Chapter 41: The Divine Beast Descends

“Then… you’re saying Hyung… didn’t go into the gate.”

Yoo Hee-ro tried his best to stay calm, but even he couldn’t hide the tiny tremor in his facial muscles. Seeing that, Yoo Ho-bin’s eyes glinted with intrigue.

For the first time, the expression of the usually unreadable Yoo Hee-ro actually changed.

‘What the—? Is this bastard seriously close with Sung Ji-woo or something?’

He had assumed Yoo Hee-ro only asked about Sung Ji-woo earlier because Sung Ji-woo used to be his mentor. But now… that didn’t seem to be the case. Lee Hye-rin asked hesitantly,

“You didn’t hear it from Sung Ji-woo?”

“…….”

Yoo Hee-ro stayed silent. He looked genuinely shaken. Yoo Ho-bin smirked. Whatever had happened, it looked like Sung Ji-woo had betrayed Yoo Hee-ro.

‘Ha! Of course. That bastard Sung Ji-woo treats people like crap anyway.’

Yoo Ho-bin slowly turned his head toward Yoo Hee-ro.

‘Considering how Sung Ji-woo used to cling to him, he probably never imagined this would happen. Let’s see… what does a betrayed man’s face look like?’

Just imagining it made him giddy. But imagination wasn’t enough—he wanted to see it with his own eyes. Yoo Ho-bin’s gaze sharpened.

“Guess he forgot to tell you something important.”

But Yoo Hee-ro regained his composure instantly and spoke with a relaxed voice.

“He always forgets the most important crap. Makes you feel underappreciated.”

He even smiled at Lee Hye-rin, as if to reassure her.

‘…Tch. Damn it. That was a miss.’

Yoo Ho-bin clicked his tongue. He was annoyed that he didn’t get the reaction he wanted. But the moment Lee Hye-rin turned away, Yoo Hee-ro’s expression snapped into something entirely different—cold, twisted, irritated. His tongue flicked across his lip in annoyance.

But the moment she looked back, that expression vanished.

‘…What the hell is this guy?’

Yoo Ho-bin lifted his chin, intrigued. His brain quickly began calculating possible ways to screw with Yoo Hee-ro.

RUMBLEEEEE.

Suddenly, the dungeon shook violently as if an earthquake had struck. Everyone immediately crouched low.

“What the hell!?”

“With that commotion earlier, of course the dungeon would wake up.”

A sharp tsk sounded. Just as he said—forcing the gate open had triggered the dungeon awakening. Lee Hye-rin quickly briefed them.

“We saw mole-like monsters earlier. They’re underground right now.”

The ground bulged upward in uneven mounds. Something underground began circling rapidly around them.

“They try to isolate and drag people underground. One of our party members almost got taken yesterday. Don’t scatter.”

Yoo Ho-bin felt a sting in his spider-bitten ankle as the ground vibrated. Blood seeped through the bandage.

Park Joon-soo, unable to see properly, was dazed and slow to react.

“U-uh… uh—”

Yoo Ho-bin smacked the back of his head hard.

“Get it together, idiot! You wanna die!?”

He didn’t know if Park Joon-soo’s vision loss was permanent or temporary. Either way, Park Joon-soo panicked further and crawled toward Yoo Ho-bin. Yoo Ho-bin glared at him in annoyance, though Park couldn’t see it.

Thud… roll…

A baseball-sized object rolled toward a raised mound.

Psssssshhh—

Faint white smoke began to rise from it.

Tear gas?

Yoo Ho-bin covered his nose and mouth with his sleeve. But the smoke wasn’t harmful—more like mist, drifting upward to the dungeon ceiling.

“Shit—run!”

A massive silhouette appeared through the mist. Thinking it was a monster, Yoo Ho-bin grabbed Park Joon-soo by the collar and hauled him back.

“W-what—what is that!?”

A whale-like cry boomed across the space. Majestic, eerie, and overwhelming.

Both Yoo Ho-bin and Park Joon-soo froze stiff. A crushing sense of smallness washed over them.

“……Are we… gonna die?”

Park Joon-soo trembled. Yoo Ho-bin forced a tough tone.

“Don’t say unlucky crap. We didn’t come this far to die, idiot.”

Die? Sure. But he wasn’t dying alone. Yoo Ho-bin looked around—and saw Yoo Hee-ro kneeling calmly, staring into the smoke.

Even now, he looked annoyingly composed.

“Why don’t you do something? You were doing fine alone earlier. Didn’t give a damn whether others got hurt.”

Yoo Ho-bin sneered, but Yoo Hee-ro didn’t react.

Then the creature appeared.

Smooth, water-blue scales. Serpentine and reptilian—like something from a legendary deep-lake folklore.

It didn’t feel disgusting like dungeon monsters. It was mesmerizing… beautiful. An aurora-like glow radiated from its body.

“…….”

It stretched its long neck and sniffed around. Its cloudy grey eyes suggested poor vision. It leaned close to Yoo Ho-bin’s face—sniff sniff—then moved away.

“M-my god… insane.”

The creature slithered past the others—and stopped in front of Goo Min-ah. She calmly stroked its head. It lowered its head like a cat receiving affection.

“…A divine beast?”

BEEP! SKRRRSHH!

The moment someone identified it, a screeching high-pitched sound pierced the air—multiple overlapping cries, impossible to tell if from one creature or many. Everyone clutched their ears in agony.

BOOM!

A huge boulder flipped aside as a massive mole monster—towering like a first-floor building—burst out of the ground.

WOOOOOOO!

The divine beast roared back—its voice far louder, shaking the entire dungeon. Monster and divine beast clashed. Yoo Ho-bin could only stare.

BOOM! CRASH! KRRRSH!

“Move!”

But when Yoo Ho-bin looked up, a massive boulder was already falling over his head.

I’m gonna die.

His eyes darted toward the only person who could save him—Yoo Hee-ro.

“……S-save… me…”

Humiliating, but Yoo Hee-ro could’ve lifted that boulder easily. He had taken down monsters alone before. He could definitely save him.

“…….”

Yoo Hee-ro simply stared. Then he turned away.

Not pretending. Not hesitating.

Just complete indifference.

Yoo Ho-bin froze in terror—just as someone yanked him aside.

Park Joon-soo.

Blind, trembling, terrified—yet still trying to save Yoo Ho-bin.

If Yoo Ho-bin died, he would be left alone in the dungeon. And he knew he would die next.

With two different desperations, the two rolled across the dirt. The spot where Yoo Ho-bin stood collapsed like a sinkhole.

“Hah…! Hah!”

“Cough—cough—damn….”

They barely escaped death and pressed against the dungeon wall. The divine beast and monster continued their brutal fight.

THUD…

Finally, the monster collapsed.

WOOOOOO!

The divine beast roared victoriously—and then…

CRUNCH.

It ate the monster whole. Like a snake swallowing prey, the massive shape slid down its throat. The sight made several people look away.

But it wasn’t over.

The ground bulged again—another mole monster rose. The divine beast whipped its tail, shattering the wall. Debris flew everywhere.

WHOOSH—CRACK!

Yoo Hee-ro shattered the largest debris with his whip. If not for him, many would have been crushed—especially Shin Yoon-jae, who clutched his pounding heart in shock.

Crunch.

Yoo Ho-bin gritted his teeth at the stark contrast—how Yoo Hee-ro saved everyone else instantly, but left him to die.

When the second monster was eaten, Yoo Ho-bin saw an opportunity.

Five smaller moles surfaced and began tunneling rapidly around the group, circling them. The ground beneath their feet began collapsing.