These Lunatics are Obsessed With Me-Chapter 167

“What are you doing? Hurry up.”

“…”

I figured as much. Sure, I knew no one was more qualified than him.

Even so, I couldn’t bring myself to move. Kang Yoo-hyun gave me a puzzled look.

The pop-up dungeon managed by the Odin Guild was set to appear on the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province, near Deokjeong Station in Uijeongbu—an area packed with industrial zones. Mana readings had already predicted a dungeon would open there.

Thankfully, the dungeon wasn’t appearing in a heavily populated area. Moreover, the area indicated by the mana readings consisted mostly of abandoned factories rather than functioning ones, making it an even more ideal site. That meant we could launch the raid without needing to evacuate anyone.

“Ugh, it’s cold.”

“Brrr…”

“…”

Eden and Do-gyul, who’d reluctantly come along, were shivering in the chilly weather. Now that winter had truly begun, the abandoned factories surrounding us made everything feel even colder and more desolate. They were probably feeling colder than it really was, just because of the atmosphere.

"See? You should've just stayed at the accommodation."

"How could I? You're going into a dangerous dungeon."

“I… don’t think it’ll be that dangerous, though.”

I glanced around and muttered to myself. Pop-up dungeons were different from instance dungeons that required a portal to enter. There was no portal to mark the entrance. Instead, the area itself would suddenly transform into a dungeon at set intervals. The location didn’t change—monsters just started appearing.

Still, the rewards were just as good as those from instance dungeons. At first, pop-up dungeons were a huge headache because civilians kept getting caught up in them—but now, people saw them as an easy way to make money. They were easy to clear, and the rewards were generous. A total win-win.

“Still, you need to be careful. A lot of bad guys are after you.”

“Well, that’s true.”

Eden had a point. Raisu still hadn’t given up on me. And if he ever found out about Yong-sik… I couldn’t even begin to imagine how far his obsession would go.

“Still, this place is under the Odin Guild’s watch. Would they really come after me so openly?”

This wasn’t some sketchy building run by the Association or a dungeon like Muspelheim, managed by the Tyr Guild. This place was directly under the Odin Guild’s control. Even now, Odin Guild members were stationed all around, keeping watch. Honestly, it felt excessive for something as minor as a pop-up dungeon.

Surely, even Raisu wouldn’t dare come after me, knowing he’d risk too much by challenging the Odin Guild. But still… I wasn’t sure. After meeting him in person, he seemed like such a lunatic that I couldn’t say for certain.

“Come here already.”

“…”

Still, with Kang Yoo-hyun here, it should be fine. After all, I’d learned in the Muspelheim Dungeon that I could boost my stats even further with the Catnip skill. Most opponents wouldn’t even be able to touch me.

Thanks to strong support from Sim Dante and Lee Chae-jin, I felt confident I could survive on my own to some degree. Feeling a bit more at ease, I moved toward Kang Yoo-hyun, who wore a sour look on his face.

“Dad.”

“Hm?”

I turned toward the voice and saw Yong-sik, practically buried in his thick long coat. I looked down at him with a puzzled expression.

“What’s the matter?”

“There’s something weird about the energy here.”

“The energy?”

Yong-sik could talk properly now. He said he’d always been able to understand human language—it just took time for his tongue and vocal cords to adjust, which was why he couldn’t speak out loud at first. But with steady practice, he now spoke more clearly and confidently than most kids his age.

I still remembered how cute it was when Yong-sik had just turned human and awkwardly said, “Dad!” Now, though, he’d become so calm and composed that it almost didn’t feel like he was a kid anymore. I guess part of me missed that. But then again, Yong-sik is always adorable, so it doesn’t really matter. No doubt about it.

I nodded to myself and looked around in response to what he’d said. The pop-up dungeon hadn’t appeared yet, but it was about time. So it wasn’t surprising that Yong-sik could sense something off in the fluctuating mana levels.

“It’s okay. It’ll be over soon. Yong-sik-ah, you just have to stay close to Dad.”

“…”

I spoke gently, patting his head, but Yong-sik’s stiff expression didn’t soften. Still, I couldn’t help but find him adorable.

“Hurry up already.”

"Yeah, yeah, I’m coming!"

Unable to wait any longer, Kang Yoo-hyun came over and pulled me along. Honestly, he was always so impatient. I muttered under my breath and followed him.

When a pop-up dungeon opened, a large, gem-like core appeared near the area where mana levels were most unstable. Monsters gathered around it as if guarding the core. Once the monsters were defeated and the core was destroyed, the dungeon disappeared, and you received a reward.

Most importantly, unlike instance dungeons, there was no boss monster. That made clearing it much easier. With Kang Yoo-hyun here, we probably would have been done in no time.

“Yong-sik-ah, you’re not cold?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“Yi-jin-ah, I’m cold. Really cold.”

“Then why don’t you just turn on your heating item properly?”

“Ugh…”

I gently pushed Eden away, who was clingy as ever, and looked straight ahead.

Even someone like me—who wasn’t particularly sensitive to mana—could feel a sharp, tingling sensation against my cheek. It wasn’t just the cold. I had a strong feeling that this place was about to turn into a dungeon.

I tightened my grip on Yong-sik’s hand. Soon, the area around us began to darken. Even though it was the middle of the day, the sky dimmed and turned red, like at sunset.

Clang! Clang!

“Urgh…!”

The ground shook, and the sound of metal clashing rang out.

Since we were in an industrial zone, the shaking caused machines to rattle and crash into each other. I quickly turned around, pulled Yong-sik into my arms, and held my breath.

“…?”

Was it over? I slowly opened my eyes and turned my head. Kang Yoo-hyun had drawn his sword and was staring intently at something, ready to strike.

“The core should be over there.”

“Where?”

I looked in the direction Kang Yoo-hyun pointed but couldn’t see anything. I just blinked dumbly, and he clicked his tongue.

“So they’re invisible this time. What a pain.”

“Invisible?”

It meant the monsters had a skill that let them become completely unseen—no wonder I couldn’t see them. Nodding in understanding, I turned to Kang Yoo-hyun and asked.

“But you can still see them, right?”

“…”

“Wait—don’t tell me you can’t?”

For something to be invisible to Kang Yoo-hyun, an SS-rank, the monster would have to be at least SS-rank itself—or even higher. But there was no way a pop-up dungeon would spawn monsters of that level.

So I asked Kang Yoo-hyun, trusting that he could see them—but he only frowned and stayed silent. That didn’t make sense. That shouldn’t be happening. The moment that uneasy thought crossed my mind, Kang Yoo-hyun finally spoke.

“I can see the monsters. But not the core.”

“What?”

“There’s a bunch of monsters gathered over there, so I’m guessing that’s where the core is… but…”

“…”

No way. He couldn’t see the core? Did that mean the core could use skills too, like the monsters?

That didn’t make any sense. Still puzzled, I looked at Kang Yoo-hyun and asked.

"What if the core isn’t actually there?"

"That’s impossible. The mana readings clearly pointed to that spot."

"Still…"

I was about to say more but shut my mouth. This was my first pop-up dungeon—Kang Yoo-hyun, on the other hand, had probably cleared more than he could count. There was no reason to doubt him.

Even so, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. My mouth felt dry and scratchy, like something just wouldn’t sit right. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

“I’ll take care of it and be right back. Stay here.”

“…Okay.”

Without another word, Kang Yoo-hyun dashed forward. I simply nodded as I watched his back. Well, he’d handle it just fine. He’d destroy the core and come back safe. Maybe I was just worrying over nothing.

“Eden, Do—”

I turned my head to call out to Eden and Do-gyul, but suddenly a strange sensation shot through my whole body. My eyes widened, and I froze in place. My fingertips trembled uncontrollably.

“Ugh, what is…?”

“Hyung…!”

I bent forward, overwhelmed by a strange sensation. I heard Do-gyul calling my name, but he, too, was struggling to reach me. As I collapsed, helpless, a voice brushed my ear.

“Not bad. You’re putting up quite a fight.”

“…!”

Who’s that? I blinked, my vision blurry, and looked up. Just moments ago, there had been no one else around—yet now, someone unfamiliar was staring down at me.

“Who…”

“Hmm.”

His crimson eyes locked with mine, and a chill ran down my spine. He gave off a friendly impression, yet for some reason, I couldn’t stop shaking. To my surprise, I was instinctively afraid of him.

"Is it because of your S-rank skill? You're holding out better than I expected."

"Ugh…!"

The man muttered something I couldn’t quite make out, then smiled calmly. His gaze shifted away from me to someone else.

"Well, you're not the one I'm interested in."

"…!"

The man reached out toward Yong-sik, who was beside me. I gritted my teeth as I watched him. I was beginning to realize who he was. Max Bryan. The one they called the Collector. He had to be the hunter Hae Song-ha had mentioned.