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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Righteous Fury
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If Ha-ra had made a mistake, it was that she’d never once set foot in a dungeon and had no idea how powerful a B-grade monster truly was.
[Georg spreads its wings.]
[Georg's Domain Special Effect: Warning (Ranged) is activated.]
The entire dungeon shook. Kee-aaaak! The cry of a massive bird echoed throughout the dungeon.
At the same time, a powerful gust of wind—*whoosh*—swept through. *Rumble...* The entire forest seemed to weep. Trees swayed, and monsters took to the sky in a frenzy.
Seo-yeon screamed. But the sounds of the dungeon were so loud that her cries were completely drowned out.
[Georg is on the move.]
Everything screamed at them to flee. Ha-ra quickly drew her beam. Light erupted from her hand in an instant, but the problem was that the beam only traveled in a straight line.
Amidst the violently swaying cedar trees, the beam shot from Ha-ra’s hand and shattered one of Georg’s eggs. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the magic core.
[You have destroyed one of Georg's eggs.]
[You have acquired the title ‘Heartless Rascal.’ Agility +1]
[Georg is enraged.]
[Georg's movement speed increases.]
What the hell is a ‘Heartless Rascal’? But she had no time to be baffled by the title thrown at her.
Ha-ra swung her beam again, but the result was the same.
[You have destroyed one of Georg's eggs.]
[Georg is enraged.]
[Georg's movement speed increases further.]
With everything shaking around her, she couldn’t manage to destroy the magic core. On top of that, Seo-yeon was clinging to her and crying. It was a total mess.
In the end, Ha-ra put away the beam and flew while holding Seo-yeon tight. Navigating through the swaying trees was no easy task.
[Georg has returned.]
[Georg is enraged.]
[Georg scans its domain.]
[Georg has found you.]
*Kee-aaaak...* The dungeon shook again. The system message sent a chill down her spine. *The boss found me? What happens now?*
Ha-ra flew on, breaking out in a cold sweat. Seo-yeon clung to her, trembling and crying, but there was no way to comfort her.
The faint boundary of the safe zone came into view. She could see carnivorous monsters rampaging and fleeing near it, and the three people huddled together in shock.
“Over there!”
She couldn't hear him, but she saw Se-heon, who was holding the two crying girls, pointing in her direction. The children looked toward her as well.
As the yellow light of the safe zone’s boundary grew closer, she finally began to relax. *It’s okay. Once we’re in the safe zone, we’ll be fine.*
Or so she thought.
[Georg casts Skill: Domain Control.]
She heard a *fizzle*. At the same moment, Ha-ra’s eyes widened. The boundary of the safe zone had suddenly vanished.
[The entire dungeon rampages with Georg's fury.]
[Time Remaining: 04:58]
*So that's what Domain Control meant?*
Se-heon was also stunned to see the safe zone disappear in an instant.
A carnivorous, wolf-like monster that had been running wildly spotted the three of them and let out a sudden howl.
“Awoooo!”
The children screamed as the monster changed direction and charged at them. There was no time to think. Se-heon threw himself over the children, shielding them with his body.
Because its target had suddenly dropped, the monster’s claws swiped at empty air. Instead, its hind leg slammed down hard on Se-heon’s back. Blood splattered. Pain and weight crushed him. The girls pinned beneath him shrieked.
“Kuh—”
But the next moment, the weight pressing down on his back abruptly vanished.
“Are you okay?!”
It was Ha-ra. Se-heon managed to turn and look up at her. He'd thought things had gone wrong when the dungeon started shaking, but seeing her with a girl he'd never met, it seemed she'd somehow managed the rescue after all.
Ha-ra shouted.
“I'm sorry! I messed up!”
“I figured as much!”
The children cried out, "Seo-yeon!" relieved to see her. But this was no time for a tearful reunion or for arguing over who was to blame.
Their eyes met in a quick exchange.
“Kids, run!”
“Where to?”
A frantic conversation ensued. Even in the midst of it, another system message appeared.
[Georg puts a bounty on your head.]
[The monsters of the dungeon report your location to Georg.]
[Georg pinpoints your location.]
[Georg has found you!]
A shiver ran down her spine. Ha-ra spoke urgently to Se-heon.
“I'm the target, so we should split up!”
“But…”
“Big Sis!”
Seo-yeon, who had been clinging to Ha-ra, panicked and grabbed her collar. But Ha-ra immediately pushed her over to Se-heon.
“I'm so sorry! Really, truly! I'm sorry, but…”
Se-heon cut her off, pulling Seo-yeon toward him.
“I'll handle it!”
It was his way of saying, *I'll take care of the kids, so you do what you have to do. There's no time to be sorry right now.* All of that was packed into his words.
It was strange. They had only spent half a day together in the dungeon, yet she could understand him so clearly.
[Constellation ‘Cupid’ is pleased.]
*You only show up at times like this? Just stay out of it.* Ha-ra cursed inwardly and turned around without hesitation. She could feel a massive presence rapidly approaching.
[Constellation ‘Cupid’ is sulking.]
She was dumbfounded. Was there really a Constellation who would start sulking when the ant they'd bet on was in mortal danger?
Ha-ra let out a yell and sliced through a carnivorous rabbit that was lunging at her.
“Agh! And you called this a lottery win!”
*Does a lottery win ever sulk?!*
At least without Seo-yeon, she could move freely. Glancing at the four people hastily retreating in the distance, Ha-ra decided to get as far away from this spot as possible.
But something was strange. For someone who had turned around so decisively, her feet wouldn't leave the ground. It was because she was scared.
“I... I can do this.”
Ha-ra repeated to herself. *I can do this.*
But she couldn't muster any courage. Of course she couldn't.
She had never been in a dungeon before, never fought a monster. The glow stick in her hand felt as light as a toy, while the presence of the monster bearing down on her was immense.
The monster was B-grade. Her skills might be S-grade, but Ha-ra was nothing more than a half-baked S-grade herself. And now, Se-heon wasn't even with her.
But in that moment, something completely unexpected provoked her.
[Love sometimes makes you lonely.]
The system message appeared as if to mock her. A vein throbbed on Ha-ra’s temple.
“Hey, are you kidding me? You're saying that in a situation like this?”
[Love sometimes drives you into an uncontrollable rage.]
“Wow, you really are messing with me, aren't you?”
[Love is… ]
“Oh, shut up!”
[Constellation ‘Cupid’ chuckles, remarking that they say you don't feed a fish you've already caught, and now you're even getting angry and cursing.]
As if her fear from moments ago had been a lie, anger surged within her. The target of her fury, of course, was the Constellation.
Ha-ra muttered a curse and adjusted her glasses. She was furious. She had been so scared she was trembling, yet here was this god, joking about love. She could feel just how little this so-called deity thought of her.
She had clung desperately to this Constellation because it promised to make her S-grade, even if it meant making a fool of herself.
But this Constellation truly wouldn't care if she died. No, it might even be hoping to see her die a ridiculous death.
Come to think of it, Cupid had compared her to an ant it was grafting from the very beginning. If one little ant it was trying to graft died, it probably wouldn't bat an eye.
“An ant, huh.”
It was strange. Normally, one would despair at such a realization, but Ha-ra felt a strange sense of defiance welling up. A defiance that vowed to survive, no matter what.
[Georg is approaching you.]
“Fine.”
[Casting ‘Flight (S)’.]
[Casting ‘It’s Just a Candle Flame, But I Can Do It! (S)’.]
Ha-ra’s feet lifted off the ground. She pressed a finger against the throbbing vein on her temple, but it didn't recede, so she left it. She drew her beam as well. From the glow stick, no thicker than her thumb, a long beam shot out.
“Whatever happens, I'm going to give it a shot.”
[Georg is now right on top of you.]
A colossal monster was flying above her, its wings spread wide. It was so large you'd believe it was a dragon, not a bird.
But Ha-ra didn't run. Instead, she glared up at it. As if the thing in the sky wasn't the field boss, but her own Constellation.
“I'm getting out of this alive.”
[Georg opens its beak.]
The beam grew endlessly. Two meters, three meters... As it stretched on and on, the system messages screamed.
[Your mana is dropping rapidly.]
*Who cares.* Her original mana was 9, but the multiplication skill actually squared it. So right now, her mana was 81.
*You ignorant Constellation. You don't even know the difference between multiplication and squaring, and you think you can graft someone?*
You're not Mendel or Woo Jang-choon.
[Your mana is dropping rapidly.]
*Cupid, my ass. In this day and age, you're still hung up on love. Just because you're the 'God of Love' and force a connection doesn't mean I'm going to fall in love on command.*
If you thought I'd obediently start dating or whatever just because you made us hold hands and introduce ourselves, you were dead wrong.
Having risen to eye level with Georg, Ha-ra glared at the monster from behind her glasses.
[Georg looks at you.]
[Georg's Domain Special Effect: Intimidation (Close Range) is activated.]
[Status Effect: Rage has nullified Intimidation.]
[Your mana is dropping rapidly.]
She didn't need to do much. Ha-ra swung her arm. The beam extending from her hand sliced through the monster in a straight line.
[You have defeated the Field Boss: Georg.]
[Achievement Unlocked!]
[You have acquired the title ‘One Shot to the Constellation’s Side.’ Stamina +2]
[You have acquired the special status: Berserker.]
It was over.
