An Overwhelming Shadow

Baek Hee-do’s eyes widened slightly at my words.

“Yoo Se-rim has an artifact-sensing ability?” he asked, his voice dropping to a low murmur. I gave him a small nod.

“So that was it… He always managed to find them first. I used to just rush to wherever he was headed to get in his way, but I guess I was onto the right track after all.”

“……Ha.”

I snorted at a plan so crude a child wouldn’t have come up with it, but I immediately let out a pained groan as he gripped my shoulder again.

“Ugh!”

“Fine. Let’s say the Lightning Spirit Sword is bait. Then who stands to gain by killing me? Yoo Se-rim might hate my guts, but he doesn’t want me dead.”

“How the hell should I kn—! Agh!”

When I didn’t give a straight answer, he tightened his grip. Fear surged through me as I felt my bones on the verge of snapping. In truth, I didn’t know the specifics of the incident; I just started blabbing whatever came to mind.

“Go interrogate the bastard who fed you the info…! Let go!”

“Oho. Not a bad idea.”

Fortunately, Baek Hee-do finally released my shoulder. I nearly collapsed right then and there, but I used every ounce of willpower to keep my legs steady. Baek Hee-do let out a chuckle at my struggle.

“Stop overreacting.”

“Phew…”

“Hey, by the way. What’s your name?”

Instead of answering, I raised my other arm and gave him the middle finger. Despite the insult, Baek Hee-do just cackled and scanned me from head to toe, seemingly amused.

“If what you said turns out to be true, I’ll owe you one. I wouldn’t mind helping you beat the living hell out of your party leader as payment.”

Boiling over at his arrogant attitude, I snapped back at him.

“Forget it! I’m not doing anything with a reckless lunatic like you!”

“Really? Then should I sleep with you instead?”

“……What?”

“You couldn’t take your eyes off me when we first met. I’m used to it, though.”

“Are you—are you insane?!”

I recoiled in horror as the man continued his delusional rambling. Baek Hee-do, utterly shameless, looked down at me with a relaxed, casual air.

“I always pay my debts. So, if this was all some bullshit story, you’re dead….”

He reached out, his thumb gently tracing the line of my Adam’s apple as he continued.

“But if you’re right, I’ll make sure to compensate you properly.”

A chill ran down my spine at the sheer weight of his presence—I felt pinned to the spot.

Finally, he pulled his hand away. With practiced ease, he reached into the fold of my clothes, snatched the pen from my notebook, and scribbled something on the back cover. I froze, terrified he might flip to the front and see my notes, but I was powerless to stop him.

“There. That’s my email address. Contact me when you cross over to ‘the other side.’ Got it?”

“…….”

I didn’t answer, but he shoved the notebook and pen back to me. With a final pat on my shoulder, he walked past me and headed up to his room.

“Haa… haaaa……”

I finally let out the breath I’d been holding.

Creak.

“……Um, is the conversation over?”

The innkeeper, who had been waiting outside with a bright red nose, peeked his head through the bar door. I scanned his face, wondering if he had overheard everything. Sensing my suspicion, he offered a fearful smile.

“I’ve been outside since Mr. Baek arrived. I’ve been in this business long enough to know when to stay out of things I shouldn’t hear.”

“……I see. Thank you.”

I handed him some extra coins and left the inn. Back in my room, I checked the email address scribbled on the back of my notebook.

[Huido***@*.]

I took out my spare phone and entered the address. When I got to the name field, I hesitated for a second before typing:

[Crazy Bastard 🖕]

I saved the contact, then scribbled over his handwriting in the notebook until it was an illegible mess. Exhaustion hit me like a physical wave.

“Sigh….”

Will things actually go according to plan?

“You look exhausted.”

“……I just didn’t sleep well.”

A few hours later, our party set out for [The Temple of Bitter Cold] again. Yoo Se-rim noticed my dark circles and initiated the conversation. I gave a vague reply, glancing toward Baek Hee-do’s inn as we left the village, but the lights were out.

[May the wrath of God be upon you…] [Death to the lawless heretics!]

Unlike yesterday, monsters swarmed us relentlessly on the path to the temple. It seemed we would be able to clear the dungeon today without any outside interference.

‘Ugh….’

The problem was me. My left shoulder was a dark mass of bruises where that pervert Baek Hee-do had gripped it. I was grateful for the winter gear covering my uniform; otherwise, I’d be dodging awkward questions about the injury.

But hiding the bruise didn’t stop the pain. I gritted my teeth, staying close to the party and casting debuffs.

“[Heavy Steps]!”

Since most of the monsters were higher rank than me, they resisted the curses, but the wide area-of-effect still managed to snare a few. Ahn Hwa-young’s summons devoured the slowed enemies, and Kim Jae-ho’s axe did the rest. With the summoner and warrior clearing the front, Gyu-rim had the space she needed for her large-scale magic.

“[Flame Wall]!”

A wall of fire twice our height surged forward, incinerating nearly half of the Paladins and Priest monsters in the center. I gave Gyu-rim a thumbs-up.

“Hehe. Watch out!”

Gyu-rim smiled back, but her expression suddenly hardened as she looked behind me. I prepared to use the blood I had already drawn.

“[Invisible—]”

Whish—!

Yoo Se-rim’s whip was faster. The sickening crack of a breaking neck echoed inches from me as the blue light in a Paladin’s eyes faded away.

“Always stay alert.”

“……Fine.”

Irritated by his nagging, I pushed myself harder, taking down smaller mobs with reckless intensity. Thanks to the frantic pace, we reached the entrance of the Temple of Bitter Cold in just an hour.

“I’ll lead from here,” Yoo Se-rim said, letting his whip uncoil and drag along the ground.

[Understood-yoi. I’m full anyway-yoi.]

“Do whatever you want.”

Kim Jae-ho, looking entirely unfazed, stepped behind Yoo Se-rim. Pyo Yoo-jung fussed over the leader, stacking shields and stamina recovery buffs on him. It was galling to see her use the winter gear I bought while refusing to cast a single buff on me, but I decided to let it slide since she’d helped me in the previous dungeon.

‘Is it just me, or am I running a fever? Is it the shoulder?’

With Yoo Se-rim in the lead, I allowed myself to wince. I touched my shoulder and nearly jumped; it was radiating heat and badly swollen.

‘That lunatic… I’m going to make him pay for this.’

Thinking of Baek Hee-do, I slowly twisted the gem on my ring. The sight of the rising blood level calmed me down. My job today wasn’t to think about Baek Hee-do or hunt mobs—it was to ensure Seong Gyu-rim stayed safe.

I focused entirely on her in the second row.

[You have done well to come this far. Will you convert? Or will you accept death, you heretics?]

The boss, [Great Temple Knight Remes], appeared, and his Twelve Apostles descended one by one from the ceiling. They were aerial combatants. Immediately, Pyo Yoo-jung deployed a massive shield, and the party huddled inside.

Then, for the first time since my regression, I witnessed Yoo Se-rim’s skill up close.

“[Execution].”

Contrary to the simple command, his whip moved faster than the eye could follow. A flash of violet light seared my vision. In that single strike, six of the Apostles charging toward us had their heads burst before they could even land a blow.

Remes finally drew his sword.

[What ferocious power. You are one who has made a pact with a demon.]