GBAS 26

In that moment, a bead of sweat trickled down Hyunwoo’s back. Just a moment ago, he had picked a fight over an extra word said only to Baek Jooin. When did he see that?

Hyunwoo, having changed his chat settings, pointlessly glanced around. Fortunately, no one seemed to be watching him. Hyunwoo hurriedly typed a message.

[Whisper] Jeonguk-noye-jarang : What are you talking about

He tried his best to maintain a nonchalant expression, but it backfired. At the other person’s even deeper smile, Hyunwoo’s eyelids twitched.

[Whisper] JuJuGeneralAssembly : Lying through your teeth without even a lick of spit?

He could have just said no, yet he was bewildered, not even knowing himself why he was so nervous.

[Whisper] JuJuGeneralAssembly : Otherwise, why would a guy who wouldn’t have even pretended to hear react like this? haha

[Whisper] JuJuGeneralAssembly : Are you confessing? “Yes~ I did~”?

[Whisper] JuJuGeneralAssembly : This is fun lol

JuJuGeneralAssembly stared intently at Hyunwoo, chuckling continuously. It was quite amusing to see the cluelessly wandering eyes on the face he had revealed after a long time.

But Hyunwoo, for his part, was serious.

Right, why did I do that?

He had pondered it from time to time ever since he unknowingly blocked the path in front of Jooin, but he couldn’t find an answer.

Seriously, why did I do that?

Hyunwoo, questioning himself, shook his head slightly.

No, no. There’s no need to overthink it. I shouldn’t think of it as saving Baek Jooin, but as saving a party member. Isn’t it natural to save a party member when they’re in crisis during a battle?

‘…….’

Even after completing his internal rationalization, Hyunwoo’s lips couldn’t seem to part easily.

[Whisper] JuJuGeneralAssembly : Ah what is it

[Whisper] JuJuGeneralAssembly : Why are you being like that

[Whisper] JuJuGeneralAssembly : Let me at least know what I’m laughing at before I laugh properly lolololol

[Whisper] JuJuGeneralAssembly : I have a right to know, you know?

JuJuGeneralAssembly, who was crouching and observing Hyunwoo’s expression, tilted his head.

What the hell happened to make him act like that?

It was quite entertaining to see the guy act as restless as a puppy needing to poop whenever he was in front of Baek Jooin, but it was frustrating not knowing the reason why. From small things like the lunch menu to human relationships including romance, Jiwoo had prided himself on being the one through whom all of Jeon Hyunwoo’s worries passed, so the tight-lipped Hyunwoo felt all the more strange.

JuJuGeneralAssembly poked Hyunwoo in the side and asked again.

[Whisper] JuJuGeneralAssembly : What is it

[Whisper] JuJuGeneralAssembly : Why have you been so protective of only Baek Jooin since a while ago

[Whisper] Jeonguk-noye-jarang : When did I

[Whisper] JuJuGeneralAssembly : Did you guys make up?

[Whisper] JuJuGeneralAssembly : Didn’t seem like it;

[Whisper] Jeonguk-noye-jarang : Mind your own business

He was the type to confess quickly after a few pokes, but today his resistance was fierce. As JuJuGeneralAssembly wondered how he could get him to talk, a sudden memory came to mind and his hands moved busily.

[Whisper] JuJuGeneralAssembly : Hey

[Whisper] JuJuGeneralAssembly : I even helped you out with that whole impotent incident, you know?

[Whisper] JuJuGeneralAssembly : How could you do this to me?

At those words, Hyunwoo’s head, which had been turned to the opposite side, whipped around.

Why is this coming up again!

Hyunwoo jumped up from his sitting position and replied.

[Whisper] Jeonguk-noye-jarang : Hey, I told you that’s not true

Oh, he’s feisty. The glare he was receiving was quite serious.

[Whisper] JuJuGeneralAssembly : Then what is it

[Whisper] JuJuGeneralAssembly : What is it, what is it, what is it

[Whisper] JuJuGeneralAssembly : Are you dating Baek Jooin again or something?

What is he talking about. Hyunwoo’s expression immediately darkened.

[Whisper] Jeonguk-noye-jarang : What?

It was something said without much thought, but at the reaction, as if he’d been struck by lightning, JuJuGeneralAssembly’s eyes widened. At the extremely fierce reaction, an awkward smile spread across JuJuGeneralAssembly’s face.

[Whisper] JuJuGeneralAssembly : Joking hehe

For now, it’s a retreat. He had almost forgotten that this was a guy who would clam up if he was prodded with intent.

[Whisper] JuJuGeneralAssembly : It’s a joke, man~

[Whisper] JuJuGeneralAssembly : Why are you being so serious about it

Well, he’ll come to me on his own if he needs to. JuJuGeneralAssembly, deciding to temporarily suspend his research on Jeon Hyunwoo’s strange behavior, got up from his spot and patted the still-frozen Hyunwoo on the shoulder, saying.

[Whisper] JuJuGeneralAssembly : Anyway

[Whisper] JuJuGeneralAssembly : I’ll be watching you lol

It was a villain-like line that always promised a next time but failed every single time. Hyunwoo brandished the weapon in his hand and muttered at the back of JuJuGeneralAssembly’s head as he skipped off towards another group.

Watching what.

Hyunwoo was confident. That there would be no reason to be suspected again. That he would never again block the way in front of Baek Jooin to protect him.

👾🎮

But.

[General] JuJuGeneralAssembly : Hey! Jeon Hyunwoo!

What is this.

[General] Napjakmandu : Wtf Noja-nim!!!

Damn it, again.

Somehow, it was the 37th floor.

Right now, as the attacks of the Gorgon and the Cave Troll were pouring down simultaneously, Hyunwoo was throwing his body towards Jooin. His eyes met with Baek Jooin’s, who was standing on the stage, looking this way with a startled expression.

‘I’m going crazy.’

I don’t even know anymore. Hyunwoo, having spotted the skill flying towards him, reached out his arms toward Jooin. At the same moment he embraced him, he felt a stabbing pain in his back. The pain gradually spread, and soon, he couldn’t breathe.

Crack!

The bodies of the two who fell off the stage rolled for a long way across the floor.

Enraged by the human forms that dared to roll at its feet, the Cave Troll raised its clasped hands high above its head. The troll, standing on its tiptoes to strike with all its might, slammed its fist down on Hyunwoo’s unconscious body.

THUMPTHUMPTHUMP!!!!!

The ground-shattering blow landed squarely, causing the inside of the cave to vibrate violently. It was an earthquake so strong that chunks of rock, not just pebbles, fell from the ceiling, and everyone moved to find a safe zone.

After the earthquake stopped and the dust settled, looking at that spot again, there was only a black pit remaining. Hyunwoo and Jooin’s characters had vanished without a trace.

👾🎮

The surroundings were strangely quiet.

Why am I lying down? Wait, I think I hear something. And what is this smell?

Hyunwoo, retracing his memory with his eyes closed, recalled something and groaned.

Right. He had just been in a battlefield filled with the sounds of hitting and breaking.

Three mid-bosses had appeared, Aqua had defeated one of them, and at the last moment, he had spotted Baek Jooin about to be attacked, and I intervened and…….

After reviewing the events one by one, Hyunwoo was able to recall the moment he was petrified, taking the skill ‘Hard Gaze’ that had been aimed at Jooin.

Hyunwoo muttered while still lying down.

“……I’ve really lost it.”

As he took a deep breath, the cells in his body began to awaken one by one. Was it the effect of the petrification? His back, pressed against the floor, throbbed, and his whole body ached as if it had been beaten up. The pain was particularly severe in his back where the skill had hit, and in his shoulders, knees, and elbows.

Then, a thought entered his mind.

‘Baek Jooin?’

Until he rolled to the troll’s feet, Baek Jooin had been in his petrified embrace. Since he had turned into a rock while holding him, it wouldn’t have been easy for him to get out, which meant Baek Jooin couldn’t be completely unharmed either.

The thought occurred to him that he might have been incapacitated and respawned at the base. His attempt to save him might have ended up being more of a nuisance.

A long sigh escaped Hyunwoo’s lips.

A deep fatigue, so heavy he could barely lift a finger, washed over him. As he lay spread-eagled on the floor catching his breath, he suddenly felt something strange and, without moving, stretched out his hand to feel the area around where he was lying.

The floor was unusually warm. Warm enough that he could fall asleep right there without a blanket. Should I just sleep? …No. Even if I’m resting, I should check where I am first.

Hyunwoo forced open his eyelids, which felt as if they were glued shut, and pushed himself up, propping himself on the floor. There wasn’t a single spot that didn’t hurt, and groans of “Aigo, aigo” escaped him naturally.

Blinking a few times to focus his blurry vision, Hyunwoo slowly looked around.

“…….”

This was still inside the cave, but the atmosphere was quite different from where he had been just a moment ago.

The dungeon, which had trees and moss sparsely visible from the 1st to about the 20th floor, had become increasingly arid as they descended below the 30th floor. The 37th floor, where he had been just before, was a place made up of only gray rock, but the atmosphere here was even darker and gloomier.

As if themed after hell, small hellfires rising from the black rocks swayed as if dancing to the cries of beasts heard from afar.

The place where he had fallen seemed to be one of the connecting passages between floors. The path, which had been narrow enough for only one person to pass when they first entered the dungeon, was now wide enough that there was space left even with both arms outstretched.

A faint breeze rustled Hyunwoo’s hair as he gazed at the flames.

‘Wind?’