Clearing the Dungeon (2)
After defeating monsters in the dungeon and pressing forward, we found a clearing nearby. Once Han Yeoreum confirmed there were no immediate threats, she approached Choi Jinhyuk.
"Jinhyuk, I think we need to feed the kids."
"Yeah."
With that short reply, Choi Jinhyuk slipped into the bushes. From the sounds, I could tell he was circling nearby, keeping watch.
"Aren't we eating lunch together?"
"No. Jinhyuk offered to stand guard in case something happens."
"Oh..."
It made sense. Mealtimes were when people let their guard down, and one mistake could be fatal.
"Normally we'd take turns eating, right? But since this is Saebyeok's first time in a party, let's save that for later."
"Hmm..."
Still, eating together would have been nice. I felt a little guilty.
"Then I'll eat fast and take over guard duty."
"No. If you eat too fast you'll get indigestion. Chew slowly and thoroughly, okay?"
"Um... okay..."
Han Yeoreum really did worry a lot. Since I understood her concern, I decided to just go along with it.
Levinas suddenly raised her hand.
"Everyone, pay attention to Levinas!"
At her loud voice, a nearby gnoll reacted. It sniffed the air and started heading our way. Thanks to my heightened senses, I picked up on everything.
I needed to warn them that a monster was coming. The moment I looked up at Han Yeoreum in alarm, a dull thud rang out and the gnoll's presence vanished. Choi Jinhyuk had taken care of it for us.
'Ah.'
So he had already known the gnoll was approaching. That meant Han Yeoreum probably knew too. She just hadn't said anything so we could enjoy this short break in peace.
'I should relax too.'
I let my mana settle and looked at Levinas. Once she saw everyone's eyes on her, she beamed.
"Look at this! It's the horn rabbit mat!"
She pulled a horn rabbit mat from her arms. Han Yeoreum, who had been about to lay out the mat herself, quickly hid it.
"Wow, I was going to eat on the ground since we didn't have a mat. Levinas brought one?"
"H-huh?! Really?! Did Levinas do good?!"
"Yeah. Levinas did amazing."
Following Han Yeoreum's applause, we all clapped. Levinas bounced happily in place.
"Levinas is going to put the mat next to the flowers!"
She spread the mat beside some red flowers I didn't recognize, then began arranging her own little setup. She scattered Animal King cards everywhere and placed dolls in various spots. Since she was concentrating so hard, we waited quietly until she finished.
"Done!"
"Wow, can we come in, unnie?"
"Yeah! Come on in!"
After getting permission, we stepped onto the mat. She'd arranged the cards and dolls with seating in mind, so there was plenty of space.
"This feels like a picnic."
Saebyeok's tail swayed as she spoke with her usual blank expression. One of the Animal King cards got brushed aside by her tail.
"Yeah! We're on a picnic! We're all eating lunch together!"
Levinas pulled a small, round lunchbox from her bag. Being a child, her portion wasn't very large.
"Kings! Let's share lunch with Levinas!"
"Okay."
Saebyeok showed her own lunchbox. It contained raw fish that hadn't been cooked at all.
"Darkness King, you didn't cook anything...?"
"No. I'm eating it raw."
"O-oh..."
After a moment of hesitation, Levinas took a bite of the fish Saebyeok had brought. She immediately recoiled with a loud "Blegh!"
"Tastes bad."
"Huh?"
Saebyeok tilted her head, then offered the fish to me. Knowing she wanted me to try it, I took a bite.
"Whoa...!"
It was heavenly. Her tail, swaying side to side, lightly tapped against Kwon Arin's cheek as the latter leaned down to eat her own lunch.
"Tasty, right?"
"Yeah."
Saebyeok's tail perked up and wagged happily, clearly pleased that I liked it. Kwon Arin was sitting between us, so both our tails kept brushing against her cheeks.
"...Arin, want to switch seats with me?"
"It's fine. Getting hit by kids' tails can't hurt that much."
"Switch."
"Ah... okay."
Kwon Arin and Han Yeoreum swapped places. Now both Saebyeok's and my tails were smacking Han Yeoreum's cheeks and body from all sides.
"Sorry. I can't stop my tail..."
"Hehe, it's fine, unnie. Don't worry about it."
"O-okay..."
She should have been annoyed at being hit, but for some reason Han Yeoreum just kept smiling. Maybe she was simply happy we were all eating together. I didn't know the reason, but since she seemed to enjoy it, I decided not to worry.
**
"Hmm..."
Kwon Arin looked down at the children with a slightly bewildered expression. After finishing their lunch, they'd run around the clearing for a while before curling up together like dolls and falling asleep. They were adorable to watch, but was this really okay inside a dungeon?
She glanced at Han Yeoreum, who only wore a fond smile.
"Want to take a quick nap too, Arin?"
"Unnie...?"
"Ah, sorry."
Han Yeoreum scratched her cheek. Her maternal instincts were overflowing, so she kept treating Arin like a child. Well, Arin did look like one. She was much shorter than Han Yeoreum, after all. Han Yeoreum chuckled inwardly.
"Unnie, is it really okay to do this in a dungeon...?"
"Hehe, normally no, but they're still kids. Let's not push them too hard and take it easy."
"Yeah..."
Kwon Arin nodded and lay down spread-eagle beside the children. She'd planned to play games on the handheld she'd brought, but...
"Arin, if you start feeling frustrated about being held up like this, make sure to tell me."
"No, I don't have any complaints. Actually, it's nice."
"Really?"
"Yes. This is exactly the kind of adventurer life I dreamed of."
As the lowest-ranked adventurer, Kwon Arin had endured every kind of contempt. She knew better than anyone how unrealistic this situation was. No one discriminated against her for being a porter. No one ranked them by strength. They simply supported each other warmly and moved forward together. It was the image of adventurers she'd always admired.
'Saebyeok's archery was really good too.'
Every arrow had struck true, right in the head, without a single miss. She hadn't seen Saebyeok fight directly, but the girl had taken down monsters one by one. And Levinas... she'd worked hard laying out the mat. She'd even shown them her pretty dolls. Levinas had done her best in her own way, and that was impressive too.
'It's a good party.'
By giving orders to the children, she could also help them grow as leaders. It would be hard to find a party this good even if she searched the entire world.
"Hmm..."
She decided against playing games after all. Kwon Arin tucked the handheld back into her bag. There would be plenty of time for games once the work was done. For now, she'd just pet the sleeping children's heads.
**
"Mmm..."
I rubbed my eyes and woke up. Blinking through my blurry vision, I saw Han Yeoreum in front of me.
"Did you sleep well, Saebyeok?"
"Yeah..."
Han Yeoreum was carrying me in her arms. Not just me—Saebyeok was being carried too. Levinas was on her back. What was going on?
Still half-asleep, I tilted my head in confusion before it hit me.
"The dungeon!"
"Yeah, we're at the boss room now."
"Huh?"
The boss room? She'd carried us while we were sleeping all the way here? I shook my head quickly and jumped down from her arms.
"Want to clear it and leave right away?"
"Yep."
A short distance away stood a massive gnoll, easily three times larger than the regular ones. It was a Gnoll Warrior, said to be the strongest among Level 1 bosses.
"Saebyeok, wake up. It's the boss room."
"Nya..."
I shook Saebyeok's legs back and forth until she woke. She let out a cat-like yawn and opened her eyes. Just like I had, she shook her head vigorously before leaping down beside me.
"We need to keep formation."
"Okay."
Kwon Arin, Saebyeok, and I approached the Gnoll Warrior while maintaining a single-file line. Before we could take on the boss, we had to deal with the smaller gnolls guarding it first.
'I'll use explosive arrows.'
There were no other gnolls nearby, so using explosive arrows shouldn't draw more of them. Without hesitation, I nocked an explosive arrow and fired it into the middle of the group.
Boom!
The loud explosion made my ears and tail fur stand on end. Saebyeok, startled, actually jumped like a real cat, while Levinas, who had been sleeping on Han Yeoreum's back, shot upright.
"Wh-what?!"
"We're taking down the boss."
"Eek!"
Levinas jumped off Han Yeoreum's back. With our porter joining in, the real boss fight had begun.
Whoosh...
The dust from the explosion settled, revealing the gnolls. Ten were on the verge of death, and about ten more were still standing. After taking down the standing ones, I'd finish off the fallen ones.
Having made my decision, I called out to Kwon Arin ahead of me.
"Can you mark the boss for me? Saebyeok, block any gnolls coming my way."
"Got it."
Kwon Arin rushed the Gnoll Warrior. Once I confirmed they were locked in a standoff, I started firing arrows at the gnolls. Two or three shots each, steadily eliminating them. Any that charged toward me were stopped by Saebyeok.
After wiping out all the standing gnolls, I finished off the ones that couldn't move. Now only the boss remained.
Just as I reached for another arrow from the quiver on my back, the Gnoll Warrior ignored Kwon Arin and charged straight at us.
"W-wait!"
"Ah."
It was going after the annoying archer first. I hurriedly tried to nock an arrow when Saebyeok dashed toward the Gnoll Warrior.
'Right.'
She'd promised to block any monsters charging at me. But a boss monster might be too much for her.
The moment I nocked the arrow, the world seemed to slow down. The Gnoll Warrior's jaws opened wide as it lunged at Saebyeok, while she spread her arms to meet it. At this speed, she'd get bitten before I could shoot.
"Ah."
This was bad. My mind went completely blank in despair—
Smack!
Saebyeok slapped the charging gnoll across the face.