Encounter with the Mage
I thought to myself, If we can just avoid getting tangled up with other hunters today, the Goblin Dungeon shouldn't be much of a problem. That meant I needed to start thinking ahead about our next dungeon. Hmm… yeah, the Big Bore Dungeon still feels like the right choice. Safe and steady.
Luckily, Yeonhee seemed to be thinking the same thing.
"Honestly, I really want to try the 'Fire Monkey' dungeon right away, but there's no need to push ourselves too hard. Plus, that place would be too much to handle alone. It makes more sense to grow stronger in the Big Bore Dungeon first before challenging it."
"Clack-clack-clack!"
After the Big Bore, I'd rather head to the Corrupted Ent Forest than the Fire Monkeys… hmm…
The Fire Monkeys traveled in massive packs, which made that dungeon a party requirement. From my perspective, that was a bit uncomfortable. If we take it slow in the Corrupted Ent Forest, I can solo and increase the number of summons while growing stronger. That way, we could clear the Fire Monkey dungeon without needing party members. But I can't keep making Yeonhee tackle dungeons by herself forever. Gaining experience with teamwork is important too.
I was sitting across from her, organizing my thoughts, when she suddenly stood up, moved to sit beside me, placed a pillow on my thigh bone, and lay down.
"Tap―"
"Is that jaw-clacking thing you do only when you're flustered? Pfft― You're really funny, Ilwol."
She rested her head on my leg and stared blankly at the ceiling.
"It just… reminded me of when I used to lie on my mom's lap like this when I was little."
For a while, the only sound filling the studio apartment was Wangwang crunching on bones. Soon, the little guy noticed the unusual atmosphere and slowly crept over with a bone in his mouth, snuggling into her arms.
Yeonhee gently stroked his fluffy white fur, which looked just like his big, round eyes. Without thinking, I reached out and stroked her hair too.
―!!
Startled by my touch, she quickly turned her head back toward the ceiling and looked up at me. We stared at each other like that for a long time while my hand continued gently caressing her hair.
If anyone saw us, it would be an absurd sight. A woman getting her head stroked by a skeleton, while an Earth Puppy got its fur stroked by that same woman.
Even I have to admit it's a ridiculous picture. But… it's not bad.
She clearly agreed with that sentiment. Unlike her initial reaction, her eyes were slowly beginning to close.
Soon her breathing grew soft and shallow as she drifted into a light sleep. Wangwang finished devouring all those bones and spat out two magic stones from his tail.
―Kiiing…
Even after spitting out the stones, Yeonhee gave no reaction, lost deep in sleep. Wangwang let out a slightly disappointed whine.
I hovered near her face and gestured for the restless puppy to go away.
Shoo― shoo― Don't wake her up. Go back to your house already.
Grrrr―
Wangwang glared at me with clear dissatisfaction, but a moment later, as if Yeonhee's mana had run out, he turned into tiny sparkling particles and was sucked back into the portal.
Having nothing but bones does have its advantages.
I'd lent her my leg for over two hours, yet I felt no numbness at all. Being a skeleton wasn't entirely without its merits compared to being human.
I lowered my gaze and carefully studied her well-defined, jewel-like face.
She's so pretty… and fragile…
My savior in this life. A hero who had sacrificed herself to save so many people in the past.
Please have sweet dreams…
The next day, we headed to the Goblin Dungeon as usual. I briefly wondered if Yeonhee should take a day off, but decided against it. A hunter who attended every single day suddenly taking a break might draw suspicion. So we left the house again.
About two hours after entering the dungeon.
We had just finished taking down six goblins and were stripping the bones for Wangwang when I sensed them.
Three… no, four people.
Yeonhee must have noticed too. She moved to a position with an easy escape route.
"Whoa, whoa― We're not bad people, promise."
"That's exactly what bad people say."
"Jingyeong, please… can you shut your mouth for once?"
Two of the four—a man and a woman—approached us with playful banter.
"You're the summoner Lee Yeonhee, right?"
The bickering pair stepped back as a woman who looked to be in her late thirties stepped forward and spoke to Yeonhee.
"…What do you want?"
"Hmm― Right. I won't drag this out. We've found a medium-sized goblin settlement. Want to join us?"
Oh? A medium-sized one would mean around fifty goblins.
After only finding six in two hours, this offer was tempting. Even a medium-sized group would grant bonus experience for large-scale combat, so participating would definitely be beneficial. Assuming we survived, of course.
But after what happened with strangers just yesterday, would Yeonhee accept?
"…Alright. But please assign us to rear support."
"Hoho, that's exactly what I was going to ask. I heard rumors that you're quite good with a bow. We're solid on the front line but short on backline support."
As expected, Yeonhee was a hunter with real backbone. Seeing her accept without much hesitation made me feel strangely proud.
Among the four, the two clear vanguard types were the men. The woman called Jingyeong and the auntie currently talking to us were more mid-line. Classes that usually took the middle position were close-range burst dealers, thieves, or guides like me. But there wouldn't be a guide in a low-grade dungeon like this, and judging by the two women's weapons, they were definitely close-range dealers.
"My name is Helen. You can just call the other three Extra 1, 2, and 3."
"Who are you calling extras, sis~? And can you please stop using that ridiculous fake name?"
"It's my style, so no complaints. If you hate it that much, feel free to leave the party."
"You'll just keep dragging me along anyway, won't you?"
Just from their conversation, it was clear they were a very close-knit team. Unfortunately, we weren't the type to naturally blend into such a friendly atmosphere. Yeonhee had already curled in on herself, so I stepped forward, gripped my club firmly, and took a ready stance.
"Whoa? So that's the famous summoner's summoned creature…"
"Just a skeleton soldier. But he's pretty well-built for one, isn't he?"
"You'll lose if you fight him."
"Yeah, right."
"What are you idiots saying in front of guests?! Get it together!"
The auntie using the alias Helen cleared her throat into her fist a few times before speaking again.
"The settlement is about fifteen minutes from here. There are already teams stationed around the perimeter that we've coordinated with. Obviously there won't be a White Captain since the other group took one down recently. We'll also distribute loot based on contribution."
How much loot could goblins even drop? They'll probably be too busy taking care of the ones who actually set the table.
The auntie winked at Yeonhee and jerked her head, signaling us to follow.
We hesitated for a moment, but when I started moving forward, Yeonhee gripped her bow tightly and followed.
They're a bit crude with their words, but they don't seem malicious. Honestly, this is just kid stuff by hunter standards.
Hunters tended to have rough mouths as an occupational hazard, but the team in front of me still had that fresh, untainted feel. At least by my standards. Yeonhee, on the other hand, was extremely tense, her breathing growing slightly ragged.
We followed them from about ten meters back for roughly fifteen minutes until a goblin settlement camped by a small pond came into view.
"That's definitely over fifty…"
I nodded. Just as Helen had said, we could see other hunters awkwardly trying to hide themselves.
Twenty F-rank hunters. With Yeonhee joining, that made twenty-one. Facing over fifty goblins with this group wouldn't be easy. Yet the newly met hunters all looked remarkably relaxed.
Much better than last time.
The atmosphere was completely different from the group that had suffered over ten casualties in that major incident. I knew this kind of air didn't come from people just showing off bravado. It appeared when there were individuals with solid weapons or real experience.
The fact that they invited Yeonhee even though they seemed confident meant someone was considering various contingencies.
Not bad…
Since there was no chance of us getting any loot anyway, we could just cleanly take the experience and leave. In that sense, it wasn't much different from the large-scale battle last time.
(I've never seen so many tanks before…)
Yeonhee whispered in my ear.
It's certainly unusual to have only one long-range dealer among twenty people.
But if that one person was a mage, the story changed.
A green staff… Nature type. That explains why the hunters look so confident.
Nature-type mages had a wider variety of spells than other schools, so it was impossible to know exactly what abilities this one possessed. But the fact that everyone was showing this much confidence probably meant…
It's a binding specialist.