Resurrection Chapter 17 - Will you be my partner?

Those aiming for the sanctuary were staring in awe at the fortress that had suddenly risen. Only Yoon Younghyun and his group were looking around restlessly.

They were probably searching for me.

I didn’t want to reveal the existence of the resurrection skill to others, but earlier, I had no choice. Yoon Younghyun forced me to use Resurrection.

Recalling that situation, I burned with a murderous rage beyond mere anger.

I wanted to wipe out Yoon Younghyun and his lackeys to silence them, but my physical condition wouldn’t allow it. Frankly, I was in shambles.

Still suffering from the aftermath of possession, I had been injured fighting dragon soldiers. My mana was depleted, and I desperately needed rest, leaving me no energy to waste on Yoon Younghyun.

More than anything, I was worried about Heesoo hyung, who had entered the sanctuary. If he took too long to return, I might have to follow him in, so I needed to recover enough to move by then.

I walked into the tower from the ledge I was standing on. There, I drank a potion and applied it to my wounds. Having stopped the bleeding for now, I planned to descend the tower and find a way to reach Heesoo hyung’s location.

The tower’s interior was completely empty. I carefully jumped down to avoid reopening my wounds.

“Kyaaaah!”

“Argh!”

As I descended vertically, I was startled. Whether the tower itself was a trap, the ground suddenly split open, revealing a glowing red maw.

It wasn’t just a hole—it seemed to be the throat of some creature. With a roar, spiral rows of jagged teeth were exposed.

If I fell in there, I’d surely be chewed to dust, so I twisted my waist mid-air. It felt like my waist was breaking, but I miraculously managed to plunge my magic sword into the wall. Only then did the system’s monster alert come to mind.

「Blind Maw☆☆☆☆☆☆☆: Commonly found in places like towers, wells, the bottoms of ruins, or crevices in relics. These creatures, lurking underground, have degenerated eyes but highly developed other sensory organs. Their reflexes are so quick they never miss the timing of passing prey. Once you fall into their mouth, their saw-like teeth will grind your flesh and bones. If you survive the throat, you might tear through their soft stomach to kill them and escape through their flesh and hide. However, since their bodies are buried deep underground, it’s akin to being buried alive, so even if you kill them, escaping won’t be easy.」

Having barely avoided falling, I hung from the magic sword, looking down. The throat, occupying the entire tower floor, had countless teeth writhing like waves.

If I had mana left, I could have escaped easily, but now I could barely move a finger. Hanging from the sword, I felt my wounds reopen, blood seeping out.

“Ugh…”

Gritting my teeth, I braced my feet against the wall while clinging to the sword. I had to find a way out, but there was nothing to step on or grab, leaving me in a dire situation.

After all the effort to get Heesoo hyung into the sanctuary, was I going to die in vain here?

Some might say, with a resurrection skill, what’s there to worry about? But it wasn’t that simple. Frustratingly, I couldn’t benefit from my own Resurrection.

It makes sense when you think about it. You have to die to be revived, but if you’re dead, you can’t use the skill.

So, naturally, I could only revive others. If I fell here, resurrection or not, I’d just die.

I groaned, sweating coldly.

What do I do?

I can’t use possession again.

Do I have to use Offering?

As I hesitated, unable to act, a presence stirred above me, followed by an unwelcome voice.

“Yitae sunbae!”

I snapped my head up. There was Yoon Younghyun, looking down at me.

Meeting his gaze, my face contorted. Forgetting my predicament, I unleashed a torrent of curses.

“You filthy mutt even a dogcatcher wouldn’t take! How dare you pull that stunt in front of me? You still have the guts to call me sunbae? Call me that one more time, and I’ll slice your mouth open and dip it in chili paste!”

Younghyun, with a deeply apologetic expression, said.

“I’m sorry, Yitae sunbae. I had no choice.”

“You bastard, how much? How much did you get paid? How much money did it take for you to accept a contract to kill Heesoo hyung? Did they offer you a fortune? You’re spineless in front of money, aren’t you?”

“Look, sunbae. Shouldn’t we focus on getting you out of there first?”

Younghyun said this while lowering a rope with a carabiner. I glared at it distrustfully.

It was obvious why Younghyun came running at the sound of my screams. He wanted my resurrection skill.

No matter how skilled a hunter, no one could remain unfazed by the fear of death. It’s a primal fear humanity has faced since the beginning. Younghyun wouldn’t miss a chance to overcome it.

I knew accepting his help was like falling for his sinister scheme. But I was in a hurry.

As I hung in the air without falling, the blind maw began to slither out its tongue. It was thin, like sea anemone tentacles or grated cheese, and once caught, escape seemed impossible.

“Damn it!”

Grumbling, I attached the carabiner from Younghyun’s rope to my belt. Confirming it, Younghyun yanked the rope as if fishing.

His brute strength sent my body flying into the air. Like a caught fish, I flopped helplessly and fell into the arms of that scheming bastard.

“Up you go.”

Younghyun, catching me like some princess, grinned. I recoiled in disgust.

“Let go!”

As I struggled to break free, his stake-like arms tightened around me. Rather than embracing, Younghyun restrained me and said.

“I meant it when I said I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that in front of you, Yitae sunbae… But thanks to that, I learned your secret.”

“It’s none of your business, so back off!”

“How can I back off when I’ve seen a skill thought to be nonexistent with my own eyes?”

“You won’t ever need it, you wolf pup, so quit your nonsense and put me down!”

“I thought something was off. With so many others around, why was I so drawn to you, Yitae sunbae? I thought it was because you’re my type… But now I see. It was because you were hiding that ability.”

“You bastard, who asked about your type? Your filthy mutt taste probably runs to piles of dung, so I’m not flattered at all!”

At my curses, Younghyun drooped, as if with invisible ears, and said.

“Even so, calling a werewolf a mutt is a bit much, don’t you think?”

“No matter what, it’s not worse than what you did! You dung-eating mutt! If you don’t want to be sold to a dog meat shop for scraps, put me down now!”

I thrashed and cursed, but Younghyun no longer listened. Ignoring me completely, he muttered as if half-mad.

He’s blinded by greed!

Squeezing me to the point of suffocation, Younghyun spouted nonsense.

“Mutt or wolf, the beast inside me instinctively knew your secret. That’s why I clung to you, sunbae.”

“You’re aware you were clinging? Stop flaunting that you’re a dog humping another male and put me down… Ow!”

Younghyun’s expression changed abruptly. He wore a fierce look I’d never seen before.

His beastly, chilling gaze turned my boiling anger into unease. Am I actually going to be dragged off like this?

“Now that I know your true value, I can’t let some non-holy warrior take you. Come with me, Yitae sunbae. Oh, no need to answer. I’m not asking for permission.”

“You…!”

Words won’t do.

I was about to punch him to snap him out of it when—

Boom!

The subsided vibrations erupted again, and a fierce shockwave surged into the air. My hair and clothes flapped wildly, caught in a whirlwind.

Then, a massive pillar of light shot into the sky. It was rising from the colosseum where Heesoo hyung had disappeared.

Filled with joy, I shouted.

“Heesoo hyung did it!”

As if confirming my guess, the god’s proclamation echoed across the heavens.

「I call myself Wolfheddin and bestow my grace upon my primary and sole apostle. My primary and sole apostle shall be invincible against fire and steel, growing with pain, fear, and madness to consume this world!」