“Ugh…!”
As soon as I stepped through the portal, my body was swept away somewhere. And I couldn’t open my eyes. The water got into my eyes and it stinged.
Damn, was I underwater? Was I in the second half of Area 3 or 4, or am I right in front of the mid-boss monster?
Wait a minute, unless Kang Yoo-hyun and Sung Yoo-bin fell into Area 4, there’s no way I’d end up in a watery place like this…
My thoughts didn’t last long. First of all, I have to do something because my body was swept away by the torrent.
“Ugh…!”
I need to use an item. I tried to use the breathing and diving items in my inventory. However, being underwater and being tossed around by currents made it difficult for me to retrieve items from my inventory.
Wow, am I going to die in such a ridiculous way? I will die because I can’t swim, not because of the death flag? Does this even make sense?
I struggled with all my might out of frustration, and then something solid pulled me up. I was on the surface in an instant.
“Puha!”The air that I was so desperate for filled my lungs. At the same time, the water I drank while struggling underwater gushed out.
“Cough! Cough…!”
I couldn’t open my eyes and started coughing. I felt someone tap my back.
Who could it be? After my cough subsided, I slowly opened my eyes. The first thing I saw was a soaked black coat and a see-through white shirt. I held it tightly in my hand as if it were a lifeline. His shirt, which should have been polished, was soaked and wrinkled in my hands.
“Oh my…”
“Are you okay?”
It was Kang Yoo-hyun who was looking at me with an indifferent face.
He, why is he here?
Unable to grasp the situation, I just stared at him in shock.
“…Did you hurt your head?”
Kang Yoo-hyun muttered with a serious expression and placed his big hand on my forehead. That’s when I realized I wasn’t hallucinating. I tried to pull away from him with a flinch, but then I realized we were underwater and grabbed his shirt again.
“Other—what about the others?”
“I didn’t see anyone else.”
“No one? There is no one? …What about Sung Yoo-bin?”
“I didn’t see her either.”
Kang Yoo-hyun, who repeated the same words like a machine, shook his head. Just as he had said, there was no one in sight on the calm surface of the sea.
What’s going on here? Sung Yoo-bin is not here? Shouldn’t only Kang Yoo-hyun and Sung Yoo-bin fall into Area 4? Why am I here?
While I was dumbfounded, Kang Yoo-hyun started dragging me and swimming. I managed to get out of the water.
“Gasp, gasp…”
In the Sæ dungeons, Area 1 is the beach, Area 2 is the cave, Areas 3 and 4 continue as caves until the second half of the cave, where the background suddenly changes to the sea. Specifically, Area 4 features a long underwater cave that suddenly turned into sea just before the appearance of a mid-boss monster.
As expected, this is Area 4, right? Based on the atmosphere, this must be Area 4.
I lowered my head, feeling like I wanted to cry, and the water remaining in my lungs flowed into my esophagus.
“Ugh….”
Embarrassingly, Kang Yoo-hyun kept patting me on the back. It was an awkward situation. Damn it.
After calming down a bit, I was finally able to take a look around. Kang Yoo-hyun used his skill to light up the surroundings. The blue flames he cast illuminate the dark end of the underwater cave and the serene surface of the water.
“I think we’re at the end of Area 4…”
“Yeah.”
“There’s no one else here, just us… right?”
Come to think of it, Yong-sik was also nowhere to be found. He must be quite anxious without me… Just in case, I checked the system window to see if I could find my summon, but all I got was an error stating that the location couldn’t be found. Damn it.
“Yeah.”
Kang Yoo-hyun, who nodded at my words, saw me shivering and reached out his hand, and with a ruthless touch, he began to remove my clothes.
“Ah, hey, what are you doing!”
“You will get sick if you wear wet clothes.”
“No, wait…!”
This—this wet clothes event should be happening with the heroine, not me! Sung Yoo-bin’s clothes should be taken off, not mine!
No, in reality, they didn’t actually undress each other, but they were awkwardly turning their backs and getting changed. But why is he so proactive with me? Is it because we are both men?
“Oh, wait! I can take it off by myself!”
“…”
I shouted and pulled his hand away, and Kang Yoo-hyun glared at me with an unsettling gaze. Why does he look so scary? Maybe he’s frustrated that I didn’t take it off quickly? I didn’t want to be in this situation either, but my fingers were numb from the cold water, and they didn’t move easily.
“Are you doing this on purpose?”
“Ah, no.”
Kang Yoo-hyun was angry as if he was irritated by my slow movements. Is he protesting that he’s done changing or what?
“…Why do you keep looking at me?”
“…”
When I asked because I felt burdened by his piercing gaze, Kang Yoo Hyun gritted his teeth and turned his head. It seems he has quite the temperament. Everything other than him seemed to frustrate and irritate him.
I sighed and changed my clothes. It was very challenging to do it with damp clothing stuck to my fingers, making it difficult to maneuver them. What’s more, I could hear Kang Yoo-hyun sigh deeply as I fumbled with my buttons, and I could tell he was tired of waiting.
If this was going to happen, I should have worn a diving suit like the Valkyrie members. But regret is too late. I managed to change my clothes and called Kang Yoo-hyun, who was standing with his back turned.
“I’m all changed…”
Plop.
“…Huh?”
From behind, I heard the sound of water. Could it be that Sung Yoo-bin came late? I looked back in anticipation.
“Whoaa!”
However, what flew towards me was a huge trident. A throwing spear that could easily penetrate my body, appeared from the water and flew towards me.
Clang!
Kang Yoo-hyun, who was in front of me, blocked the spear with his sword. Soon after, the water surface shook and monsters started appearing all at once.
“Keuaaa!”
“Kiee!”
“…!”
Wasn’t this supposed to be the last neutral area before facing the mid-boss? Shouldn’t entering the water attract the monster’s aggro? Why are they attacking already?
While I was confused, Kang Yoo-hyun had already engaged in a battle with the monsters. I stood behind him and calmly took out my weapon.
The mid-boss monster of Area 4 was a giant water dragon called “Akaros.” Although the Sæ dungeon itself had a lot of rating fluctuations, if we were to follow the original storyline, it was not an opponent that Kang Yoo-hyun could defeat alone. And Sung Yoo-bin was also not present to help him.
‘I still have to cast my skill on him…’
Right before going through the portal, the catnip skill didn’t activate for some reason. That’s weird. I never failed except for when I finished syncing or couldn’t adjust it, and when the skill did not activate in Eden once because I was too focused on the skinship condition before1.
Maybe something went wrong with the skill activation right before entering the portal, resulting in me ending up in Area 4 with Kang Yoo-hyun instead of Sung Yoo-bin.
“Keuoo!”
“Ugh…!”
My thoughts didn’t last long. It was because a monster that Kang Yoo-hyun couldn’t stop attacked me. I was able to respond immediately because I had loaded the gun I had taken out of my inventory.
Bang!
It was the same gun that Eden gave me in the D-rank dungeon, with a reversal attribute thanks to Sung Yoo-bin’s skill. Because it’s a weapon with a fire property, it emits fire, and it gives Naga a solid effective hit, a monster in Area 4 with a water property. The Blue Naga’s body, covered with scales, burned in the flames and disappeared without a trace.
[You have killed the monster.]
[Item claimed.]
“…Oh?”
As soon as I joined the guild, the status window that hadn’t appeared before now appeared in front of me, along with the system’s emotionless voice.
Apparently, it seemed we and the group got separated. Since I am now in a different area from the group, the connection is completely lost. I sighed and continued firing my gun.
Bang, bang, bang!
“Kugh!”
Eventually, I soon reached my limit. The number of monsters that attacked Kang Yoo-hyun and I continued to increase. Moreover, it was too much to deal with since they were elite monsters guarding the mid-boss monster. Even just dealing with the monsters that Kang Yoo-hyun missed from behind was a challenge for me.
‘What if I die like this?’
It seemed that I would die before casting my skill on Kang Yoo-hyun. I am not as strong as Sung Yoo-bin. At this rate, I will be confirmed as a troll, a moron who has stolen the heroine’s place, and a nuisance. Amidst my panic, status windows suddenly started appearing in front of me, one after another.
[Eden]Level: 65
Rank: A
Title: Blessing of Wind (S)
Stats
Stamina: 70
Strength: 62
Agility: 75
Mental Strength: 50
MP: 49
Skills
…
[Hae Song Yeon]Level: 61
Rank: A
Title: Lightning Ruler (A)
Stats
Stamina: 65
Strength: 70
Agility: 42
Mental Strength: 41
MP: 50
Skills
…
[Han Yeo Reum]Level: 70
Rank: S
Title: Tyrant of the Sea (S)
Stats
Stamina: 72
Strength: 80
Agility: 65
Mental Strength: 50
MP: 62
Skills
…
[Kang Soo Hyun]Level: 20
Rank: S
Title: None
Stats
Stamina: 25
Strength: 30
Agility: 22
Mental Strength: 35
MP: 40
Skills
…
[Sung Yoo Bin]Level: 85
Rank: S
Title: Incarnation (L)
Stats
Stamina: 90
Strength: 93
Agility: 80
Mental Strength: 77
MP: 80
Skills
…
“…!”
The status window of Eden, Hae Song-yeon, Han Yeo-reum, Kang Soo-hyun, and Sung Yoo-bin appeared successively in front of me. I can see their stats and skills in detail at the bottom of the screen which only the person in question can see. How is this possible? While I was panicking, another system window popped up in front of me.
[Six people who have been influenced by ‘Shake the Catnip (S)’ have been registered.]
[Would you like to proceed with a random summon?]
[Count Remaining: 3]
- Refer to chapter 8.
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