Chapter 31

The moment he lifted me, the Safe Zone extended to include Ahyuk as well.

Dangling in the air like a sack of luggage, I grabbed his coat desperately.

“What… what is this?!”

“It makes it easier for me to move and expands the Safe Zone, isn’t that good?”

“What’s easier about it! I can’t even use one hand! And it barely expanded at all!”

I shouted angrily, and Ahyuk looked momentarily bewildered.

He switched hands, holding me up with one hand while grabbing his sword with the other.

“How can you fight like this?”

“Just fight. That’s all.”

“Are you sane?”

What is he even thinking?

He’s planning to fight with one hand while holding a grown woman.

Being an SS-rank offensive Hunter, he could handle any weapon effortlessly.

But shouldn’t that be different when his body isn’t free? No matter how much I argue, I doubt he’d listen.

[Registering ally.]
[Registered as an ally in Safe Zone. Applies 50% damage reduction.]

The sword’s handle was finely crafted with mother-of-pearl, and a deep magical power seemed to radiate from every glimmering surface.

“This is the sword the guildmaster gave you?”

“Yes. It’s the first time this grade has appeared.”

“Beautiful… and one wrong swing and it’ll kill someone.”

I was intimidated by the mana radiating from the blade.

Afraid he might accidentally cut me, I clung tightly to Ahyuk’s neck.

For now, I had no other way to expand the Safe Zone.

Hastily, I continued:

“Let’s just try it like this today. If it’s too dangerous, we’ll find another method!”

“…”

“Got it? Say you agree.”

Ahyuk stared at my face.

He seemed unsure what to say, studying me for a long moment before giving a gentle smile.

“I understand.”

The fleeting smile had a massive impact.

It might sound silly, but it felt as if the surroundings brightened in an instant.

“Don’t smile like that.”

“Huh?”

“I… feel uncomfortable around very handsome people. So don’t smile like that.”

It sounded forced, I knew, but right now, I genuinely couldn’t handle it.

I’d been around amazing people before, but never like this.

His aura alone was overwhelming. I felt completely intimidated.

“It’s my first time being this close to an SS-rank. I don’t want to be defenseless because of his face, not knowing when I might be killed.”

“Ah…”

He nodded awkwardly, like he wanted to understand but didn’t fully get it.

“Now, let’s go. Jupiter has many cleared areas, so we’ll start with the uncleared ones.”

“Isn’t that dangerous? I don’t really know dungeons.”

“I’ll explain as we go. I’m not as good at talking as Ayeon, though.”

Ahyuk lightly kicked off the ground, still holding me in his arms.

I felt my insides lift slightly with the rebound, my hair fluttering in the wind, and cool air rushing into my lungs.

The world below grew smaller by the second.

The crawling monsters and the dangerously swirling purple mist all looked distant.

“Jupiter is basically laced with poison. Ayeon gave you a resistance necklace, right?”

“Yes.”

“The poison fog makes navigation difficult, but that doesn’t concern me.”

Ahyuk’s eyes shone golden.

A golden path stretched ahead in midair like a navigation guide.

I couldn’t believe it, but he was flying above the sky.

“This is a path-finding skill?”

“Something like it.”

“How many skills do you have, guildmaster?”

“After I passed a hundred by age twelve, I stopped counting.”

No contest between us.

I silently vowed not to mess around. My thousandth vow.

“When do you even use all these skills?”

“Hmm, I don’t memorize skill names. I just feel when it’s the right moment, and my body reacts.”

The more I listened, the more I realized the gap between us.

I never thought I could compete, but this difference was too vast.

I nodded helplessly.

Even while flying at terrifying speed, Ahyuk kept checking on me in his arms.

“Not cold? People usually complain about the cold when flying in the air.”

“No. I’m too distracted being held by a stranger. Maybe that’s why I don’t feel cold.”

When will this debuff end?

I was mortified at speaking my mind so openly.

But being held by a man I barely knew, flying at a deadly height, made it impossible not to be tense.

My party consisted of only one person.

“We’re going in as a party of two? Honestly, treating me as a full party member feels weird. I’m basically solo, right?”

“Yes. Jupiter’s usually solo. Dragging someone else along would just be a waste.”

The twins laughed as if this were obvious, making my head spin.

I gave up resisting and accepted reality.

“Look down. Cleared areas have trees and grass growing.”

I glanced at the ground.

If I had acrophobia, I’d have thrown up at this dizzying height.

Some areas were green, like thousands of tiny pixels representing cleared sections; others still flowed with poisonous gas.

“So the misty areas are uncleared?”

“Yes, but this is the dungeon’s entrance. Lower-rank hunters can handle it. We’ll go further inside.”

Shouldn’t I, at least for my own sake, stay outside?

Before I could say anything, he shot forward like a flash.

I could only cling tightly, unable to protest.

“Don’t drop me! Seriously! I’ve entrusted my life to you. Don’t abandon me. Got it?”

“Of course.”

Even hearing an SS-rank Hunter promise to protect me made my heart pound.

“And no matter how much I troll, don’t scold me. You brought me here, so you’re responsible.”

My last words probably sounded like a slight threat.

Ahyuk seemed to take it that way too and laughed.

“This is a special quest area.”

“Special quest?”

“Yes. Areas where bosses too strong for the dungeon sometimes appear. Even properly ranked Hunters can die if they mess up.”

“Of course they would. If a Saturn-level boss appeared while we’re at Jupiter, we’d die!”

“Then why even separate ranks if you’re going to adjust difficulty like this? It’s like you want us dead!”

“Want us dead?”

Lilis calmly added the new term to her vocabulary.

I kept complaining about the dungeon, and Ahyuk drew his sword and laughed.

“That’s why we’re here. To save anyone whose life might be in danger.”

I was exhausted dealing with these saviors.

That attitude of self-sacrifice, acting as if it’s nothing. That level of devotion, as if it’s natural.

Ahyuk, who had been smiling at me, stiffened and turned.

“Here.”

Instantly, my danger detection sensors screamed.

A faceless Reaper wielding a massive scythe appeared in the distance.

Easily over five meters tall, blood dripping from its blade.

“Gah…”

They say if someone’s terrified enough, they can’t even scream.

Yet my body started activating skills to survive.

[Selecting ‘Luck Enhancement’ (D) skill.]
[Luck probability change 50% → 80%]
[Equipment bonuses applied.]
[Luck probability change 80% → 85%]
[Effect lasts 60 minutes.]
[Safe Zone affected by Luck Enhancement.]
[Ally damage reduction increased to 65%.]
[Insufficient mana!]

In an instant, dizzying windows appeared before my eyes.

[‘Master of Hexennacht’ detects partner’s mana shortage.]
[‘Bona Petty’ (C) skill forcibly activated.]
[Target: Ayeon (SS)]

—Enjoy your meal.

The moment Lilis’s voice echoed in my body, my depleted mana began to surge explosively.

Blue mana, beyond what my vessel could contain, spread in all directions.