Chapter 7

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 7

Chapter Title: Super Prodigy Weathermancer Appears (1)

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"Pfft."

Today, as always, I sat perched on the edge of the bathtub, soaked to the bone from the rain, letting out a light chuckle while voyeuring Mint Soboro Bread faithfully carrying out her duties.

The channel users seemed to think their chatter wasn't worth listening to, but in truth, it wasn't entirely baseless flattery.

Because... I really, truly was a brainy super prodigy beauty with exceptional intellect.

Fwoomp.

I floated a tiny mini cloud ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠above my palm and gazed at it fondly, recalling the results of my efforts over the past few days.

'...It wasn't easy.'

However, thanks to my genius intellect and tireless hard work, I had finally become capable of effectively protecting Bucheon City from abnormal weather assaults.

To be precise, I had learned to control the range of my unconsciously manifesting abilities, shrinking it down to a more localized area.

Now, as long as I maintained my focus, even if I slipped into intermittent mental breakdown mode, the residents of Bucheon City wouldn't suffer any damage.

Instead, a small rain cloud would form above my head, drenching only the space within a one-meter radius in a downpour.

"Ugh, still all damp."

I stripped off my soaked outer and underclothes one by one, tossing them into the washing machine, then filled the tub with warm water and sank my chilled body right in.

Sure, there had been all sorts of fuss about it, but the fact remained that my ability had undeniably grown another step.

Did normal Hunters grow their abilities this quickly?

I wasn't sure, but either way, seeing results so fast made it hard to feel bad, no matter how I sliced it.

'Hmm...'

The heavenly gods of the Dangun myth.

I'd once respected them as my seniors, even skimming books about their deeds, but now it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say our hierarchy had flipped.

From here on out, Feng Bo, Yu Shi, and Yun Sa ought to revere me as a peer to Hwanung.

"Skip the Samguk Yusa."

Splash!

Whoosh!

Step, step.

As I rose from the tub, my skin had already absorbed the warmth and become perfectly fluffy and dry.

I slipped into underwear and a shirt, grabbed a banana milk from the fridge and downed it, then checked the clock—it was nearing 5:30 p.m.

'Perfect timing.'

The meetup for the gold-farming laptop was set for 7 p.m. If I finished getting ready and headed out now, I'd arrive right on schedule.

Swish.

Swipe.

I finished drying my hair and body completely, threw on training shorts and a hoodie, and set off.

I wasn't going to show off my face, so I didn't forget to mask up and fully block any prying eyes.

'Stealth mode, perfect.'

And so, laptop in hand, I confidently headed to the meetup spot... only to soon find myself trapped inside a dungeon that I'd never seen before, staring blankly at the stalactites on the ceiling alongside people I'd never met before.

In short, I'd been suddenly caught inside a newly generated dungeon.

'Uh...'

What is this? Let me out, please.

"Wh-where the hell is this?"

"No way... it can't be, right?"

"What do you mean 'no way'? It's obviously a dungeon!"

Thank goodness, the gold-farming laptop wasn't in my hands right now.

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

Because the incident happened not on my way out, but on my way back home after the transaction.

'People caught up in this... total of six?'

Five excluding me, six including.

But even if there were a truckload of non-Awakeners, they were useless inside a dungeon.

As the group began to tremble with anxiety upon realizing this, the one young man maintaining his composure stepped forward and calmly revealed his identity.

"Everyone, stay calm. I'm Shin Myung-hoon of Halla Guild. Would it be alright if I take charge of the situation from here?"

"What? Halla Guild...?"

Whoosh!

The others eyed Shin Myung-hoon suspiciously, but when he summoned a sword and shield made of light from thin air, their doubtful gazes turned to ones of delight.

'Whoa...'

I couldn't step forward in front of everyone due to circumstances, but honestly, it was a scenario I'd love to try once myself.

In a moment of crisis, summon a storm cloud, strike with lightning—super prodigy Weathermancer appears!

The civilians on site would drop dead from awe at that performance, right?

"Whoa! Are you a Holy Knight class?"

"Ah, yes. That's right. You have sharp observation skills."

"Holy Knight Shin Myung-hoon? Never heard of a Hunter by that name in Halla Guild..."

The somewhat curt middle-aged man's comment was valid.

Halla Guild had decent name recognition among the public, and even I, who lurked on galleries and the Archive all day, had never heard the name Shin Myung-hoon of Halla.

Acknowledging this, Shin Myung-hoon nodded sheepishly and continued.

"I'm still an apprentice for now."

"An appr...entice?"

"I know it's unsettling, but no need to worry too much. I'll be officially joining the guild's raid team next week anyway."

The middle-aged man looked half-doubting but had no choice but to grasp the one lifeline, so he nodded and agreed to follow Shin Myung-hoon's lead.

And thus began the dungeon exploration with Shin Myung-hoon and five hapless others.

"It doesn't seem like a particularly dangerous dungeon... but if I judge it too much for me to handle, we'll fall back and prioritize maximum survival. Everyone agree?"

"Y-yes."

In truth, calling it 'survival-focused' was just fancy talk—if Shin Myung-hoon failed the raid, the powerless civilians could do nothing.

Pray for timely rescue from follow-up teams, or get swarmed and die by monsters.

Only those two outcomes awaited, deciding life or death.

Zzt!

Screech!

About five minutes later.

A pack of rats, each half the size of an adult man, appeared with a bird-like cry, threatening the group with their sharp claws.

"Rank 2 Needle Rats. Not a tough opponent."

With a casual comment like a commentator, Shin Myung-hoon swung his light sword and shield, slicing through the rat pack with clean, efficient movements.

One slash, or two at most, per rat.

His motions were so well-trained they looked crisp even to a layman, and indeed, the Needle Rats were no match for him.

"Hoo, ha... Let's rest a bit and move to the next passage."

But while skilled, he wasn't particularly powerful.

If anything slightly stronger showed up, he'd probably struggle— that was the vibe.

In any case, he had an unstable edge that made it hard to blindly trust everything to him.

"Ah, they're even bigger than before!"

"...Hunter, you gonna be okay?"

"Stay back. If I lose my cool, it might draw aggro."

Giant Needle Rat, Rank 3 threat level.

I'd seen photos a few times, but this was my first time facing one in person.

Yet even as the others huddled in fear, I felt no tension at all.

'...Honestly, feels like free zoo viewing.'

I had conviction.

A near-instinctual certainty that filthy sewer rats like those couldn't threaten me, no matter how many charged.

Sadly, the gap in our biological tiers was too vast. Now on par with heavenly grandson Hwanung, how immense was that difference?

'But...'

It apparently wasn't the case for Shin Myung-hoon in front of me.

I couldn't hide my anxiety watching him accumulate wounds while barely holding off the giant rat pack—like seeing a kid left by the water's edge.

Splash!

"Kuhk!"

Oof... that looked like it hurt bad.

Shin Myung-hoon fought with all his might, but it was painfully obvious he was starting to falter.

I waited anxiously for the battle to end, then, the moment the group entered the next passage, I unleashed a full-powered effect: a small storm cloud floating lazily in the air.

'Yup.'

Making it as cute and harmless as possible, to signal it was safe for humans.

Visualizing in detail a mini storm cloud puppy flying through the sky.

Bzzzzt!

Rumble!

Fwoomp.

Fwoomp.

At first, everyone stared in confusion, but Shin Myung-hoon quickly caught on to what I'd intended and spoke up excitedly.

"Dungeons are full of dangers and traps, but on the flip side, they also have items with special abilities or gimmicks that grant buffs."

"So...?"

"If we tame this cloud donkey... it might provide huge help for the rest of the raid."

Mm-hmm. Yeah, exactly.

You got a talent for this. Keep going just like that, Shin Myung-hoon.