“How’s the reaction?” Hwang Jung-Yeon asked.
“I’m not sure…” I answered.
“Maybe this isn’t it either… you sure there’s nothing wrong with your body?” she asked.
“Yes, I seem fine on the outside. Even from the data that I used for the last trial, there weren’t any physical issues, so you don’t have to worry about that,” I said, reassuring her.
“When did you have the time to do that…”
I used it when I was in the process of hiring workers while trying to recruit Sun Hee-Young to our party. I was able to achieve satisfactory results during that time, but since there were so many restraints, it was a test where I had to stop the research. I never imagined that it would come in handy at a place like this. It was as if that situation had prepared everything for us and the data that was in my head had finally become helpful.
“How about making the consistency thicker?” I asked.
“It’s not good to put in a lot. Considering how I may use magic later on, this is an appropriate amount. If we do put in more, you know that it’ll affect you physically, right?” she asked.
“I mean, if you think of it as using it to resist the curse, then it has to have an effect that’ll surpass the curse’s effects…”
“Are you trying to use poison to subdue the poison?”
“I don’t think it’s a bad idea to approach it that way,” I answered.
“Looks like we’re back where we started,” she commented.
“Actually, we’re not. I think we’re pretty much ready, but…”
“The problem is you’re not sure, right?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“You need to rethink the formula. Looks like it’ll be difficult today too,” she said.
Exchanging opinions like this was effective. It was only yesterday that I felt like my head was in the clouds. I never thought that I would make this much progress in one day.
It was probably because of that reason that we got along better than I thought. This was something I felt long before I obtained my new job, but Hwang Jung-Yeon and I had a mutual relationship where we scratched each other’s backs. Of course, having a mutual relationship didn’t necessarily mean that our personalities matched. I was thinking more about our work efficiency. If I wasn’t good at calculating, then I could simply say that I wasn’t good at it since Hwang Jung-Yeon was a specialist in that department.
It was natural for me to receive a lot of help. I was sure that I helped her as well since she wasn’t good at being carefree. We were helping each other in many ways.
“By the way, is Miss Ha-Yan okay? She seemed really uncomfortable…” she asked.
“I still show my face from time to time at night, so keeping this much distance should be fine for now,” I answered.
“But still…”
“She hasn’t been acting strange yet,” I mentioned.
“Okay, whatever you say, Mr. Ki-Young… she seems fine on the outside, but I understand why you said that we needed to figure this out fast. My entire body feels numb because it feels like she’s been glaring at us more recently,” she said.
“I’m sorry. Like I mentioned before…”
“I know. I have to take action if something suddenly happens… As a virgin that has never dated a man before, I don’t know how I am suddenly involved in a catfight and getting blamed for it. I also feel like I’ve been labeled as a woman in an affair despite not having held a man’s hand once. I feel so wronged. Although, this feeling of being like the main character of a drama doesn’t seem all that bad…” she explained.
“Ahem.”
“But why does it have to be the woman who’s in an affair? I feel like even Mr. Deok-Gu is looking at me a bit strangely… once this is over, I want to be paid two to three times over,” she demanded.
“Yes. Once this is over, I’ll do all that I can to help you,” I told her.
“Don’t forget that now,” she said.
As she mentioned, the more time passed, the worse Jung Ha-Yan’s anxiety became. It wasn’t because I suddenly joined party two. The actual cause of it was that I was spending time with Hwang Jung-Yeon, but that was something I didn’t have to mention. Jung Ha-Yan was expressing her jealousy. Since she was in a situation where she had to be away from me in her current mental state, it felt like the curse’s effects had accelerated. Actually, it was to the point where I wasn’t sure whether it was the curse or her own thoughts. I wasn’t sure what she was thinking, but I think she was planning something out in her head. It was a fight between whether Jung Ha-Yan’s plan was going to be completed first or the research Hwang Jung-Yeon and I was doing was going to succeed first.
If I could completely focus on the research, I would have more results than now, but I had to invest time in managing whatever was remaining in her mental state. It would only be a matter of time until I fed her a stabilizer along with a potion, so this was really important. Even though what we were doing wasn’t going to completely cure her mental state, it would continuously weaken it while we weren’t done with our research.
‘The situation could get ugly if it happens unexpectedly.’
It was to lessen the side effects as much as possible.
Honestly, Jung Ha-Yan wasn’t the only person that was interfering with the new research. Since the goal of this expedition was rescue and not control, different situations kept holding us back. After we informed the others that Hwang Jung-Yeon and I would be doing research on the dungeon, we were excluded from the majority of the small expeditions, but despite that, having to experiment while moving had put us at a big disadvantage. Even though the leader of party two, Hwang Jung-Yeon, was excluded from the majority of the expeditions, the rescue team was moving along without any issues. It was because they still hadn’t encountered any monsters and with Kim Hyun-Sung’s help, they were able to find hints and make progress.
Since I was focused on the research, I didn’t hear any of the details about the progress of the dungeon control, but I couldn’t deny the fact that they were making progress little by little.
‘Of course...’
Not everything was going smoothly. Besides Jung Ha-Yan, the curse was affecting more and more people and there were some that started talking to themselves. I thought that the curse’s effects had been delayed as much as possible thanks to Kim Hyun-Sung, but the side effects of staying in a dungeon for a long time were starting to show. Among them, Lee Sang-Hee’s condition was a bit serious than the rest.
“I’m sorry.”
What she saw under the curse’s effects were the party members that entered this dungeon first. I didn’t talk to her myself, but it was obvious that she felt anxious and impatient.
‘We haven’t found a survivor let alone a hint.’
It was possible that everyone was thinking the same thing—the majority of the party that came before us were dead. Anyway, despite the situation, the expedition group continued and the curse that was invading our minds was starting to affect me too.
“This can’t be considered perfect. It’s disappointing, Mr. Ki-Young,” Hwang Jung-Yeon said.
“But it’s somewhat effective. Even though I still hear the voices, the throbbing feeling in my head is gone. Just having that effect is…”
“It’s progress, but… we could’ve perfected it if we had more time, so it’s unfortunate,” she sighed.
“Using it rather than being disappointed by it is more important,” I told her.
“You’re right. By the way, could you tell Miss Ha-Yan to stop glaring at us?” she asked.
“That’s not something I can control,” I answered.
“After experiencing it myself, it doesn’t feel that great… as expected, dramas and reality are different,” she commented.
“...”
“It’s more fun to take a step back and watch the situation from the outside,” she added.
“By the way, are you feeling better, Miss Jung-Yeon?” I asked.
“Well… it’s mentally tiring. Maybe it’s because I’m able to do research on something I’m really interested in that I feel a lot better. I’ve been seeing things lately though. How about you, Mr. Ki-Young?” she asked.
“I do, but… it’s nothing serious,” I answered.
“I guess it really is effective. Everyone looks worn out…” she commented.
More time passed and there weren’t any changes. The expedition group moved deeper into the dungeon, but we didn’t see any Undead or survivors. We were moving forward diligently, but it felt like we were stuck in the same maze. Kim Hyun-Sung didn’t look that anxious, but it was obvious that Lee Sang-Hee wasn’t feeling well.
“Miss Lee Sang-Hee, we’re at the safe zone.”
“W-We won’t spend the night here and will keep moving.”
“Excuse me?” the party asked.
“W-We already wasted a lot of time. The survivors could be in danger if we delay any more. We’ll take a break at the next zone,” Lee Sang-Hee said.
‘Here we go again.’
“But it’s already the second…”
“I’m sure there will be something in the next room. Yeah. I’m… sure of it.”
“You should take a break too, Master.”
“No, I’m fine. I know you’re all tired, but please hang on just a bit longer. After we find the survivors… yes. If we find the survivors…” Lee Sang-Hee said.
There may not be any survivors, no, I was certain that most of them were dead. If the Blue Guild’s party were already in this dungeon even before we arrived in Lindel, they must have gotten killed by the Undead already, killed themselves, or they could have killed each other.
“Please wait a bit longer. Just a little bit… we’ll move faster. A little faster…” she said.
“Oh…”
It was obvious when looking at the current situation. The expedition group leader was struggling because of the hallucination and auditory hallucinations. A few of the members looked frustrated and annoyed while others were having a hard time trying to maintain their mentality. The fact that Park Deok-Gu was quietly enduring all of this was commendable, but even Sun Hee-Young looked exhausted. Everyone was about to reach their limits.
‘She wants us to endure this for a few more months?’
It was impossible. It was the worst situation for all the party members, but to Jung Ha-Yan, this was the perfect situation and if she really wanted to execute her plan, this would be the perfect time.
“E-Everyone, please hang in just a little more,” Lee Sang-Hee said.
“But we’ve reached our limits…”
“The guild members are dying inside,” she added.
“The rearguards are really struggling now, Miss Lee Sang-Hee.”
“...”
“Miss Lee Sang-Hee.”
That was when I realized that something wasn’t right.
- The curse…
‘Damn it.’
Everyone looked up at the same time. It was the same voice we heard the first time. It wasn’t Park Hye-Young or Jung Jin-Ho’s voice.
‘Round two?’
The curse’s effects were accelerating. If we were struck again in our current situation, not only would we be unable to rescue the party, but we wouldn’t even know whether we would survive or not. A few of the members could endure the second onslaught, but I was sure that the majority of the members would lose their minds.
“Please recite the holy shield spell,” Lee Sang-Hee requested.
“But…”
“It’ll be better than nothing. We need to hold it off as much as we can. Mages, please use as many shielding spells…”
The mages and priests used their spells, but this wasn’t a type of attack that could be blocked using magic.
While I was biting my lips, I couldn’t help but look at Jung Ha-Yan and of course, I saw her smiling brightly while looking at me. She wasn’t talking, but she seemed like she wanted to say something when I saw her opening her mouth.
‘I. Love. You?’
When Jung Ha-Yan seemed strange, I couldn’t help but immediately call out Hwang Jung-Yeon’s name.
‘Seriously?’
“Shit… Miss Jung-Yeon, please cast the spell now!”
I was going to do it. It may be a bit early and even if we were in this situation, I thought that it would be better to move fast.
‘Is it because of Hwang Jung-Yeon?’
I was sure that was it.
“Huh? What? But the defense spell…”
“Hurry!” I yelled.
“O-Okay! I-It’s really okay, right? It’s still…”
“Hurry up and cast it!” I yelled again.
There were screams everywhere, which caused an uproar in the dungeon. The vanguards were already getting affected by the curse.
After quickly drinking the potion I prepared, I started running toward Jung Ha-Yan.
“I knew it! You feel the same way as me!” Jung Ha-Yan said.
After welcoming me with a bright smile, I grabbed her hand, kissed her, and pushed the liquid that was inside my mouth into hers.
“I love eup!”
‘Shit.’
Considering how I was able to feel the flow of her mana in this situation, I guess she had made up her mind and through the hand that I was holding onto, I felt an unimaginable flow of mana. I wasn’t sure what kind of spell she was going to use, but I was certain that it wasn’t a defense spell. Just when I was praying that Hwang Jung-Yeon’s spell would be completed before Jung Ha-Yan’s, Jung Ha-Yan’s eyes started to get bigger.
‘Did it work?’
I wasn’t sure yet. I could be seeing things because of the curse, but if Jung Ha-Yan wasn’t cursed and Hwang Jung-Yeon’s spell worked on her, then I was sure that I wasn’t hallucinating.
‘A crazy mage and a cursed shrine.’
This was the ending she wanted.
“Ahhhhhhhh!!!”
As she looked up while tears flowed out of her eyes, I knew for sure that she was looking at the situation I had prepared for her.
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