The owner of the voice was the saint in white armor.
Teresa.
She was gasping for breath—probably because she had rushed all the way from the front lines after cutting down the Dullahans.
Jin-hyuk stared at her in surprise.
'The guild should be talking about getting out of here, not helping the rear…'
He hadn't expected this.
She truly didn't carry the title of saint for nothing.
"Can I talk to him for a moment?"
Teresa asked Kim Somi, who was still in shock.
"Uh? Yes! Yes! Sure!"
Kim Somi nodded quickly and scurried away behind a nearby rock.
Once the two were alone, Teresa asked,
"You… you dealt with all the Dullahan in the rear?"
Her voice trembled with disbelief.
Of course she doubted it.
The average rank of a porter was E or F.They weren't even supposed to fight, let alone defeat elite undead like the Dullahan—monsters strong enough to threaten B-rank players.
The idea that a porter handled all of them alone…
It was absurd.
Jin-hyuk nodded casually.
"First of all, yes. I dealt with them."
"You're hiding your identity? Why?"
"Everyone has personal reasons.Me… and you."
"…what do you—"
Teresa's eyes widened slightly.
A tremor so small that normal people wouldn't notice.
Normal people.
Jin-hyuk smiled faintly.
"Honestly, I didn't understand at first. Why a ranker like you gave up the chance to fight the 3rd-floor boss and came here instead. Hard to wrap my head around."
Climbing higher guaranteed fame and rewards.
Yet she abandoned all of it for this ruin.
Why?
There were only a few possible reasons.
Naturally… the reward here had to be greater than the boss on the higher floor.
And Jin-hyuk knew exactly what it was.
"Isn't this ruin the place required for your job quest?"
"…!?"
This time Teresa couldn't hide her expression.It was as if someone had punched her straight in the face.
'Only a tiny number of people know that the Paladin job quest is linked to these ruins…'
Normally, the Paladin class-change quest appeared on the 6th floor.
But Teresa wanted to get ahead—far ahead.
She had bought secret information from the Black Market, run by players who had climbed beyond the 10th floor.
She frowned.
'No way…'
Was this man also tied to the Black Market?
Did he know a little?
Or did he know everything?
She had to check.
"That's correct. I hid it because I need to get to Apostle John's Oath… but I still haven't figured out the exact location."
Teresa laid out her purpose.
But—
A status window popped up in front of Jin-hyuk.
[Eye of Truth Activated][Teresa's statement is FALSE]
Cute.
Trying to fool me?
Jin-hyuk smirked.
"It's not Apostle John's Oath—it's Apostle Peter's.And you already know the exact location."
Teresa flinched.
She did know where it was.She was only hesitating because the path to it was a nightmare:
—thousands of traps—hundreds upon hundreds of undead—and at the center, ancient seals
"…You truly know everything."
Finally, Teresa admitted it.
Nice.
Now he could move to the next step.
"Actually, I also have a task at the Oath's location. Something different from your goal."
"And you want us to work together?"
"Yes. I want to work together."
He made it clear.
"I know every trap here. Every route. Every safe path.Of course, you can bring the Zion players.But… even with luck, all of them will die except you."
Her reputation.
Her honor.
Her duty as a symbol of hope.
They would all shatter if she came out alone, leaving everyone dead behind her.
Even if she succeeded in becoming a Paladin, the world would condemn her.
"I… need to think."
"Take all day."
There was only one conclusion anyway.
You get your Oath.I get everything else.
The Frozen Tears and the Magic Soul Pill—the real treasures here.
Not relics, but the items he needed.
Especially the Frozen Tears, a magical crystal that raised absolute magic stats dramatically.
'Increasing magic is top priority for later floors.'
His fusion skills would need enormous mana eventually.
Originally, he had planned to give up on the Frozen Tears due to the curse.
But after confirming Teresa's presence…
He no longer needed to give up.
Her divine power could neutralize the cold aura.
"May I ask something before deciding?"
Teresa looked nervous.
"Go ahead."
"Earlier… the person who killed the sentries and woke the Guardian… was it you?"
Oh?
She was attacking from this angle now?
'From her point of view, I look suspicious as hell.'
He hid his identity.
He knew too much.
Explaining would be tiring.
So Jin-hyuk took the simpler approach.
"I understand why you're suspicious. But no, it wasn't me."
"You expect me to believe that?"
"Yes. The evidence is right in front of you."
"Evidence?"
"If I were the one who woke up the Guardian…"
He shrugged.
"I would've killed you before this annoying conversation."
A simple, brutal truth.
Teresa flinched.
And before she could respond—
Song Cheon-hwa intervened.
"Absolutely not! We must move together from now on!"
The captain's voice cracked.
Teresa was the core of their group.Losing her now would doom them.
But Teresa didn't budge.
"There's a map up to the first 20 km.Everyone knows the strategy.Nothing changes even if I don't come."
Indeed.
Countless attempts had mapped the earlier sections of the ruins.
Proceeding carefully would keep them relatively safe.
"Besides, the contract never said I must follow your command before the boss fight."
"T-that…"
Song Cheon-hwa stuttered.Because she was right.
He sighed deeply.
"…Fine. But you must join us when we reach the end of the mapped area."
"Of course."
Teresa nodded.
"Oh, and… may I take one porter with me?"
"That? Do as you like."
He waved tiredly.
A minor detail.
But the porters froze.
Accompanying a ranker.
Not luck.
A one-way ticket to hell.
'She wants to drag us into the worst, deadliest area… damn it.''Don't look at her! She'll choose you if you make eye contact!''I have a family!'
Everyone prayed desperately.
Not me. Please not me.
Then—
Teresa pointed to Jin-hyuk.
And he agreed immediately.
The porters freaked out.
"I don't know what you're thinking, but is this love?! Love is nothing compared to your life!"
"Right! Listen to Captain Kim!"
"No matter how pretty the saint is! Ahh… youth makes people stupid!"
They all tried to stop him.
Misunderstanding everything.
Jin-hyuk tried to correct them—
"It's not—"
But they gave him no chance.
So he switched tactics.
"Actually… Teresa and I have known each other since childhood."
Set the genre.
Add tragedy.Add melodrama.
"The ruins have items to save her family in Europe.I wanted to go alone, but I couldn't."
He even pinched his thigh to squeeze out tears.
Not a single drop came.
Damn emotional dryness.
"Even if I'm lacking… even if I die…I'll protect her to the end."
Love.Tragedy.Heroism.
A flawless triple combo.
The porters looked at him with glowing eyes.
"Kang Jin-hyuk, you…"
"You're a real man. A warrior of Goguryeo!"
"Right! Go! Protect your childhood friend!"
"Youth is so beautiful…"
Their encouragement poured out.
Jin-hyuk and Teresa packed up and headed deeper into the ruins.
Five hours later—
They reached their destination.
'Well guarded.'
Jin-hyuk observed the formation.
Mostly ghouls and skeletons.
But also:
—Dullahans—A Lich capable of magic
Even if the Lich wasn't high-tier,no Lich should ever be underestimated.
Curses and debuffs were lethal.
Teresa nudged him.
"There. The Oath is beside it."
"I see it."
At the center of the formation lay:
Apostle Peter's OathFrozen TearsSubspace Inventory Combination
If they killed these monsters, they could level up—
He planned to leave that to Teresa.
"Get ready."
Jin-hyuk raised his dagger.The blade glowed red.
"Okay."
Teresa lifted her sword and shield.
But then—
Tring!
A red status window suddenly appeared before the two of them.
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