The Mage's Curiosity
"Hey, are you wearing some kind of artifact by any chance? Your mana doesn't seem to run out at all."
"Huh? Oh, no..."
"Puhaha, I was just joking. What artifact would an E-rank like us even have? I was just surprised at how efficiently you handle your mana."
"Seriously though, don't you want to keep partying with us? We can adjust the split ratio to be really generous."
Even Suran, who had been sprawled on the ground, approached Yeonhee and eagerly offered to scout her. Watching Yeonhee fidget and glance at me, I briefly considered stepping in to help, but these weren't bad people. I figured this kind of experience might be good for her and decided to leave it alone.
Just then, someone approached me from the side. Turning my head, I found the mage Yu Dali staring up at me.
"You... what exactly are you?"
Hmm? What's this now. Did she notice something?
"How is that even possible... The mana thread structure connected to your other summons looks the same, but the feeling is strangely different. You made that decision on your own earlier, didn't you? Taking the ironclad beetles?"
Whoa... this girl's got sharp instincts.
"E-excuse me!!"
While Yu Dali was lost in thought, absentmindedly fiddling with my arm, Yeonhee suddenly rushed over from the other side and wedged herself between us.
"W-what are you doing?"
"Huh? Ah—nothing much. Just... studying a summon from a different field? Strictly speaking, I'm half a summoner myself."
Well, that's not wrong. Implementing plants could technically be called summoning, so there's nothing to argue about. Of course, the principles were completely different.
"Uung... still, you shouldn't just touch someone else's summon like that..."
"What? Ah—understood. I'll be more careful from now on."
Yu Dali apologized with a cool nod, and Yeonhee accepted it somewhat awkwardly. Then she pressed close to my side and whispered.
"If other people approach, you have to be careful, Ilwol. If someone tries to lure you away with nice things—"
What is she even saying? I'm not some seven-year-old kid... Regardless, the aftermath of battle was short, and cleanup was swift. Lingering in this blood-soaked place any longer might force us to repeat the same fight. Though the monkey packs usually kept their distance and defended their own territories, there was no harm in being cautious.
We quickly began severing the monkeys' fingers. The tip of the middle finger on an Unburnt Monkey's right hand was charred black and hardened, likely from repeatedly throwing fireballs, making it suitable as a subjugation token. The price was slightly lower than Big Boar tokens, but the sheer quantity made for decent profit. Including the rune from the leader, two runes dropped in total. Both were flame runes befitting the Unburnt Monkeys, each increasing fire-attribute attack power by a fixed amount.
"Since we don't really need these, let's sell them and split the money evenly."
Han Manwoo had secured the runes first, and we'd already agreed beforehand to divide any drops equally regardless of who obtained them, so no one objected.
No need to buy them with cash anyway. One ordinary-grade attribute rune won't make that much difference. For hunters who primarily dealt with flames it would be different, but attribute runes generally held less value than universal ones.
After collecting the spoils, we moved away from the area and settled near a rocky wall where we could rest with our backs covered.
"We've only fought three times, but the earnings are already pretty solid. Heh heh. Must be our lucky day."
Roughly calculating our profits so far, we'd made at least 3.5 million won. Seventy thousand per person. An impressive amount for less than four hours of work. Of course, that was largely thanks to snagging two runes, but everyone's faces were already filled with smiles. Some unlucky teams could clear a hundred-man battle and still not see a single rune drop.
"Let's rest here, eat, and do one more run in the afternoon before heading back. We'll take out any monsters we encounter on the way out, and if we don't, we'll just call it a day."
"Understood..."
"Sounds good."
After hearing Yeonhee and Yu Dali's replies, Han Manwoo shot a murderous glare at Uncheol, who kept stealing glances at the two women.
"Ahem—um—so... after we're done, maybe we could grab a meal together—"
"I'm heading straight home."
"Me too."
The two women's crisp rejections left Uncheol looking thoroughly dejected, his head hanging low.
Honestly, having a drink after a raid used to be the best part for me too. I had fond memories of how conversations would flow endlessly after heart-pounding adventures with new people—everything felt interesting over drinks. Uncheol probably hadn't suggested it with any ulterior motives toward Yeonhee or Dali.
"Let's just go by ourselves. I'm craving beef today."
"Don't you need to get new equipment?"
"Whatever. After getting pelted with so much monkey dung, I feel like I reek of it. Don't I deserve a refresh?"
I understood the feeling. The desire to wash away the filth before going home. Amid the tankers' talk of dinner plans, Yu Dali quietly spoke to Yeonhee.
"Hey, Yeonhee. Before you leave, could you give me your contact info?"
"Huh? Ah... sure. But why?"
"I just think we work well together. If I form a team next time, I'd like to reach out. I heard you're in a guild, but weekend activities shouldn't conflict with that."
She's good with words. I didn't expect that from how quiet she was. Yu Dali seemed to have taken a liking to Yeonhee. After a moment of hesitation, scratching her cheek, Yeonhee agreed.
"Wait, you're in a guild? Which one?"
Han Manwoo asked in surprise. When Yeonhee carefully mentioned the White Knight Guild, he lowered his head and shook it.
"As expected, you're on a completely different level from us. You lot, stop bothering Yeonhee from now on, got it?"
"Yes..."
Feeling guilty at the dejected hunters, Yeonhee fidgeted awkwardly until Yu Dali pulled a sandwich from her inventory and took a bite. Everyone silently retrieved their packed lunches and ate. I kept watch over our surroundings while rereading the class change description. Just as people were finishing their meals, several presences suddenly entered my sensory web.
They're running fast. From their stride, they seem like goblins... being chased by the monkeys?
This was troublesome. Yu Dali and the others' mana probably hadn't fully recovered yet. My sensory range had expanded beyond thirty meters, and the creatures were fleeing at the very edge of it. If I stayed still, the others might not notice them at all.
Sniff sniff— No, Suran, with his keen sense of smell, kept twitching his nose even while eating, as if catching an unusual scent, but he didn't seem to think much of it.
What a waste. But I remained completely still and let them pass.
Ninety Unburnt Monkeys and thirty goblins... The goblins aren't teaming up with us. We can't handle over a hundred monsters.
"Shall we get going?"
A short while later, Han Manwoo stood up, and we reformed our ranks before heading back toward the exit. To avoid harassment from the Unburnt Monkeys, we had to steer clear of densely wooded areas, so our return path wasn't exactly straight. Still, we seemed to be on the correct route, which meant Suran, who was guiding from the middle, was doing her job well.
After an hour of moving while occasionally taking out Big Boars and a few goblins, we arrived at a wide clearing. Upon seeing the horrific scene there, Yu Dali turned and ran to the back, retching.
They got caught in the crossfire. Over eighty Unburnt Monkeys.
From my experience reading traces as a guide over many years, this hadn't started as such a large-scale encounter. They must have joined mid-fight. It's rare, but it happens. Seven hunter corpses lay there, burned to death after being showered with fireballs by a sudden swarm of over seventy Unburnt Monkeys while battling a group of thirty. The hunters approached the remains with practiced ease, collecting what was left of them into their inventories one by one.
So that's what I saw earlier. Once they've tasted blood like that, they become a real headache. The chance of variants appearing goes up too.
Praising myself for the decision not to get involved, I heightened my vigilance and hurried toward the exit. Fortunately, we reached it without incident. There had been monkey packs large enough to warrant a fight along the way, but the atmosphere had felt off, so we'd rushed straight for the exit.
"Any unusual occurrences~?"
When the Hunter Management Bureau official approached with his usual casual question, we briefly explained the dead hunters we'd found in the cave and clearing. He clicked his tongue, let out a sigh, and waved us off, telling us to go on our way.
People died, and that's the reaction he gives? I wanted to punch him, but there was nothing I could do, so I simply watched.
Once we emerged through the gate, we exchanged words of blessing and gratitude with one another. After witnessing that scene before leaving, everyone seemed genuinely thankful to be alive. We'd done well and survived, after all.
The atmosphere was so off that I couldn't even check the hidden space.