If I had to describe what hell looks like, this would be it.
A vast sky stretched endlessly above, and the fields below were dyed completely red. It looked as if someone had taken a bucket of blood and poured it over the world without hesitation.
The grass swayed gently in the wind.
If not for the blood soaking everything...
It might have been beautiful place.
But the metallic scent in the air ruined that illusion.
But strangely enough, even faced with such a horrifying scene, it all felt... familiar. Are humans really such adaptable creatures?
If so, I guess I'm one of the best adaptable creature out there.
I snapped out of my thoughts when a monster crept toward me. Honestly, with Jinhyuk-ssi here, I didn't feel the slightest bit of fear. I had complete faith that he'd protect me, after all, not a single monster had touched me so far.
And really, he's the strongest hunter in the world. A regressor, no less. So why would I ever think a dungeon like this could kill me?
I barely dodged the creature's attack, stumbling and hitting the ground hard. One swipe from those razor-sharp claws and I would've been minced meat.
Even if I have my full trust on Jinhyuk-ssi, I couldn't just not imagine myself turning into mince meat by those creatures.
No, more importantly, I came here for one reason... Chiyeon-ssi..! She's in trouble!
『 Please save my contractor 』
『 I will reward you properly. 』
Just as I feared, an unfamiliar messaged appeared in front of me. It must be Chiyeon-ssi's contractor.
If they're asking for my help, they're really in trouble...!
I nodded my head in response and a quest was given to me, but I didn't have the time to glance at it as I turned my attention back to the situation.
After Chiyeon-ssi was struck by the monster and fell on the floor, I felt my heart dropped. We don't know each other for that long, I just met her, but time doesn't measure friendships.
I've always been alone as far as I could remember. Forming quick relationships here and there, but Chiyeon and the others have always been supporting me whenever they have the chance, even if it hasn't been that long.
I can't let her die like this.
『 Due to the influence of Under the Oak Tree, Sword of The Troupe and Above the Broken World, your stats are temporarily increased by 300%. 』
"Don't die Chiyeon-ssi. I'll heal you." I mumbled to myself.
But my basic healing ability that I awoken with was simply as good as closing paper cut wounds, how could she possibly heal from it? No, thats what I thought until her wounds started closing.
I don't know how this is happening but I'm happy that I could help her.
"Elena-ssi?" Chiyeon looked at me with hazy eyes before closing them again. I smiled at the successful effort of healing her, which means I must've succeeded in my quest!
...Which means I don't have to die. That was a comforting notion, and I let out a long breath that I hadn't realized I've been holding this entire time.
『 Quest Complete! 』
『 You have successfully saved Chiyeon's life.
Rewards Earned:
- + 2 agility
- + 5 focus
- Me▓▓▓▓ S▓▓▓: +10 』
『 Additional rewards are earned from the Constellation 'Sword of The Troupe' 』
『 Congratulations! You have earned the following skill, "Dance of the Flower" 』
I didn't really have time to look at it before my eyes started to blur out. I looked up one last time and saw something bright in my line of sight. Jinhyuk-ssi seems like he was fighting with everything he has to killl the last remaining monsters, but I can't seem to keep my focus up anymore.
Is it okay for me to sleep? I'm a little tired...
·•—–٠✤٠—–•·
With Wukong's Eyes activated and the first form of Blossom Strike unfolding, the dungeon was cleared at a pace far beyond its intended difficulty.
I needed to finish quickly.
Seo Elena had collapsed.
I had to confirm her condition.
"Damn it."
Petals of light scattered through the air as monsters were erased before they could even approach.
Not a single corpse remained.
This is the first time in this turn that I've used even a fraction of my true strength.
And to think it would be for something like this...
I could only blame myself.
The last of the lower-ranked creatures dissolved into particles and soon silence fell in this dungeon, but I didn't get any notification that this dungeon was subjugated. Which means...
A pressure descended from afar. It was the kind of pressure that would suffocate any ordinary hunters. Even S-class hunters would struggle to keep their sanity...
My eyes narrowed and from the distance, I saw it.
In all 88 regressions, this dungeon had never produced anything beyond B-rank. Yet now, a high tier S-rank class was here.
A low vibration tremored through the walls, as if the dungeon itself was reacting.
This timeline is different.
And somehow, all of them are related to her. Seo Elena.
From the far end of the dungeon, space itself seemed to warp inward before cracking apart with a deafening rupture.
A massive figure stepped through.
Black-scaled hide.
Veins pulsing with dense mana.
Two curved horns swept back from its head, and its golden pupils locked onto me with unmistakable intelligence.
This was no mindless creature. With the pressure it exuded, I'm almost certain it's related to them.
But it's an incomplete one.
Its gaze shifted briefly past me. Toward Elena.
"...Don't even think about it."
I stepped forward.
The moment I moved, it disappeared.
I twisted my body sideways just as a claw tore through the space where my head had been. The shockwave alone split the cavern wall behind me.
So it specializes in physical enhancement.
Good.
That's easier than dealing with long-range magic.
I activated Shadow Step.
My body blurred, reappearing above it. I used Blossom Strike - third bloom, but its tail whipped upward to stop my momentum.
I blocked but my arms went numb as I was thrown across the dungeon, crashing through a stone pillar before regaining balance mid-slide.
...It's strong.
I guess it wouldn't be worth calling an S-rank if it can't even push me back a little.
Mana gathered at its mouth. A sphere of compressed black energy formed, the surrounding air collapsing inward.
If that lands near Elena...
I stepped forward instead of retreating.
Blossom Strike — Fifth Bloom.
Light erupted.
The black sphere detonated against my attack, and the collision swallowed the dungeon in a violent explosion of wind and shattered stone.
Dust filled the air and silence fell. Complete, utter silence until a shadow loomed through the smoke.
The creature tried to withstood my attack but ultimately failed. It was almost commendable that even in the end, they never backed down, "I was...almost...there." It spoke in a language that my skill could decipher, before it fell.
"!?"
So I was right. High intelligent creature who aren't supposed to appear in a mere dungeon like this could only mean one thing. They're part of them.
『 Quest Complete! 』
『 You have cleared the dungeon, preventing a dungeon break and preventing total annihilation. 』
『 You have acquired the Unique Skill: Authority of the Unrecorded. 』
A skill... I have never obtained before.
My eyes narrowed.
What is this?
『 Authority of the Unrecorded 』
— For 8 seconds, deny the regeneration of entities not registered within the System.
— Cooldown: 24 hours.
"!!"
This is...
How could I get something like this?
Is the system acknowledging them?
The Outsiders. I don't know who they are, but they come in all forms. Monsters, humans, anything that they could take form of.
They are beings far powerful than anyone else, even myself. In the current state of our world, we would easily be destroyed.
They always appear about ten years from now, descending from the sky and annihilating us like mere insects.
I was able to kill a few of them, but that was all I amounted to. No matter how many times I get to that point, I could never save this world.