Home/The F-class hunter wants to get a job again today/ch 3

Chapter 3

I finally let out a breath only after reaching the corner.

Rumble—

The ground shook once more, violently. Gravel and dirt bounced off my palms from the vibration. Finally, the tremor stopped, and the boss emerged from beneath the earth.

The dungeon's boss monster—a giant centipede.

For some reason, my body wouldn't move.

Then a notification window appeared before my eyes.

<Due to the appearance of the Underground King Centipede, you are afflicted with 'Fear.'>

Crazy. He said it was above A-rank, and now a monster with the title of King shows up. In the novel, I don't think he died to a monster with a king's title either!

My mind went blank as I stared at Seong Si-hyeon.

Unlike me, who was utterly terrified, he was casually stretching his neck and loosening his body—almost as if he'd been waiting for this fight.

He must be out of his mind.

No matter how strong he was, an S-rank ranker and current number one, trying to clear a dungeon alone without a single party member was insane.

Besides, my only experience with dungeon combat was watching Nutube videos of Hunters fighting E-rank monsters.

Even without seeing it firsthand, I could tell. This fight wouldn't end easily without a healer or a ranged damage dealer.

The fully emerged giant centipede, Centipede, boasted an overwhelming size and presence. Just looking at its countless legs made me want to faint from disgust.

Even a slight breath felt like it would expose me and get me killed—such was its suffocating aura.

And in front of it, Seong Si-hyeon was smiling and happily stretching.

I want to run away.

I wanted to flee before the battle fully began. But even as I crawled and tried to open the door, it wouldn't budge.

Then I remembered what Seong Si-hyeon had said—that this boss room required at least two people to enter.

Centipede spread the wings on its back, as if stretching itself. Its countless legs glistened and moved erratically.

It was so disgusting and terrifying that my heart pounded like crazy.

I thought I might die of a heart attack before Centipede even got to me.

Unlike me, Seong Si-hyeon naturally entered the fray without hesitation.

Centipede tried to stab him repeatedly with its massive, pointed legs, and Si-hyeon dodged swiftly while creating barriers and swinging his blade of fire.

Flames erupted from his hands and flew toward Centipede. Since its body was so large, I thought it would be a fatal blow, but surprisingly, Centipede's hide was tough.

"Keeeeee!"

Still, Centipede shrieked in pain from the flames. Seong Si-hyeon smiled confidently.

Annoyed, Centipede burrowed underground, then emerged again, striking with poison-coated legs. Every time, Si-hyeon used his wind skills to fly and hurl fireballs.

Hundreds of exchanges occurred, but the battle showed no signs of ending. I just lay there, praying that Seong Si-hyeon would finish off that horrible centipede quickly.

When Centipede submerged, the ground bulged along its path. Si-hyeon leaped high to observe, then detonated fireballs whenever it emerged to attack.

"Gwaaaaa!"

Centipede screamed again.

Then it happened. Enraged, Centipede struck Si-hyeon hard with its venom-tipped tail. Si-hyeon blocked the stinger with his sword, but couldn't fully withstand the tail's force.

He flew helplessly and crashed into the wall, leaving a crater in his shape. If that had been me, every joint would've shattered—but not Si-hyeon.

He spat out a mouthful of blood and stood up casually. As he wiped the blood from his lips, I saw him mouth these words:

"Shit. What a pain in the ass."

The guardian of the Republic of Korea, second only to Admiral Yi Sun-sin. And among fire-attribute Hunters, the strongest in the world.

Watching him fight in real time, I understood why Hunters worldwide called him the "Korean Monster."

The crimson blade he held was obtained from the S-rank dungeon boss Fire King Exis—the world's first clear. It was commonly called the Blade of Fire.

Having killed Exis and even acquired its fire skills as a reward, it would've been stranger if Seong Si-hyeon weren't number one.

While I was lost in thought, the battle resumed. But this was Centipede's domain.

It was advantageous for Centipede, and the longer the fight dragged on, the worse it was for Si-hyeon. And I wasn't the only one who knew that.

The flames around Si-hyeon's sword grew fiercer. He created an overwhelmingly massive fireball, intent on finishing it in one blow, and smiled confidently.

Phew, thank goodness.

I'd been praying Centipede wouldn't notice me until the fight ended—and luckily, it seemed it hadn't. Just as I was about to breathe a sigh of relief—

Suddenly, I felt an overwhelming force above me. Centipede had finally sensed my presence.

Just the recognition of my existence brought a suffocating dread and pressure.

I'm doomed.

So this really was my death flag after all.

I thought I was going to die like this.

No—wait, I didn't! How was I supposed to know this would be my grave?!

I heard Centipede charging toward me.

Swoosh—

The sharp stinger was about to pierce my body—

...Huh? I felt nothing. I opened my eyes and saw Seong Si-hyeon barely blocking the stinger with his sword.

"You're good at breathing—guess that's about it."

"S-Sorry..."

"Run over there."

But Centipede wasn't about to let go of his weakness—me. It submerged and burst up from the ground toward where I was trying to flee.

Seong Si-hyeon smirked in annoyance.

"Just die already. You're so damn persistent."

He adjusted his grip and began gathering flames at the tip of his sword.

"Let's see if you can handle this."

The fire shot straight at Centipede. At the same time, Centipede, sensing the final blow, swung its venomous tail hard toward Si-hyeon.

I seized the opening and sprinted as far away as I could—or tried to. The shockwave from their clash sent me flying instead.

When I opened my eyes, I saw a gruesome sight. Seong Si-hyeon had been struck by Centipede's stinger—a massive hole pierced through his abdomen.

Oh no! What do I do?! He said he could handle it alone, and now he's this badly hurt!

Panicked, I rushed over and quickly cast my healing skill.

But my healing only treated superficial burns—it couldn't heal the fatal wound in his abdomen.

He barely opened his fading eyes and spoke.

"Don't waste healing... cough ...take this... ack..."

What he dropped was a single-person escape stone.

"At least you... should live... Hurry...!"

Centipede, which had been thrown back, was slowly stirring its antennae. Seeing that too, Si-hyeon spat blood and urged me.

"What are you doing! Go!"

But I pretended not to hear and desperately kept casting my healing skill.

Please! Please!

I was terrified of living in this world without its male protagonist. I'm a selfish person who only thinks of myself—I couldn't imagine this world after Si-hyeon died.

If you don't clear the Tower, who will?!

The only one who could reach the 100th floor was Seong Si-hyeon. And if he cleared the Tower, all dungeons would close.

That meant—if he died here, I'd still have to live in this monster-infested world.

And I still didn't even know how to return to my original world. The protagonist dying now? Unacceptable.

At the very least, he had to survive until I found a way back—closing gates and climbing the Tower. That was the plan.

If I'd been reincarnated into a novel about a boy with a lightning scar on his forehead casting spells, no one would just watch him die either.

"It's useless... you idiot..."

Giving up on stopping me, Si-hyeon shook the escape stone. He muttered in resignation.

"Dying together... I really hate that."

I shouted at him.

"Who's dying? Shut up!"

<Casting Healing Skill (F-rank).>

Still, only the F-rank healing skill activated. Centipede, sensing its prey's end, inched forward slowly.

Fuck!

Swoosh—

Centipede swung its stinger one last time. Bracing for death, I hugged Si-hyeon to shield him.

He sighed.

"I told you to run. You never listen."

That was when he mustered his last strength to create a massive barrier.

[BOOM—]

A blinding explosion echoed through the dungeon. Centipede's movements halted, and a large notification window appeared.

<You have acquired the title: 'Abandoned to the point of no return—let's just duo it.'>

<The Underground King 'Centipede' will resume activity in 10 seconds.>

Thankfully, the system gave me time to read the explanation.

A title? Titles are good things, right?

In hunter novels, protagonists always get stronger with titles. The name was lame, but... you never know. Excited, I read the status window.

Let's see, the description says...

<Description: When making physical contact, all stats of the target are enhanced. The degree of the stat buff and duration vary depending on the intensity of the physical contact.>

"All stats enhanced for 30 minutes depending on the intensity of physical contact...?"

What kind of nonsense is this?!

Hearing me mutter, Seong Si-hyeon murmured.

"Really?"

He hesitated, as if unfamiliar with physical contact, then carefully wrapped his arm around my neck. In that moment, a blue aura rippled through him and faded.

Seong Si-hyeon smirked and wiped the blood from his lips.

"Now this might actually be worth fighting."

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