Care to Explain Yourself, Mr. Han Junho?
After the duel that wasn’t really a duel with Kim Pilseok wrapped up and we stepped into the office, Jia noona—who had followed us inside—pushed forward and asked the question. Arms crossed, staring straight at me, it was clear she wasn’t about to let this slide with some half-hearted excuse.
And honestly, I couldn’t blame her. Up until the day before our break, I had been nothing more than an E-rank miner team leader. Showing up suddenly strong enough to knock Kim Pilseok flat on his back was bound to raise eyebrows.
“She’s right. It was satisfying, I’ll give you that, but Kim Pilseok is one of the stronger hunters even among C-ranks.”
Of course, Jia noona wasn’t the only one who found it strange. Everyone except Jiyu was demanding an explanation for what the hell had just happened. I had considered brushing it off, but since we would likely be entering gates together from now on, it made sense to give them at least a partial answer.
“I acquired a skill that increases my strength when I activate it. It mostly just boosts my power, though. I still don’t seem to have any other combat skills.”
I had said “a bit stronger,” but the truth was that my power had moved into an entirely different league. It had felt overwhelming from the moment I first sensed it, and after taking Kim Pilseok down, the realization of just how much had changed hit even harder. Still, while magic-type hunters capable of using buffs weren’t exactly common, they weren’t rare enough to cause a huge stir. No one seemed particularly shocked.
“A bit? If it was only a little stronger, you wouldn’t have been able to beat Kim Pilseok.”
Jia noona’s precise observation made me flinch, but she didn’t seem inclined to press any further.
“Anyway, I was going to tell you all that oppa would be entering gates with us starting today, and it just so happens a dealer spot opened up perfectly!”
Jiyu clapped her hands with a bright smile, delivering the news like she was announcing the day’s schedule.
“But is that really okay? Junho has never actually killed a monster before.”
Heeyeon spoke up, her voice laced with concern. Her worry wasn’t unreasonable. People facing monsters for the first time often froze in panic, unable to attack properly and ending up collapsed on the ground.
“He didn’t hesitate when he took down Kim Pilseok, but fighting a person and facing a monster are two completely different feelings.”
It was a logical point, and both Jia noona and Chaseok hyung turned looks of agreement toward Jiyu. To be honest, I had been thinking the exact same thing.
“It’s a D-rank dungeon today anyway. It’s not the kind of gate where being one person short would cause any real problems, so it’s fine.”
Since Jiyu and I had already discussed this yesterday, I nodded along.
“If I can’t handle it, you can always find someone new, and I’ll just stay on as the miner team leader. I’ve already considered that possibility, so please don’t worry too much.”
At those words, everyone’s expressions turned slightly awkward. Yeah, I supposed it made sense. The mood had just been celebratory—everyone saying how refreshing it was to see Kim Pilseok get knocked out in one hit—and now it had shifted into this.
“Well, after seeing him take down Kim Pilseok earlier, I think he’ll do just fine. That’s my opinion.”
Chaseok hyung brushed his hands as if he hadn’t said a word before and took my side. The atmosphere immediately began to lighten.
“What? Chaseok oppa, you’re backing out now?!”
“Wow, that’s so cheap!”
The two who had been looking awkward now glared at Chaseok hyung, giving him thumbs-downs and showering him with criticism.
“Oh, right. I haven’t properly introduced everyone yet, have I? Let me explain our raid party positions.”
“Yeah, since we’ll be going in together, it’s probably a good idea.”
I had never really been curious about the party members’ roles before. We had grown somewhat close, but that was as far as it went. I hadn’t planned to invest any more thought into it. But things were different now. Not only had my relationship with Jiyu deepened, but since I would be entering gates with them, I needed to understand the team clearly.
“First, our tank is Mr. Chaseok. He’s D-rank but has some solid aggro skills.”
“Tank Jeon Chaseok. Looking forward to working with you.”
Chaseok hyung put on a dead-serious expression and greeted me like we were meeting for the first time. I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“I’m E-rank dealer Han Junho. Um… my main weapon is my fists?”
When I played along with the joke, laughter burst out from every direction.
“And our Jia unnie is a D-rank dealer! She mainly uses a greatsword!”
“My hands are big, so a greatsword fits perfectly. Plus, it just looks badass, doesn’t it?”
Greatswords really were cool. Their considerable weight meant that if you could handle it, you could draw out far more power than your own strength alone.
“And Heeyeon unnie is the real treasure! That rare and precious healer! And she’s even D-rank!”
“A D-rank healer?”
Healers were exactly as rare and valuable as Jiyu described. Ordinary D-rank hunters didn’t receive special treatment in most guilds. But a D-rank healer? Everyone fought to recruit them. Of course, the top guilds preferred C-rank or higher, but for mid-sized guilds, it was a completely different story. I had heard that joining a decent mid-sized guild could net you a contract bonus in the hundreds of millions.
“It would’ve been better if I were C-rank, but the fact that I’m that precious healer still stands!”
I had always wondered why Kim Pilseok, who was constantly obnoxious, never once picked on Heeyeon. Now it made sense. If he messed with a rare healer, he would be digging his own grave. Anyone with half a brain would know that.
“But if you’re a D-rank healer, couldn’t you get a contract bonus of several hundred million by joining a decent mid-sized guild?”
Normally guilds offered signing bonuses, but raid parties didn’t have that concept. Even though this party was supposedly as good as a guild, it was hard to understand why she would turn down a substantial bonus to join one. After all, the biggest reason hunters joined guilds or parties was money.
“That’s true, but Jia unnie is like my benefactor. I also really respect our raid leader. And I have a bit of an introverted streak.”
If that was her personality, it might have been the right choice. The pressure of a guild contract with strangers would feel very different from working with people she was already close to. Besides, shady mid-sized guilds were known for working their expensive hires like machines. And Jiyu was only going to grow stronger from here. If she eventually formed her own guild, it would almost certainly become a top-tier one.
“Definitely. I think it was a good decision.”
“See? I knew you’d get it.”
As Heeyeon and I continued our friendly conversation, Jiyu suddenly slipped between us.
“Hmm? You two seem awfully close.”
She narrowed her eyes, glancing back and forth between us, then reached out and pulled me close by the waist. What was this adorable creature?
“Hey! Raid leader! I have zero interest in Junho, okay? This is unfair! If anything, I’m interested in you, raid leader!”
?
Was she insane?
“Nope. Jiyu’s mine.”
I had thought her jealousy was cute, but somehow I had ended up in the jealous position instead.
“Whaaat—anyway, that’s how it is.”
“So?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
I gave the bridge of Jiyu’s nose a light, harmless tap. She was acting like the explanation was completely finished.
“You forgot to explain your own role.”
She had left out the most important part and was trying to call it done. I really didn’t understand how someone could be this cute.
“Oh, right! I’m a magic-type dealer who specializes in fire magic!”
Oh, magic-type. Of course. We needed at least one proper ranged dealer.
“I can use other types of magic too, but since fire is my main focus, that’s where my strongest spells are.”
She looked so cute and round that I had always thought she resembled a mage. Turns out she really was one.
“Then what was Kim Pilseok? An archer?”
The standard setup was usually two ranged dealers, one close-range dealer, one tank, and—if they had the funds—a healer.
“No, Kim Pilseok used a spear.”
Jia noona answered for her. So two close-range dealers and one ranged. It wasn’t unheard of. Especially since two of the dealers were close to B-rank. That was more than enough.
“And that concludes our raid party member explanations!”
Jiyu announced the end in a cheerful voice. I reached over and gently stroked her hair.
“Thank you, raid leader. I listened carefully.”
“Huh? Raid leader again? I don’t like that!”
“But this is the official part.”
“Where is there an ‘official part’ between us! Everyone else in the party just calls each other oppa and unnie and laughs together. Why are we the only ones being like this!”
She looked genuinely upset. As expected, our raid leader had a lot of demands.
“Alright, alright. I got it, Jiyu. Calm down and let’s head out to the gate.”
“Mm, I like that! Perfect! Then let’s go!”
We set off in high spirits, which was great. The problem started after we arrived at the gate.
“I’m more nervous than I expected.”
My heart was pounding violently. A D-rank gate. In my entire life, I had never entered even an F-rank gate as a combat hunter. As a miner, I had gone in frequently, but never as a dealer.
“It’s okay, oppa. Just blow them all away like you did to that guy earlier!”
“Yeah, Junho. Though if possible, try to smash their heads.”
“Heads? Unnie, who taught you to talk like that!”
“Sorry. Do people say ‘meogari’ these days?”
“That’s not what I meant!”
Watching the two of them bicker eased my tension just a little. At least, it felt that way. My hands were still trembling.
“Don’t worry, Junho. You don’t have to do anything. We’ll take care of everything if needed.”
Chaseok hyung’s reliable tanker expression actually helped calm me more than anything else.
“Alright, since Heeyeon will be at the very back, oppa will go in front of her.”
Even if the nervous me made a mistake, having the healer right behind me to provide immediate support was reassuring. Earlier she had been jealous about me being too close to Heeyeon and claimed not to like separating public and private matters, but now on the actual site, she was the one maintaining perfect boundaries. As expected, a raid leader really was on another level.
“Since this isn’t a D-rank gate with particularly difficult monsters, today I’ll focus on protecting older brother Junho as much as possible.”
“Okay.”
“Newbies need protection.”
“Understood, raid leader.”
It was finally time to enter.
“But oppa, are you sure you don’t need a weapon?”
There wouldn’t be anywhere to get one now. He had taken down Kim Pilseok with his bare hands earlier, after all. I had never learned swordsmanship or anything similar, so I wasn’t even sure I could use a weapon properly.
“Today is basically field experience anyway. I’ll think about it once we’re inside and see how it goes.”
Hunters’ weapons weren’t cheap. Most low-ranking hunters either rented from the association or used guild-issued equipment. Since I had neither a guild nor money, I would probably need to visit the association if I wanted a proper weapon.
“Well, this might be the last time I enter one anyway.”
“Hmm, okay.”
She didn’t seem entirely satisfied, but she accepted my judgment.
“Then we’ll begin. Everyone, stay alert.”
It was the start of my first gate raid.