Chapter 22: Cherry-Popping, Yes, That Kind of Cherry-Popping (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 22: Cherry-Popping, Yes, That Kind of Cherry-Popping (4)
As soon as I step into the dungeon, crisp, clear air fills my lungs.
It might seem strange to find the air refreshing in a dungeon crawling with monsters, but when you step from a developed city into a space where great nature unfolds in a matter of seconds, the change in air quality is immediately palpable.
The dungeon, lined with thick trees that look like they belong in a foreign mountain range, has a faint boundary line drawn in the distance. Since it's a D-rank dungeon, it isn't as vast as it looks.
The monsters here are said to be tree-type Wood Monsters and a few species of insects.
While I double-check the information on my pad, Yoon A-young’s party inspects their equipment and communication status. They already checked before entering, but it’s a mandatory procedure since signals can be cut off inside a dungeon.
They’re just doing what’s expected, but perhaps because I’ve seen so many incompetent apprentices lately, even this makes me think they’re doing a good job.
"Come to think of it, what’s the name of this party?"
"Ayy, you’re acting like such a newbie. Why would a D-rank party that might disband at any moment have a name? Is this your first time cherry-popping?"
Jeong I-dam smirks, her eyes narrowing playfully.
Ah, right. In a world where people move freely between clans, D-rankers don't bother with party names.
"I see. Then I’ll just list you as 'Nameless' for now."
"How unimaginative, just writing 'Nameless' like that. Hmm—how about 'Manager’s Cherry'..."
"Yes, Nameless. Nameless is fine."
Park Se-eun quickly covers Jeong I-dam’s mouth and agrees with my suggestion.
"Stop joking around and let’s move out," Yoon A-young says, and the atmosphere of the party shifts instantly.
Hmph, not bad.
Their ability to switch from a relaxed state during small talk to a combat mindset is excellent. Being too serious or high-strung drains mental fortitude, while being too relaxed turns you into a ragtag militia. They’ve made a habit of loosening up just enough depending on the situation.
I was worried about how messy they’d be after nearly being wiped out by Manderus, but they’re better than I expected.
The party, which I thought might be unstable, navigates the dungeon without much trouble.
When a monster appears, Park Se-eun, who possesses a physical reinforcement skill, takes the lead. Yoon A-young, the most powerful among them, moves between the front and rear to coordinate the battlefield.
Once those two disrupt the monsters' formation, Jeong I-dam and Park Hae-in move in to finish them off. Their teamwork is seamless.
As expected, in a small party of about four people, a composition consisting only of attackers seems more efficient.
However, the flaw of a party with neither a defender nor a supporter is the high stamina consumption in every fight. Specifically, this party lacks a hero with decisively high explosive power, causing battles to drag on and their stamina to plummet.
Yoon A-young, the most promising prospect among them, has a skill that manipulates frost.
Depending on how it's used, it can be a powerful force, but rather than being a skill purely focused on offense, it’s an all-rounder that allows her to handle various roles. She can debuff enemies, occasionally act as a defender, and possesses good attack power—a balanced type.
However, in this world dominated by attackers, Yoon A-young also tends to focus too much on offense, failing to fully utilize her potential.
Even if I write this in the report, Park Sung-jun will probably just ignore it.
Since she has so many roles in combat, she’ll eventually have to step down from command, but for now, the experience of broadening her perspective as a party leader will be helpful. If she can just acquire a few supportive skill sets, Yoon A-young will have no problem growing as she is.
"Did you see me take down that Seed Bug? Wasn't I cool?"
"Please just treat me like I'm not even here while we're in the dungeon."
"Ayy, how can I ignore someone as handsome as you?"
As Jeong I-dam giggles and strikes up a conversation, Yoon A-young frowns and tells her to focus. She seems annoyed by the distraction, but the teamwork is solid enough that they follow the leader's orders without complaint.
"Watch out!"
"Yes, please continue to treat me like I'm not here."
I say this as I casually dodge a branch from a Wood Monster that was pretending to be a tree to attack me from behind.
My skill is Mana Detection; did they really think I’d fall for that? Unless I choose not to use my skills, I keep them active at all times while inside a dungeon.
Having dodged by simply ducking my head, I keep walking forward, passing Yoon A-young, who had shouted the warning.
"Good luck."
I made it out safely, but Yoon A-young scowls at me before charging at the Wood Monster.
One moment she’s worried, the next she’s looking at me like that. Why? I dismiss it as the incomprehensible sensibility of a young girl and continue evaluating the party's combat.
Already exhausted, the members—excluding Yoon A-young—begin to sustain injuries one by one, yet they continue to take down the monsters with grit.
This isn't good.
Showing indomitable will while being attacked by the enemy is admirable, but it’s inefficient. They might heal somewhat with magic afterward, but it won't bring back lost stamina or blood. Fighting while injured consumes that much more energy, so if the battle isn't desperate, it's better to disengage briefly and receive treatment.
That’s why a supporter is necessary.
As expected, after the battle ends, the party members begin self-treatment with magic. In a society where supporters are looked down upon, seeing them use self-healing so proficiently is a good... wait, no it's not.
That’s just something that developed out of necessity because of bad habits.
To me, someone who lived in a world without the Jewel of Life where death was final, this is an incredibly frustrating sight. These are melee attackers whose mana is already low compared to their other stats, yet they’re using the mana they should be using for attacks on healing instead.
As I watch them with a pathetic look, Jeong I-dam misinterprets my gaze, meets my eyes, and strikes a pose as if to say it’s no big deal.
It’s fine to act relaxed, but unfortunately, another pack is swarming this way.
Since I’m an evaluator, I stay still, and Yoon A-young, sensing the presence, leaps to her feet.
"They're coming."
"Eh? Again? What's wrong with these bastards all of a sudden? Did they go into heat because the Manager is here?"
"This time might be tough."
"Everyone, conserve your stamina."
At Yoon A-young’s command, everyone grumbles a word or two while drawing their weapons. Watching them hold thick weapons capable of containing a lot of mana—typical for low-rank heroes—I take a step back.
Unlike the previous group, this one is numerous.
If I stay here, I’ll draw aggro too, so I move further away to observe the fight.
"Dammit! There are so fucking many of them!"
Jeong I-dam grimaces as she charges toward the insect monsters spitting venom. It was likely a choice made because she’s faster than Park Se-eun, but Yoon A-young needs to back her up, and without the appropriate skills for the situation, she can't provide proper support.
Ultimately, Jeong I-dam, who plunged into the enemy formation alone, gets battered by Wood Monsters. She manages to break through with difficulty, but her body is already a wreck.
"..."
I told myself to get used to it, but seeing it in person is hard to stomach.
I lived in a world without the Jewel of Life, and for over twenty years, I fought monsters, villains, and Awakened from other countries. Getting mangled in the middle of enemy lines meant death, and for us, death was the end.
Fighting with eyes that don't feel the fear of death might look courageous, but to me, they look like people walking to their graves, and I can't help but frown.
If I keep running dungeons, will I eventually die and be resurrected by the Jewel of Life too?
"You went in too deep! Disengage and fall back!"
"I'm fine! Aagh! You little...!"
Jeong I-dam, hit by venom, swings her weapon at the insects even as her flesh sizzles.
It’s hard to stop my hand from reaching for my gun.
Get used to it. This is a world where it's natural to be resurrected even if you die.
While I try to calm my mind, Jeong I-dam falls, and the disadvantaged party begins to be taken down by the monsters one by one. Park Hae-in, facing the risk of being devoured alive by the insects, plunges a dagger into his own throat without hesitation to commit suicide.
"Dammit! I lost another Jewel!"
Jeong I-dam, more angry about losing a Jewel than about dying, also commits suicide.
I really can't get used to this.
It’s a scene that leaves a bitter taste in my mouth, and I make a vow to myself.
My party will not die.
Honestly, if a worst-case monster like Belarus appeared, utilizing the Jewel of Life would be a good strategy, but I want to experience death as little as possible. And I don't want my party members to get used to death either.
I’ve lost hundreds of teammates, and thousands of soldiers who supported us have died. In the common sense of this world, I might look like a coward, but... so what? In this second life, I’ve decided not to do things I don't want to do.
As a supporter and a commander, not letting my party die is what I want.
While I’m lost in thought, Yoon A-young, the only one left, struggles against the monsters before suddenly charging toward me.
What? Why?
Startled by the murderous intent in her eyes, I see her weapon, glistening with monster blood, swing toward me.
Whoosh—
It’s an attack clearly meant to kill, so I quickly step back.
"Don't dodge!"
"No, you're trying to kill me, of course I'm going to dodge."
"If I go down, you'll be torn apart alive by those monsters!"
I thought she was taking out some grudge on me, but it turns out she was worried and trying to give me a painless end. I guess in a world with Jewels, killing incapacitated allies is a common practice.
The memory of killing a teammate who begged me to leave them behind resurfaces, making me feel disgusted.
"Evaluation ends here due to inability to proceed. Using field authority to turn off drones and communications."
"What? Is this really the time to be saying—"
Yoon A-young scowls as she sees me put away the pad and draw my pistol.
"A gun? You're going to use a gun against monsters now?"
Bang— Bang-bang!
I fire magic bullets at the monsters lunging from behind her. The Wood Monsters seemed largely unaffected by the bullets piercing their mana membranes, but the insects drop one by one with each shot.
Once all the long-range attacking insects are down, Yoon A-young stares at me, her eyes wide.
Rat-tat-tat— Bang!
I pass the stunned girl, reloading as I fire at the feet of a Wood Monster charging recklessly. As the dirt kicks up, a magic circle appears, erupting into a pillar of fire. The ignited Wood Monster lets out a horrific shriek.
Bang! Bang!
I pump bullets into the Wood Monsters closing in. Their wounds begin to freeze over, and by the time they reach me, their movements have stopped completely.
I kick and shatter the frozen Wood Monsters one by one, finish off the rest, and then swap magazines.
"..."
Yoon A-young watches the entire process of me disposing of the monsters in silence, her pupils trembling.
After confirming the kills on the dead insect monsters, I turn back. Yoon A-young speaks in a trembling voice, as if she can't believe it.
"Just... how...?"
*
When you die in a dungeon with a Jewel registered at the entrance, you are spat out as if the dungeon is vomiting you up.
The sight of being spat out like a piece of chewed gum is too pathetic for a 'hero,' so some clans cover the entrance, while others lay out mats as a courtesy, even though you won't get hurt falling on the bare floor.
The party members expelled from the dungeon all landed on a worn-out mat.
Jeong I-dam, thinking Jeong Yeon-woo would suffer the same fate, sat where he was expected to land with her arms open. But no matter how long she waits, there’s no sign of Jeong Yeon-woo, or even Yoon A-young.
"...What's going on? Did Yoon A-young kill them all?"
"Weren't there too many monsters for that?"
They knew Yoon A-young was great, but there were too many monsters for her to handle alone. Plus, she had to look after Jeong Yeon-woo, so they expected her to give up quickly and commit suicide, but the entrance remains quiet.
"Who was the last of us to die?"
"Me. Last I saw, there were nine Wood Monsters and twelve of those insect bastards."
"That's definitely too many for Yoon A-young to handle alone."
As Park Se-eun shares what she saw, Jeong I-dam nods, but tilts her head in confusion as to why they haven't come out yet.
"Could it be that Yeon-woo-darling is actually super strong?"
"They say he caught Millionface and Mountain Cat, so maybe... but then why didn't he step in when we were getting beaten?"
At Park Hae-in’s words, Jeong I-dam nods, but they all end up back at the same puzzle.
Just as they are failing to make sense of it, the dungeon entrance begins to ripple like water.
"They're here!"
Since it was a sign that someone was coming out, Jeong I-dam spread her arms wide to welcome Jeong Yeon-woo.
"Everyone’s waiting, I see. Uh... what are you doing?"
Jeong Yeon-woo wasn't spat out by the dungeon; he simply walked out. He looks at Jeong I-dam, who is sitting on the floor with her arms wide open.
As she averts her gaze in embarrassment, Park Se-eun asks instead.
"How... did you not die?"
"I was scared of dying, so I ran back to the entrance. Sorry for making you wait."
Jeong Yeon-woo apologizes with a bright smile.
"..."
It wasn't a situation where one could just run away, yet he says he walked back. Park Se-eun can't wrap her head around it.
Soon after, Yoon A-young emerges with a dark expression. When the party members ask her what happened, she looks at Jeong Yeon-woo and says:
"He killed them all. By himself."
"Really?"
Not just the party members, but even the support team and security guards nearby gape at Jeong Yeon-woo.
However, he only offers a faint smile and gives no further answer.