"What's wrong? Are you sick?" "U-Um over there."
Jin-Woo's gaze followed Ju-Hee's fingertips. A massive statue. She was pointing at the statue's face. Since it looked the same as when they first saw it, Jin-Woo tilted his head.
"...?"
Ju-Hee stammered.
"Th-the eyes... The statue's eyes just moved in our direction." "What?"
No matter how many times he checked, the statue remained still.
"Ah... Must be your imagination."
But Ju-Hee was beyond hearing his words. Head bowed, she clung to his arm and only trembled.
'Wait.'
Suddenly Jin-Woo felt a foreboding presence too. The surroundings were eerily quiet.
'The sounds?'
Even the crackling of the torches had gone silent.
"First..."
Meanwhile, Mr. Song's voice continued as he read the stone tablet.
"Worship the Lord. Second, praise the Lord. Third, prove your faith. Those who break these rules will not return alive."
That was when — BOOM! The sudden noise made everyone jump.
"What the—?" "What was that?"
Jin-Woo spotted the anomaly first. With his senses on high alert, he quickly identified where the sound came from.
"The door! The door closed!"
As Jin-Woo shouted, everyone looked at the door. It had quietly shut tight while they weren't looking.
"Damn it! I can't take this anymore!"
The man who had been the first to oppose entering the double dungeon spat curses and strode toward the door.
"I'm heading back. You guys can take the boss and the treasure for all I care."
He glared at Mr. Song as if to protest, then sharply turned and grabbed the door handle. In that instant, Mr. Song's eyes widened.
"No!"
*CRUNCH!* The upper body of the man holding the handle vanished. His headless torso toppled backward. *THUD!*
"Aaaaah!" "U-Ugh!"
The Hunters screamed. The statue that had smashed the man's head with its mace returned to its original spot by the door as if nothing had happened, dripping with blood.
"Th-that one's moving!" "What? Does that mean all the statues here can move?" "We have to fight those things?" "I couldn't even see it swing the mace!"
But Jin-Woo knew. This wasn't the end of the disaster. Ju-Hee had said just moments ago.
"Th-the eyes... The statue's eyes just moved in our direction."
'If that's true...'
A chill ran down his spine. Jin-Woo forced his stiff neck to turn and looked back.
"Ah..."
The statue was staring down at him.
**3. The Attack Begins**
In that moment, the statue's enormous eyes turned red. Was it a Hunter's instinct? No—it was the primal warning of a living creature sensing danger. Something was coming. Something unbearable! Jin-Woo turned to the Hunters behind him and shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Duck!"
Almost simultaneously, red beams erupted from both of the statue's eyes. Jin-Woo hugged Ju-Hee and threw himself to the side. *ZZZZZT!* The beams grazed the spot where he'd been standing. A tenth of a second. No—a hundredth. A razor-thin margin. But not all the other Hunters were as lucky.
"Aaaaaah!" "Aaaaaah!"
Hunters touched by the beams literally evaporated. Only charred remains of them were left where the beams had passed. The screams came not from the victims but from the other Hunters who witnessed their end.
"Wh-what is this?" "Ugh..." "How can this be..."
The Hunters were in shock. Out of sixteen, only eleven survived. They had never experienced such a devastating attack before.
'That shout about ducking saved us just in time.' 'If Mr. Song hadn't yelled just now...'
The Hunters looked at Jin-Woo and swallowed hard. He was their savior. The thought of what would have happened without him made their blood run cold.
"..."
Jin-Woo, still prone, glared at the statue. Its eyes still glowed red, but no further attack came.
'Is the attack... over?'
Jin-Woo looked down. The terrified Ju-Hee was shaking in his arms. Despite being an excellent B-rank Hunter, this was why she worked under the Hunter's Association instead of a major guild and only participated in simple raids. Her breathing was becoming ragged. He couldn't leave her like this. As Jin-Woo thought about doing something and tried to rise, someone firmly pressed his shoulder down.
"Don't stand up."
It was Mr. Song, who had approached unnoticed. Jin-Woo was flustered but obediently listened. Mr. Song shouted to the other Hunters too:
"Nobody move! Stay exactly as you are!"
Mr. Song looked around, then turned back to Jin-Woo.
"Only the ones who moved got hit. Those who listened to you and ducked survived." "I see."
Mr. Song tilted his head.
"You knew it when you shouted? Or was it just instinct?" "I just had a feeling something dangerous..."
Mr. Song's eyes lit up with interest.
'Good instincts. This kid was E-rank? If his stats were just a little higher...'
While Mr. Song looked at Jin-Woo with regret, Jin-Woo finally had a moment to assess Mr. Song's condition. Spotting something, Jin-Woo's eyes widened.
"U-Uncle... Your arm?" "This is fine. It's bearable." "But still..."
Jin-Woo swallowed hard. The arm pressing his shoulder — Mr. Song's left arm — was gone.
"..."
Without a word, Mr. Song looked down at Ju-Hee. Despite the excruciating pain, he ripped his long T-shirt and wrapped it around his remaining left arm stump.
"Help me tie the end, will you? It's hard with one hand."
Jin-Woo nodded. A quick tourniquet was applied. Instead of screaming or groaning, Mr. Song let out a long sigh. It was the sigh of a man with ten years of Hunter experience.
"Phew..."
With first aid done, Mr. Song scanned the area with sharp eyes. Though the statue had stopped attacking, the situation hadn't improved. Time crept by.
"Ugh-uh-uh..." "Why do we have to go through this..."
Some Hunters began to cry.
"We can't stay like this forever!"
The Hunters' patience was wearing thin. Jin-Woo agreed.
'We can't stay here forever.'
But what could be done? If Mr. Song's theory was right, any movement would trigger an attack. Even if they somehow made it to the door, the guardian statues stood on both sides. They were the real problem. The guardian's movements were too fast to see with the naked eye. Would they be able to open the door and escape before the guardians attacked? It seemed utterly impossible. In other words, the Hunters' annihilation was only a matter of time.
'Wait... A matter of time?'
The moment this thought occurred, a strong sense of incongruity struck him. Something impossible had happened. But no one had realized it yet.
'Something... I'm missing something.'
The answer must be inside. That was when:
"Don't move!"
Mr. Song shouted at Mr. Joo, who was far off. But Mr. Joo bared his teeth.
"Shut up! How do we know when that bastard will attack again? We're supposed to just sit here and wait?"
Mr. Joo was a combat-type Hunter. Combat-types fought hand-to-hand with physical abilities far beyond ordinary humans. Moreover, Mr. Joo had earned recognition and was on the verge of signing with a major guild.
"I'm not dying like this!"
Mr. Joo crouched and tensed his legs, aiming for the door. His calf muscles bulged.
"No..."
Mr. Song muttered under his breath. In that instant, Mr. Joo pushed off and launched himself forward. *TAK-TAK-TAK-TAK!* Jin-Woo turned toward the statue. Sure enough, its pupils were aimed at Mr. Joo. From both eyes, terrifying beams shot out. *ZZZZZT!* The beam caught Mr. Joo from behind.
"Aaaaaah!"
A female Hunter screamed at the top of her lungs. She had wet herself — a yellow puddle spread beneath her. The male Hunters' faces went pale as well.
"Oh my god..."
Where the beam had passed, Mr. Joo was gone. Only his severed ankles remained. One Hunter with a weak stomach vomited.
"Bleh— Bleeeeeh!"
Jin-Woo grimaced. These things could wipe out the Hunters whenever they wanted. It looked even easier than crushing a bug.
'But why... don't they do it?'
They could kill but didn't. This pattern was entirely different from the magic beasts that attacked Hunters on sight. These things only moved under specific conditions. The guardian attacked when you approached the door; the statue's eyes fired beams when you moved. Like a game with rules.
'Could it be... This room has rules?'
In that instant, a puzzle piece clicked into place in Jin-Woo's mind. He remembered what Mr. Song had read from the stone tablet.
'The decrees of the Cartenon Temple.'
Rules were rules, decrees were rules. If there was any way to survive these things, the warning inscribed on that tablet was the only key.
"...Worship the Lord."
That was the first decree.
"Hmm? What did you say?"
Mr. Song looked at Jin-Woo. Jin-Woo placed his index finger to his lips instead of answering. A gesture asking for time to think.
'If I'm right...'
Jin-Woo slowly rose. Mr. Song reached for him quickly, but Jin-Woo shook his head with a resolute expression.
'...He doesn't have the look of someone who's given up.'
Mr. Song nodded. Without taking his eyes off the statue, Jin-Woo carefully stood up. Instantly, the statue's pupils locked onto him. *ZZZZZT!* As expected, the beams fired. If he had dropped even a fraction slower, not just a few strands of hair but his entire face would have melted! Lying flat on the floor, Jin-Woo gasped for air.
"Hah, hah, hah, hah."
He'd nearly died. The moment his eyes met the statue's, he was certain it was over. He had escaped by the narrowest margin, but his legs still trembled.
'But...'
He had gained something.
'It doesn't attack a moving target.'
As long as he stayed crouched, he could shift positions and the pupils wouldn't move. But the instant he tried to stand, the beams would rain down without fail.
'It attacks when an object reaches a certain height.'
Jin-Woo had just risked his life to verify that. And he had obtained certainty. About the meaning of the first decree!