A Bittersweet Reward

After successfully dodging the first attack, I checked on Seong Gyu-rim. She had managed to take cover in a rocky crevice. Just then, her eyes met mine as she searched for me, and her face brightened instantly.

“You made it! What a relief! That attack came out of nowhere!”

“I’m fine,” I replied.

I quickly racked my brain for Arcilla’s next move. It had been a year, so the memories were a bit hazy, but the next pattern was either a breath attack or a massive tail swipe. I twisted my ring to the left and waited for the gem to fill with blood. Meanwhile, Arcilla raised her massive form, her tail twitching as she glared at us.

“Gyu-rim, watch the tail!”

“Right!”

Her face now showed total trust in my words as she warily monitored Arcilla’s movements. And, exactly as I predicted—

Whish—!

Arcilla’s tail whipped toward us at a terrifying speed. I scrambled back to a safe zone and, using every drop of the gathered blood, aimed for one of her eyes.

“[Invisible Pain]!”

[Krrrgh!]

Normally, my curse skill, ‘Darkened Pupils,’ would barely tickle a boss monster like Arcilla—especially since she was an A-rank. However, by utilizing an artifact, sacrificing my own blood, and focusing entirely on a single point, the success rate skyrocketed.

Sure enough, one of Arcilla’s eyes burst, and blood began to spray. For someone of my rank, this was nothing short of a miracle.

“That was amazing!”

“…….”

Seong Gyu-rim praised me openly, but I felt strangely hollow. I had only mastered this method much later in my previous life, slowly clawing my way up, but by then, Gyu-rim had already…

‘…Damn it. Stop thinking about the past.’

I had momentarily lost focus, dwelling on my pathetic past self. Because of that, I realized a few seconds too late that Arcilla was targeting me.

‘Oh, no!’

[Annoying… so annoying… How dare this little fly…!]

Arcilla unhinged her jaw and aimed directly at me, unleashing her breath. An imugi’s breath is an acidic substance that melts everything it touches; as a debuffer with no defense or healing skills, I had no way to block it.

But then—

“[Poisoner’s Cure]!” “[Wind Shield]!”

To my shock, Pyo Yoo-jung leapt in front of me, deploying two skills in rapid succession. At the same time, someone grabbed my shoulders from behind, pulling me into a protective embrace and hauling me out of the path of the breath.

That “someone” was… Yoo Se-rim.

“…….”

I looked back and forth between Pyo Yoo-jung and Yoo Se-rim with a complicated swirl of emotions. Pyo Yoo-jung caught my eye, gave a sharp “Hmph!” and whipped her head away. Yoo Se-rim offered a smile of relief, but…

‘I hate this. I really hate this feeling….’

Feeling indebted to those two was a truly foul sensation.

Crunch. Thwack—!

From then on, I seemed to have permanent aggro from Arcilla and was under constant assault. However, my stronger party members protected me while pouring out massive amounts of damage.

Kim Jae-ho, in particular, displayed such overwhelming strength that I questioned if he was “only” an AA-rank; he blocked the tail swipes repeatedly with his axe. Ahn Hwa-young’s summons successfully mauled Arcilla’s upper body, tearing away both her arms.

[Screeeech! How dare these lowly creatures… to my body…!]

Even the mighty Arcilla couldn’t hold out any longer and tried to dive back into the swamp. In that split second, Yoo Se-rim lashed his whip around her waist, binding her tight. With Kim Jae-ho severing the thrashing tail and Ahn Hwa-young taking the head, we successfully took down the boss.

[Item Drop: Arcilla’s Serpent Venom Resistance Necklace]

The reward was ‘Arcilla’s Serpent Venom Resistance Necklace.’

A year ago, this necklace went to Pyo Yoo-jung. She was the party’s sole healer, after all. Back then, I had done nothing but hide and tremble, contributing zero to the raid.

‘Well, Pyo Yoo-jung will get it again this time.’

I already had my own artifacts, and Pyo Yoo-jung was practically vibrating with anticipation. Who else would they give it to?

However, Yoo Se-rim, holding the artifact, said something unexpected.

“I intend to give this artifact to the person who contributed the most to today’s dungeon raid.”

‘…Huh?’

I instinctively looked at Yoo Se-rim, sensing the timeline diverging from a year ago. I realized then that he was already looking at me.

Thump, thump.

My heart began to beat with a sickening rhythm as Yoo Se-rim walked toward me. He stepped past me for a moment, then—

“Ah!”

“Don’t be nervous. I’m just putting the necklace on you.”

He began to fasten Arcilla’s necklace around my neck.

“…….”

Goosebumps erupted across my skin. I barely suppressed the urge to elbow him in the ribs and shove him away. Instead, I tried to protest to avoid receiving the item this way.

“I… I already have artifacts…”

“Ah, none of us are lacking in artifacts. Everyone here has at least two.”

“…….”

“To try and yield an artifact to your teammates even now… you really are a good person, Han-sol.”

You…!

I clenched my fists, unable to contain my frustration. My face was likely flushed red. Pyo Yoo-jung, misinterpreting my reaction, began to glare at me with murderous intensity, scanning me from head to toe.

Clink.

[Arcilla’s Serpent Venom Resistance Necklace] — Skill 1: Serpentine Immunity (Resists all poisons from snakes or snake-type monsters / Passive)

The damn artifact recognized me as its owner the moment Yoo Se-rim fastened the clasp, flashing its skill info in my mind.

I immediately backed away from him. He and the other party members looked at me strangely for retreating so fast, but for me, this was a matter of survival.

Thump, thump.

Was this frantic pounding in my chest purely out of rage? I lowered my head, gritting my teeth for a moment before fixing my expression and looking back up. All eyes were on me.

“Thank… thank you. I’ll keep working hard.”

I forced out the empty words. For some reason, the party members began to clap, offering their own comments.

[You were quite cool today-yoi.]

“You’re actually useful.”

“You were amazing! I wonder if there’s another debuffer out there as good as you, Han-sol?”

“Ha! Just don’t zone out during combat next time. What were you even staring at? Next time, I won’t care if you melt in the breath or not!”

“……I apologize for that.”

“Hehe. Yoo-jung says that, but she’s actually warm-hearted deep down….”

“……Tch. What are you talking about?”

I stood there blankly for a moment, watching the party members chat amongst themselves. I felt a sense of vertigo—the gap between the comrades who had coldly turned their backs on me when I died and these people who were now accepting me as one of their own was jarring.

‘…No. This is only for a year. I don’t know what happens after that year passes. I’ll just be abandoned again. A C-rank like me, who loses his utility and can’t keep up….’

I hardened my heart once more, shaking off the momentary weakness. At the same time, I vowed that no matter what happened in the next dungeon, I wouldn’t let Seong Gyu-rim die such a meaningless death. To me, she was the only one I could call a true comrade.

Though, I wondered if she would have been different if she had survived longer. The thought of even Seong Gyu-rim turning her back on me sent a sharp sting through my chest—despite my oath never to feel despair again, no matter who betrayed me.

In every village, there are people who have been rooted there for a long time.

I sought out these locals, spending half the decent sum I’d made from selling Arcilla’s venom to ask about my brother.

“Han Seong-hoon… It’s been five years since I last saw him, so I don’t know if this helps…”

I tried to offer the village head more money, but he shook his head and refused.

“I’m not asking for more money. I’m saying that literally, since that day five years ago, I haven’t heard a single word.”

“Not even the smallest rumor?”

“……Only things like ‘Han Seong-hoon’s younger brother has become an Awakened.’ But I can’t tell you that, can I? I swear on my life, I have heard nothing of his whereabouts.”

“……Sigh. I understand.”

“If I hear anything new, I’ll send an email to the other side. You cross over periodically, don’t you?”

“Ah, yes. That’s right. I’ll leave my email address then.”

“Very well.”

With nothing but another hollow promise, I returned to my lodgings.