this mean? It means Hong Seok-yeong was well-versed in the procedures for dungeon raids in the United States.

Especially since the dungeon he’d been asked to tackle this time happened to be near a military base. So, many of the Hunters waiting around the gate were military personnel…

Hmm.

Hmmm.

“…Hunter Hong?”

Something was definitely off.

Something was wrong.

But he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

Hong Seok-yeong glared up at the innocent sky. The gritty sand in his mouth, the drops of blood, and the dozens of Hunters trailing after them like children chasing bread crumbs through a dark forest…

It was a scene that gave him a distinctly uneasy sense of déjà vu.

Had he experienced something like this before?

No matter how many dungeons he’d raided, he wasn’t so foolish as to forget something like this. Sure, there had been times when a raid failed… times when a dungeon erupted just as he was exiting a gate, forcing him to clean up without rest… He’d been through all sorts of things.

He checked his armor and the weapon in his hand. No, this felt different. There had been a similar situation once, but not when his senses were this heightened.

…Hong Seok-yeong pressed his lips together. He’d raided dungeons at the request of the US government many times. So he knew. He knew how they responded when something unexpected happened.

America was different from most places. There were few countries in Europe that could respond as quickly as the US. Of course, even in America, most dungeons were handled by guilds, but S-class and above—especially those in remote places like deserts—were managed directly by the government. Even if an entire unit was wiped out by a mysterious monster, like this time…

Wait. Wiped out?

‘A monster that wiped out an entire military unit in an instant, but left this much evidence behind?’

Wasn’t that odd?

And if they knew there was a team inside the dungeon, would they really not try to contact them? Even if the unit had been wiped out, wouldn’t they send someone to check if contact was lost?

At that moment, Hong Seok-yeong realized the source of the déjà vu that had been tormenting him.

A strangely clouded awareness, a suffocating feeling. At first, he hadn’t noticed, but once he did, it was hard to believe he’d missed it—things so absurd they defied explanation, and yet he’d accepted them.

A bizarrely strong conviction that everything was proceeding smoothly.

It was the same feeling he’d had when talking to Alex Hope.

That sensation he’d only realized after Woo Hee-jae pointed it out!

“……!!!”

The moment he realized it, Hong Seok-yeong hurled his spear at the sky without hesitation.

No need to hold back. He put all his strength into it. From head to toe, every muscle moved with precision. Even the flow of mana heating his veins was controlled on an instinctive level.

The spear struck the blazing sun as if it had teleported there.

Clang!!!

Somewhere, the sound of shattering glass rang out.

Crack…

Dust fell. Cracks began to spread across the dazzlingly blue sky.

Hong Seok-yeong watched the sky without blinking. It looked just like when a dungeon collapses—when the sky itself begins to break apart, slowly.

Beyond the blue sky, a universe full of stars glittered.

His senses, twisted without him even realizing it, began to return. His heart pounded. The invisible chains binding his limbs snapped, and he could breathe again.

“…No one said there was a trick like this in this dungeon.”

He picked up his spear from where it had fallen at his feet. It was caked with blood. The puddle of blood squelched with every step he took.

“Th-th-th-th-th-th-th-th-that-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t…”

A voice as chilling as fingernails scraping a chalkboard echoed around him.

Without even checking what was making the sound, Hong Seok-yeong swung his spear toward the source of the voice.

He could feel the sensation of the spear slicing through something.

Thunk.

Roll, roll.

“Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow…”

“Another freak this time, huh.”

Hong Seok-yeong smashed the head, which creaked like a wooden puppet. Blue hair scattered across the ground like tangled threads.

But soon, the voice came again from another direction.

“A…a-a-a…to-to-to-to-to-to-to…”

“This thing has a physical form. It’s not an illusion spell… Is that why that kid learned magic? Maybe I should learn it too. I can’t always have a grand mage at my side, and it’s frustrating.”

“Hahahaha-ja-ja-ja-ja-ja-na-na-na-na-na-na…”

“So annoying, really….”

Hong Seok-yeong let out a long sigh.

“Why do these troublesome things always happen to me?”

“Th-th-th-th-th-th-th-th-that-t-t-t-t-t-t…”

“I said it’s really annoying.”

He cut down another puppet. The blue hair reminded him of the young mage whose life he’d once ended with his own hands.

An ordinary person might be frightened by the sight of someone they’d killed. But if he were the type to be scared by something like that, he wouldn’t have survived this long.

Instead, Hong Seok-yeong swung his spear again in the direction that felt the most unsettling.

“Ugh!”

A playful scream rang out from thin air. Even as he continued his attacks, there was nothing solid to hit. Ah, this is why you need a mage!

He couldn’t even be sure if the mage who’d entered the dungeon with them was still alive, but still, a mage was necessary!

Hong Seok-yeong quickly pressed the attack while scanning the dungeon’s interior. The illusion magic was seamless. Thanks to the stinging smell of blood, he immediately understood why someone had gone to such lengths with this magic. It must have been to eliminate the other raid members. Even if they were under a spell, if someone targeted them, they’d sense something was wrong and snap out of it. No, even without being targeted, Hong Seok-yeong had woken up on his own, but if the magic was holding the other Hunters…

“……”

Hong Seok-yeong lowered his spear.

He heard a faint exhalation from the air. It sounded like someone relieved to have survived, but he wasn’t fooled. That sound was being made on purpose.

The inside of the dungeon was no different from the desert dungeon he’d been briefed on. The dry air, the rocky terrain, the sky filled with stars—nothing he hadn’t seen in other dungeons.

Hong Seok-yeong stared straight at the source of the presence he felt. He made no effort to hide his killing intent.

“You.”

“Oh.”

“You’re human, aren’t you?”

“Ha ha.”

“Were you waiting for me?”

“It was hard, you know.”

The giggling voice echoed around Hong Seok-yeong.

“Just.”

“A.”

“Trap.”

The words came, one at a time, from different directions, each syllable echoing, making it impossible to tell where the voice was coming from.

But Hong Seok-yeong didn’t waver, keeping his eyes fixed on a single point. The voice that had filled the dungeon abruptly cut off.

“What the— How do you know where I am?”

“Whatever you were waiting for…”

Hong Seok-yeong reversed his grip on the spear. Normally, he’d have taken the head off whoever was talking, no matter what they said, but…

Hm.

If you just keep clearing away what’s in front of you, it never ends. Maybe in the old days, but now things are different. He needed to find out how this thing had gotten into the dungeon, and who had sent it.

“If that’s all you prepared to catch me, Hong Seok-yeong…”

He kicked the ground. The plan was made just now.

1. Capture the enemy.
2. Get information.
3. Kill them.

1-1. If that doesn’t work, just kill them.

“You’ll be the one to get caught first.”

Still, there was no room for arrogance.

Now, after all, he had a reason to make it back alive.