The monster instinctively protected its body.
No matter how much of a beast harboring deadly poison it was, it couldn’t help but feel fear in front of a crazy bastard charging at it with eyes rolled back while spilling blood by the bucketful.
Whoosh!
The monster twisted all seven of its heads simultaneously and hid its body in the poison fog.
Splash!
Lee Kanghyun kicked off the poison puddle with the sole of his foot and lightly leaped up. He instantly mounted one of the seven heads of the fleeing monster.
“Cough! Where do you think you’re going.”
Lee Kanghyun wiped the blood dripping from his mouth with his sleeve and drove his fist down.
Thwack! Thud!
“Kieeeek?!”
Then the head he was on shattered and crashed into the ground.
The monster screamed and tried to counterattack by swinging its tail, but Lee Kanghyun was already gone from that spot. He had already moved on to the next head.
He agilely ran around, swallowing the pain of his melting skin. This time, instead of driving in his fist, he trampled down hard on the head he was standing on.
“Hurry, cough! Die! I need to, kugh, go home!”
The monster couldn’t even run away. It had to stay pinned in place and take the beating.
Boom-!
Finally, the last head fell powerlessly to the ground. All seven necks had no heads on them. At the same time, Lee Kanghyun’s legs also gave out.
“Cough! Kugh, khack!”
He collapsed to the ground and vomited up a bucketful of dark red blood.
His vision turned white from the pain of his airways burning. His clothes had melted into rags from the poison, and his skin was red and blistered in places. Of course, thanks to his S-rank regeneration, it was healing in real-time, but from the outside, he looked like a miserable wreck that could die at any moment.
Creeak!
Just then, the tightly closed boss room door opened and the team members rushed in.
“H-Hunter-nim!”
As soon as they entered, they screamed in shock.
The boss monster was shattered to pieces, and Lee Kanghyun was collapsed in the middle of it, vomiting blood.
Whoooosh….
As the boss died, the green poison fog that had filled the room began to clear as if it were a lie.
The team members’ pupils shook wildly.
“Ah, ahhh….”
“Because of us….”
“To bear it alone….”
Lee Kanghyun laboriously raised his head. The team members were looking at him with eyes brimming with tears, about to spill at any moment.
Why are they like this again?
“…What?”
His voice was hoarse and raspy. Khack. After vomiting blood once more and coughing dryly, it seemed to get a bit better.
But seeing that, they completely covered their mouths and began to sob.
“He fought alone because he was worried we’d die….”
“When we were outside doing nothing… waaah!”
The team members understood Lee Kanghyun’s sacrifice like this.
The reason he threatened to kill them if they came in and fought alone? All for their sake. He had endured this pain alone because he was worried the team members would get hurt.
“Hunter-nim!”
“You’re really such a fool!”
“What are we that you would go this far….”
The burly adults ran to Lee Kanghyun while crying like children. They hugged the blood-soaked Lee Kanghyun and shed tears of emotion.
“……”
Lee Kanghyun stared at them blankly.
He didn’t even have the strength to explain that he was fine. No, even if he explained, it didn’t seem like they would believe him. He already knew from multiple experiences that these guys were terrible at listening.
He just felt queasy, his lungs hurt as if they were throbbing, and he just wanted to go home and sleep.
I just didn’t want to be stuck with you guys for four hours….
He couldn’t bring himself to say those words.
He closed his eyes as if resigned and hung limply, shaking helplessly in the team members’ embrace.
‘Hunter-nim is truly such a good person…!’
The team members thought solemnly.
‘Ah, this feels gross. I want to go home and wash up.’
When Lee Kanghyun was actually thinking such thoughts, a hologram window appeared announcing the gate clear reward. He checked it.
Please, this time please.
Clear Reward: Essence of Deadly Poison (A-rank)
“……”
Another dud.
The ‘Fragment of Truth’ didn’t come out today either. Even though he ran two rounds in a day. And he went through hell melting his lungs at that, yet the result was just this.
“…Fuck.”
Isn’t this too much? Shouldn’t it come out by now?
He ground his teeth while viciously furrowing his brow.
“Hunter-nim!”
Then the team members screamed and rushed to him.
“It’s okay to scream! How much pain must you be in…!”
“Of course, after swallowing all that poison! Sob!”
Lee Kanghyun’s eyes, which had been half-open in anger, naturally widened.
Why are these bastards freaking out again?
He could soon understand the situation without difficulty. They were mistaking his cursing and frowning as being because of pain.
“I’ll carry you! Please get on my back!”
The big-bodied tank turned his back. A broad and reliable back was shoved in front of Lee Kanghyun’s eyes.
“Huh? No, hey….”
The flustered Lee Kanghyun tried to say something, but they were resolute.
“Save your words! If you walk now, the poison energy might spread throughout your body!”
“I’ll become Hunter-nim’s legs! Please!”
Their eyes were so determined it seemed like no one could stop them even if they came.
Lee Kanghyun pondered for a moment.
Actually, the poison energy had already disappeared and he was fine. There was no problem with walking at all.
‘Should I tell them to fuck off?’
But it would take a good 20 minutes to walk to the gate entrance. His legs were trembling from the aftermath of the battle, and his whole body felt heavy as a thousand pounds.
‘…Annoying.’
Honestly speaking, he didn’t want to walk. When there was a sucker right in front of him offering to carry him, did he really need to walk on his own feet?
He already knew from being carried on Kang Yujun’s back several times. That it was very comfortable.
‘Right. The misunderstanding is your freedom.’
Lee Kanghyun decided to throw away any conscience. Since they wouldn’t believe him even if he explained anyway, it didn’t seem like a big deal to take advantage of their misunderstanding a little.
“…Alright. I’m counting on you.”
He answered with a voice pretending to be struggling and dying as he got on his back.
“It’s an honor!”
The tank exclaimed in emotion and lifted him up.
Mm, the ride quality isn’t as good as Kang Yujun’s. But Lee Kanghyun was quite satisfied with even this much. He buried his face in the back while being carried.
The team members wiped their tears, thinking he was doing that because of the pain.
‘Hunter-nim, how hard must it be for you…!’
When they were thinking this, Lee Kanghyun was actually smiling.
‘This is comfortable.’
He closed his eyes and took a comfortable rest.
It’s quiet.
The team members, who always talked so much his ears hurt, weren’t even breathing loudly right now. They kept their mouths tightly shut, anxious that if they made noise again, they might offend the hurting Lee Kanghyun. They were at least aware that Lee Kanghyun disliked it when they made a noisy fuss.
“Um… Hunter-nim. Are you really alright?”
Still, someone who couldn’t help but ask out of worry carefully spoke to him.
Of course he’s fine. The regeneration had long finished and all the poison energy had been detoxified.
“Urgh….”
But instead of explaining, he deliberately made a groaning sound. He also furrowed his brow tightly and clutched his chest. As if enduring tremendous pain, he trembled and gasped for breath.
“Huk… I-I’m, fi… cough!”
“Shh! Be quiet! Hunter-nim needs to rest!”
Someone walking beside them was startled and scolded the healer who had asked. Then the healer’s face turned pale as he shut his mouth tight. The inside of the gate became quiet as a mouse again.
Nice.
If they won’t believe him even if he says he’s fine, then just outright pretend to be in pain. Won’t they not even dare to talk to him out of consideration? …He thought, and it hit the mark. Everyone really was busy watching over Lee Kanghyun. The healer even applied healing while sniffling.
“Hunter-nim, shall I at least wipe your sweat?”
“Mmm….”
Instead of responding, Lee Kanghyun weakly shook his head.
“Ah… I’m sorry! Please rest comfortably!”
Silence continued again. Lee Kanghyun barely suppressed the laughter that was about to leak out because he loved this quiet atmosphere so much.
Why did he only realize this perfect cheat key now?
‘I should keep pretending to be in pain.’
He didn’t forget to occasionally add lively interjections like ‘urgh’ and ‘kugh’ for realistic acting as he continued being carried.
Thanks to that, he exited the gate in a quiet and peaceful atmosphere.
Finally, they came outside. It was already dark outside. To think he worked until this hour. Lee Kanghyun felt sorry for his own situation anew.
I should just get carried to the car like this.
He hung limply with his eyes closed and buried his face in the back again.
Just then, a familiar voice flew over.
“Kanghyun-ah!”
It was Kang Yujun. He had been leaning cockily against his car, and as soon as Lee Kanghyun’s group came out, he ran over like a puppy wagging its tail at seeing its owner.
“I missed you so I came as soon as I cleared the gate….”
Kang Yujun’s footsteps, approaching with a bright smile, suddenly stopped.
“……”
The playful eye-smile disappeared in an instant. His gaze turned to Lee Kanghyun, who was on the tank’s back covered in blood with his clothes half-melted.
“…Lee Kanghyun.”
Kang Yujun said in a sunken voice.
“What… is this state.”
