#igris

Chapter 8

“Igris”

Taehyung plopped down on the stone pulling out his bento box.

Let's see....

Most of this dungeon had been undead creatures like in that video game he'd played,

Skeleton creatures which the System referred to as Living Bones,

Nocturnal humanoids with a life steal skill and despite the fact that the system referred to them as Sanguophage, they were clearly Vampires,

Something called a Wraith had been the floor boss of the previous level.

"They're kind of like Hyung's soldiers right? Do you think the dungeon boss is a Necromancer?"

Igris came over silently sitting down next to him.

Taehyung took a bite of his Kimchi rice ball.

"It definitely would be weird wouldn't it? Why would the System have me fighting a necromancer?"

Igris added nothing to the conversation,

But he radiated intense seriousness so Taehyung took that as confirmation Igris was in agreement.

Oh, hey that's right..!

Taehyung had suddenly remembered that the Wrait had dropped a skill stone.

He pulled it out of his inventory,

The system pinged bringing up an information screen.

[Gabriel's Aid

Legendary summon skill

Summons a Seraphim]

Taehyung eyed the system like it'd grown two heads.

Absolutely not.

He put the skill stone back in his inventory.

That sounds like overpowered biblical nonsense.

Igris tilted his head an inch as if curious about the action,

Taehyung shook his head in distress.

"Oh Igris.... I think the system has it out for me."

Igris didn't seem convinced so Taehyung focused his attention back on that necromancer theory.

He took another bite of his rice ball.

"If it is a Necromancer maybe it's because my class is Paladin? I did some research using tabletop RPG games a while back and Paladins are supposed to be Holy knights."

Taehyung paused his voice dropping down to a inquisitive if slightly offended mumble.

"What's wrong with necromancers anyway? Hyung's a necromancer."

Igris gave a short nod, brief and just as hard to notice as every other one he'd given but regardless,

He nodded.

"I-IGRIS!"

Taehyung rolled out of the way of the massive skeleton's battle axe,

Igris Sunbae had vanished after being hit with that thing,

Which was already terrifying enough on it's own,

But that disappearance had absolutely tanked Taehyung's Mana.

Taehyung shoved himself to his feet stumbling back towards the room's doorway, he caught a glimpse of the necromancer as he did.

The being was cloaked, standing at almost a foot taller than Taehyung,

Long ebony whisps spilling out at it's feet,

Deep blood red eyes,

Just... Watching him.

Taehyung ducked out the doorway, pressing himself against the wall,

His entire body was shaking.

Even if he was an A-Rank....

How was he supposed to beat both on his own?!

[Switching Instances...

.....

Reloading optics...

....

Reconnecting....

Welcome back to Timeline A...

Knight Commander Igris.]

The connection came rushing back before Igris had even fully acquianted to the fact that he was somewhere else,

A feeling that would've been a welcome one under any other circumstance.

His Majesty's presence.

This...

This was incorrect..

He needed to go back,

His duties weren't fulfilled.

The young prince was still in peril.

His Highness was still...

"Igris."

Igris turned towards the voice,

His Majesty.

He dropped down to a kneel,

He'd failed His Majesty during such an integral task..

Igris could only hope his King's graciousness extended this far.

Jinwoo gave the room a quick sweeping glance,

Just Igris..?

His eyes snapped back to Igris.

"Where is he?"

Igris didn't answer,

Of course he didn't,

The knight couldn't talk like Beru could.

But in this instance Jinwoo didn't need Igris to speak,

Because Igris was already saying everything without needing words.

Wherever he'd been..

Igris wanted to go back,

Because Taehyung was in danger.

[Switching instances....

.....

Welcome back Player 2]

Taehyung winced, narrowly dodging the blade of the Skeleton Lord's battle axe.

That Necromancer was still....

Just watching.

Patient,

Entirely unbothered.

It sent a chill down Taehyung's spine every time he caught a glimpse of the creature.

Refraction didn't work,

Like clockwork every time Taehyung tried to cloak himself with the spell, a long almost porcelain doll like hand emerged from the cloak to point out exactly where he was.

Taehyung knew when to admit he was in way over his head,

Which admittedly was most of the time,

But he'd already tried leaving.

No teleport stones in his inventory.

The only thing he could do....

Chapter 7

“Recruit”

"Taehyung!"

Taehyung recognized this voice...

It was Hyung's..

Oh... Was he finally home..?

Was Hyung worried..?

"....-Hyun-...!"

What was the last thing that happened again...?

Taehyung had been caught in a dungeon with The Hunter's Guild...

Right?

"Hunter-..."

What was that sound at the edge of his senses..?

"....HUNTER CHOI!"

Taehyung jolted upright, panting as he glanced around his surroundings.

A hospital.

He felt his heart sink to the pit of his stomach,

Instead of Hyung...

The disembodied voice he'd been hearing,

Was Jong-In Choi.

"Guild master..."

Taehyung felt a bit surprised by the sound of his own voice, had it always been so timid?

Had he always been so timid?

The red haired man sighed in relief.

"Welcome back, Hunter Choi. You had us all worried."

We..?

Taehyung blinked,

Once,

Twice,

Then glanced around the hospital room.

But the only person there was Jong-In Sunbae...?

"S-Sorry.."

Jong-In sat back in the chair behind him, adjusting his glasses.

"Hunter Cha went to go fetch the doctor the moment you began to stir. Honestly, Hunter Choi if you're going to join the Hunters Guild we need to talk about your recklessness."

Join...

The Hunters Guild....?

The words weren't fully sinking in no matter how many times Taehyung turned them over in his mind.

"O-Oh... Alright.."

Jong-In reached into his suit pulling out a silver case.

Ah... Right.

Sunbae was a smoker.

A chain smoker at that.

"Do you mind?"

Taehyung wasn't sure people were allowed to smoke in hospitals...

But regardless he shook his head.

"No, uh go ahead."

The guild master pulled a cigarette out of the case using his own flames to light it.

He drew in a puff of it, red embers slowly burning down the filter a couple inches,

And then, he collected it between his fingers exhaling smoke in the opposite direction.

"You demonstrated extraordinary ability today Hunter Choi, exceptional even. Leadership capabilities, adaptability, even combat skills."

Without thinking Taehyung reached into his inventory, pulling out the small portable tray he carried around because of his own Jong-In Choi.

He passed it over while processing the guild master's words, he still wasn't awake enough for any of this to get through the fog in his mind.

"Here."

Jong-in eyed the tray for a moment before taking it,

And then eyed it further once he had it in his hand.

"Hunter Choi, where exactly did you get this? And why exactly do you have it?"

Taehyung gave a shrug, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hands as the system alerted him to the fact that his Mana had finished recovering.

"My uncle smokes.."

He tried to focus his mana on bringing Igris Sunbae back out of whatever storage the system had put him into,

Ping!

[Summon Knight Commander Igris?

Y/N]

At the edge of Taehyung's attention he could hear Jong-In say something else

"You're uncle?"

Taehyung turns back to him.

How convenient, something that enabled him to say yes without looking weird.

"Yes."

The light leaking into the room flaired and spread,

Morphing and igniting with color until Igris stood before them in the room.

Jong-In took another puff of his cigarette, removing his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"Hunter Choi..."

Uht...

It suddenly struck Taehyung,

He'd just did something totally disrespectful.

"A-Ah oh my gosh. I'm so sorry Guild Master!"

He clasped his hands together bowing,

Once,

Twice,

A third time because it felt right.

Jong-In flicked the ashes of his cigarette into the tray fixing Taehyung with an expression of almost dryly amused exasperation,

As if rather than a legendary Guild Master looking at an absolute disaster of a potential recruit, he was simply a man watching his orange cat get it's head stuck in the treats jar.

Sadly Taehyung was the orange cat in this situation.

"Where are my manners, You've barely recovered from that Dungeon raid. Get some rest Hunter Choi, we'll discuss this at a later date."

He began to stand but paused midway through the action.

"My apologies, do you mind if I keep this?"

The... Ashtray..?

Taehyung blinked a few times before awkwardly nodding.

"Yeah, no uh.... S-Sure go ahead.."

With that out of the way the Guild master began to leave, waving over his shoulder in the process.

"I look forward to seeing you again Hunter Choi."

Taehyung glanced over at Igris Sunbae,

He'd taken up a post at the doorway.

Oh... If he really wanted to Taehyung guessed...

Taehyung laid back down,

And closed his eyes.

Taehyung awoke again it was to the feeling of something cold and wet dripping onto the tip of his nose.

His eyes flew open, his whole body shooting up.

A familiar voice filled his senses,

"Woah, hey! It's alright!"

Hunter Sung.

Taehyung blinked the sleep out of his eyes fixing them on the man,

In his hands Hunter Sung held a plastic takeout bag and a can of Melon soda with condensation dripping off it.

Uh...

Taehyung felt his brain stutter to a halt,

What the...

"Jinwoo..."

Nope...

Still weird...

The man held out the soda.

"Here."

Taehyung stared at the can in a mix of confusion and shock,

Hyung giving him random vending machine drinks was one thing, after all that was just Hyung's... THING.

But why exactly what Hunter Sung offering him one?

He carefully took the can, trying to be mindful of the strength gap between E-Ranks and A-Ranks so he didn't accidentally hurt the man in the process.

It was a serious issue,

Taehyung had read an article once about how an A-Rank had accidentally broken a waiter's arm trying to take the bill.

"Thank you.."

Hunter Sung sat down in the chair beside him.

"I hope you don't mind. I saw you on my way back to my room, you gave me some company after the double dungeon so I thought I'd return the favor."

He held up the takeout bag.

"My little sister Jinah brought a bit too much so why don't we share it?"

Taehyung furrowed his eyebrows,

Why'd Hunter Sung have to be so nice...?

This was hard enough already...

He bit back tears giving him a nod.

Hunter Sung passed him a tray, and a pair of chopsticks he'd clearly gotten from the Hospital cafeteria.

It was only at that moment that Taehyung noticed he was starting to build a bit of muscle,

The difference was almost entirely unnoticeable to anyone else but Taehyung had learned months ago that he had an almost unholy perception stat.

It was almost terrifying.

"Have you been working out Hunt- er uh... Jinwoo Sunbae?"

Jinwoo paused letting out an awkward laugh.

"Yeah, surprised you noticed."

Taehyung shrugged opening the tray.

"A-Rank perception."

It was more likely that Hyung was the reason his Perception was so broken,

But Taehyung got the hint when the familiar blue box of gatekeeping appeared in the corner of his vision,

So that explanation would have to do.

"I'm thinking about joining the Hunters Guild."

Hunter Sung looked up at him, his hand pausing in the middle of lifting some of the japchae in his bowl to his mouth.

"Really? But I thought you said you preferred to stick with your mentor?"

Taehyung took some of his own japchae between his chopsticks, avoiding both the ping of the system and Hunter Sung's gaze.

"Appa's... No longer around."

"Guild Master? There's a 16 year old boy here to see you."

Jong-In pushed himself up from his desk chair,

So Hunter Choi did come.

He was beginning to wonder if he would.

"Thank you, send him in."

His assistant turned leaving the office,

After a few minutes the door opened once more revealing Hunter Choi,

Still dressed like he was attending a formal event with a sword.

The poor kid was nothing if not consistent.

Hunter Choi brought his hands together at chest height, bowing to Jong-In.

"Guild Master Choi."

Jong-In motioned towards the couch in his office.

"Please sit, no need to be so formal. You did say my life as well as the lives of several of my Guild members yesterday."

Hunter Choi removed his Sword belt and sat down, laying his sword in his lap.

"You wanted to see me to talk about recruitment?"

Jong-In crossed from behind his desk to the armchair across from the couch.

"That's right. After the skill and leadership you displayed yesterday I fully intend to see you part of The Hunters Guild if at all possible."

Hunter Choi shifted a little in his seat, his ears turning red.

"I-I do want to join Sunbae but um... There's something I have to do on my own first."

Jong-In nods, laxly intertwine his fingers together and crossing on leg over the other.

"Of course, when you're ready we'll get your contract written up."

Hunter Choi clasped his hands together bowing.

"Thank you Sunbae."

Taehyung glanced through his raid bag one more time,

Kool-aid and water for hydration,

Bento box for breaks between rooms,

Zebra octagon snack cakes,

Enchanted gear for temperature regulation,

Spare sneakers,

Taehyung's gym clothes, not sure why those were in there...

That cool rock he got from a Blessed Loot Box,

The Walkie Talkie he carried so he could contact Hyung if they got split up in a dungeon,

3 First Aid kits,

A full restock of Health and Mana potions,

A cleaning kit for Sunfall,

His black card and a 20 Won note, not that money would help him in a dungeon,

That translation artifact Go-nim gave him as a birthday present,

His phone and earbuds,

And Nightshade, a sleek black dagger that Hyung had put in there just in case.

Perfect, seemed like Taehyung had everything he needed.

He discreetly glanced around the street before pulling a small key out of his jacket.

Alright....

If going through regular dungeons wouldn't send him back..

Taehyung inserted the key into a padlock only he could see.

Some of my favorite quick drawings from last year's Knighttober I made with Igris and the Architect.

Chapter 6

"Daybreak"

Taehyung carefully helped Jong-In Sunbae do onto the ground, He'd frozen in the previous chamber and Sunbae had to step in to save him. Except… Sunbae wasn't as accustomed to it as Hyung-nim. Taehyung wanted to kick himself, He couldn't believe he'd let Sunbae get hurt like that. "We'll take a rest here. Hunter Han, I want you tending to Guild Master Choi's injuries and mana, Sunbae, can you patrol the area?" Igris rested his hand on the hilt of his sword, giving a sharp nod. Semi noona immediately took to using her healing abilities on Jong-In Sunbae. Good. Taehyung turned to Hae-In and Kihoon. "Hunters Cha and Seon, go with Sunbae. He can't speak so you'll have to watch his body language but Igris is my closest friend, he's only of the most capable knights I know. Trust his instincts." Igris dropped down to one knee, Kneeling before Taehyung as if to express his gratitude for the praise. Aww… Taehyung bursts into awkward laughter. "S-Sunbae!" Igris rose back to his feet allowing Taehyung a moment to regain his composure, Before turning to Kihoon Sunbae and Hae-In Sunbae. And with that out of the way he moved on to the task he'd been assigned. Taehyung glances over at the system as it pinged to alert him his Fatigue was running high. Right… He was out of both health and mana potions, and as long as he was with the Hunters Guild buying some more from the system shop was out of the question. Taehyung sat down on the ground. Hyung would be disappointed… It was careless of him not to prepare beforehand. At least he'd remembered to switch titles for the vitality boost. He was pulled out of his thoughts by Bora Sunbae sitting down next to him. "Hunter Choi, what exactly are you?" Taehyung froze, what a loaded question… Exactly how was he supposed to explain even a third of exactly what he was? Time Travel, The System, The Shadow Monarch… And that was just a few of the things that would have to be explained before he could even start to unpack Taehyung's own class and situation. He tilted her head giving her an awkward smile. "I'm not sure what you mean Bora-ssi." She adjusted her grip on her staff cutting her eyes a bit in skepticism. "I don't deny you have support class capabilities, exceptional ones even. However an elite summon such as yours is a Mage class ability, and your skill with a sword is comparable to a Swordsman or Tank but you fight like an Assassin." Taehyung pushed himself into a more upright sitting position, Awkwardly putting his hand on the back of his neck. "Uh well you see I'm a Support class but my dad was an assassin type, he's the one who taught me to fight. And as far as Igris sunbae he's uh… Well Igris is a little more complicated to explain." Bora eyed him for a moment, and then she nodded. "I see." Taehyung felt a sense of relief, Bora Sunbae was one of the few people who worried him most when it came to his secret. She was incredibly perceptive back home, After all Bora Sunbae had seen through Hyung's Stealth skill in the Orc Dungeon back when Hyung got Tusk. Bora smoothed out her skirt. "Your father, he must be quite exceptional to teach the skill you possess." Taehyung began to open his mouth only for a system message to stop him [Warning! This statement will exceed Information Parameters.] Taehyung clamped him mouth shut. Seriously…? He wasn't sure he understood exactly what the system considered a violation… Was it just anything related to Hyung? It even punished him back at the double dungeon before he'd even said anything. Taehyung gave her a short nod instead hoping that would end the conversation. Thankfully Bora Sunbae didn't press any further.

Tall, double doors. Taehyung felt a sense of indignantion. Seriously? You couldn't have come up with a more creative way to show that this is the boss room…? The Double Dungeon, The Dungeon Hyung got Tusk from, Several of Taehyung's system assigned dungeons, They all had a gate or double doors. It was honestly ridiculous…. He sighed turning back towards the party. Everyone was just as exhausted as he was… What would Hyung do in this situation…? …. The answer to that was Solo the boss room himself.. Yeah.. Taehyung wasn't sure that would work for him. He tried to think back, didn't Hyung give him advice for this? Actually… A sense of exasperation washed over him, Now that he was thinking about it… Hyung's response had just been: You're pretty good at giving speeches. What did that even mean?! Taehyung put his hands on his hips to stop them from shaking. "Alright everyone, Behind these doors is most likely the boss. We just have to get through this one last beast and then we're out of here." The Hunters Guild party glanced around at each other, Bora Sunbae tightened her grip on her staff, Kihoon Sunbae stepped forward, though the action seemed absentminded. Jong-In Sunbae adjusted his glasses, And then, they all gave a weary nod. Taehyung drew in a breath. Right… Guess he was really committing to this… "Let's all be honest here, we're exhausted… Semi Noona's almost spent. But we are right there, we can not give up! The only way we'll beat this is if we do together, Hunters Cha, Seon and Seo will cover Guild Master Choi, Hunter Lee and Gina Sunbae. Our mages are the most vulnerable right now so protecting them and giving them an opening is our best shot. Igris and I will finish the fight."

Chapter 5

“Scout”

Hae-In gasped a little as Hunter Choi drew his sword,

It went through several colors as it swung from it's Scabbard to it's place in front of him,

A deep rich orange from reflecting the cavern walls,

Soft almost floral pink,

Pale gold,

Vivid pastel green,

Deep red from reflecting Guild Master Choi,

Sky blue,

And finally it settled,

It settled on a delicate, beautiful ivory color streaked with iridescence.

She'd never seen such a beautiful sword.

Where did he...

Even get it?

Even her own sword was more,

Militaristic.

His knight drew its own sword,

More a terrifying long sword than elegant like Hunter Choi's

But they still fit together.

Hunter Choi threw up his hand.

"Hyung-nim! Hunter Cha!"

She jolted into alert suddenly feeling the presence of whatever had made him draw his sword in the first place.

His perception must be off the charts...

Guild Master Choi stepped up beside him.

"Be mindful this was determined to be a Lower S-Rank gate."

Hunter Choi nods adjusting his grip on his sword.

"I'll be alright."

[Alternate instance found....

Switching instances...

....

Welcome back Player 1]

Jinwoo crouched down, burying his fingers in his bangs.

Kiki.

The black cat must've gotten herself into one hell of a fight,

Because she was laid out on the steps,

Chest heaving with some difficulty,

Fur and concrete dyed with blood.

He pulled a potion out of his inventory, lifted her head,

And tried his best to make sure she drank it.

Ping!

[Injuries too severe for potion use]

Jinwoo stared at the system notification with increasing disdain.

He couldn't just let her die,

Taehyung would be devastated.

He didn't have much of a choice..

She let out a soft barely Audible mew,

And drew in a strangled breath.

Her head became heavier in his hand, her eyes closed,

And that was it.

There..

Was still something he could do.

The word slipped out before he'd even taken the time to consider it properly.

"Arise."

Whisps of shadow erupted from her small form, shifting and gaining form,

A long feathery tail,

Long elegant paws,

Two sharp ears,

It settled into the form,

A light blue velvety nose and two sharp light blue eyes blooming across it's face.

Ping!

[You have successfully awakened

Scout [Lvl 1]

Would you like to give it a name?

____|_____]

It took Jinwoo a moment to process what just happened,

He..

Actually used Shadow Extraction..

On a cat.

"Uh K-Kiki."

The small box on the pop up slowly filled in the letters, and the pop-up disappeared.

Before Jinwoo had much more of an opportunity to process the situation the shadow cat rose on her haunches,

And jumped onto his shoulder.

She headbutted the side of his face,

Her tail beating against his back as it swished behind her.

Jinwoo..

Had a cat.

Wait..

Scout?

That was one he'd never seen before.

"Uh, Kiki.... Fetch?"

She settled into his shoulder flicking her tail as if insulted.

Okay,

That clearly wasn't going to work.

"Search."

She perked up jumping down off his shoulder,

Her ears twitched and turned listening to her surroundings,

She raised her head sniffing the air before starting off down the street only to stop and look back at him,

Bidding him to follow.

He rose to his feet,

And followed.

Kiki led him across town,

Across a straight,

Almost specific trail,

She led him..

Directly back to the raid site where Taehyung disappeared.

For a moment she circled the exact spot the gate had been,

She raised herself onto her hindlegs, pawing at the air,

And then settled into the grass yowling.

Yeah..

This was about where the trail ended for Jinwoo too.

He sits down in the grass beside her,

There wasn't any choice was there?

For the first time since Jinwoo got the system..

There was nothing he could do.

[Instance detected....

Switching instances....

....

Welcome back Player 2]

Taehyung plops down in dirt,

It seemed with Igris taking up mana,

Things like Light's Blessing and Refraction drained his mana faster.

He was honestly surprised Refraction actually hid Kihoon and the other A-Ranks for long enough....

I'm out of Mana potions,

And I need to conserve the rest of my mana for Igris...

Alright, he'd just have to switch to melee.

He switched from Daybreak Sword back to Heir of Shadow and Flame,

Drew in a shaky breath,

Chapter 4

“Light’s Blessing”

Taehyung studied the cave structure around him,

He bet Archeologists and Geologists must love the gates,

All the history these rocks must tell...

A familiar laugh disrupted his thoughts.

"You're really fascinated by this aren't you?"

Kihoon Sunbae.

Taehyung remembered Kihoon Sunbae being one of the people who contributed to his 'Tips For Not Dying In a Dungeon' guides,

He was pretty nice...

Taehyung nods.

"Imagine the archeological discoveries that could come from dungeons."

Kihoon Sunbae tilts his head a little, his brown eyes sparkling with amused curiosity.

"So you like archeology then huh?"

Taehyung shrugs suddenly feeling a bit sheepish,

He didn't really know about that...

Science was just cool.

"I-I guess."

The A-Rank gave an apologetic chuckle.

"Hey no need to feel embarrassed, it's pretty cool."

Taehyung felt a sense of pity wash over him,

Some poor person out there is going to spend 30 seconds around this man and be utterly smitten.

"Sunbae, you shouldn't smile like that."

Kihoon jolted, suddenly becoming embarrassed.

"Is bad?"

Taehyung pats him on the shoulder.

"Not necessarily."

Kihoon turned to Bora Sunbae pointing to his face.

"Is there something wrong with my smile?"

She adjusted her grasp on her staff sighing in disappointment and exasperation.

"There's nothing wrong with your smile, Captain Seon."

This...

Only seemed to make him even more worried.

He took to asking the rest of his teammates the same question.

Taehyung fell back,

Oops...

He accidentally destabilized a Tank's entire understanding of how attractive he was.

It's okay buddy...

You'll get there eventually Kihoon Sunbae.

Taehyung turned to Igris,

The knight commander looked pretty composed for someone who's entire existence was rewritten less than 24 hours ago.

"How.... How do you feel?"

The knight turned his gaze towards Taehyung silently,

Right...

Igris Sunbae couldn't articulate his thoughts.

Still, Taehyung felt like he already understood perfectly.

"It's hard for you too isn't it? It's alright. I'll get us home I promise."

Igris gave a sharp barely noticeable nod in acknowledgement.

Taehyung gently bumped against him giving him a reassuring grin.

"Just hang in there alright?"

A voice cut through the moment.

"You talk to it?"

Hae-In Sunbae.

Taehyung looks over at her.

"Him. And yeah, of course. He's not a mindless tool you know, he has thoughts and opinions too."

She covered her nose with her handkerchief,

Something he'd seen her do before with everyone but Hyung.

Er...

Well he guessed that was a different version of Hae-In....

"So what is i- sorry, he?"

Taehyung opened his mouth to speak only to stop,

The system probably wouldn't let him explain,

And even if it did how exactly do you explain Igris and the Shadow Army?

In order to explain that he'd have to explain the system,

And Hyung,

A-and whatever was going on right now...

The mere idea gave Taehyung a headache.

"It's complicated."

He put his earbuds back in to signal he wasn't interested in continuing the conversation,

A trick Hyung taught him.

Hyung was good at that....

Teaching Taehyung ways to cope when things got too stressful.

He flinched a little as his ears were suddenly assaulted by Beru talking to himself at full volume.

Beru Sunbae...

We seriously need to teach you how to use your inside voice...

A sudden sensation washed over him,

Something...

Wrong.

He stopped dead in his tracks.

"EVERYBODY STOP! Did anybody else feel that?!"

Igris stepped forward positioning himself between Taehyung and the tunnel going further into the dungeon.

He feels it too...

Taehyung felt somewhat reassured by that.

Jong-In Sunbae dropped back,

He pushed up his glasses scanning the area.

"What exactly did you feel Hunter Choi?"

Somehow being forced to articulate exactly what the spike he felt was felt more taxing then explaining the system,

Mostly because he didn't have the words for it.

Taehyung didn't know many of the technical terms...

It just...

Felt wrong...

"I-I don't... It felt... Off."

Hae-In sunbae suddenly tensed,

Did...

She feel it too?

"Guild Master.."

Taehyung could almost hear Hyung's voice in his head.

If a gate feels wrong, leave.

Trust your instincts Taehyung.

Right...

"We need to turn around."

Jong-In glanced around at the group as if checking to see if anyone had any objections,

No one did.

"Alright, Then we'll turn around."

That...

Very quickly turned out not to be an option.

Taehyung wasn't quite sure how to describe what he was seeing.

It was a solid wall of...

Ice?

Strange...

This almost reminded him of some of the stories he'd been told,

The ones about how Hyung got Iron and Tank, and Tusk.

Taehyung turned back to Jong-In Sunbae.

"Can you melt that, Hyung-nim?"

The red haired man stepped forward, raising his hand.

flames materialized in his palm,

He directed them towards the wall.

It...

Didn't do much.

Taehyung furrowed his eyebrows,

Strange...

He could've swore Jong-In Choi was a lot stronger than that.

"I'm going to try something, if you'll allow me."

Jong-In turned around,

Was Hunter Choi about to use a buff?

The teenager closed his eyes raising his hand into the air,

He muttered the words Light's Blessing under his breath,

A small golden orb materialized in his hand,

The light spread over the chamber bathing it as though the sun were seeping in through dungeon walls,

A strangely... Comfortable, sensation washed over Jong-In,

Like sunny spot in the park or the nice warmth the windows in his office cast into the cold space on a particularly sunny day.

He could feel a fascinating change in his own mana.

Stronger,

Smoother,

Replenished.

Taehyung's eyes flicked back open.

"Now, try to melt that wall."

Jong-In adjusted his glasses,

He raised his hand towards the ice wall,

Fire collected above his palm but rather than the normal red hot flames it'd become almost golden with a touch of Opalescence on the edges.

Fascinating...

He directed it towards the wall.

It still didn't do anything to it be the difference was staggering,

He'd always considered himself well in control of his flames but the sheer ease,

The sheer power....

I need this kid in the Hunters Guild.

Hunter Choi crossed the space tapping his knuckles against the wall.

He sighed resting his hand on his blade,

His expression seeming to suggest whatever was going on here left a bad taste in his mouth.

"Alright, Looks like we have no choice, we'll have to go forward. Igris Sunbae and I will take the front, Hunters Choi and Cha you two will be behind me, Hunter Seon and his team should be the most protected."

Jong-In cocked an eyebrow in interest,

He talks like a veteran Captain.

Hunter Choi slowly became incredibly flustered,

"O-Or um... W-whatever um.. Whatever you think is best....!"

Jong-In had to stop himself from laughing,

What... In the world..?

This boy could command his own raid party,

But instead he was acting like it was a crime to be a capable leader.

What a fascinating boy.

"We'll follow your formation, but if anything happens leave it to Hunter Cha and I."

Taehyung ran his fingers over the sun emblem on Sunfall's hilt,

He was reminded of how he'd taped an Ahjin guild sticker to it a couple months ago.

Jinho Hyung took it off.

Good thing.

"What do you think Igris Sunbae, it's similar right?"

Igris looked over at him with a sharp short nod.

Even the knight commander thought it was similar to the Ice elf Red Gate and Tusk's gate...

Taehyung tightened his grip on Sunfall.