“Phew…”

After taking down the remaining monsters, I caught my breath and lowered my gun. Thankfully, Do-gyul had used his mind control skill to make the monsters fight among themselves, reducing their numbers—otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to handle them alone. Just then, the system announced that the mid-boss monster had been defeated.

[The mid-boss monster ‘Greedy Geronir’ of Svartalfheim-S666 has been defeated. The item will be bound to you.]

“What timing…”

I was about to say, ‘This is killing me,' but I couldn’t finish the sentence—someone grabbed my arm and whirled me around.

"Who… are you?"

"Huh?"

It was Eden. He frowned and suddenly raised his voice, grabbing my arm as if he were going to crush it. Had he figured out who I was? Thanks to Lee Chae-jin’s potion, not only had my appearance changed, but even my voice had altered slightly. Unlike regular items that only changed a person’s appearance, Lee Chae-jin’s potion perfectly maintained the guise of someone else. Could he have known? Startled, I just blinked—and Eden spoke again.

"Who are you to be using the same gun as Yi-jin? Who are you?"

"Ah…"

Did he recognize me, or just the gun? Either way, his attention to detail was annoyingly sharp. I clicked my tongue inwardly and brushed off his hand. Since I was already disguised, it seemed smarter to act casually and avoid blowing my cover.

"What are you talking about? How many weapons like this are there?"

"But still…"

"I guess the maker was the same by coincidence. I got this secondhand from the market at a bargain."

"…"

I acted indifferently, but Eden's suspicious stare remained. I had no idea what he was thinking. Why would he question someone he just met about a weapon being the same? Or was he just looking for trouble? I shook my head and turned away.

"Hyung…"

"…!"

My body froze at Do-gyul's soft muttering. When our eyes met, Do-gyul's eyes wavered slightly. Had he recognized me? I swallowed nervously, but Do-gyul quickly turned his head away. What was that? Had he not recognized me? I stood there, completely confused, blinking in silence.

"Hey there, are you okay?"

"Ah."

He was the hunter who had tried to give me Cheongsimhwan inside the barrier earlier. After scanning my body with his eyes to see if I was injured, he let out a relieved sigh.

"Wow, that's really impressive. Your weapon's grade must be extremely high. Or is your attack skill level that advanced? Shouldn't you be assigned to the combat unit?"

"No, that's not it."

The rapid-fire questions made my head spin. I looked into his eyes, which were sparkling to the point of being burdensome, and shook my head.

"Fortunately, the monsters were a good match for the weapon; otherwise, it would’ve been tough."

"Ah… Really?"

The hunter still had a doubtful look in his eyes, but when I shamelessly brushed it off, he couldn’t say anything more. Soon, the high-ranking hunters who had finished their battle discovered Eden and Do-gyul and began to gather around them.

"Why are you guys here?"

"…"

Kang Yoo-hyun looked at the two of them as he questioned them. Soon, he would realize I had sneaked out. Would he pause the raid to search for me? If that happened, I’d be caught for sure. Maybe it would be better to confess now and make things easier for myself. It was when I made up my mind and took a step forward—

"I was just curious about what the dungeon is like."

"What?"

"Hey!"

At Do-gyul's words, Kang Yoo-hyun furrowed his brows in disbelief, while Eden raised his voice. However, at Do-gyul's glance, Eden instantly fell silent. Even so, Eden couldn't hide the displeased look on his face.

"Are you trying to joke right now? With Han Yi-jin left behind, you…?"

“Hyung is doing fine, so don’t worry.”

“…”

Despite Kang Yoo-hyun's fierce glare, Do-gyul responded calmly. Even though Kang Yoo-hyun was stable thanks to the Sweet Sleep item, Do-gyul had grown enough to face him head-on, and that wasn’t something to underestimate. Still, it felt like things could go wrong if they kept talking. Do-gyul’s hand was starting to tremble. Just as I was about to step in again, unable to watch any longer—

“There's a monster hiding here!”

“Huk…!”

A commotion broke out where the mid-boss monster had been defeated. Kang Yoo-hyun and Do-gyul, who had been facing each other, turned their heads. I also turned to see the source of the commotion.

“…!”

It was the same monster I had seen in the vision. Just like I had seen back then, it was lying face down, shivering with fear.

“P-Please! Spare me! Please, I beg you!”

“A monster… talking?”

The raid team gathered in shock. Some were wary of the monster, while others were curious. However, most of them looked at the monster with disdain.

“I’m just a dwarf, captured by the evil dragon. If you spare me, I’ll do anything!”

“A dwarf…?”

At the monster’s claim of being a dwarf, I quickly used an item to inspect it. If it were human, the status window would appear in green; if it were a monster, it would appear in red.

「The good-hearted dwarf who was passing by.

Rank: C

Level: 21

A good-hearted dwarf captured by the evil dragon.

He knows the secret of the evil dragon.」

“…”

But wait, he's clearly a good-hearted dwarf—why is the status window showing red, like a monster? If this continues, people might mistake him for a monster and kill him without hesitation.

The difference between the color of the status window and the description is huge. Is it just because his race is different? Since this isn't a game, there’s no concept of NPCs, right? Does that mean any different race is automatically seen as an enemy and displayed in red?

"I know where the evil dragon has hidden its treasure. I'm sure there are legendary weapons there!"

"What did you say?"

The raid team was in an uproar at the dwarf’s words. The mention of legendary weapons made the hunters widen their eyes in surprise.

“Is that true?”

“…”

Ah, this was the part that had been shown in the vision. I stared at the dwarf and Kang Yoo-hyun nervously. The dwarf, lying face down with his forehead nearly touching the ground, trembled and shouted.

"Yes, it's true. I would never lie!"

But with the status window red, like a monster's, it's hard to trust him. I sighed in frustration. And probably, at this very moment…

"We don’t need to listen to what a monster has to say. Let’s deal with it immediately."

“…”

Here it comes—the hunters who were pushing to eliminate the dwarf. It was definitely the Guild Master of the Ur Guild, Joshua Lehmann, leading the charge to kill the dwarf. I watched the situation tensely as it unfolded, exactly as it had in the vision.

"Same here, hyung. I’ve got a bad feeling about this."

Kang Soo-hyun also stepped forward and spoke. With two high-ranking hunters expressing negative opinions, Kang Yoo-hyun murmured quietly, his face showing signs of hesitation.

“…Is that so?”

“…!”

Right now, Kang Yoo-hyun’s complexion wasn’t as bad as it had been in the vision. Of course, I had been taking care of him every night with the Sweet Sleep item. But even so, I couldn’t be sure whether he would make a different decision than in the original story.

“I-I’m telling the truth! I know where the legendary weapons are! If you spare me, I’ll find them all and give them to you!”

The dwarf also shouted his words, exactly as in the vision, not missing a single syllable. After that, the other hunters, as if waiting for their turn, began speaking in unison.

“It’s obviously a trap to lure us in. We’re better off ignoring whatever the monster says.”

“You’re right. There was a case in China where a monster that could speak human language lured a hunter in and attacked them.”

“He’s disgusting. Let’s kill him right here.”

“…”

It felt like watching a scene from a drama. Since I had already seen this part in the vision, it seemed familiar. I turned to look at Eden, knowing it was now his turn to speak sarcastically and ruin the mood.

“…?”

But Eden only wore a dissatisfied expression and kept his mouth shut. Why? Isn't it his turn to speak?

‘What if it really turns out to be true?’

He’s supposed to be mouthing off without a care in the world, not worrying about what the other high-ranking hunters think. Why is Eden the only one acting differently?

“Ah.”

It was Do-gyul. He had used his ability to stop Eden from talking nonsense. As a result, unlike in the original, Eden's timing to speak was thrown off. So, what happens now? If Eden doesn't disagree here, what about Liam White, who’s supposed to speak next?

"Hmm."

“…”

Liam White, who was supposed to speak next after Eden, was just staring at the dwarf lying face down, his expression showing interest. As expected, the original scenario had completely fallen apart. After a brief, awkward silence, the hunters began speaking again, as if following a script. Since no dissenting opinions were voiced, the calls to just kill the dwarf grew louder.

“Damn it.”

Isn't this situation actually worse than in the original story? This poor dwarf's life is truly as fragile as a candle in the wind.

"Excuse me…!”

I stepped forward without thinking, only to trip.

"Ugh…!"

I clumsily stumbled and fell right in front of the dwarf, causing everyone's gaze to immediately fix on me.

"Ouch…"

"You…"

"…!"

I quickly lifted my head and met Kang Yoo-hyun's icy gaze.