Jung Jin-ho's viewpoint painted a picture of chaos as if a complete buffoon had been released from prison.
"What the hell... seriously? What are you doing, Seok-woo?"
"I did it! That jerk! I stabbed him, bro!"
"This guy's insane!"
The place erupted into mayhem.
Jung Jin-ho unsheathed his sword, though it was pretty clear he wasn't aiming it at us.
"He's trying to finish him off."
Seemed like he thought that taking out Yoo Seok-woo would somehow fix things.
Almost as if he wanted to silence him first, then sort out the mess later. Maybe that was the only viable option Jung Jin-ho saw.
He clearly didn't want to get into a brawl with us right there.
If it had been Kim Hyun-sung or Park Deok-gu who caught the blade, there might have been a fighting chance. But nope, luck of the draw, Kee Miyoung was the one who got skewered.
'You can't let him die.'
Quick look at Kim Hyun-sung, and he was already on the move.
Jung Jin-ho's sidekick Kim Jae-Joon, who seemed pretty slow on the uptake, came charging at us with a dagger. Guess he thought Jung Jin-ho taking off was the signal to rumble.
"This lowlife scum! You killed him! You killed Ki-cheol!"
Yeah, I did kill Lee Ki-Cheol.
Even so, I didn't anticipate he'd ditch his buddy Deokgu over there and come running over to me.
Turned out I was the life of the party during this impromptu brawl. The guy who was supposed to be safe in the back suddenly became the main attraction.
What I didn't expect was that Park Deok-gu would be a little slow on the uptake.
At the very least, I thought he'd block the second attack. But nope, Kim Jae-Joon managed to scuttle over to me and take a swipe with his dagger.
'Crap.'
Instinctively, I crouched, and the dagger found my back, aiming right for my neck.
'Ouch!'
"Ahhhhhhhhh!"
The pain was off the charts. Soon as the second attack hit, Park Deok-gu snapped into action. He used his big shield to shove Kim Jae-Joon away and managed to put up a shield, looking pale as a sheet.
Meanwhile, Yoo Seok-woo in the background seemed a bit stunned by the whole situation. He was still clutching the dagger he'd used to skewer me and trembling like a leaf.
Clearly, he wasn't used to stabbing people. Not that it mattered much. Both Jung Jin-ho and Kim Hyun-sung outranked this scaredy-cat by miles.
"Maybe this is all a big misunderstanding...?" Our swords clanged just as the words were out.
'And... action!'
Bang! The sound of it was barely out when Jung Jin-ho went flying backwards.
Battle was on. Objective achieved, the two big players were locking horns.
Just needed to sort this mess out now.
I was desperate to ask for some quick patching up, but pain was my only response. I'd never experienced agony like this before, so instead of the expected Healing magic from Hayan, all I got was a piercing scream.
"I can't stand you!"
'It hurts...'
"These idiots!! Bro!"
"I can't stand you! I can't stand you!!"
I'd have much preferred her to work on fixing me up instead of shrieking her lungs out. Things were a mess, and I couldn't move.
Monsters were pouring in, and Jung Jin-ho and Kim Hyun-sung were clashing swords.
Park Deok-gu seemed to still be deciding whether to cover the front where Yoo Seok-woo was or the rear, but he was making an effort to shield himself as best he could.
"Hey! You guys!"
Yoo Seok-woo was at it again with his sword, but this time Park Deok-gu blocked him with his shield.
Thunk!
Yoo Seok-woo went sailing and smacked into a wall, while monsters charged in from the opposite direction.
"Magic Shield!"
Kim Hyun-sung's backup defense was in place.
While this was all happening, I was cramming spells into my head.
Kim Jae-Joon and Jung Jin-ho had vanished from sight, but Kim Hyun-Sung couldn't manage both at once.
"Hey, Hyung-ssi, sis has taken off..."
Jung Hayan had gone after Kim Jae-Joon.
"Don't worry, Deok-gu. First, clear out these monsters, then follow her. I know where she's headed."
"Okay, got it..."
Didn't catch exactly when she disappeared.
She had a new spell ready and was off after Kim Jae-Joon. Not sure if she could keep up with his speed, but her reckless dash indicated she'd handle her end and come back in one piece.
Tears welled in Park Deok-gu's eyes, maybe because of this unexpected twist. I looked at him and said, figuring my bleeding was probably a bit much for him to handle.
"No tears, Piglet."
"Who, who's crying?"
Thanks to his push, the dagger jabbed into my body again, but it wasn't as bad as before.
'Ah, crap.'
Trying to wrap my head around what was happening and why was like chasing shadows.
'Yoo Seok-woo is an absolute idiot. Total waste of space.'
No redemption for him.
But it wasn't just him. I was in the same boat, having plunged a dagger into that other loser, mistaking Jung Jin-ho's retreat for an attack signal.
It seemed like the right thing to do at the time.
After all, Lee Ki-Cheol was his friend, and they'd been together for ages. Losing his buddy sent him off the deep end.
'Knew the plan...'
But that was all thanks to the guy who managed to smile while apologizing. I knew I should've kept a lid on it, but I couldn't hold back.
That look on his face... that smirk in his eyes.
That flagrant dare-it-all grin.
And the problem was how he saw me. Seemed like he was looking down on me from the inside. Still, there I was, leaving him in a heap with a dagger in him.
Even in that situation, the moment I caught that guy's oddly satisfied look as he surveyed the chaos, reason just went out.
Jung Jin-ho, that sneaky bastard, was another issue.
At first, I figured we had no bond, but he sure showed me by tossing me aside like a piece of trash.
'Don't care anymore.'
But that didn't matter now.
Bottom line, I needed him when I needed him. Used him as much as he used me. Simple as that.
'First off.'
First things first, I needed to get the hell out of here.
Jung Jin-ho had decided there was no chance in this situation. His escape route was fresh, so I just followed the path he'd taken.
I could still clearly see his tracks. After catching up to Jung Jin-ho, I'd have to deal with Kim Hyun-sung. And this time, everything was clearer.
Just as I was about to speed up, armed with my bow and arrows, something caught my attention.
'What's this?'
It wasn't the path I'd memorized. This was definitely a different way.
This was the first time something like this happened since I switched to being an archer.
I wondered if there was something wrong with the dungeon itself, but that wasn't it. Even Jung Jin-ho and Kim Hyun-sung's tracks seemed odd.
"What the..."
I looked around and felt a sudden, violent gust of wind from an unexpected direction.
"Huh?"
It took a moment to realize one of my legs was gone.
"Ahhhhhhhhh!!"
'What... What's going on!'
I couldn't process it. Soon enough, my other leg was severed too.
The fear of the unknown assailant gripped me.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!"
After another gust of wind, I lost a hand.
"What! What... Ahhhhhhhhh!"
I was thinking magic was behind this. As I scanned around desperately, a figure emerged from the shadows, faintly visible.
I didn't think it was the first time I was seeing her, but now I knew better.
'Hayan?'
Her face was flushed.
'So cold...'
Her eyes seemed unfocused, hair all tangled, and clothes in disarray. She wiped away streaming tears with her trembling hands.