01. Becoming an Adventurer.
01. Becoming an Adventurer.
Ka-ang!
"...."
The arrow that flew out so boldly did not hit the wild dog.
It was Lee Yuna's thigh.
The so-called "absolute territory," that patch of bare skin exposed between the miniskirt and the over-knee socks.
The arrow landed right there, precisely.
If there's a silver lining, perhaps it's that her defense was high enough that it didn't stick, but just bounced off.
"...I'm sorry."
"Everyone makes mistakes, so just hurry up and shoot."
I looked at her cool demeanor and nocked another arrow.
This time for sure...!
Ka-ang!
"...."
I hit it again.
The other thigh.
"...You."
At this point, Yuna turns around.
"Don't tell me you're aiming for my thighs on purpose? Are you sexually harassing me?"
"Huh? No way, of course not!"
"Hmph."
She snorted and looked back to the front.
Thankfully, it doesn't seem like she actually thinks that.
"This time for sure! Hit it!!"
I nocked another arrow...
Ka-ang!!
I hit her thigh....
"Wait!! Why are you only hitting my thighs!!"
I can see the look of rage.
"No... uh, it's not like I want to do that...."
This damn arrow is weird!!
I definitely aimed at the wild dog!
"Grrr... stop messing around and do it properly. This is a dungeon. Do you understand?"
"...Yes."
She looked back to the front.
Now that I think about it, this bow seems weird.
I aimed at the wild dog, but it hit Yuna-ssi's thigh right next to it, didn't it?
That means... I just have to account for that and aim to the side. Hehe.
I aimed at Yuna-ssi's body to finally hit it properly this time. As it happens, there's a glowing wild dog right next to her.
It was a moving target since it was pounding on the Sword Barrier, but let's give it a shot.
Kki-ik.
Alright! Go! Be the cornerstone for becoming the Harem King!!!
Pii-yung!
Oh! This feels good!
If it goes like this, I'll finally hit the wild dog...!
Ka-ang!
"...."
"...."
Ah... the thigh... what is this....
"...Hey. Twenty-year-old."
"...Yes."
"Tell me honestly. Have you ever done archery or traditional Korean archery?"
"No, I haven't."
"Then why do you only hit my thighs so accurately?"
"It's a coincidence. I swear."
Please believe me. I'm an honest person. I may dream of being the Harem King, but I'm not stupid enough to go wild right from the start as a beginner. I really mean it.
"Tsk... do it right. Before you get your ass kicked."
"...Yes."
Things are getting increasingly brutal.
I composed myself again and pulled the bowstring....
"I'm warning you, if you hit my thigh again, I'm dragging you out of here and suing you for sexual harassment, so keep that in mind."
"Hup...."
Pii-yung!
At that brutal warning, I accidentally let go of the bowstring!
Ack! What if I hit her thigh again? Then my adventurer life... no, my entire life is ruined!!
Kwak!
-Keu-aang!
"Oh!"
Thankfully, the arrow I shot without thinking pierced the wild dog's head.
"Hmph. Just handle them all like that from now on. As quickly as possible. The Sword Barrier won't last forever."
"Yes!"
.
.
.
"Ughhh...!"
We came out of the dungeon.
Yuna-ssi wasn't tired in the slightest, but I was a little exhausted.
While she was tanking in front by deploying the Sword Barrier, I shot arrows to kill the wild dogs.
At first, I kept hitting Yuna-ssi's body, but as time went on, the frequency decreased.
Like that, we hunted 36 wild dogs today. A number that would have been absolutely impossible without Yuna-ssi.
Let's be grateful for what we should be.
Thanks to that, I even leveled up.
"Thank you for today."
"...."
She stares at me silently.
"Why... are you doing that?"
"Pervert."
"Huh?"
"Sex maniac."
"N-no, I'm just...."
"You're truly the worst. As expected of a Hannam reservist... haa...."
She showed her disgust and stepped back slightly.
Perhaps it's because I hit her thigh four times in a row.
"Uh... it's a misunderstanding."
"Misunderstanding, my foot. I experienced it firsthand."
"That's exactly why it's a misunderstanding!"
"Ahhh~! There's a beginner adventurer here who only targets women's thighs with his arrows~! Female adventurers, bewareㅡ."
"Whoa!!"
What is this woman saying right now! Everyone's looking!
I instinctively covered her mouth, and for some reason, she let me do it without resistance.
"...."
"L-let's go settle the accounts first!"
I led her, with her sulky face, into the Dungeon Cooperation Organization to settle the accounts.
"Are you kidnapping me? What do you plan to do after kidnapping a beauty like me? I'll sue you for sexual harassment."
"What are you talking about! How could a total beginner like me kidnap Yuna-ssi!"
"Hmph. I'm joking."
"...Please don't make jokes like that, I feel like my heart is going to drop."
I don't want to become a sex offender from my beginner days!
Besides, this person is a feminist, right? The threat of suing for sexual harassment doesn't sound like a joke at all.
"You've returned."
Inside the building was the guide noona who had guided me earlier.
She's sitting at the counter, perhaps she handles settlements too.
"Thanks to Yuna-ssi's help, it went smoothly."
"That's a relief. Glad to be of help. How was Yuna-ssiㅡ."
"I'm feeling gloomy because I had to take care of someone who looks like they'll become a Hannam no matter how you look at it."
"...Huh?"
Leaving the noona with her smile frozen, Yuna-ssi took out the wild dog hides.
A total of 36.
Naturally, since I skinned them one by one, they were covered in blood.
"Please settle this for this Hannam here. I don't need any."
"Uh... please stop with the 'Hannam' talk...."
"Hmph. Then I'll call you a pervert."
"...Please call me Yu-eun."
Just when I think she might be a decent person, she keeps saying Hannam, Hannam... I can't tell if she's a good person or a bad person.
"36 wild dog hides. 50 cents each, that's 18 dollars in total."
The noona smiled brightly and updated my adventurer bankbook.
The reason it's in dollars is because the head of the Dungeon Cooperation Organization, D10, is the United States. They committed this atrocity(?) under the pretext of smoother settlements and exchanges, and thanks to that, all the shops near the dungeon calculate in dollars....
"By any chance, are there any items you looted besides the hides?"
"Unfortunately, no."
"Pfft. A daily wage of 18 dollars... as expected of a Hannam."
"...Yuna-ssi was with me, though."
Mocking a beginner... her personality is truly hopeless.
"...You shouldn't do that to a beginner, Yuna-nim."
The guide noona smiles awkwardly.
"More importantly, starting tomorrow, we're going out for team hunting in earnest."
"Huh? Team? Do I have a team?"
"Of course. Do you think I only take care of you? Since we're doing it as a team, I'm going to train you to be faithful to your role—tanker, dealer, healer, ranged dealer, etc.—so don't expect the Sword Barrier."
"Gasp...!"
She's not going to use that convenient Sword Barrier??
"It's serious hunting now. I wish you luck."
The guide noona gives a refreshing smile.
Ugh. I'm a bit worried.
.
.
After finishing the settlement, I washed up at the accommodation provided by the organization, got dressed, and came outside.
It was none other than Yuna's summons.
The reason she called me after the dungeon taster session was to introduce the team members.
"Ugh... surely they aren't all radical feminists, right? If so, there's really no hope...."
Yuna-ssi is better, at least.
Even though her saying 'Hannam' is annoying, she seems to distinguish between public and private matters.
But generally, when you think of radical feminists, you can't imagine a decent person.
So I'm worried....
"Ah, there he is. The perverted Hannam reservist."
I hear a voice calling me something strange.
I turned my head and saw four women.
In the middle is the familiar Yuna-ssi, and the other three are unfamiliar faces.
Judging by their quite plain impressions, they're beginners like me.
"Hello. My name is Yu-eun. I'm a beginner who just became an adventurer."
I greeted them first and held out my hand.
The women just stared blankly at my hand.
"?"
Not knowing why, I lifted my head, and Yuna-ssi whispered to the women.
"I told you, right? He's a pervert. Trying to sexually harass us from the first meeting. As expected of a Hannam."
"No!! Who are you calling a pervert!! I'm just trying to shake hands, just a handshake!!"
"You could have just introduced yourself, so what's the intention behind insisting on a handshake? Huh? And the reason you hit my thigh 4 times in a row? Huh?"
"N-no... please don't approach me with such a menacing face."
She huffed and crossed her arms.
"As you heard, this person here is the beginner who became my team member today."
"Ah... n-nice to meet you. I'm Hana. Seo Hana."
"I'm Yu Sora. Nice to meet you."
"...."
Two of them introduced themselves, but one person says nothing.
She stared at me blankly and then hid behind Yuna-ssi.
"Ah, this one is our prospective guild member."
"Ack... a prospective guild member of the Spicy Rib House?"
"Yes. She seems a bit shy, probably because Yu-eun-ssi is a Hannam."
Seriously, stop with the 'Hannam' talk....
"Let's talk in detail while we eat."
Yuna-ssi ignored my wounded heart and headed to a nearby restaurant.