Resurrection Chapter 27 - Hyung, are you okay?

We managed to drive off the frogs just in time, but my expression wasn’t bright.

Crocodile, then frogs. The monsters were appearing in the exact order Min Gongchan had described.

As I’d insisted, it could be that he was just well-versed in Dungeon 77 and made an educated guess, but predicting the exact sequence of monster appearances was more than a little strange.

Crocodile, then frogs, and next was lizardmen, right?

“Before the open fields appear, the swamp is dominated by lizardmen. They run freely across the swamp and wield harpoon spears. You’re probably planning to grind some experience and get out, but it won’t be that simple. You’ll be surrounded by lizardmen, sweating buckets, and won’t escape until the next morning.”

“There are no lizardmen there.”

“Just because no one’s encountered them doesn’t mean they don’t exist, right?”

As I stood speechless, Min Gongchan gave a sly smile.

“If I had my way, I’d tell you not to go since you’ll suffer, but I can’t do that. You have to go. Go and see if I’m right or wrong. Oh, and make sure to grab the staff the lizardman shaman carries. It’ll come in handy later. Lizardman mana crystals are small and not worth much. Pick a big one from the crocodile or frog. That alone will make you plenty.”

Mulling over his words, I finished off the still-breathing frogs. Heesoo hyung also slit their throats and cut open their bellies to extract mana crystals.

Since they were large species, the mana crystals were sizable, but we couldn’t carry them all. Stuffing the biggest one into my bag, I threw a question at Heesoo hyung. “Hyung, have you ever fought lizardmen?”

“Lizardmen? They’ve never been spotted in this dungeon, have they?”

“Yeah, that’s true, but just in case.”

Lizardmen were commonly known to appear in mid-tier dungeons. They moved in groups of five or six and weren’t particularly skilled. They were tricky to deal with because they moved freely between water and land, but they didn’t seem formidable enough to appear in an S-rank dungeon.

Heesoo hyung seemed puzzled by why I brought up lizardmen but answered willingly. “I’ve fought them several times. I stayed in Dungeon 246 on Jeju Island to clear out a lizardman settlement.”

“Oh, right, Jeju. That place had a lizardman problem for a while, didn’t it? So you know a lot about them.”

“To some extent…”

I hesitated. If Min Gongchan was right, we wouldn’t escape this dungeon until tomorrow morning, which I didn’t like. But turning back now felt like admitting his words held weight, and that annoyed me.

More importantly, Heesoo hyung wouldn’t agree to leave so easily. I came here to help him adjust to his skills, but he seemed to have other priorities.

He looked impatient. Since no secret stays hidden forever, he probably wanted to grow stronger before those after my resurrection skill showed up.

In the end, I didn’t suggest turning back to Heesoo hyung. Instead, I took comfort in the fact that he was well-versed in lizardmen.

Even if Min Gongchan was right, we’d only have to endure one tough night. Having come all the way to an S-rank dungeon, turning tail just because of some mysterious guy’s words would be pathetic.

What, like I’d die?

With that thought, I hefted my heavy bag and stood up.

👑

Thinking I wouldn’t die was pure arrogance.

Having become an A-rank magic swordsman by chance and rescued Heesoo hyung from a den of danger, then making him an awakened one again, I’d clearly gotten cocky. That’s why I so readily agreed to Heesoo hyung’s suggestion to come to an S-rank dungeon without fully grasping what it entailed.

Unable to even shout, I lay sprawled in a muddy pit, shaking Heesoo hyung. “Heesoo hyung, Heesoo hyung!”

Heesoo hyung, slumped against the pit, was a wreck. Covered in mud and bloodied with countless wounds, he’d already had several potions poured on him, but new injuries kept appearing before the old ones could heal, rendering them useless.

I looked at his side, pale and silent with his eyes lowered.

The spot where a lizardman’s harpoon spear had pierced and been pulled out was like a tattered rag. I’d poured a potion and applied a hemostatic bandage earlier, but the wound must have reopened from excessive movement. The bandage was soaked red, and blood pooled below.

“Heesoo hyung, you can’t pass out. Heesoo hyung…!”

I rubbed his ice-cold limbs, pleading. But Heesoo hyung didn’t respond.

Unable to bear the rising panic, I shook his shoulder again, and his body slid sideways. A scream caught in my throat, but I clenched my teeth, lowered myself, and put my ear to his nose.

Outside the pit, the sounds of dozens of lizardmen prowling echoed. Their shrill cries were so loud I couldn’t tell if he was breathing.

Taking off my glove, I checked his pulse with a trembling hand, but I couldn’t tell. Desperately, I laid Heesoo hyung flat and started chest compressions.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

Pressing his chest with my body weight, my own heart felt like it would burst. I couldn’t keep it up long. As the lizardmen’s presence drew closer, I covered his body with mine and held my breath.

While the lizardmen prowled nearby, I couldn’t feel any warmth from Heesoo hyung’s body beneath me.

The lizardman squad, failing to find us, seemed to decide to search elsewhere. As their crude horn sounded and their presence faded, I sat up.

With a face streaked with tears, sweat, and blood, I looked down at Heesoo hyung, who didn’t budge. I could no longer deny the reality before me.

Heesoo hyung was dead.

Tears threatened to spill, but I gritted my teeth. Instead of shedding useless tears, I rummaged through my bag and pulled out my trump card potion.

Among alchemist-made potions, the most expensive was the mana potion, which restored MP instantly. Requiring a large amount of mana crystals, it couldn’t be bought with cash.

I’d acquired this mana potion with a unique item. I’d grumbled about its cost when buying it, but now I opened it without hesitation and downed it in one gulp.

Gulp!

A fiery sensation, like drinking high-proof liquor, burned down my throat. Suddenly, a steam-like glow erupted from my body. When it dissipated, my depleted mana was fully restored.

I took a deep breath and focused. Then I used the resurrection skill.

“Resurrection.”

A strange energy surged within me, and threads of light flowed out, wrapping around Heesoo hyung and forming a cocoon.

Before long, the cocoon was absorbed and vanished. Heesoo hyung gasped, his body jolting upright.

“Haa!”

He shuddered as if waking from a nightmare and sprang to his feet.

“Huff, huff.”

He stared at me, his face pale and his expression chaotic. He seemed unsure of who he was, where he was, or what situation he was in. At the same time, he looked utterly horrified, like someone about to take their own life.

His unsettling expression sent a chill through me. I couldn’t know what it felt like to die and come back.

Surely it wasn’t as refreshing as waking from a deep sleep?

Worried, I asked, “Hyung, you okay?”

He didn’t respond, so I grabbed his arm as he stood rigid. I did it to avoid lizardmen spotting us, but he seemed to misunderstand. He collapsed to his knees and hugged me tightly.

The force nearly knocked me over. The sudden embrace was startling, but I couldn’t push away someone who’d just died and revived. I patted his back with both hands and said, “You’re okay, right? Hyung, you just died and came back.”

Heesoo hyung was silent for a while, trembling like a soaked kitten.

My worry deepened, and I didn’t know what to do. I’d only ever worried about people coveting my resurrection skill, never about what Heesoo hyung might experience after being revived.

Since it was normally impossible, could there be side effects? Did he have a near-death experience? What if he saw the afterlife? If so, all my plans might be useless…

While I was consumed by countless worries, Heesoo hyung’s trembling gradually stopped. Warmth began to return to his chest where we touched.

As his cold body warmed, relief slowly settled in. As if responding to my relief, Heesoo hyung spoke. “…I’m sorry. It still feels a bit strange.”

“Yeah, I figured. What feels strange? Are there side effects?”

“It’s not quite severe enough to call side effects.”

Surprisingly firm, Heesoo hyung pulled away from me. Though still a mess, he no longer looked as he did moments ago. Before, he seemed like shattered pieces barely held together; now, he was back to his usual self.