CSAAC CH 07

Chapter 7

“Hm. It would’ve been better if they stayed asleep a bit longer. This is annoying.”

With a loud rumble, the stone walls began to move.

For a moment, I thought the space itself was shifting—but instead of opening a path, the walls started forming a shape.

A golem.

It was so enormous that even when I craned my neck all the way back, I couldn’t see its face.

As I stared at its formation in disbelief, a calm voice spoke.

“I’ll take care of it quickly. Just stay as still as possible. The space is tight, so if you move around, I can’t protect you perfectly.”

“Aaaah! A golem!”

Thud!

“Like that.”

…He definitely could’ve helped that one.

A Hunter who had just woken up tried crawling away, only to get hit by falling debris from the almost-complete golem and faint again.

Debris, my foot. That was basically a chunk of rock.

Or maybe he just fainted to escape reality.

“If you want to live, don’t move. Just crouch here with me. He’ll clear it.”

“What kind of crazy talk is that? How can one person fight something that big alone?”

“He said it’ll be quick. He’s S-rank.”

“What?! S-rank?!”

They had probably glimpsed his power earlier, but the sheer size of the golem made them hesitate.

Should they run?

Should they attack?

They couldn’t decide.

When I tugged at their clothes, they reluctantly crouched down beside me.

It was almost funny.

These were the same people who talked about throwing me to monsters.

Now they were crouched low, listening carefully.

Hunters are still just people when faced with death.

“Ah. Assistant Manager. That was supposed to be a secret.”

“Stop talking and deal with it. I’m scared.”

“I need the core to fully form if I want to destroy it in one blow. It’s not done growing yet.”

Growing?

Is it a baby?

He pulled a sword out of nowhere like a magician and tapped it lightly against his shoulder while watching the golem grow bigger.

I didn’t understand.

The core was already there.

Why wait?

Wouldn’t it be better to destroy it before it fully moved?

“Right! The head! Aim for the head!”

“Ah… yes. The head of the golem.”

“Damn it, I’ll help too! Let’s get out of this dungeon!”

Did he suddenly feel camaraderie?

The leader, who had been frozen in shock, cursed and ran forward.

Maybe Lee Eunhyun’s relaxed attitude gave him courage.

Or maybe he just wanted to land the final blow for rewards.

Either way, I needed to stop him.

Not because I disliked him.

Because he was going to die.

“Die!”

Clang!

“What? That’s nothing!”

The golem’s head shattered with a hollow sound.

It was surprisingly small for such a massive body.

The leader grinned—

And in the next instant, the golem’s fist swung with the wind.

“Aaaah! Leader!”

He didn’t even have time to scream before he was sent flying.

The other Hunters beside me shouted.

Thankfully, they didn’t rush forward.

The golem’s head regenerated.

“Oh. That’s strange. I thought I destroyed the core. Why isn’t the boss dead?”

Lee Eunhyun muttered dramatically.

Is he bad at lying?

He was good at it during the Awakening test.

Or is he just messing with them?

I was furious.

People’s lives were on the line.

“Hit the crotch!”

“…Excuse me? The crotch?”

The golem attacked him with a massive beam of light from its lower body.

But he dodged easily, still staring at me.

I’d bet everything I own—

He already knew where the core was.

“Don’t be stupid! Civilians—”

“You think golems are like humans?! The weak point is the head!”

“The core is in the crotch!”

If it were human, it would’ve been obscene.

But the golem had a huge beam of light between its legs.

I pointed at it and shouted—

Stone debris flew toward my face.

I squeezed my eyes shut—

But no pain came.

“You shouldn’t close such nice eyes.”

He was far away just a second ago.

But suddenly he was there, catching the rock effortlessly.

Like catching a baseball from a child.

“Unlike some people, you at least have good eyes.”

I clenched my teeth.

I knew it.

He was dragging this out because of my eyes.

His eyes curved in satisfaction when I indirectly admitted it.

Fine.

We’ll argue about this later.

“Since the civil servant insists, I’ll try attacking the crotch.”

“What the hell are you talking about?! The head! Break the head! It must have a limit to regeneration!”

“You never know.”

He shrugged.

Without even taking a step, he casually threw his sword.

It didn’t look like he used much force—

But it shot forward with terrifying speed.

It pierced directly into the glowing crotch.

The light shattered like glass.

And the golem collapsed.

The other Hunters stared, jaws dropped.

Lee Eunhyun shielded me from the falling debris.

“How was that? Did I aim correctly?”

“…You probably knew better than I did. It looks destroyed. Thank you.”

“There’s something I’d rather hear than thanks.”

“Sorry, but I’m a civilian with possible dungeon trauma now. I’m planning to stay home for days. Let’s postpone any conversations.”

Preferably forever.

Maybe I should request a transfer.

Even though I like my coworkers.

“Eh?”

“Oh.”

The Hunters were still stunned.

I nudged them and told them to check on their leader.

They rushed over obediently, like trained dogs.

They didn’t even seem to notice who had nudged them.

Since no real harm was done, there was no compensation I could claim from them.

I felt bitter.

Then—

Something suddenly dropped into my hands from the air.

I grabbed it reflexively.

“Dungeon reward,” Lee Eunhyun said.

“What?”

“It’s just gloves that increase strength. Simple but effective. Though for you, something boosting speed would’ve been better.”

Dungeon reward?

For me?

He defeated the boss with a sword he threw like a toy.

If he wore these gloves too, he’d be terrifying.

I held them out to him.

“They’re yours. You contributed too.”

“Why would I take this? What contribution?”

Crouching in the corner of a stone room isn’t a contribution.

But I didn’t care.

He helped me.

That’s a fact.

He just smiled and didn’t take them.

“You made the biggest contribution. You told me where the boss’s core was.”

I shoved the gloves toward his chest.

Instead, he grabbed my wrist and started putting them on me.

They were soft leather, with the back of the hand open.

They fit perfectly.

So dungeon items adjust to the wearer.

Interesting.

“I don’t need them. It’s like pearls on a pig.”

The dungeon exit began to form.

I instinctively looked at the light forming faster.

His gaze followed mine.

He stopped me from removing the gloves and whispered playfully.

“We’ll see if you’re really a pig.”