Chapter 44

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Translator: Wjin

Chapter: 44

Chapter Title: Delivering into the Dungeon

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Mimi, snorting through her nostrils with a schwick-schwick sound, wanted to gnaw Han Joo-oh to bits with her sharp front teeth.

'He was a weird guy, alright.'

Cancel that thought about him not seeming like a bad person. Chae-ryeon revised her assessment: he was an utterly eccentric and bizarre man.

Meanwhile, far from Chae-ryeon, Han Joo-oh held up two fingers.

'Two special summons with their own egos. One can transform into a human. The other is unknown.'

His Tamer abilities let him see it all, really. Like how the handsome guy beside her was a summon in human disguise.

The reason he'd pointed it out? He wanted to know if Moon Chae-ryeon had a boyfriend.

"Ahem. So, no boyfriend yet, right?"

Flowers bloomed on Han Joo-oh's face. The man who had summoned a dragon with his overwhelming stats to sweep away the harpies was grinning like an idiot, making the <Mir> guild members—who had grown uneasy—scatter like frightened chicks.

'If only things could get a little closer between the customer and the boss...'

How should he go about it?

As Han Joo-oh pondered, Shin Ha-rang entered his view.

"Leaving already?"

"Ah, yes. Everyone enjoyed the food, and we've collected all the bento boxes, so there's no reason to stay in this dungeon any longer."

"S-Still... How about joining us for some monster hunting like last time? It boosted our team's morale, and it'd be a shame to let you go just like that... You haven't left a review after the order yet, either."

Han Joo-oh could see what was creeping into the eyes of the usually icy Shin Ha-rang.

"Oh ho..."

Who knew that guy could make a face like that?

A mischievous twitch pulled at Han Joo-oh's lips.

Shin Ha-rang was dying to say just one more word to Chae-ryeon.

'If we part ways in this dungeon, who knows when I'll see the Delivery Hunter again.'

In his flawless life as an S-Rank Hunter, he'd never imagined begging like this. Shin Ha-rang knew he was being overly deferential, but he rationalized it all as scouting motives.

'Yeah, that's the only reason.'

Stubbornly insisting to himself that there was no suspicious ulterior motive.

Naturally, naturally!

'...Why does it feel like this guy's trying to hold me back?'

Chae-ryeon answered Shin Ha-rang's questions diligently, but she wanted to leave the dungeon already.

Why? Because she was a Korean for whom quests came first.

It was an excellent haul.

If she kept the momentum going and snagged reviews from five reorders, wouldn't that make for a stellar hunter life?

At least, that's what Chae-ryeon thought.

So she wished this kind, handsome S-Rank guy would stop talking to her already.

Gratitude was gratitude, merit was merit, private was private.

'I need to confirm if she'll write a review and get out of here.'

Chae-ryeon wore an unhappy expression, but ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fortunately, her helmet hid it from Ha-rang.

"...Delivery Hunter. If you're alright with it, how about joining us to tackle the dungeon? It'd be a great chance to hunt monsters."

'...That's a tempting offer.'

To clear all the quests, she still needed to gather ingredients and fill the compendium inside the dungeon.

'Monster hunting, huh? Might as well.'

As Chae-ryeon mulled it over, the hunters at the base camp watching them tilted their heads.

'Why's the guild master fawning over her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠like that?'

'No idea. He's your guild master, so you should know better.'

The <Mir> guild members and even folks from the Wing Guild found Shin Ha-rang's behavior odd, but he himself was oblivious.

Why did his S-Rank hearing fail him only when it came to whispers like this?

'Hmm.'

Amused by the spectacle, Han Joo-oh decided to tease Shin Ha-rang a bit.

'Absolutely not because he seems interested in Moon Chae-ryeon. Nope.'

Han Joo-oh was a master of self-justification too.

With a cheeky smile, he sidled up behind Shin Ha-rang and threw an arm around his shoulders.

"Ack."

"Haha. Guild Master Shin Ha-rang. What's this? Time for chit-chat's over. You should be prepping to fight monsters now."

Drag, drag, drag.

Being S-Rank himself, Han Joo-oh dragged Shin Ha-rang toward the base camp like a headlock takedown.

"Lunch break still has 15 minutes left..."

Shin Ha-rang tried to shake off Han Joo-oh's arm, but froze at a whisper.

"The Delivery Hunter you met was just one person, right?"

"...! How do you..."

Did this guy meet Moon Chae-ryeon too?

As Shin Ha-rang's eyes widened, Han Joo-oh landed the finishing blow.

"That guy next to the Delivery Hunter? They seemed pretty close. Probably her boyfriend."

Boom.

A meteor shower rained down in Shin Ha-rang's heart.

"Sh-She..."

Boyfriend.

She was in her twenties, prime of youth. It could happen. It shouldn't be a big deal. Yet Shin Ha-rang felt tears welling up.

"Boyfriend... I see."

The funny part? Seeing Shin Ha-rang's devastated expression soured Han Joo-oh's mood too.

'...What the hell.'

I was the one pranking, so ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠why do I feel worse?

Irritated and confused, the two stood frozen like statues amid the emotional whirlwind.

When...

"Kiiiiiaaaaa—!"

The sweet truce shattered.

"Harpy attack!"

"Everyone, battle stations!"

The hunters, leisurely enjoying the rest of lunch without spills or pukes, jumped up and grabbed their weapons.

To shoot down the harpies refusing to descend, a barrage of skills flew skyward.

Some burned to death, others plummeted pierced by petals sharper than skewers.

But the harpies still held numerical superiority.

"Kieee—!"

-Humans are mere prey! Kiiik. Kill them all!

The harpies charging for a reversal weren't pushovers. Unlike before, they weren't just pecking with beaks or clawing shallow wounds.

Chae-ryeon felt sheepish instead as the administrator vented fury.

'We... finished eating already...?'

Could it be because of the sikhye?

Sometimes Chae-ryeon thought this system admin was more serious about food than she was.

"...Something's coming."

"Tighten formations!"

Shin Ha-rang and Han Joo-oh, their spirits briefly broken, straightened up and readied for attack.

And sure enough.

"What?!"

"Watch out! If these dungeon harpies are like the mythical ones, that attack is probably...!"

Shin Ha-rang shouted urgently, but it was too late.

Whoooosh.

The harpies flapped in unison. Massive storms swelled from their rapidly beating wings—one per harpy. Dozens of tempests hurtled toward the hunters, poised to shred them.

A harpy that looked like a commander smirked.

-Kieeee—! Sweep the humans away!

Kekekeke.

The ripping winds carried steel-sharp harpy feathers.

"Taking a hit means serious injury! Scatter! Defense hunters, step up and pour on the skills!"

Unlike the simple assaults before, this skill would inflict heavy casualties.

Hunters with defense skills, led by Han Joo-oh, surged forward.

Layers of defensive skills unfurled like waves, enveloping the allies.

But the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠triumphant harpies sneered at the sight.

-Kiiik. Cheep-cheep. That won't be enough?

"Urgh."

The razor winds raged viciously, as if to tear limbs asunder.

Crunch.

The vortexes of wind battered the sturdy barriers relentlessly.

'Damn it.'

Han Joo-oh's arms trembled at the forefront, shield raised.

"This is why I hate uncharted dungeons. The pay's sweet, even with hazard bonuses, but surprise curveballs make it a pain."

A powerful monster attack in phase 1 meant one thing.

S-Rank.

They'd expected A-Rank, so the Wing Guild and <Mir> members panicked hard.