Chapter 14: The Hidden Blade

Crash!

Yoo Heero couldn’t dodge in time and rolled across the ground.
He slammed into the wall with a sickening thud, and Seong Ji-woo froze in shock.
The Stone Golem didn’t let up—it lumbered forward, pummeling Heero with relentless force.

The farther Heero was pushed into the corner, the farther he drifted from the others.
Without thinking, Ji-woo sprinted toward him and conjured a shield around his body.
A bright light enveloped Heero, forming a white, dome-shaped barrier just as the ceiling began to collapse.
Chunks of rock rained down violently.

If Ji-woo had been even a second slower, Heero would’ve been crushed to death.
A chill ran down Ji-woo’s spine.

‘Why Heero, of all people…?’

Maybe the monster was targeting him because he was the weakest of the four.
Some monsters were cunning like that—always preying on the frailest prey.

“Heero! Yoo Heero!”

Ji-woo’s voice was hoarse, his throat straining.
His jaw clenched tight, and his breath hitched as his pulse thundered in his ears.
All other noise faded.
Only the sound of his own heartbeat remained.

Then—something sliced past him.
A sharp gust of wind brushed against his cheek.

Bang!

The wind collided with a flying boulder and shattered it in midair.
Ji-woo hadn’t even noticed it coming, focused entirely on running forward.
The one who blew it apart, Lee Hyerin, shouted in panic.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?! You’re not seriously trying to save him alone, are you? Are you out of your mind?!”

Ji-woo ignored her and squeezed himself through the shattered rocks.
The Stone Golem raised its massive fist high above its head, aiming to crush the glowing shield Ji-woo had created.

“Hey, you dumb pile of gravel! Knock it off!”

Of course, the golem didn’t understand human speech.
It slammed its fist down anyway.

Boing!

Unbelievable as it sounded—that was the noise of the Stone Golem’s fist bouncing off Ji-woo’s shield.

Boing! Boing!

The shield flexed like a giant piece of rubber, springing the attacks right back.
Though the golem had no face or emotion, Ji-woo could’ve sworn it looked startled.

He took advantage of the opening, weaving between rocks toward the side.
His plan was to slip into the golem’s blind spot and reach Heero.
There was no resistance against his magic—he could safely pass through his own barrier.

‘Good thing this gate’s only mid-tier…’

If it were a high-level gate, the boss would’ve smashed through his shield with a few punches.
But this one was weak enough that the golem’s fists were crumbling instead.

Even so, the others were all inexperienced—none of them had fought in a real gate before.
And Heero was practically a civilian, still unable to use his ability properly.
There was no room for error.

“Ugh, I’m the worst matchup for this thing!”

Hyerin’s flame ability was nearly useless against rock monsters.
Even when she blew them apart, the stones reformed again.
And Yoon-jae’s wind powers weren’t any better.

Still, the two didn’t give up.
They kept firing off attacks, filling the dungeon with choking dust and sand.
Ji-woo buffed their strength and speed, and simultaneously cast a debuff on the golem.
A faint glow spread across their bodies, absorbed like a breath of light.

Through the haze, the golem’s silhouette flickered—still moving, still unrelenting.
Every punch it threw sent pebbles scattering like rain.
Crouching low to avoid drawing its attention, Ji-woo used fallen rocks as cover and pushed forward faster.

“Heero… can you hear me?”

He called out softly, but no reply came.

‘Was he crushed? Did I miss a spot when I made the barrier?’

Not noticing the scrapes on his own arms, Ji-woo shoved through the narrow crevice.
He had to reach him.
Fast.

The shield’s duration had less than three minutes left.

“Damn it! Why won’t it die?!”

After minutes of nonstop attacks, Hyerin snapped.
Her throat burned dry from the dust, and her eyes stung.
Ji-woo was nowhere in sight anymore.

“What kind of supporter tanks hits like that?! I don’t care how good he is—that’s suicide!”

She cursed under her breath.
They had to finish the fight before things got worse.
Her stamina was draining fast, and panic was setting in.

‘If only I hadn’t dragged everyone into this gate…’

Biting her lip hard enough to draw blood, she grit her teeth—

Whip-crack!

A sharp sound cut through the foggy air like a whip.
The dust parted along its path.

“What was that…?”

Yoon-jae’s eyes widened.
Things were taking a bad turn.
Either a new monster had appeared—or the boss had entered a new phase.

Hyerin hadn’t heard it over her own explosions.
When she saw Yoon-jae standing frozen mid-battle, she frowned.

“Hey, wind boy—give me a breeze, I’m about to pass out.”

“No. That’s not it. There’s something else here.”

He still sent a gust her way anyway.
She blinked, startled.

“…What?”

“Something just flew past.”

“Where?”

“Toward them. Ji-woo and Heero.”

Her stomach dropped.
If something headed that way, Ji-woo was exposed—his shield was already on Heero.

“Shit. Seong Ji-woo! Hey! Answer me!”

Her scream echoed, but no answer came back.

“Goddammit!”

Hyerin clawed at her hair in frustration, then started to run—but Yoon-jae stopped her.

“Wait.”

“What now?! We have to save them!”

“Shh. Look.”

There it was again—the whip-like shape, flickering faintly through the dust.
When Yoon-jae pointed, Hyerin’s eyes widened in horror.

“…We’re screwed.”

Right then, Ji-woo’s shield shattered.
The glow vanished completely.
Now, nothing protected Ji-woo or Heero.

Fear and helplessness clamped down on them both.
Sensing Hyerin’s panic, Yoon-jae’s voice hardened.

“If we’re doing this, we go all in.”

He grit his teeth and poured every last drop of power into his ability.
Both of their bodies lifted off the ground, floating midair.
He coughed violently but refused to stop.

“Cough—straight on. We end it here.”

Hyerin steadied herself, hands trembling.
Her palms were blistered and bleeding, but adrenaline drowned out the pain.

“Fine. Do or die, then.”

Her eyes locked on the Stone Golem.
Everything else disappeared—sound, sight, fear.
Only the enemy remained.

With a fierce breath, she summoned every ember she had left.
Flames roared across her palms, blazing hot and hungry.
All she had to do was aim for the red core in its head—the two glowing eyes.

She swung her arm wide, like casting a spear.

BOOM! BOOM!

The blasts thundered through the gate.
The impact shook the ground.

“We did it!” Yoon-jae shouted.

But Hyerin didn’t move.

“…That wasn’t me.”

Something else—something faster—had destroyed the core first.
A streak of black light had sliced straight through the golem’s head, cleaving the core perfectly in half.

“…”

The two of them slowly descended to the ground, staring blankly.
The Stone Golem collapsed before their eyes.

Thud!

Its massive head hit the floor first, scattering debris everywhere.

Thud. Crash.

The tremors echoed through the dungeon as the stones rolled away.

The lifeless monster core rolled to their feet, glowing faintly red like a ruby the size of a fist.
Hyerin bent down and picked it up carefully.

“…Holy crap. This is insane.”

“If that was the real boss monster… what the hell is happening here?”

It was mesmerizing, beautiful even—but there was no time to admire it.
The dungeon walls began to rumble.
It wouldn’t hold for long.

“We need to get out—now.”

“Seong Ji-woo! Yoo Heero! Are you there?!”

Hyerin ran off toward them, Yoon-jae following close behind, mind racing.

‘What was that just now…?’

He knew it wasn’t Ji-woo’s magic.
Nor his, nor Hyerin’s.
That strike had been too clean—too precise.
The work of someone skilled.

‘Then who…?’

Only one person’s face came to mind.
And yet, even thinking it felt impossible.