Dungeon Run for Profit
Supplies? Can't we just scrounge up whatever we need on our own?
Inside Commander Carlo's office. The space that had been a chaotic mess only a few days ago was now relatively organized. Yet the expression on Carlo's face as he glared at the mountain of documents piled on his desk was twisted into something downright vicious.
"Goddamn it."
Carlo hurled the bundle of papers across the room with a curse. Tae-oh watched the scene from where he leaned against the sofa placed along one wall of the office. Ever since the unit had been reorganized into an independent squad—and especially after the death of his adjutant Raymon—Tae-oh wasn't officially the second-in-command, but he still came and went from the commander's office frequently to stay on top of the situation.
"What's going on, sir? Did the Imperial army decide to launch another invasion?"
"I'd rather they came at us with swords drawn. This is a blatant attempt to starve us out and watch us die."
Carlo's bloodshot eyes locked onto Tae-oh.
"That bastard Valik has completely cut off our supplies."
Tae-oh's eyebrows twitched.
"Supplies? Cutting off logistics to our own troops in the middle of a war? Is he out of his mind?"
"Under normal circumstances, this would be grounds for a court-martial. But right now, who's the one controlling logistics and administration at headquarters? All they need is an excuse. 'The wagon wheels broke,' 'a landslide blocked the road,' 'another unit at the front needs it more urgently'… They've been intercepting every bit of food, weapons, and supplies meant for our reconnaissance unit through every dirty trick in the book."
Carlo ground his teeth audibly.
"It's a deliberate attrition tactic. They're trying to make us collapse on our own. In a week, we won't even have a single scrap of bread left for the men."
Tae-oh scratched his chin. This was definitely a headache.
These guys are seriously insane…?
There was a saying that war was ninety percent logistics. That was how critical it was. No matter how well you could awaken aura or practice alchemy, you couldn't fight on an empty stomach.
"So, do you have a plan, sir?"
"Money is the problem. In a war like this, merchants are everywhere if you have the coin. For now, we'll sort through unnecessary items in the unit and try to trade for food…"
Tae-oh fell silent for a moment, thinking.
Money? We can just earn it.
"Commander. Then why don't we just make the money ourselves?"
Carlo let out a hollow laugh.
"Easy for you to say. Are you suggesting we turn to banditry?"
"Pretty close. Doesn't this world have a perfectly legal way to commit robbery?"
A crooked smile spread across Tae-oh's lips.
Carlo immediately caught his meaning and his eyes widened.
"You can't be serious… You're talking about a dungeon?"
"As expected, you catch on quick."
Dungeon. An indispensable hunting ground in this game. A demonic lair teeming with magic beasts and riddled with ancient traps, yet at its heart always lay an enormous amount of gold coins, Mana Stones, and rare ancient relics.
"Don't talk nonsense. A dungeon is on a completely different level from hunting magic beasts in a normal forest."
Carlo drew a firm line.
"Inside a dungeon you'll find grotesque magical traps of every kind and monsters that have spent centuries drinking blood to evolve. It's a living hell. Even if you threw an entire proper knight order in there, I wouldn't bet on clearing it. And you think your squad of green recruits can punch through one? Stop talking crazy."
Carlo's warning was perfectly reasonable. By any normal standard of common sense, it was absolutely correct. But Tae-oh was no ordinary human. He was a veteran player who had mastered breaking through every kind of malicious handicap and unreasonable gimmick with sheer experience. A high-level veteran.
Still, convincing someone else was another matter.
Tae-oh thought for a moment before speaking.
"When I was a hunter, I cleared quite a few dungeons."
"…What?"
"My grandfather was an adventurer. So I can handle most dungeon gimmicks."
Carlo stared at him, looking utterly dumbfounded, then let out another hollow laugh.
"Wait… since when was that part of a hunter's job?"
Tae-oh shrugged.
"Beats me. But my grandfather could do it, and I learned from him."
"……"
Was this new recruit's grandfather some kind of Adventure King? It seemed the word "impossible" didn't even exist in this insane recruit's vocabulary.
"……Deep in the western ridges of Sector 7, there's a forgotten underground ruin. Countless mercenaries and knights have gone in over the years chasing a quick fortune, but not a single one has ever come back alive. It's a cursed place. Rumor says the legacy of the ancient magic empire lies dormant there."
Carlo pulled an old parchment map from his drawer and pointed to a spot. Tae-oh scanned it quickly. He still wasn't familiar with this world's geography, but he could roughly make out the direction and landmarks.
"Good. We'll take care of it. The Third Squad will head out. Perfect timing—we didn't have anything else to do anyway."
Tae-oh stood up and left the office with light steps. Carlo watched his retreating back with a complicated expression. He had no idea where that insane confidence came from, but deep down, a strange sense of anticipation was beginning to bloom.
In front of the Third Squad's barracks, on the training ground. Ever since being reorganized as an independent unit, the area around their barracks had become something like a restricted zone that soldiers from other squads didn't dare approach.
Tae-oh stood in the middle of the training ground, clapping his hands to gather the squad.
"Everyone assemble! Gear up properly. Starting today, we're going out to make money."
Rolls, who had been maintaining his weapon, frowned and walked over.
"Money? Have you finally lost your damn mind? In a military unit?"
"Supplies have been cut off. We need to earn cash."
The moment the word "dungeon" left Tae-oh's mouth, Rolls's face turned deathly pale. The other squad members who had been gathering around froze with their mouths hanging open.
"A duuuungeon?! Hey, you crazy bastard! Do you even know what that place is? It's a demonic lair where you walk in and never walk out alive!"
Rolls exploded, lunging for Tae-oh's collar. But Tae-oh lightly swatted his hand away and chuckled.
"If you're scared, you can sit this one out. I'm only saying this because I have a plan."
"Ugh, this guy always drags out the weirdest shit. I'm actually going insane."
While Rolls clutched his head in despair, the three female squad members who had been quietly watching stepped forward. Rian, Lcheni, and Licia. Lately, the way these three treated Tae-oh had changed noticeably. What began as desperate clinging for survival had evolved into a subtle mix of genuine affection and dependency, drawn by his overwhelming strength and strange charisma.
A peculiar atmosphere born from the camaraderie of crossing the line of death together, blended with romantic interest.
The first to act was Lcheni, the former tavern worker and information specialist. She approached with her signature swaying walk and naturally slipped her arm through Tae-oh's. A soft warmth pressed against his forearm.
"Captain~ A dungeon? Just hearing the word makes me so scared. They say horrible monsters jump out and devour people alive, right?"
Lcheni looked up at him with teary, trembling eyes and rubbed her cheek against his arm.
"A delicate woman like me might faint the moment we step inside. You'll stay right next to me and protect me, won't you? Hmm?"
Just as Tae-oh was about to clear his throat at Lcheni's fox-like, blatant skinship, a rough hand shoved her aside.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing, clinging to the captain's arm like that? Get off!"
Rian's face was flushed bright red as she stepped in, bow slung over her shoulder, huffing angrily. Normally she acted like a tomboy, but in front of Tae-oh she turned into a classic tsundere—prickly and fiercely competitive.
"Captain! You know that in tight, dangerous places like dungeons, long-range support is essential, right? I'll cover you perfectly with arrows from right behind your back, so you just need to stand in front of me and protect me. Got it?!"
Why are they acting like this all of a sudden…?
Then, while the two were bickering, a quiet and gentle touch reached Tae-oh's belt. It was Licia, the girl who usually spoke the least and had the faintest presence. Without a word, she carefully attached spare bandages, well-dried jerky, and meticulously prepared recovery potions to his combat belt one by one.
"…Licia?"
When Tae-oh called her name, she looked up at him. A shy smile spread across her lips.
"The captain always pushes himself to protect us. This is all I can do, but… I hope you don't get hurt. I'll carry extra gear for you, so please fight comfortably."
Licia's quiet but devoted care. On both sides, Lcheni and Rian were tugging at his arms and squabbling, while in front of him Licia was preparing his equipment with warm, affectionate eyes.
In the middle of this drab military life surrounded by rough men, this sudden flower garden of attention left Tae-oh momentarily dazed.
Have I… actually succeeded?
Honestly, it wasn't bad. As a vigorous man in his twenties, he was barely holding back the smirk tugging at his lips. Besides, he had only recently been discharged from the military. Hadn't his goal after leaving the service been to get a girlfriend?
In the middle of this extreme survival game, this kind of everyday tension served as an excellent stress reliever.
But Tae-oh quickly pulled himself together. The place they were heading wasn't a dating spot—it was a horrific dungeon. If he let himself get distracted by the girls' goodwill, even a dozen hearts wouldn't be enough to survive.
"I appreciate the sentiment, but everyone stay sharp. If you just do exactly what I say, there won't be any dangerous situations."
Tae-oh deliberately used a strict tone to reset the mood and took the lead. Rolls followed with a deep sigh as he gathered his gear, while the three female squad members, along with Bruce and Nestler, adjusted their weapons and fell into step behind him, heading into the forest.