The monster snarled again, and Seung smelled an offensive odor from its mouth—creepy and irritating.
'Bleh!' Lee Seung almost threw up and quickly jumped back to the ground, rubbing his nose. 'Kunf. I see not only your magic is used in killing.'
He activated Shadow Manipulation, but the result was the same.
"Seriously?" he pondered.
Before he knew it, the dark wide fist had already slammed him to the floor. The tiles shattered, and blood started to ooze out from beneath him. Seung gasped repeatedly, unable to stand. Each attempt sent searing pain through his spinal cord, forcing him back down. Blood dripped from his forehead, evidence of the attack's severity.
He pushed up with great effort. "I won't...die here..."
At that moment, the monster stamped on him.
"ARGH!" He vomited a mouthful of blood as the attack landed. Fearing for his life, the Hunters destroyed the formation themselves. With his remaining energy, Minho assaulted the monster with ultrasounds—his special ability. The high-pitched sounds pierced through, affecting the nervous system of anyone nearby.
The other team members blocked their ears, except Lee Seung. The sounds were unbearable, heating his heart, liquefying his bones, and suffocating him. Despite the uproar, the monster hurled Minho into the air with an invisible force and used it again to pick up the Shadow Blade, thrusting it through Minho's chest.
"Get down, Min-" Park Hyeonwhoo paused, tears streaming down his face. "Minho! Not again..."
Jiwoo curled downward, gentle tears pouring down her cheeks. Her breathing shuddered, and she muttered some words. The dagger was inscribed in Minho's chest, red hue spreading on his white shirt. His eyes gently closed as he fell lifelessly to the ground.
'This...this isn't right. No, it's my fault. He wouldn't have died if I had listened to him.' Lee Seung raised his hand weakly toward the body, sobbing silently. He felt an overwhelming urge to crush the monster's soul, to avenge Minho and Yung. But he couldn't rise.
As the monster's body swirled with golden light, Seongjin ran to stop it from repeating its actions. The creature used its invisible power to remove the dagger from the corpse, and in the next second, Seongjin's headless body hit the floor.
"Ahhh!" Jiwoo shouted, covering her mouth. Her breathing trembled more, and her eyes widened. "He is...he is...dead as well."
Park Hyeonwhoo blamed himself for the team's downfall. As the leader, he was supposed to ensure their safety at the expense of his own. But, instead of doing that, he was greedy for his own portion of the profit. He believed no one in the world was as pathetic as he was.
"Jiwoo," he said, a light smile on his face.
"Yes?" she responded, her voice trembling.
"Forgive me, I should have listened to you earlier. I promise to take full responsibility for the rest of you," he vowed earnestly. Jiwoo's eyes followed his ascent, her heart pounding with uncertainty as he walked toward the monster.
"Mister Park! You don't-" Her voice hollered at him.
"I only want to plead with the monster to let us go. You need not worry," he assured, though his internal struggle was palpable. "I've done extensive research on monsters. They can sometimes be swayed by praise. I promise, I'll get us out of here."
"Ahjussi," Jiwoo whimpered, her heartbeat slowing as she clung to a fragile hope. Perhaps he could appeal to the creature's unknown weaknesses.
Park Hyeonwhoo moved toward the monster despite its continuous angry snarls. The beast closed the distance, but when Park knelt a few steps away, it stopped.
Silence...
An oppressive hush set in, broken only by the distant sound of dripping water and the pained moans of a human.
Park Hyeonwhoo pressed his palms together, raising them high in the air. Bowing his head to the ground, he began to praise:
"In the presence of the mighty dungeon god, I, your humble servant, offer myself as a sacrifice, for your greatness knows no bounds. Your divine strength protects us all, and your dominion over this sacred realm fills us with awe..."
Lee Seung watched Park's desperate act as the monster inched closer.
"Mister Park! You have to stop now!" Jiwoo shouted, her voice trembling with awe and fear.
Nonetheless, Park continued, "...As I lay my life at your feet, I plead for your mercy upon my companions. Spare their lives, O revered guardian of the dungeon, and may your majesty shine forevermore in this hallowed domain."
Snarl, snarl!!
Buzz!
"Let go of him, you monster!" Jiwoo shouted at the peak of her voice. The monster had lifted Park into the air, absorbing his soul just as it had with Yung. She screamed again, "You godforsaken creature, I won't let you take him away! Let go already!"
But that was where it ended.
Hiss...
Park vanished as well.
Lee Seung wished he could have prevented his demise. He had hoped for the screen to refill his energy, but it didn't. He was now on the verge of losing his mind.
Tears rolled down his cheeks. 'Yung, Seongjin, Minho, Mister Park, please forgive me. If only I was strong enough, I could have saved you guys. It's all my fault!'
On the other hand, Jiwoo knew this was the end for her too. The E-rank guy, the only fighter left, couldn't stand anymore, let alone protect her.
'There's absolutely no one. I have to make my own decision, whether my soul gets trapped in darkness forever or I put an end to my life myself.' Following that, she unzipped the bag and took the dagger she had given to Seung.
Without hesitation, she plunged it into her chest.
"No!" Lee Seung screamed in agony.
Her body fell flat below.
That was her end too.
Seung gritted his teeth tightly, summoning all the strength remaining in him to stand up, though it was painful.
He panted lightly. "I can still kill you, fucker. Don't be-"
But before he knew it, the monster had flashed to his front and kicked him into one of the pillars fencing the altar.
Sounds of bones breaking echoed through the chamber.
He winced loudly.
Jolted to the floor, he leaned weakly against the pillar. Gently opening his eyes, he was surprised to see the monster in front of him again; punches began to fly in like a thunderstorm.
Bang!!!
The pillar shattered into pieces and Seung's head hit the altar. His sight blurred, and he feared he was gradually losing consciousness. In an interval of five seconds, the altar was overly covered with blood.
"I'm not going to die easily, fucking bastard. So don't be cocky already," he cursed, his voice showing a low hint of energy in it.
Truth be told, he was very scared right now. It was only a matter of one step for him to cross to the other world. He didn't want to die like this. He also wanted to hang out with friends, go clubbing like other kids do, and go on a date.
'What a fool I was. I thought by creating clones, I would do most of the things I've never done before. But I ended up using them to fight monsters alone.'
He gasped as he lost more blood.
'However, during those times, I knew I really wanted to survive. That's what gave me strength to overcome my obstacles. I still have a long way to go! Only if my death can be prevented...
Slash!
Clatter!
Seung saw his blade clatter on the altar by his left side. No, that's not the only thing there. There was something familiar beside the dagger.
'Wait, isn't that...an arm?!'
It was then he realised blood was gushing out of his right shoulder.
'My...arm is gone!'
Tears lined up on his eyelids at this revelation. He had just been crippled by the monster.
'No! This isn't possible! No fucking way this isn't an illusion! My arm...!' he cried.
There was no faking it; his arm had been cut. Then, he saw the dagger rise again, this time directly facing his neck. His heart raced.
'What's going to happen now? Am I-?'
The dagger relentlessly jabbed into his throat. Suffocation set upon him. A sensation as if his head and the remaining body had been disconnected. Neither pain nor agony could explain how he was feeling right now.
"Orgh...orgh...help me. Some-one, please...help..."
His eyes were forced to close. He was just a sixteen-year-old boy; death shouldn't be his portion already.
Gradually, air stopped circulating in him, and a part of his brain, whether the brainstem or another part, was telling him he was finally dead.
--------
Suddenly, Lee Seung awoke on a frigid surface. Astonishingly, the sky was entirely azure and devoid of the sun.
Of course, he realized this wasn't the dungeon at all.
"Am I truly dead? Is this heaven?"
Springing to his feet, he examined his surroundings further. He found himself in an expansive place with a chilly atmosphere that carried the scent of perfumes. It was indeed soothing.
The surface was icy, though not completely.
Brim!
"What the hell is that?" He was momentarily startled by the sound. But his eyes widened the moment he saw what was before him.
It was the screen that had refused to open when he was in peril.
[Side Quest: Survive a fight for six hours.]
[Status: Completed.]
[Congratulations. You are now eligible to become a Mutant.]
[Options: Accept, Decline.]
[If you decline, you won't get the chance to be resurrected. Please accept quickly, you have just five seconds to decide.]
[Countdown: 5, 4, 3, 2...]
[...1]
[Countdown is over.]
[Option chosen:...] [Accept]
[Hang on tight, you will begin to mutate with the System. This is just the beginning.]