Chapter 76
[The Man Who Overcomes Adversity will disappear.]
However, I didn’t scream, as Woo Yeon-Hee had taken my wounds upon herself earlier. Her flesh looked like it had been chewed up by a flock of abyss ants, and her blood was seeping out of her clothes as they couldn’t absorb any more. The hems of her sleeves and pants were vomiting blood as if the faucet had been turned on. Her pale face was covered with it, and I could see her facial muscles moving minutely. She was dying—and she was conscious, which made it worse.
“I’ll open the box later.”
I muttered in the air.
[Unopened box will open automatically after 24 hours.]
The System responded as if it was a securities company announcing a margin call.
[Target: 1 Challenger box, 1 Master box, 1 Diamond box, 2 Gold boxes.]
I searched Woo Yeon-Hee’s backpack that she left in the treasure room. After finding the map, I lifted her in my arms and ran nonstop. There was no need for anything else since I had secured the first titles and completed all the quests. She felt lighter. If all of her blood and soul got drained out, her body would be useless.
“I’ll save you, so hang in there!”
I went through the blue barrier to return to reality, and a message popped up.
[Would you like to destroy the dungeon?]
“Yes!”
I didn’t have time to see how the boundary of the dimension crumpled and how the stairs were buried.
Vzzzztttt…
The vibration began in the basement, and I headed to the nearest hospital. When I laid Woo Yeon-Hee on the bed, another message appeared.
[The dungeon has been destroyed.]
[You have completed the achievement ‘Buried.’]
[You have obtained ‘Interdiction’ for being the first one to complete the achievement.]
I didn’t fucking care about that! The System didn’t care about Woo Yeon-Hee who was out of breath in my arms. I wanted to block the System first. I turned her head aside as she was about to aspirate her blood and suffocate, and the blood in her mouth poured out onto the bed. Damn it! She knew this would happen, and she must have imagined her dying self every time I ordered her not to use Mary’s Hand.
The problem was her low Health stat, F(20). It was so low that she would die no matter how much she wanted to beg for life. Most of the Awakened died due to insufficient stats, and Woo Yeon-Hee might also…
The electrocardiogram monitor’s beep slowed down as her blood pressure and heart rate decreased. All the lines were slowly but surely flattening. When the monitor jittered due to my still active Odin’s Wrath, Woo Yeon-Hee’s heart stopped.
[Your party has been terminated.]
The defibrillator only made blood gush out from her small body. No other effect.
I threw the paddles, and the blue sparks shorted the unit as several electric arcs formed and disappeared. The Sixth Virtue, the original owner of the skill, had freely handled the power. He had preferred applying it directly to himself rather than only using it on a weapon.
I placed my hands on Woo Yeon-Hee’s chest. I had practiced this, just in case, but had failed every time—that was why I had used the defibrillator first. However, modern technology was useless right now.
I didn’t expect it would work perfectly, given my F class. All I wanted was to deliver a shock to her chest, a little more than the paddle.
“So just work!”
Zzzzzzzzttt.
I saw the electricity sweeping through my body from head to toe, and only then did I realize how my lightning should be used.
***
There had been another critical moment six hours ago. Since Odin’s Wrath was under cooldown, there was no way to rescue Woo Yeon-Hee if her heart stopped beating again. However, the good thing was that her bleeding had stopped. Under the sunlight from the window, I could see that her new bed was perfectly clean, without stains. It was now morning, and her wounds exposed her bones. However, she was recovering slowly, so she would be able to survive.
Woo Yeon-Hee opened her eyes and opened her mouth to say something, but all I could hear was a crushed syllable.
“Ugh...”
I felt her pain from her movements and fastened the IV dressing on her hand. She became quiet again, with a more relaxed face, after I replaced the drug with a stronger one.
I remembered the expressions she had shown over the past month. She had maintained her humanity until the end and had become stronger in order to survive. The growth that Woo Yeon-Hee had experienced in the dungeon was ideal. If our power really came from an absolute being, as the Eight Virtues had claimed, our Trial Tests should have led us to an ideal path. However, that was not what had happened, and her growth was not the result of divine intervention. All they did was spout bullshit, like "evil only exists among humans." I fully realized from Woo Yeon-Hee’s example that such trials could only be overcome through one's own determination and bravery. Until now, there had still been some doubt; I had been mulling over the Virtues’ claims about how the absolute being’s goodwill determined everything. Now, I was certain. No more doubt was left, and my mind was clear.
***
The System was just a system, and my accumulated points recorded in there were…
[Total points: 3420]
On top of that, I had come back with a challenger box, a master box, a diamond box and two gold boxes. If I converted these into points, it would come out to 5,545,400 points. Such a number was only seen in S-class dungeons and gate battles, not in a single F-class dungeon. This was only possible because I had been the first to do everything, thus receiving a challenger box and a master box. Also, would there be any title more meaningful than the ones I had achieved? The first Awakened, the first person to discover and destroy a dungeon, and the first person to defeat a boss monster…Maybe I would also receive a reward if I became the first one to enter the E-class.
“...”
There may be more, considering the Trial Tests and gate battles, but I had probably won most of the ‘first’ titles that could be achieved in dungeons. In that sense, it became clear that I needed skills and items from the challenger and master boxes rather than insignias that would disappear after use. Insignias wouldn't appear with my current stats and skills, anyway.
I checked Woo Yeon-Hee once more before opening the box.
[Would you like to open the master box?]
The master box’s appearance looked like a mishmash of all the inferior boxes: bronze, silver, gold, platinum and diamond. It gleamed in all the colors as it opened. Light spread out through the crack, and I hoped it wouldn’t turn into a ray. I glared at the blinding light and read a message.
[You have obtained the skill ‘Gaia’s Will.’]
“Gaia’s…Will…?”
I had wanted a skill, but I should have added one more condition to my desperate prayer. I was relatively content; the skill was just an upgraded version of the Iron Skin I had gotten from the bronze box. The two skills were pretty much the same in the?lower classes, but they had vastly different growth potentials. In any case, I needed a skill I could use to attack for now.
[Would you like to remove the skill ‘Iron Skin’?]
[You have removed the skill ‘Iron Skin.’]
I didn’t hesitate for a second as I got rid of it. I didn’t want a full defensive skillset.
Now, it was time to open the long-awaited challenger box, and I was once again desperate for skills or items. Well, to be precise, I only wanted skills suitable for attacking! I needed one with a short cooldown time.
[Would you like to open the challenger box?]
“Yes.”
[You have opened the challenger box.]
It could be my very last challenger box. I had gained Odin’s Wrath and a Revival Insignia from the last ones after I had come back to the past. It was always a matter of luck, but since a skill and an insignia had come out already, it may be the time to get an item. If I had to get an insignia, I hoped for another Revival.
Then, a bright and beautiful light shone out in front of my eyes.
What is it?
Visit freewe𝑏nove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺 for the 𝑏est n𝘰vel reading experience