I'll Make a Wreck of You

"Loading. Team Two, fire!"

"Wait, wait a second! I still haven't gotten this thing unjammed!"

"Hand it over, Hye-yeon!"

The dungeon was fiercer than expected.

The landscape looked like an abandoned underground tomb. Out of that pitch-black darkness, dozens of ghouls came charging with red eyes gleaming.

The party had split into two teams: Team One centered on their leader, Park Da-hoon, and Team Two centered on the Safety Guardian. There wasn't any special role assignment — they simply took turns firing the mana rifles in rotation.

Please, please don't get hurt. Please.

I kept my focus locked on the high-school girl Han Hye-yeon and the young man Kim Dae-hee. Those two had planted their death flags so thoroughly that I couldn't help being nervous.

Han Hye-yeon fought better than expected. Sitting in a stable shooting stance, she pulled the trigger with calm precision, and the rounds she fired systematically shredded the ghouls' limbs. That would have been unthinkable for the high-school girls of my previous life. This was a world where military training started in elementary school, after all.

— Heeey, got a question for ya~ Just one little bite~

— Don't worry~ We're the police~

"Raid Leader! Another wave incoming!"

"Ah, damn it. Fall back a bit!"

The real problem was the terrible matchup. Ghouls didn't die unless you destroyed their heads. No matter how many holes you punched through their bodies, they just kept coming.

"This isn't working. We should give up and head back!"

Eventually a shaggy-haired young man shouted it out.

"Without a proper area-of-effect mage, this is impossible! At this rate we're all going to wipe!"

"…Ugh."

He wasn't wrong. Undead like these were meant to be wiped out by a classic fantasy party composition. Punching random holes in their bodies was just stupid. You needed to take their heads with a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sword or burn them with fire.

In the end, Park Da-hoon pulled the formation back and called out.

"Alright. We're heading back! This isn't going to work."

Good. Let's get out of here without anyone getting hurt. I'm nervous enough as it is.

But then, someone I never expected stepped up to object.

"No! Let's try a little longer!"

It was Han Hye-yeon. Sweat dripped from her chin as she frantically swapped out her magazine. Everyone turned to stare at her in surprise.

"They said once we clear everything that's swarming us, the boss is basically right after. We just need to finish this wave!"

Men's and women's voices mixed together as they tried to talk her down — not enough ammo, stamina running out, someone would die if they got greedy, and so on. But Han Hye-yeon refused to back down.

"Safety Guardian unnie!"

…?

Every pair of eyes in the party swung toward me.

"You came as a party member too!" Han Hye-yeon said. "I know you were planning to save your strength for the boss, but please just help us out this once. We'll handle the boss ourselves!"

"Sh-she's right. We're all exhausted!"

"Please, Purple Bunny-nim!"

"Even retreating right now would be a struggle!"

In an instant, the full weight of their expectant stares landed on me. Come to think of it, the party members no longer had the stamina left to run. Whether we advanced or not, I was going to have to use magic either way.

Even Park Da-hoon nodded at me.

"Just this once. Please."

"……"

I smiled quietly. I was doing my best to look completely unbothered, but inside I was sweating bullets.

Is it okay to take my attention off everything else?

There had already been several close calls. A vampire bat swooping in from nowhere to target Han Hye-yeon. A crumbling chandelier dropping from the ceiling toward Kim Dae-hee. I'd handled them quietly so the party wouldn't panic, but… the intervals between those incidents were getting shorter.

"Everyone, fall back."

In the end, I stepped forward while changing into Pecia's exclusive outfit. I'd max out my mana output and finish this as fast as possible.

Make them remember my outfit as a formal suit.

Park Da-hoon lowered his gun and waved everyone back.

"Reload and stand by. Fix bayonets."

"Unnie, fighting! Thank you!"

"Whoa, the camera's not working. I was supposed to film this."

"Hah… we're saved."

Nine men and women chattered among themselves as they retreated. Once I'd confirmed enough distance, I summoned playing cards into both hands.

"Two pair. Stored spells."

I combined Lightning Bolt — already powerful on its own — with the water-element Water Bomb. Perfect for cleaning up a swarm of weaklings.

I crossed both arms into an X and unleashed the attack.

Fwaaat!

Ten cards in total streaked forward trailing yellow sparks.

BZZZZZZZT—!!

— KRAAAAAAH!!

The ghouls froze mid-charge. Their entire bodies convulsed violently as they groaned. These were the same creatures that had already been neutralized by basic cards — with elemental magic layered on top, they wouldn't be able to think straight.

Sure enough, they couldn't take a single step forward. They just started thrashing through a Thunder Poppin' dance right where they stood.

— Urrrrrrrrrr!

— Grrrk-grrk-grk!

…Pfft!

For a second, the sight was so ridiculous I almost burst out laughing. Crackling lightning magic flashing like a substitute for disco lights, humanoid beasts dancing underneath it, and those completely wrecked, drunk-sounding vocalizations on top of it all. It was a full-blown club party in the middle of a dungeon!

Of course, I wiped the smile off my face and got my head back in the game almost immediately. Something was bound to go wrong around now. I'd just finished off ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the ghouls I could see and let my guard down — so this was the part where the ones I couldn't see would pop out.

Right on cue, a scream rang out from behind.

"Kyaaaaah!"

"Th-they came around from behind! Shoot!"

"Don't! You'll hit friendlies! Prepare for melee!"

I knew it.

"One pair."

I summoned cards immediately — pairs with the spells stripped out, so an area attack wouldn't hit my allies.

[3♠ 3♥], [5♠ 5♥], [A◆ A♣], [K◆ K♣], [J♠ J♣]…

"Doesn't this feel doable now? The Safety Guardian's magic was incredible."

"I keep telling you, no. After casting a spell that massive, you think she has any mana left?"

"Purple Bunny-nim, what do you think? Can you help us with the boss fight?"

"Well… I think heading back looks like the better option."

"See?"

"I-I'll try taking it! I have a D-class license, you know!"

"A boss isn't something a D-class can handle, Hye-yeon."

The raid party took a short rest and fell into debate. They'd already burned through most of the resources they'd brought, and the constant tension had drained their mental stamina considerably. On top of that, nobody knew how many more undead were left, which made pushing forward a hard sell.

This can't be happening.

D-class hunter Han Hye-yeon ground her teeth. Two years spent just earning her hunter's license. In that time, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the debt in her bank account had piled up while her siblings went hungry. When even tomorrow's meals had to be covered with instant ramen, how was she supposed to just give up?

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"I'll go first. Even if I die, I won't blame anyone."

"Hey, cut it out already. You think the rest of us aren't desperate too?"

But the mood had already tilted toward retreat. She'd kept objecting out of sheer impatience, and in the end all she got was a scolding.

"…I'm sorry."

Han Hye-yeon trudged out of the discussion circle and leaned against the dungeon wall. She had known from the start that this was a long shot. Forget clearing it — they'd only just escaped a near-death crisis thanks to the Safety Guardian. She'd simply shoved forward out of pure desperation, figuring something would work out somehow.

Nothing's easy.

She'd thought that once she got her hunter's license, everything would fall into place. Between the life stipend the government paid out and the resources you could harvest inside dungeons, even a D-class dungeon was supposed to bring in over ten million won a month. But that was for people with experience and a track record. For a minor with no proper party and no connections, even getting started had been an ordeal.

"…It's a cliff on this side. Nowhere left to fall back to."

Han Hye-yeon's head drooped. Thinking of her siblings waiting outside made her heart sink heavy in her chest.

"What cliff?"

…?

Suddenly the Safety Guardian, Purple Bunny, walked over. She'd had the odd feeling that the woman had been hovering around her for a while now — was that just her imagination?

…Well, whatever. Doesn't matter.

Looking at her, Han Hye-yeon felt a bitter, ugly thought rise up.

Must be nice.

A woman who didn't look all that much older than herself. But their lives were worlds apart. One of them lounged around in a sharp formal suit; the other gripped a worn-out firearm and fought for her life. Why had things turned out this way?

Of course it came down to the luck you were born with — but accepting that unfairness at face value wasn't easy. So the barbed words slipped out before she could stop them.

"Just go. I'm not in a good mood."

"Hm? Why aren't you in a good mood?"

"Because I'm going home without earning a single won. Because I'm not strong like you, unnie. Because my siblings are going to starve."

"……"

Purple Bunny scratched her cheek.

"I'm not actually that strong yet."

Han Hye-yeon let out a sigh.

"Just go, please. I'm sorry for snapping at you. I apologize."

"How many siblings do you have?"

"What?"

"Your siblings."

"……"

Han Hye-yeon stared at Purple Bunny for a moment, then answered.

"Five."

Purple Bunny sucked in a sharp breath.

"Five? That's a lot!"

Yeah. A lot. That's exactly why I'm worried.

"Hehe, five of them… I'm jealous — I used to have a little sibling too."

"Is that so…… Wait, what?"

Han Hye-yeon, who'd been answering half-heartedly, blinked.

"What do you mean, 'used to'?"

"Ah, well, I guess I still do? It's a little complicated."

"Come on… Do you have one or don't you?"

Han Hye-yeon frowned. She'd assumed Purple Bunny's sibling had died.

Purple Bunny answered in a vague, noncommittal tone.

"Who knows? Maybe I do, maybe I don't. I'm not sure."

"Unnie, are you an idiot?"

"I'm not an idiot… Anyway, I've got something to take care of for a bit. Tell the Raid Leader not to leave — just wait here."

With that, Purple Bunny trotted off and vanished into the darkness.

Han Hye-yeon blinked, dumbfounded.

"What the hell? Says her piece and just leaves. Completely unhinged."

Then she belatedly registered that they were still inside a dungeon. Her eyes flew wide, and she urgently hurried after the direction Purple Bunny had disappeared.

"H-hey, unnie! Where are you going alone?! It's dangerous!"

The boss chamber.

The master of the ghouls, the Corrupted Mage-Scholar, sat with his legs crossed upon his throne and laughed. Before him stood a purple-haired girl who had arrived alone. He had never imagined anyone would come seeking the lord of the tomb by herself.

"……"

No matter how strong a human might be, this was his home ground. Elite ghouls stood ready all around him, and he received mana reinforcement from the world itself. Coming fully prepared with a proper formation would barely have been enough — and yet she was alone. What on earth was she thinking, showing up like this?

Shraaak!

But the Corrupted Mage-Scholar's smile vanished almost immediately. The girl gave a casual sweep of her arm, and a door formed in midair.

The Mage-Scholar's eyes bulged wide.

"All of you, come out."

At the girl's command, a line of teddy bears began filing out of the door one after another. Each one clutched a mysterious iron club in its paws — baseball bats, the kind commonly used on Earth.

The girl took a bat handed to her by one of the teddy bears and slammed it against the floor.

Kang!