Desperately Seeking a Party – And Chicken
Ha-yeon stood in the middle of the forest for a while. Voices echoed from all directions.
"Looking for a healer!"
"Need one more dealer!"
"Cockatrice trial party!"
People kept forming parties left and right. And amid all that, Ha-yeon kept getting rejected.
"…."
She thought for a moment. There was no rush to head up to the 6th floor. The Tower wasn't going anywhere. The trials didn't have to be cleared today. She could take it slow.
That's what a normal climber would think.
But Ha-yeon was different. She was more desperate than anyone else here.
This won't do.
The reason was simple.
My chicken!
The 5th floor's boss monster. Cockatrice. A monster that looked just like a chicken. Chicken. Chicken.
Visions danced before Ha-yeon's eyes. Crispy fried chicken. Spicy dakdoritang stew. Sweet-and-salty braised chicken. Bubbling samgyetang soup.
"…."
Her mouth watered. If she couldn't hunt the cockatrice, this whole journey would mean nothing.
Ha-yeon gritted her teeth.
Absolutely not.
She had to catch that chicken. No matter what.
Ha-yeon plunged back into the crowd. She called out with even more desperation than before.
"Excuse me!"
She stopped in front of one party.
"Any chance I can join?"
A man asked, "What's your class?"
"…None."
"Ah…."
The man made that subtle face—the telltale sign of rejection Ha-yeon had seen over and over.
But in that instant, she jumped in. "But I'll work super hard!"
"…?"
"For real, I'll give it everything I've got."
The man hesitated, flustered, but soon started shaking his head no. Ha-yeon didn't stop. She dashed to another party.
"Can I join yours too?!"
"Class?"
"None!"
"…."
"But I'll work super hard instead!"
People were starting to give her weird looks. But Ha-yeon didn't give up. Another party. And another.
Finally, she shouted into the middle of the plains like she was calling out to the world.
"Please, take me with you!"
*
"Hmm…."
The man eyed Ha-yeon dubiously.
"If you let me in, I'll work harder than anyone!"
Ha-yeon practically bowed her head, going full low-posture mode.
"I can carry gear! I'll pull aggro up front, ping-pong around like a semi-tank."
Her words sped up. "So, y'know… I can tank with my body, pull monsters, carry stuff—."
Ha-yeon launched into the most enthusiastic self-pitch of her life. More desperate than any job interview from her past life.
If her grandfather, Chairman Song, saw this?
My granddaughter's suffering like this…! He'd probably smack his forehead.
The man thought for a moment and asked, "Melee type, no class…."
"Yes!"
"What weapon do you use?"
"A dagger!"
"…A dagger?"
His eyebrow twitched up.
"Hmm…."
Dagger. Usually, that meant thief class. And thieves? They were the hardest to party with. Simple reason: Not tanks, not stable dealers. Definitely not healers. Plus, their stealth and mobility strengths didn't shine much in group hunts. Unless they had some rare scouting skill, they were the first ones booted from parties. Basically treated like outcasts.
The man's expression grew colder. Spotting it, Ha-yeon moved like lightning.
"Oh, this one!"
She pulled Nelly's Dagger from her inventory. No tooltip this time, like when she'd shown it to Han Ji-hye, but anyone could tell it wasn't ordinary. The subtle, sharp gleam of the metal. The intricate engravings on the hilt. And above all, the strange presence it exuded.
The man's eyes widened.
"…Oh."
A quiet gasp escaped him.
That's when a man stepped forward from the back. One of the party members. A big guy with a friendly face and laid-back smile.
"This should be fine, right?"
He grinned. "Our little miss here is so eager."
He flashed Ha-yeon a toothy smile. "Says she'll carry gear and pull aggro."
"Y-Yes! If you let me in, I'll work hard!"
"And with that dagger… at least her gear's solid."
The apparent leader pondered. "Hmm."
The vibe had definitely shifted. His gaze returned to Ha-yeon, a hint of his mind changing.
*
"Looking forward to working with you. I'm Enson, the party leader. Warrior class."
The young man extended his hand. Ha-yeon grabbed it quick.
"Me too!"
Then the middle-aged man behind him chuckled heartily.
"Haha, just call me Hob."
In the end, Ha-yeon succeeded in joining a party. It had been touch-and-go, but success was success.
She sized up her new party members one by one.
First, Enson. The party leader and her interviewer. Warrior class. Young guy, solidly built. One-handed sword at his waist—classic melee fighter. His speech was formal and cautious. Textbook party leader type.
Next, Hob. The middle-aged guy who'd vouched for her. Huge build. Matching massive shield. Classic tank. Broad shoulders, overwhelming physique. You could tell just from the shield he'd take hits head-on. Seemed pretty chill too.
"Our party's new maknae, haha."
Hob laughed good-naturedly.
Last one. The guy leaning against a tree drawled lazily.
"Heh heh…."
A weird chuckle. "Name's Jack."
Slim build. Narrow, sharp eyes. His gaze had a sly edge. Speech a bit odd too.
"Heh heh… Looking forward to it, kid."
Jack was an archer. Ranged dealer. From what he said, originally a hunter. The type used to tracking and hunting monsters in forests.
And with that, the party was complete. Warrior. Tank. Archer/scout. And in their midst, the lone no-class hunter with a dagger.
Ha-yeon.
"…."
Thinking about it, it was a kinda weird combo.
But that didn't matter to Ha-yeon.
Whatever.
Now she could hunt chicken. The 5th floor boss. Cockatrice.
Food visions flooded her mind again. Chicken. Dakdoritang. Braised chicken. Samgyetang.
Her eyes sparkled.
Wait for me, my chicken.
*
Enson checked his sword once more. "Alright, let's move out."
All preparations complete. With that, the party set off.
Jack the archer took point. True to his hunter roots, he navigated the forest with ease. Light footsteps, eyes scanning the ground and bushes.
The path between plains and forest. Monster traces everywhere.
Jack pointed at a bush. "Heh heh, take a good look, kid."
Ha-yeon looked up.
"Traces like this in the bushes? Tells you roughly what monster's around."
He scraped the ground with his foot. "Footprint shape, how the grass is crushed, fur bits."
"Ah."
"See this? Small prints."
Ha-yeon nodded.
"Means small-bodied monster. But the spacing's wide. Good jumper."
"…Oh."
"That's how it works."
Despite his shady first impression, Jack was looking out for her. He'd heard she was new to party hunts and started explaining everything.
"First time? You'll have tons you don't know. Ask if something's unclear."
Don't go causing trouble solo or anything.
"…Got it!"
Ha-yeon was a little touched.
Good guy.
Truth be told, she'd been wary at first—his chuckle, his speech. But judging by first impressions is bad. She reflected on her initial suspicion of Jack.
A bit later, Ha-yeon asked casually, "So, has everyone hunted cockatrice before?"
The 5th floor boss. They'd all done party hunts on the plains already, she knew. Made her curious why they hadn't gone to 6F yet.
Jack shrugged. "Heh heh, haven't run into it yet."
"…Pardon?"
"The cockatrice."
Ha-yeon blinked. "You haven't seen it?"
"Not that easy to spot."
Jack explained. "It wanders the plains somewhere… but no fixed spot."
"Gotta get lucky."
"Same here."
Enson chimed in from the side. "We've done a few party hunts, but no encounters yet."
Ha-yeon nodded. "I see…."
That explained why they hadn't cleared to 6F.
Ha-yeon asked last, "What about you, Hob?"
Hob scratched his head. "Eh?"
He paused a beat. "Same here, yeah."
"…."
A vague answer. Trailing off. Different from his earlier easygoing vibe. Ha-yeon felt a twinge of unease and tilted her head slightly.
What was that?
Right then—
Jack raised a hand sharply. "Shh."
The party halted.
He pointed at the ground. "Tracks."
Grass crushed wide. Small footprints scattered.
Jack's eyes narrowed. "This is…."
Rustle— The bushes shook.
Out popped huge ears. Round body, gray fur.
"Huh?"
Ha-yeon blinked. "Rabbit…?"
Not your average bunny. Two or three times bigger, hind legs packed with muscle. Looked like it could jump like crazy.
Jack said low, "Jump Rabbit."
Jump Rabbit. Common low-tier monster on the 5th floor plains. No real threats, but fast.
"Heh heh."
Jack chuckled. "Perfect catch."
Hob raised his shield. "Nice warm-up."
Enson drew his sword. "Ha-yeon."
"Yes?"
"Want to handle this solo?"
"…Pardon?"
"Jump Rabbit's easy enough with a dagger."
It was his way of being considerate. Giving the party-hunt newbie a low-pressure first fight.
Jack snickered. "Heh heh, yeah. Kid can solo this."
Hob nodded. "Go for it."
Ha-yeon eyed the rabbit. It had spotted the party while munching grass, ears perked up.
"…."
She thought a moment. Then nodded.
"I'll do it."
Ha-yeon drew her dagger. Nelly's Dagger. The silver blade gleamed quietly in the forest light.
The rabbit twitched its hind legs warily.
The next instant—
Thump!
The Jump Rabbit shot up like lightning.