Chapter 34
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Thatched House Defense
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The deeper we ventured along the winding mountain path, the more lively the gayageum strings danced in the air. I was starting to lose track of whether I'd stepped into a dungeon or a folk village.
Even after the scene where Chunhyang sent Bangja away from the swing, we kept walking, but there was no sign of the gate—or even Chunhyang and Yi Mongryong.
'How much time has passed outside the dungeon by now? At least a day, right?'
Walking endlessly without any monsters was starting to feel downright boring.
'I need some time to bond with Nokdu, too.'
Peeing.
"Huh?"
Kya—woong!
"N-Nokdu! Why'd you come out?!"
'Didn't Sis call me?'
I'd only thought about it, but suddenly Nokdu popped out from my bracelet. Snuggled in my arms, he rubbed his face against my chest without a care for how much bigger he'd gotten.
"Whoa, what kind of puppy is that?"
"Puppy...? Doesn't it look kinda unique?"
The hunters' eyes widened at Nokdu's sudden appearance.
"Oh, it's my summon! I got it as an item from the Wonju Dungeon."
"A summon from an item, huh..."
"Aw, look at him. He really likes you, Shin Ji-ui Hunter."
The hunters each chimed in as they eyed Nokdu, while Choi Min Hunter stood quietly at the back of the group, just watching him.
"Um... mind if he tags along? He dodges attacks on his own pretty well."
"Of course!"
"We'd welcome a cute companion like that, haha!"
Thank goodness no one minded.
Nokdu stuck right by my side, trotting along cutely before floating up into the air and circling around me.
Like I'd noticed earlier, he'd really grown a lot.
"Ah, look! There's the thatched house~!"
"That's our defense point! Let's do a quick stamina top-up before we get there!"
Defense battle. Just like the Four Seasons one in Shibuya Dungeon. Inside that thatched house, Chunhyang and Yi Mongryong were probably having a blissful night, and it was our job to fend off the monsters for them.
"Want some?"
"Dungeon stamina... recovery potion?"
Choi Min Hunter handed me a small glass vial.
First time trying a stamina recovery food item.
I uncapped it and downed it in one go. No sooner had the lukewarm liquid slid down my throat than...
"Ah, uh, ugh."
"You okay there?"
An indescribably horrific taste flooded my mouth.
'What the hell is this flavor?!'
My tongue curled up automatically, and it was so astringent it sucked every drop of moisture right out of my mouth.
Did someone beat my tongue with a club? Who made this crap? Who's the manufacturer?
Manufacturer: Republic of Korea Hunter Association Byproduct Research Institute
Distributor: Republic of Korea Hunter Association
'Definitely Mi-rae-ssi's handiwork.'
Next time I see her, I'm telling her to fix the taste first.
I grimaced horribly, stashed the empty bottle in my inventory, and plopped down on a tree stump. The other hunters were resting wherever they could, and even Choi Min Hunter sat on the ground, calmly sipping the vile stuff with a serene expression.
Just as the initial nightmare taste began to fade, my heavy legs felt light again, and my fatigue-clouded mind sharpened right up. Annoyingly enough, it worked like a charm.
"Alright, rested up enough. Let's move!"
With Lee Sang-wook Hunter's booming voice, we reformed our ranks and headed toward the thatched house, where light leaked from the cracks.
The closer we got, the more clearly we sensed someone's presence. As we reached the front, assassins wrapped head to toe in black cloth slithered out. They all looked identical, and with a whole truckload more approaching from afar, the defense battle suddenly felt all too real.
Thud!
Lee Sang-wook Hunter slammed a wooden shield at the thatched house entrance to form our first defensive line, and at the same instant, the assassins charged us en masse.
Vrrr!
I rang Ego through the air once, freezing the assassins in their tracks. I blasted a huge shot at one clutching its head and barely managing a step—sending three or four more behind it flying back before they burst apart.
"Whoa!"
Clang.
Another one darted in with assassin-like agility, thrusting a blade right at my face. I yanked out a shield with Ego and deflected it.
'That was close—almost got my forehead pierced.'
I pulled the trigger right at his approaching head, but the assassin twisted away nimbly, scaled the wall, and lunged again.
I barely dodged with my shield when another targeted my back. The moment I felt the cold blade tip graze my neck, a scream ripped from my throat on instinct.
"Uwaaaah!!"
Kaboom!
A white soundwave erupted from my body, piercing the assassins. They bubbled and dissolved into powder in seconds.
'Good thing my mouth was open—at least I saved my neck.'
The fight devolved into total chaos. One lapse in focus, and my head was gone—an all-out hair's-breadth situation.
"Come here, piggyback time! Come here, piggyback time! Love, love, love. My darling love. Love, love, love. You're my one and only."
Lucky bastards!
I was swamped just clearing the endless assassin waves, but that damn pansori singer was belting out his love song, showing off his skills without restraint.
Through Lee Sang-wook Hunter's 'Vast Expander,' I heard Chunhyang and Yi Mongryong laughing merrily.
'Two on the left, one ahead.'
Shield first, I leaped forward with 'Word Without Feet'—one assassin bounced off and tumbled back. With distance secured, I fired at the remaining two.
Bang!!
They vanished spectacularly. The one I'd downed earlier staggered up and rocketed toward me like a bullet.
Thud!
"Ow, my arm's numb!"
I blocked its attack with a hasty shield. The moment it flew back again, I whipped out Ego and fired a sound bullet.
Bang!!
'Okay, just those guys left.'
I squeezed the trigger hard at the wave of incoming assassins, launching a white orb a bit bigger than me straight at them.
Boom boom boom!
The sound bullet carved a deep trench in the dirt path, scattering dagger-like weapons everywhere.
"Haa, huu... haaa..."
It was pure instinct driving that fight.
'Gotta make this my real skill soon.'
Save the random thoughts for later.
I caught my breath and checked on the others. Kim Su-a Hunter was struggling to fend off assassins with her injured arm.
Thoom!
I blasted a soundwave skyward, slowing the assassins. In the gap, Kim Su-a Hunter slammed 'Blade Wind' into one assassin's solar plexus.
"Haaa!!"
She swept away the surrounding assassins in a flash with her flail. Panting hard to steady her breath, she hit her limit and dropped to one knee.
"Ugh!"
"I'll take over! Jin Ju-hyun Hunter, treatment please!"
"Kim Su-a Hunter, over here!"
I guided Kim Su-a Hunter toward Jin Ju-hyun Hunter, then put sound bullets into the remaining assassins.
Crackle.
Luckily, there weren't many left, so we wrapped up before it got to close quarters. The assassins crumbled to powder, leaving scraps of black cloth and a few weapons.
Fwoosh.
"Hup!"
Suddenly, hot flames filled my lungs. I exhaled shakily and turned to see Choi Min Hunter strolling calmly out of a roaring blaze, our eyes meeting.
She slashed the air with her hand, and the burning space scattered into faint embers.
Her fiery red hair and sharp eyes with their deep crimson-black pupils.
'Bet that's what a human forged in fire would look like.'
Silly thoughts floated through my head.
"Like a child grasping a sickle handle, seizing the brute's topknot. In our lovers' tangle, the pillow shoots to the rafters, the quilt slips away, and the candle gutters out at last."
The pansori singer spat out another string of cryptic lyrics.
The moment his voice faded, the distant assassin wave collapsed like a sandcastle hit by the tide.
"Phew... that defense battle was brutal."
"Ten-minute break, then we move."
"Kim Su-a Hunter, you okay?"
Tension released, everyone slumped where they stood or rushed to Kim Su-a Hunter. Her arm was badly torn, her face twisted in pain as Jin Ju-hyun Hunter worked black mist over the wound.
"Five more minutes should do it. Hang in there just a bit longer."
"Th-thanks... ugh."
I looked away from Kim Su-a Hunter's pained expression and plopped onto a haystack, watching Nokdu play with the byproducts from afar. He'd grown nimbler, hopping through the air before panting back to my side.
"Had a blast, huh? Fun?"
Woof!
Has his cuteness grown with his size? His spoiled antics were top-tier.
Nokdu pawed at my hand, then flopped belly-up. I scratched under his chin and tummy, and he rolled around with a dopey grin.
"Shin Ji-ui Hunter, gate position check, please."
Choi Min Hunter appeared abruptly beside me. A faint scent of burning wood tickled my nose.
"Shin Ji-ui Hunter?"
"Ah, yeah. Over there."
I'd zoned out without realizing; she snapped me back.
"Aigoo~ More hiking already~"
Lee Sang-wook Hunter groaned as he stretched. The endless trekking, monster hunts, and that defense battle had fatigue etched on everyone's faces.
Everyone must be wiped out.
'...Except Choi Min Hunter.'
She showed no signs of exhaustion.
How does that skinny frame pack so much stamina?
I snuck a sidelong glance, and our eyes met—I looked away on reflex.
"Shin Ji-ui Hunter."
"Yes?"
Choi Min Hunter lowered her voice. She glanced around briefly, then flicked her eyes down at me.
"Do you have a little sister?"
Thump.
'What the...?'
My heart dropped. Aside from Se-bin, no hunter knew about Ji-yu. Se-bin wouldn't blab everywhere, and nothing like that had ever popped up online.
'Does she really have memories from before the regression?'
Alarms blared in my head, cold sweat trickling down. Choi Min Hunter rolled her eyes forward again.
"Just asking because you said you're weak to kids."
"Ah, aah..."
'Oh, that was the reason.'
Come to think of it, she had a little brother too. He died with the family in the Gapyeong Gate explosion...
I let my guard down a bit and added,
"Yeah. But she passed first—from illness."
"Ah..."
Choi Min Hunter let out a sigh or whatever it was. I knew what was coming next, so I cut in first.
"Don't apologize!"
I held up a finger at her twitching lips, and she nodded. When I'd shared this story before, a truckload of people apologized—I had to beat them to the punch. I hadn't brought it up to hear sorrys anyway.
"I can't say the trauma's completely gone, but I've come a long way."
"...I see."
Choi Min Hunter stared at me wordlessly, then turned away.
Her unflappable demeanor, no matter what happened. A face that hid emotions well. She still had plenty of suspicious vibes, but she wasn't utterly devoid of humanity.
Feeling a wry sense of kinship, I stood up.