Defeat in the Dungeon, Disaster at Camp
Riding the bus out of Happy Orchard, we traveled for another hour or so before pulling into the downtown of a small village in the countryside.
The bus wound past a residential district and slipped into a narrow lane lined with shops, eventually coming to a stop in front of a fish market.
“A fish market?”
“Are we having sashimi for lunch?”
“Ugh, I can't eat raw fish….”
The murmur of confusion and complaint continued even as we filed off the bus, and only died down when the guide picked up his microphone.
“Everyone, when you hear the word Hunter, what comes to mind first?”
“Money!”
“A nine-figure salary!”
“……Fame?”
Hmm. Speaking as someone who'd seen field hunters up close and personal lately….
“Corporate slaves. Career-change candidates. Hearts of steel.”
Those were the only keywords that came to mind.
“People I genuinely cannot fathom the mentality of as they clock in every morning.”
Kang Sagwa nodded along.
That said, there were the occasional pure-hearted answers too.
“Cool people. Like my big brother…!”
Seoro, apparently.
Anyway, judging by how long and elaborate this buildup was getting, today's activity was probably going to be brutal.
And sure enough, the guide dropped his bombshell.
“Haha! Correct, all correct! But of course, you can't talk about hunters without mentioning dungeon exploration! Which is why today, we're having lunch inside a dungeon!”
Eat what?
Where, exactly?
Because the place the guide was still pointing at was the same shabby fish market sign as before.
Amid the mounting absurdity, one participant who looked like a high schooler raised a hand.
“Could it be that there's a dungeon inside the fish market?”
The bespectacled boy asked the question with impressive sharpness, but did that even make sense…?
“Oho? Sharp one, aren't you? Correct! Dungeons spawn without regard for location, you see — and yes, there is an F-rank dungeon inside this fish market!”
I'm sorry, what.
Yet the guide pressed on whether the participants were stunned or not.
“Provided specially by BOND! Oh dear, no need to worry! All the dangerous-class monsters inside have been cleared out in advance, and best of all, BOND has assigned us a genuine hunter as our guide for your protection~ Now, come on out, hunter-nim!”
To a wall of one-sided cheering, the door of the fish market swung open.
Through the gap, a single long leg swayed lazily out into the open air. As his figure gradually emerged into the sunlight….
I let out an involuntary gasp.
Wow.
A face far too pretty for a field hunter — and hair bleached bright as an idol's, on top of that.
There wasn't a single angle of the man that didn't draw the eye.
And yet the clothes he wore were unmistakably the field-work uniform of BOND's frontline hunters.
While everyone was still reeling from the arrival of a man far flashier than expected….
“Hunter Bae Jeil, we're in your care for today's dungeon guide!”
“Ah. Yes…. Sure.”
Wait, huh?
I knew that voice.
“Even if the dangerous monsters have been cleared, if one of you runs off and throws a fit alone…. You understand? I won't be responsible.”
That oddly half-hearted drawl, layered over a deep, low voice.
Ah.
I knew this guy.
That — that friend of Lee Seohyeok's from the underground dungeon!
—Didn't you say you had no overtime today? You were grinning about having dinner with the twins…. Wait, are they making you work late? Want me to do it for you?
The friend who'd grabbed my shoulder in that underground corridor.
…What was it Kang Howon had called him? The only friend Lee Seohyeok had inside the company?
Just as I was digging through my memory, Bae Jeil raised a hand slightly and waved it in our direction.
“Yo.”
“Hi, hyung.”
So Seoro knew him too, of course.
“Anyway, everyone inside…. Lunch is bibimbap lunchboxes today. Mine's included too, right?”
“Ah, yes, of course~”
Following Hunter Bae Jeil, who herded us along with an endlessly casual air, we stepped into the aging fish market.
With the tables, chairs, and assorted market gear all cleared out, the interior felt hollow and barren.
Except for one thing: a circular halo of shimmering light claiming that empty space for itself.
A gate.
At Bae Jeil's gesture, the group shuffled through it in a daze.
And what awaited us on the other side was….
“Th-the ocean?”
“Is that a castle? Whoa….”
“Unbelievable. Hey, photo, take a photo!”
The interior of a castle, half-submerged in water.
Battered and crumbling, but steeped in that unmistakable air of mystery, it was overwhelming.
But it was too early to be astonished. Because beyond the glass windows of the castle was a perfect, flawless underwater world.
Through the panes, a whale's fin could be seen sweeping past….
“…I've never seen anything like this.”
The admiration escaped me on its own.
“It's a bit different from last year. Last year's dungeon was mostly open fields.”
“Did you wander around sightseeing inside a dungeon back then too, before lunch? …This is okay, right? This is safe?”
“Presumably…. For a few years now there's been this insane push to repurpose low-danger dungeons as civilian tourist attractions. And BOND, drunk on money as ever, is leading the charge.”
Good grief. BOND really has lost its mind over money.
Of all things — turning dungeons into tourist spots for civilians?
…Then wait. Wasn't this whole thing a test disguised as a free trial?
Just how many tangled interests were threaded through this slapdash camp?
Unfortunately, I couldn't dwell on the thought for long.
🌊 It's the ocean! Hurry up and find my legs so we can have fun! 🌊
Because Nabi's urging and cheering were coming through loud and clear, in real time.
…Today, I had to find Nabi's legs. No exceptions.
Which meant I had to take MVP at this camp. No exceptions.
At the orchard, I'd searched for peaches with my eyes burning from a strictly consumer's perspective, and that strategy had paid off handsomely.
Time to keep my head in the game again.
Clap clap. The guide clapped his hands to gather attention, then handed over the microphone.
The one who received it was Hunter Bae Jeil.
“Mm…. So, we're going to take a look around first. And apparently I'm supposed to throw in a few quizzes…? General-knowledge ones, and…. ah, yeah, yeah, ugh, what a pain. Anyway, they're hunter-related. Just figure out the answers yourselves.”
“Jeil-hyung finds everything a pain. He comes over to our place and does nothing but sleep every time.”
Before Seoro could even finish his helpful elaboration—
“Alright, first quiz…. Have the dangerous-class monsters in this dungeon actually all been eliminated?”
You absolute lunatic.
What kind of question even is that?!
Even so, my hand shot straight up.
“What color is a hippo's sweat?”
Lee Seoro thrust his hand into the air and shouted the answer.
“Correct answer! It's colorless!”
He'd been burned by a near-identical quiz question last year, so this time he'd come fully armed. He'd pored over books, binged children's science and history programs, and more — because hey, human sweat is colorless!
“Bzzt!”
No!
“The correct answer is red.”
“Yes…. That is correct.”
Again! Again! It was Na Hwiyeon.
Every time the teacher raised his hand, the correct answers never stopped coming. Not once did he miss.
Lee Seoro's shoulders trembled.
…But the game wasn't over until it was over.
One round remained.
Teacher Na Hwiyeon was far ahead on points, but Seoro knew Bae Jeil's quiz style inside and out.
That hyung comes to our house every single day and, because playing with us is too much work, he just throws quizzes at us!
And every single time, at the very end, he….
“For the final quiz…. let's spice things up. Fifty points.”
…would pull out a score that could flip the entire board.
“……!”
“Wait, then all I have to do is win this one round?”
Seoro looked at Na Hwiyeon.
He's rattled!
Just rattling the enemy was a major victory in itself. Quick — use this opening to snatch the answer!
Even as he celebrated inwardly, the question dropped right in front of him.
“Among the dungeons beneath BOND headquarters, dangerous-class dungeons begin at which rank?”
…What?
I'm a kid! How am I supposed to know that?!
It felt like the sky was collapsing. As Seoro flailed his head in utter despair—
a calm, unmoved voice sounded beside him.
“The correct answer is A-rank.”
“……Do you work for our company?”
“No. It was a guess.”
“…That is correct.”
Nooooooooo!
Crushed by despair, Seoro collapsed to his knees.
This can't be happening.
How…. how had he lost again?
After the peach picking, now the dungeon quiz contest too.
And Na Hwiyeon had taken first place this time as well.
Seoro had no idea whether the bibimbap lunchbox went into his mouth or his nose. All he could see, looping over and over, was the image of Na Hwiyeon elegantly plucking peaches and Na Hwiyeon breezing through every quiz.
…The more he replayed it, the deeper the bitter taste of defeat pooled in his chest — but he couldn't stop watching.
By the time lunch was over, Seoro had flopped down on the ground before boarding the bus, and Na Hwiyeon scooped him up.
“Seoro, time to go…. Hm? Are you watching ants or something?”
Seoro silently cursed his own tiny body, and before he knew it, he'd fallen asleep in Na Hwiyeon's arms.
And when he opened his eyes again—
the sun had set, and they'd arrived at the campsite.
“Ah, Seoro, you're up? Perfect timing — they say the cooking contest is starting.”
“……A cooking contest?”
“Yep. Teams of three, and they pick the tastiest team. Sounds fun, right?”
Still groggy from sleep, Seoro stared blankly for a moment — and then one devastating fact clicked into place.
No!
If that happened, his chance at MVP would vanish completely!
Last year, the final event had definitely been the courage test!
…The one where you fetched a strange monster photo from an abandoned house in the mountains. Seoro had marched in alone and completed the mission in the shortest time, proud and unflinching.
And then he'd safely claimed MVP!
But teams of three?!
“If you win this cooking contest too, Teacher, MVP is basically locked in.”
Kang Sagwa's words struck Seoro's ears like a thunderbolt.
“…….”
Seoro rose unsteadily to his feet.
“Seoro, where are you going?”
“……I want to go to the bathroom.”
“Okay. Then let's go together.”
“…N-no. I want to go with Teacher Sagwa.”
Right now, he couldn't bear to look at Na Hwiyeon's face.
“…….”
When neither Na Hwiyeon nor Kang Sagwa said anything, Seoro stood up from his spot, determined to go alone if he had to.
With no idea where the bathroom even was, he simply started walking.
Meanwhile, having suddenly been rejected by Seoro, Na Hwiyeon was replaced by Kang Sagwa, who hurried after the boy.
“Seoro, Seoro! Go with your teacher.”
Kang Sagwa finally caught up and took his hand, and they walked along—
until the boy, who had been walking just fine, suddenly stopped in his tracks with his head hung low. Then he murmured in a voice thick with tears.
“I…. I lost.”
“……Ah…. um, it's okay. It happens sometimes.”
“It doesn't! Na Hwiyeon is a lower rank than me and his ability is way worse! It makes no sense that I lost to him!”
“……That part is true.”
“Then — then how did I…. lose?”
“S-Seoro.”
“I'm going to be a hunter! I can't lose to a civilian!”
You're a civilian right now too, you know….
And where on earth had he even picked up words like that?
Kang Sagwa wanted to squeeze her eyes shut.
He'd looked anxious all through the schedule, sure — but she never dreamed it would blow up like this.
Kang Sagwa had been through a camp with Seoro last year, so she'd at least vaguely suspected something like this might happen.
His competitive streak is off the charts.
She could understand the heartbreak — the MVP he'd fought tooth and nail to defend two years running, snatched away by none other than his own homeroom teacher….
This is exactly why I asked him.
In fact, back when the quiz show was in full swing in the dungeon, Kang Sagwa had sidled up to Na Hwiyeon — mid-streak of correct answers — and quietly explained Seoro's state with a request.
—….That's why I'm asking. Could you maybe, possibly, throw the game for Seoro?
And given everything she knew of Na Hwiyeon's temperament and everyday conduct, she'd fully expected the obvious answer.
Something like a warm, automatic of course.
But instead—
—Teacher, the world of competition is cold by nature. If you live your whole life being handed concessions, you'll never grow.
With that line — sounding for all the world like a shonen manga protagonist's signature quote, something Park Edeun would spout — she'd been flatly, spectacularly refused.
Are you kidding me?! Then what am I supposed to do?!
Sweating cold sweat, Kang Sagwa opened her mouth with everything she had to soothe the boy on the verge of sobbing.
“Seoro, how about right now, we ditch your teacher and enter the cooking contest, just the two of us? I'm a good cook. I'll get you first place.”
“……No.”
Why not?!
“…The world of competition is cold. If I get first place because you helped me, then it isn't really mine.”
Whose disciple is that man, exactly?!
Completely drained, she found herself wanting nothing more than to go home.
So this is what they mean by the shrimp's back breaking in the whales' fight — and just as she was about to cry—
she saw a crowd of staff members pouring out of a nearby official tent.
At the sight, Kang Sagwa instinctively scooped up the boy and slipped into an empty tent nearby.
The atmosphere looked off, and she'd hidden almost on pure reflex….
Barely had she begun to wonder if she'd hidden for nothing when voices drifted in from outside.
“You swapped out the MVP prize, right?”
“Ah, of course. Took it out separately and stashed it somewhere else~!”
“Good, good. Just toss some cheap F-rank supply-tier junk into an identical carrier and bluff your way through.”
“Man~ talk about a creator economy, huh? Reselling the prizes BOND provided. Nice little side income~”
“We'll hide the real one somewhere, and after the event wraps up, that's ours for the taking. Deal?”
“Aigoo~ you read my mind.”
What on earth is all this?
The voices were unmistakably the ones she'd just seen — those were camp staff members.
But…. the content of the conversation.
They're saying they're going to swallow the MVP prize among themselves in secret.
Having stumbled headfirst into the backstage scheming of the hunter camp staff, Kang Sagwa pressed a hand to her forehead with a groan.
On top of everything else, she'd now learned secrets she never wanted to know — and honestly, she was starting to pity her own situation.
Now what is this?!