LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 52
Including the loud shout of Kang Do-joon, who was trying to change the situation.
The Thieves began to use their stealth skills one by one, disappearing without a trace.
As a result, those who remained started to react differently.
“Damn it, where did they go?!”
“I can’t even feel their presence!”
Some looked around anxiously.
“Is it here?!”
“Stop hiding and fight fair!”
Some wasted their stamina swinging their spears or swords into the empty air.
However, despite the Thief Leader’s loud shout, nothing had happened yet.
“P-professor! W-what do we do?!”
Ah-reum shouted with a trembling voice.
Until just a moment ago, she felt immense joy watching our allies suddenly go wild.
While it wasn’t visible that the professor had used his skill, the impact was unmistakable.
It was as if everyone had stepped up a rank, exhibiting fierce performances.
But as the Thieves vanished, the situation changed again.
The two C-rank men maintained their composure.
However, the D-rank men were thrown into confusion, casting nervous glances around.
“Ah-reum, do you know what usually happens in this situation?”
“Y-yes, yes?”
Finally, the professor’s gentle voice resonated.
Ah-reum’s gaze shifted back to Si-hyun.
At that moment.
“Guhck!”
“So this was their aim, huh?”
Si-hyun reached out into the void, grasping something tightly as if holding onto something invisible.
‘W-what is that…?’
Ah-reum’s eyes widened as she watched the professor’s actions.
Si-hyun forcefully threw whatever he was holding onto the ground.
“Ggah!”
With a loud sound, the Thief reappeared.
He bounced off the ground and rolled away.
Roll roll—
After bouncing several times, he finally lay still.
He showed no further signs of movement.
Ah-reum covered her mouth with both hands, staring at the scene.
But that wasn’t the end.
Swoosh—!
Suddenly, a sound sliced through the air as something flew in.
Startled, Ah-reum turned her head.
“Heh.”
“Wow….”
The professor held the blade of a dagger between his two fingers.
Ah-reum was left speechless, simply gazing at the sight.
“Are you serious?!”
The voice of a man, who couldn’t see anything, was filled with dread.
Simultaneously, Si-hyun leaped.
With a light jump, he thrust his knee forward.
Blergh!
“Gah!”
Thus, a Thief, bent double from the impact on his gut, revealed himself.
Drooling from the mouth as his body tilted, he then fell flat!
Ah-reum’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Let’s see.”
Si-hyun flicked the dagger lightly with his fingers.
The dagger twisted and spiraled as it soared into the sky.
Moments later, after catching the handle of the falling dagger accurately, he relaxed his wrist and—
Swoosh—!
He launched the dagger fiercely backwards.
“Ggah!”
Ah-reum freaked out and turned her head back.
At a distance, a C-rank male Thief was rolling on the ground.
The dagger was deeply embedded in his calf.
“P-professor! You’re amazing!”
“Heh heh….”
“You’re just the coolest—!”
“Hmm, hmm.”
Ah-reum couldn’t help but jump in pure excitement.
Honestly, she didn’t even see the dagger flying.
She only recognized that it was thrown because she was watching the professor.
‘How could you hit someone who’s not even visible?!’
Seeing the man’s direction, it was clear he was attempting to lead a group of monsters.
If he had been left alone, the open area would have gone into chaos.
With eyes filled with admiration, Ah-reum looked at the professor.
Buffs boosting the team, combat prowess on full display!
A perfect all-rounder, shining in every position.
“Ah-reum, this level is what can truly be called a top-tier support. Got it?”
“…Ah, I see!”
Ah-reum nodded vigorously.
Whether she could do the same in the future or not was irrelevant.
Right now, the professor radiated resplendence as if he had gathered all the light in the world.
He truly looked like a beacon.
“Big dreams are what it’s all about…!”
In Ah-reum’s mind, the ideal image of a support-type Hunter was deeply imprinted.
That mindset was reflected in her expression and gestures.
Seeing this, Si-hyun nodded satisfactorily at his pupil.
Though today’s villain group had appeared, it had led to a satisfying outcome in the end.
Thanks to this, the unpleasant feelings brought on by that Thief had completely vanished.
“I’ll take care of that Thief over there, so could you gather the unconscious ones in one spot?”
“Y-yes!”
Ah-reum replied crisply as she straightened her posture.
She approached the male who had rolled away a bit.
Struggling, she barely managed to drag him closer.
After dropping him next to the filthy Thief who was drooling.
“Phew—!”
She exhaled lightly before gazing at the C-rank Thief.
Curious about how deeply the dagger had penetrated.
He was still crawling on the ground, unable to stand.
‘W-what should I do…?’
He looked pitiful, but he was still a C-rank Hunter.
Ah-reum, being a fragile E-rank support Hunter, pondered.
Given that the professor had said they were unconscious, it seemed safe to leave him.
But allowing him to escape felt unsightly.
With a determined gaze, Ah-reum stealthily approached the Thief.
The crawling Thief was so preoccupied with escaping that he didn’t notice Ah-reum coming near.
‘Crap! I need to hide and drink a potion instead!’
He was focusing all his efforts on crawling away.
Suddenly feeling a killing intent, he looked up.
“Eek?!”
A woman, holding a long wooden staff, was coldly looking down at him.
This was a weapon she hadn’t pulled out until now since she hadn’t directly participated in battle.
Though it was called a staff, it was almost like a bludgeon.
Ah-reum unleashed her full strength and struck the man.
Thud! Thud! Bam!
“Stop! Ggah!”
The Thief tried to resist.
Despite his injury, he attempted to block the staff.
However.
‘W-what’s happening? Why can’t I move suddenly?!’
It felt as though his body was bound by something, refusing to cooperate.
Ultimately, he couldn’t resist and was unilaterally beaten down.
At this moment, the durability caused by the rank difference turned the situation into one of torture.
“Ugh! Stop, please!”
“Ugh… why isn’t he fainting? Ugh!”
“Ggah! Pleeease, stop!”
Wishing to sense unconsciousness, the Thief screamed.
Meanwhile, for Si-hyun.
He had given Ah-reum just the right amount of assistance to do as she wished.
Shifting his gaze back, he began to walk towards Ji-han and Kang Do-joon.
The hidden Thief was slowly creeping up behind Ji-han.
At the moment of a cowardly ambush, Ji-han swiftly turned and blocked the attack.
“That was obvious!”
“Grr…!”
Ji-han scoffed at Kang Do-joon.
As a Hunter, senses sharpen with increasing rank.
Moreover, his awareness was exceptionally keen at the moment.
While he could handle the opponent trying to flee, a sudden ambush was easily manageable.
“Damn….”
Taking a step back, Kang Do-joon furrowed his brows, trying to assess the situation.
In this brief moment, he realized what had just happened.
He could see his companions knocked out cold.
He spotted a woman approaching foolishly from the corner of his eye.
Immediately changing his target.
“I’ll take her hostage…!”
Even though his companions seemed hurt, he was still a B-rank Hunter.
It was time to show the differences.
“Look who’s foolish!”
“W-What?!”
Kang Do-joon pretended to attack Ji-han, quickly rotating his body.
He dashed toward Si-hyun while using his stealth skill again.
Caught completely off guard, Ji-han yelped in surprise.
“Sister, watch out!”
“…Sister, my foot.”
Si-hyun sighed heavily and gently turned his body aside.
He reached out into the air with Agility.
“Are you crazy?!”
He accurately snagged the wrist of the invisible Kang Do-joon.
With no hesitation at all, he spun around at lightning speed, completing a full 360 degrees.
Boom!
Using inertia, he slammed Kang Do-joon down onto the ground.
“Ggah!”
The horrific impact made Kang Do-joon drop the dagger he was holding.
Unable to withstand the pain, he rolled around on the floor, clutching his face.
A few broken teeth scattered on the ground alongside the blood.
In an instant, the situation unfolded.
Ji-han stood there, mouths agape, unable to close it.
“D-damn… that’s so cool….”
Admiration escaped him without him realizing.
The smooth and sophisticated movements flowed perfectly into one another.
Si-hyun even turned his head coolly, as if it were nothing.
With held breath, Ji-han stared at Si-hyun, spellbound.
Meanwhile, Si-hyun glanced around.
Observing the Wings Guild men organizing themselves as they realized the situation had ended.
He also saw Ah-reum struggling to drag a Thief over from afar.
“Hm….”
While sorting out his thoughts, Han-gyeol approached.
Si-hyun gazed at Kang Do-joon, who was still writhing in pain, and spoke.
“Han-gyeol, you’ll be able to take down the boss even without me, right?”
“…Yes, of course! Thanks to you, Si-hyun, my condition has stabilized!”
“Then, please take Ah-reum to the boss room. I’ll handle this area.”
“Excuse me?”
When Han-gyeol replied with a mix of doubt, Si-hyun pointed to the path they had come from.
“A group of monsters is approaching. I’ll hold them off and join you, so you take down the boss in the meantime.”
Han-gyeol looked back and forth between Si-hyun, the Thieves, and Ah-reum.
He processed the information briefly, nodded, and then replied.
“Understood!”
The other men, who had been listening to Si-hyun, began moving hastily as well.
They then headed towards the suspected direction of the boss room with Ah-reum in tow.
Si-hyun yanked on the Thief’s hair and dragged him up.
“Ggah…! I-I made a mistake, so s-stop!”
Ignoring the screams, he continued to drag Kang Do-joon along.
Next, he walked over to where the other three Thieves had gathered and used his holy power.
Soon, the unconscious men began to regain consciousness one by one.
“Eek?!”
“Ugh!”
Upon coming to, they saw the broken leader, blood pouring from his nose and mouth.
Understanding the situation in an instant, they went pale and dropped to their knees.
Naturally, they pressed their foreheads to the floor, stealing glances at Si-hyun.
Si-hyun crouched down and commanded them.
“…Get everything you have out.”
“Excuse me?”
“You’ve all gathered your things, right? You need to go through the same experience.”
“W-well…”
“Sigh.”
Their postures of submission hinted that they didn’t grasp the situation.
With a light click of his tongue, Si-hyun lifted the leader’s face so they could see him well.
In that state.
Boom!
He slammed him right back down onto the ground.
Blood splattered as new fragments of teeth joined the dungeon floor.
“Ugh!”
“I-I’ll give it!”
“P-Please… just my life!”
The terrified Thieves began manipulating their status screens.
They pulled items one by one and offered them to Si-hyun.
Having likely grabbed all their belongings, there was little left aside from potions.
Si-hyun felt too lazy to threaten them to see if they were hiding anything.
He simply tucked a few daggers and potions into his bracelet.
Then in a low voice, he said.
“It seems there’s karma coming your way, huh?”
“Excuse me?”
While they voiced their confusion, Si-hyun stood up.
With that, he began binding the Thieves with magic, walking toward the direction where the monsters were gathered.
Realizing their fate, the men began to struggle to avoid being dragged away.
However, they couldn’t move their bodies at all.
In the end, all they could do was scream.
“P-Please, save us!”
“Just our lives, please!”
Si-hyun ignored their cries.
After reaching the edge of where the undead swarmed.
“What you’ve done to other parties during this time.”
He gazed at the men with an expressionless face and proclaimed.
“Experience it the same way.”
He individually grabbed their clothing and tossed them into the midst of the monsters.
“Creeeak?”
“Hee hee?”
The dungeon’s monsters were not only skeletons.
There were plenty of undead monsters like zombies as well.
The undead, sensing the scent of the living, chuckled ominously and began to frolic toward the Thieves.
They sank teeth into the flesh without hesitation, gnawing on the living skin.
Their claws tore into muscle and innards.
“Ggah!”
“N-No—!”
Although Si-hyun’s binding magic wore off, it held no meaning for the Hunters already surrounded by undead.
They were destined to be eaten alive.
Si-hyun frowned slightly and turned away.
Not wanting to show such scenes to Ah-reum, he sent her off with the Wings Guild men.
But he intended to join them soon for assured safety.
Leaving no regrets behind, he walked away.
Meanwhile, for Ah-reum.
“W-wow….”
Watching the men from the Wings Guild battle in the boss room.
She couldn’t help but exclaim in awe for what felt like the hundredth time today.
“S-skeletal mage….”
The monster the professor had mentioned when they first entered the dungeon today had appeared.
It was the perfect moment for the professor’s prediction to come true.
‘As expected of Professor Jeong Si-hyun!’
Ah-reum eagerly awaited the return of the shining professor.