“Oh, shit! What the hell is this?!”  
“Why did it suddenly get blocked?!”

The D-rank men of the Wing Guild, alarmed, pounded on the transparent wall with their fists. Some even attacked with their weapons, trying to use skills as well.

But all they received in return was a faint crackling sound. No one could turn back towards Si-hyun and Han-gyeol. Realizing the gravity of the situation, they felt cold sweat trickle down their backs.

On the other side, Si-hyun and Han-gyeol were engaged in conversation. However, the content of their discussion was completely inaudible to the men.

They firmly recognized that they were isolated from each other.

And then it happened.

“Kiihihih—”

A bizarre sound that sent chills down their spines. The monstrous laughter, reminiscent of scratching a throat, startled the men as they turned around.

A monster, having approached halfway across the clearing, was slowly making its way towards them.

Its size wasn’t overwhelmingly large; it was just slightly bigger than an average adult man. But the Wing Guild members held their breath.

With a clownish appearance that seemed straight out of a horror movie, its face was painted white, revealing long, pointed teeth that bore no resemblance to those of a human.

The teeth, sharp as daggers, protruded grotesquely from an exaggeratedly wide, twisted smile.

“Kiihihah—!”

With that eerie laughter accompanying its movements, it sent shivers down the spines of those who watched.

“I’ve never seen such a monster before…?”  
“Is it, is it a magical creature?”  
“Shit, we’re in big trouble…”

The excitement they felt while exploring with Si-hyun was now gone. Only the terror of impending death remained, causing them to tremble.

There was no beautiful woman ensuring their safety. There were no C-rank hunters among the guild—only four D-rank hunters.

Instinctively, they all understood. This was to be their final resting place.

“Shit… I’m sorry, my love… I think this is it for me…”  
“Hey, don’t give up already! Don’t go looking for a girlfriend!”  
“How the hell are we supposed to take that thing down?”  
“...Ugh.”

One man shouted in despair. The one who had encouraged him not to give up fell silent.

One of the known characteristics of a conditional dungeon was that, with high probability, the boss was stronger than those in dungeons of the same rank.

In severe cases, it could be a monster comparable to a B-rank dungeon.

“Kiihihih—”

The grotesque clown continued to approach with its strange laughter. Its pace was slow.

However, to the guild members, it seemed as if it were deliberately toying with them.

“Guys, guys!”  

Then, the archer shouted loudly, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Look at the shape of its mouth! The mouth shape!”

He pointed at Han-gyeol, who was on the opposite side of the boundary. Everyone turned their heads that way.

The same mouth shape was repeating itself.

At the same time, he alternately pointed at Han-gyeol and Si-hyun with his finger.

“What is it saying?”  
“Huh? Bur? Um... Oh, is it saying ‘hold on’?”  
“......”

When someone proposed a theory, they all looked at Si-hyun. She was deep in thought, her palm resting against the wall.

Suddenly, Si-hyun’s gaze shifted to the men.

She nodded slightly.

As if to say, "Just trust me."

She nodded several times before returning to focus on the air.

One man shouted with a glimmer of hope.  
“Si-Si-hyun can figure something out, right?!”  

Another chimed in.  
“Right! She’s the professor!”  

But not everyone agreed.  
“Shut up! Don’t you see we can’t get in?! There’s a restriction on entering the boss room!”  
“Shit, we’re all done for!”

Voices filled with despair echoed across the clearing. But they had no time to merely converse.

Regardless of their feelings, the boss continued to approach them.  

As sweat and tears trickled down their faces, the men turned away.

The clown stood a distance away, watching them with a grotesque smile.

“Kiihihihih—!”

No matter how many times they heard that sound, it remained bizarre.

The creature, which had been still, suddenly began to move again. Its body moved unnaturally like a puppet on strings, its joints twisting at odd angles.

“Why does something like that even exist…?”  
“It’s just pure evil.”

Unable to contain themselves, the men spat out curses.

At that moment.

“Kiih?”

“Ahhh!”

The clown's body suddenly lost its head, and the space warped as it leaned in towards the spear-wielder.

Squelch—

The clown’s mouth opened to an unreasonable extent. The stench of rotten meat and decay overwhelmed the man, causing him to grimace.

“Get lost!”

He immediately pulled back and swung his spear.

At that moment, the clown’s head twisted grotesquely and bit the spear.

Chomp, chomp.

“Now’s our chance! Attack!”  
“Ahhh!”

The remaining guild members, filled with fear, rushed forward in a panic. However, the clown’s head quickly returned to its original position.

“The spear Master made…”

The spear-wielder looked at his weapon with a hollow expression.

The tip of the spear was now mangled, turned to scrap metal.

“Kiihihih—”

Once again, the monster's laughter filled the clearing.

At the same time.

“Gurk!”  
“Ahhh!”

This time, both of the clown’s arms disappeared. Simultaneously, two hunters were lifted off the ground by their necks.

“Save… me!”  
“Gurk!”

The two men struggled to loosen the grip around their necks. But there was an evident difference in strength.

Not even a finger would budge.

As their breaths were cut off, the men’s faces turned a bluish hue.

The archer, who was not a target of the attack, hurriedly grabbed a new arrow in his hand. He quickly took aim.

‘W-what should I do?!’

Where should he shoot to stop it?  
Could he hit its weak point?  
What if he shot by mistake and became the target instead?

Countless thoughts raced through his mind.

“Ugh, cough!”  
“Hah!”

Now was not the time to hesitate.

The archer aimed his arrow towards the clown’s head.

In a brief moment, the events of the day flashed through his mind.

[Well done!]  
[Oh, haha!]

The praise from Si-hyun about his archery skills.  
When would he ever show it if not now?!

‘I can do this!’  

Determination filled the man’s eyes. His arm muscles tensed as he pulled the bowstring tight.

The target was the clown’s eye!

Twang—!

The arrow, infused with all of his remaining mana, soared through the air.

The clown, laughing while admiring the two men it held, turned its head towards the archer as the sound of the arrow slicing through the air reached its ears.

At that moment.

“Kyahhh——!”

The arrow struck directly into the clown’s eye!

It let out a painful scream.  

The hand that had crossed the space came back, pulling the arrow embedded in its eyeball.

“I did it! I really did it!”  
“Cough, cough!”  
“Guh…”

As the hands disappeared, the two men who had been dropped to the ground caught their breath. Thankfully, it wasn’t too late.

But they couldn’t relax.

The enraged clown glared at them with its remaining eye, filled with fury.

Moreover.

“Guys, guys… the buff is gone?”  
“Ugh…”

The buff magic Si-hyun had given to the Wing Guild members wasn’t particularly strong.  
Plus, they were now in a separated space where Si-hyun’s mana couldn’t reach.

All the mana that had been aiding them disappeared, and they returned to being ordinary D-rank hunters.

“Kiihihi…”

The clown bobbed its head, searching for its next target.

After a bizarre movement, it finally settled on its target.

The archer.

“Shit…”

As soon as the clown moved, the archer leaped up from his spot.

Sharp teeth whizzed by where he had just stood.

Having just lost his buff, the archer felt immense frustration at his sluggish body.

He yearned for the agility he had displayed all day.

“Ahhh!”

In the end, he could not escape.

Once again, the space warped, and an arm burst forth, grabbing his ankles.

The tightening grip caused blood to erupt from his ankles.

Then, the space warped again.

With a sick grin, the clown leaned in.

Drooling, it stared straight into the fallen archer’s face.

Squelch—

Its mouth slowly opened.  
In an instant, it could devour him, yet its movements were sluggish.

The monster took pleasure in the fear of its prey.

As the terrible odor filled the air, the man squeezed his eyes shut.

No matter how he struggled, he couldn’t escape.

‘Is this it…? Damn it…’

The man gave up resisting.

At that moment!

Clang!

A sharp, strong sound echoed as solid metal met bone.

Feeling the change, the archer slowly opened his eyes.

“Hyung! Are you okay?!”  
“H-Han-gyeol! Thank

 you!”

Suddenly appearing, Han-gyeol was in a struggle against the clown’s head.

The remaining men looked towards the spot where the space had been divided moments ago.

And their eyes all widened in unison.

Thwack, thwack—  
Boom!

The space trembled, shaking the entire clearing.  

From Si-hyun’s outstretched palm, a distorted line spread out into the air.

Light burst forth from the cracked areas as if glass had shattered.  
Si-hyun’s mana, rippling, continued to invade the space.

The cracks continued to widen in response.

Finally, the growing fissures enveloped the entire boundary surrounding the clearing in a semicircle.

Ultimately.

Crack, crack!  
Boom——!

The space tore open with a deafening roar that shook the heavens and earth.

Step, step.

The previously motionless Si-hyun began to move.  
Now, nothing stood in her way.

“Oh my god!”  
“Did she break through the entry restriction?!”

The men shouted in stunned disbelief.  
Si-hyun, her white hair flowing, stepped into the clearing.

As she entered, the expressions of the Wing Guild members began to change slowly.

“W-what?! Did she really come to save us?”  
“C-can we really survive?”  

Hope, joy.

The men, who had been engulfed in despair, regained new emotions.  
It felt as if a road that had been blocked suddenly opened, reigniting a fire within their hearts.

In that moment, they witnessed ‘salvation.’

Si-hyun strode confidently forward and said,  
“Dimension Pierrot… it’s been a while.”

“Kyahhh!”

The Pierrot, suddenly intruded upon in its territory, glared at Si-hyun with fiery eyes.

But Si-hyun scoffed and ignored it.

‘Your magic is nothing special.’

That was the thought that crossed Si-hyun’s mind at that moment.