Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Unexpected Company
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When Lee Yoo-hyun drew attention with her extreme method, Dun sighed and pulled her out. The slime had refused to accept her at first, but at Dun's request, it swam over to her.
"What the hell are you doing?"
Dun untied the rocks bound to Lee Yoo-hyun's body.
"Huff, huff. I thought I was gonna suffocate to death. Truth is, I have a slight phobia of deep water."
"Deep water phobia? You should've said so earlier."
"...It was a little embarrassing."
"Isn't tying rocks to yourself and sinking down more embarrassing? I thought you were a corpse."
"Cough, cough! ...Haha, yeah, you're right."
Unable to see well in the deep water, Lee Yoo-hyun kept her eyes tightly shut.
"I'll let you know when we arrive."
Dun clicked his tongue and tossed his dry hooded jacket over Lee Yoo-hyun's face.
"Uh.... Thanks."
Feeling the fabric touch her hands, Lee Yoo-hyun gave an awkward smile and wrapped Dun's jacket tightly around her face.
It must have been that terrifying not to see, because she kept trembling. She tried to hide it, but her fear was obvious.
"You feel so real, Dun, that this place feels real too."
"To me, this is reality."
"Haha, right. Sorry."
Dun's curt reply made Lee Yoo-hyun apologize quickly.
From a player's perspective, he was a game character, but being treated too much like a virtual one could be grating at times.
The NPCs here aged, lived their own lives, and died—just like the players outside.
Dun often wondered if this place wasn't inside a game at all, but a completely separate world.
Even if it was a simulation, shouldn't he acknowledge it as a real world where people felt all sorts of emotions and carved out their own lives?
Part of him just wanted to believe it was real.
It was here, with Rihaowel and this world, that he'd spent the happiest days of his life since being born.
Seeing Dun's displeasure plain on his face, Lee Yoo-hyun gave an embarrassed smile and changed the subject.
"At first, it felt like hanging out with my little sister."
"You think I feel like your little sister?"
Knowing who Lee Yoo-hyun's sister was, Dun scowled even more.
Being told he resembled her sister, 'Lee Ra-hee,' was almost as insulting as being told he resembled Seol Do-yun.
Misreading it as Dun hating the idea of a close sibling-like bond, Lee Yoo-hyun hurriedly explained.
"I just meant our ages are similar. But now... it's kinda like my old taekwondo instructor from when I was a kid. Anyway, being with you makes me feel really secure. It's embarrassing, but I end up relying on you without realizing it."
What was that? Praise or an insult?
Dun didn't know who her taekwondo instructor was, but it was way better than being compared to her sister, so he smoothed his furrowed brow.
"Shut up. We're here, so give the jacket back and open your eyes."
While chatting idly with Lee Yoo-hyun, they'd arrived at the Remiring habitat.
As soon as they passed through the hole in the floor, the water vanished completely, and for a moment, they floated in midair due to the lack of gravity.
Thanks to the slime enveloping him, Dun landed safely. Lee Yoo-hyun bumped into the slime's edge, which cushioned the impact enough for her to land without much damage.
"......"
"......"
Having reached their destination, they slowly blinked at the scene unfolding before them.
They'd expected to be alone, but people were already swarming the place, gearing up for battle.
"Huh? Who's that arriving now? Didn't you say this was a secret dungeon only we knew about?"
A player named "RamenScraps" overhead was pointing at Dun.
At RamenScraps' words, the rest of the party turned their eyes toward Dun.
"Hey! Isn't that kid the little NPC from Genesis Village? The general store owner's daughter!"
"Why's a village kid in such a dangerous place? Did a new event pop up or something?"
The party members started whispering among themselves right in front of Dun.
"Hey, little one. What brings you here?"
"Mom's errand."
"You came to an undiscovered dungeon on your mom's errand?"
Dun decided to play the part of an oblivious village kid NPC. Explaining the full story would take too long.
"What's an undiscovered dungeon? I was just picking herbs around here for Mom when I slipped and fell in the water. That adventurer saved me."
As he made his excuse, Dun pointed at Lee Yoo-hyun.
Lee Yoo-hyun, who had been shaking out her wet hair, looked up with a blank expression at Dun.
Noticing all eyes on her, she narrowed her eyes and pulled her lips into a smile.
"Hello. Here to clear the dungeon, I assume."
With a smooth, friendly smile, Lee Yoo-hyun greeted them. Her smile drew looks of goodwill and curiosity from several party members.
"You found this place on your own? Where'd you hear about the undiscovered dungeon?"
"More like I got swept here trying to save a kid drowning in the lake. There were tons of air bubbles around, so I swam this way in a pinch. Lucky me."
She backed up Dun's lie with natural ease.
The party didn't seem too fussed about whether it was true or not. After hearing the rough story, the other players exchanged glances and nodded.
"You're Lee Yoo-hyun, right? Weird to see someone using their real name in-game. Anyway, what's your level, Miss Lee?"
"Level 49."
"Ooh, that's pretty high. Makes sense if you're wandering the Remiring habitat—you'd need at least 30."
Her level 49 announcement earned her awed stares from the crowd.
"So, what's your class? Warrior? Mage?"
"Not changed classes yet, but planning to go Producer."
Her declaration of becoming a Producer soured everyone's faces.
"No way she leveled that high on the Producer tree."
"Haha, just got lucky."
The awe from her level evaporated with that follow-up.
"Producers aren't great for dungeon clears... What can you even make?"
"I improvise based on the situation. For hunting, simple traps?"
"Traps...? Fine for places with攻略 guides, but in an unknown undiscovered dungeon..."
Any lingering expectations from the Producers crashed completely, and they turned away from her.
"Wanna join our party? Rare undiscovered dungeon and all. Producers don't get much combat EXP, but you could tag along and grind. We're short on high-level players ourselves."
"Hmm...."
Lee Yoo-hyun seemed to ponder, squinting as she kept glancing at Dun.
Whatever. You decide.
Dun mouthed it indifferently.
Seeing her check with Dun, the party misunderstood and clapped their hands.
"Ah, you're hesitating because of the kid."
Suddenly, one party member approached Dun and put a hand on his shoulder. His nickname was "LoansAllPaid."
"Hands off."
"Don't touch me."
Dun brushed off the hand of the player who'd been calling him "kid" since earlier.
He'd planned to wring every benefit from bringing Lee Yoo-hyun here today, and this interference soured his mood.
His cold response made the players eye him oddly.
"Take me too. I'll be scared left alone."
Dun picked his ear and made the request.
"My pet's strong. It'll protect me instead."
Dun patted the "Dogpoop" hovering above his head.
"Pet? That slimy thing looks super weak."
"Stronger than you."
Thinking it just a kid's pride, they snickered at his words.
"If it gets dangerous, we can't save you, so stay out of trouble."
[You've been invited to the 'Hidden Dungeon攻略' party.]
Lee Yoo-hyun stared at the notification window that popped up in front of her.
Before accepting blindly, she whispered softly to Dun.
"Should we go together?"
"Do whatever."
Dun shrugged indifferently, and she accepted the invite.
Most players didn't care much about NPC lives. They were just coded game entities, after all.
Some even killed them for fun just to see reactions—that said it all.
With Lee Yoo-hyun joining late, the party began heading into the dark dungeon depths.
Dun often noticed how this world's dungeon environments closely resembled those from Korea's frequent gate outbreaks.
The deeper they went, the darker and damper it got.
Lee Yoo-hyun, seeing the dungeon for the first time, kept looking around.
"Scared alone, kid? Want my hand?"
Teasing, Lee Yoo-hyun held out her hand to Dun with a grin.
"Want to live long? Quit mocking me."
Dun grinned back.
She withdrew her hand, walked awkwardly for a bit with a pout, then let out a long sigh.
"Honestly, I'm kinda scared. If it looks like I'm gonna die, you have to protect me. Please, promise—promise promise...."
Her face pale, Lee Yoo-hyun grabbed Dun's hand tightly with both of hers.
Nervous sweat drenched her palms.