Chapter 10

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 10

Chapter Title: It's All Yours (Wink)

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With my shout, the slimes surging up from the floor met their instant demise at Jeong Yujin's hands.

She blinked at the three blobs that collapsed like spilled water, drained of all strength.

"You could really see them coming at us?"

"Yes. Though I'd suspected something even before that."

"Suspected? I didn't notice anything off myself..."

Well, of course not.

To anyone else, that puddle on the floor had looked like nothing more than a spilled drink—no oddities at all.

But as I'd noticed last time too...

It seemed that once inside a dungeon, with my intelligence boosted to 100...

I could pick up on even the tiniest inconsistencies or warning signs.

'The water's flow was distorted, just ever so slightly.'

A faint breeze flowed through the corridor.

Ripples forming in the puddle because of it wasn't unusual.

But really, just a tiny bit...

I could see ripples spreading in the puddle against the direction of the wind.

It might've been easy to dismiss as a mere odd feeling, but alarms blared in my head.

That's why I'd stopped in my tracks.

I'd been about to ask Jeong Yujin to check out the puddle.

But there was no need.

Right after, I saw the three slimes leap up to engulf us.

"Anyway, how's the buff? Can you feel it?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. It's not just noticeable—it's incredible. Our guild has a top-notch buffer, but no ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠offense to her... comparing the two would be an insult."

"That good?"

No way. Gotta be lip service.

A buffer from Titan Guild had to be elite.

"If anything, it's like I've grown wings. At this rate, I could solo a Contamination Gate."

"Couldn't you already solo one, Yujin?"

"No chance. Dungeons aren't that forgiving. You generally need to be three ranks above the gate's level. Solo-wise, Rift Gates are my limit. I could push for Contamination, but it'd be risky."

"I didn't know."

Ah, so that's why the news recently made a fuss about the Sword Empress clearing a Collapse Gate solo for the first time.

Even back then, I'd thought it was weird.

The Sword Empress was an S-Rank hunter—at the pinnacle of them all.

For someone like that to solo a Collapse Gate, which was two ranks below her level... why the huge deal?

"Of course, I'd have to test it out, but that's how strong your buff is, Hayang. Be confident."

"Hehe, okay."

The unexpected praise made me grin like an idiot.

The party members had noticed it somewhat recently.

But without any dramatic reactions, I'd worried my buffs were useless.

Good to know they weren't that bad.

"Plus, buffs get way more valuable at higher levels. Say my agility's 60 right now. Imagine an hunter with 90 getting this. That's a straight +9 from the buff alone."

"Whoa, yeah."

Thinking about it that way made it feel pretty great.

Alright, time to build some confidence.

After that, we began thoroughly exploring the dungeon.

"Yujin! A beast-type monster's coming from that alley. Just one, but it's big. Arms spread wide—aim for the vitals!"

"Wh-what?! Oh, got it! Leave it to me!"

I warned her about the monster lurking in the alleyway ahead.

Jeong Yujin froze for a split second but quickly snapped to attention.

Stab!

"Kwaaaagh!"

She pierced the werewolf-like thing's heart without hesitation.

The monster left behind a mana stone and scattered into dust in an instant.

"...This is ridiculous. Does that skill work even without enemies in sight?"

"Yeah."

"You're saying that so casually. Aren't you amazed?"

"Not really...?"

What was there to be amazed about?

It was just a skill like that.

I couldn't even react properly if an enemy showed up.

All I could do was yell like a shepherd boy, 'Monster incoming!'

Jeong Yujin was the impressive one.

When I shared my honest thoughts, she let out a hollow laugh, 'Ha.'

Meanwhile, I didn't even have time to guess why she was laughing.

"Yujin, underfoot! Trap there—be careful!"

"Huh, wha—?!"

Two steps ahead of me, a red aura shimmered ominously before Jeong Yujin.

I shouted the warning urgently, and she screeched to a halt like a car slamming on the brakes.

She glanced around and spotted something.

"...You're right. There's a mechanism hidden here. You can see this stuff too?"

"Seems like it."

"Ha, I'm too stunned to be stunned anymore. Feels like you're reading a guide while gaming."

"Gaming? Sounds fun, right?"

"Uh, yeah... something like that."

I was enjoying the dungeon ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠crawl with her too.

Another point of connection.

That made me happy.

About 20 minutes passed, or so it felt.

I was panting, struggling to keep ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠up, while she matched my pace with a wry smile.

"Feels less like I brought you along and more like you brought me for a carry."

"What's a carry?"

"Uh... basically, doing it all solo."

"Nah, no way. Without you, I couldn't do anything."

This wasn't self-deprecation—it was fact.

Sure, my skill spotted crises early.

But that only worked because Jeong Yujin, the fixer, was right there.

Knowing a monster's coming means nothing if I can't handle it.

Hell, even that trap earlier—I couldn't have disarmed it; I'd just have struggled futilely.

"Kerrruk!"

"Not today."

Slash!

The last monster to leap out met its end with a single dagger thrust from Jeong Yujin.

A message popped up before my eyes.

Looked like we'd already taken out every monster in the dungeon.

Impressively fast for just the two of us.

Well, with Jeong Yujin's skills, it made sense.

Every incoming monster went down in one hit.

"Shall we head back?"

"Huh? Head back? We haven't finished exploring. There are empty rooms, and we haven't checked if the gate's open."

"It is. I just got the message that the dungeon's cleared."

"......What?"

Jeong Yujin froze at my words.

I blinked, wondering if something was wrong.

She burst into incredulous laughter.

"You can see that too?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"'Cause it's insane. Normally, there's no way to tell if a dungeon's cleared, so parties often leave one member at the entrance during raids."

"Ah, because the gate opening means it's done?"

"Exactly. Hunters have no other way to know."

Wow, that sounded pretty dangerous.

Guarding the gate alone was risky enough.

But operating shorthanded without that one's combat power? Huge liability.

"Why not explore together and head back when you think it's done?"

"That's the usual. But some dungeons are mazes. Or the layout shifts constantly."

"Ah... you could all get lost that way."

In those cases, leaving one at the gate might actually be safer.

Some signal system to guide the way out properly.

"Yep. Plenty of people have gone missing that way. But with you, no worries about getting lost."

"Ehehe..."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Her stream of embarrassing compliments had me grinning foolishly again.

We turned to retrace our steps to the gate...

"...Huh?"

"Hayang, what's up?"

"No, over there, something..."

A golden aura suddenly led off to an unexpected path, and I tilted my head.

What was this? Never seen it before during exploration.

Everything until now had been red.

So following this path led to something other than monsters?

Golden color too—maybe an unexpected treasure.

"Hey, Yujin. Mind following me for a sec?"

"Huh? Follow you? Gate's open, right? Not leaving?"

"Yeah. Feels like something's there."

She hesitated briefly at my words.

But soon shrugged like, 'Alright, if you say so, there's probably a reason,' and followed.

Felt weirdly good, like I had a follower.

We followed the darkening path down to the basement.

Our final stop: an underground cavern with a narrow waterway running alongside.

"...Dead end wall?"

But the end held nothing.

Just the golden aura trailing beyond the wall, as if severed yet connected.

Jeong Yujin's face flickered with slight disappointment.

But I steadfastly pointed at the wall and asked.

"Right here! Could you smash the wall?"

"The wall? Okay, step back a bit."

Whoosh!

The moment Jeong Yujin nudged me back with her arm...

Black blades erupted from the floor, shattering the wall in seconds.

Beyond the crumbling wall...

"Ooh!"

"Whoa, tons of stuff."

Items galore, small gold bars, and more.

All sorts of valuables piled up adorably.

"This is nuts. A treasure room?"

"Treasure room?"

"Yeah, dungeons rarely have these secret spots with ultra-rare rewards. First time seeing one for real."

If even she hadn't seen one before, it must be super rare.

Finding a place like this...

We rushed in excitedly, picking up items one by one to check.

Then my jaw dropped.

A full-on Legend-grade item!

The amulet I wore was Epic-grade, already high-tier.

This was a whole step above.

Hunter Association grades were Normal - Rare - Uncommon - Epic - Legend - Myth, right?

Second from the top!

The requirement nagged a bit.

But in combat, with the intelligence boost...

I could probably use it.

'But hogging this solo would prick my conscience.'

I fiddled with the item while glancing at Jeong Yujin.

Dungeons cleared meant item distribution.

She might want this one.

"Um... how should we split them?"

The rest she could have, no problem.

I just wanted this one, so I fidgeted as I asked.

"Huh? You take it all, obviously. You found it, and we agreed last time—everything from this run goes to you."

"...Huh?"

An answer I never expected.

All of it... to me?