01. Becoming an Adventurer.
01. Becoming an Adventurer.
"This place is...."
A Gamjatang restaurant that could be found in any neighborhood.
A fairly standard choice.
"It's a famous spot for the Hannam-dong Dungeon. It was always packed when this dungeon was trending, but that's a story from the past."
Yuna-ssi says this with a hint of regret and walks inside.
She seems to be a regular.
"I didn't think Master would take on a man. What happened?"
As we sat down, the woman who introduced herself as Sora started the conversation.
If you spend any time with Yuna-ssi, you'd quickly realize she's a misandrist, so it makes sense that they'd be curious.
"Haa...."
Yuna-ssi sighs.
Isn't it a bit too blatant while I'm sitting right next to you?
"The guide was begging me, saying there was no other choice. They were being so humble about it, I couldn't just say no...."
"True. It is a sensitive issue."
Sora-ssi laughs heartily.
As she does, she nudges my side.
"Must be tough for you."
"Ah... yeah... well."
Does she understand my predicament?
"Um... l-let's order food first."
The woman who introduced herself as Hana pointed at the menu on the wall.
Ah, might as well describe my first impressions of the team members.
First, the team leader? Our protector, Lee Yuna-ssi, gives off the vibe of a successful lawyer & prosecutor. Cold, haughty, and sexy, I'd say. Her clothes are casual, but there's a strange sense of authority, like she's related to the law.
Her hairstyle is long, straight black hair. A man's dream. And she's quite broad-minded.
Next, Sora-ssi, sitting next to me, feels like a friendly older sister from next door. Her face is average, but hey, that'll get prettier as the Charm stat goes up, so let's move on.
Her hair is a bob cut with a slight purple tint, which actually suits her quite well. And above all, this noona's heart looks very broad. Mmm. I want to be hugged tight.
Hana-ssi feels like a younger sister. You can tell from her way of speaking, she seems very shy. She has a bob cut that doesn't quite reach her shoulders.
Finally, the unnamed radical feminist reservist who was hiding behind Yuna-ssi... she's staring at me with wide, anxiously trembling eyes, looking at me like I'm some kind of rare animal. What on earth kind of training did she get at the guild?
"Gamjatang is fine, right? There are four of us, so a large should be enough."
Yuna-ssi ordered the Gamjatang, and Hana-ssi set the utensils. I should pour the water.
"We'll have a burden attached to us starting tomorrow, but just do as you usually do. Cha-ah and I will handle tanking, Hana-ssi will be the melee dealer, and Sora-ssi will be the healer. In addition, Han-nam-ssi will take on the role of ranged dealer."
So that girl's name is Cha-ah. By the way, Sora-ssi is a healer? That's unexpected... I thought this noona was a melee dealer.
"I do have a name, it's Yu-eun."
"Hannam is enough for a pervert."
"Ugh...."
Look at that expression. I think I'm getting addicted... no, no, that's not it.
We've only met for a day, calling me Hannam is too much!
"Haha. Come to think of it, I heard you hit the thigh four times in a row? I can look forward to your archery skills, right?"
"N-no. It was a coincidence."
No way. I can't afford to make more people uncomfortable.
"Be careful. It was the thigh today, but tomorrow it might be the chest or buttocks."
"Hick?!"
"What kind of person do you take me for!!"
Stop saying weird things, you woman! You're scaring Hana-ssi!!
"Pervert, Hannam, sex maniac, sea cucumber, etc."
What's with the sea cucumber? And she answered immediately!
"Don't you think if you pressed him hard, white liquid would come out?"
"Argh! That's sexual harassment, right?!"
This woman is going to get into real trouble!
"Um... but if you're not good with a bow... wouldn't it be dangerous...?"
Hana-ssi asks, quietly raising her hand.
"That's why we have a healer. To heal whenever Hannam trolls."
Isn't that for healing wounds inflicted by monsters?
"Hmm... how about having him use a melee weapon instead? Bows are a bit hard for beginners. Honestly, for a beginner like me, even one stray shot is dangerous."
"Melee weapons are too risky. He doesn't look particularly brave, so it'd be a problem if I gave him a sword and he got scared and died, right?"
Aren't you underestimating me too much?
"And I'll handle any stray arrows, so you don't have to worry too much."
"Eck... but then there will be a leak in the tankingㅡ."
"That's for you all to solve. I'm just here to help as a protector. If Cha-ah tanks properly, Hana-ssi fulfills her role as a dealer, and Sora-ssi heals at the right time, there won't be any major problems."
"Ugh... we've been doing it comfortably until now...."
Sora-ssi pouted.
"Adventures aren't supposed to be comfortable."
"Ugh...."
Hmm... should I apologize?
I need to master the bow quickly.
.
.
"Ooh! Looks delicious!"
The Gamjatang arrived.
Even though it still needed to be cooked, Sora-ssi, who had been gloomy, came back to life.
"By the way, how old is everyone?"
When I asked that,
"...Don't you know it's rude to ask a woman's age?"
Yuna-ssi's cold reply, and
"Hmm... I'm already twenty-seven. Haa."
Sora-ssi's sigh-filled answer came back.
The other two just blush and don't answer.
"Wow. You're much older than me. I'm twenty."
"If I'm a noona, I'm just a noona, what's with 'much older'?"
Sora-ssi glares at me slightly.
She was kind of pretty just now.
"I'm still in my youth too~"
She says while stirring the soup with a ladle. Usually, people who say that have already passed their youthㅡ.
"Uh-uh. That kind of talk is forbidden. Forbidden."
...I haven't said anything yet, how did she know?
"Anyway, twenty is really just a kid. Is it okay to put a kid like this as an adventurer?"
"As long as they're an adult, there's no problem according to the regulations. Though it seems to be a subject of debate in the media."
"Honestly, twenty is a bit too young, isn't it."
It seems she can't really accept it.
"Hey. If you put it that way, the military is the same. People risk their lives there too."
"Still. They at least have a proper training process there. Adventurers are just a case of 'go die~' while they suck up taxes."
We have a tutorial here too....
"Honestly, it's a relief that our Master is a decent person, at least professionally. There are tons of people who just take the pay and do a half-assed job. Once you finish the tutorial and become independent? Most of them end up dead or crippled."
"Is that so?"
"Hmph. I'm a pretty decent person. Consider yourself lucky."
"...."
Sora-ssi paused for a moment and whispered to me.
"Yuna has a sense of responsibility, but her personality is just...."
"I can hear everything! I'm perfectly fine!"
Hmm....
"No, no, you should change your personality a bit. Otherwise, you'll never get a boyfriend in your life."
"Hmph. Why would I meet someone like a Hannam privately?"
"It's not like Korea is the only place in the world. Even those 'God-tier Western guys' you talk about would like a woman with a good personality."
"I don't need any princes."
"That's not really what I meant...."
Sora-noona clicked her tongue as if it were a pity, then looked at me and whispered, 'See? That's how she is.'
But this is just my gut feeling, but... Yuna-ssi feels like a pseudo-radical feminist.
What do I mean by that? She's amateurish... a real-deal radical feminist wouldn't be like this.
"Hmph, well, it seems Sora-ssi has a very cool boyfriend."
"Me? I do. We're even engaged."
She shows off the ring on her left hand with a 'ta-da'.
"The reason I became an adventurer in the first place was for wedding funds."
"Eck... marriage... isn't that just a long-term prostitution contract?"
"No... think about it again...."
Sora-noona placed her hand on her chest. Her voluptuous flesh squished softly.
"I became an adventurer by risking my life. If marriage were just that, as you say, would there be any reason to risk my life?"
"...Becoming an adventurer for wedding funds...."
Yuna-ssi has an expression that says she can't accept it.
"That damn wedding, it costs a crazy amount of money. Thanks to that, I even quit my job and came here."
"What about that boyfriend? Does he know you're doing this?"
"He doesn't know. If he did, he'd come and drag me away right now."
But no matter how expensive wedding costs are, is there a reason to come all the way to a dungeon?
"It's not just the wedding, life afterwards is all about money too. We're not in a situation where we can both work, so I have to earn it alone... honestly, I can't support us both with my ability. It'll be even harder if we have a kid."
"The man should earn it."
"Hmm... but I think I'll earn more than him."
Seems like there's a story. Did the boyfriend get hurt or something?
"Anyway! It's not as bad as Master thinks, so don't think so negatively."
"...Well. Just the fact that he drove a woman to the dungeon forcibly makes it hard to think well of him."
"Sigh...."
"Don't sigh!"
You sighed a lot at me too.
Still, the two seem pretty close. Seeing them exchange words like this. I'm a complete outsider, aren't I? Will I be able to adapt?