Resurrection Chapter 8 - Me? Kim Yitae!

The alarm was utterly useless for the strategy.

It was understandable, as the Dullahan wasn’t actually a real Dullahan.

The awakener system wasn’t created by humans but by gods to assist humans. Since it was designed to loosely mimic a game for convenience, the information provided by the awakener system often felt like it was haphazardly tailored to human knowledge.

Roughly speaking, if it had a chicken head, it was a Cockatrice; if it had a snake head, it was a Basilisk; and if it had no head, it was a Dullahan.

Perhaps because of this, the system lacked professionalism, so I didn’t pay much attention to the alarm. Instead, relying on countless experiences from my jack-of-all-trades days, I took the initiative to strike first.

Usually, with a guy who had combat skills like that, a prolonged fight would be a headache. Thinking the best move was to charge into the enemy’s range and catch them off guard, I kicked off the ground without hesitation.

“Haste.”

Casting the spell, I closed the distance in the blink of an eye, reaching the Dullahan, who stood with a long scythe dangling. As the stench of decay invaded my nostrils, I raised the sword strapped to my chest upside down and sliced through the creature’s arm.

Shiiiik!

Black smoke billowed from the severed arm as the headless neck twitched. Soon, a crimson liquid, presumed to be blood, gushed from the throat.

It was blood in color only—it was acidic. Seeing my clothes start to melt from a few splattered drops, I hurriedly stepped back. No matter what, I didn’t want to ruin my clothes!

The next moment, a whistling sound came from somewhere.

Whirrrr!

To be precise, it was the sound of an arrow flying. An arrow, easily a meter long, pierced through the Dullahan’s chest. It didn’t stop there—it exploded.

KABOOM!

The Dullahan exploded, its acidic bodily fluids splattering in all directions. Instinctively ducking and crouching, I snapped my head around.

“Heesoo hyung!”

Thanks to the blessing of the Golden Emperor, I wouldn’t get hurt by most things. But Heesoo hyung wasn’t the same, so I was alarmed, fearing he might have been splashed by the acidic fluids.

Fortunately, Kang Cheoljun did his part. He put up a barrier, protecting not only himself but also the people around him.

Confirming Heesoo hyung’s safety, my face flushed with embarrassment.

Which idiot needlessly blew up an arrow? If they were trying to help, just shooting the arrow would’ve been enough!

Glaring and turning my head, I saw a group of hunters running toward us from a distance.

Since they were coming in a group, I thought they might be a raid party, but that didn’t seem to be the case. There was no emblem indicating an official raid party, and their outfits and equipment were all mismatched.

A makeshift raid? Assuming that, I was about to yell at the approaching group not to shoot arrows recklessly. But then, Heesoo hyung suddenly pushed me hard.

“Danger!”

Whirrrrr!

With the sharp sound of slicing wind, another arrow flew in. I tumbled to the ground, entangled with Heesoo hyung, and right after, grenades poured in one after another.

Seeing this, Kang Cheoljun swung a net-like barrier, deflecting the grenades back. The grenades, flung into the air, exploded with a flash of light.

KABABABOOM!

The grenades, made by condensing magic stones rather than gunpowder, were effective against monsters but even more so against humans. If it weren’t for Kang Cheoljun, I might’ve been fine, but Heesoo hyung would’ve been gravely injured.

“You bastards!”

Furious, I pushed Heesoo hyung aside and sprang to my feet. I then unleashed a spell toward the hunters charging at us.

“Twister!”

Whoooosh—!

A whirlwind erupted, sending several of the approaching hunters soaring into the air. They flailed their limbs, screaming for their lives, but it wasn’t enough! They nearly killed Heesoo hyung, so I ground my teeth, determined not to let them off.

Unfortunately, one of the debuffs they fired hit me. At the same time, the spell’s effect vanished, and I drew my magic sword, cursing under my breath.

Shrrring!

As if responding to my emotions, a dark aura surged from the blade.

I bit down on the zipper of my sleeve with my mouth and pulled it down. The sleeve opened, revealing my forearm, covered in scars that looked like self-inflicted cuts.

Seeing this, Heesoo hyung grabbed my arm tightly.

“No! It’s not too late to find out what’s going on first. Using Offering is reckless!”

“Then what, just let them go? They almost killed you, hyung!”

I realized the arrow that pierced the Dullahan was actually aimed at us. The explosion wasn’t a mistake—it was intentional.

Normally, an awakener attacking another awakener, whether in a dungeon or elsewhere, is illegal. That’s what the law says, at least.

In reality, dungeons were practically lawless zones. With no CCTV, no overseers, and no reach of public authority in most cases, it was inevitable.

As a result, bloody conflicts among hunters over monster byproducts, mystical materials, or items were common. It wasn’t unheard of for contract killings to happen in dungeons, where people could be killed without a trace.

Naturally, the idea of showing mercy just because the opponent was human was nonsense from another world. Especially when they struck first.

I shook off Heesoo hyung’s hand, struggling to suppress my urge to blast those guys away. Regardless of my feelings, the situation was disadvantageous.

The enemy outnumbered us, and we had too many useless tagalongs. The sudden attackers didn’t distinguish friend from foe, raining attacks as if they intended to kill everyone, including Kang Cheoljun and the stragglers, perhaps to eliminate witnesses. At this rate, even if Heesoo hyung, Kang Cheoljun, and I managed to escape, the others would likely all die.

Even if they were just stragglers, Heesoo hyung would be heartbroken if they died.

Barely suppressing my killing intent, I shouted to Kang Cheoljun and the others.

“Get close!”

With no time to explain, I decided to use magic to shake off the dozens of hunters closing in. Grabbing Heesoo hyung, who was nearby, he hurriedly gathered the others around. As we held each other’s hands, I shouted the incantation.

“Teleport!”

👑

Thud!

The place I teleported to wasn’t far from where the chaos had erupted. With so many people, moving far was impossible. We landed about 500 meters away, under a partially collapsed wall, in shallow bushes.

The aftereffects of the teleport made the lower-level members start to retch. Hearing their gagging, I crouched low and warned them.

“Be quiet! We didn’t get far. The enemies are close.”

Heesoo hyung gestured toward the noisy direction, and everyone flattened themselves on the ground, peering over a pile of rocks. In the middle of the open wasteland, the hunters who attacked us were scrambling about.

“They suddenly vanished!”

“Where’d they go?”

“They couldn’t have gone far. Launch the drones now!”

The enemies quickly began their search. Staying here would mean getting caught—it was only a matter of time.

To buy time, Kang Cheoljun used a skill to cast a camouflage barrier over us. The mapping drones, used to survey terrain and monster positions, failed to detect us. After circling overhead for a while, they flew off, and we let out sighs of relief.

“Lucky they were drones without bio-detection. My skill can fool eyes, but not that.”

As Kang Cheoljun muttered, Heesoo hyung counted the stragglers and sighed.

“One person didn’t make it.”

Kang Cheoljun replied bitterly.

“I saw them get hit by an arrow.”

Using a simple spell to enhance my vision, I examined the faces of our attackers.

They were cunningly wearing face-covering gear. Scanning them closely to find any clue to their identity, I muttered.

“What the hell is their goal? If they infiltrated the sanctuary, they should be heading to the sanctum. Why attack us?”

“Maybe they’re trying to eliminate competitors early,” Heesoo hyung speculated.

I shook my head.

“No. There are tons of people in the sanctuary. If they wanted to take out competitors, they’d do it at the sanctum. Lingering here only delays their arrival.”

“If not that, maybe it’s personal grudges, a contract, or a hit…”

I mulled it over.

A hit born from personal grudges.

It wouldn’t be aimed at Heesoo hyung, who’s lived nobly as a holy warrior, or Kang Cheoljun, whose past has been thoroughly vetted as a public servant.

Then, me?

Of course, it’s me.

I tried to guess who might want me dead, but it was impossible. There were too many possibilities.

In my jack-of-all-trades days, I did all sorts of things to survive, leaving a past I wasn’t proud of. The trials I faced as a magic swordsman were no less complicated, with plenty of potential grudges.

Anyway, it seemed like I was the target, so I swallowed my embarrassment and said.

“It’s probably me they’re after.”