S Chapter 52

…Well, looking back now, maybe I was just waiting for the right moment to mess things up? Anyway, as time went on, it stopped being fun and just made me feel unpleasant, so my motivation vanished. Just as I was about to light a cigarette and leave, something happened.

‘I should have just gone straight home then.’

U-dam clicked his tongue softly.

‘If I’d known it would end in disaster anyway, I wouldn’t have wasted my precious time there. Seriously, Shin Jukyeong has terrible judgment when it comes to people. Why would you follow some bastard who hits you?’

Is he living up to the name of ‘pure-hearted rag’? …Hmm? No, that’s not right, is it?

‘Pure-heartedness belongs to me, not that bastard.’

U-dam flashed a rotten smile. Indeed, he should have just quietly followed behind him. Why go through all that trouble to provoke jealousy, get beaten by some insignificant thug, and even get thrown into a Dungeon?

Idiot. Moron. Fool. Pathetic bastard. U-dam shook his head. Just then, a virtual ‘Yang U-dam 2’, looking exactly like him, popped up and crossed his arms. His face showed utter exasperation.

‘What the hell is this bastard?’

‘That’s none of your business, you son of a bitch.’

‘Oh, really?’

‘So, the most important thing.’

‘What?’

‘Why are you here, I asked?’

‘…?’

Why am I here? I’ve been saying it since earlier. Because Shin Jukyeong messed with me, I got angry, tried to interrupt his date, lost interest, was about to smoke a cigarette…

‘…?’

U-dam, chewing over his thoughts, widened his eyes. A million question marks appeared above his head. …Indeed? Why are there only the ‘introduction’ and ‘development’ but no ‘climax’ or ‘conclusion’? Where did they go?

‘Of course, you idiot. Heaven saved you just now, didn’t it? If you’d become aware, you’d be screwed.’

‘Shit?’

The virtual Yang U-dam 2 glared at him, as if asking who was cursing whom, then vanished. With his handsome face, insane physique, and unyielding temper, it seemed like it really was him. Wow, is it okay for teammates to friendly-fire like this?

…Huh. U-dam scoffed, then realizing it was no time to laugh, calmly racked his brain.

‘Seriously, why did I throw myself into the Dungeon following Shin Jukyeong? I could die. It’s dangerous.’

…The conclusion was reached faster than expected. Just. Because it felt like he had to. It was bland, but that was the truth. And if he had to pick a reason, it was because it seemed like he was asking to be saved? When he was pushed into the Dungeon, those desperately outstretched hands and trembling eyes looked terrified. Being alone in a Dungeon like this would surely be lonely and scary.

‘That’s all there is to it. So I-’

‘Since when did you care so much about Shin Jukyeong?’

An unexpected question arose in his mind. But U-dam ignored it, pretending not to hear. Because he couldn’t come up with an answer himself at that moment.

‘I don’t know, my head hurts. Damn it. Don’t ask any more questions.’

“U-dam?”

“…”

U-dam stared at Jukyeong, then abruptly turned his head and walked away. He’d follow on his own, U-dam figured. Both his head and heart were complicated. It was even more so because he felt like he almost understood, but not quite. He frowned with an unpleasant feeling.

…This feels bad. U-dam needlessly touched his chest. He probably needed to get it checked out, didn’t he? That tingling sensation didn’t seem like an ordinary illness.

‘Damn it, am I broken somewhere?’

And so, his thoughts spiraled deeper and deeper, and as worries often do when one is alone, they branched out in all directions without context. Introduction, development, climax, conclusion? None. Who, what, when, where, why, how? None. Logical coherence? Of course not. Only selfish, one-sided sorrow remained.

And the point he finally reached was this.

‘But why is Shin Jukyeong defending that bastard?’

He was wrong. Shin Jukyeong had never protected that monster-loving maniac. However, his already distorted memories prevented him from making a correct judgment. Therefore, to U-dam, Shin Jukyeong appeared as ‘a moron who, despite his brother risking his life to save him, showed no gratitude and instead shielded his date-abusing lover.’

‘Shin Jukyeong, you utterly heinous bastard. If I come to save you a second time, I’m not human, I’m a dog-bastard.’

The more he thought about it, the more indignant he became. Getting angry by himself, his steps quickened. Just as he was rushing straight ahead without looking back, a booming shout like thunder came from behind him.

“Hey!”

Startled, U-dam tried to turn his head, but a white hand suddenly shot out and yanked him back by the scruff of his neck. His body tilted. What was that? Just before he could grasp the situation, he heard chilling cries of ‘Ugh! Ugh!’

A venomous toad leaped forward, charging at its prey. In that instant, Jukyeong protected U-dam without an ounce of hesitation. He swiftly wrapped his arms around him and spun his body. Their positions reversed. Jukyeong was attacked, completely exposed and defenseless.

Crunch! A gruesome sound rang out. Immediately, a searing, flesh-melting pain spread. Ugh! A groan escaped through his teeth. The pain spread further and further. Being attacked by a C-grade monster? It was an utterly unexpected development.

Gulp! Gulp! The venomous toad, after clinging to his shoulder and drawing plenty of blood, leaped off again. Ugh! Ugh! The toad cried out, seemingly satisfied. It was a cry that, no matter when he heard it, never failed to be off-putting.

「That…!」

Eve bristled. She looked ready to crush it at any moment.

‘No! Don’t interfere.’

Jukyeong stopped Eve. But she grumbled, as if the fact that her master had been harmed by a mere C-grade piece of trash was humiliating.

「But~ but~」

He understood. For the proud Eve, it was indeed a situation deserving of humiliation. To use a human analogy, perhaps it was like kneeling before a much younger brat and getting slapped multiple times?

‘I’m sorry. It’s my fault for being careless.’

Jukyeong offered a weak apology. He gently appeased Eve to keep her from going wild. In truth, if it weren’t for this special situation, he would have encouraged Eve to enjoy herself as much as she wished. Unfortunately, he couldn’t do that now.

「That insignificant thing… That trash crawling on the ground…!」

While his efforts were commendable, Eve’s mood showed no signs of improving. However, Jukyeong was equally stubborn. When coaxing and soothing didn’t work, he changed his approach with a firm attitude. Unconditional pampering isn’t always the answer! This was thanks to his diligent study of children’s correctional programs.

‘Eve. You’re in trouble.’

「Annoying, annoying!」

‘If you use your power, I’ll be expelled from the Dungeon. Then U-dam will be left alone. That can’t happen.’

「Ugh!」

‘Eve.’

「I don’t know! Jukyeong is a fool!」

‘Thank you.’

With those words, Jukyeong turned around.

Ugh! Ugh!

‘Its body is small and its patterns aren’t distinct.’

As luck would have it, the venomous toad was a juvenile, not an adult. This meant its venom wasn’t as potent as an adult’s. It was a stroke of luck.

‘…I avoided instant death.’

He thought, raising a thorn.

‘I should be able to hold out for a while.’

Ugh! Ugh! Its crying mouth was crimson with blood. It was all Jukyeong’s blood. Did you eat your fill? Then you have to pay. Where do you get off eating for free? His eyes sank. A cold gaze, showing not a single speck of emotion. Even looking at a utterly useless being would be kinder than this.

After releasing U-dam, he examined the ground.

“…Tsk.”

These creatures had no concept of kinship, separate from their communal living. Especially the younger individuals had a stronger obsession with food. Why? Because if they failed to get nutrition and were weeded out, they would simply be abandoned—that was the rule of this world. Perfect survival of the fittest. That was the Dungeon.

Therefore, they must have pursued him knowing they would die. After all, if they couldn’t eat, they were destined to die one way or another. In a way, it could be seen as a desperate struggle for survival.

However, Jukyeong’s assessment was harsh.

‘Then die.’

Stab!

Ugh! Squeal! He slit its throat with the thorn. There was no hesitation in his actions.

「Jukyeong, your body is not well. Eve will stop them.」

‘Eve. You mustn’t interfere.’

「If you don’t detoxify…」

‘I’m fine.’

No, it was a bluff. He wasn’t fine. He wouldn’t bother explaining that his head was actually spinning. But he couldn’t accept Eve’s help. The moment Eve intervened, he would be expelled from the Dungeon. It was a terribly stingy place. Damn it.

Jukyeong threw away the blood-stained thorn and gasped for breath. Cold air escaped through his lips. Damn it… He used to scoff at his juniors, telling them not to whine whenever they were poisoned. So it wasn’t whining? He felt a little awkward.

To make an excuse for himself, it was because he rarely experienced such things. His detoxification ability was inherently good.

To what extent, you ask? Well. In his prime, he was once stung directly by a Hell Bee, considered a top-tier poison-type monster, and he was just stiff for a day. All he did was swing his arm around like someone who’d received a muscle injection, muttering ‘Ugh.’ His teammates shaking their heads with disgusted expressions was a bonus.

Anyway, for someone who had lived such a life, this pain was truly unfamiliar.

‘This is quite agonizing.’

He belatedly acknowledged their pain. He offered a salty apology to the people he could no longer meet.

‘Oh. My bad.’

Then, that’s enough apologies. There’s something more urgent right now.

「Jukyeong, the poison is spreading rapidly.」

‘Yeah. Later.’

After politely asking for Eve’s understanding in a soft tone, Jukyeong’s demeanor changed abruptly.

“Yang U-dam.”

He lowered his voice. His deepened dark circles, ragged breathing, and pale complexion created an incredibly potent synergy. Was it a good thing he didn’t have a knife in his hand? In any case, he looked quite menacing.