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Chapter 14
Saebyeok twirled the staff in her hand and lunged forward.
“Catch her!”
The enemies rushed toward her, but in the blink of an eye, Saebyeok’s figure vanished.
“<Lightning>.”
The voice came from above.
When they looked up and saw her flipping through the air above their heads, it was already too late.
KWA-BOOM!
Lightning crashed down, striking them hard.
“Gyaaaah!”
In an instant, the group of ten was reduced to five.
“What…? They’re this weak?”
Saebyeok landed on the opposite side of the room, frowning slightly. She had held back her power, yet seven of them had gone down in one strike.
“Well, I guess it makes sense… their so-called leader, Jo Cheol-su, is only C-rank after all…”
“She’s a mage! Tanker, to the front!”
“Mages are dead once we close the distance! Surround her for close combat!”
At least they weren’t complete fools—they quickly formed a defensive formation.
“She’s alone anyway! Hit her with debuffs!”
But compared to Saebyeok’s combat experience, their efforts were meaningless.
“I wouldn’t recommend that,” she muttered softly.
Of course, they couldn’t hear her. One after another, status effect spells were cast her way.
!! Alert !!
Status effects detected.
Due to <Passive: Heaven’s Protection (S)>, you are unaffected.
Notification windows flashed rapidly, but not a single attack touched her.
Then, one unlucky spell triggered the last count of Kim Ihan’s buff.
!! Alert !!
Status effect detected.
<Buff: Eye for an Eye (A)> has activated. (3/3)
Returning <Curse: Poison Mist> to the caster by 24%.
“Kyaaak!”
The woman in the back collapsed, vomiting blood. Clearly, she had cast that curse herself.
“No! Our buffer! What have you done?!”
“Damn it! She went for the healer first! What a monster!”
Unfortunately for them, the healer was also their buffer.
Bad news for them.
Great news for Saebyeok.
“Monster? Says the people who kidnap others to sacrifice them to demons?”
Saebyeok scoffed, then swung her staff.
“<Sprout>.”
KRRRK!
Thick plant roots burst out from the floor, darting toward them like snakes.
“Hey! Damn it! Why are you dodging, Tanker?!”
“You want me to die? I’ve got no buffs left!”
The huge man who was supposed to be their tanker rolled out of the way, breaking their formation completely.
But instead of striking them, the roots shot past them—straight toward the wall.
CRASH! CRACK!
“Damn it! She’s heading for the ritual chamber! <Phantom Blade>!”
A man who seemed to be a swordsman rushed toward her. His sword split into two or three images, a mirage skill meant to confuse.
But Saebyeok didn’t even flinch. She simply tapped the floor with her staff.
“<Ignite>.”
“Arghhh!”
Flames engulfed his sword, his mirage, and his real body—one after another.
The fire jumped, spreading to the others, growing into an inferno that swallowed them all.
The so-called tanker shrieked in terror and bolted for the door.
But the flames caught him before he could escape.
Saebyeok clenched her right hand into a fist.
BOOM! CRUNCH!
The roots tore into the wall like a lion biting into prey, grinding it into rubble.
The wall between the prayer room and the ritual chamber collapsed.
“Who dares!!”
A harsh, metallic voice rang out from beyond the broken wall.
It belonged to the one they called their leader—Saebyeok’s target for tonight.
“Should’ve just done this from the start. Sneaking in was a waste of effort.”
Saebyeok twirled her staff and stepped inside.
“Who dares interrupt this noble and sacred ceremony?!”
The speaker was a man who looked over seventy, waving a staff that radiated black energy.
From beyond the hall doors came shouts:
“What’s going on in there?!”
But no one could break in—the plant roots blocked the entrance completely.
“You insolent girl! Receive the wrath of evil!”
“I’ve survived a world abandoned by Heaven. You think I’m scared of some demon’s wrath?”
Saebyeok froze mid-step.
The ritual chamber was worse than the prayer room.
A stone altar stood at the center, surrounded by a shallow groove filled with some thick, unknown liquid.
Monster bones were piled around the room in neat rows. Strange runes—clearly part of a summoning circle—covered the floor.
From certain angles, the long flags hanging from the ceiling showed a hydra. From others, a demon’s twisted form.
Just standing here could drive someone insane.
But what made Saebyeok stop wasn’t the disturbing scene—it was the child on the altar.
“Sob sob… Please save me… I was wrong, sob, I was wrong… Please send me back to my brother, send me back to my brother, sigh….”
A child wearing what looked like a white hospital gown was squatting and shivering, unable to even resist.
“under.”
Angry laughter erupted in the crack of dawn.
Dawn let out a laugh filled with anger.
“Fine. Bring it on. The so-called ‘King’s punishment’.”
She clenched her teeth and spun her staff like a windmill.
From its tip, sharp winds began to swirl, sucking in the rubble around her.
Crack. Crackle.
The broken floor turned into a storm of stones, spinning around her threateningly—like hunting dogs growling on a leash.
Behind her, vicious plant roots wriggled like tentacles, tearing through the stone walls.
The Scavenger Guild members—what was left of them—were screaming desperately as they fought against the raging flames.
“Now, you’ll take my punishment instead.”
Her expression didn’t change. She looked like an executioner from hell.
“Do you even know what ritual you’ve interrupted?! We were about to bring our great demon, Botis, into this world—!”
“Enough, kid!”
Dawn shouted, not wanting to hear another word.
The little boy, who had been covering his head and trembling, flinched.
But somehow, he managed to lift his head slightly.
The moment he saw Dawn, his eyes widened in shock and hope.
His upper body shot up.
“L-Lightning sister…!”
Dawn couldn’t help but smile at the cute nickname.
“Do you trust me?”
The boy nodded quickly, almost automatically.
For a moment, he seemed to understand the situation clearly.
He had been separated from his brother, dragged around, nearly beaten, and even forced to wear strange clothes that smelled of rotten perfume.
His arms were covered in dark bruises, and the moment he was brought into this room, his senses dulled.
The scene was terrifying. He couldn’t even raise his head, curling up on the stone slab the strange old man had forced him to sit on.
He prayed it was all a nightmare.
Please save me. Please help me.
But instead of rescue, loud noises shook the ground.
Screams of chaos filled the room.
He was reminded of when monsters had chased him at Seoul Station.
The thought of going through something like that again made him cover his ears and hold his breath.
He prayed no one would notice him.
I’ll be good. I’ll eat less. Please… please send me back to my brother…
But then—he heard a voice that tore through his fear.
When he looked up, the black curtain that had weighed down his little world was burning away in a brilliant fire.
Just like at Seoul Station—when a flash of lightning had shredded the monsters and saved him.
“<Ignite>.”
A beautiful fire drew a glowing circle around him, creating a safe haven.
“Kid, close your eyes and count to fifty.”
Shihu squeezed his eyes shut tightly.
“One… two…”
The reason didn’t matter.
If he did what this big sister said, he would live.
He would go back to his brother.
That was all that mattered.
“Like I’ll let you do that! <Poison Needle Shot>!”
Sharp needles shot out from the cult leader’s fingertips, slicing through the air.
But Dawn dodged them easily, twisting her body to the side.
“Please. You think I’d get hit by something that can’t even target right? <Blow>!”
BOOM!
The gust of wind Dawn summoned swept across the room like a storm.
“My monsters! Do you know how long it took to gather those?!”
The cult leader screamed as his bone constructs were torn to shreds in the storm.
“<Poison Fog of Poison Mist>! <Agony of Blood>! <Inferno Heart>!”
Black smoke shot from his staff, surging toward Dawn like a curse.
It was threatening—but Dawn didn’t move an inch.
Alert!
Status effect detected.
Due to <Passive: Heaven’s Blessing (S)>, no effect applied.
The dark energy vanished before it could even touch her.
“W-What is this…?!”
The cult leader staggered back, shocked.
“Our compatibility is just terrible for you,” Dawn said with a wicked grin.
She had hunted this man in her previous life.
She knew all his abilities.
Eighty percent of his skills were poison or status effects.
Great for being a cult leader.
Terrible for fighting someone like her.
“Are you done?”
Including the skill she had borrowed from Kim I-Han’s buff, she counted.
He had already used six skills.
An A-rank hunter usually had at most five.
That meant he was even burning through weapon and accessory skills.
“Then it’s my turn.”
Dawn’s voice sounded like that of a mischievous child.
The outcome was already obvious.
“<Ignite>!”
She swung her staff hard, sending a powerful strike.
“You think so? <Totemism>! This is your end—hahaha!”
The cult leader laughed wildly, unleashing his final skill—a hidden trump card.
The huge totem pole shot from his staff and collided with Dawn’s <Ignite>.
BOOM!
A loud explosion shook the room.
At that same moment, the prayer room door burst open.
“Capture the heretic!!”
The Scavenger Guild members stormed in—bathed in a strange blue light.
The same light from the floating totem.
“Damn it, they’re brainwashed… <Ligh—>”
Dawn adjusted her lightning’s power, considering the civilians still in the hall.
But then—
Alert!
Unexpected skill collision detected.
<Predator’s Staff (D)> temporarily malfunctioning.
<Skill: Brain Gap> released.
“Huh?”
“Arghhh!”
Dawn’s confused voice overlapped with the cult leader’s scream.
The blue light around the totem flickered and vanished.
The stone-and-gem totem lost its power and crashed to the floor.
Crash!
The wooden floor couldn’t withstand its weight and broke.
The totem fell into the basement and shattered into pieces with a loud bang.
The brainwashing effect dispersed.
The civilians collapsed like puppets with their strings cut.
The guild members staggered, dazed.
“Y-You… what have you done?!”
The cult leader screamed. But Dawn didn’t hear him.
Her mind froze.
The totem… it fell underground…
Underground…?!
Her eyes went wide.
“There are people down there!”
She grabbed her hair in frustration, realizing what had just happened.
