These Lunatics are Obsessed With Me
Chapter 148

No, no. I can’t let myself get swept away for no reason. I must not forget the reason I forced myself to follow them into this dungeon. First, I need to stop Kang Yoo-hyun from repeating the same mistake he made in the original story. At the same time, I must keep an eye on the foreign guild masters. Liam White is also someone I need to watch closely.

Back when I was Han Yi-jin, he seemed interested in me because of my auxiliary skill, but now, I have no idea why he's acting like this. For now, though, I need to stay focused on my mission and not let Liam White’s reckless behavior throw me off course. With firm resolve, I followed behind the raid team, along with the collection team.

"Hmm…?”

As we continued, I began to notice a path that looked strangely familiar. It dawned on me that it resembled the place I had seen in the vision. My body tensed instinctively.

I wasn’t sure if the hunters would listen to me now that I wasn’t Han Yi-jin anymore, but at the very least, I could use this as an opportunity to identify the suspicious foreign guilds.

"Collection team, gather up! We're about to enter the mid-boss area!"

"Ah."

Most of the collection team’s hunters didn’t have the skills to protect themselves, so they stayed within the protective barrier created by other hunters' defensive skills until the boss monster was defeated. The mid-boss monster we faced now was no different. I I hurried to my spot and settled in, then watched as the hunters, led by Kang Yoo-hyun, brought down the mid-boss monster.

「Greedy Geronir

Level: ??

? ?? ?? ??, ?? ?? ??

…」

"Kiiii!"

"Ugh…”

The mid-boss monster, resembling an ant, let out a sharp, piercing cry. The sound reverberated through the air, echoing in my ears despite the distance. I frowned as I watched the mid-boss monster being pushed back.

"…He fights well."

Kang Yoo-hyun, who seemed to be in particularly good condition, continuously emitted dark energy from the sword he was holding. Perhaps because the tunnel was dark, his affinity with the darkness attribute allowed him to move effortlessly, as if flying through the air.

At this rate, it seemed like he could clear the dungeon without even needing my auxiliary skill. After all, this place probably wouldn't be as unpredictable as dungeons with dangerous anomalies. So, like in the original story, he and the other hunters should be able to handle it just fine.

“…”

But why do I feel so upset?

No, is it really that I’m upset, or is it just discomfort?

Is it because seeing those who once depended on me now fighting without a care makes me feel hurt?

But why am I even thinking like this? After all, the reason I gave the hunters my auxiliary skill was simply to survive. So I shouldn’t need to worry about it. Still, something doesn’t sit right. It’s unsettling.

"Hmm…"

I furrowed my brows, unable to understand why I was feeling this way. I must have had a sour expression on my face while watching the hunters fight. Someone suddenly tapped me on the shoulder while I was wearing a serious expression.

"Excuse me."

"Yes?"

Startled, I turned to the side and found a hunter I had never seen before, staring at me blankly. He continued speaking with an indifferent expression.

"Is this your first time joining the raid?"

"Ah, well… yeah, I guess…"

I didn’t know what to say, so I gave a vague response. It wasn’t my first time participating in a raid, but saying that might lead to too many questions.

"Isn't it nerve-wracking just watching, even though we're not fighting ourselves? It's usually safe at this distance, but anything could happen, so it feels a bit disconcerting."

"Well… yeah, I guess."

"I have some Cheongsim-hwan (calming pills) with me. Would you like some? They help if you take them while waiting."

"…?"

To suddenly start a conversation and show such kindness to a stranger… If I were Han Yi-jin, I'd be cautious, but since I'm not, I wasn't sure how to respond. The members of the collection team are surprisingly considerate. He doesn’t even know who I am, yet he's offering me Cheongsim-hwan. I gave a faint smile and shook my head.

"I'm not nervous, but thank you for offering."

"You're welcome. If you need anything, just let me know."

The kind hunter, who had mistaken me for being nervous, cheerfully spoke and then turned away. I sighed inwardly, relieved that the unwanted attention had passed. Just as I was about to shift my focus back to the mid-boss monster—

“…Huh?”

For some reason, a chill ran down my spine. The strange sensation made me stare intently at the opposite side. Then, I saw something that looked like a dot, growing larger. What I had initially thought was a single dot began to split into multiple ones. At that moment, I couldn’t ignore it any longer and shouted loudly.

"Monsters!"

"What?"

The hunters from the collection team looked at me in surprise as I pointed toward the dots, which had grown noticeably larger.

"The monsters are coming! We need to get out of here!"

"No, but…”

However, the hunters looked confused by my words. Leaving the barrier would mean stepping into the mid-boss monster’s territory, putting the lower-ranked collection team members at risk. But staying put and waiting for the swarm of monsters to arrive was just as dangerous. I glanced around anxiously.

"Damn it."

As expected, there were no high-ranking hunters available to help us—everyone was busy dealing with the mid-boss monster. What should I do now? Just a quick look told me there were too many monsters coming our way. After a brief hesitation, I stepped forward. I pulled a weapon resembling a machine gun from my inventory and gripped it tightly. Just then, a system notification sounded.

[Due to the character trait ‘Golden Hand,' the weapon's grade has been upgraded.]

This weapon was capable of near-infinite rapid fire, and thanks to continuous modifications requested by the Odin Guild, it wasn’t a low-grade weapon. However, even with this weapon, I didn’t feel confident that I could hold off all those monsters by myself. Still, I figured I could at least buy some time. Assuming the worst-case scenario, I lifted this heavy weapon and aimed it at the approaching monsters.

“Hmm…?”

However, when I looked through the scope, something felt off. The figure charging at the front wasn’t a monster. I had assumed it was because it was flying, but when I zoomed in, I realized it wasn’t a monster at all. It was a person.

“What’s this? Why is there a person… huh?”

The figure looked strangely familiar. I peered through the scope in disbelief before quickly pulling my eyes away. At the same time, a loud shout reached my ears.

“Move aside! Hurry up and move!”

“Uh…!”

Startled, I stumbled backward, still holding the gun. Then, someone approached quickly and set a person down, as if they were a package.

“Hey, is this good enough? Kid?”

“The ride’s terrible…”

“Is this good enough or not? Hey!”

“Be quiet!”

“…”

The unrealistic sight in front of me left me dumbfounded, causing me to blink in disbelief.

Why are Eden and Do-gyul here? Am I seeing another vision?

As if mocking my foolish thoughts, Do-gyul shouted loudly.

【You all, protect me!】

“…!”

After the loud shout echoed, the monsters charging toward Eden and Do-gyul suddenly halted. They turned around with fierce expressions, baring their teeth at the other monsters that looked exactly like them.

"Keuaa!"

"Kyaaa!"

In an instant, the monsters began to fight among themselves. The ones that were attacked seemed taken aback, likely not expecting their own kind to strike, so they couldn’t even fight back properly. But soon, they realized what was happening, and the monsters further behind started to actively join the fight.

Could this be… Do-gyul’s mind control skill? If it works on humans, it makes sense that it would work on monsters too. Since monsters have lower intelligence, it seemed like he could probably control an entire group with ease.

"Ha… I feel like I just lost ten years of my life."

"Don't talk to me. I need to concentrate."

"I was just talking to myself, you know?"

"…"

Even here, Eden and Do-gyul were bickering. While Do-gyul, who was controlling the monsters, frowned, Eden pouted and grumbled. They looked like siblings who didn’t get along but were oddly close, making me almost forget the situation and laugh.

"But those monsters can't just kill each other, right?"

"That's why they intentionally came toward the raid team… huh?"

As he was busy controlling the monsters, Do-gyul briefly glanced behind him. After quickly scanning the hunters inside the barrier, he made a face of disbelief.

"What is this? Why are the ranks here so bad?"

"See? All the high-ranking hunters are busy hunting the mid-boss monster. I told you so."

"Aish, shut up. You're messing with my focus!"

"Tsk tsk."

"…"

From overhearing their conversation, I understood what had happened. After I disappeared, Eden and Do-gyul woke up and came into the dungeon searching for me. However, since they didn’t have the detection skill, they got lost and ended up bringing a group of monsters to the raid team.

Of course, they must have thought the raid team could handle the remaining monsters, but ironically, the high-ranking members of the raid team were busy dealing with the mid-boss monsters.

"Dammit, what should I do? Should I circle around with these monsters and buy some time…?"

"That'll just bring more monsters, you idiot!"

"Ahh, then what am I supposed to do?"

I shook my head as I watched the two of them raise their voices. Once the remaining monsters had been reduced significantly, I spoke quietly.

"Everyone, move aside."

"…?"

"…?"

While they argued, both Eden and Do-gyul turned their heads at the same time. It seemed like they had just noticed me. I gave a slight nod to the two of them, who were still in surprise.

"I said move aside."

"Ah, oh…"

Taken by surprise, Eden quickly pulled Do-gyul back. I swiftly grabbed the weapon I had put down, aimed through the scope at the monster baring its teeth, and pulled the trigger. Flames erupted from the muzzle.