NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 93. Wearing a New Ring (3)
‘W-What happened…?’
This is a B-Class Gate. In other words, traps are designed to injure Awakened of the same rank. But why is this happening?
‘Could it be?’
There was only one possibility I could deduce.
I reflexively brushed my right hand.
What I saw was a silver ring on my finger, gently shimmering with light.
[(Enhanced) Intermediate Ring]
[Grade: Common]
[Description: A ring imbued with protective magic. Wearing it reduces damage slightly.]
It’s the very item that Gu Seo-hyeong enchanted for me.
Huh!
Experiencing its effectiveness firsthand makes me understand why everyone clings to an Enchanter’s skills.
To think such a fierce attack could be blocked by just this ring!
‘If it weren’t for Gu Seo-hyeong, who knows what could have happened to me right now…’
Shiver, shiver.
I wiped my cold sweat and carefully stood up.
‘I-I will never forget to bring my magic tools again!’
As I made that promise to myself, the monster hunt was almost finished.
“Key-ri-ri-ri-rrik!”
Thud!
As soon as the A-Class Hunters took care of the last fragment of the monster, they rushed over.
Given that the guild members were all tangled up on the ground, how could they not be surprised?
“I-I’m so sorry! We couldn’t handle the beast quickly, causing confusion for the Appraiser…”
The A-Class Hunter with a crossbow bowed apologetically.
Anyway, the monster was dead before it could harm us, so there was really no need to bow down like this.
“It’s okay.”
At this point, a small sense of unease crept in.
If the complete stranger was apologizing so sincerely, the timid Ahn Yoon-seung must be burying his head in the ground.
Hmm?
But fortunately, my concerns were unfounded.
“Hyung-nim…!”
The A-Class Hunter who approached me unexpectedly began speaking in a truly unimaginable way.
“Indeed, there’s no one but you, Hyung-nim. I never thought you would throw yourself in to save the C-Class Hunters!”
Yoon-seung said that, directing a gaze filled with respect toward me.
*
Ahn Yoon-seung of Neo Sisters had felt vague anxiety since he heard the news of the bizarre mutation.
There were only two A-Class Hunters urgently mobilized.
Soon after, in the midst of a busy hour, clashes began to occur with the guild’s Appraisers.
– You want to put a D-Class in a B-Class Gate?
– I absolutely won’t go!
– This is a violation of human rights.
Even if they wrapped items around them.
Even if the A-Class promised to protect them as best as they could.
In the end, the guild’s Appraisers refused to enter the gate.
No matter how much it was the company’s orders, they couldn’t take such a risk.
‘This is bad.’
Of course, Neo Sisters wouldn’t back down easily either, but as this negotiation dragged on, the survival rate of the stranded Hunters was decreasing.
So Ahn Yoon-seung reluctantly took action.
After all, he had at least one acquaintance among the Appraisers.
“Hello? Gi-ryeo Hyung?”
Kim Gi-ryeo was quite suitable for this matter.
He was the most capable of the Appraisers he knew, and he also had no faults as a Hunter!
“Hyung, I’m sorry, but could you please do me a favor? Please help me!”
Moreover, that Awakened one was perfect in terms of character.
– Understood.
Which Hunter in the world would willingly rush to rescue someone from another guild?
But as expected, Kim Gi-ryeo, being the noble man he is, immediately agreed to his request. This was as predicted.
However, there was one condition to getting help.
“I’m telling you in advance, I’m only going to use my appraisal skills.”
Kim Gi-ryeo emphasized this from the very beginning of the call.
He would only open the way neatly and cleanly.
Of course, this side invited him with that intention from the start, so it was natural to endure this…
Ah-ha!
Only after hearing the rest of the conversation did Yoon-seung understand the other party’s true intentions.
“Do you remember I’m F-Class?”
“Ah, yes.”
“But if by any chance a monster comes my way… what do you think would happen?”
This person could easily kill a monster in this kind of gate like swatting a fly.
But if such a scene were seen by the other guild members of Neo Sisters, things could get quite strange.
‘If it’s revealed that I’m masking my rank…!’
In other words, what the other party said could be interpreted as:
– I am outwardly F-Class. I cannot show my strength in front of watchful eyes.
So he was telling me to ensure the monster doesn’t come toward him!
At this moment, Yoon-seung resolutely vowed to do his utmost to keep Gi-ryeo’s secret.
He was seriously mistaken about what he thought.
‘Don’t worry, Hyung!’
However, even if the intentions were somewhat skewed, they could achieve what they wanted.
Either way, Gi-ryeo didn’t want to be attacked by a monster, and I was also going to do my best to prevent that from happening anyway…
.
.
.
To cut to the chase.
Yoon-seung kept his promise flawlessly.
Even when a hideous monster, resembling a giant centipede from the afterlife, suddenly shattered into eight pieces, he calmly and quickly eliminated it.
[Protective Shield]
Yoon-seung utilized his awakening skill to unfold a circular curtain in the dungeon.
He created a massive protective barrier centered around himself, trapping the monster in reverse.
‘They said I could use it like a temporary barrier.’
Flipping the outside and inside of the shield to use it aggressively in battle!
This was an application of a defensive skill that Hunter Kim Gi-ryeo personally taught him.
Now, even using one skill, he was continually impressed by the excellence of that F-Class!
“Oh! Yoon Seung-ah, well done!”
“Senpai! Please quickly take care of the right side!”
But he couldn’t remain absorbed in admiration forever, so Yoon-seung quickly eliminated the fragments of the monster trapped by the skill.
Thud!
Breaking, smashing, and smashing again at its solid shell…
“Uh?”
But then.
Yoon-seung suddenly had a question about the scene reflected outside the protective shield.
‘Why is Gi-ryeo Hyung running?’
Tap, tap, tap.
Sure, the other C-Class Hunters might be shocked and panicking because of the monster…
But to see Kim Gi-ryeo running was completely unexpected.
That calm Hunter hardly ever panicked and wouldn’t even think about fleeing from such low-tier monsters.
‘Why on earth?’
Then why was Gi-ryeo behaving so busily right now?
Yoon-seung would soon resolve that question.
“Hold on!”
Ugh!
Gah!
A small incident began as the C-Class runners in the lead fell down all at once.
‘Huh?’
Within the protective barrier, Yoon-seung couldn’t even understand why the guild members outside suddenly fell…
In that instant, something poured from the ceiling.
Thanks to the switch they stepped on, a trap with raining blades was triggered.
Huh!
No matter how A-Class Hunters they were, they couldn’t deal with such a sudden event.
Yoon-seung rushed to use a buff skill, but he couldn’t keep up in time because of the casting preparation.
Tick!
But it was okay.
Outside this protective barrier, there was already someone who had predicted the entire sequence of events.
“Uaaagh!”
As the fallen guild member screamed, Kim Gi-ryeo pretended to fall along with them and covered his teammates.
He used his body as a shield to absorb all the blades.
Tick, tick!
Had Kim Gi-ryeo not deliberately fallen last, what fate would have awaited those C-Class Hunters underneath?
‘Such quick thinking in a chaotic moment?’
Yoon-seung gasped.
Now all the situations made sense.
As the C-Class Hunters panicked and lost control, Kim Gi-ryeo must have assumed they would step on traps together and jumped.
‘To protect them if necessary!’
How moving.
Even if they sustained not a scratch from the B-Class Gate’s traps, suspicion could be cast; yet, he willingly incurred even that to choose to protect the weak.
Wow. How can Gi-ryeo Hyung, as a person, be like that…
Truly an icon of altruism.
Yoon-seung’s admiration for that Hunter grew day by day.
And without realizing it, he blurted out the thought he had been keeping in his heart.
“Indeed, there’s no one but you, Hyung-nim. I never thought you would throw yourself in to save the C-Class Hunters!”
Yoon-seung praised him in an overwhelming voice.
“Uh… is that so?”
He spoke with such certainty that even the other A-Class Hunters began to be moved.
“Uh… I must have misjudged the situation. So you were actually protecting our guild members?”
Tilting head.
The A-Class Hunter with the crossbow displayed a puzzled expression but eventually offered thanks later.
She too began to think that Gi-ryeo was protecting the peopled sent by the company.
“Thank you.”
“Really, thanks to you, we survived, Hyung-nim!”
An ironic sight where two A-Class Hunters bowed their heads to a lowly Awakened.
But the one receiving those thanks was unfazed. He silently brushed off the dust from his clothes without giving any substantial reply.
‘What a remarkable person.’
As if this was nothing significant, he exuded a nonchalant vibe.
Yoon-seung saw Gi-ryeo’s reaction and became more certain.
He was a being of a different dimension who wouldn’t change his expression even with A-Class Hunters at his feet.
‘Eh, is this Earthling talking nonsense?’
Of course, he was silent for a different reason.
‘These guys are already disoriented from almost dying…’
What can you do?
Originally, even if you know ten depths of the water, you can’t know even one depth of a person’s heart.
*
Thus, they successfully rescued the stranded individuals and exited the gate safely.
More precisely, they defeated the boss and formally opened the exit.
“Heeey!”
“Outside!”
“I felt so relieved when I saw Ahn Yoon-seung Hunter inside…”
As soon as the stranded C-Class Hunters returned to safety, they vented the sorrows they had been holding back.
Having just escaped death, how could they not? Gi-ryeo nodded in full understanding of their feelings.
“Um, Hunter-nim?”
But suddenly, as the wet C-Class Hunters began to wrap themselves in blankets, someone slowly approached this corner.
It was the team leader, Kim, who had been in charge of the anomalous gate’s conquest.
“You said your name is Mr. Kim Gi-ryeo, right?”
“Yes.”
He seemed quite pleased with saving his comrades and approached with a bright face.
“Thank you very much for responding to the sudden request for help today.”
Initially, formal greetings followed, but soon, Team Leader Kim subtly tested Gi-ryeo’s intentions.
“By the way, I heard that Mr. Gi-ryeo is a total freelance Hunter…?”
But no answer came back.
It wasn’t because he simply didn’t want to join the company; he himself was quite tangled up in thought.
Damn it.
Gi-ryeo, deeply engrossed in contemplation, naturally ignored the team leader’s words.
This isn’t good.
His worries were mainly about one Hunter.
I can’t leave Ahn Yoon-seung as he is…!
He seriously took Yoon-seung’s admiration to heart.
That warped perception, thinking of him as someone great, would eventually lead to an accident in dangerous areas like gates.
Why do you overestimate me like this?!
Gi-ryeo promised himself, trembling with fear.
He had to set things straight.
I would make it abundantly clear every three hours that I am nothing more than a broke F-Class!
“Hyung-nim!”
However, thanks to Ahn Yoon-seung’s subsequent action, Gi-ryeo completely forgot his resolution.
“Uh, this is…”
“Hmm?”
“This is the magic stone that came from the boss monster earlier.”
A little while later.
Ahn Yoon-seung stealthily handed Gi-ryeo something when no one was looking.
An oval magic stone, beautifully glowing pink.
Isn’t this a pink diamond in the world of magic stones, highly valued by collectors!?
“Why are you giving me this?”
Gi-ryeo held the magic stone in surprise, but soon Yoon-seung explained.
“I thought it might be needed since you always gather magic stones when you go to gates. So I kept it aside just in case.”
“Really?”
“Anyway, having something like this, what can I do but turn it into money?”
“Uh…?”
“But if it goes to someone like you, it will definitely be used for something much more meaningful and wonderful…!”
Ahn Yoon-seung asked with twinkling eyes.
“Right?”
To which Gi-ryeo squeezed his eyes shut and thought for a moment before finally responding.
“I’m glad you understand my intentions, at least.”
“Indeed!”
Yeah. Let’s go ahead and be a great person…