The Unique One

Besides those three peculiar runes, the remaining eight had such low values they were practically worthless. Jua had growled at them to hand over the three best ones, yet even then, some bold bastards had slipped her a few decent runes instead. In a way, they were pretty impressive. Maybe I should have cut off a finger as a performance to make my point?

"The +17 one has higher stats than the Rune of Swiftness Ilwol ate earlier, so I'll swap it in. The rest I'm thinking of giving to Lizard No. 2 and No. 3. What do you think?"

I nodded in approval. If Lizard No. 2 and No. 3—who had somehow ended up in charge of carrying Ddakkak and Jeombaki while also handling provocations—received the Rune of Swiftness, they would last much longer while evading enemy pursuit.

Replacing the Rune of the Giant (Intermediate) that gave +12 Strength with the new Rune of Swiftness +17 immediately made my legs feel lighter. I still had seven Runes of the Giant equipped, and my plan was to gradually swap them out whenever I got decent values on other rune types to improve my overall balance.

"Puhihihip— How much is all this worth?"

"After we're done today, let's go drinking, Jua!"

"Obviously!"

"I want lamb skewers!"

"Lamb skewers sound good."

An intermediate rune went for at least five million won each. That meant we'd just earned roughly fifty million won per person from the last battle alone. There was no better excuse to go drinking.

"Puhuhup— Those guys basically delivered the runes to us on a silver ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠platter. Jua, should I try wearing stockings tomorrow?"

"Don't push it. If this happens too often, we might not be able to work as hunters at all."

"I was just kidding."

It had started on a sour note, but after removing the cause, the refreshing feeling was twice as strong. We sorted the runes appropriately and set off again.

Tudada-da-da—!

When Yeonhee distributed the Rune of Swiftness to Lizard No. 2 and No. 3, the two of them jumped for joy and began sprinting wildly around the area. I asked No. 2 a question, intending to tell him to show some restraint.

I could understand the excitement. If your running speed suddenly increased ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that much, anyone would get hyped. It was a bit embarrassing, but when I first equipped a Swiftness Rune in my previous life, I wasn't much different from No. 2.

"Hehe— The more I look at the summons, the cuter they get~ I thought Yeonhee-ssi controlled them all directly, but they really live as individual living beings. Even within the same species, each one has its own personality."

"Hehe... R-right? The more you look at them, the more adorable sides they show..."

When Baek A-rin offered such sincere praise while watching the summons, Yeonhee's mouth corners twitched nonstop like a proud parent who didn't know what to do with herself.

"And the most unique one among them is Ilwol, right?"

"Yes, yes."

While we moved, Baek A-rin began asking Yeonhee about all the things she'd been curious about. Her questions were careful and polite, and Yeonhee answered them with genuine effort.

"By the way, did you learn Fireball after evolving?"

After A-rin asked for a while, Bae Jua took over the questioning. Jua had been watching me use Fireball during battle with eyes full of curiosity.

"Yes. Ilwol's... it's a bit awkward to call it evolution... but yes, that's correct."

Yeonhee seemed to have briefly considered using the word "class change" for my transformation. The fact that she wouldn't carelessly utter even a single term like that meant she was being mindful of many things.

"Hmm... I see. Honestly, when I first saw Ilwol's bombs, I was really amazed because it was the first time I'd seen a unique ability that used bones. But now he's using Fireball? That's real, proper magic, isn't it? To be honest, that shocked me even more."

"...I get surprised by Ilwol a lot too. I understand completely."

After listening to Yeonhee, Bae Jua glanced at me for a moment. Behind her glasses, her eyes were filled with complicated emotions. There was unbearable curiosity mixed with a hint of fear. I couldn't imagine how it must feel to see a skeleton who had just begun walking the path of a mage.

We left the forest and walked across the plains again. During that time, we clashed with wolf packs two more times. But unlike the first group, these didn't charge at us seriously, and since they clearly understood we weren't opponents they could handle, I actually felt more glad to see them.

And during that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠process, Deonni No. 1 finally showed a change. Right after the battle ended, his body—which had been smaller than No. 2's—grew noticeably larger. After evolving, he actually became slightly bigger than No. 2. A reddish glow even swirled around his neck.

"Krrk?!"

Deonni No. 1 tilted his head for a moment, then let out a thunderous roar.

"Kwooooooo—!!"

The Strength bonus from Warrior's Howl had also increased after evolving. Orc Warrior No. 2's eyes sparkled at No. 1's change, and he approached. Soon the two began wrestling with their fists.

"Oh my goodness!! W-why are they doing that?"

"Looks like a hierarchy fight. They just suddenly started without any buildup?"

"Hmm... L-let's just watch for now."

A short while later, No. 2—who had been put in a headlock by No. 1—foamed at the mouth. When Yeonhee shouted, Deonni No. 1 released his arm.

"Grrrrrk— Chwraaak..."

As No. 2 was unsummoned, he muttered something. It sounded roughly like he was acknowledging No. 1 as the boss from now on.

Tap tap tap—

The Lizard unit that had been watching the Orc Warriors' duel all slammed their tails against the ground at once, paying respect to the warriors who had fought with everything they had. The party members couldn't hide their excitement at a sight they'd never seen before, and from the middle onward they even cheered along with the Lizard unit.

If they weren't in a party with Yeonhee, when would they ever get to experience something like this? In the end, right after evolving, Deonni No. 1 had seized the position of leader.

After the brief evolution event, we set off toward our target point again.

"How is it~? Is this dungeon manageable? It might be a little too much for Yeonhee-ssi's level though~"

At Baek A-rin's question, Yeonhee nodded vigorously. Honestly, she seemed to have already surpassed the "manageable" level and could probably handle the wolves alone, but she didn't show even the slightest hint of that. Still, she had no intention of giving up the benefits available here.

"Could we try fighting the 'Grey Mold' in the forest too?"

"Hmm— Let's eat first, then."

Yeonhee wanted to encounter new monsters for my sake. On the plains, aside from wolf packs, the only things we encountered were goblins, the strangely docile Ent-types that wouldn't attack first, and Mole Crickets. Among them, the only one whose ability I hadn't stolen yet was the Mole Cricket.

Slash—!

'Phew— Got it.'

I took advantage of a moment when Yeonhee wasn't looking and killed several Mole Crickets. I had finally managed to steal their trait. Of course, even though I didn't show her the act of killing them, Yeonhee would quickly realize I was the one who did it.

It was an incredibly simple ability, but as they say, more is always better. It would surely come in handy someday.

"Let's take a short break. We'll eat too."

The group spread out a mat in the middle of the vast plain and opened the lunchboxes they'd brought one by one. A rather warm breeze gently wrapped around our spot. We'd already earned more than ten times what we'd planned to make today. With both body and mind relaxed and lunchboxes in hand, it felt like we were on a picnic, and a childish excitement welled up inside me.

"The weather is really nice today."

"The wolf den always has good weather. At least the weather has to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠be nice."

"Haa— I really feel grateful to be a hunter at times like this..."

"...I can tell you really love being a hunter, Yeonhee-ssi."

"Yes. I really do love it."

Watching Yeonhee declare that she loved being a hunter without the slightest hint of reluctance, Bae Jua and Baek A-rin exchanged glances again.

"Yeonhee-ssi is so cute..."

"Now I understand why Helen-ssi likes her so much."

"Huh? Ah... um..."

"......"

"Um, Eun-yeong unnie? Could you please say at least one thing~ It's mealtime after all."

"I don't really... I'll just listen..."

"Is something bothering you or making you uncomfortable?"

Ham Eun-yeong had such a dark expression that Bae Jua eventually asked out of concern. Ham Eun-yeong shook her head and answered.

"It's good... Out of all the parties I've been in recently... this is the best..."

"The best?"

"Yes... I like that you don't talk to me unnecessarily the most..."

"Ah..."

For a moment, silence fell over the group. As if she liked that quietness, Ham Eun-yeong showed a faint smile for the first time.

"Haha... Well, we'll keep adjusting to what you want. If you ever feel like talking later, just let us know anytime."

"I'll do that..."

'Still, she's speaking quite calmly today?'

Yesterday she could barely speak properly, but maybe this person was suited for dungeons after all. Ham Eun-yeong nibbled at a triangular kimbap, ate only half, then tossed the rest far away. She then pulled out a small brown bottle and poured several pills into her mouth.

'So it was the pills...'

She always carried a mirror in her hand, and because she was conscious of the dark circles under her eyes, she kept tilting her head up to examine herself in the mirror.

(She's really unique.)

(A unique person...)

(Do I give off that kind of vibe too? If I don't try harder...)

The other three each swallowed such thoughts and finished the lunches they'd brought.

Awooooo—

Throughout the meal, the howls of a wolf pack grew steadily closer.

"They must have caught our scent. Let's clean up."

It hadn't even been ten minutes since we started eating. We weren't strong enough yet to ignore them and enjoy our leisure.

Kegeng—!!

"Ugh! These damn mutts are so annoying!!"

After finishing our fourth battle of the day, we moved deeper into the forest as Yeonhee wanted. We hadn't even properly entered the depths of the forest yet, but we could already see clumps of gray, hazy smoke-like substance gathered in thick clusters.

"That Grey Mold looks pretty hard to catch~?"

The Grey Mold was a colonial organism without clear boundaries between individuals. So sometimes, no matter how much you beat on it, you wouldn't get a defeat message if you were unlucky. Naturally, it was pushed down hunters' priority list for hunting, which was why Baek A-rin expressed that concern.

"We just need to experience it once. The rest of you can step back if you'd like."

At Yeonhee's request, I gestured for them to move even farther away. The ones who had already stepped back moved quite a bit more at my signal. But when even Yeonhee stepped back with them, they couldn't hide their confusion. Yeonhee simply shrugged and pointed ahead. A fireball was already flying toward the target.