47
Even I don't know exactly what is happening in this snowfield.
"Stay tense."
However, based on my memories from before the regression, I could say with certainty that the raid personnel standing in position right now would not be enough to conquer this dungeon.
Kikikikiki───!!
After the knight who had been used as a device to signal the true beginning died, the ghostly wails mixed into the blowing wind—seemingly having no intention of hiding anymore—made the raid party's faces stiffen even further.
"……."
"……."
However, as if their tension was pointless, what felt like a considerable amount of time passed without any special situation occurring like something pouncing on them. Rather, even the ghostly wails that had been heard stopped a moment ago, so only the sound of the blowing wind could be heard around them.
"Do not let your guard down."
The raid party leader ordered them to stay alert, then began searching the body of the knight who had died leaning against a tree.
'It looks like it could be used if we take it.'
The knight's armor, which seemed usable if repaired despite being slightly damaged, was stripped off and placed on the ground, followed by the knight's equipment being removed one by one and laid out side by side next to it.
"There's blood on it, but not a single external wound on the body itself."
It was exactly as the leader said.
On the shattered armor, dried bloodstains that clearly belonged to someone remained vividly. However, on the knight's body—stripped down to nothing but a single pair of underwear—not a single external wound could be discovered.
"Not even a trace of bruising or contusions."
Meaning he hadn't suffered internal injuries from external impact either.
"Which means it's either poison or a curse……"
The leader examined the knight's body a bit more.
'It would have been nice if I could take a closer look.'
As someone observing, I had an obligation to maintain a certain distance so as not to interfere with the raid as much as possible. Actually, this was less of an obligation and more of a courtesy that any reasonable person would observe without needing to be told.
"No special marks were discovered, but since this man mentioned evil spirits before he died, I judge the likelihood of a curse is higher than poison."
As those words ended, a raid member in charge of the supply backpack containing potions took out a well-dried scroll from the bag, and the rest of the members gathered around that person even without separate orders being given.
'Not Healing, so Curse Resistance?'
Among Awakeners, there exist very rare individuals who bloom skills related to healing.
People in the world simply call them healers rather than priests or clerics.
The reason was that the power they used for healing was mana, just like other Awakeners. Anyway, it was true that healers were very rare and thus valuable human resources, but that didn't mean all healers received such treatment.
Just as mages who handled different attributes and had vastly different levels of skill.
Healers weren't much different from mages in that regard.
Even among healers, differences in skill clearly existed, and the top tier among them were healers with aptitude for Healing or Purification-type skills.
And the scroll the raid party used earlier appeared to be one made by a healer with aptitude for Healing-type skills that temporarily increased immunity to curses.
Tap. Tap.
While closely observing the raid party, I felt a tapping sensation on the back of my hand, and when I turned my head, Hong Yeon-ha's red eyes were staring intently at me.
When I asked the reason with my eyes, Hong Yeon-ha blinked her long eyelashes briefly before grabbing my hand with the same hand that had been tapping me. Then, with her free opposite hand, she slightly revealed one ear that had been hidden by her hair.
There, an earring with a small blue gemstone embedded in it was hanging.
She was none other than Hong Ik-hyun's one and only granddaughter.
It looked like just a pretty earring on the outside, but considering that Hong Yeon-ha had gone out of her way to show me this earring in this situation.
It was likely an artifact that could only be obtained from A-rank dungeons.
The effect, given the circumstances, would probably be related to resistance or protection.
From the information given, the raid party leader's judgment didn't seem to have any flaws worth pointing out. I also thought this dungeon was deeply connected to evil spirits and curses.
Perhaps that was why.
'I'm going crazy.'
There are things you can only feel by seeing them yourself.
And the level and preparedness of the raid party that I had observed, though brief, was by no means poor.
It should be called the level worthy of talents selected by a major guild, to put it literally.
The only thing that couldn't be judged here was Lee Da-young's existence.
No, more precisely, her skill level.
If Hong Ik-hyun had personally called her and entrusted her with Hong Yeon-ha's protection, she had to be at least a B-rank on the verge of A-rank promotion.
'With an artifact and at minimum a full B-rank Hunter present, there are situations where Lee Da-young would have had to sacrifice herself?'
I couldn't predict at all what kind of situations would strike ahead.
"We'll create a map based on this location."
The two members who had identified the trap locations and safely guided the party here took out notebooks from their pockets and scribbled something.
"The personnel will be divided into two teams. Team 1 will be led by me. Team 2 by Kim Tae-seok. You lead them."
"Understood."
The leader quickly divided the personnel into two teams.
Crackle!!
Instead of convenient tools born from the advancement of civilization, the raid members applied something to branches roughly gathered from nearby trees and lit them on fire. Strangely enough, the color of the flames was a very deep red, just like Hong Yeon-ha's hair.
"We regroup at this location in three hours."
At the leader's order, the two divided parties swept away the darkness with red embers and headed in opposite directions.
When the two parties had moved some distance away, Lee Da-young, who had been standing behind Hong Yeon-ha, gently patted her back, signaling that it was okay to move. At that, Hong Yeon-ha approached the corpse of the knight that the raid members had been examining.
Of course, since we were still holding hands, Baek Woo-jin came along as well.
Whoosh.
Perhaps finding the moonlight insufficient, Hong Yeon-ha produced a small flame with the hand that had earlier revealed her ear, clearing the surrounding darkness.
"How does it look?"
Hong Yeon-ha asked, but for some reason Baek Woo-jin didn't answer the question.
"Are you listening to me?"
Furrowing her brow, Hong Yeon-ha couldn't hold back and turned to look at Baek Woo-jin standing beside her.
"……?"
And then she felt puzzled by that gaze directed at her. No, directed a little higher than her, and she turned her head to follow where Baek Woo-jin was looking.
At that moment.
Zzt!!
Golden electrical currents flashed around Hong Yeon-ha, and then ashes scattered around as if something had been burned away.
"Fuck."
And a thick curse word burst out.
The reason Hong Yeon-ha suddenly spat out profanity was simple.
Just as Baek Woo-jin had expected, when the earring—an artifact imbued with a divine power that protects its wearer—manifested its power, for the briefest of moments, she had seen the form of something with its eye sockets deeply sunken in and its nose and tongue cut off.
"Unni."
"I'm sorry."
When she turned around with an expression that showed she was clearly furious, Lee Da-young, standing behind her, bowed her head with a stiff face.
"Seriously? You really didn't notice?"
"……."
When Lee Da-young nodded her head, Hong Yeon-ha released Baek Woo-jin's hand and roughly swept back her bangs with that same hand.
Things classified as monsters in dungeons were all created from the mana contained in their cores. Therefore, even if they looked like ghosts or spirits from a human perspective, they might not be visible to the eye, but those with excellent detection or sensory abilities could sufficiently sense their existence.
Yet Lee Da-young had failed.
Until the very moment the person she was supposed to protect was attacked, not only Lee Da-young but even Hong Yeon-ha herself, the person in question, hadn't sensed anything at all.
"The observation is over."
"Yes.
There was no disagreement.
This was clearly an abnormal situation.
"And you."
Her swept-back bangs falling again in the blowing wind, Hong Yeon-ha asked Baek Woo-jin with eyes more serious than ever.
"Did you sense something?"
**
Hong Yeon-ha's question was a bit off.
"Both."
"Both?"
That's right.
It wasn't just that I sensed something—for some reason, the forms of those vicious-looking things were clearly visible to me.
Honestly, the most bewildered person in this situation was me.
When something got caught in my expanded sensory field and I looked in that direction, something with its eyeballs sold off somewhere, leaving not only empty eye sockets but even its nose completely hollowed out, was climbing down a tree on four legs with such an appearance that just looking at it made one feel unpleasant.
Before even getting into ghosts or whatever, that bizarre posture it was climbing down with was something anyone would find startling.
I personally thought I deserved praise just for not immediately swinging my halberd.
"What do you mean both?"
"Just that I could roughly see them with my eyes."
Baek Woo-jin reached out his left hand and blocked Hong Yeon-ha's half-open mouth.
"I don't know the reason either, so please don't ask."
However, it wasn't that I had no idea at all.
But given the situation, thinking about that part again after leaving this dungeon wouldn't be too late at all.
"Alright. If you can see those da... hm, if you can see those damn things, that's enough. This isn't exactly a situation where we have the luxury to question reasons."
Hong Yeon-ha's thoughts aligned with mine.
"Unni."
"Yes, Young Lady."
Lee Da-young came out from behind Hong Yeon-ha and stood facing Baek Woo-jin.
"I will apologize after we get out of the dungeon. So would you please lend us your strength?"
From the gravity dwelling in her two eyes, Baek Woo-jin could feel it.
That this polite attitude she was showing now was not for show but her sincerity.
Even in the current situation where they would have to cooperate anyway in order to escape, the fact that she could show such an attitude was enough to understand what kind of person she was.
"I will do my best within what I can manage."
"Thank you."
Lee Da-young, who raised her head, brought her hand to her belt, and then—
Whish!!
The cord that had been mistaken for a belt instantly became a whip and was gripped in her hand.
Just by holding the whip in her hand, Lee Da-young's atmosphere completely changed.
She lightly swung the whip to grab two frozen branches, lit them on fire, and then offered one of the deep red embers not to Baek Woo-jin but to Hong Yeon-ha.
"I hold this?"
"Yes. Because the Young Lady is of no help right now."
"……."
Hong Yeon-ha furrowed her brow, but obediently extinguished the flame in her left hand and accepted the branch.