Upon arriving via the teleportation circle, Sihyun saw people dressed in black. They were the search team members as mentioned by the principal. Noting their gaunt faces, they acknowledged Sihyun with nods, to which he responded with a light bow. Given that it was their first meeting, there was no room for familiarity.
"I've been informed by Principal Pyeonwook. I'm Kang Jichang, an A-grade strength."
A robust man, who looked to be at least fourteen years older than Sihyun, introduced himself with a deep voice. Following him, eight other members took turns introducing themselves, with Sihyun being the last.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Kang Sihyun."
After a perfunctory introduction fitting the atmosphere, Sihyun turned his attention to Jichang, the team's leader. Without uttering a word but with a glance that conveyed his intent, Jichang promptly rallied the team for departure.
"Shall we head in now?"
"Ah... Yes."
The man was massive, with a scar under his eye that caught Sihyun's attention. However, fearing it might be rude to stare, Sihyun quickly looked away towards the shadowy expanse.
"Could you tell me how you've conducted the search so far?"
"We ensure not to forget the exit location by leaving a person behind after moving a certain distance, then proceed further. This cycle repeats until only one person is left, then we return."
It was a safe but inefficient method. At this rate, finding Hamin would be impossible even in three months. Understanding why there had been no news for three days, Sihyun stroked the fur of Pia, nestled in his arms.
"Pia."
"Pia, pia?"
"Can you also locate the exit?"
"Pii..."
Sihyun asked, half in hope, to which the small creature responded with a melancholy sound. It seemed to understand everything he said. The search team members, finding it odd to see Sihyun conversing with an animal, waited for the next command. Realizing that it was too much to expect Pia to also find the way out, Sihyun resigned himself and stared into the Shadow World.
"...I've traveled a considerable distance after separating from Hamin. The usual method won't work."
"Oh, that's not a problem."
"Really?"
"We previously took precautions to not lose the exit location in case we couldn't find anyone, but this time, didn't you say we're guaranteed to find them?"
Jichang spoke calmly. Strictly speaking, Sihyun hadn't guaranteed anything, but it didn't seem impossible either, so he nodded. The man, who had maintained a stern expression, cracked a smile.
"Then it's settled. Redem has provided us with a teleportation circle to use immediately upon finding the missing student. All we need to do is find them, and we can use this."
He caught a white sphere he'd tossed into the air, expressing gratitude for what seemed an easy task, making Sihyun feel like he'd inadvertently done them a favor. Sihyun looked at the object in Jichang's hand, his eyebrows drawing closer with a low sigh.
"Did Iha Hyuk say that?"
Honestly, it seemed unlikely that Iha Hyuk would care whether Hamin lived or died. Hadn't he always treated strangers indifferently, despite his friendly tone but cold demeanor? Yet, the idea that he'd readily provide a teleportation circle for Hamin's rescue was puzzling.
Is a teleportation circle that cheap?
It was a reasonable thought. Soon, led by Jichang, the search team members began entering the Shadow World one by one. Pushing aside his thoughts, Sihyun followed. Stepping into the fluctuating space, a dreadful sensation crawled up his body, which he shook off by tightly embracing Pia.
The humid air, the faintly foul smell, and the dark sky—nothing had changed in this world. Sihyun walked ahead of Jichang.
"I'll lead from here."
"Please."
The man nodded lightly and stepped back. Pia, having shaken itself off, looked up at Sihyun. Its "Pia, pia?" sounded almost like asking if it was time to start. Sihyun answered "Yes," and Pia began directing his steps just like in the dream.
"Pia pia" was straight, "Pung" was stop, and "Pia pia" and "Pung pung" were left and right, respectively. Following the small creature's cries, Sihyun began navigating through the terrain, with the search team silently following. Initially, they seemed puzzled, but as shadow irregulars began to appear, they had no leisure to question further.
Limiting their pace to a brisk walk to ensure accuracy in following Pia's directions, Sihyun took the lead, with the team handling any irregulars
that followed. Occasionally glancing back to ensure safety up to warning level, Sihyun felt reassured seeing the team competently handle the threats.
True to their reputation, the team's near-A-grade skills were evident.
However, their tranquil progress was only against irregulars slightly below hazard level. As more and stronger irregulars appeared, the team started sweating. Sihyun could no longer afford to move comfortably and joined the battle, sweeping the irregulars with a staff that unleashed torrents of water. Before anyone could express admiration, he quickly called out.
"Moving on! Break off the pursuit!"
"Pung pung!"
Following Pia's direction to the right, Sihyun sprinted.
"Let me know if we pass the place I need to go."
"Pia pia!"
Pia nodded in response, its cries becoming more urgent and concise as they hurried. It was when they heard a scream from behind that Sihyun stopped.
"Argh!"
One of the team members was bitten by a giant centipede, eliciting a scream. The centipede's fangs, buried deep into the man's flesh, drew blood unmistakably human.
"That idiot!"
A woman who had introduced herself as Jeonghyun scowled, chastising the bitten man's carelessness. With everyone else engaged with several centipedes, no one was free to assist. Only Sihyun had his hands free. With a tsk, he swung his staff, striking the centipede's belly with an ice spike.
"Kieek!"
The monstrous creature shrieked, releasing its prey.
"Jichang!"
Receiving the signal, Jichang dashed forward, catching his falling teammate. The irregulars he was facing became Sihyun's responsibility. Each one was nearly at the hazard level. Dealing with one was troublesome enough, let alone five, which frankly was a burden.
Having faced such situations before, Sihyun knew how to handle them. He created a thin protective shield to momentarily block the charging irregulars and looked towards Jichang, who had caught the injured team member.
"Can you run?"
"No problem."
"Then let's move quickly. We just need to run far enough to create distance."
"Prepare to move!"
At Sihyun's command, Jichang shouted loudly. The team members, who had been closely engaging the irregulars, heard the order and started to run, using their feet and weapons to fend off the attackers. If the leader fell behind, so would the rest. With a sense of responsibility weighing on his shoulders, Sihyun ran as hard as he could.
Shadow irregulars did not tire.
The more humans engaged them, the more disadvantageous it became for humans.
Therefore, it was best to avoid direct confrontation. Avoiding unnecessary battles, Sihyun quickly created distance and formed a protective platform about 10 meters ahead. With ten people this time, mana control was more challenging. In such a situation, there was no room for the precision needed to let the platform crumble after everyone climbed up. So, Sihyun opted to make it sturdy and planned to dismantle the platform himself to prevent the irregulars from climbing up. He quickly jumped onto the platform.
"Come up!"
Sihyun, who had first stepped onto the makeshift stairs and found a spot on the wide protective shield, called to the remaining team members. As experienced awakeners, they immediately understood the situation and jumped onto the platform Sihyun created without hesitation. Where others might have hesitated for fear of the platform collapsing, these individuals showed no such reluctance.
Quickly, the entire search team climbed onto the protective shield. As one of the centipedes reached the platform, Sihyun swung his staff, causing the stair-like shields to disappear in sequence.
Thud!
The centipede that had climbed about 5 meters fell. The remaining creatures, seemingly enraged, twisted their bodies and shrieked, not letting go until they disappeared.
"Kiee..."
After some time, the creatures finally retreated into the shadows. The noisy and dreadful sounds vanished, leaving a heavy silence over the search team. While everyone was still cautiously examining the ground, Sihyun checked on the injured team member. Fortunately, the leg wasn't severed and could be healed with minimal mana.
"A purification and quick heal should be enough for a full recovery."
Despite the gruesomeness of the blood-drenched wound, Sihyun calmly placed his hand over it. A bright light flickered and vanished. The team member, who had been sweating coldly while clutching his leg, finally let out a suppressed groan.
The penetrated poison quickly dissipated, and the flesh that had been torn to show bone began to reattach. After healing, Sihyun checked on the conditions of the other members. It seemed that no one was seriously injured.
"These creatures react to life signals, so if we stay up here a bit, they'll disappear. Let's recover our strength here and then move on."
"...You're calm."
Jeonghyun quietly remarked upon hearing Sihyun's orderly command. Sihyun glanced at her with a detached look, blinked, and then quietly spoke.
"I've gotten used to it."
"......"
"Let's rest and then head out. ...If you're bored, praying to reach our destination before running out of mana wouldn't hurt."
"...Yes."
The mood became heavier with Sihyun's attempt at lightening it with a joke. Feeling awkward, Sihyun stroked Pia. His left arm was sore from holding it with one arm while wielding the staff.
He massaged the stiff muscles before they started moving again.
The vicious Shadow World seemed to revive the hell Sihyun had experienced here, allowing them to find Hamin only after four attempts.
"Piat!"
After 18 hours of navigating the Shadow World in search of Hamin, Pia pointed downward. At that signal, Sihyun crouched down and touched the ground.
"Is it here?"
"Pia pia!"
A positive response came back. Confident with that cry, Sihyun took a deep breath and infused his staff with mana. Translucent barriers enveloped Sihyun and the search team, spreading widely throughout the Shadow World.
"The amount of mana..."
Despite Sihyun already having used a significant amount of mana to escape into the air and assist the search team by attacking the irregulars, the fact that he could still cast such a large barrier was astonishing. Receiving their awed gazes, Sihyun spoke up.
"Lee Hamin is below us."
"
Finally!"
The nine members of the search team rejoiced, their faces lighting up. After surveying them, Sihyun continued.
"I've set up the barrier to prevent any interference with the rescue, but it's not very strong. Just in case, be prepared for it to break. And..."
"......?"
Sihyun frowned, halting mid-sentence, which left the team looking puzzled.
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