Chapter 24: 24

At that moment, Su-hyeun’s new form had disappeared .

Caw—?

The Gorger Ravens, which momentarily lost their target, glanced around left and right in search of him .

Stab—

Su-hyeun’s strong hand grasped the Gorger Raven’s wing tightly to prevent further movement .

“Firstly…”

Kyaaaa—!

As the Gorger Raven’s wings were broken, it lost its sense of direction .

Caw—!

“One wing . ”

Su-hyeun, who had his fist in the air, slammed straight down onto the raven’s back .

The raven’s wing, which has already been broken, could not overcome the force and fell to the ground .

Swick—

Su-hyeun stepped on the falling Gorger Raven’s back and leapt into the air .

The only monster that could fly in the air was the Gorger Raven .

The other monsters were on the ground .

Taking the lead, Lee Ju-ho pulled out his sword and blocked the incoming monsters while Ahn Min-seok shielded the others by swinging the knuckles on his fist . The long distant support members went on an attack spree on the monsters . They were all fighting well in their allocated positions .

True, one would have to struggle from the start and have to paint the remaining picture accordingly .

Now, all that was left was for them to color the picture . Su-hyeun trusted that they would be able to do their part .

There was no way he could support the fight upfront right now . They didn’t seem to be in danger either .

Su-hyeun went to the monsters’ rear . The eleven monsters quickly fell apart, unable to withstand the simultaneous attacks .

Rip—!

The thick spider’s abdomen was slashed in half, and green blood spilled out .

As if a habit, Su-hyeun shook off the blood on his sword after he got rid of the last of the monsters . They had defended three rounds of attacks up until now .

After the first round of attack, they were given 10 minutes of rest . Following that, the monsters’ attacks continued . With this pattern, the members were able to defend themselves from the monsters .

The exhausted Lee Ju-ho looked at the relaxed Su-hyeun who was wiping his sword, unlike the rest of the group .

The opponents were never easy . The number of monsters entering through the door was increasing . Furthermore, the monsters’ levels weren’t decreasing, taking a toll on everyone physically and mentally .

In fact, the others were sitting in a corner without any words . Their mana had also reached their lowest points .

Throughout the battle, Lee Ju-ho looked at Su-hyeun as if he were bewitched .

Though he had that feeling before the trial started, Lee Ju-ho always felt amazed at Su-hyeun’s fighting . It wasn’t because of his high magic level, outstanding stats, or a wide variety of skills . Such things were irrelevant .

It was purely his fighting ability .

Su-hyeun knew how to utilize his physical abilities and made use of them to fight to his advantage . In fact, it was as if he were showing others how to use the 100 percent potential in their own physical and magical abilities .

“Isn’t it embarrassing?” Kim Ba-reun spoke, walking up to Lee Ju-ho and plopped down next to him .

Kim Ba-reun was looking at Su-hyeun as well .

“Really… wondering if that guy is really a C-rank awakener like me . ”

“That could be the truth since there wasn’t much of a difference between both of your magical skills . ”

“Really? Then what do you think sets us apart?”

“Do I really have to say it out loud?”

It was a question not worth even thinking about .

“Just… It’s just a gift . ”

Not everyone was able to have such fighting skills . Even Lee Ju-ho, who had joined countless dungeon attacks, could not yet imitate such fights .

“A gift…”

“Why? Are you jealous?”

“What about you? Don’t you feel so?”

“Well, a little . ” Lee Ju-ho muttered after letting out a deep sigh . “Instead of jealous… I’m more envious . ” Jealousy was a feeling that one would experience when the shoe fit . Now, Lee Ju-ho just felt envious of Su-hyeun, who had such gifts .

“Hey . ”

“What is it?”

“After this dungeon attack ends… I’m considering climbing the tower . ”

Kim Ba-reun was shocked at Lee Ju-ho’s words . “Are you for real?”

“Why are you so surprised?”

“Wait, isn’t it obvious? You were just thinking that it’s a joke to be climbing the towers a few days back . ”

“Right . I did say that . ” Lee Ju-ho looked at Su-hyeun with a bright face .

“Honestly… I was conceited . ”

He really was conceited .

He understood now . The real thing existed separately, and it wasn’t too far . And now, he wasn’t close to being strong enough .

“I must thank that friend when we get out of here . If it weren’t for him, we would have all been dead… I wouldn’t be able to stay sane, too . ”

He was grateful to Su-hyeun . He felt his mind clearing up a bit . He couldn’t see the need to climb up the tower any further before, but now he was given a new motivation and determination to do so .

“Hmm…”

Kim Ba-reun placed his chin on top of his knees and asked, “Could it be real?”

Lee Ju-ho turned around, ignoring Kim Ba-reun’s question and asked, “Really?”

“I meant Kim Su-hyeun . ”

“…Ah, are you talking about that again?” Lee Ju-ho turned once more and looked at Su-hyeun . Su-hyeun was sitting against the wall and resting up .

“I had thought that he wasn’t the one at first . ”

He was certain .

A mere C-rank awakener . The gap was too wide for the Su-hyeun who stood before them to be the heavily rumored Kim Su-hyeun . But after witnessing his abilities, his thoughts had changed .

Maybe… They could be the same person .

A sudden question flashed across his mind .

How could he only be a mere C-rank awakener while having such abilities?

If one had climbed the Tower of Trials for a year with those abilities and had accumulated an extraordinary amount of achievement points, his level must have been way above that .

But it was hard to imagine that two awakeners of the same name would have the same characteristics . It was unlikely that such coincidence existed .

Lee Ju-ho shook his head clear .

Such complicated thoughts would only affect his rest time . Survival was of utmost importance now .

“Ha, ha— . ”

“Huff . Huff— . ”

Lee Eun-mi and Ahn Min-seok took deep breaths while looking down at the blood on the floor .

It was crazily exhausting .

“Now… how many rounds are we left with?”

“Ah, it should be the last round now . ”

Both of them were unable to reply immediately, as they seemed to be quite exhausted . The other members were almost the same .

Su-hyeun was alarmed that most of them were too exhausted to speak .

They had successfully defended nine rounds of attacks .

Monsters’ corpses were piling up on the ground, and the members were both physically and mentally exhausted . More than anything else, the number of monsters pouring out from that door was increasing .

Lee Ju-ho was probably the only one with quite a bit of stamina left . As a powerful awakener, he had better physical abilities and skills compared to the rest of the party .

As if exhausted, Su-hyeun too sat against the wall and looked around at the other members .

When the rest had collapsed and were exhausted, Su-hyeun found the only one who was moving .

Stomp, stomp—

There wasn’t much time left until the last attack .

Beyond the door, noise could be heard as the monsters kept banging against the door .

Slide—

She slowly approached the door . As she came closer, the monsters’ cries and anger could be heard much more clearly .

The monsters would rush out from there .

A nervous moment .

She reached her hands out . She grabbed the doorknob and picked up the key was that hanging there .

Until now, no one else had spotted her actions .

Though it was a little disturbing, it wasn’t tough .

It was a skill that was not obtainable through stores, but through the trials: Invisibility .

It was a skill that had yet to be revealed until now .

Although B-rank awakener Lee Ju-ho had a good chance of getting caught with invisibility, she had waited until everyone was exhausted .

Even Lee Ju-ho, too, was too exhausted to recognize her existence .

Creak—

She placed the key into the lock . At that moment, a voice could be heard from behind .

“There, over there!”

It was too late .

Click—

The key turned, and the door that had been obstructing the monsters’ way started to open slowly .

[A minute later, the monsters will rush out . ]

[The door behind has opened . Escape to survive . ]

Great, it’s done .

“Well done . ”

“…?”

She turned around at the voice that spoke . A familiar face came up close to him .

It was Su-hyeun .

“H, how…”

No, there wasn’t time for that .

Soon, she left her position and escaped quickly .

Flick—

“What do you mean, how . ”

Clack—!

Su-hyeun grabbed Kim Ye-eun’s neck quickly . Before she knew it, she had passed by him .

“Cough!”

Kim Ye-eun’s eyes widened .

She could not understand what was happening around her .

‘Just… how…’

A rare skill, invisibility, which she had obtained by luck through passing a trial .

She was now in the state of invisibility, transparent to the naked eyes of others .

It was the effect of the invisibility skill that killed her existence and made her transparent within a specific range .

Unless it was under normal circumstances, now the members were all exhausted, and she had thought she could completely kill her existence . The right time was now .

‘How did he find me?’

No, before that…

‘Just when, was he behind me?’

“Cough, cough!”

An incomprehensible situation .

Just as she had opened the door with the key, Su-hyeun approached her from behind .

No, he didn’t approach her .

‘No way… He waited until I opened the door…’

But why?

“I wondered when you would make your move . ”

Slam—!

Su-hyeun grabbed her neck and plummeted her on the ground .

Kim Ye-eun felt pain rushing throughout her bones as she was forced into the ground .

Her questions still remain unsolved .

‘Did… he knew everything?’

It was as if he was waiting for her to make her move .

He knew of her existence . Even so, he had been waiting for her .

‘But why?’

He could have stopped her from opening the door .

‘Moreover, he told me earlier that I had done well…’

Confusion, fear, and questions were tangled up in her mind . She could not escape from Su-hyeun’s firm grip .

“Was this a test from the Dump Guild?”

Kim Ye-eun’s eyes widened in shock once more at Su-hyeun’s whispers .

Su-hyeun’s mouth twisted at her reaction . It was a look of displeasure and contempt .

Dump, a guild that was created and meant for the criminals who were abandoned .

It was a group that Su-hyeun had despised and detested the most .

“I was just guessing… But it seems that I’m right . ”

“W… wait…”

“What do you mean wait?”

Grind, grind—

As Su-hyeun added strength in his grip, Kim Ye-eun’s neck began to break .

“In fact, I had intended to kill you even if it wasn’t the truth . ”