Upon hearing Kang-hoo’s words, Jung Yuri ran away without asking why.
She knew well that he never spoke in vain.
Without looking back, she started running the way they had come.
About 10 seconds later,
Kang-hoo saw Legant crumble like a collapsing sandcastle.
It seemed as if he were embracing his own death.
It felt as though he would naturally die and disappear if left alone.
Whoosh!
So Kang-hoo rushed in and plunged his dagger into Legant’s body.
He couldn’t just let him commit suicide.
He needed to be the one to end Legant’s life to perform skill plundering.
[The target is not eligible for plundering.]
[Instead, you can receive a one-time skill enhancement as a reward.]
‘I get it this way?’
It seemed too easy.
Just as Kang-hoo was about to savor the thrill of acquisition, hoping his worst fears wouldn’t materialize,
Boom!
The ‘what if’ turned into ‘as expected’.
He had told Jung Yuri to run because he had sensed something, and now his fears had become reality.
It was the dungeon collapsing.
Starting from 100 meters behind Legant, the dungeon began to crumble as if the world were ending.
Officially, the boss monster’s conquest was over; it was dead. He had even received the reward.
The problem was what followed.
The dungeon was collapsing.
Meaning, if they couldn’t escape, it would be the end of their lives.
To enjoy the reward, one must first survive.
“Damn it.”
Kang-hoo cursed as he started sprinting with all his might.
The entrance they had come through must have turned into the exit.
They had to return the way they had come.
Kang-hoo took out a Mad Solarkium from his pocket and chewed it without hesitation.
Skill enhancement was a reward far more valuable than something like a Mad Solarkium.
It wasn’t a waste to consume one of the six. Not eating it now would be insane.
At that moment,
Kang-hoo felt the constant heavy pressure in his head lift all at once.
Like breaking free from shackles?
It felt like liberation from all restraints at once.
The flow of mana felt clearer, and the constant headache that had been like a companion vanished.
His body became as light as a feather, and his vision sharpened to the point where he could see even the smallest speck of dust.
‘Is this what it feels like to perfectly suppress mana hypersensitivity? To experience sensory enhancement as well?’
Using Acceleration and Leap, he swiftly left the scene, sensing the changes within his body.
He had believed Mad Solarkium only suppressed the outward symptoms of mana hypersensitivity and eased the pain.
But it appeared that the senses dulled by chronic mana hypersensitivity were more extensive than he had realized.
To exaggerate a little, it felt as though he had encountered drugs.
He was momentarily overjoyed.
In any case, he was certain about its effects.
Today’s experience would significantly aid in utilizing the remaining Mad Solarkiums.
Looking back, he saw that everything was indeed collapsing.
Everything, including thick rocks, tall trees, and expansive plains, was being sucked underground as if by a black hole.
It was obvious, but being trapped in this collapse would certainly spell doom for any ordinary person.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
Kang-hoo kept executing Leap.
His mana supply was almost inexhaustible thanks to mana hypersensitivity, so he had no worries.
At that moment, without pain or limitations, he was in a state of virtually unlimited mana and skills.
Alternating between Leap and Acceleration with ease, he even caught up to Jung Yuri, who had started running before him.
She struggled with movement due to mana depletion.
This is the typical pattern for a hunter.
If not managed carefully, mana reserves are exhausted within a few minutes.
Then, as mana slowly replenishes, skills are utilized inefficiently.
However, Kang-hoo had the most options, being the least concerned about mana.
“Take my hand.”
“You caught up already? Over this distance? And why offer your hand?”
“Let’s run together. I will take the lead and resist. Hold my hand tightly and stay behind me.”
“Okay!”
Jung Yuri firmly grasped Kang-hoo’s hand.
From that moment on, just like when they had rescued An Yeong-ho, they continued with a two-person Leap, holding hands.
‘It has already been 10 minutes. He’s been using Leap continuously, even while taking care of me…’
Throughout their escape, Jung Yuri’s eyes widened in disbelief at Kang-hoo’s incredible skill utilization.
If skills could be used infinitely just by will, no hunter would ever die.
That was what Jung Yuri thought.
Mana exists to show that nothing comes without a price, much like money.
Being perpetually plagued by a chronic shortage is the fate of mana.
That’s why countless hunters go crazy over items that increase mana and spend money on them.
Yet Kang-hoo was using skills like someone from a different world.
A skill that allows a 6-meter Leap in one go must consume a significant amount of mana.
He had already used such a skill dozens of times.
Still, without any change in his expression, he silently searched for an escape route.
At some point, deciding it was better to carry her, Kang-hoo was now carrying Jung Yuri on his back.
‘A Named… perhaps?’
Jung Yuri, oblivious to world news, suddenly had another thought.
Maybe he was a Named, known among hunters, who had decided to visit Ground Zero.
She couldn’t search on her smartphone while in the dungeon.
She planned to search as soon as they got out.
But she was certain.
‘Jung Sun-kyu’ must be a hunter of a much higher level than her.
Only that could explain this seemingly infinite mana and skill usage. Otherwise, it wouldn’t make sense.
“Wow… we’re far ahead. And we’re almost there!”
Jung Yuri exclaimed, looking alternately ahead and behind.
The collapsing phenomenon, which had seemed about to engulf them, was now quite far away.
Perhaps it was at the edge of the horizon?
They were so distant that even standing still for a minute would be safe.
The dungeon entrance they had initially entered loomed about 10 meters ahead.
“Do you think I could enter this dungeon without you? Do you have to run like this every time you conquer it?”
“Seems so.”
“It’s crazy. Aren’t you tired? Don’t you get exhausted? Does your mana just keep springing forth? How is this possible?”
“Trade secret.”
Kang-hoo deftly sidestepped Jung Yuri’s naive and curious inquiries.
“Trade secret” was, in fact, an appropriate response.
His congenital mana hypersensitivity was both his greatest asset and his most significant liability.
Indeed, it was a double-edged sword.
“Let’s get out of here, quick!”
“We should. I need to rest once we’re out. Let me know if you find a good tree to lie down under.”
“Sure! I know just the spot!”
Kang-hoo could feel the effects of the Mad Solarkium beginning to wane.
Once it wore off, he’d have to face the onslaught of physical exhaustion like a bill coming due.
Given that he had been using Leap and Acceleration for nearly 20 minutes, he’d be lucky not to pass out.
Quickly, the two made their way out of the dungeon.
Its collapse would have no bearing on the outside world, and a reset of the dungeon itself was on the horizon.
“Thanks! I didn’t think I’d get a skill enhancement as a reward. Did you get one too?”
“Yeah. I’m deciding where to use it.”
“I’ll boost a transformation skill! It’s essential for me!”
She appeared to have applied it immediately to her ability to transform temporarily into black smoke.
Certainly an otherworldly talent.
It was a power that granted her the freedom to switch between human and non-human forms at will.
Naturally, this was her edge in battle.
Kang-hoo didn’t possess any tangible treasures, but he viewed the single skill enhancement as worthy of the entire ordeal.
Such skill enhancements were unobtainable on the black market and couldn’t be consistently procured from particular dungeons.
Their value was no less than a staggering 500 billion won.
This was the price hunters placed on a skill enhancement.
It essentially rebirthed a skill.
Didn’t Blood Flower become a lethal skill capable of taking the lives of multiple enemies at once through skill enhancement?
Regardless of the skill, the effect of enhancement was certain, like a promissory note.
A while later…
Kang-hoo, feeling the effects of the Mad Solarkium completely worn off, lay down in the spot Jung Yuri had shown him.
His body ached as if it had been hammered all over.
The headache was more intense than he had expected, and his limbs felt limp like taffy.
Perhaps that was why.
As soon as he lay down in Jung Yuri’s ‘perfect spot’, he experienced an indescribable comfort and happiness.
It seemed trivial, but it brought him a simple joy.
Then…
Jung Yuri, who had been busily organizing something, sat down beside Kang-hoo.
The tree was spacious enough, and she had prepared it so well, it practically became a high-rise resting spot.
There was plenty of room for her to sit next to him.
“Hey.”
“Hmm?”
“I felt sorry seeing you lying alone on the cold tree. If you’re okay with it, would you like to rest your head on my lap?”
“……”
Since awakening in this world…
Was it because these were the first words of pure human kindness he had heard after living so fiercely?
Even Kang-hoo, who usually responded quickly, hesitated this time.
“It’s not just for you… But you’ve been my travel and conversation companion. I’m really grateful.”
A woman who, despite being deeply betrayed by people, still longed for their company.
Jung Yuri was special, but in a different way.
Different from Han Seo-yeon, Lee Ye-rin, and Yun Sang-mi, with whom he had previously established connections.
Especially different from Han Seo-yeon, who always remembered and felt remorse for their past.
“Well, it’s just a lap pillow, nothing more. Your head might feel a bit heavy, though.”
“It’s okay. Just lie down comfortably.”
Without further hesitation…
He lay down, resting his head precisely on the inside of her thigh.
She had probably sweated a lot in the dungeon, yet she still smelled strongly of acacia.
The rest after the fierce battle and the frantic escape made his body feel even more languid.
Although he felt overwhelmingly sleepy just by closing his eyes, Kang-hoo never succumbed to sleep.
Ground Zero was still the wilderness. One could never predict what variables might arise.
Kang-hoo blinked, looking up into her eyes, which from his perspective, appeared upside down.
Her eyes clearly radiated pure sincerity.
“……”
Time seemed to stand still as they locked gazes, without a word.
Thus, the rest of the two, in tranquility, passed quietly, communicating only through their eyes.