A Story for the Hidden Fox
Long ago—or rather, not that long ago—the Haeinsa Dungeon Gate was an E-rank gate whose conquest had been fully completed ages back.
The dungeon core had already been retrieved long before, and guild hunters regularly culled the monsters inside to keep their numbers at a manageable level.
To put it bluntly, it was so harmless that even a non-awakener could wander in without much risk of getting hurt or killed.
These days, it served as a training ground for Haetae Guild's apprentice hunters and a modest source of mana stone income. That was the Haeinsa Dungeon Gate.
Tucked away deep in the mountains, it had low exposure risk to civilians from the outside world.
In other words...
"Damn it, why the hell is Kim Arin here...?"
It was the perfect spot for doing things that "couldn't be seen by prying eyes."
Unlike the real world, there were no CCTV cameras inside the dungeon, and the monsters didn't show much interest in humans unless provoked first.
Bribe the hunters dispatched for routine culls, and whatever happened inside stayed inside—no leaks.
But then, out of nowhere, an S-rank hunter like Kim Arin shows up with some girl in tow.
"Boss, what do we do? We're screwed, aren't we?"
"...Just wait. If we'd been fully busted, the cops would be here too."
"But boss, who's that girl? Never seen her before."
"How the hell should I know? Shut up."
The men keeping watch on the Haeinsa Dungeon Gate from afar were panicking for good reason.
An S-rank hunter had crashed their secret hideout, which they'd been using profitably for a while.
If she found out what they'd been up to in there, they were all dead meat.
S-rank hunters were monsters in their own right.
No matter how many they had on their side, they wouldn't stand a chance against an S-rank.
All they could hope for was that the unfamiliar girl and Kim Arin would just turn around and leave.
"Oh, crap. They're going in. The girl went inside with her, boss."
But in the end, the stranger girl and Kim Arin vanished into the Haeinsa Dungeon Gate.
The biggest wrench in the men's "plans" had been thrown.
"Tch, everyone up! We're going in too!"
"B-but it's Kim Arin, boss! Can't we just wait till they come out...?"
"If we don't get the goods out by tonight, we're dead anyway! Shut up and follow me!"
And so, the men had no choice but to charge into the dungeon.
Whether Kim Arin uncovered their crimes or they failed to deliver the hidden stash to the drop point, it was death either way.
Do or die, literally.
"...Hey! Who the hell are you guys?!"
"Shut up, punk."
-Thwack!
"Guhk."
They knocked out the guild member who'd just escorted the girl and Kim Arin inside, and the men's leader stormed straight through the gate.
Their one sliver of hope? That unfamiliar girl with Kim Arin.
"You two, grab the goods. The rest of you, wait here with me."
If they could somehow take the white-haired girl hostage, they'd have a way out from under Kim Arin's thumb.
Compared to Kim Arin, the girl barely registered any mana—she was weak as hell.
F-rank at best, even being generous.
She'd probably just burst into tears at the sight of these rough-looking thugs.
-Mumble mumble.
"Damn it..."
Swallowing his rising unease, the leader mentally rehearsed the plan over and over.
How to snag that white-haired girl as a hostage—that was all he focused on.
And right then, that very white-haired girl was...
"Pbuing pbuing~."
...putting on a full show of antics in front of the dungeon's hidden boss, not Kim Arin.
All to boost the hidden boss's affinity and unlock a new skill.
Just like she'd done with Fenrion yesterday.
Entity Hwaran's affinity has slightly increased. (60 → 65)
"Kuhuhu, child. How can that be called seduction? It's merely cute."
'I'm... totally screwed...'
***
"My stomach hurts too much to watch anymore. That's enough, child."
Hwaran, who had been clutching her belly in full-on hysterics until just moments ago, finally called for a stop.
She patted the tatami mat right beside her, beckoning me over like come here.
But once again, I had no choice but to obediently scoot next to Hwaran. Her affinity toward me was still just 65, after all.
【Mindlost Paradise Hwaran】
【Affinity: 65】
【(A) Manifestation: Mindlost Paradise Remaining affinity to unlock: 35】
【■■■'s stories that ■■■ passed on, I want to hear them again in ■■■ ■■■… (Insufficient Authority)】
Just like with Fenrion yesterday, Hwaran had a skill I could potentially acquire.
Another Manifestation skill: Mindlost Paradise.
I had no idea exactly what it did, but it was sure to be useful.
Fenrion's Manifestation skill had made me insanely strong yesterday, after all.
Sure, only for 10 minutes, but still—if I could snag another one, I had to.
More skills meant getting stronger, plain and simple.
-Fidget fidget.
-Fidget fidget.
-Streeetch───.
"Your cheeks are like mochi. So fun how they stretch~." "Eueuee."
Even as Hwaran toyed with both my cheeks right now, I stayed put obediently.
To max her affinity to 100, I needed to stay on her good side as much as possible.
I was kinda curious if other hunters had to grind skills like this, but whatever.
Another Manifestation skill? Total win.
Hold on, me. Think of that sweet future raking in the cash as a hunter...!
"Um, Lady Hwaran."
"Yes?"
"How about one more photo?"
"Photo...? That spell again?"
"Y-yeah, for the memories. With me this time."
"Do I spread two fingers again?"
"Ah, that'd be even better."
Either way, getting snuggled up to a hidden boss wasn't an everyday thing.
Who else in the world has sat on a hidden boss's lap?
I whipped out my phone and held it high.
Time to attempt the ultimate achievement no hunter had ever pulled off: a couple selfie with a hidden boss.
-Click!
"...Yasss."
It worked so easily.
I must be one hell of a hunter.
Even the number one ranked hunter, who's supposedly the strongest, probably never snapped a selfie with a hidden boss.
In other words, I'd just casually done what the top hunter couldn't.
What a cheat character I am.
"...Hehe."
Nyeonggle cheat material just got a major upgrade.
A photo of a human-form hidden boss and some cute girl both throwing up peace signs? No way that doesn't blow up on Nyenggle.
"So, child."
"Yes?"
"What of your promise to me? You said you'd bring something new next time."
"Uh..."
"You've come back with something fresh, haven't you? Now, tell me."
Hwaran stroked my head while gazing at the selfie on my phone, spouting some cryptic words.
I'd only met her today— what promise?
She was definitely mixing me up with someone.
-Glance.
Looking up at her with baffled eyes, I caught her own sparkling with massive expectations.
Eyes that absolutely believed I had exactly what she wanted.
At that moment, I had no choice but to sense it instinctively.
If I didn't deliver whatever she was hoping for right now, maxing her affinity to 100 would be a real pain.
What is this, some visual novel?
"Lady Hwaran!"
"Yes."
"Sorry, but could you confirm one more time?"
"Confirm?"
"Maybe I grabbed the wrong thing. Could you tell me again what you wanted?"
I brazenly played dumb, pretending to know while fishing for info.
Drawing on my convenience store clerk days dealing with endless karens.
Best policy: Act clueless till they spell out what they want themselves.
If they wanted smokes, out came the cigs. Soju? I'd fetch it myself.
Better to grovel a bit than end up in real trouble.
"Stories. Stories."
"Ah, stories... Stories?"
"This place is dreadfully lonely, unlike the outside world."
Not quite what I'd expected.
Once she named the "gift," I planned to play it off as the wrong item, then beg to run out and grab the real thing real quick.
Bringing what she wanted would skyrocket her affinity to 100 anyway.
But stories? Not an item?
"Hearing the tales you brought was my sole joy. That's why I permitted your visits, wasn't it?"
"Ah, got it. I remember."
"Then hurry and share. What story have you brought this time?"
She must get seriously bored alone here.
I had no clue who she was mistaking me for, but since she was begging for a story...
I needed to pick a good one.
A story tailored to Hwaran's tastes would definitely boost affinity.
Hmm... What would work?
She's in hanbok, so probably old-school. Old monster, even.
Maybe an old folktale?
But what old tales did I even know? Just childish ones.
...Wait.
"Lady Hwaran."
"Yes."
"Have you ever heard of Cheongryeongpo, deep in Gwangcheongol Valley?"
"Gwangcheongol? Cheongryeongpo?"
Come to think of it, I did know one killer old tale.
Proven entertaining.
And one a hidden boss stuck in a dungeon could never have heard.
"In winter, freezing winds whoooosh down the riverbanks! Icy chills whoooosh from the cliffs—!"
"Hoo..."
"That's Cheongryeongpo. And in that brutal place, a king was exiled...!"
Yeah, I definitely knew that one.