hotmtlnovel Chapter 81
Chapter 81
Lee Pyeong-hwa was still in a daze, but it was clear that they had to explore this uncertain dimension.
The biggest problem when stranded like this, of course, was food.
However, in this regard, Lee Pyeong-hwa and Jeong Da-on were fairly lucky.
“Getting stranded in a dungeon happens surprisingly often.”
The ridiculous part was that a veteran S-rank Hunter got caught up in this very situation.
Han Jae-young said he had brought enough nutrition potions to survive alone for almost three weeks.
“Of course, with three people, that period will be shorter. If we take one potion per day, we’ll last about a week.”
“We also have some rations. We should be able to last quite a while.”
“Let’s check if we can find food locally.”
Jeong Da-on and Han Jae-young weren’t just waiting for Lee Pyeong-hwa to wake up.
“Looks like there are no significant lifeforms within a 10km radius.”
“I’d love to explore the whole dimension, but I still have no idea what kind of dimension this is. Let’s break it down bit by bit.”
They must have already scanned the area with search magic.
“Okay.”
Lee Pyeong-hwa could only nod in response.
While it was understandable that Han Jae-young, a veteran, would act this way, she couldn’t help but wonder why Jeong Da-on was acting like such a pro in this situation.
‘...My head hurts.’
After all the shocking events, she didn’t have the space to ask questions.
The three of them began cutting through the dense grass with military knives. However, in Han Jae-young’s case, he wasn’t using a military knife but rather a long staff that he wielded like a sword.
It seemed much sharper than a regular military knife.
Jeong Da-on seemed, for some reason, taken aback by this sight.
“You’re using that to cut the grass?”
“This consumes less magic, and the blade works fine. What’s the problem?”@@@@
“...Fine, do as you wish.”
Han Jae-young joked.
“We should be thankful that there are no tentacled monsters within a 6km radius.”
“Are there such things?”
“Yeah, if they come ashore, they dry up and aren’t very high level, but they look terrifying.”
Perhaps to ease the tension, or maybe to keep it high, but if it was the latter, they succeeded.
“Aren’t those huge octopuses or squids? Can we eat them?”
“No, Da-on. Are you that hungry?”
“It’s just an efficiency issue.”
It was a bit scary that this didn’t seem like a joke.
Nevertheless, the three of them advanced in 10km increments for safety.
Honestly, with the physical stamina of Hunters, marching 10km was nothing, but the mental strain made it far from easy.
After the second break, Lee Pyeong-hwa could feel her stamina draining rapidly.
‘Is this what they mean when they say real-life combat is important?’
She could handle 60km in a march easily, but walking while being cautious of the surroundings was exhausting.
And most importantly...
‘My pride is hurt.’
Although Han Jae-young, a veteran Hunter, naturally had better stamina, it was strange that Jeong Da-on didn’t seem tired at all.
‘...I don’t want to be a burden.’
Carrying the heavy military pack, Lee Pyeong-hwa gritted her teeth and kept walking.
They had been cutting through dense grass for what felt like hours, but luckily, around evening, they found a lake where they could gather water.
The fish living in the lake seemed fine too.
She didn’t know what kind of fish they were, but they didn’t seem much different from those she had seen on Earth.
“We’re lucky to have found food.”
Han Jae-young filled a large water container and examined the water, then spoke.
“Since the purification stone isn’t reacting, it doesn’t seem to be toxic to humans. Let’s rest here for today.”
Purification Stone.
It was the first time Lee Pyeong-hwa had heard of such an item, but since it was something an S-rank Hunter carried, she just accepted it.
“Do you always carry something like that?”
“Yes. It’s not unusual for dungeon exploration periods to unexpectedly drag on.”
“...I see.”
“It’s not just to comfort you; it’s the truth.”
That was a relief.
Han Jae-young set up the tent, which surprisingly looked quite cozy.
Exhausted from the day’s walk, Lee Pyeong-hwa unconsciously slumped down.
Her consciousness started to blur.
“...I think I passed out sitting up.”
“That’s to be expected. Rest here, and we’ll do our part. We’ll need a night watch since there might be monsters. What about your cat familiar?”
“I can’t summon him right now.”
“Seriously, are you going to leave it to us? One of us will have to do it...”
Lee Pyeong-hwa was about to say she’d take her turn with the night watch, but her eyelids were too heavy.
Soon, she fell into a deep, uncontrollable sleep.
However, after an unknown amount of time, she suddenly felt uneasy.
“Ugh!”
Lee Pyeong-hwa took a deep breath and jumped up.
The blanket, which she hadn’t realized someone had covered her with, fell to the floor.
Startled, Lee Pyeong-hwa was addressed by someone.
“Don’t get up, just go back to sleep.”
It was Jeong Da-on.
Jeong Da-on sat by the campfire, poking the flames.
Lee Pyeong-hwa shook her head.
“I can’t sleep.”
“...Do you think you have the right to speak so carelessly about others?”
“What?”
“This whole incident, isn’t it obvious it’s been aimed at you? Isn’t it?”
Jeong Da-on still looked at Lee Pyeong-hwa with an emotionless expression before speaking.
“Why do you think that?”
“Anyone with eyes and ears would know. You’ve been stuck in these dungeon breaks for months, Jeong Da-on. If this was truly a planned incident, it must have been aimed at you again.”
“So?”
Jeong Da-on didn’t even seem surprised. She just raised an eyebrow indifferently.
“I’m the victim here. Is there something wrong with that?”
And at that expression, Lee Pyeong-hwa felt a surge of emotion.
“It’s not your fault. But at least... there are people who got caught up in it. Some even died. Shouldn’t you be more careful with your words?”
If the positions were reversed, Lee Pyeong-hwa would have felt sorry for Seung-hee, who might have gotten involved because of her.
And for the other classmates involved in this incident.
But right now, it seemed like Jeong Da-on had no respect for anyone else.
Despite Lee Pyeong-hwa’s anger, Jeong Da-on didn’t show any sign of regret.
“Yeah, maybe someone approached Seung-hee to trap me. But the person who chose to fall for that trap was Seung-hee herself. If she hadn’t used those illegal drugs, it wouldn’t have happened.”
“Hey, you...”
Lee Pyeong-hwa jumped up in anger.
She was mad.
She was saved when she was careless, but how could Jeong Da-on talk about Seung-hee’s death this way?
And even though the perpetrator hadn’t been confirmed yet, to suspect Choi Ji-soo, Seung-hee’s closest friend, as the suspect?
Hadn’t they been through this together for these past few weeks?
“If you’re going to suspect everyone, why not investigate me first? I was the closest to Seung-hee. I mean, I was the closest. So, you suspect me...!”
“Did you do it?”
“What?”
For a moment, Lee Pyeong-hwa couldn’t understand what was said.
She blinked.
Jeong Da-on’s face suddenly looked monstrous.
“Did you give Seung-hee the illegal drugs and cause the dungeon accident?”
“No!”
It was so absurd that Lee Pyeong-hwa felt like she could slap herself.
Anger, confusion, and rage all surged in her, and she felt like her head was going to explode.
“How could you say that?! I didn’t do that! Never!”
“You don’t know that.”
“No! Why would I do something like that?!”
“Then, you didn’t know at all?”
“I had no idea!”
She yelled, and at the same time, Lee Pyeong-hwa wondered:
Why am I so angry?
Of course, she had every right to be angry, but not to this extent, shouting in the middle of the night.
It was then.
Jeong Da-on reached out her hand.
When Lee Pyeong-hwa, instinctively feeling like she might be hit, flinched her shoulder,
Wham!
A fiery sensation ignited on the back of her head.
“What... what?!”
“It’s a monster.”
“What?!”
Thud!
Startled, Lee Pyeong-hwa turned around, and she saw the charred remains of a bug that had been instantly burned by fire.
There was no system notification, but it was clear that Jeong Da-on had just dealt with the monster.
“They’re mindless creatures, bugs that feed on life force, magic. The emotions of magic users always cause waves, so they amplify the emotions of the creatures they parasitize.”
Bugs with long snouts, like mosquitoes, wriggled on the ground.
Woosh!
Jeong Da-on ignited flames once more, completely burning the remaining wriggling bugs.
“You don’t have to worry. It’ll get better after some rest.”
“What... what?!”
Still in shock, Lee Pyeong-hwa looked at Jeong Da-on, who smiled faintly.
It was the first time she had ever seen such a smile, but it was extremely annoying.
And strangely, her vision began to blur.
Lee Pyeong-hwa realized then that she didn’t have much magic left in her body.
The back of her neck was particularly itchy.
When she touched it, it was clearly swollen, warm, and had definitely been wounded.
At some point, most of the magic in her body had been drained away!
“Then when did I start losing my magic?”
“...Looks like your suspicion is cleared up. Those bugs only amplify pure emotions.”
“You, did you do that on purpose?”
In her dimming consciousness, Lee Pyeong-hwa glared at Jeong Da-on.
So, Jeong Da-on had known these monsters were approaching all along and had just left her to it.
Because Lee Pyeong-hwa might confess to a crime, perhaps!
But her anger didn’t reach Jeong Da-on. As she poked the fire, Jeong Da-on responded.
“You’re tired. Just go to sleep.”
In her fading consciousness, she heard those words.
‘Always acting so smug...’
With frustration, Lee Pyeong-hwa drifted off to sleep.