The area in front of the stone mound was littered with the corpses of Deadmen. Each one had an arrow embedded neatly between the eyes—seven, at a glance. But even with that, more than twice that number still remained. They clambered over the fallen with grotesque hunger, as if desperate for just one bite of me.
"Really putting in the effort, aren't you?"
I hummed to myself, sticking a hand into my quiver, only to find nothing but empty space. I scraped around the bottom and managed to pull out two final bolts. Looked like I'd have to retrieve any fired arrows on my way back.
Not all of the Deadmen had gathered yet—some were still charging in from the distance. I figured this was a good time to fall back. Even if a few managed to slip past and chase my group, An Hyun could handle a few stragglers on his own.
Looking down from the mound, I saw the Deadmen howling and shaking their heads in frustration. It was so ridiculous that I found myself mimicking their movements, bobbing my head like I was dancing.
What the hell am I even doing.
I caught myself grinning. A sharp laugh almost slipped out, but I covered my mouth quickly.
I was getting too excited. After becoming a Swordmaster in my first Hall Plain playthrough, I'd trained myself to stay emotionless—especially before battle. Ice-cold composure had kept me alive during some of the toughest conflicts, like the siege of Atlanta or the Ragnarok Annihilation Campaign.
But now, I was losing that control. I wasn't even in any real danger, yet some part of me was thrilled. A strange sense of anticipation had begun to flood my veins. And I… liked it.
With a small leap, I stepped down from the mound and into the forest. If I kept looking at those slobbering, desperate monsters, something inside me might snap. The ones crawling up the mound howled in outrage at my retreat—climbing all that way only for their prey to leave? How rude of me.
"Come on, guys. Too many eyes out here. Let's go somewhere more private."
Grrrrr!
Whether they understood or not, they obediently followed, growling all the while.
I walked slowly—originally I'd planned to sprint and vanish, but I changed my mind. I wanted them to chase me. Wanted them close.
One particularly eager Deadman slipped as it reached the top and tumbled to the base of the mound. As it got back up, I casually loosed a bolt. The arrow thudded into its skull, and it collapsed on the spot. With that, I turned and strode into the woods.
Grrrrr! Grrrrr! Grrrrr!
I was starting to get used to the sound. Their frustrated snarls followed me as I led them deeper, just fast enough to keep ahead, close enough to feel their breath.
Then—
Snap!
"…Oh."
I'd gotten too into it. Weaving through the trees like a snake, I hadn't noticed the Deadman creeping nearby. With a sudden clamp, its rotting jaws bit down on my left forearm.
When I turned my head, it was there—gnawing away with a weird expression, as if confused.
Probably not one of the ones I'd baited. Just some bastard wandering nearby who got lucky and found my path.
It didn't hurt exactly—but it was more shocking than anything else. And that shock quickly turned to anger.
Even if it was dumb luck, the fact that I'd been bitten by this thing?
It bruised my pride.
"…What are you looking at."
Grrrr.
"You scared me, you son of a bitch."
The Deadman looked… confused. It was biting me, but its teeth weren't going in.
Of course they weren't. You think you can pierce this body? With 92 points in Endurance?
I swung my right fist, and its skull exploded with a wet crack.
While I'd been wrestling with that one, the rest caught up and surrounded me. A few were grinning now—as if this was a done deal, and I was their prize.
I rolled my wrist lightly.
The sound of snarls echoed from every direction—but fear?
There was none.
Compared to the demon beasts I faced in the Abyss of Hell… these guys were like puppies.
Still, I hoped—hoped they could, at the very least, slightly satisfy my thirst.
"Let's have fun."
They answered with bared fangs and lunges. No manners, huh?
I raised my hand and pointed at the nearest skull.
Crunch!
My finger sank into its head. It was like driving a nail into soggy wood.
I lifted the corpse—dangling from a single finger—and the rest froze.
Fear.
Could they feel it?
Those who'd always hunted humans… could they realize they were now prey?
I was a little surprised.
Maybe it was instinct, not thought. But these things that usually pounced without hesitation—
They paused. Just from my presence.
It was kind of cute.
Still, I had no intention of letting them go.
I flared my mana and crushed the skull dangling from my hand, then flicked my fingers.
Come on, then.
But instead of charging, they took a step back.
I wasn't planning to use my longsword. Didn't need it. I could break a branch, pick up a rock, rip out a blade of grass—anything I touched became a lethal weapon.
But that wasn't what I wanted.
I wanted to feel it with my hands.
The sensation of killing.
As I cracked my knuckles, a smile played across my face.
Now I understood why I couldn't stop grinning.
I was hungry.
Ten years of fighting, killing to survive—my nature had become saturated with blood.
Watching them shrink back…
I couldn't help but smirk.
"Looks like he did it. Let's move. We need to get over that wall."
The forest, once filled with howls, was dead silent.
An Hyun's voice was steady, but the others didn't respond. The weight in the air was thick.
He was right—Kim Soo-hyun had lured all the Deadmen away. The path ahead was clear. But none of that mattered.
Because the feeling of despair had sunk into everyone's bones.
"Will… will Oppa be okay?" Yoo-jung's voice was small and flat. "Shouldn't we… maybe go after—"
"No."
An Hyun cut her off immediately. The thought alone made his stomach turn. But he couldn't let it show.
Soo-hyun had trusted him. Had told him to protect the group. That trust—he couldn't betray it.
"We go back now, and all of that's meaningless. He made that chance for us—with his life on the line. We can't waste it."
"Still… you're not worried about him at all?"
"I trust him."
An Hyun's quiet voice carried weight. Yoo-jung fell silent. Still, her face looked drained.
But he couldn't afford to falter. He shook himself and straightened his back.
"If he believes in us, the least we can do is believe in him."
He stepped out to scout. No Deadmen in sight.
An Sol rose nervously, and Yoo-jung followed.
Before she left, Yoo-jung tapped Han-byul's shoulder.
"Hey. Snap out of it. Why are you spacing out?"
"…."
Han-byul didn't answer. Her face was as unreadable as ever. She rose slowly and joined the others without a word.
An Hyun turned to the wall ahead.
"Let's go. Just past that is the exit. I'll go first—just in case there's danger on the other side."
The others nodded silently—except Han-byul, who only stared back into the forest.
She didn't speak until she noticed An Hyun watching her.
"…Okay."
What was she agreeing to? He didn't ask.
Soo-hyun's absence was already starting to shake them.
An Hyun tried again, this time to all of them.
"I get it. I feel the same. But going back now… it makes everything he did pointless. He put his life on the line to give us this chance. All we can do is move forward and wait for him."
But even his determined words didn't quite reach.
Once morale drops, it's hard to recover.
Even he felt the emptiness left behind.
Soo-hyun had become their pillar—in barely half a day. From saving them at the clearing, to pulling them out of danger time and time again, to holding the group together when it was fracturing.
He had been there. Always.
And now, he was gone.
And what remained…
Was the hollow echo of that absence.