10
There is a saying that the more urgent the situation, the more you should go back. It was a saying whose meaning he understood and could fully accept. That was why Baek Woo-jin thought this: theory is theory to the end, and theories that hold true in actual combat are extremely rare.
'Damn it.'
This was no longer a situation to deliberate over whether to split the base of the Living Wood or not. The moment an unpleasant roar rang out, the atmosphere of the entire swamp transformed.
It was a change that occurred as the Living Woods, who had been pretending to be trees, began to move upon receiving the call of the Elder Tree, the boss that had awakened.
Baek Woo-jin immediately gathered all his belongings and ran to the safe zone.
When the boss awakens, the exit naturally closes. In other words, it means they couldn't escape until they defeated the boss. Or hold out until someone outside forced the closed entrance open.
'The former is more likely than the latter.'
To open the closed entrance, they needed the help of an Awakener with a related skill, and the material required to use that skill was none other than a large quantity of magic stones.
C-Rank. Would they consume a massive amount of magic stones to save a few E-Rank adventurers trapped in an E-Rank dungeon, not even a D-Rank at the very least?
'I wouldn't do it either.'
The reason the Management Office made people write a pledge before entering was all preparation for such unexpected situations.
For reference, subjugating the boss itself wasn't a problem.
That was because defeating the boss didn't close the dungeon. To close a dungeon, one had to destroy the dungeon core that appeared after defeating the boss—only then would the dungeon vanish.
For that reason, in the case of government-owned dungeons, there was an obligation to apply for boss subjugation at least two weeks in advance, and in the case of guild-owned dungeons, the guilds handled it themselves, so those were out of the question from the start.
"I knew it was too good lately."
He should have caught on from the moment he discovered a large quantity of magic stones, which were said to be hard to even come across.
The two knots tied on the left and right were signs indicating that this spot was a safe zone, but as expected, the exit that should have connected to the outside had disappeared.
Kwung──!!
At the loud rumble coming from the southeast, Baek Woo-jin immediately threw down the bag he was carrying and drew his sword. Then he calmly analyzed the situation.
'Face the boss alone?'
If he could perfectly handle the magical power reaching the tail end of D-Rank, he might be able to give it a try. But as he was now, unable to handle his magical power, it was absolutely impossible.
Then could the party that first awakened the boss subjugate it?
'No way.'
If they were a party skilled enough to subjugate the boss in the first place, they would have followed the proper procedures.
He could assert that the party that awakened the boss now would be composed entirely of hot-blooded individuals with little experience.
That was because the boss area in any dungeon was, without exception, visibly different in atmosphere at a glance. It meant that unless they were blind or complete fools, they couldn't possibly not know.
'This is why hunters who make decent money all head to guild-owned dungeons.'
Just as the government collected taxes, guilds also collected entrance fees and opened their dungeons to other hunters. The entrance fee was quite expensive, but high-rank hunters from the guild were always stationed inside the dungeon to handle any problems that might arise.
So even if someone touched the boss without permission like today, there was absolutely no need to worry. They wouldn't be able to get close in the first place, anyway.
Kwaaak!!
His two fists clenched involuntarily.
After all the trouble to get this opportunity.
He had no intention of playing the hypocrite, thinking that this life would be fine as long as his family was safe. He didn't know if there would be a man to take his delinquent sister off his hands, but at the very least, seeing his niece's face was his goal for this life.
Gweoooo──!!
Another roar came from the direction where the vibration had started, and Baek Woo-jin stomped through the muck with all his might, sprinting across the swamp.
A full-speed sprint without even considering a surprise attack.
That was because any Living Wood that was alive would have started moving long ago upon receiving the boss's call, so there was no need to consider it.
'To think I'd be in a situation where I have to place my hopes on others instead of myself.'
Baek Woo-jin prayed that the second party would be a properly composed one and increased his speed even more.
**
The conditions for dreaming the dream of awakening remain unknown to this day.
Worldwide, new Awakeners who dream the dream of awakening increase every year, so some from a general perspective say the Awakener market is now saturated, but this is a greatly mistaken notion.
The reason was simple.
The number of Awakeners dying in dungeons or other power struggles was nearly equal to the number of new Awakeners appearing each year, so in reality, the total number of Awakeners was being maintained at a constant level.
This was also why politicians in each country still treated Awakeners well.
And right now, there was a pair of siblings here who had succeeded in awakening through extreme odds.
"Wow, you've been talking back to a sister like that all this time?"
"This bastard, I knew from school that he had a screw loose in his head, but I didn't think he'd be this crazy..."
"What are these crazy bastards saying."
The younger brother, Jang Ji-su, fortunately scrunched his face at the chatter of friends he'd been close with since high school, who had also succeeded in awakening together, and pushed away the friends who had crowded in close.
"When did I ever talk back to my sister?"
"At school, you always──"
"This bastard, seriously?"
In front, his older sister Jang Hye-na was swinging a large shield and beating Living Woods to death, but her younger brother Jang Ji-su didn't even spare her a glance, busy chatting with his friends.
And hearing all of that, a thick vein bulged on Jang Hye-na's forehead.
'That little shit...!!'
A red glow formed on the large shield, and when Jang Hye-na swung it widely, the roots of the Living Wood stretching toward her instantly burned and turned to ash.
"Jang Ji-su!!"
Jang Hye-na, who proved that even a clear voice could become a roar when filled with force, shouted her brother's name and charged straight into the Living Wood with her shield blazing with red light, burning it.
Having essentially taken down the Living Wood in a single blow, Jang Hye-na was about to finally give her brother a piece of her mind at the very moment she could hold back no longer.
Gweoooo──!!
A howling that made one's nerves stand on end struck the entire swamp.
"What was that sound?"
"I don't know?"
"Hey! You yelling is gonna pull all the monster aggro──"
"Shut up."
As Jang Hye-na approached with a stiff expression, Jang Ji-su, who was born late and grew up receiving all sorts of affection, was overwhelmed by his sister's intensity and couldn't open his mouth even though he wanted to say something.
All of Jang Ji-su's negative emotions showed on his face, but Jang Hye-na had no time to care about such trivial things right now.
'Damn it!! Just what kind of crazy bastards are they?!'
Ji-su and his friends had only felt a bit unsettled by the roar that struck the swamp moments ago. But Hye-na, belonging to a reasonably successful guild and possessing outstanding skill and potential, had stiffened her face not because of the roar, but because she sensed the massive magical power wave that followed and crashed over them.
"Listen to me carefully from now on."
"W-what is it?"
"Whether you've seen me fight or not, you're also innate E-Rank, so you should be able to handle Living Woods at least."
"So, what?"
"From now on, no matter what happens, the three of you stick together. If even one of you falls behind, assume you'll all die."
"W-what's this all of a sudden──"
Slap!!
With a sharp sound, Jang Ji-su's head snapped to the side.
His sister Jang Hye-na had slapped his cheek.
"Pretending to go along with you for our parents' sake ends today. Listen well. From now on, whether you're in danger or not, I won't care anymore, so don't expect anything, and if you don't want to die, use that thing on your shoulders to judge and act on your own."
"Uh, ah..."
Leaving Jang Ji-su holding his cheek, his lips moving as if he didn't understand what had happened, Jang Hye-na immediately raised her shield.
"Eek?!"
"W-what the...?"
At the sounds of the two idiots who had followed Jang Ji-su, a sigh mixed with various emotions slipped from between Jang Hye-na's lips.
'I was just thinking about trying to date, and now what kind of dogshit situation is this...'
Jang Hye-na charged toward the Living Woods that had begun swarming in.
"You tree bastards!!"
And to take as much aggro as possible, she hammered her shield with the hammer she was holding.
Hwaaak!!
The moment the stretching Living Wood roots touched the shield, they burst into flames.
'If I knew this would happen, I should have at least brought some potions.'
As her magical power gradually diminished each time the Living Wood's roots touched her shield, Jang Hye-na eventually had to withdraw her skill.
Kwajik!!
The hammer slipping from Jang Hye-na's hand dug straight into the base of a Living Wood and shattered it to pieces. Having lost her weapon, but now more agile with the reduced weight, Jang Hye-na dodged the roots with movements so flexible they made her tanker position seem meaningless and retrieved her hammer.
"W-what do we do?"
"Ji-su? Huh? Fuck, Jang Ji-su!"
"Huh?!"
Jang Ji-su, who had been hit by someone for the first time in his life, and by his own older sister no less, was so shocked that he barely came to his senses at his friends' desperate shouts.
"You said it was a bus ride?! You said to just trust you!! So what is this!!"
"Is that important right now?! Look to the side!!"
"Heok?!"
Even though Hye-na had thrown herself to pull aggro, the open swamp was too vast for her to handle alone.
"Run..."
"Didn't you hear Ji-su's sister?! If even one of us runs, we all die! And how are you gonna run from here anyway?"
"Aaaagh!!"
At the presence of the Living Woods approaching slowly but steadily, Jang Ji-su and his two friends each drew their weapons.
"If we get surrounded, there's no chance. We have to push through one side like his sister."
"A-attack them? I-I can't! Let's just stay here, okay? Those guys are slow! Your sister will handle them all before they get to us!!"
"You...!!"
Jang Ji-su was about to flare up but ultimately couldn't.
His legs were trembling so much that even taking a single step was overwhelming, and Hye-na was actually calmly reducing the number of Living Woods.
Gweoooo──!!
But the situation that had seemed somewhat manageable completely changed the moment the second roar crashed over them.
"W-why are those guys suddenly getting faster?!"
"I don't know! I don't know!! I don't know either, so stop asking and just hold your sword!!"
The Living Woods, whose movements had been sluggish, began closing the distance at an incredibly fast speed as if they had gone berserk.
"S-shit, ugh!! Jang Ji-su?! Don't just stand there dumbfounded, break through one side and run!!"
Hye-na, who could no longer evade and had to block with her shield due to the faster attacks, shouted, but it was already too late.
"A-ah..."
"I'm gonna die? M-me? Here? Haha, hahaha, hahaha!!"
"Aaaaaaagh!!"
Hye-na's voice couldn't reach Jang Ji-su's party, who had already fallen into panic.
"Get the hell away!!"
She tried desperately to shake off the creatures clinging to her, but the Living Woods didn't easily let go of Hye-na, who had thrown herself into the fray.
"Jang Ji-su!!"
He may have been a younger brother she had never truly given her sincere affection, but blood was blood—when the Living Woods came within a hair's breadth of Jang Ji-su's party, Hye-na's anxiety reached its peak.
With that, ignoring even the roots grabbing her, the moment Hye-na was about to hurl her hammer—
Hwuuuk──!!
A man in shabby attire burst out from beyond the bushes and threw himself into the group of Living Woods surrounding Jang Ji-su's party.
Kwajik!
With every swing of his sword, the Living Woods had their bases severed and plunged their massive bodies into the swamp.
One Living Wood falling with each strike.
'We're saved!!'
Though his appearance was shabby, his incredible skill rendered that shabbiness meaningless, and the light of hope reignited in the dying eyes of Jang Hye-na.
And the man who couldn't possibly know of this situation—Baek Woo-jin—roughly steadied his ragged breathing and slapped the cheek of Jang Ji-su, who was still trembling in panic.
"......?"
Unlike Jang Hye-na, who had adjusted her strength to some extent, Baek Woo-jin, who had never done such a thing, delivered a full-force slap that snapped Jang Ji-su back to his senses. Holding his stinging, burning cheek, Jang Ji-su looked up at Baek Woo-jin blankly.
Grabbing Jang Ji-su by the collar and lifting him up, Baek Woo-jin spoke.
"If you have any magic stones, hand them over right now."