Chapter 4

Alone, Chapter 4 of S-Class Summoner

100 Years of Experience

The Great Mantis.

I must have pulled out its wings thousands of times in the final labyrinth.

Having done it countless times, I developed my own techniques.

‘It’s simple.’

There’s a blind spot where its reach doesn’t extend.

If you penetrate that area, you can easily pull out its wings.

‘Hmm, it seems to be due to the mantis’s deformed field of vision.’

Jin Do-yun wasn’t exactly sure.

Jeffrey had explained it, but it wasn’t a monster that left a strong impression.

‘Well, it’s just a B-Class, right?’

Moreover, the Summoner Master’s role is to deal damage.

All that mattered was catching the monster.

‘Analysis was always Jeffrey’s job.’

“Hey, are we really going to do this?”

At that moment.

Lee Chung-soo was deeply troubled.

The guild leader seemed to trust that mysterious man, but something felt off.

Catching a B-Class monster with three C-Class summons was unheard of.

Lee Chung-soo’s judgment was that even if the Summoner Master returned, it would be hard to overcome.

“Cup Ramen guy… Is it really true? Just by entering at a 45-degree angle from the front and sides, we can avoid it?”

“It’s true.”

Jin Do-yun crossed his arms and nodded.

“Once you pull out the wings, there’s plenty of time to run. If you’re a bit braver, you might even catch it. The back part of the wing joint is its weak point. C-Class is enough for that.”

“Let’s try it, Chung-soo. We don’t have time!”

Rumble!

Thud, thud, thud…

The cave began to shake.

It couldn’t withstand the continuous attacks of the Great Mantis and was about to collapse.

The narrow entrance couldn’t be entered, so the mantis was trying to break it.

He was quite persistent.

“Alright, I don’t know anymore. Let’s give it a shot!”

Lee Chung-soo closed his eyes tightly and raised his hand.

The other members also began to control their summons.

Rumble!

‘Crimson Wolf’ (★★★) and ‘Imp’ (★★★) sprang out in response to the signal.

“Run!”

The members also ran together.

Summoners are generally more physically fit and robust than ordinary people.

The accumulated sensitivity inside their bodies enhances their physical abilities.

As they ran to the entrance—

Swoosh! Bang!

The mantis’s sharp blade embedded itself in the ground in front of the entrance.

The mantis had launched a preemptive attack, sensing their presence.

“Damn… Bal.”

Lee Chung-soo’s face turned pale at the chilling move.

“Alright, now! Scatter at a 45-degree angle. Send them under its legs. Don’t be too tense.”

The summoners quickly responded to Jin Do-yun’s command.

They followed the man’s instructions without hesitation.

Roar!

The summons ran like they were in a race.

Huh?

The mantis began to panic.

The prey it saw in front of it suddenly rushed in and then disappeared from its field of vision.

“Alright! Run!”

At that moment.

The wolf and imp leaped up and bit the mantis’s wings.

Squeal?

The Great Mantis, its sensitive area touched, raised its wings to the sky and began to go wild.

“Now, hold on! If you can support its back and tear it out, it’s even better!”

Squeal…

Two summons hanging from the large wings.

They looked pitiful, swaying like deflated balloons.

“Damn! Is this really it? Is it really working?”

“Huff, huff. Just a bit more, try harder!”

Of course, the summoners controlling them were also drenched in cold sweat.

After about 3 minutes of this!

Crack!

Finally, the wings were torn from the mantis’s shoulder joint.

The wolf and imp had succeeded.

……!!

The mantis thrashed, letting out a silent scream.

But soon, it lost its strength and fell to the ground.

Then, it stiffened.

“Really…?”

Lee Hye-yeon and Lee Chung-soo’s mouths dropped open at the sight.

“We caught a B-Class monster?”

“We did! We did it!”

It was something they thought was impossible.

That it could be solved so easily with the man’s simple advice!

“What are you doing, still not snapping out of it?”

Jin Do-yun, who had calmly observed the situation, continued.

“The paralysis only lasts 10 minutes. Either deal damage or run. You need to decide quickly.”

If they spaced out here, they would face the same situation again.

By then, the only weak point would be gone.

“Should we run?”

“Hmm, I don’t know. C-Class should be enough to deal damage, right?”

“Then let’s try to catch it!”

Lee Hye-yeon answered confidently.

She had 100% trust in the man in front of her.

He had proven his words sufficiently.

Rumble!

The low growl of the Crimson Wolf.

Thus, the damage dealing began.

Crack! Crunch!

By persistently targeting the weak points, the mantis’s tough shell gradually began to peel off.

After about 8 minutes.

Finally, the mantis’s breath was cut off.

The members, who had only dealt damage, were exhausted and collapsed, panting.

Their hands were trembling, indicating they had pushed themselves to the limit.

‘Tsk, tsk, what kind of stamina do these summoners have?’

Jin Do-yun shook his head at the sight.

‘Back in my day, we hunted while only getting 2 hours of sleep a day…’

Although his age made him automatically think like an old man, he didn’t say it out loud.

“Haha….”

“We did it! We did it!”

They were overjoyed and couldn’t contain their happiness.

Jin Do-yun, who hadn’t participated in the battle, didn’t receive any experience points, but their summons must have received a lot.

He approached them.

“This should be enough to repay the hospitality.”

“Of course! Thank you very much.”

Lee Hye-yeon quickly stood up and bowed politely with both hands.

Jin Do-yun stared at her intently.

“Just a word of caution.”

“Yes, yes? Please speak.”

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t mention anything related to me in today’s events….”

“Ah?”

“I mean, when talking to reporters or in interviews.”

“Oh! Of course! I’ll keep my mouth shut. I’m good at keeping secrets!”

“Good.”

Jin Do-yun smiled and turned around.

The vast plain was bathed in bright sunlight.

A scene he hadn’t seen in the labyrinth.

‘Ah, how long has it been since I felt the Earth like this?’

He spread his arms and walked out.

He fully enjoyed the return.

His business with them was done.

He had repaid the hospitality with his life and didn’t demand a share of the dead Great Mantis.

“Hey, hey!”

Lee Hye-yeon called out urgently at that moment.

Jin Do-yun turned back, looking puzzled.

“Do you have a place to go?”

“…Ah?”

Come to think of it, he had nowhere to go.

The place where he had lived was long forgotten.

He had lived in the labyrinth for much longer than the 28 years he had lived on Earth.

“If you don’t have a place to go, would you like to stay here for a while?”

“…”

Jin Do-yun turned around again.

‘A place to stay.’

Yeah, maybe I’ll stay for a bit.

* * *

“Special news report. In a remote area of Gangwon Province, three C-Class summoners have caught a B-Class monster, causing a sensation….”

“The master of the Wind Guild, Lee Hye-yeon, a young woman in her 20s, has contributed to world peace….”

“Although there were many sacrifices… families will receive mementos and compensation….”

“It has been six months since the final labyrinth collapsed. The news of the heroes who entered is still unknown….”

In Seoul, Seodaemun District.

Inside the small building of the Wind Guild.

Jin Do-yun, who had been given a guest room, was watching the news, lost in thought.

‘So… it’s been six months since the labyrinth disappeared?’

In other words, he had been unconscious in the cave for six months.

Although it was an unbelievable situation, he wasn’t surprised at all.

He had fought without sleep for a month in the labyrinth and had also slept for a month, so it was entirely possible.

‘Uria and Jeffrey haven’t been found either.’

His comrades had definitely been ejected from the dungeon.

Although they had been in a shocking state due to the Demolition’s seal, they had been seen by people.

Unlike him, his comrades had revealed their faces.

If they had been found, there would have been a big commotion.

‘…Wait for me.’

Those who called him master and followed him.

Uria, called the Light Saint, but with a quirky personality.

Jeffrey, who always gave him confidence with his cold, analytical approach.

‘I’ll find you no matter what happens.’

Jin Do-yun’s fight wasn’t over yet.

He wouldn’t be able to rest until he found his comrades and confirmed their safety.

That’s what loyalty means.

“Still….”

Even a cursory look at the news showed that world peace was still far off.

Unconfirmed dungeons were abundant, and ordinary people still frequently suffered from monsters.

“Damn.”

The curse slipped out naturally.

It had been 100 years.

He had endured and endured with the mission to protect humanity.

“Ultimately, it was all for nothing?”

The only thing that came out was one S-Class monster.

And it was the one that had driven his comrades to the brink of death.

Jin Do-yun sighed deeply, frowned, and lay down on the sofa.

‘Well, it’s comfortable.’

Warm water.

Soft resting place.

Various toiletries.

Things that didn’t exist in the labyrinth.

‘I’ll make sure you all get to experience them too.’

They deserved it.

They had done their part.

They had fought harder than anyone.

As he closed his eyes and recalled memories of his comrades, he slowly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The next day.

Wind Guild office.

Jin Do-yun found Lee Hye-yeon.

“You’re up early. Is the accommodation okay?”

She answered with a hoarse voice, still organizing documents early in the morning.

Her hoarse voice and the smell of alcohol in the room.

Lee Chung-soo and the other members, still asleep on the adjacent sofa.

‘They must have had a heavy drink last night.’

Jin Do-yun quickly grasped the situation.

Just yesterday.

They, like him, had lost a comrade.

Summoners usually drink to soothe their grief when a comrade dies.

They purge their lingering feelings and sadness with the alcohol.

It’s a common occurrence in a profession that risks one’s life.

‘I used to do the same in the past.’

That’s how summoners live.

“Ah, can I ask you for a favor?”

“What kind of favor?”

“Tell me about any unconfirmed dungeons that have been requested or any dungeons I can challenge alone.”

Before finding his comrades, there was something he needed to do.

‘Demolition… I need to summon him and see.’

His comrades had been caught by the Demolition’s seal.

If communication was possible, he needed to know what kind of seal it was.

That way, he could unseal it if he found his comrades.

Moreover, this world was still far from peace.

Having lost three A-Class summons, he needed to quickly regain his strength.

That would make it easier to find his comrades.

“Hmm, that….”

“Is there a problem?”

“No, you said you don’t have a registration card, right? You lost it.”

“Huh? Why does that matter?”

“Didn’t you know? You can’t enter a dungeon without a registration card. It’s an association rule….”

“…?”

Was there such a rule?

No, it wasn’t in Jin Do-yun’s memory.

In the past, dungeons weren’t managed so systematically, and they were too busy trying to control the sudden appearance of new ones.

They just entered and claimed what they saw.

“Maybe you need to get a new one if you lost it.”

“Damn. That old man. He made it so troublesome.”

“Huh?”

“Never mind.”

He was talking about the association president.

He didn’t know if the current president was the one he knew.

‘Should I go see him?’

The only old man who knew Jin Do-yun was a Summoner Master.

‘That guy. He’s a headache.’

During his Master days, he provided many conveniences but also pushed Jin Do-yun around a lot.

“I’ll be out for a bit. You seem busy with the death processing, so good luck.”

Jin Do-yun left the building, leaving Lee Hye-yeon, who was tilting her head, behind.