Chapter 92
Chapter 92
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: The Shimmering Door
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*Swoosh-!*
"Kyaargh!"
An 8th-class monster, a hobgoblin, clutched its chest and shrieked wretchedly as it stumbled backward.
It eventually fell on its back, spewing viscous blood as it died.
"Sis, that was so badass!"
"Fucking awesome."
"Ma'am, that was a perfect thrust."
The trio of Park Kyung-min, Gong So-eun, and Ha Tae-sung showered Ji-yoon with praise after she felled the hobgoblin in a single strike.
Ji-yoon brushed her hair back shyly and flicked the blood from her sword.
*This is a really good sword...*
Ji-yoon gazed fondly at the 'Judgment's Point' that Do-jae had gifted her, lost in appreciation.
Yesterday, after buying the sword with Do-jae and even having dinner alone with him, she had gone home and fallen into a happy sleep.
Waking up after such a satisfying day, she felt refreshed from the moment she opened her eyes, and the morning sun was clear and warm.
Do-jae wasn't at the office when she arrived, but Young-jin and the kids were preparing for a dungeon raid.
Having won at rock-paper-scissors, Ji-yoon was exempt from dungeon raids for a week, but she was in a good mood and eager to use her new sword, so she decided to tag along.
And so they began hunting hobgoblins. The performance of Judgment's Point was even better than she had imagined, and she couldn't help but be impressed.
"Where'd you get that?"
Young-jin approached and asked.
Ji-yoon answered without taking her eyes off the sword.
"My brother bought it for me."
"Brother? You have a brother? I thought you said you were an only child."
"It's complicated. Chief Young-jin, about how far have we come?"
"Uh, hold on."
Young-jin took out his smartphone, pulled up a picture of the map, and zoomed in on their likely current location.
"Then how about we go this far and then take a break?"
Ji-yoon moved the map to show a dead end.
It was a little ways from their current position, but a place like that was ideal for resting since they would only need to watch one direction.
"Let's do that. You all heard her? It might be tough, but let's push on a little further and then rest!"
"Yes, sir! Still full of energy!"
"Yep."
"Yes. Thanks to you, ma'am, we've barely had to do anything."
At the trio's energetic replies, Ji-yoon smiled warmly and took the lead.
*Being with them reminds me of the old days.*
Ji-yoon recalled her reckless youth.
Growing up in an orphanage, she had a fiery personality from a young age.
If the younger kids came back beaten up, she had enough of a temper to go out and get revenge for them herself.
*I protected these kids a lot, too.*
Park Kyung-min, Gong So-eun, and Ha Tae-sung were from the same orphanage.
Being the same age, they had followed her closely since they were young.
They trusted and liked Ji-yoon, who protected them more closely than the orphanage teachers, even more.
To ensure the three weren't looked down on, Ji-yoon acted as their steadfast shield while also helping them out as their senior.
However, the year Ji-yoon became an adult, she left the orphanage, and their opportunities to meet gradually dwindled.
Naturally, they contacted each other less frequently, and after Ji-yoon awakened, it became even more difficult.
After the three also left the orphanage, they eventually lost contact completely, only to coincidentally meet again in the same guild.
The sword was a wonderful gift, but in a way, she was only in this guild thanks to Do-jae, and she felt truly grateful.
*Come to think of it, the Guild Master is a decent person, contrary to how he seems, isn't he?*
On her first day at the Guardian Guild, Ji-yoon had a small party with the three of them.
She heard their story then. Park Kyung-min, Gong So-eun, and Ha Tae-sung had worked tirelessly, taking any job they could to earn money.
It was because they wanted to become hunters and help the orphanage where they grew up.
The three, who had been saving money without a single day of rest, happened to meet a forced awakening broker.
Not having enough money yet, they ended up making the choice to get a forced awakening by taking on debt from the broker, which turned out to be a huge mistake.
The broker had tempted them, saying a special technique had been discovered that would allow them to become high-rank awakeners, enabling them to pay off the debt in no time. Fooled by his slick words, the three borrowed money at an absurd interest rate and went through with the awakening.
*The Guild Master must be a savior to these kids.*
The broker's words were a lie. Having become mere E-rank awakeners, the three were struggling, running from dungeon to dungeon to pay off their snowballing debt, when they met Jeong Hoon-hyeon in a dungeon.
In the process, Ha Tae-sung ended up saving Jeong Hoon-hyeon. Taking pity on them, Jeong Hoon-hyeon swiftly resolved their problems, then created a guild and hired them.
*I have to work harder! I'll be a help to the Guild Master and to Vice Guild Master Do-jae.*
Ji-yoon held Judgment's Point, which she was immensely pleased with, upright and charged toward an approaching horde of hobgoblins.
*Swish, swish, swish-!*
***
Somewhere in the middle of the hobgoblin dungeon.
Young-jin handed a handkerchief to Ji-yoon.
"Aren't you overdoing it?"
"What is?"
"I mean, you're rampaging like a madwoman."
"Hah, didn't you know? That I'm a crazy bitch. I was pretty famous for it back in Class 3."
"I'm not joking."
Young-jin said with a serious expression as Ji-yoon replied in a playful tone while wiping away her sweat.
"Why are you being like that to someone who's working hard?"
"Ji-yoon, dungeons are different from suppression zones. You need to be a little more careful and cautious."
"Yeah, yeah, you be careful, Chief Young-jin. As long as I have this sword, I'm not afraid of some D-rank dungeon."
Young-jin shook his head as he watched Ji-yoon, who was grinning from ear to ear while polishing her sword.
No matter how much she liked her new sword and wanted to use it, Ji-yoon's actions were exceedingly reckless.
He had plenty of dungeon experience, but Ji-yoon was completely oblivious to the dangers of a dungeon.
"Anyway, don't go rushing out on your own anymore. There are things called positions in a dungeon raid."
"I get it. So, are we leaving now?"
"Already? We haven't even rested for ten minutes."
"A cigarette and a sip of water is enough. The longer we rest, the more tired we'll get. It's better to finish quickly and go get a proper rest outside."
Young-jin looked at the other three.
Having heard Ji-yoon, they were already scrambling to their feet and grabbing their weapons.
"Wouldn't it be better to rest a bit more for the kids?"
"They're all awakeners, too. This much won't be too hard on them. Besides, you and I did most of the fighting, right?"
Indeed, just as Ji-yoon said, the three didn't look particularly exhausted.
Gong So-eun, the weakest of them, looked a little tired as she shouldered her large backpack, but she didn't seem to be struggling too much.
"Alright! Let's go. Let's finish this quickly and clock out early."
"Yes! Understood, Chief Shim Young-jin!"
After their short break, they advanced once more.
When they encountered a group of hobgoblins, Young-jin took the lead with Ji-yoon providing support, while Park Kyung-min, Ha Tae-sung, and Gong So-eun moved forward, protecting one another.
The three were weak, but they knew each other too well.
They coordinated without the slightest error, dealing with the hobgoblins safely and surely.
In fact, if someone tried to jump in to "help," it would disrupt their coordination and cause confusion, so from then on, Young-jin trusted them and moved on.
"Kyung-min, So-eun, search the hobgoblins. Tae-sung, circle the area and check for mana stones. Ji-yoon and I will stand guard."
After each battle, they would circle the area, checking for mana stones and any decent loot from the hobgoblins.
The raid went smoothly, and no one was injured.
If things continued like this, they expected to reach the boss room without any trouble, just as Ji-yoon had said, kill the boss, and head home early.
And just as they expected, they arrived at the boss room without any casualties.
"Let's take a short break here! Everyone, fix any disheveled armor and get ready."
Young-jin propped his sword up in a suitable spot and sat down.
Park Kyung-min, Gong So-eun, and Ha Tae-sung sat a little distance away from Young-jin and started talking.
"Why are we resting so often?"
"I don't know. Normally, we'd have killed the boss and be on our way back by now."
Park Kyung-min and Gong So-eun spoke with annoyance, while Ha Tae-sung said nothing, just staring in Ji-yoon's direction.
"Tae-sung, what are you looking at?"
Park Kyung-min, who had been in the middle of a heated discussion, nudged Ha Tae-sung and asked.
Gong So-eun answered for him.
"He's watching her."
"Her? Why? She doesn't look that tired either."
Park Kyung-min also looked at Ji-yoon.
Ji-yoon was sitting next to Young-jin, drinking water.
Ha Tae-sung stared intently at Ji-yoon before finally speaking.
"About her, that new sword. I wonder who gave it to her."
"I don't know. Do you?"
"I don't know either. Here, eat this."
Gong So-eun stuck an energy bar in the pensive Ha Tae-sung's mouth.
She was about to give one to Park Kyung-min, too, but he suddenly stood up.
"Guys, I'll just go tell him. Resting is a pain."
Then he headed toward Young-jin.
"Chief, let's just go, shall we?"
"The boss room is right ahead."
"We've already rested enough on the way here. There's nothing to fix or prepare. How about we just go in? Right, ma'am?"
"I'm totally okay with that."
As Ji-yoon made an 'OK' sign with her fingers, Gong So-eun shouldered the backpack she had set down.
Young-jin sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.
It felt like Ji-yoon and the other three had no respect for him.
He was a C-rank awakener, a former leader of the Chilgok Unit's 2nd Squad, and now a department head, even if the title was one he had pushed for.
No matter how little of a bond he had with them, this was going too far.
"Guys, we should still take a proper rest and..."
Young-jin began to issue an order in a slightly more authoritative voice, but then he paused.
He had sensed something strange at the entrance to the boss room.
*Rub, rub.*
He rubbed his eyes fiercely and stared at the boss room again.
But it still looked strange.
The entrance seemed to be shimmering, as if a heat haze was rising from it.
"Wait a minute, guys..."
Young-jin stopped Park Kyung-min.
Words he had exchanged with his uncle, Song Deok-hoon, long ago came to mind.
*'Young-jin, in the future, if you're raiding a dungeon and you see the entrance to the boss room shimmering, or if someone tells you they see it, never open the door. Just turn around and leave.'*
*'Why?'*
*'Because it's evidence of a double dungeon phenomenon.'*
*'What's that?'*
*'It's a new dungeon inside a dungeon. And those dungeons have monsters that are powerful beyond common sense. Unless there's someone incredibly skilled in your raid party, run away.'*
*'How powerful? A hunter as strong as you, Uncle?'*
*'Yes, if you have about ten hunters as strong as me, then you can open it. Or if you have an S-rank hunter. Of course, at your skill level, you'll never be raiding with hunters like that, so just turn and run without looking back.'*
*'Ah, Uncle! What do you take me for!'*
Young-jin realized they must not open that boss room door under any circumstances.
But Park Kyung-min already had his hand on the door.
"No! Stop!"
Young-jin shouted urgently and ran with all his might.
An image of what would happen the moment that door opened flashed before his eyes as he tried to pull Park Kyung-min away from it.
"Chief, why all of a sudden..."
*Creeak-*
Unfortunately, Park Kyung-min opened the door just before Young-jin reached him.
An immense killing intent flowed out from the narrow gap.
Young-jin could only watch, his face pale with shock, as the door swung fully open.