These Lunatics are Obsessed With Me-Chapter 171

The next pop-up dungeon was set to open in a week.

It was rare for a pop-up dungeon with such unstable mana flow to appear again so soon—almost as if someone were deliberately giving me a hand. On top of that, its location hadn’t changed much from the last one. I was certain one of the gods watching me was helping. Even so, there was nothing I could do about it, and I didn’t particularly want to refuse their favor.

The scene before me was almost the same as a week ago. The area where the pop-up dungeon would open was a desolate, abandoned factory district. Its location was slightly different from last time, but still close. Just like before, Odin Guild’s hunters had completely surrounded the area, and beside me stood Kang Yoo-hyun, Yong-sik, and Eden. Do-gyul still hadn’t fully recovered, so he couldn’t come.

“The dungeon will open soon.”

“Okay.”

I nodded, and Kang Yoo-hyun gave me a look that said he saw right through my act of staying calm.

“We could still change the plan…”

“No, we’re sticking with it.”

“…”

I spoke firmly, and Kang Yoo-hyun fell silent, turning his head away. He’d been against this plan from the moment I suggested it, and he clearly still had plenty of complaints. But if we wanted to catch Max Bryan, there was no other choice. That greedy man would come here today to kidnap Yong-sik—it was far better than him breaking into the accommodations inside the special subspace. And because he trusted his ability so much, he would come even knowing full well it was a trap. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

That’s why I had no choice but to use Yong-sik and myself as bait this time. Kang Yoo-hyun had insisted I stay in the accommodation, but I refused—the plan couldn’t work without me here. Even the usually unyielding Kang Yoo-hyun went quiet when he heard it, his expression twisting in obvious displeasure.

But I didn’t care. This was my plan. Still, the thought of using Yong-sik as bait didn’t sit right with me. Before I realized it, my grip on Yong-sik’s hand had tightened.

“…Dad.”

“Hm?”

“I’m okay.”

“…!”

When I glanced down in surprise, Yong-sik was looking up at me with his big eyes. He’d grown even more over the past week, and I couldn’t help but feel proud as I noticed he’d gotten taller. I reached out my hand to him.

“Yeah, yeah.”

Though he looked like a child, Yong-sik was a full-fledged young dragon—and an S-rank at that. Even now, he could breathe deadly poison, and when fully grown, he’d be truly fearsome. It was absurd for a low-level hunter like me to be worrying about him. I should just focus on doing my part.

"It's coming!"

“…!”

When Kang Yoo-hyun shouted, the flow of the air around us changed. The sun didn’t suddenly set like before, but the surroundings grew slightly darker and a cold wind swept past. It seemed this pop-up dungeon didn’t have a dark attribute, which might throw the plan off a bit. I bit my lip, scanning the area. Still, what I had to do hadn’t changed. I met Kang Yoo-hyun’s gaze and nodded.

“……I'll be back."

“Okay.”

“…”

Kang Yoo-hyun frowned in displeasure at me but quietly turned away. Just like the first time we entered a pop-up dungeon, he went alone into enemy territory to kill monsters and destroy the core. Last time, while Kang Yoo-hyun was away, Max Bryan had ambushed us. It was the exact same situation.

It was obviously a trap—but I was certain Max Bryan would come here willingly, even knowing it. That’s just the kind of man he was. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have earned the nickname “Collector.” And, just as I expected, he appeared without delay.

"What are you up to?"

“Ugh…”

Max Bryan’s power felt even stronger than before. This time, he wasn’t holding back—he was using his skill at full force. In an instant, the backlash from his debuffs sent all the nearby hunters collapsing to the ground. I was the only one left standing.

“Hah, still not down?”

“Ability… amplification item?”

A ring with a red gem gleamed on his long, pale pinky finger—clearly an item that boosted the wearer’s ability. It was undoubtedly a high-grade piece only someone like Max Bryan could obtain. Still, he clicked his tongue when he saw I was still standing. Even I was surprised. Maybe it was the result of relentlessly clearing high-level dungeons—Han Yi-jin’s stats had improved more than I’d realized.

To think my mental strength had grown this much… or perhaps it was another blessing from the god supporting me. While weighing these possibilities, I grit my teeth. Max Bryan’s amplified nullification skill was truly overwhelming, and my vision began to blur. I couldn’t hold out much longer.

“Losing your strength already? Didn’t you prepare something?”

“Ugh…”

Max Bryan looked down at me as I staggered, tilting his head in confusion. He’d brought along an expensive item he usually didn’t wear, and seeing me collapse so helplessly seemed to puzzle him. Still, I hadn’t come to this pop-up dungeon without a plan.

“Kang Soo-hyun…!”

“Kang… Soo-hyun?”

Max Bryan looked puzzled at my shout, then quietly murmured the name I’d called. His expression soon hardened as he remembered who Kang Soo-hyun was. Unlike in the original story, the current Kang Soo-hyun had entered the dungeon early and was already quite well-known worldwide.

【Don’t move!】

“Kugh…!”

Kang Soo-hyun, who had been hiding with an invisibility item, revealed himself and used a skill. As I anticipated, he was surprisingly unaffected by Max Bryan’s nullification skill. This was because he had entered the dungeon earlier than in the original story, greatly improving his skill mastery. Seeing Do-gyul, who has mental ability, resist Max Bryan’s nullification, I figured Kang Soo-hyun would be able to withstand it even better—and sure enough, he was overpowering Max Bryan.

“Damn it…!”

Max Bryan ground his teeth in frustration. Kang Soo-hyun had spread false information that he was away on another mission, and Max Bryan had been a fool to believe it without question. I gave a wry smile.

“Ugh.”

But Kang Soo-hyun didn’t look very well either. His arm trembled as he gritted his teeth. He had been hiding himself to stay off Max Bryan’s radar, but even so, using his wide-area skill was wearing him down. I clicked my tongue inside. If Max Bryan had used his skills to fight for humanity instead of for himself, he might have become as famous as the other heroes.

But Max Bryan was a villain. Honestly, if he hadn’t gone after Yong-sik, I wouldn’t have cared what he did. Whether he stole from others or lived selfishly to satisfy his greed, if it didn’t affect me, I wouldn’t have cared. I’m not fighting Max Bryan because of some unclear sense of justice.

“Hyung, hurry up…!”

“Got it.”

At Kang Soo-hyun’s urging, I raised the gun in my hand. This time, I was going to blow Max Bryan’s head off. I took a deep breath, steadying the muzzle until it stopped shaking. My gaze locked on him as I calmly took aim.

“Han Yi-jin…!”

“Farewell.”

I said curtly, then immediately pulled the trigger. Bang! The sound rang loudly in my ears. My body shook from the recoil of the shot.

“…!”

“Haha…”

The bullet I fired spun through the air. My gun, refined countless times, had enough power that not even other hunters—let alone monsters—could easily block it. What’s more, Max Bryan was a hunter who avoided using passive skills to maximize his S-rank nullification skill. There was no way he could have blocked the shot while defenseless.

“You actually made me use this.”

Max Bryan said in a calm voice as he slowly moved his hand. Blue energy emanated from his palm and spread through the surroundings. Even from quite a distance, the cold air made me shiver. The bullet suspended in midair dropped to the ground with a thud. The fallen bullet was surrounded by cold air and frozen like an icicle. I had felt this kind of energy before. The moment I realized where, a chill ran down my spine.

“I didn’t want to borrow that guy’s power…”

“Raisu…”

The energy surrounding Max Bryan belonged to Raisu. Having faced him directly at the Association, I recognized it instantly. Max Bryan’s eyes narrowed as he looked at me.

“His energy clashes with mine, so I’m not too fond of it.”

“Ugh…!”

“But I have no choice—with pests like you getting in my way.”

In an instant, a bone-chilling cold swept through the area, and Kang Soo-hyun, barely managing to maintain his skill, collapsed to the ground.

“Kang Soo-hyun!”

“Hyung, hurry…”

I caught Kang Soo-hyun as he collapsed and held him in my arms, nodding slightly. Then I looked at the ring on my finger.

"Is this it?"

“…”

Before I knew it, Max Bryan was standing over me, looking down as he asked. I looked up at him without saying a word.

“Is that all you’ve got? Hm?”

“…”

“That’s a bit disappointing.”

Max Bryan’s lips curled into a derisive smile. I met his gaze and sneered back.

“You’re one to talk.”

“…?”

“Is that all you’ve got?”

“…What?”

Max Bryan stared at me in disbelief before suddenly bursting into laughter. At that very moment, the ground began to rumble.

“What…!”

“If that’s all you’ve got, you’d better brace yourself.”

“…!”

The moment I murmured those words, the system’s notification sounded in my ear.