A Bitter Taste and a Golden Trap

Clang, thud—!

“Noah” was a monster based on the concept of a “mad carpenter” building an ark atop a mountain peak. And surrounding Noah were his helpers: the giants known as Cyclopes.

Despite being one-eyed, the Cyclopes possessed massive bodies four times the size of a human, boasting incredible physical strength and terrifying magic resistance. It wasn’t for nothing that I had hesitated earlier, thinking, ‘Should I really try to rescue Ahn Hwa-young?’

‘Because there’s nothing I can actually do if I step up.’

Furthermore, the path leading to the boss, Noah, was riddled with traps. They were craftily concealed under layers of dirt; if you fell in, you’d either be impaled by bamboo spears or imprisoned in a gaping coffin.

Once the lid slammed shut, you were trapped. There was no escape until Noah was slain. All you could do was stay pinned inside and pray that your party members would finish the boss.

‘In the past, Ahn Hwa-young got careless because he was riding on the back of his flying summon, and he ended up trapped.’

But the real problem was that the Cyclopes also hid inside those very traps.

Beyond just the spears and coffins, the Cyclopes would lurk within the pits, suddenly thrusting their hands out to grab Awakened ones, snapping their bones or eating them alive. Previously, Ahn Hwa-young had been caught by a hidden Cyclops and dragged down.

“Ahn Hwa-young.”

[Hic, did you call for me-yoi?]

“Watch your step.”

I issued the warning while firing off random curses toward the ground.

“[Darkened Eyeballs]!”

[Failed.]

Finally, I spotted one lying in wait. It was directly beneath Ahn Hwa-young’s feet.

“Ahn Hwa-young! Below you!”

[Gwooooooargh!]

The Cyclops lunged with a massive hand. Ahn Hwa-young teetered for a moment in panic, but he quickly regained his balance atop his summon and opened his mouth wide.

Crunch, snap—!

The gruesome sound of bones being chewed echoed through the air. Just as Ahn Hwa-young let out a sigh of relief, I saw another Cyclops’s hand reaching out from behind him. I threw myself forward with everything I had.

“Ahn Hwa-young—!”

Rattle, clatter.

“Pant, pant!”

“Ugh…!”

Fortunately, I managed to grab the back of Ahn Hwa-young’s clothes with both hands.

Ahn Hwa-young had gone pale, his body stiffening as he stared at the coffin snapping its “teeth” beneath his feet. For someone with claustrophobia like him, being shut in a coffin would be the most horrific thing in the world.

While I held onto him, the summon—having finished devouring the first Cyclops—picked us both up, and we safely cleared the trap zone.

Whish—!

Or so I thought. Suddenly, Yoo Se-rim’s whip coiled around my waist. I was yanked off the summon’s back and pulled straight into Yoo Se-rim’s arms.

My eyes widened in shock. Yoo Se-rim, his brow furrowed in a rare show of irritation, looked down at me.

“Are you insane?”

“Wha—what?”

“There was an armless Cyclops right behind you with its maw wide open.”

As he spoke, Yoo Se-rim flicked his whip again for emphasis, splitting the head of the Cyclops standing right where I had been a second ago.

It was true; I might have saved Ahn Hwa-young, but if I had kept leaning off the summon like that and slipped, I would have become monster chow instantly.

I nodded, acknowledging the reality. “…I didn’t see it.”

“Sometimes, Han-sol, you act as if you have two lives to spare.”

“…!”

Startled by the sharp observation, I looked up at him. However, his stunningly beautiful face was unreadable, devoid of any clear emotion.

As our eyes met, a heavy weight settled in my chest. Eventually, I forced myself to push him away. The sensation of his hand on my waist felt uncomfortable. Thankfully, Yoo Se-rim let me go without a fight.

“…I’ll be more careful.”

“…”

The jerk didn’t even bother to answer.

I told myself I was just startled for a second, but I couldn’t help but stare at his back as he walked ahead. It was only a moment, but the fact that my heart had fluttered uncontrollably made me feel pathetic. I was worried he might have thought I was just intimidated by him.

Thump, boom—!

Finally, Noah’s massive frame collapsed to the earth, his eyes rolling back into his head.

Yoo Se-rim delivered the finishing blow once again. The two distinct purple bruises on Noah’s neck were proof of the struggle as he was strangled into submission.

Even while choking out a giant of that scale with his whip, Yoo Se-rim hadn’t broken a sweat or even frowned. He suppressed the monster with ease.

‘He could probably clear this alone. Why the hell is he dragging us along?’

I glared at his perfectly fine face, then turned back to the front as a notification chimed.

[You have obtained 10 ‘Fragments of Noah’s Coffin’!]

‘Oh… I guess the quest items are automatically filled when you kill the boss.’

I had overexerted myself a bit, but the thought of collecting the materials for the Blood Armor lifted my mood.

[Han-sol-yoi!]

“Huh?”

Ahn Hwa-young, who rarely ever dismounted, climbed down from his summon and tottered toward me.

His face was still pale, but he looked determined. He fumbled through his pockets and handed me a chocolate bar—one of those famous for their sickly-sweet, sticky taste.

I didn’t actually like sweets that much, but seeing it as his way of saying thanks made it seem a bit cute.

‘Come to think of it… how old is this kid?’

He was so short I wondered if he was even an adult, and since he always spoke through his summon, I’d never even heard his real voice.

I didn’t reject the gift. I unwrapped it and took a bite. As expected, a cloying sweetness coated my mouth. Ahn Hwa-young’s expression brightened instantly.

[Thanks for today-yoi.]

“…Pay me back later.”

I spoke with total sincerity. Ahn Hwa-young gave a vigorous nod, scurried back onto his summon, and floated away toward the lodgings.

‘Was the stage after Noah’s Coffin the “Queen’s Baptism”?’

I frowned as I recalled the next dungeon.

‘That one was quite the headache… It was filled with jewels.’

The gems were cursed to bewitch anyone who looked at them. If you touched one, you’d be transformed into a gemstone yourself until the boss was defeated.

‘For a C-rank like me with low resistance, it’s poison…’

Furthermore, we had to deal with the Queen’s Golden Treasurers. The problem was that these guards were also made of jewels; direct contact was forbidden.

You had to fight them using artifacts imbued with special spells or take them out from a distance, like Seong Kyu-rim did.

I clutched my head in contemplation.

‘In the past, there was absolutely nothing I could do in that dungeon…’

It was so bad that even the silent Kim Jae-ho suggested tying me up in a corner so I wouldn’t get in the way. I wasn’t sure if I could avoid making a fool of myself under the curse this time around.

‘My level is higher than before, but… I’m still a C-rank. I’ll be useless to the party.’

Should I just say I’m sitting this one out?

But the thought of Yoo Se-rim coolly saying “Suit yourself” rubbed me the wrong way. It felt like losing. I was almost ready to give up, until…

“…What? There’s a quest item here too?”

Back at the lodgings, I checked the “Blood Armor” quest list just in case. There it was, staring back at me: [Queen’s Diamond Dust 0/10]. I buried my face in my hands.

“…Ha. So, you’re asking me for advice? Didn’t I tell you not to contact me unless it’s an absolute emergency?”

“How is gathering quest items not an emergency?”

Since I had been granted a two-week break, I unpacked and immediately crossed over to “this side” to contact Baek Hee-do. Luckily, he was around, though he answered with a sulky voice.

When we met, I explained the next dungeon and asked if he had any ideas, but his attitude was incredibly grating.

“Just close your eyes and stick to Yoo Se-rim’s back.”

“…f*ck off. I’m asking you because I don’t want to do that.”

“Don’t take your lack of ability out on me.”

After his snide remark, Baek Hee-do acted like he was about to leave, but then he suddenly remembered something and sat back down. He scowled, scanning me from head to toe.

“What?”

I glared back, annoyed. He spoke up.

“Hey, I’m only lending this to you, okay?”

“What?”

“It’s a loan, not a gift. Got it?”

With that, Baek Hee-do pulled a bracelet out from his pocket.

“What is this?”

“Try it on.”

It looked far too large for me, but strangely, the moment I slid it onto my wrist, it shrank to fit perfectly. It was an artifact.

I asked, dazed, “…You’re giving me an artifact?”

“I specifically said I’m lending it.”

At that moment, the artifact’s description appeared in my vision.