Chapter 43
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Romantic Guy (2)
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Kim Myung-jun wasn't the only one frozen by Seo Yu-ju's words. Everyone in the Incarnation Clan had gone stiff. They'd realized the situation was turning weird.
The attempted murder of a trainee by Joo Seung-hwan was undeniably the Incarnation Clan's fault.
We hadn't even brought it up first, but Kim Myung-jun had, putting them in a position where they had nothing to say. They must have noticed things were going south for them.
In the end, Park Da-rim spoke to Kim Myung-jun firmly.
"...You should apologize, Myung-jun."
"....What?"
Kim Myung-jun sounded like he couldn't believe he had to apologize himself.
'Pride is such a useless thing.'
All he had to do was bow his head once, but his ego was making everything worse.
Originally, I hadn't planned to escalate it this far. The best plan was for all of us to cheer each other on and conquer the dungeon together.
But Kim Myung-jun had picked at us first, and the fact that he was buddies with Joo Seung-hwan had gotten under my skin.
'If this drags on during the expedition, it'll be a problem.'
In a way, he was a potential enemy. If he was really that thick-headed and couldn't read the room here, things could blow up...
But I didn't think he was that stupid.
In the end, Kim Myung-jun seemed to fully grasp how bad this looked for him and bowed his head in apology.
"....I'm sorry, Lee Yun-seong. I must have been mistaken."
The others might not see it, but I could tell he was biting his lip as he bowed.
Honestly, yeah, he'd gotten on my nerves, but by my standards, he hadn't crossed any real lines.
It wasn't infuriating enough to hold a grudge; I just figured killing his momentum now would make future dungeon runs smoother.
Everyone knew my left arm had been blown off and then healed. The rumors had spread all over Baronia at least.
Maybe because of that, even some of his own Incarnation Clanmates were looking at Kim Myung-jun like trash.
Feeling his reputation tanking in real time, he hurriedly apologized in a serious tone.
"I-I'm really sorry! I didn't mean for it to turn out like this!"
'This is enough.'
My original goal was just to figure out if he was close to Joo Seung-hwan. I hadn't planned to create this mess.
"Sigh... It's fine. I know you didn't mean it, Sunbae-nim. Thinking about it, I wasn't clear with my words, so the misunderstanding is on me too."
"Right! It was just a misunderstanding on both sides. Haha...!"
Something about it left a bad taste.
'Man... He sure knows how to take the openings I give him.'
With that little hiccup resolved, we resumed conquering the dungeon.
"Hyun-jin, Yu-rim! To the left...! Ho-won-ssi and I will cover the right. Yun-seong-ssi, keep some spells ready just in case!"
Seo Yu-ju issued orders, methodically clearing monsters as we pushed deeper into the dungeon.
The Incarnation Clan side was handling things smoothly too.
"Grrrrr...!"
The moment an Evil Eye's claw swung at Yu-rim, putting her in danger, Yu-hyeon activated his barrier.
"Guardian Shield!"
Thud.
The Incarnation Clan members, seeing the barrier for the first time, stared in surprise as the attack bounced off.
"....That's a Guardian Priest."
"Shit, it's on a whole other level from regular heals..."
I could see them marveling at Yu-hyeon's barrier.
One thing I'd noticed while conquering dungeons was that everyone was solid without major mistakes, but Yu-rim, using daggers, was easy to target.
'Her weapon's reach is too short.'
Truth be told, among our party's melee roles, Yu-rim had the least talent. You might ask about Hyun-jin, but he had Unyielding Will, a hero-grade trait.
Yu-rim's trait was rare-grade, and with her short reach, it felt like she was walking a tightrope.
I'm not saying Yu-rim is below average, but strictly speaking, she's not top-tier either.
Even I felt uneasy watching her fights. Yu-hyeon always looked anxious whenever she went into battle, glancing at his sister often.
Once the fight ended safely, Yu-rim let out a breath.
"Hoo..."
I approached her and checked on her.
"....You okay?"
"Ah... Yeah, Oppa. I'm fine."
"....Tell me if it's too much. You can fall back and rest."
She's so young, it makes me worry more than the others.
"I'm really fine, Oppa. You don't have to worry that much."
"...Good to hear."
As we cleaned up and moved on, Lee Jae-hyo and Seo Yu-ju suddenly whipped around.
They turned back with serious expressions, so I followed suit and saw...
'What the hell is that?'
Something hazy materialized in the air behind Yu-hyeon, then swung what looked like a kitchen knife in a flash.
- Hehehe! Die!
Seo Yu-ju was about to charge, but Lee Jae-hyo closed in instantly, infusing mana into his spear and thrusting. The spirit wailed.
- Hieeeek...!
"Wh-what?!"
Yu-hyeon's legs gave out, and he collapsed. Yu-rim rushed over to check on him.
"Y-Yu-hyeon! You okay?!"
"Y-yeah..."
Just as the rest of our party—minus Seo Yu-ju—was about to ask Lee Jae-hyo what that thing was, he explained first.
".....It's a Wraith. Also known as an evil spirit or vengeful ghost."
I asked about the monster name, which I'd never heard before.
"That thing that appeared behind Yu-hyeon?"
"Yes."
Park Da-rim approached Lee Jae-hyo right away.
"Lee Jae-hyo-ssi... This is..."
"...It seems this dungeon's rating was misjudged. From now on, I'll classify it as a rare-grade dungeon."
'Because of that monster?'
What kind of monster was it that one appearance bumped up the rating?
Curious, I asked Lee Jae-hyo.
"....Could you explain more about Wraiths?"
"Of course. Wraiths are extremely hard to detect until they reveal themselves. Even top-tier powerhouses struggle with it."
'That tough?'
It felt off. A dungeon with monsters that hard to sense rated as just rare-grade?
Excluding undiscovered myth-grade dungeons, ratings went common, rare, hero, legend. Rare should be average or slightly below.
Noticing my doubt, Lee Jae-hyo continued.
"But it's not impossible to detect. They're inherently evil spirits with malice or killing intent, so if you anticipate and focus, it's easier."
"I see."
"Dealing with them is simple too. Mana users can use spells or purification chants. Melee like myself just infuse weapons with mana to strike."
In short, detection was tricky, but fighting them wasn't.
"Even so, for newbies like you all, facing ethereal monsters is unfamiliar and causes panic. So dungeons with Wraiths are rated rare-grade or higher."
'Easy to fight, but not for total rookies.'
Hearing about Wraiths sparked a wild idea. I had a question for Lee Jae-hyo.
"Just curiosity, but if a Wraith had no malice or intent to harm, and never materialized, could players detect it?"
Lee Jae-hyo pondered, like it was a first.
"....I've never seen that, so I can't say for sure, but probably not. Are you assuming a Wraith just watching us without acting?"
"Yes. Like a ghost following us, no harm intended, just listening invisibly."
I needed the answer to use my idea. If it worked, it'd be my strongest weapon.
Lee Jae-hyo replied.
"....My opinion: Most people couldn't detect it, except a tiny few. Top players sense monsters via presence or intent."
"That tiny few...?"
"Hm... Like shamans on Earth. This continent has a few who see or sense spirits too."
Perfect. Next question.
"....I know most monsters drop materials or catalysts sometimes. Wraiths too?"
"Ah... Yes, occasionally."
Enough. Worth experimenting. After the expedition, back in the city, I'd test it.
"Thanks for answering my weird questions."
He chuckled without denying they were weird.
"Haha... No big deal."
My party wondered why I asked. Even Seo Yu-ju looked curious.
'It's a secret.'
The fewer who knew my experiment, the better. No need to blab.
As we delved deeper, Wraiths started appearing.
I'd anticipated it and pre-cast a spell.
"Wall of Flames."
They materialized to attack, but ignited in my flames.
Whoosh—
- Hieeeek...!
Problem: My mana pool sucked, leaving me at half already.
'Damn, mana quantity is always the issue...!'
Glancing at the Incarnation Clan, Kim Myung-jun was a Light Sorcerer, and his light spells shredded Wraiths.
'....He's good.'
Definitely hero-grade performance.
Earlier, since it was our first Wraith, Lee Jae-hyo stepped in. Now he just watched how we handled it.
'He's probably reporting our combat responses to the clan master.'
No way they'd waste a player like him just as a guard.
We cleared sporadic Wraiths, collected drops, and reached a room with what looked like an altar.