Chapter 204: Eternal Spire[R-18] (29)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 204: Eternal Spire[R-18] (29)
Some time had passed since I joined Jin Seo-yun's party, and now, I was in my first dungeon with them. There was no tension. The situation was so relaxed that I found myself naturally unwinding.
Park So-young carefully observed the members of Jin Seo-yun's party. Clad in brilliant gear, they each performed their roles flawlessly. But there was one peculiar thing: most of the party members were women, and stunningly beautiful ones at that.
‘What a total womanizer…’
Jin Seo-yun was at the forefront, taking enemy attacks and tearing through the battlefield. Behind him, the Russian mage Yekaterina was taking down monsters by summoning powerful magic and snakes, while a woman named Lauren was hacking monsters to pieces with an axe. And Isia attacked the flanks with swift movements, firing her bow.
‘They’re perfectly in sync, as if they’ve been together for years.’
She was impressed despite herself. After lightly cutting down a monster that had suddenly appeared, she turned her gaze back to Jin Seo-yun fighting on the front lines.
Brilliant swordsmanship, unbelievable strength.
He was clearly on a completely different level from them.
“So-young, why can’t you focus?”
Kim Min-su asked quietly from her side.
“Yeah… I was just thinking how amazing this is. This is a dungeon we’d struggle just to clear, but this party is breezing through it.”
Park So-young looked down at the sword in her hand. It was equipment that Jin Seo-yun had provided himself. It was much lighter and sharper than her old one, but she wasn’t used to it yet.
Kim Min-su lightly patted her shoulder and said, “We’ll get stronger soon, too.”
She nodded silently.
Before long, the battle was over, and Jin Seo-yun approached them.
“You two are very skilled. It seems recruiting you to the party was an excellent choice.”
Park So-young smiled, feeling a little awkward.
“I’m still lacking. Honestly, everyone is so good that it’s hard just to keep up.”
Jin Seo-yun looked at her with a meaningful smile.
“You’ll get used to it with time. After all, none of the party members were perfect from the start.”
Park So-young mulled over his words and nodded. His gaze held something more than simple encouragement.
Kim Min-su also sighed and said, “Still, this is definitely different. Before, we had to risk our lives just to clear one dungeon, but now I feel like we’re some kind of elite knight order.”
Jin Seo-yun chuckled.
“You both have talent, so you’ll be able to get much stronger.”
As he said that and looked at Park So-young, her heart strangely began to pound.
‘This man… he has a really strange charm.’
He wasn’t just strong; he also had a talent for persuading people and drawing them in.
‘That must be why so many women follow him…’
She glanced around at the people near him.
Yekaterina, Lauren, Isia, and the other party members. Every woman moved naturally around him as if he were the center of their world.
Jin Seo-yun was the perfect core of this party. He smiled playfully and said, “By the way, your way of speaking is a bit different from when we first met. You seemed quite free-spirited back then.”
Park So-young’s face instantly turned red.
“Ugh… Th-that’s… well, since you’re the party leader now, it’s a sign of respect…”
“There’s no need for that.”
Jin Seo-yun shrugged.
“As you’ve seen, our party is pretty casual, so you can be comfortable.”
Park So-young hesitated for a moment before finally letting out a small sigh and shrugging her shoulders.
“So… it’s really okay to be casual?”
Jin Seo-yun smiled and nodded.
“Of course. In our party, being comfortable with each other is more important than rules.”
Park So-young smiled faintly and said, “Alright. Then I’ll speak more casually from now on!”
Jin Seo-yun smiled and nodded. His smile made her face flush for a moment.
‘I can’t stand womanizers… but I keep getting drawn to him…’
Flustered by her own thoughts, Park So-young looked away. Jin Seo-yun seemed to notice her reaction, but he said nothing and just kept smiling.
“Alright, shall we wrap up the dungeon for today?”
At Jin Seo-yun’s declaration, the party members began to pack up their gear.
On the way back after leaving the dungeon, Park So-young whispered quietly to Kim Min-su.
“So, what do you think?”
Kim Min-su nodded and replied, “So far, so good. We’re lucky to have joined such a strong party. The gear is great, we’re making money… what more could we ask for?”
“Right… But I keep getting a strange feeling.”
“What kind of feeling?”
Park So-young mumbled as she watched the women walking beside Jin Seo-yun.
“It’s… something I can’t quite put into words…”
Kim Min-su snickered and said in a teasing voice, “Hey, has your intuition ever been right? Stop talking nonsense and just focus on not getting kicked out of the party.”
“Jeez… You wanna die?”
A short while later, they arrived in the city, and Jin Seo-yun gathered everyone.
“There will be a meeting this evening. We’ll be discussing our next target dungeon and strategy, so everyone please attend.”
Everyone nodded and headed to their respective rooms.
As the sun set, the party members gathered in the meeting room. Everyone sat around a large, circular table, with Jin Seo-yun naturally taking the seat of honor.
“Today’s dungeon run was a success.”
The meeting began with Jin Seo-yun’s words.
“It went especially smoothly thanks to our new members, Park So-young and Kim Min-su, adapting so well.”
Everyone clapped, congratulating the two of them. Park So-young smiled awkwardly.
“The plan for next week is to explore the Labyrinth of the Red Moon. According to our intel, the rewards are excellent, and there’s a high chance of finding good equipment. And…”
The meeting proceeded efficiently. Everyone voiced their opinions freely, but the final decisions were made by Jin Seo-yun.
When the meeting was over, he spoke one last time.
“Today, we’re going to have a party to celebrate our two new members joining us.”
At his words, the party members let out small cheers. They all looked at each other with expectant expressions.
“Don’t feel pressured. Just change into something comfortable and come. We’ll have a simple gathering in our dining hall.”
The party members headed back to their rooms. Park So-young returned to her own room as well. She took a quick shower and changed into casual clothes. The clothes Jin Seo-yun had provided as a basic set were much more luxurious than what she usually wore.
A moment later, Kim Min-su knocked on her door.
“Ready?”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
The two of them walked down the hallway to the dining hall. Every time she saw it, she was amazed by how luxurious it was.
‘He said he rented this entire place… Just how much money does he have…’
Simple food and alcohol were prepared on the table.
Most of the party members were already there. Yekaterina was sitting and stroking her summoned snake, and the other members were also relaxing comfortably.
“You’re here! Seo-yun prepared some good alcohol.”
Isia greeted them warmly.
Jin Seo-yun was the last to arrive. He walked in holding a bottle of wine.
“Everyone’s here. Let’s begin.”
He spoke as he poured the wine.
“This is a special wine I managed to get. A toast to our two new members.”
Everyone raised their glasses for a toast. The atmosphere was relaxed and friendly. They talked about what they did before being dragged into the Tower.
“I was originally a graduate student,” Yekaterina said, stroking her snake.
“Same here. I was in college when I was suddenly dragged here,” Isia said.
Listening to the others’ stories, Park So-young recalled her own memories. She had been an ordinary employee at a large corporation. The moment she received a strange invitation on her way home after working overtime flashed in her mind.
“What about you two?”
Jin Seo-yun asked, looking at Park So-young and Kim Min-su.
Kim Min-su answered first.
“I was a police officer. A strange invitation suddenly appeared while I was on patrol, and I was dragged here just like that.”
All eyes turned to Park So-young.
“I was…”
She thought for a moment.
“An office worker. I was on my way home after working late… when I suddenly saw an invitation floating in front of me. I touched it out of curiosity and was brought here.”
The conversation naturally shifted to their first day in the Tower.
“It was really scary at first,” Isia said. “I don’t know what would have happened if I hadn’t met Seo-yun.”
Park So-young nodded. She, too, had instinctively picked up a sword to survive in this unfamiliar world, and that had been the beginning of her new life.
As the night deepened, Park So-young felt more and more comfortable with this party. They seemed like they could become more than just colleagues; they could be friends.
“Let’s call it a night. Everyone get some rest,” Jin Seo-yun said. Everyone got up from their seats and headed to their rooms.
Park So-young stumbled toward her room. The wine was stronger than she’d thought.
Moonlight streamed through the hallway window, casting a soft glow.
‘I didn’t think I’d get this drunk from just a little wine…’
She steadied herself against the wall as she walked carefully. The hallway was long and felt somewhat dark.
Just as she reached her door.
Rustle.
She sensed someone approaching from behind. Park So-young flinched and spun around.
No one was there.
“What was that…?”
Feeling uneasy, she quickly reached for the doorknob to open her door.
At that moment.
Tap.
Someone grabbed her shoulder from behind.
“Aah!”
Startled, she cried out and whirled around.
Jin Seo-yun was standing there.
He was smiling as usual, but for a moment, Park So-young felt a chill.
“I startled you, didn’t I? Sorry.”
“You scared me! Where did you come from?”
“I was just passing through the hallway and saw you.”
“Ugh… So, what is it?”
“Would you be interested in learning swordsmanship from me, starting tomorrow?”
It was an unexpected proposal.
“Swordsmanship…?”
“Yes. When we first met, you asked me to teach you, remember?”
Park So-young blinked. What he said was true.
When they first met, she had been so impressed by his swordsmanship that she had asked him to teach her.
“Ah… right. I did say that.”
“What do you think? Are you free tomorrow after breakfast?”
Park So-young thought for a moment.
A chance to learn swordsmanship directly from Jin Seo-yun was not an opportunity that came by easily.
“Yeah, okay.”
Jin Seo-yun smiled in satisfaction.
“Great. I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”
He gave a small wave and walked down the hallway.
Park So-young opened her door and let out a small sigh.
‘My heart was pounding for no reason…’
She glanced down the hallway one more time, but there was no sign of anyone.