Chapter 237
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 237
Chapter Title: A Past Even She Didn't Know About
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Ah, anyway, our engagement ceremony is just about three weeks away now."
"That's right."
Minguk chuckled at Chaeyoung's cute attempt to subtly change the subject, pretending not to notice as he nodded along.
In truth, "family meeting" felt like a better fit than "engagement ceremony." After all, it would be the first time both families had ever laid eyes on each other.
"By the way, how has your mom been lately? I should at least greet her in advance..."
Leading the GGW raid team through the Renaissance Clan's [A-4] difficulty dungeon for the combination formula had been followed by nonstop assaults on the Twin Valley Dungeon. He hadn't spared a single thought for engagement preparations.
Aside from a few phone calls with Chaeyoung, he hadn't even seen his future mother-in-law, who was handling nearly all the arrangements herself.
And in Hyun-ah's case, her sister—the clan leader Oh Hyun-jung—and her secretary were taking care of everything.
I really should do something myself...
But first, he had family matters to sort out, and the dungeon clears left him swamped with tasks.
To start tackling Daegu's Polluted Lands before the year ended, he'd need at least two—no, three—more teammates at Legendary class, Giselle included.
Chaeyoung gazed at the pensive Minguk with eyes brimming with affection.
How can even the way he talks be so endearing?
It was because of how, even in his busyness, he was thinking of her mother.
Other guys wouldn't bat an eye at this stuff. Her ex-boyfriend, whom she'd once considered marrying, had been just like that.
"It's fine. Mom gets it, so don't worry too much. Our work matters, but you're practically a public figure, right?"
Those last words had stung especially deep.
Even retired, she'd surely still worry about Korea's Dark Monster defense and the ongoing war.
In fact, if full-scale war broke out with the Dark Monsters, Chaeyoung would be first on the mobilization list—like Korea's reservists back in Minguk's day.
"Still, I should at least pay some attention to it..."
"More than that, you'll need to sign a ton of autographs at our engagement party. Mom's been bragging about her son-in-law to all her friends."
"That much is nothing."
He could handle it easily.
Anyway, his goal before the ceremony was to complete the "Dawn's Holy Maiden" class. And he had another matter to resolve: his supposed older sister, Han Sejeong.
Ah, technically not my sister, though.
To Minguk—who'd never even seen her face or exchanged a word—Han Sejeong was no different from a stranger.
Come to think of it, he'd sent her a message but hadn't checked for a reply. He'd have to look later. Right now... getting out of bed felt like too much hassle.
"Fall back to the perimeter! Maintain distance! Nuke attack incoming!"
"Whoa?! I-it's coming! Everyone, evade!"
"Me! It's me! Don't cling to me!!!"
The short break ended, and the Twin Valley Dungeon trial resumed.
Having breezed through the first and second named bosses, Minguk and the GGW raid team handled the third named—the Giant God Sanas—just as smoothly.
They lacked trial experience, so they couldn't one-shot Sanas, but they downed it in four tries. Against the other gatekeeper-tier monster, Ephraxis, they cleared in just three.
They're adapting faster than I expected.
Minguk beamed proudly at his teammates.
Now, they handled things on their own without his precise directions. Their improvisation was still lacking, but this level of performance was a massive leap forward.
Compared to the reckless tactics of this world's heroes when he'd first arrived... he still sighed at the memory.
As trials piled up, the team's skills steadily improved.
During the Sanas trials, Hyun-ah and Tanya had struggled to block its attacks. But their shield-handling had sharpened, and now they could endure three or four seconds without heals.
The dealers were the same.
Hit rates on named bosses soared, linked plays flowed seamlessly, and clear times plummeted. Healers could finally manage their mana with ease.
"Uwaa...! Got it!"
"Loot! Loot! Whoa?! Dealer armor! Agility helmet!"
"Me! Pick me! Me!!!"
Successfully downing the ninth named, Ephraxis, yielded a Gear Score 1120 agility dealer helmet.
Yuna's face lit up at the sight. As an 8-star hero, she couldn't afford auction house items yet, so she'd been stuck with a flimsy sub-1000 GS tin helmet.
For reference, this was the first agility dealer helmet from a loot chest since the Vietnam Dungeon Break haul.
"Congrats, Yuna!"
"Whoa... Finally ditching that antenna helmet?"
Hyun-ah and Giselle's cheers sparked a wave of congratulations from the team.
Higher Gear Scores meant exponentially lower drop rates for equipment. Snagging a perfect-fit item like Yuna did was pure luck.
Not uncommon for a full dungeon clear to yield zero hero gear. Purple mana crystals were easier to find, honestly.
Even in GGW, several 8-stars like Yuna had sub-1000 GS from 7-star gear—especially tricky accessories.
Weapons and armor were different; as the biggest power boosters, they prioritized matching their star rating there first.
No need for an auction on this one—straight to lowest bidder.
"Aw, this is when we should strip Yuna bare. Raid Leader, mind recruiting a spare agility dealer? Assassin class would fit great."
Ye-rin grinned mischievously.
Made sense: Yuna was the only one in the raid needing an agility helmet.
Kim So-jeong and Shiranui Mai needed strength helmets; Ye-rin and Shin Na-yeon wore intellect-based ones.
"Hmm... Should I bid on it then?"
Minguk smirked, playing along with Ye-rin's joke. Fair point—his occasional dealer class, "Blade of Malice," was agility-based.
"R-Raid Leader?! Eek?!"
Yuna jolted, eyes bulging like a cow's. If it went to auction, massive tears would flow.
"Kidding, kidding."
Gear Score over 1000 ran hundreds to thousands of billions. Even at 30% market price, it was insane. Yuna had scrimped settlements for ages, but Minguk wouldn't drop that on a sub-class item.
Chaeyoung could fund it, sure... but no need.
"Ah, this trial's gonna net some real cash."
"I'll save two million dollars and splurge the rest on clothes?"
"I'm eyeing a ring at Est La T."
The item's arrival lit up the raid's mood.
Misc loot from clears gave pocket change settlements, but equipment payouts were another level. Even Yuna, who paid top dollar for her new helmet, beamed.
As gear from an 8-rank special entity, it felt worlds better than her old one—her face bloomed like a flower.
"Alright, let's cleanly take down the final named and wrap this schedule."
Minguk's briefing began before Ororas, the final named—the infamous Abyss Pursuer.
Having cleared it once before, he highlighted only the key points, jogging the team's memories.
The trial kicked off.
Another flub on Ororas's signature memory game led to a full wipe, but they felled it in three tries.
Total revival stones used: 12, mostly on the three gatekeepers.
In return, loot value—Yuna's helmet alone topped thousands of billions.
Misc spoils hit hundreds of billions too. Non-gear loot would refine into energy resources and materials sustaining modern civilization.
"Ugh... Dud."
Regrettably, Ororas's chest held no Dawn Knight class stone.
"Eh, expected as much."
"Our Hyun-ah, Cheonho-dong's lucky girl—is the drug wearing off?"
"What kinda nonsense is that? Who pulled Yuna's helmet? This girl right here!"
"I'd have snagged two gear items... Mind if I open the next loot chest?"
No one was too disappointed. Just their second clear, and class stone drops were notoriously rare—everyone knew.
"Good work, everyone."
As Minguk and the heroes emerged from the portal, waiting soldiers and clan staff bowed deeply.
They'd seen the dungeon timer reset, knowing GGW had succeeded.
"Hurry, load it up!"
Staff took the heroes' loot and loaded vehicles.
Three team leads began meticulously logging items acquired.
"No class stone, huh."
A familiar woman—the collection team's supervisor—sidled up to Minguk.
Mid-30s? Incredibly competent for her age, with a bust uncharacteristically huge for a Korean woman.
"Unfortunately. But second clear—gotta play the long game."
Minguk glanced at her chest before replying.
GGW tackling Chilbo Mountain's Twin Valley for Legendary combos was public knowledge. So was Renaissance's [A-4] for the formula—raids everywhere grinding it.
Hah, good luck after a hundred days.
No raid had the formula yet, naturally.
"Heard your clan's first-string raid is eyeing Chilbo Mountain too."
"...What? Memoria's first-string?"
"No, our R's first-string."
Minguk tilted his head at the supervisor's words.
Why bother while GGW was already on it?
They could coordinate without interference—using "Time Distortion" items to open duplicate dungeon gates.
Rare from [A]+ dungeons, but Rose Shield had plenty, with two [A]-cleared raids.
"The first-string heroes volunteered. Said they'd trial Twin Valley to help GGW snag class stones."
Minguk's head tilted again. Help was nice, but why go out of their way?
"What about your existing dungeon clears?"
"Eh, plenty of time this year. We're not reclaiming Ranker Clan status—no rush on mandatory ones."
"Ah, right..."
True enough.
But first-string heroes—barely more than nodding acquaintances—suddenly trialing Twin Valley for GGW?
It felt odd. As if sensing his doubt, the supervisor glanced around cautiously before speaking up.