“What’s written there?”
“It looks like a sign that says this is the first floor. The top floor is the 20th.”
“The 20th?”
“Yes.”
It wasn’t just Kang Sihyun who felt averse to the number 20. He caught hold of Igor, who seemed not to understand, and kindly explained again. The battle they had just fought was like a tutorial, and they would have to ascend 19 more floors to meet Nonus, he said, causing Igor to frown and turn towards Lucia.
“Is it impossible to use the flight buff to go up?”
“I’ve never tried it, but it seems like it won’t work.”
“Why?”
“Over there.”
Instead of answering, Kang Sihyun pointed at the ceiling. Then, all the party members looked up together.
“‘Cheating will surely come at a cost.’”
Kang Sihyun recited the words written on the ceiling. His low voice echoed through the icy hall.
“It’s better to avoid risks and proceed in the standard way. Anything else might lead to trouble, but let’s diligently use the stairs for now.”
Saying so, Kang Sihyun pointed towards the staircase leading to the second floor. The staircase, almost 9 meters away and identical in design to the one connecting the hall and the first floor, elicited a reluctant nod from Igor. Perhaps because he was a fire attribute Awakener, he seemed easily frustrated and angry.
Jihye wasn’t like that, though.
Considering Jihye had a fiery personality, and Igor was even more difficult than Jihye, it seemed clear that fire attribute Awakeners tended to become angrier as they increased in rank.
Igor was not inherently bad, but he was tricky to deal with and hard to calm down. It was Misha who took care of soothing and looking after him. They were a couple, after all, and Igor’s expression softened noticeably when Misha spoke soothingly to him.
Without a partner, one might feel bitterly alone.
When Kang Sihyun had explained everything in detail, the person had only scowled, but when Misha spoke, he lightened up immediately. Kang Sihyun grumbled in disbelief and signaled the departure.
Having previously held hands, which slowed their response to the Irregulars, they decided to set off in pairs or groups of three this time.
“Let’s move slowly and stay on guard, not knowing what might come up.”
Lucia suggested, and Kang Sihyun nodded in agreement. The nine of them then stepped towards the staircase leading to the second floor.
When they were halfway through the unusually clean second floor, a clicking sound, like a mechanical device being activated, was heard.
Damn it.
Having rolled and tumbled in Egypt, Kang Sihyun knew all too well what that sound meant.
“Get ready!”
Crack-crack!
At his shout, ice spikes shot up from the floor. This time, they were actually spikes. Fortunately, they weren’t Irregulars, but the real problem was that the ice had risen so densely there was no place left to step. Despite the warning, it was impossible for everyone to dodge, and two Russian Awakeners screamed as their feet were pierced.
The spikes that severely injured two members eventually melted back into the ice floor without a sound. Thanks to Yihun, who had grabbed him and shot sword energy at the ground, Kang Sihyun was safe and approached the injured to use his heal skill.
While healing, they checked each other's conditions. Fortunately, aside from the two, everyone managed to avoid danger by flying or melting the spikes with fire among other methods.
“Thank you.”
“It’s nothing.”
“Was that a trap?”
“Yes. It seems like the floor is rigged with traps.”
After healing the Awakeners, they paused to assess the situation. The floor seemed suspiciously clean, likely due to traps set everywhere. As they contemplated how to proceed, Changsik suddenly spoke up.
“Why not just run?”
“Pardon?”
“If traps are going to activate anyway, it might be better to trigger them all at once and make a quick break for it. No one here is weak enough to suffer a fatal wound from such traps. It might be better to minimize damage by running through as fast as possible.”
Changsik’s brute but sensible suggestion took everyone by surprise.
“You seem familiar with this kind of situation.”
“I’ve encountered traps before.”
The dry response from the man, followed by a gesture towards the Russian Awakeners, was a clear sign to convey the plan to them. Kang Sihyun couldn’t help but sigh at the unmistakable intention.
“Don’t you speak English?”
Changsik didn’t respond. Kang Sihyun internally criticized Changsik’s silence as he translated the plan into Russian, proposing they sprint to overcome the traps. With no objections, they proceeded as Changsik suggested.
Kang Sihyun counted down.
One, two, three.
On the last syllable, they all sprinted. Click, click! The sound of traps activating was heard from all directions. Remembering a similar situation in Egypt, Kang Sihyun shouted.
“Even if you get hurt, keep running! I’ll heal you at the staircase!”
Unable to avoid the activated traps, a Russian Awakener vomited blood after failing to dodge.
And then, the same fate befell Kang Sihyun.
Crack!
“…!”
It was unclear who triggered the trap. The chilling pain forced Kang Sihyun to clench his teeth and pull his foot free. Barely reaching the staircase, he quickly checked on the others. The injured included Lucia, two Russian Awakeners, Changsik, and Kang Sihyun himself.
He first healed Lucia and the Russians, then turned to Changsik, who frowned upon seeing him.
“Hey, you…. Damn.”
Foot.
It was unclear whether it was an insult or concern. Kang Sihyun, reminded of Hamin by his speech, glanced down at his own leg as Changsik pointed out.
“I’m okay.”
The skin was torn, revealing bone beneath. The trap, a snare, had caught Kang Sihyun's ankle and not let go, piercing the skin with ice. Despite forcibly pulling his foot out, the damage was extensive and looked far from okay.
After reassuring everyone he was fine, Kang Sihyun healed Changsik and then himself. Blood had pooled on the translucent ice where Kang Sihyun had stood. Changsik grabbed his arm.
“Are you really okay?”
“It’s not that serious, really.”
He would have had to see Kang Sihyun back in the Egyptian dungeon, utterly desolate and pitiful, to understand. Compared to that ordeal, this was nothing, and Kang Sihyun spoke calmly, prompting Changsik to reluctantly let him go.
“Shall we get going then?”
Urging the group forward, they remembered the long journey ahead. Knowing they had 19 floors left, the team didn’t complain and followed Kang Sihyun up another floor.
Unlike the first floor, which only had simple traps, the second floor proved more challenging with the addition of Irregulars. Dodging traps only to be attacked by Irregulars, and when they managed to fend those off, another trap would target them from behind. The variety and complexity of traps on the second floor caused the group more trouble than before.
“We might run out of Kang Sihyun’s mana first at this rate.”
With six injured on the second floor, Yihun expressed concern as the injuries were more severe, requiring more mana. Kang Sihyun shrugged, squeezed his fist to gauge his remaining mana.
“Are you laughing now?”
“Ah….”
Apparently, he had smiled without realizing. After Yihun’s admonishment, Kang Sihyun modestly lowered his head.
“Thank you for your concern, but I’m still fine.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Don’t I look healthy?”
“That’s not the case.”
“Ah… Really?”
His confident statement was met with a blunt assessment, leaving Kang Sihyun feeling bitter. Ignoring Yihun’s comment that he always looked somewhat pained, Kang Sihyun flexed his hand, assessing the flow of his core.
He was genuinely fine. Even if he repeated the healing a hundred times more, it wouldn’t dent his mana. The synergy between his proficiency and the fourth inscription had significantly increased his total mana and recovery rate. The experience gained from over a year as a healer had reduced the mana cost for his skills. Who wouldn’t smile at that?
Recalling times when he had been exhausted after just a few uses of his skills, Kang Sihyun smiled again. Looking vibrant and full of life, he suggested moving to the next floor, leaving Yihun and the rest looking stupefied. Changsik went further, circling his finger around his head, asking if Kang Sihyun was okay. Yihun sighed softly and grabbed his shoulder.
“Kang Sihyun has always been like this.”
Changsik agreed, seemingly in resignation. Kang Sihyun, pretending not to hear their almost insult-like concern, led the group to the next floor.
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