“Salamander? Does anyone have the water attribute?”

Jayden asked as he stretched, but no 17 year old cadet would have that. One had to be enlightened to gain an attribute. Jayden didn’t expect much as he held up his sword.

“Well, I’m sure it’ll be easy.”

I took out my handgun. A salamander of that size should be low-intermediate rank, grade 6. Eight people were more than enough, but it seemed too easy. The members proceeded forward with their guard up.

“Oh, there it is.” Jayden pointed at the salamander loafing around.

“So you were right. I guess it’s true you can find dog turd to use as medicine.”

“It’s the other way around, retard.”

Jayden glared at me before quietly asking Kim Jingyu, “Wasn’t I right?”

“About what?”

“The proverb. That you can find dog turd to use as medicine.”

“It’s the opposite. You won’t find dog turd even if you want to use it for medicine.”

“Oh.”

Jayden glanced at Yoo Yeonha, afraid he had disappointed her. Instead, Yoo Yeonha seemed uninterested as she imbued her whip with magic power.

“Get ready. If it’s a switch, it should be a piece of cake.”

Yoo Yeonha swung her whip at the salamander’s tail.

“Kueek—”

The salamander couldn’t use its most powerful fire breath attack with its tail tied up. Immediately, Kim Jingyu shot an arrow at its eye while the warriors rushed forward. We killed the salamander in the blink of an eye. I didn’t even have the chance to do anything.

“Piece of cake. That was amazing, Yoo Yeonha. How did you grab its tail like that?”

Jayden flattered her, which made her smile. They felt proud of such an easy fight. I stepped toward them. At that moment… Thwack. I tripped on a rock and fell forward. Instinctively, I grabbed what was in front of me, most likely Yoo Yeonha’s head.

“Kyak—”

A high-pitched scream rang out. At the same time, a sharp object brushed past my hand and Yoo Yeonha’s hair. Thud. Yoo Yeonha fell.

“W-What? Is it an ambush!?”

Jayden made a fuss as he pointed his weapon in every direction. Soon, his eyes landed on me. I kneeled with my hand pressing Yoo Yeonha’s head into the ground.

“…”

“…”

Jayden and the rest of them stared blankly at a loss for words. An ominous and dreary silence descended.

“… Let go.”

Yoo Yeonha said coldly. I could feel my heart squeeze. I took my hands off and pretended as if nothing had happened.

“You…”

Yoo Yeonha staggered up and glared at me without caring about her messed-up hair.

“Huh? What’s that?”

“What’s what?”

Hazuki pointed at the wall. I caught my breath thanks to the interruption. I saw an arrow stuck in the wall when I looked at where Hazuki pointed. Then I finally understood the situation. The sound of something cutting through the air and that strange brushing sensation… It wasn’t hard to figure out what just happened.

“…”

Yoo Yeonha turned. I was genuinely terrified. Her eyes widened as she saw the arrow. Although I didn’t intend it, I let out a dry cough and bluffed.

“There’s no need for thanks, Yoo Yeonha. We’re teammates after all.”

“Wow. How did you know? I didn’t feel it at all!” Hazuki expressed genuine awe.

“… Sharpshooters have great perception.”

Perception or whatever, the real reason must’ve been my high luck. All our perceptions far surpassed normal humans. If the others couldn’t detect it, I wouldn’t have either.

That arrow was most likely a magic power trap. I mean, just look at the power of that thing. It completely dug into the wall! It was too strong to be a trap for training.

“That was close. Are you ok, Yoo Yeonha?” I approached the arrow while making idle remarks.

“Huuu…”

I could hear Yoo Yeonha breathing behind me. Did she forgive me? Or was she still angry? I squatted in front of the arrow and turned on my laptop.

[Poison Arrow] [Killing Power – 4/10] [Additional Effect – Silent Ambush」— An arrow tipped with a nerve poison.

As I expected.

“I’ll take this.” I put the arrow in my bag along with my laptop.

“… Let’s go.”

Yoo Yeonha spoke. I flinched before turning around. Yoo Yeonha tidied herself up and stared at me while biting her lips. Jayden asked as he saw her expression.

“Yeonha, are you sure you’re okay?”

“Don’t chitchat.”

“Yes, got it.”

After that, we walked without much talking. The scenery began to change past the salamander’s corpse. The dark surroundings lit up. Plants and trees appeared. The trees looked like red maples. A wind began to blow, but it didn’t feel cool or refreshing. Instead, it felt hot and made it difficult to breathe.

“… So hot,” Jayden murmured as he took off his outer clothes. We all took off a layer of clothes except for Yoo Yeonha. She kept her dignity even as she sweated.

“Haa… It must be a field type.”

Dungeons could generally be categorized into 2 types, stage or field. Stage dungeons contained multiple layers that had to be cleared in order while field dungeons just had monsters that needed to be killed until the boss appeared.

“Did the advance team hunt everything? There’s nothing here.”

Jayden yawned after walking for about 20 minutes.

“No, each team had different entrances. The other team should’ve started from the west if we started from the east. Also, I just spotted a group of monsters ahead.”

“Oh?”

Four salamanders and 11 peanut flames stood around tiny craters.

“15 in total, salamanders and peanut flames. Looks like it’ll be tough.”

“That many?”

Hazuki’s eyes widened.

“Yep.”

I held up my gun as Jayden condescendingly sneered.

“Pfft, what can you do with a gun? You won’t even be able to kill a peanut flame… retard.”

Jayden whispered the last bit so Yoo Yeonha wouldn’t hear. I had to admit. This training handgun couldn’t pierce the salamander’s skin. Peanut flames could also wield magic power and constantly covered themselves with flame barriers. However, I wasn’t entirely out of options. I should be able to break the flame barriers if I hit 3 bullets in the same spot.

“You’ll see.”

“Hmph.” 

Jayden twisted his lips as he released sword qi. “Do you want to bet if you’re so confident?”

“…”

I wasn’t strong enough to beat Jayden. When I was about to refuse…

Whish!

A whip struck the ground like lightning between Jayden and me.

“Whoa!”

“… !”

We turned towards Yoo Yeonha, but she coldly spoke only 2 words. “Please. Focus.”

***

At the same time, Chae Nayun’s team suffered various setbacks because a trap had paralyzed Sven.

“Where did that arrow even come from?”

Chae Nayun grumbled as Sven murmured.

“You can leave me behi—”

“Leave you behind? Just stay put if you know you’re a bother.”

Even without Sven, Chae Nayun led her teammates this far. She would receive an overwhelming score if she could clear the dungeon. Chae Nayun couldn’t give up the chance to win against Kim Suho.

“What should we do?” Her teammate Demian asked.

“Wait here for now. I think the dungeon boss is up ahead. Can you see it?”

Chae Nayun looked into the distance and spotted a giant golem with a lava body. The lava spilling from its body marked its territory.

“Yeah, it has to be the boss.”

The magma golem was at least intermediate rank, grade 5. Chae Nayun and her team somehow managed to reach it, but they couldn’t defeat it even if Sven was uninjured.

“We won’t be able to beat it with just us. Another team should be arriving soon. Let’s wait to join forces.”

“But what if no one chose the same pathway?”

“That shouldn’t be possible. At least 3 teams should come through by design.”

Other cadets might’ve randomly chosen, but Chae Nayun knew a pathway would disappear once 3 teams entered it.

“Remember, we’re graded on our individual performance, not who finishes first.”

Sven couldn’t hear Chae Nayun’s irritated voice.

Huu. Huu.

His surroundings turned utterly silent. He felt like he was in a vacuum as he slowly collected his breath. The guilt he felt, his self-loathing, and his inferiority complex all seemed to disappear. Tranquility descended upon him.

— Child, don’t you want to become stronger?

A bewitching voice invaded his heart, causing a ripple on the calm surface. Sven slightly opened his eyes. Two brilliant spheres of light lit up the dark. Like eyes, they curved into an arc before pouring into his pupils.

— Isn’t it painful? I can give you power.

The voice grew clearer as his heart pounded. A wave of emotions surged from the deepest depths of his heart and Sven teared up.

I want to become stronger. I want to become stronger. I want to meet the expectations of my country, everyone who calls me their greatest hope, and my parents who believe I will become the world’s greatest hero. I don’t want to suffer from this endless hopelessness and defeat. I don’t want to hate myself anymore…

— You only have to pay a small price. It’s far lighter than giving everything up.

Sven nodded at the warm voice. He slowly reached out towards the gentle light caressing him.