Assassin necromancer

[Episode 8] Outside is Dangerous (4)

Near Yeonsinnae, in front of a shopping complex where a mysterious portal had appeared, a large crowd was gathered.

“Is the B-Rank hunter supported here yet?”

“There’s no time left! When are they going to enter?”

“Hah, be honest. Do you really think the people trapped inside are still alive? If we rush in with weak forces and people die, will you take responsibility?”

It had already been two hours since the dungeon appeared.

At this point, it was almost certain that the civilians caught inside were dead.

A middle-aged man had finally spoken the words that everyone had been avoiding.

The debate grew intense, but the conclusion remained the same.

A woman who had been insisting on entering bit her lip hard.

The young man who had been trying to mediate the situation sighed deeply.

To be honest, even they didn’t believe that the people inside a B4-Rank dungeon could still be safe.

As silence filled the area, a woman suddenly ran in, breathing heavily.

“…Has the rescue team been assembled?”

“Who are you? You can’t just—”

“I asked if the rescue team had been assembled.”

At Baek Seo-ha’s firm question, the young man had no choice but to answer.

“As you can see… not yet.”

“……”

Hearing that, Baek Seo-ha immediately started walking—toward the portal, the entrance of the dungeon.

“Hey! What are you doing?!”

“Damn it, everyone’s losing their minds today! I told you, we don’t have enough manpower!”

Hunters quickly moved to block her, but when Baek Seo-ha lifted her head, they all froze.

Her eyes were filled with raw emotions, as if she would tear apart anyone who dared to stand in her way.

“U-Uh….”

While everyone stood frozen, Baek Seo-ha walked straight into the dungeon without hesitation.

A moment later, murmurs spread through the crowd.

“Wait… wasn’t that Baek Seo-ha?”
“Huh? Yeah! I saw her from afar when I helped the Cheongbaek Guild.”
“An A-Rank hunter came to help?”
“Should we just follow her in?”

At that moment, the middle-aged man frowned and spoke.

“What nonsense are you talking about? The Cheongbaek Guild’s 1st Attack Team is still raiding a different dungeon.”
“Huh? Now that you mention it….”

They couldn’t figure out the answer, but everyone standing there felt it.

Something very unusual was happening.

—

Halloween Knight was one of my favorite original undead.

It wasn’t a high-tier undead,
but in close combat, it had simple yet excellent abilities.

Slash!
Crack—!

“Kehk!”

The Devourers and Revenants, now reduced to just their bodies, were being completely crushed by the Halloween Knight.

Crack!
Crunch!
Snap!

Two remaining Skeleton Archers desperately tried to provide support,
but they each took a hit and had their skulls shattered.

The situation was definitely in my favor,
but I kept a serious expression.

Because I knew a problem was coming soon.

‘This won’t last long.’

Luckily, the immediate danger was gone.
But the Halloween Knight was created using the Death Energy of Song Ha-yeon, who was nothing more than a beginner necromancer.

It was obvious—it wouldn’t last long.

Honestly, the fact that it was performing this well was already a miracle.

‘Defeating the Giant is obviously impossible….’

Even if I saved as much strength as possible,
I could only summon two more undead at Devourer-level.

I had only brought one magic stone,
so I couldn’t perform the same summoning again.

In short—
If the rescue team didn’t arrive soon, we were as good as dead.

Calmly processing the facts,
I closed my eyes and stayed silent.

Because at this point, all I could do was pray.

‘…….’

Just as I was about to send my prayer to Seregia,
the so-called Goddess of Harmony from the other world,
I suddenly sensed multiple presences outside the passage.

Creak.
Clatter.

But they weren’t the rescue team.
They were undead.

Feeling a surge of betrayal, I screamed in my mind.

Seregia! How could you?!

The new undead appeared,
and the girl beside me looked at me with desperate eyes—
a mix of hope and despair on her face.

I avoided her gaze and mumbled awkwardly.

“We… we might die here….”

“……”

For a brief moment,
the light of hope disappeared from her eyes.

And then—

A new hope appeared.

BOOM—!

“If anyone can hear me, answer me!”

A voice echoed from beyond the passage.

It was sudden,
but I instantly recognized who it belonged to.

It was Seo-ha.

I thought she was still in the middle of clearing her dungeon,
but it seemed she had finished much faster than expected.

“Ah! Over here! We’re here!”

The girl, convinced it was the rescue team,
frantically shouted for help.

And the sounds of violent destruction grew closer and closer.

BOOM!
CRACK!

Holding my breath, I watched as the Skeleton Giant guarding the passage was completely destroyed, its limbs shattered into pieces.

Seeing that, I quietly released my Halloween Knight,
turning it back into ashes—

Because no matter what,
it seemed like we had survived.

—

【Seo-ha Baek, Successfully Rescues 2 Civilians from B4-Rank Dungeon】

【A Hunter’s Nobility, A True Role Model】

【Cleared a B3-Rank Dungeon and Immediately Rushed to the Rescue】

Later, I found out that the dungeon in the basement of the Yeonsinnae shopping complex was classified as B4-Rank.

The boss was a Kobold Bane—
a kobold that had lived for centuries and evolved into a weaker version of a Lich.

【Disaster and Safety Management Bureau Emphasizes the Importance of Early Dungeon Detection】

After the incident,
there was mourning for the victims who couldn’t be saved,
but on the internet, things were exploding.

— Wow, how did they survive a B-Rank dungeon? So lucky.
— They say this is the first-ever civilian rescue from a B-Rank or higher dungeon. Even foreign news is going crazy, lol.
— But seriously, Baek Seo-ha is insane. People say she cleared the dungeon alone.
— For real. A second-year awakened hunter solo-clearing a B-Rank dungeon? That’s just national pride fuel.

Even ordinary people,
who only heard bits and pieces of the story, reacted like this.

And among high-ranking officials directly involved in the case,
Baek Seo-ha became an even hotter topic.

“She basically defeated two B-Rank bosses alone.
And in just one day.”

Somewhere in Seoul.

Inside a conference hall,
where influential figures from across South Korea had gathered,
a heated discussion about her was taking place.

“Puppet Spider is one of the most difficult B-Rank bosses.”

“If it’s her, won’t she reach S-Rank soon?”

S-Rank.

That word carried a huge meaning.

In this era, people even said—

‘An S-Rank hunter is the same as national power.’

“…She reached this level in just two years.
So, it’s highly possible.”

Right now, South Korea had three S-Rank hunters.

The ‘Magician’ Seo Min-a,
the ‘Unbreakable’ Choi Ha-min,
and Lee Ji-cheol,
who was called a Tyrant—both in a good and bad way.

Considering the population, three wasn’t a small number.
But honestly, it wasn’t nearly enough to protect an entire country.

“You all remember what happened in Hungary.”

Hungary had faced an S4-Rank Dungeon and mobilized its only S-Rank hunter, Gerzer, along with dozens of A-Rank hunters to deal with it.

But in the end, they failed to clear the dungeon.

As a result, they lost all their national power and, even now, survive by relying on stronger nations.

There was no guarantee that the same thing wouldn’t happen to Korea.

“…If only Chae Hwa-in were still alive.”

In fact, Korea originally had one more S-Rank hunter.
Or rather, it would be more accurate to say she was the only one at first.

Chae Hwa-in—
The first-generation hunter who was recognized as the world’s first S-Rank.

But she was gone now.

Back when dungeon ranks weren’t even clearly classified,

she was forced to join an S-Rank dungeon raid in the United States.
And there, she lost her life.

“…Even now, it makes my blood boil.”

There were still many theories about that incident.

Some claimed that the United States conspired against her because they saw her power as a threat.

Others believed that, in a crisis, they sacrificed her because she was a foreigner.

It sounded like a wild conspiracy,
but no one could completely deny that it might be true.

Korea had given in to pressure and sent their hero to another country.
And in return, they only got back her cold, lifeless body.

“…The loss was great, in many ways.”

Her body was still laid to rest in a quiet corner of Seoul Memorial Park.

Perhaps, even now, she was still lingering there, unable to move on.

“Anyway, this is an important time. With the returnee family issue, I doubt such things will happen,
but please keep an eye on any foreign attempts to steal our talents.”

With those final words,
everyone returned to their respective places.

—

*After the Dungeon Incident*

Since the dungeon incident,
I had been hiding under my blanket at home, completely absorbed in the internet.

【Dungeon Survivor, Miss Lee: “I don’t remember much. It was just one desperate moment after another.”】

【Expert Yoo Hae-man: “The dungeon’s structure was unusual. That’s why the survivors were able to hide.”】

Some called it “ego-searching”—
checking how people were reacting to the incident you went through.

Surprisingly, it was quite fun.

“…Looks like the last spell worked well too.”

The magic stone I brought was crushed inside the Devourer’s mouth,
but I had saved a small fragment to cast a confusion spell on the girl before the rescue.

She might remember running away with me,
but she wouldn’t recall any specific details.

—

Online Reactions:

– If you still don’t support Baek Seo-ha, you’re a traitor.
– Baek Seo-ha! Baek Seo-ha! Baek Seo-ha!
– The one shining light among the flashy third-generation hunters…

I had already expected it,
but seeing the online communities, Seo-ha’s popularity was even bigger than I thought.

It was on the level of top athletes and musicians.

– She’s still just A-Rank. No way she can compare to Shin Yoo-ha or Choi Ha-min. No matter how much you hype her up, she won’t make it.

-Their experience isn’t even close. Just give it one year, and she’ll surpass them.

Click-clack, click-clack.

Whenever I saw negative comments about Seo-ha,
I furiously typed responses, defending her.

—

Knock, knock.

As I wasted time like that,
I heard a cautious knock on my door.

It was Seo-ha.

“Oppa, don’t you want to go for a walk today? Staying in your room too much isn’t good for your health….”

Since the dungeon incident, Seo-ha had been worried about my condition.

She was afraid I had suffered trauma,
so she was constantly checking on me.

Thanks to that,
I was taking full advantage and being as lazy as I wanted.

“…Can we go another time?”

“Oh… okay.”

Hearing her sad voice,I felt a little guilty.

But I had no choice.

I had failed my last Grandmaster promotion match,
and today, I was finally going to win.

‘Two wins, zero losses—I can’t let this go.’

If I won just once more, I would rank up.

The odds were practically 100%.

This was my third promotion match.
Surely, this time, I would succeed.

—

BOOM!

[You have been defeated.]
[You have been defeated.]
[You have been defeated.]

THUD! THUD! THUD!

I turned off the computer and furiously punched my blanket.