Chapter 43
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Raon Guild (3)
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“What? The representative...?”
“Why? See me in a new light?”
At my showboating, Eun-young’s mouth hung open.
“Who’s the representative? Don’t tell me it’s Park Si-woo?”
“How did you know?”
“You’re close with Choi Soo-hyun.”
Park Si-woo’s friendship with Choi Soo-hyun was quite famous.
“I just didn’t realize you’d gotten close to Park Si-woo, too.”
“Close might be a strong word. We’re getting to know each other.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Eun-young looked confused.
I didn’t want to say more, so I kept my mouth shut.
In the end, she didn’t head home until after we'd had dinner.
* * *
A week later.
The dungeon for Eun-young's C-rank Hunter qualification exam was decided.
It was a C+ rank dungeon located on Keunjjaksan Mountain in Daegok-dong, Seo-gu, Incheon.
“Whoever named it sure came up with something unique.”
I muttered, eating an ice cream I'd bought from a convenience store.
The dungeon designated by the Aria Guild was at the foot of the mountain.
On average, one out of every three dungeons that appeared in Korea was on a mountain.
Because they were on mountains, they inherently involved hiking, and if the location was tricky, you often had to go off the main trails. For these reasons, mountain dungeons weren't very popular.
Guilds didn't favor them, and the Association needed them cleared, so the conditions were usually better than for dungeons in the city.
Having parked the car, Eun-young approached.
She was dressed simply in black pants, a comfortable cotton shirt, and sneakers.
The only difference from her usual look was her hair tied up high.
“What? Why are you staring at me like that?”
“It’s just... you look so normal. It’s boring.”
My expectation that she'd show up with a ton of gear or some bizarre outfit was completely off.
Speaking of bizarre fashion, that one guy suddenly came to mind.
I’d have to ask Park Si-woo about him soon.
We gathered our things and arrived near the dungeon.
An Association Hunter who was already there spotted us and waved.
Anyone could tell the man was a rookie who'd just passed the open recruitment.
After introducing himself, he politely requested our IDs.
“Could I please see your IDs?”
At his words, I opened the Hunter Network on my smartphone and showed him my personal barcode.
After he scanned the barcode, I used the portable fingerprint scanner to verify my identity.
Unlike me, who went through the familiar process with ease, Eun-young was a bundle of nerves.
At first, I had also wondered what this whole procedure was for.
The man finished checking Eun-young's ID and fingerprint.
Eun-young looked at the man and asked.
“By the way, doesn't the Association usually work in pairs?”
To prevent potential accidents and fraud, Association Hunters normally operate in a two-person system.
A C+ rank dungeon was no exception.
At Eun-young's question, he seemed flustered and glanced around.
He looked as if he were desperately searching for someone.
“He... uh, said he was stepping away to take a call.”
“He?”
It was a strangely high honorific to use for a senior partner.
While the man hesitated, Choi Soo-hyun approached.
I didn't think Choi Soo-hyun warranted *that* level of respect.
“What? Something happen?”
Choi Soo-hyun sauntered over, his hands in his pockets.
At Choi Soo-hyun's nonchalant attitude, the man shook his head.
The man was incredibly tense.
“Nothing, sir. Uh, are you finished with your call?”
“More or less.”
He answered indifferently, as if the call hadn't been important.
It had been strange when the man used that honorific, but I hadn't expected Choi Soo-hyun to show up.
There was no way it was a coincidence that Choi Soo-hyun was working gate duty for the very dungeon Eun-young and I were entering.
“If you were coming, you could've at least given me a heads-up.”
“We were going to see each other anyway. Why bother with the hassle of calling?”
“That’s *why* you should've called!”
He should've spared a thought for me and Eun-young, having to run into him in such an unexpected place.
He was as self-centered as ever.
“So? What's a busy man like you doing here?”
“Yeah, why are you here!”
Eun-young parroted my words.
When Choi Soo-hyun glared at her, Eun-young scurried behind me.
Ever since their little dramatic showdown, Eun-young had been extremely wary of Choi Soo-hyun.
Despite our wariness, Choi Soo-hyun didn't even blink.
“You should be grateful that someone as busy as me came out here.”
Faced with Choi Soo-hyun's usual narcissism, I just shut my mouth instead of replying.
Choi Soo-hyun rolled up his sleeve and checked the time on his watch.
Our scheduled entry time for the dungeon was 10:30.
It was a little past 10:15, so we had about ten minutes to spare.
Choi Soo-hyun gestured towards one side of the trail.
Taking the hint, the man made himself scarce.
There was something pitiful about the way the man scurried away.
As soon as the man was gone, Choi Soo-hyun held out his hand.
“What? Did you leave some money with me?”
“Seems like you've got more than one or two of my things. Hand them over while I'm asking nicely.”
At his semi-threatening words, I instinctively brought a hand to my chest.
I truly coveted the Ring of Ishtar that Choi Soo-hyun had lent me.
Currently, items were classified into three categories: Normal, Rare, and Legend.
Even Legend-grade items were obtainable if you had enough money.
The problem was the unrated items that didn't fall into these three categories.
These were literally items whose grade couldn't be measured, most of which were difficult to acquire even with money.
Unrated items had such a wide variance that they were difficult to appraise at all.
Growth-type items, whose power changed depending on the user's capabilities, were a prime example, but there were various others.
The Ring of Ishtar that Choi Soo-hyun had lent me was an item related to mythology.
I handed the Ring of Ishtar and the glass shard to Choi Soo-hyun. He put the ring on.
“You didn't come all the way out here this early just to collect your ring, did you?”
“That's right. I have a favor to ask. Are you going to do that raid?”
It seemed word had already reached Choi Soo-hyun.
“I probably will. Why do you ask?”
“Let me ask you for one thing.”
Choi Soo-hyun whispered something to me.
It was a blatant request to ride my coattails.
It seemed like a bit of a hassle, but since we were in the same boat, I could do at least this much for him.
“Alright.”
“Then I'm counting on you. But...”
Choi Soo-hyun's gaze fell on Eun-young, who was peeking from beside me.
“Why doesn't she have a weapon?”
Eun-young and I looked at each other.
She was the first one to blush.
No matter what people said about the Aria Guild, they weren't so incompetent that they couldn't provide a single basic item.
There was a whole story behind it. As Eun-young and I remained silent, Choi Soo-hyun kept tilting his head in confusion.
“What is it? Why?”
“She's, uh... surprisingly untalented, for how she looks.”
We tried everything to find a suitable weapon—swords, bows, axes, whips, even special weapons.
Usually, in a case like this, you'd consider using magic, but Eun-young had no aptitude for that either.
Normally, I would've pushed her to use something, just for the sake of teaching her. But I'd never in my life met someone with so little talent for weapons.
“Ugh, it's possible!”
“Are you even human?”
“You don't have to go that far! A-And you! Just how great are...”
Eun-young, who had been pointing a finger at Choi Soo-hyun, couldn't finish her sentence.
In the end, she turned her head away from him.
Come to think of it, they had a history.
I'd heard from both of them afterward about what had happened.
Choi Soo-hyun was the one who had stopped Eun-young when she was fighting with suicidal intent.
His way of speaking had caused a misunderstanding, but thankfully, it seemed they'd somehow resolved it.
“Don't be so hard on her. Do you know how much effort it took to bring her here? Are you going to take responsibility if she gets upset and quits because of you?”
“Are you saying I can't even say anything?”
“She may not have a weapon, but she's incredibly strong, so she'll be fine.”
Besides, fighting like this was more Eun-young's style than using a weapon.
Choi Soo-hyun looked Eun-young up and down.
“She certainly is brutish.”
“Hey!”
“Hey, what? I still remember you hitting me, you know.”
“That's because you d-did something to deserve it!”
“Stop fighting.”
In the end, I had to mediate between them.
Even though they'd cleared up their misunderstanding and knew they'd be spending time together, the way they acted showed they were just fundamentally incompatible.
Choi Soo-hyun raised his hand.
The Association employee, who had been watching from a distance, came running like a puppy.
As far as I knew, Choi Soo-hyun's department was practically a dead-end position, but seeing the man's reaction, it was clear his official title was just a formality.
Not that it really mattered.
“How are you ever going to quit with things like this?”
“I'll manage.”
Choi Soo-hyun answered curtly.
“Oh, right. Do you know someone named Seo Ji-hoon?”
“Ah, that kid... I was wondering when you'd ask. I'll tell you when you get out of the dungeon.”
Since it was time to enter, Choi Soo-hyun said he'd tell me later.
Eun-young and I prepared to enter the dungeon.
Seeing the gate, Eun-young tightened her grip on the straps of her backpack.
“Nervous?”
“Just a little.”
Eun-young gazed at the dungeon gate with a complicated expression.
She must have wanted to give up so many times.
She probably never thought she'd make it this far.
I understood her complex feelings better than anyone.
She stepped into the dungeon first, and I followed right after.
* * *
[Sky Garden]
Rank: C+
Terrain: Hills
Recommended Party: 3-5
Objective: Obtain the sealed orb and activate the Altar of Time.
Rewards
1) Clear Bonus: [450 Contribution Points]
2) All Monsters Killed: [200 Contribution Points] for all party members.
3) Killer of the Bicorn: [360 Contribution Points]
4) Activator of the Altar of Time: [1000 Contribution Points]
Although it was a mission-type dungeon, its difficulty wasn't excessively high for a C+ rank.
The monsters that appeared in Sky Garden were one-horned beasts, monsters commonly called unicorns.
Unlike ant-hive dungeons, which were cramped, densely populated, and tricky to navigate, this one had fewer monsters and a very spacious field.
A wide-open meadow and rolling hills came into view.
“Whoa. This is amazing.”
Having entered the dungeon, Eun-young's eyes sparkled.
I'd felt the same way she did when I first traveled between dimensions and entered a dungeon.
Like I'd arrived in another world.
Which, I suppose, was true—it was a separate space.
Still, a dungeon was a dungeon.
It was best to minimize any admiration for the environment.
Sure enough, a black unicorn that had been hiding charged at us.
As its name suggested, the one-horned beast was a monster with a single horn, shaped like a cross between a horse and a rhinoceros.
Their numbers were small, but they were fast, and a surprise attack could be fatal.
Judging by its angle of approach, it was aiming for Eun-young rather than me.
The moment I drew my sword to strike, Eun-young vanished.