Chapter 06
“This place…”
The man who had entered the subspace looked around with a dazed expression, frowning deeply.
“What the….”
And I couldn’t help but recognize him immediately. He was someone you could see on the news anytime you turned it on.
The very person responsible for shutting down the majority of dungeons that had emerged like mushrooms and unleashed chaos with the monsters inside, some ten years ago.
The one who was still hailed as a hero, always leading dungeon clearings to this day.
Shin Yeoul, Rank 1.
It really was him in person.
Though he looked far more tired in person, with pronounced dark circles under his eyes, than he ever did in the media.
But…. why was Rank 1 here? His appearance was so random.
I was bewildered.
But at the same time, I couldn’t help but utter a small exclamation.
“Wow.”
It was a sudden, real-life encounter. My eyes practically lit up.
I never imagined I’d get to meet him like this. A wave of excitement surged within me.
Of course, I was probably just one of the countless people he had saved fleetingly, someone he wouldn’t even remember.
But maybe this time…?
Maybe he’d save me again? Wasn’t this the perfect chance to escape?
Out of nowhere, hope surged into my chest.
All those times licking the luck-enhancing stones in the subspace had paid off. This had to be a stroke of extraordinary fortune.
After all, he was Rank 1.
No matter how terrifying that S-rank dungeon was, with Rank 1 by my side, there was nothing to fear.
“H-hello!”
I let down my guard and greeted Shin Yeoul.
But unlike me, he was scanning the area with a puzzled expression. It seemed this place was as unexpected for him as it was for me.
His face betrayed his confusion.
Even so, someone like him—a national hero—wouldn’t just leave me here and go.
He was the type to risk his life to save even a single civilian.
That’s why so many people, including me, called him a hero.
With joy filling me, I stepped toward Shin Yeoul.
“Nice to meet y—Huh?”
If only Koko hadn’t stopped me.
“Kko-oo.”
It was a firm cry.
Koko blocked my legs with one wing while shaking its head. As if telling me not to approach Shin Yeoul.
“Koko, why are you—”
“Who are you?”
It happened in the blink of an eye. A shadow fell over my head.
Shin Yeoul had suddenly come right up to my face and was glaring at me. With a fierce aura, as if I were his enemy.
I drew in a breath at his sharp gaze.
This didn’t feel good.
[Your body has frozen from the opponent’s intimidation!
*Due to a significant stats difference, all resistance to the opponent is nullified.]
It was only then that I realized Shin Yeoul’s hand was reaching for my neck.
The oppressive pressure was overwhelming.
My stomach churned. My legs felt like they would give out at any moment.
“W-wait…!”
“What do you mean wait? After setting this trap first.”
Despite the frozen state of my lips, I managed to squeeze out some words. But his cold response was what greeted me.
Trap? What did I just hear? Me, against Rank 1 of all people?
“What trap! This is just a normal fa-farm-like place!”
I didn’t know what kind of misunderstanding this was, but I protested desperately. There was no way I could let myself die at the hands of Rank 1.
“You’re saying this is normal?”
Shin Yeoul glanced at the air, as if confirming something on his system window, and scoffed in disbelief.
W-what kind of system message was he seeing?!
“…If I deal with you, all of this should disappear too.”
Crazy.
[You cannot withstand the opponent’s intense pressure!
*You will faint in 30 seconds!]
A black, spherical energy started forming in one of Shin Yeoul’s hands. The air around it distorted, and I heard something shattering.
It was a power that looked unmistakably dangerous.
Why…?
Why was this happening? I couldn’t comprehend it at all. The hero everyone looked up to, the man who had once saved me…
Why was he trying to kill me?
It was all a misunderstanding. This had to be some kind of misunderstanding.
It felt like I was standing in the face of a massive disaster. My frozen body couldn’t even attempt to escape.
I tightly shut my eyes.
“Kko-ooook! Kko—!”
And just when I thought I was truly done for—
Thud!
With Koko’s resounding cry, the immense pressure that had been suffocating me suddenly lifted.
“Koko….?”
I opened my eyes at the unexpected noise. What I saw left me speechless.
Shin Yeoul was stumbling backward, retreating. From Koko’s mere attack.
Looking utterly vexed, he spat out his words.
“You’re even commanding monsters.”
What? Me? Commanding monsters?
“You think something like this will be enough to kill me?”
No, no! It’s a misunderstanding!
This was bad. Shin Yeoul’s aura grew even more menacing. My skin prickled, as though surrounded by sharp needles.
“If I just get rid of this thing, then you’re nex—ugh!”
“Cluck-cluck!”
Unfortunately, Shin Yeoul couldn’t finish his sentence.
Thud. He collapsed pitifully like a paper doll after being struck by Koko’s sidekick.
Huh?
Koko, now perched triumphantly atop Shin Yeoul’s head, let out a proud, boisterous cluck. Feathers from its fluttering wings floated down onto Shin Yeoul’s face.
“S-Shin Yeoul-ssi?”
Was this even allowed? My voice trembled as I called out to him.
Fainted by a chicken’s attack?
But you’re the Rank 1 hunter!
There lay Shin Yeoul, unconscious. Koko sat smugly on top of him, and I stood there watching it all.
The scene was so absurd, I couldn’t process it.
I approached him, unable to laugh or cry at the situation.
Thankfully, he didn’t appear to be seriously hurt. He was breathing fine, too.
But I had no idea how to handle this situation moving forward.
Should I drag him to the cabin for now?
But if he woke up and attacked me again, that’d be a disaster.
Or maybe not? Since this is a safe zone, it should be okay, right?
But wait, does the safe zone apply to people as well as monsters?
Considering how his aura affected me earlier, it probably doesn’t…
I was utterly confused.
[The S-rank boss monster ‘Emperor Centipede’ writhing under a powerful curse has died.]
Ding! That’s when it happened. A wave of confusion even greater than the current one washed over me.
A system window suddenly popped up.
It said the boss monster had died.
Apparently, it had succumbed to the aftermath of Shin Yeoul’s earlier attack.
Wait a minute. The boss monster is dead? Does that mean the dungeon is cleared…?
Even someone with minimal knowledge about dungeons would understand the basic implication.
[Dungeon conquest complete. Dungeon collapse will now begin!]
The next message confirmed it. The dungeon had indeed been cleared.
But a dungeon collapse?
[*Warning: Registered entrance will disappear with dungeon collapse! 10 seconds until collapse.]
Huh…?
Wh-whaaaat?!
I couldn’t help but panic at the shocking message that followed.
Crazy. 10 seconds? 9 seconds? Disappear? What am I supposed to do if the only entrance disappears!
[6 seconds until collapse.
Would you like to exit?
Yes | No]
A system window appeared, matching my panicked thoughts, and my eyes widened.
Could it be…. I could still leave?
Thank goodness. There was no time to hesitate.
Of course, I had to leave. If I didn’t, I’d be trapped in this place forever!
But…
I glanced at Shin Yeoul, still sprawled on the ground, and Koko perched atop him.
Could I really leave this mess behind?
Shouldn’t I stay and help?
[3 seconds until collapse.
Would you like to exit?
Yes | No]
While I hesitated, the timer continued to tick down.
With only 1 second left, I made my decision.
What do you mean I shouldn’t?
Of course I can!
I quickly hit Yes on the system window.
I could always recreate the entrance and come back later.
For now, escaping this subspace was the priority.
Swoosh—my surroundings changed in an instant.
[Due to the instability of the dungeon entrance caused by its collapse, your location will be adjusted for safety.
▸ Location: Outside the dungeon.]
Everything felt so haphazard.
It was so simple that I could hardly believe I had escaped from the subspace.
I had to check several times to make sure where I was standing.
I was standing in the middle of a road. In the distance, I could see rows of buildings.
“I’m… outside.”
The glow of streetlights, the distinct markings warning people to keep away from dungeon zones—all unmistakable signs of civilization.
“It’s really outside.”
I’d made it out. Finally, out of the subspace.
I’d thought I might be stuck there for years. But to escape in just a week? It was overwhelming.
Tears welled up in my eyes from the sheer joy.
[Due to the disparity in abilities, residual effects of intimidation linger. You will lose consciousness in 6 seconds.]
Then, I blinked at the system message.
Fainting? Suddenly?
This was insane. Why were there still lingering effects of the intimidation? Why was this happening to me, even now?
It was a bolt from the blue. It seemed my luck had run out here.
[5 seconds.]
“Am I seriously going to faint here?”
I glared at the system window with all the frustration I could muster, but nothing changed. The timer just kept counting down.
I paced around in a panic.
[3 seconds.]
“Oh, come on!”
I didn’t want to collapse suddenly and slam my head into the asphalt, so I dashed to the side and threw myself onto the ground.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone approaching me. But I ignored them and shut my eyes tightly.
“Uh… excuse me?”
A hesitant voice reached my ears.
“You, uh, can’t just lie here like this.”
I don’t want to either.
[1 second.]
I felt a hand gently tap my shoulder. I wanted to explain myself, but it was already too late.
Darkness enveloped me.
Somehow, it felt like sweat was coming from my eyes.
🌱
Thank you for reading! ♡
