CHAPTER 21
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"It can't be...!"
The words "Combat Incapable" on the status window paralyzed me. I stood frozen, unable to believe it. As a proper supporter, I should have quickly activated my status abnormality removal skill. Instead, I could only stare in shock as Han Chorok collapsed.
I was just an ordinary person, barely proficient with support skills. In a game, you can swiftly use a potion or a skill to save a character in combat incapacity. But reality proved starkly different. My mind went blank, incapable of even considering my next move.
Jehee, who had been safeguarding Baek Taera beside me, acted with the speed of a shooting star. He darted to Chorok, who lay on the ground, then swiftly returned to us. Hana, newly awakened, rose with Baek Taera's assistance. Their exchanged glances with Jehee were grave.
Hana's gaze then turned to me, heavy with seriousness. "Seonwoo, can you run?"
"Y-yes!"
"Follow us!"
I heaved myself up, following Hana's urgent command. The eerie howls of beasts echoed from behind, sending shivers down my spine and making my hair stand on end.
We fled through the cave, its floor littered with butterfly corpses, marking our exit from the final clear location.
Our attempt to clear the C-rank dungeon had ended, not in triumph, but in bitter failure.
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Upon reaching the forest's entrance from the cave, Baek Taera, freed from Hana's aid, quickly retrieved a mana potion from his inventory and consumed it.
As the mana surged within him, his previously unfocused black eyes shifted to a calming shade of gray. Those gray eyes, far from ordinary, had once seemed somewhat off-putting to me, but now, in our moment of need, they appeared unexpectedly reassuring.
Baek Taera's question, tinged with frustration, hung in the air: "Why did an S-rank boss appear in a C-rank dungeon?" But no one had an answer; instead, we all focused on Han Chorok, who lay motionless on the ground. Joining in the collective concern, I decided to take action.
"Give me some space," I urged, gently nudging Jehee aside. I reached for Han Chorok's hand, which lay limply on the ground, and raised it without hesitation.
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[Party member 'Jehee' is preparing the support skill 'Status Ailment Removal.' Please select the status ailment to be removed.]
As the status message indicated the skill's preparation, a selection window appeared. From the brief list, I chose 'Sleep.'
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[Party member 'Jehee' has activated the support skill 'Status Ailment Removal.' 'Sleep' status selected for removal.]
[The caster's skill cannot remove the status ailment of 'Han Chorok.']
A heavy silence descended. My mind raced with questions: Why isn't the ailment being removed? Is my level insufficient? What's going to happen to Chorok? The message of failure left me dumbstruck, a sentiment echoed in the shocked faces of my party members. Despite the grim situation, I persisted, desperately trying to activate the skill again.
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[The caster's skill cannot remove the status ailment of 'Han Chorok.']
[Party member 'Yeon Seonwoo' has failed to remove the status ailment.]
[The caster's skill cannot remove the status ailment of 'Han Chorok.']
[Party member 'Yeon Seonwoo' has failed to remove the status ailment.]
[The caster's skill cannot remove the status ailment of 'Han Chorok.']
[Party member 'Yeon Seonwoo' has failed to remove the status ailment.]
[(......)]
Regrettably, the message window showed nothing but a relentless sequence of failures. Yet, surrender was not an option.
Thrust into this unfamiliar world, my life had been unremarkable, and this dungeon presented my first genuine challenge. I had never seen real pain or death before. Maybe, until now, I had treated everything too much like a game.
Han Chorok, standing before me, was a living, breathing human, not just a character on a screen. This was a problem I couldn't just ignore.
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[The caster's skill cannot remove the status ailment of 'Han Chorok.']
[Party member 'Yeon Seonwoo' has failed to remove the status ailment.]
[The caster's skill cannot remove the status ailment of 'Han Chorok.']
[Party member 'Yeon Seonwoo' has failed to remove the status ailment.]
[(......)]
"Please, stop."
"But..."
"Yeon Seonwoo," he implored.
"What about Han Chorok?"
"If we stop now, what will become of him? There has to be another supporter, someone stronger than me. We must find them..."
"I won't let Chorok die. Let's not worry, and calm down for now," he reassured. Jehee, with a firm hand on my shoulder, met my gaze with calm assurance. His voice, as leisurely as a flowing stream, sounded casual yet was laced with confidence.
He was Jehee, the man who had shaped his desired future through countless regressions, ready to do it all over again if necessary. He was the hero who bore the weight of this world's salvation, the true protagonist.
Only then did I let go of the hand I had been clutching so desperately, taking a step back. Taera, who had been observing silently from a distance, also moved closer. A burst of silver light emanated from his body, his previously gray eyes shifted to red, and a white cloak unfurled behind him, bearing the character '救命' (rescue).
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[Party member 'Baek Taera' is activating his awakening ability.]
[The God, Hwata, appears.]
[The God, Hwata, activates the awakening skill 'God's Vision Chapter 1 - Diagnosis.']
Anxiously, we awaited Taera's diagnosis. Eventually, the silver light surrounding him waned, and his eyes returned to their original gray. Brushing back his disheveled pink hair from his weary face, he spoke with a somber tone. "He's not dead. There's no physical harm. It seems he's fallen into a deep sleep due to a status ailment."
Though relieved he wasn't dead, the news still unsettled us, casting a hush over our group. Even Baek Taera, usually so imposing, remained silent.
In this weighted silence, Jehee was the one to break it. "Let's stop our dungeon exploration and leave for now. Our first priority is finding a way to wake Chorok."
Hana's input was both unexpected and insightful. The urgency called for thoughtful planning rather than rash decisions. Her perspective added a new layer of complexity to our challenge.
"That's true. Leaving now will reset the dungeon. We can't be sure we'll encounter the same boss upon returning. And if Chorok disappears before we find a way to wake him, we'll lose any lead," Hana said, her voice tinged with gravity.
Reflecting on this, I realized it mirrored the mechanics of a game. Exiting a dungeon without defeating the boss meant a reset, with no assurance of the same conditions upon return. This was especially problematic in our current scenario: a C-rank dungeon with an S-rank boss, a rare and challenging anomaly.
Jehee met Hana's gaze, his expression turning to one of thoughtful determination after a moment of contemplation.
Her eyes, sharp and resolute, turned towards the cave's entrance. "I'll remain in the dungeon. You all go outside and look for a way to awaken Chorok. If you're unsuccessful, bring him back here. Once we conquer that monster, Chorok should awaken."
Baek Taera's casual remark cut through the tension, "Well then, count me in. I can't leave this bizarre dungeon without a healer, right, Hana?"
Hana's faint smile in response to Baek Taera's words conveyed a deep trust in him.
Their collective gaze shifted to Jehee, seeking his approval. Their eyes radiated confidence, a testament to their belief in Jehee's abilities to revive Han Chorok or, if needed, confront the formidable monster.
Their bond was palpable, so cohesive that an outsider like myself felt unable to interject.
"Alright. I'll return soon with Chorok. We'll do this together," Jehee declared decisively.
At Jehee's words, broad smiles broke across Hana and Taera's faces.
I observed them in silence, the realization dawning that this world was no longer a mere game to me. It had morphed into a reality where danger lurked at every turn, and the lives of those close to me hung in the balance.
Feeling the weight of this newfound reality, I covered my mouth with my hand, closed my eyes briefly, gathering my resolve, and then reopened them, ready to face the challenges ahead.