524

 [Chapter 143]

[Unexplored Area (4)]

Bubble bubble

Again.

This feeling again.

Unable to distinguish up from down, a sensation of floating in midair.

Enveloped in this sensation she was experiencing again, Yoon I-byeol slowly opened her eyes.

Bubble bubble

Bubbles rise up.

Breathing feels strange.

But it's not a particularly good feeling.

If she loses consciousness, it feels like her body and soul might separate.

Yoon I-byeol desperately clung to her consciousness that was trying to drift away.

Why am I here...

Why is she here?

She searched through her memories.

And recalled.

That she had been captured by wasp-type monsters.

Then this place is...

After realizing her condition,

Her consciousness became clearer.

Yoon I-byeol forced her eyes open wide and took in the scene.

Bubble bubble

The scene visible through the translucent membrane.

Monsters came into view.

She recognized her situation.

Recognized it, and despaired.

Why am I always...

Why is it always like this?

Not just once, but twice.

Wasn't she captured by Choi Ga-in, who had become a monster, last year?

She had vowed to be careful after that, yet she was captured by monsters again.

Yoon I-byeol lamented her situation and blamed herself endlessly.

Bubble bubble

She truly is beyond help.

She resents herself for being so weak.

Therefore─

─Someone please save me.

She wished for salvation.

In the sensation of endlessly falling to the bottom, she waited for someone to grab and lead her out.

Bubble bubble

At the end of her helpless despair, she wanted hope that relied on someone else.

That feeling weakened her.

Despair ate away at her heart.

Hope made her heart decay.

And so, fear grew disproportionately.

─...!!

A monster suddenly flew in.

The monster kept staring at her from beyond the transparent membrane.

Their eyes met.

Don't... look...

The monster lands on the membrane.

Large red eyes.

The monster's eyes fill Yoon I-byeol's entire world.

In a defenseless state,

Encountering the monster up close, she just trembled in fear.

Go away...!

No. I'm scared. Get away. No, don't come, red eyes, don't look, please, I'm begging you, don't kill me, red eyes, save me, mom, dad, please go, I said go, hic, no, this, this can't be happening, I'm scared, don't, stop this, red eyes, this is a dream, it's a dream, it's a dream, red eyes, it's a dream, it's a dream, red eyes, red eyes, red eyes, red eyes, red eyes, red eyes...

Ah...

Her consciousness flies away, consumed by fear.

☆

On one side, party members were busy rescuing students.

"Sigh... Won't you raise your hands higher?"

"Ugh..." "What did you do right to lower your hands already? Raise them higher!"

""""...."""

On the other side, Cha Eun-woo was busy scolding Min-ho.

Mok Min-ho is kneeling with his hands raised above his head. He's also holding his sword with both hands in that position.

"Eun-woo... ya..."

"Tut tut. More, more, more."

""""...."""

Mok Min-ho's arms are trembling. He grits his teeth and gives Eun-woo a pitiful look.

But Cha Eun-woo didn't budge at all.

All the students pretended not to notice.

Everyone passes by them while doing their own tasks.

Eun-woo must be really angry...

Well, he brought it upon himself.

Meanwhile, Eunha, who had somewhat cleared the monsters in the area, was leisurely watching the two.

Cha Eun-woo scolding with her hands on her hips and a deliberately stern tone.

And Mok Min-ho apologizing while being punished, saying it was all his fault.

It was like a comedy in the middle of the dungeon.

Still, thanks to Min-ho, rescuing the kids became easier.

According to what he heard from Mok Min-ho,

After infiltrating this place, he gradually rescued students and formed a rescue team with them.

He also figured out how the security in the room operates.

Thanks to that, Eunha was able to easily grasp the monsters' movement patterns and increase manpower.

"Won't you hold them up straighter?"

"Please have mercy..."

Even though Mok Min-ho is now holding up his hands like a child caught misbehaving,

His contributions couldn't be ignored.

So I should probably stop this now.

Eunha gave a wry smile.

"Eun-woo, Min-ho seems to be reflecting, so maybe that's enough..."

"You be quiet." "..."

"Do you want to raise your hands too?"

"...Carry on."

Cha Eun-woo glares with fierce eyes.

Eunha closed his mouth.

Yeah, I should let him get scolded more.

He turned his feet that were heading forward as if nothing had happened.

I should go rescue the remaining people.

Just as he thought that─

"─Yoon I-byeol is here! Someone help!"

A voice came from above.

It was Jin Pa-rang.

Jin Pa-rang, who had his hands and feet stuck to the wall, called for help from the students below.

Immediately, several students climbed the wall and ran to where he was gesturing.

Eunha did the same.

"Here! She's here in this corner, I almost missed her!"

By the time Eunha approached the jelly containing Yoon I-byeol, Ariel had already arrived.

She climbed the wall quickly like a monkey and sliced open the transparent membrane with a knife.

Regardless of whether the contents of the jelly spilled over and soaked her clothes,

Ariel reached out and rescued Yoon I-byeol who was trapped inside.

"─Cough... hack... cough...!"

"I-byeol!"

Ariel's response was also quick.

As soon as she confirmed there was no consciousness, she started CPR.

After pumping the center of her chest a few times, Yoon I-byeol coughed up the liquid in her mouth.

"...Uh... ah... where... is this...?"

"I-byeol! Are you conscious!? Are you okay!?"

Yoon I-byeol regained consciousness.

Ariel hugged her tightly and rejoiced.

I guess she was worried too.

Well, it makes sense. They were very close.

I'm glad I-byeol is safe too.

Eunha looked fondly at Ariel, who was anxiously checking Yoon I-byeol's condition repeatedly.

Though he didn't express it outwardly,

Seeing her joyful appearance, he could tell how much she had been worrying about Yoon I-byeol.

However─

"Ri... el... i...?"

"That's right, I'm Riel! It's okay now. We formed a party with the kids and are rescuing the captured people..." "Kyaaaaaaaaah!"

"I-I-byeol!? What's wrong? Yoon I-byeol!" "Kyaaaaaah! Don't come, don't come, I said don't come! Go away! I hate red eyes, I'm scared, no, no, no, no..." "...I-byeol...?" "Aaaaaaah!!"

""""...."""

Eventually, when Yoon I-byeol regained consciousness and saw Ariel right next to her,

More precisely, when she saw her eyes, she expressed extreme mental anguish.

☆

PTSD, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Among people who have survived threats from monsters, many develop PTSD regarding monsters.

Players are no exception.

Moreover, Yoon I-byeol was an Academy student, not a Player.

Meanwhile, people experiencing PTSD related to monsters usually─

"I-I-byeol, are you okay?"

"...Yeah. I'm fine. I'm fine, so... please don't come close..." "Ah..." "I'm sorry... Riel, I know it's not your fault. Thank you for saving me. But please..." "...I understand. Rest well..."

─Feel extreme fear when seeing the red eyes of Ayin.

The so-called red eye phobia.

Since monster eyes are generally red, the red eyes of Ayin trigger their fear.

To think this would happen...

Yoon I-byeol is showing symptoms of PTSD.

This didn't happen in the previous life.

Eunha clicked his tongue internally as he watched Ariel move away from Yoon I-byeol, who had her eyes closed.

"Ariel."

"I'll be alone for a while. Don't look for me..."

Ariel with slumped shoulders.

She passed by Eunha lifelessly.

It was unlike her.

Given her personality, she would have shown a bright appearance without minding.

Eunha didn't know what to do as he watched Ariel walk away.

He was worried about Ariel too, but for now, he was more concerned about Yoon I-byeol's condition.

"Eun-woo, how is it?"

"Her strength has diminished a lot. And judging by how I-byeol reacted to Riel..."

"Tell me."

"If she sees monsters, her condition will probably worsen even more than now. I'm not sure if this is a short-term symptom or a long-term one until we check outside, but for now, I think it's better to cover I-byeol's eyes." "...I see. Let's do that. Let's let I-byeol rest as she is."

Cha Eun-woo tipped him off in a serious tone.

Hearing her words and nodding, Eunha decided to seal Yoon I-byeol's eyes with a piece of cloth.

Yoon I-byeol didn't express any objection.

She also knew what her condition was like.

With I-byeol's gift, it would have been easy to examine the interior of the fortress...

It can't be helped that she's out of commission.

I just hope it's only a short-term symptom...

Yoon I-byeol, with a cloth wrapped around her eyes, is carried on the back of a female hunter student.

Eunha could only pray for her symptoms to improve.

He wanted to take her outside quickly and let her rest well.

But as the one leading the party members, he had to do his job.

"We've rescued all the remaining people in this area."

"So we've rescued everyone?"

"I'm not sure about that. But... It seems there's another room of similar size opposite this one after we leave this room."

"I see, understood."

Hosimiya Kaede's report.

Eunha sighed after receiving her report.

The scale of the fortress became real to him.

There are not just two, but three rooms of this size.

There might even be more than three.

It was enough to make him shudder.

"...For now, those who can move should support those who can't and go to the room in the back. Others will be waiting there. The rest, come with me to the next room."

Since they didn't know how many students had been captured,

They had to check all the rooms.

Eunha gave instructions to the party members and moved to the next room.

Monsters near the entrance immediately blocked their way.

Though they were half a tier higher than the ones the party members had faced before,

"─Stop coming out already. Don't make me sick of this."

They were no match for Eunha.

Eunha used Winter That Creeps Like Snow to wield Mana Crasher like a whip and struck down the creatures.

He headed inside, not paying attention to the creatures that had been split into several pieces.

And─

""""─...."""

The emotion the party members faced upon entering the room was fear beyond shock.

Shudder

"Wh-what is this..." """"...."""

Someone muttered.

No one answered.

They could only look at the indescribable scene before them.

"Damn it..."

It's no different from the rooms they passed through.

Except all the beings inside the jelly have abnormally swollen bellies.

They look like they could burst at any moment.

It's a wonder they haven't burst yet.

Eunha could only click his tongue hard at the sight.

This is the worst.

This is far beyond what I imagined...

Whether monsters or people,

All beings trapped in the jelly are pregnant with monsters.

The worst assumption has come true.

What's even worse is that they're pregnant with monsters on this scale.

Eunha could finally realize the identity of the 4th tier monster ruling over the wasp-type monsters.

Its identity is─

─4th tier monster Kakgunbong...

Of all things, it had to be that one.

Regardless of species or gender,

A monster that implants monster eggs inside all beings with hearts.

It was one of the most troublesome types among 4th tier monsters in terms of threatening human prosperity.

Thud

Just then,

One of the jellies fell.

The contents inside the jelly burst out.

Wheeze... wheeze...

A monster with a swollen belly breathed with difficulty.

Then its belly swelled even more─

─Pop pop pop!

Suddenly its belly exploded.

Chunks of flesh scattered everywhere.

The corpse didn't disappear.

Monsters impregnated by Kakgunbong don't have their corpses disappear even after death.

And the monsters that came out into the world by tearing open the monster's belly─

""""─...."""

Monsters that look like wasp larvae.

They voraciously ate the fallen corpse as their instincts dictated.

The students couldn't take their eyes off the grotesque scene.

While they were staring blankly at the creatures' feeding─

─Mana Crasher

Eunha, who rushed out using Thousand Steps, immediately cut down the creature.

"─What are you doing?"

""""...."""

"Did you come to watch something?"

""""Ah...."""

"We need to kill them before they can even properly assess the situation after being born. We don't need to show consideration for those creatures."

The students' gazes turned to him.

Eunha spoke bluntly.

Only after hearing those words did the students come to their senses one by one.

"What are you all doing? Hurry up and get the people out."

Only when Eunha shouted,

The students started moving busily.

Sigh... This is a big problem.

What should I do about this?

Meanwhile, though he spoke calmly on the outside,

Now alone, Eunha sighed heavily, feeling at a loss.

Fortunately, there don't seem to be many people in this room.

But even so─

─There are people who have been impregnated with monsters.

Eunha turned his gaze to the students trapped in jelly closest to him.

They didn't seem to have abnormally swollen bellies yet, as if not much time had passed since the eggs were injected.

But the fact that they were pregnant with monsters remained unchanged.

The moment the monsters are born, they will die in that state.

Considering the time since the kids were injected with eggs by Kakgunbong... The monsters will probably be born in three or four days.

We need to remove the monsters inside their bellies before then.

It's fortunate that Cha Eun-woo has become able to use magic that applies her gift to some extent.

With her power, some neutralization should be possible.

If we use Cha Eun-woo's healing magic, we can buy time before the monsters inside the students hatch.

Nevertheless─

─It's not a complete solution.

Eunha clenched his fist.

It's not a complete solution.

Just as Eunha thought that,

"Guys! Help over here! I found Lee Cheon-seo!"

Jin Pa-rang shouted.

Hearing the name Lee Cheon-seo,

Eunha rushed over hurriedly.

 Lee Cheon-seo's belly, pulled out from the jelly, was also swollen like the other students'.

Damn it...

Eunha's face hardened instantly.

Lee Cheon-seo, who quickly regained consciousness, seemed to be in better condition compared to the other students. He didn't appear to have much difficulty breathing.

"Wh-what is this..."

Lee Cheon-seo's gift is <Cockroach >.

It's a power that quickly adapts to mana environments and develops resistance.

This was likely the reason he could maintain a particularly healthy state compared to other students.

However, even he rolled his eyes back and fainted after seeing his own belly.

"This is driving me crazy..."

It truly couldn't get any worse.

Even Lee Cheon-seo, who would be reborn as <Guardian Star> in the future, ended up falling victim to Kakgunbong.

Urgent treatment was needed.

The monster inside his belly had to be eliminated.

The problem is that to eliminate the monster inside the belly─

"How could things turn out like this, seriously..."

─4th tier monster Kakgunbong.

It must be killed.

It must be killed, and its

mana stone used to create a neutralizing agent.