Chapter 21
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Dungeon Porter
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The dungeon raid by Semi Guild, ranked in the top 10 in Korea, was flawlessly beautiful in its execution.
"Wow, all those videos on Nutube were total crap, huh."
"Most guilds don't leak their core strategies in videos anyway."
Everyone had their roles clearly assigned, and they moved with swift precision.
The moment they spotted the number and grade of monsters, countermeasures were deployed instantly, ensuring no monsters could reach the main group—where the healers and I were stationed.
Even without establishing a fixed base, their movements made it look like one massive, mobile fortress.
It was comfortable.
All I had to do was sit tight for about 5 to 10 minutes whenever fighting broke out up front.
Then, when I heard "Move!", I'd move. That was it.
Im Hyeji didn't have much to do either.
No hunters came to her for healing.
"In B-rank dungeons, unless it's a massive battle, injuries aren't that common. The Hunter Association and guilds have safety guidelines recommending at least three S-rank hunters per ability type for B-rank clears."
Maybe because of that, Im Hyeji kindly explained things to me.
"S-rank hunters aren't a dime a dozen, though. Who follows that?"
"It's just a recommendation, so probably not many do. Plus, almost all S-rank hunters are concentrated in top guilds anyway..."
There's a saying like that.
Go to Seocho-dong, and half the people you see are lawyers.
Out of over 2.5 million hunters, S-ranks make up less than 0.1%, and most are clustered in top guilds. Semi Guild was one of them.
Especially since an SS-rank healer like her was gracing a B-rank dungeon with over five S-rank hunters escorting her—probably no other guild did that.
"Three-hour break!"
Hunt for three hours, rest for three.
This perfectly safe hunting method had me yawning.
"Why not just sweep everything during break time?"
I grumbled as I plopped down on the ground, and Im Hyeji, who had unfolded a comfy camping chair beside me, laughed.
"Oppa, ever heard 'safety rules exist because fatigue kills'?"
"No way..."
"The first time I used Resurrection was in a B-rank dungeon. Things were going safely until an S-rank monster popped out of nowhere. Two A-rank mages nearly died, and that tanker over there actually did—then came back."
"Huh... Gotta stay cautious always, then."
"Yeah. We rest for three hours, but it's not like we're just lounging. We have scouting teams patrolling and reconning the surroundings."
"Whoa."
The more I heard, the more meticulous it seemed.
I'd wondered why so many people entered B-rank dungeons, but now it made sense.
"Hana's probably out scouting right now."
"Kang Hana's on recon?"
"Yep. F Team handles scouting. Hana's a special ability user with B-rank detection—she can scan and relay about a 50-meter radius."
"Got it..."
I'd been so disinterested that I didn't even know my little sister's abilities.
If I'd asked, she'd probably snap, "What do you care?"
"Wanna go see?"
"Nah."
Im Hyeji asked if I wanted to check it out, but I declined.
I had no desire to watch her work.
Just like she wouldn't want to see me at my workplace, I didn't want to see her at hers.
Maybe it was the fate of siblings who'd known each other since childhood, blood-related or not.
Anyway, I needed to find some fun in this boring dungeon raid.
The tension had worn off ages ago.
Right from the entrance, seeing their formation snap into place before I could even glimpse a monster convinced me this place was safe.
Then, I noticed people rummaging through nearby dead monsters.
Monsters strewn across our path.
The reason for poking through the corpses was obvious.
"Those folks collecting bodies?"
"Who? Oh! Yeah, loot recovery team. They extract magic stones from corpses, check for dropped gear, butcher usable parts if any."
"Oh..."
I'd heard dungeons were like complex markets sustaining all sorts of people.
Hunter Gallery was proof, and even on Nutube, a single dungeon raid might have only 10-20 actual monster hunters, but twice or more support staff—easy to find examples.
Small parties couldn't afford that and partied like in games, but anyway.
Large raid videos usually skipped the cleanup, so I hadn't known—it looked surprisingly organized and cool.
Then, a good idea struck.
"Do all monsters drop magic stones?"
"No. Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Higher-grade ones usually have small or large stones, but trash mobs often don't."
"Perfect."
"Huh?"
"Nothing. Eat up."
The three-hour break was naptime for the central base hunters.
Some who'd just entered weren't sleepy, but those who'd fought—night owls or not—mostly laid out simple bedding, donned eye masks, and crashed.
Some even pitched tents for rest.
"We got stuff like that?"
"Yeah, in the backpack. Want me to set it up if you're tired?"
She said it was in the bag.
I'd taken the magic backpack as given, so I didn't know its contents well.
Just pull it out, press, and it expands; infuse mana, and it shrinks. Way more convenient than expected.
That soundproof tent I'd heard about must be one.
"Mine's not that big. It's a one-person made from four-person materials—tiny shower, toilet, mattress space inside."
"Sounds perfect for some nighttime fun in there, huh? Mmph!"
The mere thought got me hard, but Im Hyeji jumped in shock, clapped her hand over my mouth, and glanced around.
Everyone was busy with their own stuff or sleeping—no eyes on us.
"...Oppa!"
"Okay, okay."
Sex with Im Hyeji was great and thrilling, sure—but whispering dirty talk in front of everyone, in what was basically her workplace, felt naughtily exciting.
Her blocking my mouth, face flushing as she whispered in my ear nearly made me pop.
I wanted to pitch the tent right then and pound one out inside, but I held back.
She wasn't that far gone yet.
Her begging at her place worked because no prying eyes threatened her honor or image—but getting caught doing it here, where her reputation was at stake, could ruin everything.
She was in this for skill success through me; breaking that trust would end her compliance.
"Break ends in 10 minutes!"
Time flew.
Im Hyeji watched dramas on her tablet; I chatted endlessly beside her, losing track of time.
I packed up her scattered gear.
As her porter, I had to handle my job without drawing eyes.
Collecting trash from our meal, I headed to the central base's sorting bin.
Thud.
Some burly guy blocked my path.
"...Huh?"
"Hyeji's porter?"
"Yeah?"
Looked early 40s maybe.
Seen him in C Team's lounge?
I don't bother remembering men's faces, but this guy looked seriously pissed.
"Close with Hyeji?"
"Nah, just the porter."
He had a menacing vibe.
So I played dumb first.
Someone watching us?
Makes sense—with her looks, even resting scattered, some guy pretending to sleep would peek.
Especially hunters seeing her daily; weird if none crushed on her.
"Then why you two chatting so cozy?"
"...I'm the porter?"
"What?"
"Gimme snacks. Gimme drinks. Play this. Get that. Stay put and wait. What am I supposed to do?"
"..."
My bold claim left the burly guy speechless.
I could KO him with one punch if it came to fists, but as SS-rank healer Im Hyeji's porter—a known parachute hire—he wouldn't swing here.
"Something wrong?"
A Semi staffer asked amid the standoff; the guy patted my shoulder and passed.
"Watch yourself."
"..."
Watch what?
Not even a classic old-guy "She's mine, back off"?
Telepathy warning me to behave?
I returned to Im Hyeji.
She'd packed her chair and tablet into the backpack and stood waiting.
As I approached, she handed it over.
"That guy. You two close?"
Not far off.
The burly guy glanced while packing; I whispered pointedly in her ear.
She looked his way and nodded.
"F Team hunter. Kinda creepy."
"Ohhh?"
Six hours into the dungeon.
Finally, something interesting.