Chapter 48
I stepped forward.
Han Siwoo's hand, which had been holding mine, trembled slightly before tightening.
“Kim Jia.”
His anxious voice called my name like a warning.
For some reason, he looked as though he already knew what I was going to do.
Even though that should have been impossible.
This is why perceptive people are such a pain.
“Hyung is already done for.”
“...”
“So we have to run. If we don't go now, we'll all die.”
He sounded like he was trying to persuade me.
His voice was controlled, but he couldn't hide the urgency underneath.
Maybe he was deliberately speaking calmly to convince me.
Still, it made me realize something strange.
Han Siwoo could look this desperate too.
“If you can't do that, then fight with us instead. If that's what you want.”
I could feel trembling through the hand gripping mine.
I couldn't tell whether it was mine or his.
Maybe both.
You're only F-rank.
The enemy was B-rank.
Even if he stepped forward, what would happen besides a meaningless death?
The words rose all the way to my throat.
I swallowed them.
Then I smiled.
“An F-rank sure has a lot to say to a D-rank healer.”
“This isn't the time for jokes!”
Please.
His voice followed weakly.
For a moment, I thought about giving up and running away.
But I knew better than anyone that I couldn't.
I spoke to Han Siwoo.
And to myself.
“If I don't step forward, we're all going to die anyway.”
“So what? You're going to sacrifice yourself or something?”
He spoke sarcastically.
Surprisingly, he had hit the exact answer.
Sacrifice.
Right.
Sacrifice.
If stepping forward for the people who had saved me countless times was what sacrifice meant...
Then so be it.
I lifted my chin and looked ahead.
Then I shouted loudly.
“Guys! You trust your noona, right?!”
My cheerful voice, completely out of place in the situation, echoed through the cave.
All the Black Wolves suddenly turned toward me.
Their terrifying gazes made my entire body go numb.
I clenched my fists.
It's okay.
Even the monsters that had been focused on Oppa were looking at me now.
A proper Taunt skill like Kim Taeyoon's would have been nice.
Unfortunately, I didn't have one.
Still, it didn't really matter.
These monsters were already desperate to kill us.
I slowly stepped backward while calming my chilled heart.
“You...!”
Han Siwoo stared at me in horror.
His grip loosened for just one moment.
I immediately knocked his hand away.
“Watch.”
Watch what I'm about to do.
I smiled and started running backward.
There were no monsters behind me, probably because the Black Wolves had occupied the area.
That made running easier.
“Y-You crazy... Kim Jia!”
My brother shouted from behind.
He looked injured earlier, but at least he still had enough energy to yell.
That was a relief.
“Noona!”
Lee Junhyuk shouted in panic.
He should hurry up and run instead.
What if he became another target?
Well...
This wasn't exactly the time for me to worry about other people.
The distance between the Black Wolves and me kept shrinking.
I closed my eyes for a moment and ran as hard as I could.
If this succeeds, my job will finally be over.
After this, I'm retiring from Hunter work and enjoying a peaceful unemployed life.
Just you wait.
I'll make all of you S-rank first.
“ROOOOOAR!”
Why were they so loud?
Their roaring nearly made my ears ring.
This should be far enough.
I slowly stopped running and breathed heavily.
When I turned around, every Black Wolf in the area was charging toward me.
Seeing so many monsters rushing over just to kill one person was almost funny.
How many were there?
Twenty?
Twenty-five?
Thirty?
I couldn't tell.
Somewhere around that.
The cave walls seemed to predict what was coming as they shook with violent echoes.
The herd of Black Wolves rushed toward me, kicking up thick clouds of dust.
It was almost beautiful.
The floor pounded beneath their footsteps so hard that the soles of my feet tingled.
At least the noise drowned out my pounding heart.
That helped a little.
For a moment, I could almost forget how terrified I was.
I smiled at them.
People said that if you wanted to live, you had to be ready to die.
Fine.
Come and die, all of you.
When only a few meters remained between us, I used the 'Indestructible Immortal Body' in my hand.
Then I immediately activated my skill.
My only offensive skill.
[Exclusive Skill 'Sacrifice Lv.1' activated.]
[Exclusive Skill 'Sacrifice Lv.1' will eliminate all enemies within the surrounding area.]
[The designated area will not be affected by the skill.]
I had read those words countless times.
The moment the skill activated, all the mana condensed inside my body exploded at once.
It felt as though my entire body was exploding, not my mana.
Only then did I understand why the skill was called 'Sacrifice.'
The Black Wolf's vicious fangs appeared right in front of my face.
At the same time, brilliant light erupted from within me.
Then another system window appeared.
[As the price for using Exclusive Skill 'Sacrifice Lv.1,' Health will fall to 0%.]
All of it happened in an instant.
BOOOOOOM!
The explosion was so loud it felt like it tore my ears apart.
My vision flashed repeatedly.
Pain like thousands of needles stabbing through my body followed.
