The Dimensional Swordmaster C29

Chapter 29. The Fact That One Cannot Know (9)

The blade was quickly stained with blood. Each time the Dick Shadow tried to coil around him, Yurian moved his sword as fast as possible.

Because he was maintaining the shield, he couldn’t use any other magic. Here, he had no choice but to rely solely on his sword.

Aside from being unpleasantly grotesque, the Dick Shadow didn’t have particularly high defense. If it managed to constrict his throat or bind his body, he would suffocate without resistance—but as long as he avoided that, it could be cut down with surprising ease.

More importantly, to find the core within this mass of writhing flesh, he had no option but to search up close.

As the pressure tightened around him, Yurian swung his sword in a wide arc. He smashed the Dick Shadow coiling around his ankle with the hilt, then stepped back and shook out his hand. Severed tentacles twitched on the ground like freshly caught fish.

“Let’s see now… where would you be hiding?”

As instructed, Gong Siyoung waited patiently for Yurian’s signal. Thanks to Yurian drawing the monster’s aggro so decisively, the hunters who had been panicking began to regain their composure.

Myeong Haejin swiftly sent the incapacitated hunters back outside the gate. Meanwhile, Woo Yujin and Gu Jayoung took charge of retrieving those who had collapsed.

Because of the lightning, the barrier had to be maintained—but without a status window, its durability was impossible to gauge. They needed to retreat before the barrier failed unexpectedly and caused further casualties.

So much for “participating conservatively.”

Neither Myeong Haejin, who had stepped up as leader, nor Woo Yujin and Gu Jayoung, who were tirelessly carrying the injured, fit the word conservative in the slightest.

Of course, the one furthest from that description was Yurian. The monster had singled him out, forcing him into the role of primary attacker.

“I need to find it fast.”

Until the core was destroyed, the Dick Shadow would never stop. It would regenerate endlessly, reviving over and over until it devoured its target.

Yurian, on the other hand, had a limit. His mana and stamina would eventually run dry. Dragging this out would only put him at a disadvantage. He crushed a crawling monster beneath his foot and let out a breath.

Without pause, he plunged back into the mass. He slashed horizontally, twisting his wrist. The blade embedded itself into the monster’s body with a grinding sound, and green blood burst forth like a fountain.

Green blood splattered across Yurian’s cheek, but there was no time to wipe it away before he launched his second strike.

“Hup!”

He forced his body into a gap in the writhing mass. The squirming tentacles made wet, sticky sounds. Yurian’s blue eyes swept the monster’s interior relentlessly.

He cut down whatever approached him, and occasionally, a lucky lightning strike would scorch parts of the monster like overcooked meat.

Before he realized it, his face was drenched in blood. Yurian wiped his cheek with his sleeve.

He still wasn’t running low on stamina. But he couldn’t keep digging around like this forever. If he couldn’t find it in a few more minutes, he’d have to retreat.

Surrounded by Dick Shadows, he couldn’t clearly see what was happening outside. If the other hunters had pulled back enough, he’d stop fighting and bolt.

Having settled on a compromise, Yurian swung his sword with renewed force. Whether because it had been freshly maintained, or because he hadn’t tasted monster blood in a while, the blade felt unusually sharp and responsive.

“Just a little more and then—ah.”

As he severed a tentacle striking for his head, another entity behind it was revealed. At first glance, it didn’t look much different—but there was a clear distinction. The tips of its tentacles were a pale sky-blue.

“Found you.”

A sharp glint lit Yurian’s eyes. With the core located, there was no reason to wait.

He swung his sword upward, cleaving through the encircling mass. His blade, infused with mana, quite literally blasted the monster apart.

It felt as though he could hear the Dick Shadow’s silent scream. Yurian shouted toward the circular opening above.

“Here!!”

Before the tentacles could seize him, he leapt upward. He sliced through those that followed and reached out his hand. Responding to the signal, Gong Siyoung flew in and grabbed it tightly.

“Don’t let go.”

At the laughter in his voice, Gong Siyoung raised an eyebrow. It wasn’t clear whether he meant don’t let go of me or don’t let the monster escape. Either way, Gong Siyoung had no intention of letting go of either.

Calmly, he activated his skill toward the gaping hole.

There was no guidance from a status window, but the familiar sensation returned, and the surroundings began to freeze. Centered on the point where Yurian had leapt, everything solidified into ice.

Yurian whistled.

“If your range was this wide, you should’ve said so. I wouldn’t have worn myself out like that.”

With this radius, they could’ve handled it easily with just a few freezes. Feeling a bit sheepish, Yurian muttered,

“You’re more capable than I thought.”

Gong Siyoung stared at him in silence. His gaze seemed to say, Just what exactly do you think of me?

Under that icy look, Yurian quickly averted his eyes and pretended not to notice.

“So, should we head out now?”

He flicked the blood from his blade and slid it back into its sheath. In the distance, Myeong Haejin waved.

While Yurian waved back, Gong Siyoung froze the area once more for good measure. When Yurian pointed out the core, Gong Siyoung focused his attack there like a sterilization procedure.

As he watched the monster turn blue with frost, he spoke quietly.

“…Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Who? Me?”

“Is there anyone else here?”

“Oh. Right. Yeah, I’m fine. Not hurt.”

He removed his blood-soaked cap and brushed back his hair. Thank goodness for the hat—there was blood in his hair, but nothing like last time, when he’d been completely drenched.

“Do you always fight like that?”

“Like what?”

Deprived of its core, the Dick Shadow began to convulse violently. After a brief spasm, it stopped moving entirely.

Dead. Yurian let out a short whistle.

“Charging in headfirst like that.”

“Headfirst? It was a fairly strategic approach.”

Since the core wasn’t visible from the outside, the only way to find it was to dive straight in. Attacking the body endlessly would only drain stamina, given its regeneration.

Despite Yurian’s logical defense, Gong Siyoung didn’t relax his frown.

Letting out a deep sigh, he grabbed Yurian’s hood and pulled it down over his head. Yurian’s vision was blocked, leaving only Gong Siyoung’s chin in sight.

After hesitating, Gong Siyoung finally whispered,

“…We can fight together. Don’t do dangerous things alone.”

With that, he turned away abruptly. Worried the shield might slip out of range, Yurian hurried after him, breaking into a grin.

Fortunately, there were no fatalities among those who entered the dungeon that day. Gong Sijin remarked—half in amazement, half in mockery—that surviving a direct lightning strike took an absurd amount of luck.

Of course, swift response played a major role as well. While Yurian and Gong Siyoung dealt with the monster, Myeong Haejin made a rapid decision.

With even the status windows gone, continuing normally was impossible. On Haejin’s orders, Woo Yujin gathered the injured, and Gu Jayoung immediately began emergency treatment. Thanks to their coordination, the worst was avoided.

Thanks to Yeollak Guild’s efforts, everyone withdrew without a single person left behind. The moment they exited the gate, normal system notifications returned. Only then did everyone finally breathe again.

The first raid ended in failure—no gains, only injuries.

“Weak modern humans.”

Water dripped from the tips of Yurian’s hair as he emerged from the shower at the guild. Droplets soaked into the borrowed gray hoodie, leaving dark marks. He roughly shook his hair dry.

“So what if you can’t see the status window? Combat’s about instinct and luck anyway.”

Managing stamina came with experience. You learned to feel how much mana you had left. How did they even fight if they relied on the window for that? Pathetic.

“It’s not that simple.”

Until then silent, Gong Siyoung spoke up. The car jolted slightly as he turned the steering wheel.

They had just left the guild and merged onto the road. Night had fallen, and under star-like streetlights, people moved busily. The peace made the dungeon feel like a dream.

Myeong Haejin had been called away for a briefing. Gu Jayoung, who had overexerted herself saving others, was resting in the care room, with Woo Yujin staying by her side under the excuse of assisting.

No one knew how things would unfold from here, but for now, they would wait for Gong Sijin’s judgment. Until then, there was nothing to do.

Despite being told to rest at the guild, Gong Siyoung declined and took Yurian with him. When Yurian asked where they were going, Siyoung answered that they were getting food. At the word food, Yurian became instantly cooperative.

Sitting quietly in the passenger seat, Yurian wore his usual vacant expression. Gong Siyoung stole glances at him when he thought he wasn’t looking.

His white hair was still damp. Gong Siyoung’s gaze lingered on the straight bridge of his nose and his lips.

Looking at his clean, handsome appearance, it was hard to believe this was the same person who had been slaughtering monsters in the dungeon moments ago.

No matter how much he tried not to think about it, the image of Yurian fighting in the dungeon refused to fade. Gong Siyoung tightened his grip on the steering wheel.