Chapter 35
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: White Shadow's Wetland (3)
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"My parents passed away when I was little. I lived in an orphanage all that time, graduated high school, went independent, and I've been living alone ever since. Haven't seen any relatives since the funeral, and it's been years since I last heard from them."
Sin Ju-yeon's face flushed bright red, and it sure as hell wasn't from the campfire. Why get all cheerful over something like that?
"...S-Sorry."
Finally coming to her senses, Sin Ju-yeon bowed her head and apologized in a tiny, creeping voice.
She kept stealing glances at me but couldn't quite meet my eyes—like a puppy that had gotten into mischief... though she was way too big to be called a puppy. Hmm.
Anyway, she seemed overly conscious of me, so I replied in a deliberately light tone.
"Why are you sorry? It's not exactly unusual these days."
"These days...? Were your parents Hunters?"
"Yeah. They got into an accident while clearing a dungeon. Dad was in a coma right up until he passed, but Mom was conscious at least. None of the relatives wanted to take me in, so straight to the orphanage."
"...What?"
For some reason, Sin Ju-yeon's voice dropped cold. She snapped her head up and stared at me, her brows slightly furrowed.
"It's not that common, but it's not rare either, right?"
"Well, sure..."
"There were a couple other kids at the orphanage in the same boat as me."
Actually, this wasn't the first time I'd opened up about it to Sin Ju-yeon. Life throws situations at you where you have to explain your family situation.
That said, it was the first time telling someone I actually knew. I didn't want to make things awkward after we'd just gotten a bit closer, or earn any unwanted pity.
'Well, we're still at a good distance with her.'
From our chats over the past few days, I'd pegged Sin Ju-yeon as incredibly upright.
Polite, no prejudices, good at drawing lines. Above all, she was skilled at creating an atmosphere that didn't burden the people around her.
Her words and actions seemed calm, but her personality was surprisingly lively. I'd never thought those two could coexist until I met her.
"So you left the orphanage when you graduated high school?"
"Huh? Yeah."
"And you've been living alone and working since then?"
"Yep. Got some graduation support money from the orphanage, barely scraped together enough for a room. Moved since then, though."
"...I see."
"Why?"
"Nothing."
Sin Ju-yeon's expression grew a bit stranger, but I let it slide.
For me, her matter-of-fact reaction was way more comfortable than clumsy comfort or encouragement. That last question felt like pure curiosity more than anything emotional.
"Should we wake up around sunrise tomorrow?"
"Earlier than that."
Steering the conversation smoothly, Sin Ju-yeon poked at the firewood with a stick as she answered.
"Lizardmen start moving right before dawn. They seek out spots where light hits well to warm up as the sun rises."
"Guess that means up an hour before sunrise."
"Better hustle thirty minutes earlier. Gotta eat, pack up here, then move."
"Got it."
The biggest perk of this dungeon: no need for scouting or night watch. As long as we timed our wake-up right like she said, no risk of getting jumped in our sleep.
"River water's pretty clean, so wash up before bed. I'll keep watch."
"You?"
"I didn't walk much today. I'll just wipe down with a wet cloth and wash my hands and feet later."
My body felt grimy from rolling around all day anyway.
Forget sweat and dirt—even the faint fishy stench from lizardman blood kept assaulting my nose.
"River's kinda cold, though. You sure it's okay?"
"If you catch a cold from that, you should quit being a Hunter."
Sin Ju-yeon chuckled and tossed out a joke. Fair point—with stamina over a thousand, collapsing from a cold shower wouldn't exactly scream Hunter material.
"Alright, be right back."
Just to be safe, I grabbed my spear and stood. Sin Ju-yeon softly called my name.
"Lee Seong-han."
"Yeah?"
"You did great today. Hard to believe you're a newbie."
Somehow that felt embarrassing. Was it because we were the same age? Or because a veteran acknowledged me?
"...Thanks!"
I shot back the reply and bolted to the riverbank. A soft giggle echoed from Sin Ju-yeon behind me.
My first night inside the dungeon wasn't as uncomfortable as I'd thought.
We'd brought a four-person tent on purpose, so there was plenty of space inside. Using our own sleeping bags meant no awkward body contact with Sin Ju-yeon while sleeping.
I'd figured waking up in the same space as an adult man and woman might feel weird, but she brushed it off like it was nothing.
"On open dungeon hunts, twenty people share meals and sleep for over a week? You see all kinds of stuff."
"Like what?"
"Everyone's filthy from not washing properly—reeking of every stench imaginable, looking ragged. Spot a river or lake, and guys and girls alike dive in to scrub off. I've seen plenty of guys' dicks."
"Pfft!"
Shit, I spat out the water I'd been drinking.
I stared at her in shock, and she just giggled away.
"Why so surprised?"
"...Dungeons are wilder than I thought."
"You're risking your life in there—does a little nudity matter? No time to modestly cover up. If you've got time to peep, fix yourself up first."
"Fair enough..."
Guess etiquette's just superfluous decoration when survival's on the line. New knowledge gained.
"Of course, that's not super common, but anyway—don't sweat it. Getting awkward over stuff like this makes Hunter life tough."
"Kinda embarrassing question, but... no sex scandals or crimes in dungeons?"
"Dungeon sex crimes get summary execution, right up there with murder and item theft. Major party disruption."
"What if it's consensual?"
"Overdoing the affection's frowned upon unspoken rule. We're not here to fool around. Nothing more annoying than trying to rest while someone's getting frisky next to you. Especially when stress is already sky-high."
Made sense on the surface, but summary execution for sex crimes was a surprise. Harsher penalties than expected.
Catching my confusion, Sin Ju-yeon added a bit more.
"Most sex crimes happen through coercion... like using party hierarchy or level gaps to pressure someone. Fun fact: women assaulting men happens pretty often too."
"Lord have mercy."
Not impossible. Hell, even I couldn't overpower Sin Ju-yeon with brute strength without status window copying.
'If she jumped me, I'd say thanks.'
Man, we were diving into sensitive topics right from the start. Sin Ju-yeon really was so carefree.
"Let's move before the sun's fully up. Detection good?"
"Got the direction locked... range is narrow, but shouldn't hinder movement much."
Daytime, it reached 20 to 30 meters no problem, but pre-dawn, it barely hit 10.
'If there were no visibility limits, it'd be a total cheat skill.'
Not just Scan—all my skills were like that. Except Copy, they had no resource cost but tons of restrictions.
Easy to use, but performance was nerfed, you could say.
Might as well burn mana for better output. Weird that only Copy can level up too.
'Come to think of it, other people's skills didn't have levels either.'
The sudden thought made me glance at Sin Ju-yeon. Hope this question doesn't sound weird.
"Ju-yeon."
"Y-Yeah?"
Whoa, why so startled? I stared blankly, and she cleared her throat before asking.
"What?"
"Any way to enhance skill performance?"
"Skill enhancement?"
I'd tossed it out without much hope, but her answer surprised me.
"Passive skills apply constantly, so they rank up automatically with diligent leveling. Actives? Just use 'em a ton. Skills boosted by stats get indirect buffs too."
"Huh?"
What? Skills have ranks?
"You didn't know? Makes sense—not at that level yet. I didn't experience it till after 30."
"R-Really?"
"Some Hunters get special treatment right at awakening. Snag a B-rank or higher skill from the start, and you save years compared to others."
That only raised more questions. Neither my skills nor copied status windows ever showed skill ranks.
'Stats including vitality was suspicious from the start... what am I?'
Copy having its own level was one thing; other skills not even showing ranks was another.
"Time to really move."
"...I'll take point."
Her subtle urging made me shelve the complicated thoughts.
'Skill mysteries can wait.'
Focus on clearing the dungeon now.
We'd been battling lizardmen and pushing through the forest for hours.
At this rate, we'd hit the boss area around lunchtime.
Luckily—or not—the fog thinned the deeper we went. Unlike yesterday, visibility stretched to about 40 meters, making navigation easier.
'Huh...?'
Mid-progress, Scan pinged something odd.
A cave exists 30 meters ahead.