The Celestial Returned From Hell

The unsolved problem kept making their curiosity grow. The analysts continued their heated discussions, forgetting their mission to observe other hunters.

“How many years has Choi Yeonseung been missing in the Abyss?”

“Thirty years.”

“Thirty years... That’s long, but time flows differently in the Abyss.”

One second or ten thousand years in the Abyss could be 30 years on Earth. The Abyss was a space of chaos in a completely different dimension. In addition, those sucked into it couldn’t exactly remember how long they had been in there. By the time they had spent a few days in the Abyss, they’d already lost their sense of time! In many cases, they couldn’t even remember their name.

“He seems to be in good shape. Maybe he’s only been lost in the Abyss for a day or two?”

“But hasn’t it been thirty years? Isn’t that too big a difference?”

“It isn’t impossible in the Abyss. It is true that the shorter they stay in there, the better their condition when they return.”

“You’re not wrong. There’s even a returnee who had been missing for twelve years yet thought he had only been in the Abyss for four days.”

That person hid and cried in the Abyss for around four days, then he was swept into a dungeon and returned to Earth twelve years later! They couldn’t confirm if he had really only spent four days in the Abyss, but it was certainly possible.

“I think Choi Yeonseung has been wandering for a year in Abyss time. It likely wasn’t too different from Earth time.”

“Kuhaha! That is a bit too much.”

“If he were in there for that long, he’d be dead by now.”

“He would’ve already gone crazy.”

When their conversation dragged out for quite a while, Ernest gave them a reminder.

“I know you’re curious, but everyone should be focused.”

“Yes. I’m sorry.”

The analysts shifted their attention back to the mission.

Ernest was also lost in thought, though. How long had Choi Yeonseung been in the Abyss? He had been in raids before he disappeared into the Abyss, which could explain why his combat senses hadn’t dulled up yet. A day or two in the Abyss wouldn’t be enough to weaken that.

However, would such a short period be enough to come across rock gargoyles and figure out how to deal with them? For some reason, it felt like Choi Yeonseung had been in the Abyss for quite a long time.

‘Maybe he’s been there for over a year in Abyss time.’

***

“I think it was a trap.”

“A trap? Don’t tell me...”

Smallwood was taken aback. Not all monsters were stupid, but few could dig out traps and wait for prey to stumble upon them. Most monsters acted according to their primal instincts!

“They came too soon. They were aiming for this.”

“That’s true.”

Antony agreed from the side. Smallwood looked at Antony with a strange expression.

‘Did he really eat something wrong?’

Didn’t he refuse to cooperate before? Now he was agreeing with Choi Yeonseung...

Maybe Antony had been replaced by a monster in disguise?

Slap!

“... What are you doing?”

“Ah. Sorry, friend. I thought you were a monster in disguise for a moment.” Smallwood bowed and apologized after casually slapping Antony on the cheek. He truly thought Antony had been replaced by a monster.

Antony gasped heavily. “Of course it’s a trap. Think about it carefully.”

“Hmm?”

“How else could they have deceived my eyes and launched a surprise attack?”

“... Whoa. You’re right, friend.”

Smallwood was almost carried away by Antony’s words, which dumbfounded him. He barely caught himself. Meanwhile, Choi Yeonseung was lost in thought.

‘They might attack again.’

In the Abyss, monsters would never return once they had escaped. And Choi Yeonseung wouldn’t have let them escape in the first place. On the other hand, there was nowhere to run inside a dungeon. Hence, monsters behaved differently here than in the Abyss. They’d attack the intruders to the end even if they were at a disadvantage!

“I want to set up camp if possible. Is this place okay?” Elisabeth cautiously asked Choi Yeonseung.

They had fought a lot today and consumed a lot of strength and magic power. Proper rest was essential in a dungeon raid. However, this area wasn’t good for that. It had many openings and was easy to surround! Yet even if they changed areas now, there was no guarantee that they’d be able to find another vacant lot to rest. If possible, resting here was the best option.

“It isn’t a bad idea. It’s open on all sides, but we can just retreat back the way we came if we can’t hold our ground.”

“What about the rock gargoyles? Do you think they’ll attack again?”

“That’s a fifty-fifty chance, so I don’t know. I don’t think you should worry too much about them, though.”

“Why?”

“I’d immediately notice them if they ever come closer.”

“......”

Elisabeth made an incredulous expression. He didn’t set up trap magic or use detection magic. He just stayed still...

Could he really detect them? However, Choi Yeonseung did sense the enemy’s attack in advance earlier. It gave her chills thinking about it now.

‘We were almost wiped out.’

The hunters managed to prepare magic thanks to Choi Yeonseung’s warning. As a result, the gargoyles retreated instead of ambushing them. Antony would’ve gotten knocked down without Choi Yeonseung’s warning...

“Why? Don’t believe me?”

“No... I do. I was thinking of something else.”

“What is it?”

“How to deal with the rock gargoyles.”

“You’d be able to deal with them for as long as you aren’t ambushed or panicked. They’re just ranked around B-.”

“B- monsters are already strong,” Elisabeth grumbled. She was inwardly cursing Ernest. She thought the last training dungeon was too easy. Now Ernest’s true colors were revealed. They were up against monsters ranked B- yet weren’t dungeon bosses. And there were more than just a few of them. Their team could’ve been immediately wiped out.

‘The boss monster will definitely be stronger than that...’

B or B+ grade… No, since they were being trained by Ernest, it wasn’t impossible for the boss monster to be A-.

-Being wiped out is also training.

… Ernest was the type to casually push them into this position!

“Can’t he hear all the swearing here?”

“He can. That’s exactly why I’m swearing.”

Ernest couldn't seem to care less about the Icarus clan hunters swearing at him. Choi Yeonseung was slightly impressed.

‘Gyeongryong hyung would’ve been upset if it were him...’

There was a famous incident in the past where he complained for a week because they ate tteokbokki without him. Ernest had a much greater tolerance than Hwang Gyeongryong!

A strange sound soon echoed, and the equipment the hunters had brought automatically went to work. After a while, a makeshift tent had been created. The tent had light defense and was made of high-tech materials with excellent heat retention and waterproof ability. In addition, it was set up with just the push of a button.

Clearing a dungeon in just a day was rare, so dungeon camping was essential for hunters! Cutting-edge technology helped them in that regard. It wasn’t just magic-related technologies that developed.

“Woah...” Choi Yeonseung expressed his amazement. The other hunters looked at him strangely. Antony asked curiously, “I haven’t used magic yet. Are you admiring the magic I’m about to use in advance? ”

“No. It’s that tent. In the past, I would’ve had to set it up manually.”

“......”

“......”

The hunters’ eyes turned lukewarm. Choi Yeonseung maintained a serious expression.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“N-Nothing. I swear I didn’t just think of you as a grandfather, friend.”

“Cough. You might be a bit behind in technology, but you have skills comparable to mine. So there is nothing to be intimidated by.”

Even Antony consoled Choi Yeonseung!

“You don’t know what this is either, then?”

“I know that one. It’s a drone.”

“You can use it as an alarm.”

Elisabeth threw a warning drone at the entrance of the passage. They emitted a strong warning sound if they detected the movements of anyone approaching.

“I don’t think it’ll work on rock gargoyles.”

“I guess not. It works well in other dungeons...”

Elisabeth smacked her lips together as if she knew. Even with advanced technology, it was still difficult to keep up with magic. Monsters capable of traveling through rocks were hard to detect with something like this.

“It’s better than nothing, though.”

One-touch tents and a drone guard. Those were the basics of camping during raids. In addition, most of the raid process was recorded with a small camera. Every piece of information was valuable. It was too cutting-edge for Choi Yeonseung!

Once the preparations were complete, Whittaker reached out and cast a spell.

-Ignas’ Approach Detection Magic.

It was a barrier-type spell that sensed any approaching life energy much more precisely than the drone! Though only 2nd-circle, it was rare and very popular due to its overwhelming convenience.

Whittaker shrugged after using the magic. “Aren’t I very useful?”

“You’re already boasting after using magic once? Are you Antony?”

“... What do you mean?” Antony asked with a stiff expression from the side, but Elisabeth ignored him.

Whittaker said, “Aish. There is no talent like me. How many hunters have magic like mine? Think about it carefully. I can heal, buff, and set alarms during camping. In a non-combat situation, I’m unparalleled.”

Everyone grumbled at Whittaker’s self-praise, but he wasn’t wrong. Whittaker was definitely a useful hunter, even if his combat capabilities were a bit low.

… His personality was unfortunate like Antony, but in a different manner!

“I’ll still appoint sentries even if you say that, Whittaker. The sentries will be the three of you.”

Smallwood, Whittaker, and Richard. These three didn’t use magic during today’s combat situation, allowing them to save up their magic power. During raids, only some of the members used magic at once. If possible, they divided themselves into groups, allowing some to rest while the others used magic.

For magicians, magic power was like bullets. They had a limited amount of it! They would replenish it if they rested, but this didn’t mean they could recklessly waste it. Therefore, it was only natural for the trio with relatively good magic power to stand guard.

“Wow. What do you people see me as? I have no intention of shirking this responsibility.”

“What do we see you as? Money-crazed?”

“Someone who only cares about money?”

“Trash?”

“You’re all talking too much! You agree with me, right?” Whittaker directed his question toward Choi Yeonseung, puzzling the latter.

“Aren’t you upset?”

“Upset? With whom?”

“I thought you were upset because I turned down your offer.”

“No! What do you see me as?”

Whittaker jumped up and repeated the same question as before.

“Money-crazed.”

“Someone who only cares about money.”

“Trash.”

“Ignore them. They’re bad people who scold their colleagues.”

Whittaker didn’t budge at all. He was mentally strong like Antony, though in a different way.

“Do I look like someone who would get upset over something like that?”

“Um. Yes.”

“......”

Choi Yeonseung’s reply made Whittaker speechless for a moment. Choi Yeonseung, who spoke so calmly to him, was also really amazing. He was quite unique!

“I... I don’t do that!”

“Really?”

“Of course! There seems to be a misunderstanding. As a healer in dungeons, I try as hard as possible.”

As Whittaker pretended to be close to Choi Yeonseung, Elisabeth asked Smallwood a question. “Why do you think he’s doing this?”

“Maybe he realized the value of that friend during today’s hunt.”

“Maybe...” Elisabeth agreed.

Whittaker was trash who only cared about money, but he definitely had discerning eyes. With his senses, he would’ve been able to determine who played the biggest part in today’s raid. It wasn’t Antony, who unleashed flashy and powerful magic, or Elisabeth, who deflected the monsters’ attack with a single blow.

It was Choi Yeonseung, who led the team from the front lines.

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