New Bonds and Shifting Paths
"It looks dangerous, so I like it." "Jin-gyeong and I stepped out for a quick talk earlier... We're thinking of taking some time off to think things through." Hmm... I see. "You sounded ready to challenge D-rank right away back in the dungeon, so why the change?" No Hayun asked, clearly puzzled. Helen answered with a wry smile.
"When emotions run high, you say things like that. It's just... it feels similar to what happened with Jiwoo. We need to seriously consider whether we can keep doing this work. Someone once said C-rank and above is all about talent, but honestly, even D-rank feels that way to me." Helen trailed off, murmuring, "If only I'd awakened a little younger..." There was no rule that awakening later changed your talent, but the older you got, the more you tended to overthink things.
Helen's in pretty good shape... Tsk. In the end, things are going back to how they were. It had been agreed upon from the start, yet it still felt disappointing. They were the kind of support-type party members who fully adapted to us, and people like that were hard to find again even if you tried. They had also been a positive influence on Yeonhee in many ways.
When Helen's duo announced their indefinite departure, No Hayun's lips twitched ever so slightly, though no one noticed. "......" Yeonhee tried not to show it, but she clearly found their leaving deeply disappointing. I didn't miss how her eyes drooped.
"Yeonhee, while we're resting I'll be stuck at the store making porridge, so come see me anytime you want, okay?" "Ah, yes..." "No, scratch that. At least once a week, come here. Got it?" "Yes, unni." Only after securing Yeonhee's promise did Helen smile in satisfaction.
"Miran unni must be happy—Helen unni just standing there will have all the uncles wandering in with goofy grins." "Happy my foot. It'll be a miracle if she doesn't start fights with customers." "Haha, you little brats? It's been a while since I danced with my knife." Helen would probably help with sales. She does have a great figure... I nodded at the thought, only to lock eyes with Yeonhee.
"Eung?" Ahem—well, that's just how it is. Feeling oddly guilty, I played the part of a dumb skeleton, and thankfully she only looked up at me and smiled.
"So what are you two planning to do from now on, Hayun-ssi and Jua-ssi? Ah, is it rude of us to ask?" "It's not rude. We'll just keep doing what we've been doing. We need to start preparing to enter the second floor of Nargul's Dungeon, so we might get busy." "Ugh... I heard that place is a nightmare. Good luck. Hehe—" "Somehow that feels like you're teasing us." "It is teasing." "......" "Monsters are supposed to pour out nonstop, so good luck!" "Oh, come on."
When No Hayun crunched on some ice with mild irritation, Bae Jua said something unexpected. "I... if it's all right, I'd like to try working with Yeonhee-ssi." Huh? Really? "By 'working together,' you mean... you want to party with Yeonhee?" "Yes..." Ooh, rock magic! One-on-one tutoring! I had somehow managed Fireball on my own, but the rock attribute still made no sense to me, so I cheered inwardly.
Bae Jua adjusted her large horn-rimmed glasses and glanced at Helen's duo, as if worried about how it looked to announce her desire to join right after the original members left. "That's great, Yeonhee!" "Really. We were worried we'd have to go through the trouble of finding new people after we left." Yet Helen and Jin-gyeong smiled brightly, saying it worked out well, and Yeonhee felt a sudden pang in her nose as she looked at them.
"I... I'd like that too." Yeonhee gave her immediate approval, apparently pleased with Bae Jua's abilities, though she also worried whether a Bijeon Guild member joining her might come with restrictions. "You can just go freelance. I haven't even been in the guild that long." "Wow, hearing that from you is rich." "Hehe—sorry. Please put in a good word for me." "What am I supposed to say? You just go handle the paperwork. We're not the kind of place that stops people from leaving."
No Hayun replied grumpily but told her to come back if she ever changed her mind. Since she already knew Lee Yeonhee was scheduled to join the White Knight Guild in April anyway, she was willing to let her go. She figured she could just tell her to return around then. Heh. So even someone like her leaves some room for capable people? When No Hayun showed this unexpectedly cool side, everyone pursed their lips and whistled teasingly.
"Tch... How childish. I can't play with you guys anymore." No Hayun pouted and grumbled, but her flushed cheeks betrayed her feelings. Good. I don't know why Bae Jua wants to stay with us even if it means leaving her guild, but we've at least secured one mage. Maybe we should add two frontliners? No, wait, no... The Lizard unit already had more than enough warriors. What we needed was...
A proper healer or a support mage with Mana Recovery? While I was thinking that, Bae Jua made another unexpected suggestion. "I have a friend I know. Should I call her?" "...Bae Jua. What are you?" No Hayun, forgetting she'd just coolly let her go, growled at Jua. She seemed annoyed that Jua was pulling out the next proposal as if she'd planned it.
"Hing—Hayun-nim, don't get mad. It's just that there's a friend who's been idling around after leaving her party." "Give us a quick rundown of what kind of person she is." Hmm? Hayun had asked the question we should have, which was odd, but I let it pass. "I have a friend from the Ilseom Guild. She's already D-rank, and we met at the same academy."
Ilseom Guild. No further explanation was needed. Like Bijeon Guild, it was a place you couldn't even join without a certain level of talent. Her skills were probably solid. Birds of a feather really do flock together no matter where you go. Connections built from childhood among the top guilds just keep going. Ilseom Guild members all walked the same path, which ironically made dungeon runs less efficient, so many of them joined other parties. Bae Jua's friend was probably one of those cases—currently unaffiliated, of course.
Ilseom... swords... That person might be helpful too. Just watching her fight would probably be educational. "But weren't you from Seil Academy?" "Yes, that's right." "Oh... then your friend is a girl too?" "Yes... well, about that... But this time, having only women in the party shouldn't be a big problem, right?" That's only because No Hayun is here. No one would be reckless enough to pick a fight with Bijeon Guild's rising ace.
"We have Ilwol, so..." "Huh? Ah, right. We have our reliable bodyguard, so what's the problem? Great Demon! God of Darkness! Skeleton Soldier risen from death!" ...Jin-gyeong, if you have a problem with me, just say it straight. I didn't want to form an all-female party and draw unnecessary attention, but as Helen said, it all depended on how well I performed. The odds of running into another creep like Lee Yeong-cheol were slim anyway.
"Anyone who sees Ilwol will definitely not get any weird ideas." "Haha— it'll be a miracle if they don't run away the moment they see Ilwol." "Honestly, the bigger worry is whether we'll even be able to recruit anyone." Thud—Surely... my appearance isn't that bad. Right? Everyone stared at me and nodded. ...Is it really that scary? Maybe I should pray for a gentler look at my next evolution. It does seem like my will gets reflected to some degree...
While I was lost in thought, No Hayun was surprisingly quiet. At this point, I'd expected her to ask to join the party too. "I need to prepare for my C-rank promotion, so I won't be able to join you for a while. But I plan to finish that quickly. Then I'll have some free time... I-I'll have free time." "No one even asked..." "Yes—understood." No one had asked her, but she spoke as if it were her turn to talk, openly appealing to us. That she could return too. Even though no one seemed particularly disappointed, she didn't look embarrassed in the slightest. The only thing that felt off was how she kept licking her lips while looking at me.
Or maybe she needs her parents' permission. At Bijeon's level, there are probably already standardized courses you have to go through step by step. It didn't fit the times for a twenty-something adult to follow her parents' opinions, but when your parents were your boss at work, the story changed. "Anyway, today... everyone... g-good work..."
—Huh? —Whoa... —Hey, we can't really hear you? Rather than anyone responding, No Hayun's face turned bright red after saying everyone had worked hard. She seemed to think it was a good moment to wrap things up. That side of her is kind of cute. She is only in her early twenties, after all. "Thank you. I did too..." "Me too!! Yeonhee-ssi, let's exchange contact info!" "The mood's getting a bit much. How sad—" "There'll be another chance next time!"
With that, the after-party ended. After exchanging heartfelt goodbyes with Helen's group, Yeonhee began walking toward the road with me. Of course, I was in stealth. It made sense to stay like this until we caught a taxi. Squeeze— Her hand, once nothing but bone, had grown thick like a glove and gained a sense of grip. Maybe because of that, she held my hand tighter than usual and even swung it back and forth energetically.
"Hm hm hmmm— hm hm—" It must have been an exhausting day, yet Yeonhee looked incredibly happy, even humming. Her cheeks are all red. Cute. "It's really nice walking around outside together like this, isn't it?" "Clack clack clack!" She smiled brightly and spoke to the empty air. If anyone saw her now, they'd think she was a drunk woman talking to herself while walking.
"Ilwol doesn't feel pain, right?" "Clack clack clack—" "That's a relief..." "......" For a while, we walked in silence, hand in hand. Had I ever walked like this with anyone in my previous life? If I could see the face of someone I'd dated, the memory would come back clearly, but right now it was hazy. I felt like there had been someone... Hmm? But why was Kang Yeonsu's face coming to mind? I might have partial memory loss, but she definitely wasn't part of it!
"When we get home, I should wash up and try summoning right away! I'm so excited to see what kind of kid comes out." "Clack clack clack." "I want... something round and chubby, like a cat. Like Wangwang." "Clack clack clack!" Were there any monsters with that kind of appearance besides the Mole Cricket... As far as I knew, there weren't. If she wanted something like that, she'd have to hope for a spirit from another world, like Ran.
"Or... or! Something that can fly? Wouldn't it be fun if we could ride it together?" Nod nod—I'm a bit heavy now. To carry both of us, we'd at least need something like a Ware Owl. But beastkin types were tricky to handle, so it was usually better to pass on them. They tended to go berserk at the drop of a hat. Yeonhee's light, so she might be able to fly with a Harpy... Small harpy-types did appear in D-rank dungeons, and having a flying summon would definitely be advantageous for scouting. Of course, you couldn't just summon whatever you wanted.
The best would be an Orc Warrior. From experience, aside from being dumb, Orc Warriors had the best stats and were the easiest to handle. If even Lizard No.1, who had lower intelligence than an Orc, could perform well as a squad leader, controlling them wouldn't be an issue either.