TRHSOS 23

Chapter 23

Kyaaaack!

So this is what it meant when Beka said he would create a dungeon?

Yeah, I get that something like a dungeon break had to happen to explain why the veranda got blown away.

Rubbing my eyes with my hands, I checked the message inside the window once again.

[!!Caution!! A dungeon break is occurring. <Rank: SS>]

No matter how many times I looked, the two S’s didn’t change.

‘Beka, if you can create a dungeon, doesn’t that mean you can also adjust the difficulty to make it easier to clear?’

[‘Owner of the Tower’ says, “Difficulty adjustment is possible.”]

Then why the hell is the dungeon rank SS?

[‘Owner of the Tower’ swishes his tail like a cat waiting for praise, saying, “I prepared it at playground level.”]

‘How does an SS-rank dungeon become a playground? The current Rank 1 hunter is only S-rank!’

[‘Owner of the Tower’ looks shocked and laments that the world is doomed, asking how the number one hunter could possibly be only S-rank.]

‘The world was already doomed the moment dungeon breaks started appearing on Earth!’

Park Siwoo’s eyes trembled anxiously as he looked at me.

It was the first time I had ever seen his face turn that pale.

To me, it was a rare sight.

Ever since our parents disappeared, Park Siwoo had never once shown genuine weakness in front of me.

“Park Siwoo, your expression is hilarious.”

Honestly, I wasn’t in a rush.

First, the person who created this dungeon break was Beka.

And as long as I had Haeryeong’s mark, he wouldn’t let me die.

I’d go into the dungeon, try activating the mark, and if that didn’t work, I’d squeeze the constellations for help.

But for all of that to work, I had to enter the dungeon alone and quietly.

If I activated the mark in front of others, my existence would be exposed to the world.

[!!Warning!! You will soon be swept into the dungeon by the dungeon break. <Remaining time: 2 seconds>]

If I just held on for two seconds…

“Damn it! Park Suon! Wait!”

Park Siwoo, who had been watching me from the darkness with only his face visible, quietly stepped back.

Looks like he decided to give up and wait for the hunter rescue team.

Just as I was about to praise him for making a wise choice, he suddenly accelerated and started running toward me.

What the hell is that?

He’s totally charging at me.

Is he seriously trying to jump into the dungeon break with me?

That’s not allowed!

If Park Siwoo comes, all my plans will be ruined.

I might have to take the hard route instead of the easy one.

And more importantly, Park Siwoo might get hurt.

“Park Siwoo! Don’t come! Get lost!”

“Noona!”

“I’m going with you too!”

As Park Siwoo took the lead, Jiho and a man with a strangely familiar soft voice followed him and leapt forward at the same time.

What is wrong with everyone?! Seriously!

“Get lost! This is an SS-rank dungeon break! If you come here, we’re all going to die! Damn it!”

[The password matches the ‘Hot Spring Master Key (EX)’.]
[You cannot move to the hidden field ‘Hot Spring (EX)’ from this location.]

Even in this desperate situation, my master key worked diligently. And despite my warnings, the three men jumped into the dungeon break as if they had made a pact.

“How can I leave you behind! If we die, we die together!”

Jiho hugged me tightly and shouted desperately.

I don’t want to die!

At the same time, the remaining time turned to zero.

[Moving to Dungeon Break <Rank: SS>.]

“Ughhh…”

Swept into the dungeon break, I stood up while rubbing my butt that had slammed into a tiled floor that looked like something from a bathhouse.

“Hyun Jungwoo, try opening a portal.”

Even though we had just been dragged into a dungeon break, Park Siwoo calmly gave orders.

A kind-looking man with light brown eyes spread his hands in the air and tried something.

So that’s Hyun Jungwoo.

I had heard a lot about him through Park Siwoo and Jiho, but this was the first time I’d seen him in person.

Maybe the saying that S-rank hunters are judged by their looks isn’t wrong.

Hyun Jungwoo had a handsome, puppy-like face, and among those, he gave off a particularly gentle Maltese-like vibe.

“It says this is a region where portals can’t be created. My skill is S-rank, so it probably doesn’t work in an SS-rank dungeon.”

Jungwoo scratched his head and smiled apologetically at Park Siwoo.

And that voice—I thought it sounded familiar.

It was the voice that asked me if I was a hot spring owner on the 46th floor.

So the guy who wrote that post begging to be cursed at on the hunter board was… this man?

His face didn’t match the embarrassing post at all.

“So that means the only way out is to defeat the SS-rank final boss?”

Park Siwoo let out a long sigh, looking troubled.

See? Things got complicated!

I can barely handle myself, and now I’ve got three extra burdens.

“I told you not to come! What were you thinking, just following me in like that?”

Annoyed, I shouted at Park Siwoo, who had led the situation.

“Should I have just let you fall into some unknown place and die?”

“Yes. You should have. At least three people would’ve survived then. Did you think I’d thank you for dragging me to hell together?”

“Park Suon, stop talking nonsense.”

Park Siwoo grabbed my shoulders and growled angrily.

He was angry, but I knew exactly how he felt.

Seeing me get swallowed by the dungeon break, he must have been afraid of losing me like our parents.

But that fear had put everyone in danger, so it wasn’t exactly the right choice.

“You’re not allowed to die until you pay back all the money I lent you.”

His next words shattered all my emotions.

[Constellation ‘Do You Believe in Luck?’ bursts out laughing, saying, “Isn’t he basically a loan shark?”]

So that was the reason?

“I don’t remember borrowing money. I only remember getting allowance.”

“I never gave you allowance. It’s all in the bank records.”

No wonder he kept throwing big sums at me.

Still, telling his unemployed little sister to pay everything back is so petty.

“So just stay alive.”

“If I live, does it count as allowance?”

“Yeah. So just live, no matter what.”

Surprisingly, Park Siwoo fell for my trick easily.

That must be his way of saying he doesn’t want to lose any more family.

Well, if he’s clearing my debt, shouldn’t I live?

Not that I ever planned on dying.

“Only you and me can fight an SS-rank boss right now. Do you think we can clear it?”

“If we’re going to die either way, we might as well try.”

To Jiho’s worried question, Park Siwoo answered without hesitation and walked ahead.

Hyun Jungwoo was S-rank too, but since he could only open portals, fighting the boss would fall on those two.

If things really go wrong, I can use the mark—I’ll think about that later.

Following Park Siwoo across the tiled floor, empty baths appeared on both sides.

[Entering dungeon field ‘Dried-Up Bathhouse’.]
[Sleeping entities awaken due to a suspicious presence.]

Something bounced up, and a yellow object popped out from the distance.

“Jiho, get ready. Park Suon, stay behind me.”

I moved as told for now.

“What about me?”

“You fend for yourself.”

“Guild leader, you’re cold.”

Hyun Jungwoo complained while standing next to Jiho and staring at the object.

“Quack!”

But that yellow thing…

It looks like a rubber duck toy.

“What? Is that a toy duck?”

Jungwoo, who apparently thought the same, approached the duck fearlessly.

“When I was a kid, I used to float one of these in the bathtub. So cute!”

He reached out to pet the duck’s head.

“Kyaaaack!”

The duck let out a shrill scream that could tear ears apart.

[If within the attack range of ‘Irritated Toy Duck (S)’, you take eardrum terror damage.]

“Argh!”

Caught off guard, Hyun Jungwoo staggered like a paper doll and collapsed.

Even if the duck is S-rank, how could an S-rank hunter go down so easily?

“Hyung, are you okay?”

Jiho raised a barrier with his cube staff and helped Jungwoo up.

Taking advantage of that, Park Siwoo instantly froze and shattered the duck.

Nice! Park Siwoo!

He’s more reliable than I thought.

“Is it over?”

Just as I was relieved, something felt off in the darkness ahead.

It felt like countless eyes were staring at us.

[!!Warning!! ‘Irritated Toy Duck (S)’ are going berserk in rage over their companion’s death.]

With the warning message, red-foreheaded ducks poured out from the darkness like a waterfall.