Chapter 23
Chapter 23
Group Project - 1
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“Are you the dungeon trainees from the National Hunter Academy?”
“Yes.”
“We’ll begin by verifying your ID cards.”
Dungeon Guards were stationed at every portal entrance as a precaution, even for cleared dungeons.
They were mostly composed of lower-ranked Hunters or retirees. Whether it was a newly formed dungeon or an old one, entry always required permission from the Guards.
Verification was always done with ID cards based on records registered with the Hunter Association.
“Entry to F12-13 Dungeon confirmed.”
After verifying our trainee status with our ID cards, we passed the Guards and stopped in front of the portal.
It looked like seawater swirling like a typhoon.
‘This is incredible.’
To think I was standing before the portal I had only read descriptions of…
After gazing at it for a moment, awestruck, I instructed my group members to prepare for battle.
Everyone equipped their gear in an orderly fashion.
“Is everyone ready?”
I, too, had spent some of my ample savings on D-rank equipment.
Hunter equipment could only be crafted by those with high-level alchemy and blacksmithing skills, so even D-rank gear cost several million won.
So, imagine the cost of S-rank equipment.
Each piece cost hundreds of millions of won, and if a special option or hidden skill was attached during the enchanting process—a process with abysmal odds—the price could skyrocket to billions.
‘Weapon Info.’
[Name: Demiac Bow]
[Grade: D]
[Durability: 90]
[Attack Power: 1,032 ~ 2,063]
[Basic Option: Increases user's skill power by 10%.]
[Special Option: None]
[Hidden Skill: None]
The bow in my hand was still a rudimentary, basic piece of equipment.
Of course, compared to the bows used by my ancestors, it was a powerful weapon.
‘Damn, if I’d known this would happen, I should have taken down Behemoth first and *then* dealt with Choi Tae-won.’
It wouldn’t have been impossible, since I knew Behemoth’s weakness from the setting book.
But there was no point regretting it now.
There were still many Hidden Pieces left, and I could just snatch the ones that appeared during the Illusion incident.
After all, equipment could be bought with money.
“I'm ready.”
“Me too.”
“I’m ready as well.”
“Okay, then let’s form up.”
After about five minutes of preparation, the party lined up at my command.
Seo Yoon-ji, the tank, took the front. Baek Mi-jin, the melee damage dealer, positioned herself diagonally behind and to the left. As the ranged damage dealer, I stood diagonally behind and to the right of Baek Mi-jin.
Finally, Yoo Soo-ah took the rear.
This was the most common formation for a four-person raid party.
“Prepare to enter.”
This was my first raid, but my group members had participated in dungeon practicals with seasoned Hunter observers during their first and second years.
I had stayed up all night studying the previous classes’ dungeon practical videos posted on the Academy website.
Even though this was just a practical in a cleared dungeon, we had to treat it like the real thing.
Embarrassing myself was absolutely out of the question.
“Enter.”
Fully prepared, we were sucked into the portal and entered the dungeon.
“Master, fighting!”
We left Bersha behind, cheering enthusiastically from outside the portal.
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The F12-13 Dungeon was a cave-type dungeon.
There were four known dungeon types:
Forest, Cave, Maze, and Gate.
Among them, Maze-type dungeons were notorious for their numerous traps, making them recommended only for Hunters of a certain rank or higher.
Our assigned dungeon was a Forest-type.
It was the most common and easiest type of dungeon, resembling a forest. Since the professors had already scouted it, our progress was smooth.
“Entering F04 sector.”
We arrived at the F04 sector.
Except for Gate-type dungeons, most didn’t have clear sector divisions, so we were following the map uploaded to the Hunter Association website.
And finally, in the fourth sector, we encountered our first monster.
- *Growl…*
A Red Wolf appeared, baring its large fangs.
It was the lowest-ranked monster among F-rank creatures.
Lower-level Forest dungeons were mostly populated by animal-type monsters.
Higher-level dungeons featured humanoid monsters like Orcs, Dark Elves, and Goblins, as well as medium-sized monsters like Ogres and Trolls.
- *Grrrr…*
The Red Wolf, with its impressive red fur, circled us cautiously.
We adjusted our formation, and Seo Yoon-ji stepped forward, shield raised.
She activated her tank-specific trait, ‘Aggro,’ drawing the Red Wolf’s attention.
- *Grrr!*
The Red Wolf, its aggro drawn, slowly approached Seo Yoon-ji, then raised its forepaw to attack.
- *Clang!*
Its large claws struck Yoon-ji’s shield with a loud clang, and she immediately cast a skill.
“Lynch Guard!”
A basic tank skill.
A magic barrier formed around her shield, and the Red Wolf frantically clawed at it.
- *Clang!*
- *Grrr!*
Even with its aggro drawn, we couldn't attack immediately.
The damage dealers had to maintain their combat stance and wait until the tank gave the signal.
“Now!”
As soon as the tank gave the command, we unleashed our skills.
This was the standard attack pattern for a raid party.
Baek Mi-jin, wielding her daggers, dashed forward and attacked. I pulled back my bowstring taut.
“Multi-Shot”
The Unique skill I had trained up to level 3.
Three yellow magic arrows nocked themselves onto the string.
I aimed carefully, adjusting my breathing, avoiding Baek Mi-jin, who was attacking the Red Wolf from behind.
I focused my mind, sharpening the three arrowheads with red mana.
Then, holding my breath, I activated the [Detection] trait to minimize the distance between the arrowheads and the Red Wolf in my vision.
And…
- *Whoosh!*
- *Whoosh!*
- *Whoosh!*
I released the bowstring, firing the three magic arrows.
They flew in different trajectories, yet all aimed at a single target.
The Red Wolf’s shriek echoed through the silent forest.
- *Kieeek!*
…The Red Wolf yelped pathetically, its large size belying its tiny cry, and collapsed.
Weakened by Seo Yoon-ji’s guard and hammer attacks, and Baek Mi-jin’s attacks from behind, the Red Wolf was finished off by my Multi-Shot.
‘My hand is tingling.’
My first monster kill.
A surge of adrenaline coursed through me, mixed with a sense of nervous excitement.
This was fun.
This was exhilarating.
This was what they meant by “the thrill of the hunt.”
Even in real life, I always chose ranged damage dealers in RPGs.
I especially loved archers, and after today’s hunt, I understood why.
The safety of attacking from a distance, combined with the romantic allure of one-hit kill skills…
Archers were definitely the best.
“Is everyone alright?”
Snapping out of my first-raid reverie, I checked on my group members, as befitting a party leader.
“Yeah, we’re fine.”
Fortunately, we had achieved a clean victory without any casualties.
I glanced at the drone following us and was about to move towards the F05 sector.
But…
“Um, leader?”
Baek Mi-jin called out to me.
“What is it?”
“Um… Red Wolf claws sell for about 10,000 won each… Would it be okay if we harvested them? I-I can do it! I can finish quickly!”
Red Wolf claws were considered junk items by most Hunters.
Unless they hired a porter specialized in gathering, the time it took to harvest them wasn't worth the meager profit.
But for Baek Mi-jin, who was supporting her family, 10,000 won per claw—or 60,000 won for all six claws—was a valuable contribution to their livelihood.
“Alright. Everyone, let’s take a short break and regroup before moving to sector 5.”
I suggested a break to the group.
We still had a long way to go before reaching sector 12, the boss room.
It had been almost an hour since we entered the dungeon.
“Okay, my legs were getting sore anyway.”
“An excellent decision, brother.”
Fortunately, the group members settled down without complaint.
The absence of an observer seemed to have taken a toll on them.
“Thanks, everyone! I’ll finish quickly!”
Baek Mi-jin smiled brightly and started harvesting the claws with her daggers. She looked as determined as a mother cleaning fish at the market. Knowing her difficult family situation, I felt a pang of sympathy.
‘Her father passed away, her mother has a rare cancer, and her younger sibling is still in elementary school.’
Moreover, with the cracks in the original storyline already formed, there was no longer a reason to mindlessly avoid the main heroines.
“I’ll help you.”
So, I decided to help.
It wasn’t a difficult task, and I needed to learn basic gathering techniques if I wanted to grow as a Hunter.
Besides…
While Yoo Soo-ah and Seo Yoon-ji were occupied, I planned to use a skill on her.
The special skill [Telepathy] I had acquired through the luck bonus.
If Baek Mi-jin also knew about the stalking and, like Han-na, enjoyed it, it could change things.
As I approached, Baek Mi-jin waved her hands and said, “Oh, no, it’s okay! I can handle this much on my own! You should rest!”
“It’s fine. Let’s finish quickly and rest together. We still have a long way to go, and you need to rest too.”
“But because of me…”
“It’s for the group, so don’t worry about it.”
“Oh… S-sorry.”
For seasoned Hunters, ten minutes of rest was more valuable than 60,000 won. Feeling sorry for Baek Mi-jin, who was giving up rest to gather items for her family, I started helping her with the harvesting.
The group project evaluation included completion time.
If we dawdled too much, our score would suffer.
That's why I had set the break time to ten minutes.
Knowing this, Baek Mi-jin worked diligently, beads of sweat forming on her forehead.
“Here, let me hold that for you.”
“Oh, thanks. We’ll be done in no time thanks to your help.”
“It’s nothing. By the way, Mi-jin.”
“Yes?”
At my call, Baek Mi-jin brushed her messy bangs aside with her sleeve and looked up at me.
It was time to bring up my real objective.
“This is a bit of a random question…”
“It’s okay. What is it?”
“Has anyone ever… you know… followed you around because they liked you? I’m asking because I thought I saw someone doing that the other day.”
I asked the leading question, laced with a plausible lie, and simultaneously activated my skill.
Human thoughts arose instinctively in the brain before being verbalized.
Humans were those whose thoughts passed through reason before being spoken, while beasts were those whose thoughts passed through instinct before being blurted out.
If she knew about the stalking, she would instinctively think of Han Tae-jin.
Like a lie detector test.
Instinctive thoughts could never be hidden.
‘Telepathy’
[Special Skill: Telepathy activated.]
[Reading the thoughts of the person you are making eye contact with.]
If any thoughts related to Han Tae-jin appeared, it would mean she either enjoyed the stalking or, for some reason, condoned it.
That would likely affect our future relationship.
Therefore, I needed to confirm it beforehand.
Especially in preparation for Choi Do-han potentially turning into a villain.
‘Well, Baek Mi-jin doesn’t seem like the type to enjoy being stalked.’
A moment later, a holographic window appeared above Baek Mi-jin’s head.
[Why is he asking that…? Someone following me… I don’t recall that ever happening.]
Unexpected thoughts, contrary to my expectations, filled my vision.
…What?
So, that bastard Han Tae-jin… his stalking wasn't *entirely* unsuccessful?
Unlike the other heroines, Baek Mi-jin didn’t enjoy the stalking, nor did she condone it for some reason.
She simply hadn’t been aware of it.
I still wasn’t sure about Ella’s thoughts, but she might have been the only heroine Han Tae-jin’s stalking was successful with.
“Um, no…? Why do you ask?”
“I just thought you must have been popular.”
“…I wasn’t… I’ve been too busy trying to make ends meet…”
“Oh… Sorry.”
An awkward silence fell between us.