Grudges in the Fog
The reason for the quarrel was '... the left direction.' Only the direction where something felt off could be sensed, but it was still hard to predict what might happen. 'It's a relief that it doesn't feel dangerous... Maybe I should wait a bit.'
"Kuhh— I swear, it gives me chills every time I come here."
When I snapped out of my thoughts, A-rin was already shuddering in disgust.
"Huu... Let's try to clear this place in one go today too—yong."
"Yes, yes! We have to...!"
Yeonhee felt guilty that Baek A-rin had come to a dungeon she clearly didn't want to enter because of her. That only made her more determined to finish the clear faster than usual.
—Kyaaaaaaaah——!!
"Huk!"
But contrary to her resolve, the sharp screams echoing from far away—or sometimes right beside them—kept making her shoulders flinch.
Watching Yeonhee, Jua asked, "Did you get some rest yesterday?"
Her eyes were filled with genuine concern. After all, Yeonhee had been struggling with the Evolution Stone until dawn. It was only natural to worry.
"Yep! I slept really well."
"Definitely... You didn't reply for over ten hours, so you must've been out cold."
"Aah... I'm really sorry about that! I overslept because—"
"Puhuh— I'm just teasing. By the way, is Eun-yeong unni still not here?"
The moment Jua finished speaking, Ham Eun-yeong appeared right behind her.
"Oh my! Ah, seriously, unni, at least make some noise. You're not a ghost."
"Aa... Sorry."
After giving her usual mumbled reply, Eun-yeong looked around and muttered, "It's nice..."
"What's so nice about it~? It's nothing but fog and withered trees."
"That's exactly why it's nice..."
"......"
Bae Jua hugged herself with a horrified expression at Eun-yeong's answer. A-rin, who had been watching with a faint smile, raised her hand slightly.
"Before we start, just a moment! Today, Eun-yeong unni will take the middle position. Like I texted you, I bought two cooldown scrolls, so if you need them, tell me right away, okay?"
"Yes..."
Since even one-time-use scrolls required a contract between the maker and the recipient, A-rin—the buyer—would be the one granting them to Eun-yeong. It would've been simpler if Eun-yeong had bought them herself, but since she struggled just to get to the dungeon from home, A-rin was helping in her own way.
'She really is high-maintenance...'
But she was an incredibly useful party member. Honestly, among Jua, A-rin, and Eun-yeong, Eun-yeong had the most unique class. I needed to find a way to keep her in better condition somehow.
'That mirror is the problem... Hmm...'
While I was watching her still absorbed in the mirror, Yeonhee gently tugged my arm, turning my head to the left. There, a group of people was approaching and greeting A-rin.
"Hey~ Bunny poop, long time no see?"
"You guys..."
The moment A-rin saw them, her hand instinctively went to the weapon at her side. She took a defensive stance, glaring at them with a dark expression I'd never seen before.
'Hmm, three of them are from Ilseom?'
The aura in their steps, the weapons openly displayed at their sides, and the hardened calluses on the third joints of their fingers made their origins obvious.
"Whoa— Bunny poop. I saw you heading out all confident and thought you joined some amazing guild, but this is all it was?"
(Puhyahaha—! Look at them. A bunch of losers gathered together. That black robe, the vibe—wow. Really impressive. And why is that one staring into a mirror with a face like that? Puhuh—)
'I can hear everything, you know... People who pick fights this openly are rare...'
Even I was stunned. Not even third-rate villains would act like this. Even the red-hatted guy who'd turned into a monster after taking the Evolution Stone had been polite when we first met. These people were openly mocking not just A-rin, but her new teammates too. Normally, you'd be extremely careful when dealing with other parties inside a dungeon—what on earth made them so confident?
Of the four approaching, three of them grew even more arrogant when they saw us standing beside A-rin. It was surprising they could act that way even after seeing my terrifying face, but since I usually kept my mana internalized except during combat, it was natural they couldn't gauge my level. They'd probably seen plenty of monsters, so my appearance alone wasn't enough to intimidate them.
Jua looked ready to cast magic at the ones insulting her friend, and Yeonhee—clearly offended—had already summoned Ran and Chehwa behind me, watching the situation closely.
Behind the two sneering men stood a short-haired woman with a spiteful expression and makeup thick enough to be a centimeter deep. She stepped forward and opened her mouth.
"A-rin sunbae~ I wonder if you've fixed that habit of panting after using your technique?"
"Sunbae my ass. You're the one who sucked up all the techniques and left on your own."
"Ah? Is that so? But... you were still my sunbae who taught me. So what should I call you? I can't exactly call you 'Bunny poop,' can I? Right, A-rin sunbae-nim?"
The short-haired woman openly mocked A-rin with one hand on her chest and her head tilted slightly. Young as she was, she'd learned nothing but spite...
'Go for it, Baek A-rin!'
I thought A-rin would snap and start a fight, but surprisingly, she maintained her composure.
"You guys haven't changed at all... What do you want?"
"Oh~ How rare. You're not slurring your words today, sunbae-nim? That's usually your specialty—acting cute."
"Ha... Heo Min-sol... Can you stop?"
"Puhaha! Why, sunbae-nim? What did I do~? I just came to say hello."
"Fine, just go. Get out of my sight."
A-rin, who had quickly reached her limit, began radiating a menacing aura. The three who had come to pick a fight responded by unleashing their own power without holding back. But then one of them locked eyes with the warriors behind me.
Upon seeing the summons—now numbering over ten—he frantically waved his hands and stopped his companions.
"Why? What?"
"Th-there, behind them..."
"Huh? What?! When did those—"
(They were hidden behind the skeleton. That's the guy. The one who partied with Bijeon Guild's No Hayun.)
'At least Yeonhee recognizes me. They really just charged in after seeing only A-rin. They should've checked their surroundings. Tsk tsk—'
The three in front—I could beat them. But that would require being willing to kill. This wasn't worth going that far. So even as I shook my head, I didn't intervene. This was ultimately A-rin's personal matter. There was no need for us to step in. Our bond with her wasn't strong enough yet for me to act on behalf of a party member we'd only done two dungeons with.
While I was observing and making my judgment, A-rin stepped forward and blocked us.
"Go. I'll let it slide this once."
She smirked.
"Bunny poop, who are you to let us off? You haven't come to your senses. Are you relying on the monsters behind you?"
"Because of you, we're still hearing that we got pushed around by Apex thugs. Even if you groveled and apologized, it wouldn't be enough. Don't you think?"
"Even if you claim it was just a friendly spar, who would believe that? Ha... This is pissing me off again."
'Hmm... Apex... So she got tangled up with those guys.'
"That was...!"
A-rin tried to protest, but soon let out a sigh as if realizing it was pointless and waved her arm.
"Ha... Just... let's just drop it..."
Looking dejected, she turned to us and said, "Just... do that. Don't ask."
'Hold back, Yeonhee. I know you want to flip the whole place over...'
If we were going to counterattack, we had to wait for A-rin to make the first move. It would be troublesome if Yeonhee got blamed for starting the fight.
"Let's get going. Looks like you've had your fun..."
When A-rin backed down, one of the men who had formed a party with the three Ilseom Guild members gave a signal to leave.
"Tch... You, Baek A-rin—don't catch my eye. If I run into you in the dungeon, I don't know what I'll do."
"......"
"Sunbae-nim~ We're taking the A route, so please take a different one if you can~"
After throwing in one last remark each, they followed the man who had signaled and headed left. That man was probably playing the same role as Ham Eun-yeong in their party. And people in that position usually became the party leader, which explained why even those rude ones followed him without complaint.
......
"Hey! Baek A-rin, come explain. I didn't ask before because you got depressed whenever the guild came up, but now I need to know. Hurry up!"
"......"
Bae Jua, horns fully out, pressed A-rin hard. Eventually, A-rin approached our circle and briefly explained why she had left the Ilseom Guild.
"The one who called me sunbae earlier got into a fight with the Apex Guild outside... and somehow it escalated. We ended up in a guild war with Apex. It was 5 vs 5, and I was the first to go out... I lost. Pathetically. The final score was 2-3, we lost..."
"So the newbie who lost became the root of all evil?"
"Yeah..."
"Seriously?! They threw that kind of tantrum over something so petty? Those lunatics."
"They were the ones who never liked me to begin with. They just found an excuse. And the opponent was way too strong, you know—it's Apex..."
"Are those Apex criminals really that strong? They should've matched by rank, right?"
"Yeah... But this is just an excuse, but my condition that day was the worst. If it had been a normal day, I could've beaten them easily, but that day..."
I roughly understood the story. It was like kids' squabbles. The anti-faction's tantrum, using the excuse that A-rin's loss had damaged the guild's honor. A few things still bothered me like thorns, but for now, I had to focus on the present.
"Good that you left! How could you stay with people like that? You did well, A-rin."
"That's right! A-rin-ssi didn't do anything wrong at all."
"Puu... Well, it's in the past. Sorry for making things gloomy from the start because of me—yong!"
The party members sincerely comforted A-rin, and even Eun-yeong grabbed the hem of her clothes and nodded repeatedly. That was probably the best she could do in her own way.
"Eeit! Whatever! Let's just start off strong—yong!"
To help A-rin shake off the emotional damage, we took a break right from the start. Whether it was thanks to the party's encouragement or not, A-rin quickly regained her energy and gave the signal to depart.
Just as we were about to step forward following her signal—
—Kwaaaaaang——!!
"Kyaaahh!! Wh-what was that sound?!"
"Uwaah—!! What the heck?!"
'......'
The moment we started walking, a loud explosion rang out from not too far away.
—What's going on... In such a quiet dungeon...
—Ugh, this is annoying... Causing trouble first thing in the morning.
—Looks like someone's already causing a scene from the start. Who's going?
But the staff at the entrance gate only showed brief interest before quickly losing it, giving the hunters who had turned to look a glare that said, 'Why aren't you leaving yet?' A message that basically said, 'You're all heading there anyway, so deal with it yourselves.'
The party members exchanged glances for a moment, then immediately started running in that direction.
'Can't resist watching a fight or a fire.'
Of course, the other teams near the entrance made the same choice and followed behind us.
"It's the A route direction? Will it be okay?"
Since it matched exactly where those guys had gone, Jua was worried about her friend.
"...If they cause trouble again this time, I'll handle it."
"Clack clack!!"
"Huh? Ilwol, are you... cheering me on—yong?"
Nod nod—
"Hehe—"
Just as she regained her usual smile, countless hunters' strange standoff caught my senses, and I tilted my head.
'What are they all standing around for?'
Dozens of hunters had their nerves stretched taut around a rectangular object in the center. It was a formation I'd never seen even with my years of hunter experience, and the question was only resolved after we arrived at the scene of the explosion.