Chapter 69. You're Good At Running Away

People were confused. No one had entered the Valley of Lament — a dungeon that had appeared less than a month ago, except for the initial investigation by the Il-Young Guild.

"What is going on here?"

Hunters, including Son Chang-Il and Choi Sang-Gyu, asked the soldier at the post. Seeing the sudden approach of the guild leaders and other prominent Hunters, the soldier stood at attention and replied nervously.

"I-I don't know! According to our records, no one has entered!"

Then, the soldier showed the dungeon entry logs. They were clean, only noting the initial investigation a month ago. Everyone who had gone in at that time had returned safely.

"Check the video surveillance footage," Son Chang-Il ordered one of his subordinates.

With a nervous look, the subordinate nodded and started reviewing the footage with the soldier. However, despite thorough checking, no one was seen entering the dungeon.

"It could have been someone with stealth abilities," one Hunter suggested.

"That's the most likely explanation," Son Chang-Il said, frowning.

Things would get complicated if an unauthorized individual cleared a dungeon. Beyond issues like tax evasion, if the culprit were a foreign Hunter, this could become a matter of national pride and security. In a world where dungeon resources equated to national strength, closing another country's dungeon without detection was no small issue.

"A powerful individual with stealth abilities who can take down an A-rank dungeon boss alone..." Son Chang-Il muttered.

"Or perhaps they might have a skill that can hide multiple people," Choi Sang-Gyu interjected.

"That's even worse," Son Chang-Il muttered.

As he discussed with Choi Sang-Gyu, the Il-Young Guild Master, he issued orders to his subordinates. Soon, the members of the Association began surrounding the barricade.

Choi Sang-Gyu said, "Let's wait. Since the boss was just defeated, the culprit must still be inside. They have to come out here eventually."

"You're right. Let's wait," Son Chang-Il agreed.

The group stood on high alert, with those possessing scouting skills meticulously monitoring the surroundings. Everyone kept their hands on their weapons, ready for a potential confrontation. However, no one came out, even after a long wait.

Huh?

Then, suddenly, Kim Do-Joon felt something strange—a peculiar sensation, as if something was brushing against his feet. It vanished quickly, but was too distinct to dismiss as imagination.

"What's wrong?" Son Chang-Il asked Kim Do-Joon, who was scanning the area.

"Didn't you feel something odd?"

"Something odd? Did you find anything?"

People’s attention shifted to Kim Do-Joon. He asked the others the same question, but no one felt a thing.

"I didn't detect anything," said a Hunter with scouting skills, firmly.

Interest in Kim Do-Joon's words quickly faded.

"Let's not waste time with nonsense. We're already dealing with enough trouble," Choi Sang-Gyu said sharply, glaring at Kim Do-Joon.

Choi Sang-Gyu seemed annoyed. The situation was already frustrating: a rare A-rank dungeon, and extra rewards for helping out with a special promotion were in jeopardy. As if that wasn’t enough, an E-rank candidate like Kim Do-Joon was making bizarre comments.

"..."

Kim Do-Joon didn’t respond and kept surveying his surroundings. He trusted his instincts. He glanced down at where he had felt the sensation, and saw something unusual.

Wait... This is...

A spike seemed to be protruding from his shadow, as if ready to burst out. He recognized the spike as the Thorn of Searshader. His skill had activated on its own for some reason.

The next moment, Kim Do-Joon followed the direction the spike pointed. He saw the barbed wire barricade and the Hunters of the Association standing guard. Beyond them, there were crowds holding cameras and smartphones. Something caught his eye amidst the crowd—a brown-skinned woman, shrouded in shadows, wearing a leather jacket. She was watching the root area intently.

Squinting, Kim Do-Joon scrutinized her. She was acting suspiciously, gazing at the disappearing root and lowering her gaze. When she noticed him, she quickly averted her gaze. Their eyes met briefly, and she looked startled. However, she quickly composed herself and began to disappear through the crowd.

As the shadows around her deepened, the spike in Kim Do-Joon’s shadow flickered again.

“Wait!”

Kim Do-Joon reacted instinctively, sprinting forward and leaping over the barricade in one fluid motion.

The onlookers gasped and quickly moved aside as he landed.

“Excuse me,” Kim Do-Joon said, pushing through the crowd.

He caught a glimpse of the woman disappearing into the distance.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Son Chang-Il called out from behind, but Kim Do-Joon didn’t have time to respond.

𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Instead, he kicked off the ground.

Boom!

Using his skill, Sky Thunder, he shot forward. The woman glanced back, visibly startled, then ran faster.

She’s no ordinary person.

That much was obvious even from a distance. Her graceful, wind-assisted movements, and her speed, comparable to Kim Do-Joon’s, said it all.

Besides, it seems no one else can see her.

She passed through the crowd, but people didn’t even bat an eye. They only reacted to the gusts of wind, remarking on the unusually strong breeze. In contrast, Kim Do-Joon's rapid approach drew surprised looks.

She has a stealth skill that can fool even the Association President... But why can I see her?

Kim Do-Joon pondered this mystery but pushed it aside. Right now, the priority was to catch her.

—

Keuk

The woman kept glancing back, checking the distance between them, but it wasn’t widening. Realizing this, she shot a black blade toward his knee.

Swoosh—!

Kim Do-Joon effortlessly leapt over the blade. Typically, a sudden jump would slow someone down, but he resumed his pace almost immediately, only losing a couple of steps.

The woman's eyes widened in surprise. She started fleeing again, throwing more blades behind her. Kim Do-Joon dodged them, but the barrage was relentless.

“

Tsk

.” Kim Do-Joon clicked his tongue.

Unable to maintain his speed while dodging the blades, the shadowy woman soon disappeared from sight.

What now?

Was he going to lose her? He scanned the area, narrowing his eyes. Then, he looked down at his feet again. The spike and flickering shadow were still there, pointing toward a direction.

Kim Do-Joon immediately followed.

***

"

Ha... Ha...

"

Elena leaned against the wall of a dark, damp alleyway, catching her breath. Despite the dreary surroundings, she felt at ease.

"Who is that guy?" she muttered, recalling the events that had just happened.

Having completed her mission, she was slipping away unnoticed. When suddenly, she found herself surrounded by a crowd. Normally, neither ordinary people nor strong individuals could see through her stealth. But that man was different.

Despite being cloaked in shadows, he didn’t only detect her, but even made eye contact. This led to a high-speed chase. He was fast and relentless, but she finally managed to shake him off and hide.

"Liaz," she called out as she tried to calm her breathing.

Then, the shadows enveloping her coalesced into a tiny fairy-like figure, no bigger than a finger.

"What happened back there?" Elena asked.

―

Ki...

The black fairy, Liaz, squirmed under her stern gaze. It bowed its head, trembling slightly.

Elena gasped―she had never seen the spirit in such a state!

"What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

Liaz shook its head, but it wouldn’t stop trembling.

Something must be wrong with Liaz...

That was probably why her stealth was compromised, Elena thought. She sighed in understanding.

"Take a rest for now," Elena said.

She didn’t know what was wrong, but getting to safety was the priority.

―

Ki...

"It's okay," Elena reassured Liaz, smiling to put it at ease. "No human can keep up with us anyway..."

Just then, a voice from above startled her.

"There you are."

She looked up to see a spear, crackling with blue lightning, flying toward her.

"Liaz!" she called out.

―

Kki!

She quickly dodged, taking Liaz with her. The spear missed and pierced the ground, then returned to the man standing on the rooftop.

“

Huh

.”

Elena’s eyes widened. Her vision was sharp enough to spot a ladybug ten miles away. There was no mistaking it―it was the same man from before!

"How did you find me?" Elena exclaimed.

―

Ki!

Then, Elena started running again, and the man gave chase. Quickly, she threw a multitude of shadow blades. It had worked well before, but now, the man closed the gap each time.

"

Ugh!

" she grunted as the man kept catching up.

No matter how many times she evaded him, he was always right there. Sometimes, he even anticipated her moves, waiting for her.

“

Ha... Ha...

”

Exhausted, Elena continued running at full speed, even drawing on Liaz’ power. She hadn’t slept since yesterday, fighting the monsters in the dungeon all night long to destroy the root.

Eventually, she realized she couldn’t shake him off. Still, surrendering wasn’t an option. She glanced at a low hill, away from the bustling city, and her eyes gleamed with determination.

***

"She’s good at escaping," Kim Do-Joon muttered, watching the woman disappear into the forest.

He didn’t know how, but the Thorn of Searshader always pointed in her direction. Moreover, he knew the layout of Seoul better than anyone, giving him a significant advantage. Despite cornering her multiple times, she slipped away like a slippery eel every time.

As expected of someone with a stealth skill.

Many of those with stealth abilities were adept at evasion and pursuit, and this woman seemed to be one of them.

Kim Do-Joon followed her up the mountain. Naturally, she didn’t stick to the hiking trails. Instead, she climbed over rocks and through trees, moving effortlessly up the slope.

Why is she so fast?

Kim Do-Joon frowned looking at her. Usually, dense forests slowed people down, and he was much slower here than in the city. However, Elena seemed unaffected, if not faster.

Because of this, Kim Do-Joon lost sight of her. Yet, he wasn’t worried because he had a

compass.

Just as he was about to check the spikes in the shadow, he heard her voice.

“You chased me all the way here so easily.”

He listened carefully, trying to pinpoint her location, but the echoing forest made it impossible.

“Don’t think you can beat an elf in a forest,” she taunted.

Kim Do-Joon’s expression darkened. Then, he remembered a student's tale of seeing a brown-skinned elf.

Swoosh—!

Suddenly, a swift arrow shot toward him.