VSP 107

Crash!

At the same time, a thick root burst through the solid concrete floor and shot upward.

Sejun reflexively step back, and the root, swinging like a whip, hit a nearby car.

The large vehicle was smashed to pieces like it was made of styrofoam, and the anti-theft blared loudly, only to be silenced in an instant by another blow from the root.

The root, which had been groping along the floor as if searching for something, disappeared back into the hole it had come from when it couldn’t find what it was looking for.

But unless they were a fool, anyone could tell that it was unlikely it’d stop at just that one attack. Lee Yongseok had managed to survive thanks to Sejun’s push, but perhaps due to his injuries, he was still sitting on his butt, unable to get up.

As soon as he saw the green light flashing beneath his body again, Sejun threw himself forward.

[Sejun-nim!]

By the time the system shouted his name in panic, Sejun was already rolling across the ground with Yongseok.

“Ugh!”

“Ah!”

The instant they hit the floor and rolled aside, another impact shook the ground as a root emerged. Dust and chunks of broken concrete rained down, striking Sejun’s body.

Shit, that hurts like hell!

It all happened in an instant, without giving him time to think.

‘Sejun-nim, you’re too selfless. I wish you’d be at least half as selfish as you pretend to be.’

Why was he suddenly remembering what the system used to say every time they struggled through a dungeon?

The root didn’t retreat this time. Instead, it lunged toward them again, chasing them like prey. Sejun couldn’t tell if it was reacting to the scent of blood or the pulse of life, but it was fast and powerful.

Whoosh

The sound of air tearing came a split second before the thorn-covered root whipped through the air.

Sejun managed to pull Yongseok toward him just in time, but the root’s speed was insane. There wasn’t even time to summon Hoya.

Even for Sejun, whose physical abilities matched that of an S-rank hunter, shielding another grown man without Hoya’s help was pushing it. But looking at Yongseok’s condition, Sejun could tell that another direct hit would kill him instantly.

Damn it. Sejun closed his eyes, bracing for the blow.

Boom!

Suddenly, light burst from his ring, and a shimmering shield formed around them.

The transparent barrier wrapped them both as the root struck it and bounced away. A metallic crack rang out, and a jagged fracture ran across the root’s surface.

What kind of plant root cracks like that? He didn’t even have time to be shocked before his eyes dropped to his hand, to the ring.

The same ring Cha Dogyeong had slipped onto his finger the day after that happened was now glowing brightly.

The ring’s main ability was to cut mana consumption by fifty percent, but it also had a one-time function: generating a protective shield that blocked damage.

He hadn’t known how to trigger it, and he’d never seen it activate before. Apparently, it worked automatically.

And now, he’d used up that precious one-time protection.

“…Ha.”

He’d yelled at Dogyeong so much after getting it, yet in the end, this ring had just saved his life.

And today, he was going to make full use of it.

His mana, which had grown to 180, would effectively double with the ring’s boost, 360. That was roughly on par with the average S-rank level of mana. At least in numbers, he’d finally reached it.

With that much mana, he could finally control Hoya to some extent.

Yongseok couldn’t fight. Though he was known as the “Unlucky S-rank” for his top-tier A-rank, even his reflexes weren’t good enough to dodge what Sejun had barely managed to avoid. He was injured and swaying on his feet.

And there was no time to wait for Lee Dohun and Choi Hangyeol, who were still searching upstairs. Whatever happened, it had to be dealt with here and now.

Just the two of them. No, just Sejun.

…Could he really do it?

His fingertips trembled.

Doubt that had long festered inside him clawed its way up his throat. All the times he’d stepped forward only to fail, all the humiliations that followed made him hesitate, even though he knew he couldn’t afford to.

Could I really lead a team and clear an S-rank dungeon?

Me? Seo Sejun?

[Sejun-nim.]

Hearing the system’s voice, Sejun slowly raised his head.

In the center of the dungeon, the giant tree was writhing. Its roots scraped and coiled, rearranging themselves with a sound that almost resembled a growl.

The next attack was coming.

And this time, it would be stronger.

[Sejun-nim, trust Hoya.]

“…Yeah. I don’t trust myself, but I trust Hoya.”

[Then isn’t that the same thing as trusting yourself?]

“Maybe.”

[Because Hoya exists only for you, Sejun-nim. You, better than anyone, know that your summoned beast is the strongest in the world.]

That was true. No one knew it better than Sejun himself. For a moment, he even forgot the danger around him and let out a small laugh.

“Yeah, you’re right.”

Without hesitation, Sejun summoned Hoya. He had delayed it this whole time, worried that he wouldn’t be able to sustain the summoning with his limited mana.

[Summoning the beast ‘Hoya.’]

In an instant, a massive blue tiger materialized in midair and landed silently, its size betraying its grace.

“Grrr.”

If Hoya’s senses were what they always had been, there was no way he hadn’t detected the S-rank dungeon boss nearby. But as always, he only gave Sejun a brief glance before calmly licking his paw, unbothered.

The tension that had been gripping Sejun melted away like frost under the sun.

Hoya was strong, stronger than anything in this world.

So strong that even the monstrous dungeon boss before them wasn’t worth his concern.

That reliability reminded Sejun of the way he used to feel when he had Cha Dogyeong behind him.

A solid sense of safety. A confidence he could lean on. And that realization led him to another.

Come to think of it, I was the protagonist once. Of that novel, ‘How the Villain Eats the Protagonist’… the story that this entire world is built from.

So Hoya was originally his summoned beast, the main character’s.

If the author had only twisted the setting a little, weakening his mana, then…

That meant you, Hoya, still had the power meant for the protagonist.

He was just too weak to handle it properly and got dragged around instead. But now, Sejun’s mana had grown.

And he had a ring that cut his mana consumption in half, an absurdly overpowered item.

So then…

“So what is this?”

Lee Yongseok, barely keeping his eyes open through the blood clouding his vision, looked down at the glowing shield wrapping around his body.

Sejun sighed.

“Yongseok.”

“What.”

“You’ve been fighting that bastard all afternoon?”

“What bastard?”

“That damn tree bastard.”

That tree was feeding on life force. And knowing Yongseok—who treated his guild members like family—he must have gone berserk after seeing them captured and drained alive.

In that state, coughing blood, he must’ve discovered at least something useful.

“Tell me everything you found out.”

Sejun’s voice was calm and firm.

Yongseok flinched. He’d always thought of Sejun as a harmless idiot among S-rank hunters, but something about his voice and gaze made him doubt that.

For a second, he couldn’t help but think, “He feels… different.”

“There’s no time. The longer you stall, the faster your people die.”

The cold words snapped him back immediately.

“You want to save them too, don’t you?”

Time was everything. Always, but especially now. Even if Sejun sent a spirit to call Lee Dohun and Choi Hangyeol from upstairs, it would still take time. Right now, Yongseok’s only remaining option, his last card, was Seo Sejun.

Depending on Seo Sejun. If it were any other day, Yongseok would’ve cursed that as the worst possible situation, an impossible balance game where he’d rather die than pick. But at this point, he didn’t even have the strength to complain. And somehow, the thought didn’t feel so absurd anymore.

“…There’s a core in the center.”

He spoke without hesitation, the words flowing out of him before he even realized.

Normally, he would’ve tried to fight a little longer, maybe buy some time to save his guildmates. But now, he talked as naturally as if under a spell.

And for one brief, insane moment, a thought crossed his mind, “Why does Sejun suddenly feel like Cha Dogyeong?” And he tried to suppress the crazy thought.