It was obvious that Jinyoung's mind was set and there was little that Hana could say to dissuade him.

Wraiths were known for being lethal creatures and they were aptly named. The things were vaguely human, but only just. Petrified skin wrapped around bony limbs with hands and feet that ended with claws. A thin shroud covered their bodies masking a seemingly emaciated body, drawn thin by years of starvation. But the truth was these things fed on death and could survive for years in solitude.

There were more than a few tales of adventurers stumbling on them in dungeons only to be slaughtered on the spot.

"It's too dangerous," Hana cautioned. "We don't know what this thing is capable of."

Willow nodded in agreement. Wraiths were mid-tier monsters, usually found in deeper dungeons. Certainly not the kind of monster a recent graduate expected to face this early in their career. Her class had studied them at the Academy, mostly as a warning to younger players looking to make a name for themselves. These things didn't just kill you, they sucked the life out of you.

Willow shuddered at the memory. Her instruction included pictures.

"I'm not expecting you all to stay," Jinyoung said. "But I'm doing this."

Seunghyo kept his face steady. He had hoped the party would choose to fight the wraith, but not like this. He quietly studied the mixture of emotions Hana was trying to hide from her countenance. First anger, then fear, then concern. He wanted with all his heart to interrupt and shut Jinyoung down. Under any other circumstances, he would agree with Hana and, if necessary, drag her brother from the premises to shelter.

But he couldn't. Surviving the night wasn't impossible, but it would be difficult without a fire to avoid attracting the hordes outside. More than that... he had his orders. He needed to kill the wraith. And he needed their help to do it.

Hana thought of pleading; maybe even begging. But she knew it would fall on deaf ears. Her brother had always been a singularly stubborn individual. As a child she thought he was steadfast, but now she saw him in a different light. He was headfast and foolhardy.

Hana set her face and spoke with a grim tone.

"If it were just you, I could understand. But you're putting my life and Willow's life at risk, too. Not to mention Seunghyo-"

"I'll stay with him."

Hana turned to her former paramour with a look on her face that was shock and anger all at once.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Seunghyo held up his hands.

"His mind's set, Hana. A blind man could see that," he said. "We can either help him or leave him here to deal with it alone."

“You don’t understand, Seunghyo. We’ve run into one of these things before and it damn near killed him and two others.”

Hana kept her eyes on her brother. As if she could make him take back his foolishness.

“I know. But we have to face this thing. Sin or no.”

Everyone grew silent at Seunghyo’s statement, like a spell had been cast.

Seunghyo watched Hana’s face closely, looking for some hint as to what she was feeling.

Sunbae, did he just-

“Fine,” she said. Seunghyo could hear that something was different in her voice. It was shaky. Unsure.

“Hana-” Jinyoung started to speak, but Hana cut him off.

“If we do this, we do this my way.”

The way Hana said left no room for other opinions or thoughts so everyone simply nodded.

Hana shook the stars from her mind and focused on the task at hand.

The gate-lock was huge, big enough to fit two pickup trucks side by side. And the staging area was wide and open with little cover.

“How was the terrain outside?” she asked suddenly.

Willow took a second to compose herself before answering.

“The ground outside is frozen solid, but there’s rubble and boulders to give cover. It should neutralize anything that moves quickly as long as we can corner quickly enough.”

Pathfinders were an advanced archer class focusing on ranged support rather than close quarters combat. They excelled at tracking targets and stunning enemies at range.

“Willow, post up by the steps. Jinyoung and I will bait it in the staging area before drawing it outside. Once we’re outside, we need to keep this thing on the ground. The second it tries to fly, I want you to knock it out of the sky, Seunghyo.”

“I should post up by the stairs so I can [mark] it as soon as it pops out,” Seunghyo offered.

“No,” Hana shook her head. “Wait outside, but make sure you have a clear view of the exit. We’ll bring it to you.”

Reluctantly, Seunghyo agreed.

“Then take up your positions.”

***

The two siblings stood in front of the gate-lock. Taking the moment to prepare themselves.

Hana, until the Seorak Outbreak… until we faced the boss, you said-

I said I’d never heard of the ‘sin’ attribute before.

Hana winced at the memory. More so at the idea that they were willingly facing another monster with the same attribute.

Yeah. What about anyone else?

For a moment, Hana was silent. Still angry at being forced into this encounter.

No. Whatever it was, it wasn’t something that Guildmaster Muho or even the Forgemaster had heard of.

She knew what was coming next. It was a question she had been asking herself over and over ever since Seunghyo interrupted their argument earlier.

Then how did Seunghyo know the monster was a ‘sin’ monster?