Dungeon Clearing Day
Today was the day we would clear a dungeon. It was just a Level 1 Dungeon, nothing special, but it meant a lot to me.
"Did you pack everything?"
"Yes. I packed it all."
"And the lunchbox?"
"Yes. I packed the lunchbox too."
I pulled the lunchbox out of my bag and showed it to Sofia. It was filled with several kinds of cooked fish.
"Make sure you secure the lunchbox so nothing spills out."
"Like this?"
"Good. Listen well to the adults when you get there, and drink water often. And..."
Sofia's worried advice went on and on. I stayed quiet and listened, knowing exactly why she was like this. As the eldest, she couldn't help but worry.
"Don't be stingy with potions. If things get really bad, tell the nearest adult."
"Okay."
Her words were long, but I nodded without any protest. Satisfied, Sofia patted my head and turned to Saebyeok.
"Saebyeok, look after the kids for me."
"Yeah. I'll take good care of them."
"Huh...?"
Wasn't I the one supposed to look after the kids? Why was Sofia asking Saebyeok that? Just as the question started to form, Han Yeoreum and Kwon Arin opened the front door and stepped inside.
"Is everyone ready?"
"Yes!"
I trotted over to Han Yeoreum, tail swaying gently. Kwon Arin stood nearby, awkwardly smiling and waving her hand.
"Today, Arin will be the leader and guide everyone."
"M-Me...?"
Kwon Arin looked startled, as if hearing this for the first time. Han Yeoreum gave her a puzzled look.
"Then who else would do it...?"
"Uh..."
Kwon Arin's gaze shifted to me. She stared into my eyes for a long moment before moving on to Levinas, who was busy stuffing something into her bag.
"You're not seriously planning to make the little ones do it, right...?"
"N-No. I'll do it..."
The leader was decided. Among us, Kwon Arin was the senior, so no one had any complaints.
"Everyone heard that? Arin is the leader today, so listen to her. And Arin, do your best as leader."
"Okay..."
Kwon Arin still looked unsure. I felt like I needed to boost her confidence.
"We'll trust the leader."
"Levinas will only trust the strongest supreme Kwon Arin!"
"U-Uh..."
She still didn't seem very reliable. Experience would fix that. For now, we decided to head to the dungeon together.
The newly appeared dungeon was fairly close, within walking distance. Many people had gathered near the portal. I spotted the same police officers I'd seen before, along with Kim Minjun, the civil servant in charge of beginner dungeons. Because the portal had opened right in the middle of the city, there were more staff than usual despite it being a low-level dungeon.
"Huh? Winter's the one clearing the dungeon today?"
"Yes. I'm clearing it today."
"Wow, that's impressive."
"Hehe..."
It was a little embarrassing. I scratched the back of my head awkwardly while my tail swayed on its own.
"But are you sure? This dungeon is almost at the upper limit of its level."
"Upper limit...?"
"Yeah. It's the hardest difficulty among Level 1 Dungeons."
"Oh..."
So even Level 1 Dungeons had subdivisions? I looked up at Han Yeoreum, hearing this for the first time.
"It'll be fine. Jinhyuk and I are going in as escorts."
"Ah, then it should be safe."
"Yes. We can enter, right?"
"Of course. Winter, make sure you listen to the adults inside the dungeon, okay?"
"Yes."
With Kim Minjun's permission, we gathered near the portal for a final check before entering.
"Alright, how about we inspect everyone's gear before going in?"
"Gear inspection?"
"Yeah. I'll grade everyone based on what they brought."
Ah. So it was like checking if we had packed everything necessary. Since Sofia had already checked us, I wasn't nervous.
"I brought these."
Arrows, bandages, a lighter, rope—only things essential for survival.
"Oh... very standard."
Han Yeoreum patted my head firmly. My neck instinctively tucked in like a turtle's, but my tail kept swaying happily.
"Levinas too! Check Levinas too!"
"Okay. What did Levinas bring?"
"Levinas brought dolls!"
Her bag was stuffed with animal plushies and the Animal King cards she loved.
"Wow, you only brought cool stuff, huh?"
"Yeah!"
"Mm! Levinas passes!"
"Yay!"
Thrilled by the passing grade, Levinas bounced on the spot. Han Yeoreum ruffled her hair and moved on to the others.
"Saebyeok brought similar things to Winter, and Arin..."
Han Yeoreum stopped dead while checking Kwon Arin's bag. A portable game console was peeking out from inside.
"Arin?"
"L-Levinas did too..."
"...Arin?"
Her eyes were smiling, but something about it felt scary. I instinctively took a step back.
"...I'm sorry. It's something that calms me down."
"Something that calms you down?"
"Yeah..."
"Well, if it's like a lucky charm, I guess it can't be helped."
Han Yeoreum nodded and looked at Choi Jinhyuk. At her signal, he silently stepped into the portal.
"Shall we go in too?"
"Yes."
This was our first real dungeon raid. Gripping my bag straps, I leaped into the portal.
The inside of the dungeon looked no different from a beginner hunting ground. The green grass was fresh, and the breeze brushing against my face felt pleasantly cool.
"Alright, Arin, want to try assigning positions?"
"Yep..."
Kwon Arin looked us over thoughtfully. Levinas, Saebyeok, and I huddled together, staring up at her.
"I'll take the front. Winter, support from the rear with ranged attacks. Cutting down enemies one by one to break their flow would be good."
"Okay."
"And Saebyeok... move flexibly between me and Winter, and help out when needed."
"Yeah."
Surprisingly, Kwon Arin's role distribution sounded solid. Even Han Yeoreum let out an impressed "Oh."
"Levinas doesn't have combat ability yet, so how about being the baggage carrier today?"
"Yeah! Levinas is fine with that!"
Excited to have a role, Levinas bounced energetically. After hopping around for a while, she tilted her head at me.
"Winter, what's a baggage carrier?"
"Um... someone who collects monster mana stones and byproducts."
"Whoa...! That's the most important role?!"
"Yeah. Levinas has the most important role. That's why we have to protect you."
It wasn't a lie. Without collecting mana stones and byproducts, half the point of raiding a dungeon would disappear. Levinas really did have a crucial job.
"Levinas will work hard as baggage carrier!"
Levinas gripped her bag straps with a serious expression, then trotted over to Han Yeoreum.
"Yeoreum, can you carry Levinas's bag? It's too heavy for her."
"Sure. Want me to?"
Han Yeoreum smiled and took Levinas's bag. Then she reached out to me and Saebyeok.
"Want me to carry Winter's and Saebyeok's too?"
"I'm fine."
"Me too. I'm strong."
Saebyeok flexed her arm proudly. It was a soft, squishy arm with no visible muscle.
'Just how strong is Saebyeok...?'
If she claimed to be strong, she was probably stronger than an average person. I was already looking forward to seeing her in action inside the dungeon.
"Shall we get going? Arin gives the orders, right?"
"Yes."
We took our positions as Kwon Arin instructed and began moving through the dungeon. After walking through the forest for about a minute, I heard heavy footsteps nearby.
"I hear footsteps ahead. Five monsters walking on two legs."
"R-Really? Your ears are that good?"
"Yes. But the footsteps are both light and heavy at the same time."
"Light and heavy... Gnolls?"
Gnolls. Bipedal canine beasts. As if on cue, we carefully moved in the direction I pointed.
"...They're really gnolls."
They had the typical lightness of beasts combined with the weight of their large frames. Kwon Arin swallowed hard and drew her sword.
"You remember the rear support, right?"
"Yes."
Gnolls—monsters nearly at the upper limit of this dungeon's level. Just how strong were they? I nocked an arrow, staying tense.
"I'll draw their aggro. Hide behind the trees and shoot one or two arrows at a time."
With that, Kwon Arin charged toward the gnolls. Saebyeok positioned herself between us, acting as a mobile shield.
'One shot first.'
As Kwon Arin rushed the lead gnoll, I fired at the one right behind it, aiming to disrupt their formation as she'd instructed. Would my skills work even in a dungeon this close to the upper limit? I tracked the slowly flying arrow with my eyes, tension high.
Thud—!
The pointed arrow pierced straight through the gnoll's forehead. One arrow had taken down an entire monster.
"Ah."
It worked. Confirming the power, I quickly nocked another arrow. I took down three, Kwon Arin took down two. We dispatched the entire pack of gnolls with surprising ease.
"Our teamwork is better than I thought...?"
"Yeah."
We chatted about the fight while examining the gnoll corpses. Five mana stones, slightly larger than fingernails, were our spoils.
"Levinas, here."
"Yeah!"
I handed the mana stones to Levinas, our baggage carrier. She scurried over to Han Yeoreum with them.
"Yeoreum, here."
"Wow, Levinas is working really hard, huh?"
Han Yeoreum tucked the stones into her bag, effectively taking over Levinas's role for her. I decided to just stay quiet. Levinas was doing her best in her own way.
"Yeoreum, is Levinas doing a good job as baggage carrier?"
"Yeah. She's doing great."
"Wow! Levinas wants to be a baggage carrier when she grows up!"
At Han Yeoreum's praise, Levinas threw both hands in the air. Another aspiring adventurer had just been born.