Chapter 57: Trapped in Ice

It seemed his feet had gone numb from walking on ice in ordinary shoes. If it weren’t for the jacket Baek Eun-hoo had draped over him, his whole body would probably have frozen solid.

Not wanting to worry the others, Seong Ju-an told Mo Jun-young he was fine and kept walking, but he could feel the sensation in his toes gradually fading.

‘At this rate… what if I get frostbite and have to amputate? No. Don’t think like that.’

Just then, Mo Jun-young suddenly bent down. His broad, sturdy back came into view right in front of Ju-an’s knees.

“…Why all of a sudden?”

“Get on. Your gait’s been off for a while. You’re not barefoot, but you’re not wearing fur-lined boots either.”

So he noticed everything.

Ju-an didn’t refuse this time and climbed onto his back. Since he’d been clinging to their sides, shoulders, and backs during movement anyway, it didn’t even feel that awkward.

Even carrying him, Jun-young didn’t slow down and kept walking forward. The dungeon was filled with dim light seeping through the darkness, biting cold, and heavy moisture formed by water and ice.

With the frozen ground covered in dampness, Ju-an could feel his body temperature dropping even while being carried.

“Joo Ji-chan, could you light a fire?”

“Sure, why not.”

Ji-chan immediately moved closer. Just his presence felt like standing near a heater. Ju-an leaned against Jun-young’s back, soaking in that warmth, when suddenly, Baek Eun-hoo, who had been walking in front, stopped and stretched out his arm.

Everyone halted and scanned their surroundings, but nothing seemed out of place.

“What is it?”

“I’ve got a bad feeling. We’ve walked quite a distance from the entrance, yet not even a single ant has shown up. Does that seem normal to you?”

No one answered. They had all been thinking the same thing.

Ju-an also stayed silent. Even assuming this was a tutorial dungeon, it was strange for there to be absolutely nothing.

He had assumed it must be a tutorial because it lacked a stage number, but given how many unexpected variables they had encountered in this world, it wasn’t something he should have concluded so easily.

‘That was careless of me.’

This probably isn’t a tutorial after all.

Then what is it?

“And another thing,” Eun-hoo continued, “isn’t it weird that the dungeon is just a straight path? Even if Gong Se-yoon is strong, and boosted by the kiss buff, does it make sense that he froze such a massive space all at once?”

“…That is strange,” Ji-chan agreed.

Having finished assessing the situation, Ji-chan suddenly ignited flames and melted part of the ice. A space large enough for all five of them to sit was created, and as if by unspoken agreement, everyone sat down.

Ju-an, who had been on Jun-young’s back, climbed down and tried to sit as well, but in that instant, four hands grabbed him at once: his shoulders, waist, arms, and legs.

“…What are you all doing?”

“The ground’s frozen. It’s too cold to let you sit directly on it. In dangerous situations, you take care of the buffer first.”

Baek Eun-hoo’s words were half right, half wrong. It was true that a buffer, especially one with healing abilities, was important, but even without him, they could survive with help from the Constellations… though that came with its own cost.

Thinking that, Ju-an felt a sting at the tip of his nose.

Then Gong Se-yoon spoke.

“I wasn’t going to say this, but this time, you guys give in. I’m always the one who gives way.”

He didn’t even know what Se-yoon meant, but at those words, the hands gripping Ju-an loosened one by one. The moment they let go, Se-yoon quickly wrapped an arm around Ju-an’s waist and pulled him onto his lap.

So that’s what this was about.

Sitting on the lap of someone who had just turned twenty felt a bit embarrassing, but with his feet already frozen, he couldn’t afford to freeze the rest of his body too.

Even after pulling him close, Se-yoon wasn’t satisfied. He tightened his hold and rested his chin on Ju-an’s shoulder. His lips were so close they nearly brushed Ju-an’s earlobe.

The warm breath tickled, and Ju-an raised a hand to scratch his ear when Baek Eun-hoo spoke again.

“I think we’re trapped in an ice cave.”

His tone was so calm, as if he were commenting on the weather. It didn’t sound frightening at all.

In truth, Ju-an wasn’t afraid either. From a developer’s perspective, he was certain of one thing: every dungeon had a time limit, and if it wasn’t cleared within that time, they would be automatically ejected.

As S-rank hunters, they were probably used to clearing solo dungeons with time to spare, so even if they knew about the cycle, they likely never paid attention to it.

“It’ll open on its own after some time. Every dungeon has a cycle anyway. Since there’s nothing to clear, we can just leave when it opens, right?”

Ji-chan snorted.

“There’s someone just as dumb as the Constellations right here.”

“What? Why are you picking a fight all of a sudden?”

“Hey, Seong Ju-an. If you’re going to fight the Constellations, you need to be one step ahead of them. What are you doing playing into their hands?”

Ju-an bit back a retort.

Before he could respond, Se-yoon, who had been nuzzling his neck, whispered into his ear.

“Hyung, even if the Constellations are stupid, they wouldn’t let us escape that easily. Look at this, knowing I could freeze water, they filled the dungeon with it on purpose. They actually used their brains this time. It won’t just open.”

Hearing that, shame crept in.

He had assumed it was impossible because of the difficulty of a tutorial, but never considered that it might be impossible because there were no monsters at all.

I should’ve thought more carefully before entering.

Jun-young, staring at the ceiling, murmured,

“If we can’t clear it, and it doesn’t open over time…”

Everyone listened. He wasn’t the type to speak nonsense.

“We’ll be fine. But Seong Ju-an won’t last long. The temperature is too low, and his feet already seem frostbitten.”

Right now, wrapped tightly in Se-yoon’s arms, Ju-an didn’t feel cold, but he couldn’t be sure how long that would last.

Baek Eun-hoo replied bluntly,

“Everyone here knows that. If you’re going to talk, give us a solution.”

Jun-young shot him a glare before continuing,

“When managing Awakened, we always carry a portal stone in case we get trapped somewhere.”

A portal stone.

A rare item, hard to obtain even in high-level stages.

Everyone’s eyes lit up.

“But the problem is… I only have one.”

As if on cue, all eyes turned to Ju-an.

He shook his head.

Even if there were no monsters, who knew what the Constellations might do? Leaving them behind would be like abandoning them to die.

Noticing his hesitation, Baek Eun-hoo spoke calmly.

“I know what you’re thinking. It’s not that.”

“…What?”

“You’re the one leaving. We’ll be fine staying here. If you get out, you can find a way to save us.”

Se-yoon added,

“Yeah, hyung. You go and find a way to get us out.”

“That doesn’t make sense. Even if I leave, how would I contact you? Phones don’t even work in dungeons-”

Before he could finish, Ji-chan pressed a button on his phone. A moment later, Ju-an’s phone rang.

…So phones do work here.

“Fine, turn that off. But if phones work, I can just call for help without leaving, right?”

Ji-chan scoffed.

“Seong Ju-an, all the S-ranks in the country are right here. Who exactly is going to help us?”

He had a point.

“Just stop arguing and go figure out a way to get us out.”

Baek Eun-hoo exchanged silent glances with the others. Their real goal wasn’t just sending Ju-an out to find help.

It was to get him out of this ominous ice dungeon before something worse happened.

Eun-hoo gave a subtle nod to Jun-young. Understanding immediately, Jun-young pulled a portal stone from his inventory.

Meanwhile, quick-witted Gong Se-yoon tightened his hold on Ju-an, locking his limbs in place so he couldn’t move.

Baek Eun-hoo slowly stood up.

Only then did Ju-an realize something was wrong. He struggled to break free from Se-yoon’s grip, but it was useless.

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