Chapter 93: Eyes Turned Skyward

“Holy shit—what the hell was that just now?”

“…That was insane.”

The other guilds who had entered the gate alongside Gwangmyeong could only watch Seong Ji-woo’s performance as if they were being robbed in broad daylight. There was no opening for them to interfere.

Because Seong Ji-woo’s combat was nothing like that of an ordinary hunter.

Normally, people played it safe at the start. Especially until the first attack pattern revealed itself, everyone tried their best not to draw aggro.

The idea was to let someone else take the heat, quickly analyze the pattern, form a strategy, and take the monster down before the next attack cycle.

But Seong Ji-woo charged straight at the monster before its first attack even fully finished. What followed—the chained attacks—unfolded in the blink of an eye.

By the time he rammed his blade in and tore out the monster core, the other hunters still hadn’t fully grasped what had just happened.

Some of those farther away even mistook Yu Hee-ro’s shadow for the monster’s vines and thought Seong Ji-woo was being devoured.

But instead, the monster went down in an instant, and the core gleamed brightly in Seong Ji-woo’s hand. As the monster’s body blackened and withered with a hissing sound, Seong Ji-woo still hovered proudly in the air, his waist bound by something like a dark stem.

Like a descent from on high.

At first, the hunters stared in a daze. Then, realizing their prize had been stolen, curses and complaints began to spill out one by one.

Soon, others joined in, raising their voices and spinning increasingly malicious theories.

The first question to surface was this:

“…How did he know the core was there?”

During the preliminary briefing, every participating guild had stated that this gate was a first-time run. In other words, the monsters and the dungeon were all unfamiliar territory.

That had made people relax. Since everyone was on equal footing, there was no need to rush—they could take it slow and methodical.

To them, Seong Ji-woo was a sudden anomaly—and a thorn in the eye. A random supporter had appeared and muddied the waters of the hunting scene. Worse, they couldn’t accept that their achievement had been snatched away by a mere supporter, not even a proper damage dealer.

So they clung to suspicion, determined to tear down his accomplishment.

“At this level, isn’t it basically confirmed he bought the strategy off the black market?”

“Yeah, that’s shady as hell.”

Dungeon and gate strategies were usually kept secret. Guilds that had succeeded once had no desire to share their know-how.

Naturally so—it was their competitive edge.

“Didn’t people say he’s close with Knocker? Maybe he got it from them. Knocker’s famous for running weird gates like this.”

“He’s close with Knocker? Then yeah, could’ve totally come from the underground market.”

Just like that, the unrelated Knocker Guild got dragged into it.

Then someone tossed out a line without much thought.

“Isn’t this bastard’s first time in a gate, too?”

That sentence hooked deep, scraping mercilessly at the hunters’ pride.

Expressions hardened in an instant. It didn’t stop at gossip anymore. They began to glare openly at Seong Ji-woo, snorting in anger.

Even though everyone inside the gate was technically a competitor, they found unity in their hostility.

“f*ck it. Let’s see how long he lasts.”

Far from those voices, the Gwangmyeong Guild was cheerfully celebrating Seong Ji-woo’s success.

“Wow, our vice-guildmaster is no joke. You’d think he was born a DPS.”

Chae Min-jeong made a big show of it, holding up both thumbs enthusiastically.

“Honestly, I was pretty surprised. I didn’t expect this level of… talent. Compared to that, I—”

As Lee Won-jae veered into self-deprecation mid-praise, Seong Ji-woo calmly cut in.

“It’s fine. You played the tank role more than well today.”

“Exactly. Why are you getting discouraged over that? The vice-guildmaster’s just straight-up crazy.”

Chae Min-jeong chimed in aggressively, backing him up. That only made Seong Ji-woo more embarrassed; he scratched his cheek awkwardly.

“You did great. You look even sharper than during training.”

“…Really?”

At Son Ji-hwan’s praise, Seong Ji-woo’s eyes widened with delight. Praise from his mentor felt far better than praise from peers. Pride stacked neatly alongside his growing confidence.

“Yes. Your movements are much more stable. And above all, your judgment is excellent—it really shines in live combat. We might need to raise the difficulty next training session.”

Son Ji-hwan spoke without a hint of a smile, his eyes sincere.

Ah. So this is why Yu Hee-ro used to love my praise so much back in high school.

Seong Ji-woo nodded eagerly, listening intently to every word of encouragement.

Right beside them, Yu Hee-ro—who hadn’t said a single word yet—was staring daggers at Son Ji-hwan.

So that means he was watching hyung the whole time. Instead of fighting…

And judging by how Seong Ji-woo’s grin refused to fade after hearing the praise, it was clearly working.

Then, as if he’d read Yu Hee-ro’s thoughts, Seong Ji-woo suddenly turned his head and asked with a bright smile,

“Do you think I did well, too?”

How could anyone say something harsh to that face? Yu Hee-ro could only let out a long sigh.

“…Yeah.”

After landing the final confirmation from Yu Hee-ro, Seong Ji-woo felt so full he could’ve skipped meals for the rest of the day.

“Still, it was dangerous. You know that, right?”

“In that situation, I didn’t really have a choice.”

With a monster core flashing right in front of him, how many hunters could honestly resist? Seong Ji-woo rattled off what sounded like a flimsy excuse.

But Yu Hee-ro’s expression remained stern. As guildmaster, his concern for Seong Ji-woo’s safety was understandable. And Seong Ji-woo knew Yu Hee-ro had already backed down once for him earlier.

“…I’ll be more careful next time.”

“Promise.”

“Still… when I said I wasn’t worried, I meant it.”

Yu Hee-ro stiffened, his little finger extended midair as he stared at Seong Ji-woo. Without saying a word, Seong Ji-woo hooked his own finger around it, then let go.

Yu Hee-ro stared at him intensely. Seong Ji-woo, meanwhile, seemed utterly unaware of what he’d just said.

Lowering his voice, Yu Hee-ro whispered,

“…Hyung, seriously—don’t say things like that to people.”

“Huh? Say what?”

“The kind of things that drive people crazy.”

“…Are you crazy right now?”

The question was asked with genuine curiosity, which made Yu Hee-ro laugh weakly.

“Yeah. I am. Because of you.”

“….”

Still looking utterly confused, Seong Ji-woo eyed him strangely and subtly stepped back.

As if he’d get away.

The moment Seong Ji-woo moved, Yu Hee-ro’s shadow coiled around him.

“Wha—!”

Seong Ji-woo made a strange sound as he was dragged right back to Yu Hee-ro’s side.

“Is it just me, or is this tighter than before?”

“Not your imagination.”

Just as Seong Ji-woo was about to protest, an irritated shout rang out from afar.

“Hey! You guys! Why aren’t you moving to the next dungeon? Can’t you see everyone’s been waiting?”

It hadn’t even been ten minutes since the monster was defeated, yet they were already clamoring to move on.

Normally, after removing a main monster’s core, there was a thirty-minute gathering window.

That was so standard it barely registered to Seong Ji-woo—he’d been waiting without a second thought.

But now, they were forcing the issue, criticizing Gwangmyeong Guild outright.

“If it’s your first time in a gate, shouldn’t you at least read the room?”

There had been no prior agreement. Everyone had assumed the usual rules applied, but it seemed they’d invented nonsense regulations on the spot.

Seong Ji-woo frowned, incredulous.

“Why the sudden rush? Are you done gathering already?”

Even as he said that, he turned to Chae Min-jeong to confirm.

“Mm, yeah. I think I got most of it.”

She nodded, glancing around casually.

In truth, she’d finished a while ago and had been waiting on the others. In that short time, she’d harvested so thoroughly that the ground around her was riddled with pits—walls included.

Only then did Seong Ji-woo notice, his eyes widening.

We picked up an insane talent… With skills like this, shouldn’t she have joined Knocker?

If Knocker’s guildmaster Park Soo-jin had seen her ability, he would’ve gladly named her his successor. Seong Ji-woo clicked his tongue in admiration, then gathered his team.

“Alright, then let’s move on, too.”

Without further delay, everyone entered the second dungeon.

The other guilds stared daggers at Gwangmyeong—at Seong Ji-woo in particular.

Yu Hee-ro sensed the malice clearly, but he didn’t bother warning Seong Ji-woo. It wasn’t worth the effort.

Paying attention to people who couldn’t even exchange a word with Seong Ji-woo would’ve been a waste.

As soon as they entered, Lee Won-jae erected a water barrier. Chae Min-jeong slipped inside and immediately crouched down, digging into the ground with a shovel.

Once she extracted the minerals, she reached out into the air—and they vanished cleanly. One of the few collection skills possessed by a crafting-type hunter.

That subspace was packed with specially made potions as well.

Once again, Seong Ji-woo took position near the center with Yu Hee-ro and Son Ji-hwan. This time, no one tried to pick a fight over positioning.

Instead, the other guilds clustered together on the opposite side.

Chiiiiiik!

At first, it was hard to tell what the sound was—water spraying, maybe, or wind.

But it wasn’t natural.

It was grotesque. Skin-crawling.

A monster’s cry.

Chiiiiiik!

A bat burst forth, crimson eyes blazing as it spread its wings. It was enormous enough to blot out the dungeon’s sky.

With a body the size of a house and wings even larger, a single flap whipped up a raging sandstorm.

“F-f*ck—someone help!”

Unlucky enough to catch the bat’s attention first, one man fled alone, screaming in a metallic shriek.

Despite his desperate pleas, no one stepped forward. Even members of his own guild hesitated, unable to rush in recklessly.

The bat wasn’t fast or agile for its size—but sheer mass alone made it terrifying. One strike from those claws, or getting crushed beneath its body, and survival wouldn’t be guaranteed.

“Fire!”

Someone gave the signal.

And in the next instant, flaming arrows tore through the air, streaking viciously toward the bat.