Every time the Irregular lunged aggressively, it felt like an earthquake, shaking the ground as if it trembled. Fangs bared, it lashed out with its thick legs. With the closeness, even the fur on its legs was visible.
Two legs relentlessly attacked Sihyun.
Kwagang! Tang!
A massive leg, as large as its body, was blocked by a barrier. Sihyun hastily infused mana into the barrier attempting to withstand the impending split caused by the approaching attack. The Wormman's power exceeded expectations. It was clear why it was classified as a high-risk threat.
Dragging time only played against him.
Tang! Tang! Tang!
Legs continuously hammered the barrier, displaying formidable strength. Despite infusing mana, the consecutive strikes made the barrier precarious.
"Siik!"
The enraged Irregular suddenly half-raised its body. Two attacking legs transformed into four. As the Irregular's body rose due to the four legs, Sihyun once again suffered from wounds caused by the sharpness of its legs.
"Siiieeek!"
Excited by the thickening scent of blood, the Irregular attacked Sihyun. Tadang! Amidst the fierce assault shaking the barrier, Sihyun extended a bleeding hand forward, distracting the Irregular to prevent it from paying attention.
"Baek Geonu!"
Calling out the name, Geonu, who had been waiting for an opportunity from afar, leaped forward. The sword obtained from the corpse seemed fairly effective as it pierced straight into the Irregular's abdomen.
"Siiieeek!"
Writhing in pain, the Irregular convulsed. While a regular attack might not have pierced the tough outer shell, Geonu narrowed the gap using his skills.
Pook!
Empowered by mana, Geonu's sword pierced through the Irregular's abdomen. Siiiiieeek! The Irregular screamed in agony, thrashing wildly. As it struggled, Geonu, who had been perched atop the Irregular's abdomen, lost balance and staggered.
"Hold on!"
Missing this opportunity would mean a fatal outcome. Knowing such a chance wouldn't come again, Sihyun, holding the dagger, brought it down. With force in his hand. A different attack was necessary to neutralize the Irregular more quickly.
With a determined grip on the dagger, Sihyun made a decision after a brief contemplation.
Swish, as Sihyun released the barrier, Geonu's pupils widened.
Sihyun lacked attack skills. He also lacked the power to penetrate the thick hide. But.
Things were different inside the mouth.
"Siiieeek!"
Realizing that Sihyun had released the barrier, the Irregular, despite its fluctuating state of life and death, lunged toward him. Swiftly maneuvering between the attacking legs, Sihyun thrust the small dagger into the gaping mouth of the Irregular, as if he were about to be devoured.
"Siiieeek!!"
Thrashing, the Irregular's mouth was impaled further by the dagger.
A squishy sensation was felt at the tip of the blade. It was a dreadful feeling.
"Baek Geonu!"
Shouting, Geonu, who had been dazed, exerted more force onto the sword. Slight sweat formed on Sihyun's forehead. The moment the Irregular's legs attempted to grab Sihyun.
"Siiieeek… siiieeek…."
The Irregular, emitting a different kind of scream from before, weakly collapsed sideways.
Thud!
As the heavy body fell, the Irregular's surroundings shook. Extracting himself from between the Irregular's massive legs, Sihyun gasped for breath. His heart thumped, and his vision momentarily blurred before returning to normal.
This is insane.
How am I supposed to kill these creatures?
If it weren't for Baek Geonu, I would have been helpless and probably devoured. Even if it wasn't actual death, the sensation of my body being drained would have left a horrifying memory.
Relieved that the worst didn't happen, Sihyun sank to the ground. Waving away the spider's blood from his hand, Geonu approached Sihyun. Despite wiping away the blood, it seemed sticky; the greenish blood from the Irregular was deeply stained on the dagger Geonu held.
"...."
Their eyes met. Unsure if he should say 'you did well' or 'thank you,' Sihyun hesitated with words to utter, but Geonu approached and gently held Sihyun's hand.
The hand that had turned pale due to the red blood.
"I didn't say to use that kind of method."
A low-toned complaint surfaced. Realizing he hadn't tended to his wounds yet, Sihyun cast healing magic on his own hand.
As mana dissipated, the hand healed. Even the appearance was carefully attended to; once cleaned, it returned to its original state almost as if time had reversed. The pain remained as a faint scar.
"There was no other way."
"If I had tanked—"
"If my attacks were weak, we both would have died."
"...."
At Geonu's words explaining reality, his gaze clouded. Gazing at Geonu clenching his fists, pondering, he finally spoke.
"It was dangerous."
"I had to take that risk."
"There was no need to release the barrier."
"Who between you and the Irregular has a tougher life? We were even betting on that."
"That's not it."
"In the end, we're both unharmed."
Plus, I'm a healer. What's there to worry about?
Sihyun still had more than half of his mana left, despite using a significant amount. Even though his condition wasn't great, he hadn't depleted his mana nearly as much as Gunwoo. Looking at the boy whose expression remained dark, Sihyun sighed and tapped his side.
"The spider web space will disappear eventually as time passes. Until then, there won't be a safer place than here. Rest. Even standing seems burdensome for you right now."
Having experienced multiple times how it felt when he completely drained his mana, Sihyun could empathize. Advising the trembling Gunwoo, the boy who had nervously chewed on his lips walked over to Sihyun and sat down hesitantly.
And then, abruptly, he grabbed Sihyun's hand.
"Baek Gunwoo?"
Surprised by the unexpected contact, Sihyun widened his eyes, and without saying a word, Gunwoo, with smaller hands, enveloped Sihyun's hand and looked at him.
Sihyun swallowed hard as he looked at the face in front of him. Deep, blue eyes were solely fixed on him.
His heart seemed to beat as if resonating, thumping audibly.
"Just because it promises complete healing doesn't mean there won't be any pain."
The calm voice surrounded a bewildered Sihyun. His words felt like they were soothing him, and Sihyun's fingertips twitched slightly. It felt subtly ticklish.
"Don't do that next time."
"I-I..."
"...I'll protect you."
"......"
Silence ensued. Even though he mentioned being a Tanker, Sihyun stared blankly at him. It never seemed to get familiar, no matter how much time passed. He still had a dangerous countenance.
That was when the system window appeared.
[Eliminated the high-risk irregular "Wormman."]
[Contributors: Kang Sihyun, Baek Gunwoo]
[You receive 500 points.]
Startled by the three consecutive notification windows, Sihyun, thanks to the delayed settlement, managed to pull himself together. He withdrew his hand held by Gunwoo, saying, "You've depleted your mana, so I have to protect you."
"...."
"It's done, so rest. Did the scores come in?"
Even though Gunwoo's response seemed a bit unclear, he nodded quietly. Sihyun, relieved that they had avoided the lowest score, leaned against the wall and took a deep breath. He could feel mana slowly replenishing.
How peaceful had they been in that moment?
Thud!
Tremors shook the spider web's space. It was time for the safe zone to be released.
The ground where Sihyun and Gunwoo had been suddenly soared upwards as if swallowing the dead and spitting out the living. As they rose from the ground, exposed to sunlight after being in the perpetual darkness, Sihyun found the brightness uncomfortable.
The ground that had spit them out returned to its original state as if nothing had happened. Sihyun, who had been watching the scene, wrapped his arms around himself. Even though he had seen it with his own eyes, it felt incredibly surreal.
Unexpectedly,
[You have survived the first night. You receive 1,000 points.]
Another cursed day had passed.
"How much mana have you recovered?"
"...Around 20."
"Even though it's quite a bit, it's still insufficient."
Uttering words that could paradoxically feel like consolation, Gunwoo nodded in agreement.
If they encountered Haewoon, they would receive a buff increasing mana recovery. But even though they didn't call for it now, it wasn't showing up when they needed it.
In the flowery field, devoid of any ants except for themselves and Gunwoo, Sihyun sighed and moved aimlessly, keeping an eye out for Gunwoo.
Their immediate needs were either to meet up with others for support or head to a safe zone to replenish their lacking mana. Sihyun's mana was severely depleted, and Gunwoo's was slowly climbing up from the bottom.
The more accurately they assessed the situation, the more Sihyun longed for a buffer. He regretted not choosing a buffer during the class imprint.
Anyhow, Haewoon, you're not helpful.
Frustrated internally, Sihyun stepped into the vast meadow.
He thought he saw Inyeong in the distance and squinted. As time passed, he noticed strands of blue eyes amidst the visible hair. As if confirming Sihyun's familiarity, Gunwoo exclaimed.
That certainty reassured Sihyun.
"Kang Haewoon...?"
"Sihyun!"
Calling out the name felt unnaturally loud. As Sihyun focused and saw the figure becoming clearer, he stopped in his tracks, looking at the boy, half-carried by Haewoon.
No, to be precise, he saw a boy lifted by Haewoon.
"Sihyun! Seowoo is...!"
Unlike usual, Haewoon's voice was serious and urgent, making Sihyun's lips quiver. As they drew closer, Sihyun's eyes widened in shock.
Haewoon was approaching, carrying Seowoo, who seemed badly injured.
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