These Lunatics are Obsessed With Me

"Kugh!"

I was thrown onto the desert sand and landed on my hips while still tightly bound by a thin chain. The man who did this to me moved his hands in the air with a nonchalant expression.

“Now, let’s call the hunting dog.”

"…"

Evan pulled a communicator from his inventory, a device for contacting others within the dungeon. Was he planning to contact Baek Si-hoo with that?

Well, the portal had opened in the Realm of Fire, where Baek Si-hoo and I had fallen. Although I knew the portal's location, I had no intention of telling him, even if it cost me my life.

However, I was surprised. I had expected him to resort to violence to make me talk, rather than just waiting patiently. Instead, Evan continued to look at me with a grin on his face.

"Should we finish our conversation while we wait?"

"…What?"

Evan approached and knelt in front of me. Feeling uneasy, I began to move backward, but a long, white hand reached out and grabbed my neck.

"Ugh…!"

"Who are you? How do you know my name?"

"…"

Ah, so that’s it.

I admit it was a mistake to act as if I knew Evan. His true identity was carefully concealed in the parts of the novel I had read. While I knew his identity from the narration as a reader, the characters in the novel did not.

There were rumors of an all-rounder, high-ranked hunter in the Laufey Guild, but no one knew his name or what he looked like. He was even more mysterious than Baek Si-hoo, who operated openly. Yet, I pretended to know him…

That was a mistake. I should have acted as if I didn’t know him. Now I’ve gotten myself into unnecessary trouble. He probably won’t kill me, but he might press me relentlessly about how I discovered his identity.

"Park Yoon-sung? Does the Odin Guild have such a good information network?"

"…"

“You're not going to speak?”

I remained silent. I couldn’t reveal that I knew him from the novel, and betraying Park Yoon-sung was out of the question. It was a difficult situation all around.

"You're doing something cute. It's quite exciting."

"Ugh!"

For some reason, this lunatic seemed even happier seeing me like this. His golden eyes sparkled in the sunlight.

If it weren’t for the fact that he was strangling me, I might almost mistake him for an angel descending from heaven.

This sadistic villain had an exceptional appearance. Even disguised as a B-class Hunter named Lee Geun-ho, he looked extraordinary, but his true face without the disguise was even more striking…

Does the Laufey Guild recruit members based on their appearance, or do all these deranged villains just happen to be stunning? It was really incomprehensible.

But that wasn’t the main issue. Despite his angelic beauty, I needed to figure out how to save myself.

– You wouldn’t be thinking about that if I cut off one of your legs.

– You can still use your auxiliary skill even without your arms and legs, right?

“…”

They saw me as nothing more than a piece of meat with an auxiliary skill. They didn't mind cutting off my arms and legs as long as I remained alive. Feeling the threat, I couldn’t help but feel anxious.

‘Who will get here faster—Baek Si-hoo or Kang Yoo-hyun?’

With the raid team busy handling Seo Ha-joon’s rampage, my only hope was my partner, Kang Yoo-hyun. He should be able to locate me. Since he had defeated the boss monster, I hoped he would arrive soon.

‘…But will he come?’

I had assumed Kang Yoo-hyun would come, but I hesitated for a moment. He wouldn’t know the full extent of my situation.

Would he come to find me or wait where the portal opened? Even if he did come, would he still have tried to save me when he found out about the situation regarding the raid team on his way?

The doubt gnawed at me, making me anxious. I feared that no one would come looking for me. No, that can’t be right. My auxiliary skill is still valuable; they wouldn’t leave me like this. I managed to pull myself together with that thought.

"Well, it doesn't matter. I can just take you to the guild and interrogate you slowly.”

"Ugh."

“Those who’ve seen my face don’t make it out alive.”

“…!”

Evan said those frightening words with a smile as he put on a white mask that covered half his face. With his already striking appearance, it made sense for him to cover up if he’s playing the villain. Still, the mask gave him a bit of a Chūnibyō1 vibe.

I kept my thoughts to myself and lowered my head. It seemed he couldn’t immediately reuse the camouflage item he had used to disguise himself as Lee Geun-ho; there was likely a time limit or limited supply. I sat quietly and gritted my teeth.

‘Sim Dante, that son of a bitch.’

A contract item requiring an S-grade removal item, a disguise item that could alter one’s appearance, and a teleportation item with random transfers—these high-grade items were clearly beyond the work of an ordinary crafter. They could only be created by Sim Dante, the S-class producer from the Regin Guild.

I hadn’t known that Sim Dante was collaborating with the Laufey Guild. That detail wasn’t mentioned in the original story. And now he was also working with me. What could he possibly be thinking? Or does he simply not care? Is he providing these items just for profit?

Perhaps he’s only assisting me for dimension transfer research while the Laufey Guild has been a long-time client. Regardless, it left a bad taste in my mouth.

"What are you thinking with that small head of yours?"

“Ugh, stop…!”

Evan, who was still smiling, flicked my head with his finger. He really was such an unpleasant guy.

"You're waiting for Kang Yoo-hyun, aren’t you?"

“…!”

Evan chuckled as if he knew what I was thinking. I frowned at him.

“Haha, do you really think he’ll come? The hero who has to protect everyone?”

“…”

Unfortunately, I had nothing to say to his irritating face. As I remained silent and gritted my teeth, Evan's smile grew wider.

“Give it up. You’ll only make yourself more miserable.”

“Cough.”

Evan, who had been gripping my neck, released his hold after shaking me. I coughed as I hunched over, and Evan muttered while looking somewhere else.

“He’s here.”

“…!”

“Seriously, this hunting dog bastard is so damn slow.”

Evan clicked his tongue and kicked the sand, sending it flying in all directions. I turned to where the sand had scattered. Although I couldn’t see anyone, Evan’s actions made it clear that someone was there.

It was Baek Si-hoo. Baek Si-hoo was here. I couldn’t help but shudder involuntarily.

"Where is the portal open?"

“…”

Baek Si-hoo did not answer Evan's question. After he emerged, he just looked at me indifferently. His abyss-like black eyes scanned my dishevelled appearance.

"You're not going to answer me?"

Evan's voice grew rough as he was clearly irritated. But Baek Si-hoo paid him no mind and continued to stare at me. It was the worst possible situation. At this rate, I would be dragged to the Laufey Guild helplessly.

Baek Si-hoo seemed a bit off right now, but he would soon come to his senses and drag me to the Realm of Fire. Once we used the portal to leave, it would be all over.

What should I do now? I desperately racked my brain. Is there anyone who might come to save me?

“…!”

Then it hit me. Only after being left alone did I realise my biggest mistake. Memories of Han Yi-jin from the past suddenly surfaced, along with everything that happened after I possessed him.

When did I start relying on others to survive? Just as I have been alone since I first opened my eyes among the villains in this world, it’s the same now.

Idiot, stupid. I cursed myself and lowered my head. Think. Come on, think of something. Think of a way out of here, instead of begging someone to save me!

Ever since I found myself surrounded by S-rank or higher ability users with my S-grade auxiliary skill, I’ve lost much of my self-reliance. I thought if I just used my auxiliary skill, they would handle the rest.

I assumed everything would be fine once the main character and the heroine arrived. Such foolish thinking got me into this situation. It was a fitting consequence for my actions. I let out a chuckle.

“What? Are you crying?”

“…”

“You damn hunting dog. He’s crying because you look so scary. What are you going to do about this, huh?"

Evan’s sarcasm reached my ears, and an unpleasant aura immediately emanated from Baek Si-hoo.

What’s happening? The atmosphere is so tense…

I raised my head slightly and saw Baek Si-hoo and Evan glaring at each other.

“Are you saying it's because of me?”

“Isn’t it?”

“I think it’s because of the chain wrapped around his body.”

“What? Then should I just let him run wild like a foal?”

“…”

They looked like a snarling lion and a black panther, and it was clear they didn’t get along. I wondered why they were arguing instead of rushing to the portal. Then a thought crossed my mind. Maybe I could find a way out of this situation. I gulped and opened my mouth.

1. Early teens who have grandiose delusions, who desperately want to stand out, and who have convinced themselves that they have hidden knowledge or secret powers.