"What is going on?"
"I-it is a relief. Everyone is alive."
"The other two people?"
"Captain Yoon Hyuk-soo and Kim In-pil are dead. I barely survived."
Kim Su-hwan said with an expression of relief. His expression made it seem like he had been through a really hard struggle. He came one step closer.
"How did you find us?"
"It is a coincidence. I was lost and came across you. Ah, I really thank God."
Lee Ji-hye frowned. Did Kim Su-hwan have this type of character? Kim Su-hwan was someone with strong self-esteem and bravado. Of course, it had been a few days wandering alone but to thank God….
Her sharp judgement wasn't dead yet. Her reasoning warned her of something.
One step. Kim Su-hwan approached.
"But the two collapsed over there. Perhaps?"
"They're not dead. They are fighting a fever."
"Ahh. I'm glad they're not dead yet. Phew!"
Yet? The nuances were grave.
"This dungeon is too large. It isn't a space where people can endure."
One step….
"Kobolds, goblins, meat bats! I endured it alone. Let's combine forces to resolve this."
"Wait. Su-hwan ssi. Stop."
"What's wrong?"
"I told you something before entering the dungeon. After escaping the dungeon. You would introduce me to your sister in the hospital."
Kim Su-hwan nodded like it was natural.
"Yes. I remember."
"Will you keep your promise?"
"Haha. Don't worry. I promise to honour it."
"Water Sphere."
Water flowed around Lee Ji-hye. Kim Su-hwan was baffled.
"…Why?"
"The promise you made wasn't with your little sister. It was your little brother."
"Ah! I must have lost my spirit. I've spent too much time alone in the dungeon."
Lee Ji-hye retreated with dismay.
She briefly had a chance to talk to Kim Su-hwan before the dungeon. At that time, Kim Su-hwan had offered to drive Lee Ji-hye. He said he would introduce her to his little brother.
But, who would forget the gender? It wasn't a trivial fact.
Lee Ji-hye made a decision.
"Don't come any closer. If you take one more step then I will attack."
"Tsk. You noticed quickly."
Kim Su-hwan's posture changed dramatically.
He placed a sword to Lee Ji-hye's neck. The water sphere impacted with Kim Su-hwan's abdomen but he didn't stop. It was like he didn't feel any pain.
The tone, the atmosphere was strange. Kim Su-hwan didn't feel like Kim Su-hwan. It felt like he would attack no matter what.
It was too late for her to regret it. She couldn't avoid Kim Su-hwan's sword. She instinctively had a premonition of death. She imagined her neck rolling across the floor.
Lee Ji-hye closed her eyes.
And….
"You pass."
I gave a very satisfied smile. I had been waiting for it.
Lee Ji-hye's wit to shine.
Finally, the last condition was completed.
Chwack!
Kim Su-hwan head fell to the floor. It happened in an instant.
Blood splashed everywhere. Lee Ji-hye's face was drenched with blood. Lee Ji-hye's body was rigidly still in its standing body.
It happened so naturally but it was extremely unrealistic. Someone she thought was a beginner had extremely cold eyes.
Her eyes gazed between Kim Su-hwan's severed neck and I.
I turned away from Lee Ji-hye and looked in the direction Kim Su-hwan came from.
"Until when are you intending to hide like a rat? Come out."
Jjak jjak jjak!
At the same time, there was the sound of applause in the darkness. The captain and command magician who had been killed appeared.
I smiled.
This was a real smile. The situation right now was so interesting and satisfying that I couldn't help laughing silently.
The captain and command magician Kim In-pil. They were the real masterminds.
The plan had been put together by them. Kim In-pil had manipulated Kim Su-hwan's body.
I had seen the skill proficiency when Kim In-pil commanded two goblins. Although it was marginal, I thought that the dead bodies moved more flexibly and seemed to be complemented by the magic.
'It seems like he only intends to control the goblins this much.'
Kim In-pil used the manipulated goblin to pull the enemies. The movements wouldn't be so stiff if that was all he intended.
From the beginning, his mind had been filled with calculations to deceive people.
Ha!
Humans like this existed. A person that was more like a demon than a human.
That's why beginners were accepted and they were softly coaxed deeper into the dungeon. Forcefully marching them without a break and then dispersing them with the attack from a large number of creatures.
Consistent from start to finish.
So I was convinced that Kim In-pil was coming. He built this plan just to monopolize the Cores. His bloodthirst was obvious. I, too, was definitely placed in the category of prey.
So I waited obediently.
Approaching me with impure intentions was a sin I could never forgive. I originally decided to remove his head straight away but decided to wait when Lee Ji-hye got involved.
'Thanks to that, I had some fun watching.'
It was enough compensation for waiting a few days.
"Did you know from the beginning?"
Kim In-pil was puzzled by my dark smile.
"I could smell the stench of a corpse."
I shrugged.
It wasn't just the smell. The stiff facial expression and strange voice pitch. In addition, there were lots of evidence.
Lee Ji-hye was normal and had figured out that Kim Su-hwan was a corpse.
"A great mentality. Your ability to distinguish things is beyond normal."
Kim In-pil had a truly surprised expression.
It was normal for people to go crazy after being isolated in a cave filled with creatures for days. I was abnormal by human standards.
The standards of humans.
"W-why did this….?"
Lee Ji-hye opened her mouth after recovering. Her voice was filled with dismay and perplexity.
Kim In-pil spread his arms out wide.
"A dungeon is a really nice place. Dead people are just buried here. Even the body doesn't leave. It is a place where murder is authorized."