Chapter 51
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Big Brother's Love
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I headed toward where F Team was staying.
It was the Semi Guild area, but with A, B, C, F, G, and H Teams participating, there were quite a few hunters around, so they weren't right next door.
Kang Hana had set up a small two-person tent and was coming out after unpacking her gear and putting on her equipment.
"Hey."
"...What?"
Wearing goggles and looking ready for battle, it seemed like she was about to head out for reconnaissance once the base was sorted.
"Going on recon?"
"What's it to you?"
Her snarky glare and rude tone made me want to smack her upside the head.
"Keep an eye on Hyeji. If something happens, you'll be the first to charge out and die."
"I'm a civilian—how am I supposed to protect anyone? Hyeji should be protecting me."
"You nuts? You'd have to throw your body in front of hers for Hyeji to save you."
"Yeah, no."
Sorry, but if I die, Hyeji's skills go bye-bye too.
"Don't even think about going anywhere dangerous. Just hole up in the base."
"That's the plan anyway. Check carefully for any monsters nearby."
"You picking a fight?"
I saw her raise a gloved fist and tossed her a spray from my pocket.
"What's this?"
"What else? Use it if things get dicey."
"What is...?"
Danger Evasion Spray (A)
* Single-use spray. Spraying it erases your presence from surrounding monsters for 30 seconds.
※ Not for use if already fully detected. Use before being chased to hide and escape sight as much as possible.
It was a spray I'd bought from the P Shop.
A survival spray, and surprisingly pricey from the P Shop that sells all sorts of stuff.
Funny thing was, the P Shop sold Teto Pheromones and pregnancy aids at reasonable, even cheap prices, but survival gear for dungeons like this? Way overpriced, like "this can't be real."
This one spray alone cost 3P.
The kind of haul I might get from a lucky day's worth of sex.
"...What the hell? Where'd you get this?"
"Your big bro got it thinking of his little sis, so if shit hits the fan, use it and bail. Won't do much if you're already being chased."
"...I survive just fine without crap like this."
She'd have checked the item info by now, so she'd use it however she saw fit.
She grumbled but pocketed it carefully, so I turned to leave.
"I'm out."
Still and all, she was my sister.
Half-sister or not, we'd grown up together since she was little.
We'd bickered a bit just now, but I still remembered her running into my arms calling "Big bro! Big bro!"
If she died here, Mom and Dad would be devastated.
As the recon team headed out, I returned to the tent to find Im Hyeji giving me a strange look.
"Oppa, what'd you give Hana?"
"You saw?"
"I was heading to the central barracks for a sec."
"Just something for emergencies. A spray."
"Heehee, good."
"Good how?"
"You and Hana seemed on bad terms, so I was worried."
She said it sincerely, so I asked,
"You an only child?"
"How'd you know?"
"That's just how siblings are."
"...Oh."
There were no more hunter call-ups on the first day.
The base got organized, combat hunters cleared the surroundings, and recon teams gathered intel. That was it.
Unless something special came up, the day would end like this.
"We might be like this for 2-3 days."
It was such a massive raid that safety came first—double and triple-checked.
The core base wasn't just a return point for hunters; it doubled as a warehouse for long-term supply lines from outside, so securing the immediate area was key.
Plus setting up living facilities.
That's why we could relax in the tent.
"This is the life. Just need internet and it'd be perfect."
Lying on the mattress, I pulled out the tablet from Im Hyeji's place and watched a saved drama.
I considered slipping out like a quick smoke break to check the Hunter Gallery, but it wasn't safe enough yet, so I held off.
Stealth might let me go unnoticed, but there were too many people on standby outside.
Evening came, and we fired up the grill inside the tent.
"Heh heh. Bet we're the only ones cooking like this."
"World's a wonderful place. Grilling meat in a tent with no smell lingering."
"Samgyeopsal today!! And kimchi jjigae!!"
Guilds handled meals, but personal cooking was fine, so I laid out fresh meat and wraps from inventory, plus pre-made kimchi jjigae, for a feast.
"Should I call Hana? She just got back."
"Do what you want."
Excited, Im Hyeji dragged in a dirt-covered Kang Hana, who gawked at the setup inside.
"...You brought all this?"
"Yeah! Oppa's ability is amazing."
"...He has a skill like this?"
No matter how much magic bags expanded space, no sane person packs burners, grills, and full BBQ gear for a dungeon.
Complete with pots and utensils—like full-on camping. No wonder she stared.
Im Hyeji explained my subspace ability to her.
"Yeah, that's the gist."
The subspace was the skill I'd register if I ever officially became a hunter.
I'd agonized over registering Survive First or this, but to outsiders, I was Im Hyeji's porter sucking up 2 million won a day on the down-low. Framing it that way kept envy at bay—better than seeming suspiciously buddy-buddy.
"Perfect porter skill, huh."
Kang Hana snorted mockingly.
It looked useful on the surface but screamed "what's the point?" for combat.
Viable with creativity, sure, but solo? Useless in fights.
Her cold outsider assessment—even laced with ridicule—felt oddly satisfying.
"Right? Worth 2 mil a day, yeah?"
"...Well, handy for hauling gear, I guess.."
She slid into a seat, too wiped from recon to wash up, and started wrapping ssam straight to her mouth.
One big bite, and she chewed with a blissful look.
"So good..."
Her attitude sucked, but Kang Hana was pretty, no denying it.
Friends with Im Hyeji, she stood out—not like some maid beside her.
Even prickly, remembering her kid-self's cuteness, her personality wasn't that bad.
"Tasty, right, Hana? Han-don pork. Heehee."
I thumbs-upped Im Hyeji's brag.
After devouring it all with iced cola chasers, it was pure bliss.
I'd wondered why folks dragged themselves camping every weekend—driving, sweating in heat or cold, tent hassles.
But damn, it was great.
Especially the enchanted barracks and facilities.
Humanity's AC-level innovation.
This "outdoor tent" was basically a house.
Of course, post-camping cleanup sucked.
"You do it."
"...."
"Hana, help me."
"No way—this is porter work, not SS-rank hunter duty."
"That's why you're doing it."
"...."
If I didn't, no need to think about it.
Kang Hana finished dishes and headed back to her tent.
"Hana, you could wash up here."
"Nah, Hyeji. Gotta keep work and personal separate. Dinner was plenty. Thanks."
She drew lines firmly on "official" stuff—made me wonder if she really was my sister.
Me? I'd shower and crash here without a second thought.
And so the first day of camping—no, the first day in the S-rank backflow dungeon on Mars—drew to a close.
Nothing much happened, but after an all-nighter till dawn, sleep tugged at me.
"Oppa~..."
"...Today's quota's done."
Im Hyeji, hungry for level 5, tried sneaking onto my mattress, but I shut her down firm.
Couldn't sleep, so stamina hadn't recovered.
She pouted back to her spot.
Lights out, lying there—chatting idly till sleep came.
I liked how easy Im Hyeji was; I'm quiet, but she didn't mind, just yapping about herself or quizzing me on stuff, keeping talk flowing.
Not too naggy to annoy—just right, peeking at my cues, perfect for drifting off.
"Ah, is Sua-unnie okay? Morning sickness sounds brutal.."
"Yeah. She'll manage. Ability pregnancies last 120 hours to birth... She'll probably show up tomorrow whining like you did?"
"...I held out pretty long, though?"
"Sure? I remember next day, bawling for semen shots, getting pissy over pride, then racing back minutes later."
"Oppa!! It wasn't that bad?!"
Idle chit-chat lulled me to sleep.
"Who knows. Might barge in now demanding cum..."
Eyes closing—
Ding-dong—
The outdoor doorbell rang, muffled by soundproofing.