Snowy Camp and Approaching Shadows
The sound of footsteps grew louder, and the creatures' forms began to take shape in the snow. Whoosh! The trio drew their swords in unison. —Chik, chik.
"Whew— They look pretty twisted," came a snicker from the trio even in the middle of it all. Their first real fight against monsters, yet none of them looked particularly tense.
"Han Ga-eul, smoking in the middle of a fight…"
Thud! Shoving aside the bare winter branches, the creature that emerged was a hulking muscle monster wearing the shape of a beast. It stood around 180 cm tall. Not as massive as the monster they'd seen on the first day, but those forearms were the size of a human head.
"Those Loider bastards. How much steroid did they pump into this thing?"
Its skin wasn't green—it was a pale, icy blue. Clearly not human by any stretch. "Ice Orc. I saw it in the monster encyclopedia," Kim Chan-yong said.
"Who the hell named it? Talk about lazy."
"Probably the first hunter who found one."
"Haha."
"Focus."
Only one had shown up so far, so they could gauge its strength through actual combat. The trio lowered their stances, ready to spring forward at any moment.
"Ice Orcs have thicker, tougher skin than regular orcs. Everyone stay sharp," Kim Chan-yong warned. They all nodded, sharpening their focus.
"Here it comes."
The Ice Orc, which had been scanning its surroundings, locked eyes with them.
—KRRRAAAAGH!!
Just from the way it roared, its intelligence seemed severely lacking. Click.
—BANG!
A deafening gunshot rang out, making their ears ring as clumps of snow tumbled from the branches above. Thud! Thick blue blood oozed from the creature's skin. They hadn't expected firearms to work on monsters, but this one was still low-level enough for bullets to bite.
—GRRAAAAGH!
The trio, startled by the sudden shot, quickly refocused on the front.
Summons a thunder sphere. Skill level increases with repeated purchases.
[Price: 60,000,000 won]
The crackling ball of electricity shot forward and was sucked straight into the Ice Orc's roaring mouth.
—GGRRKK!
The Ice Orc flung its axe to the ground and thrashed violently.
"It dropped its weapon. Trio, move in."
Tat! The moment the words left her mouth, the trio shot forward like arrows. They reached the orc in an instant and began slashing. Their sword paths didn't overlap much—they hadn't practiced enough together in the cave. Every swing sent red blood spraying across the white snow.
—GRRAAAAGH!
Ignoring its wounds, the orc snatched up its axe again and swung wildly at the trio. BOOM! Snow flew everywhere as the ground caved in deeply. Taking even one hit from that would split a person in half. Luckily, the wide swing gave Shin Yong an opening to its back.
Slash! His blade grazed the back of the orc's neck, and it finally collapsed.
"Everyone, gather up."
The trio, still on high alert, finally regrouped. Their first life-or-death battle left them all breathing hard.
"Good work, everyone. Anyone hurt?"
"I'm fine."
"Me too."
"Same."
Kim Chan-yong, the last to answer, had a fresh scratch on his face. From the shape of it, it wasn't from the axe—it looked like a rock kicked up by the orc's swing had grazed him.
Han Ga-eul reached toward his face. He flinched.
"Heal."
She said it out loud on purpose—for party communication. If they didn't build the habit now, someone could end up seriously injured in the chaos of a real fight.
"All better now."
"Thanks, Ga-eul."
Kim Chan-yong touched his face and grinned. Even with those sharp eyes, his smile suited him well.
"That was easier than I expected for an orc. Orcs are supposed to be newbie-killers."
"This is an extermination quest, right? How many are usually in an E-rank dungeon?"
"Depends on the dungeon, but usually no more than twenty or so."
It didn't sound like much, but in this world, that was a significant number. This wasn't a game where you could mow down hundreds at once—you had to pour focus into every single fight.
While they were discussing with the trio after the battle, Bong Sang-hoon, who had been watching from the side, approached.
"Sorry, but this isn't an E-rank dungeon. It looks more like D-rank… or even C-rank."
"You guys prepared this place. What are you talking about?"
"My apologies. I have no excuse."
"Skip the apology. Explain."
Bong Sang-hoon, who had been keeping his guard up, suddenly bowed his head.
"An E-rank dungeon would never produce this kind of environment."
"Didn't you check the difficulty beforehand?"
"Of course we did. We consulted renowned scholars. The monsters were supposed to be orcs, and the gate's color was measured."
"And?"
Steam kept rising from the trio's mouths. What Bong Sang-hoon was saying didn't match what they were seeing.
"I was going to intervene right away, but you were handling it so well that I kept watching. And… Ice Orcs have never appeared in an E-rank dungeon before."
"Then why is this happening?"
Bong Sang-hoon closed his mouth.
"You don't know?"
He nodded and bowed again. His expression showed guilt, but there was no immediate sense of danger. To the five hunters who had rushed in to protect them, whether it was E-rank or C-rank made little difference.
"Ice Orcs are classified as D-rank. But the environment here is clearly C-rank or higher. This is an abnormal situation."
Finishing his words, Bong Sang-hoon stared straight at Han Ga-eul. He was asking whether they would continue or leave it to him.
"You're saying this is beyond a normal dungeon variable?"
"Yes. You've heard it plenty—dungeons are full of variables. Even so, they're reported and databased. A mismatch this severe between monsters and environment is a first."
—Chik, chik.
"Whew—"
After taking down just one, it didn't seem too difficult.
"Kids, what do you want to do?"
"It's not some complicated maze dungeon. It's an open-field extermination, isn't it?"
At Shin Yong's words, the other two nodded. It wasn't exactly open field—they were on a mountainside—but the bare trees didn't block the view much.
"If the monsters are only D-rank, we can just hunt them one by one, slowly."
Successfully taking one down had boosted their confidence.
Thud! When she opened her inventory and pulled something out, everyone's eyes dropped to the ground.
"You three set this up. Just pump air into it."
"A tent? You really carry everything."
"Already planning to rest?"
"You guys were running around without managing your stamina. Just because it's cold doesn't mean you're not sweating. Hurry up before you turn into popsicles."
She hadn't expected the tent she'd bought from the old man at the rundown tool shop to come in handy here.
"It's huge."
"It's a 12-person expedition tent. Air tent, so you just inflate it."
Once set up, she could store it in her inventory as-is and take it out whenever.
"I know how to do it."
Surprisingly, it was Shin Yong who stepped forward first.
"You like camping?"
"I do."
It was an unexpected hobby for someone who always looked so blunt. Still, he wasn't just talking—he started clearing sharp branches and rocks to level the ground before pitching the tent.
—Grgrrk.
While he worked, she pulled another item from her inventory, drawing everyone's attention again.
"Ga-eul, what's that?"
"Industrial generator."
"……I have no words."
The noisy thing she dragged out was the industrial generator Ma Wook had gotten for her. A soundproof, high-capacity model worth twenty million won, no less.
Click. She turned the key, and after a short vibration, it entered preheat mode. Next came frequency and voltage. Set to 60Hz and 220V—perfect.
Glug glug glug. While she poured fuel into the generator according to the manual, the tent team was in chaos.
"It's collapsing, hold it!"
"I'm the leader. Follow my orders."
"Yong, grab that side."
They looked like they were on a camping trip with friends. The Silver Wing team watched them in disbelief.
"Ga-eul, tent's up."
"Good work. Now take the power cord and connect it to the heater."
She showed them the cord from the generator, and Noah came over to take it.
"Yong, go gather some firewood."
The moment she finished speaking, the two who had turned to leave suddenly glared at each other.
"What? I'm the real Yong here."
"I'm Chan-yong too, you know?"
They bickered over the silliest things.
"Baek Seol, go play before it gets warm inside."
"Fun!"
The moment she finished, Baek Seol hopped into the snow and disappeared.
—Chik, chik.
"Whew—"
They'd come to hunt monsters, but somehow it had turned into a camping vibe. Everyone looked excited—except the Silver Wing team.
After some time, they all gathered again, having finished their tasks.
"Ga-eul, it's nice and warm inside the tent."
"Great. I'll cook something delicious now. Let's fill our stomachs and go smash some orc heads."
"Kya, that's our supporter for you."
"Mm."
"Haha."
As the trio rushed into the tent, she felt eyes on her back.
"What are you staring at? You guys come in too."
"……Are you out of your mind? I tried not to interfere with the cadets as much as possible, but this is going too far."
"What's going too far?"
"Setting up a campsite inside a dungeon? Without us, you'd all be monster food before you knew it."
"I don't think so. Right, Baek Seol?"
Hearing her name, Baek Seol poked her head out of a snow pile.
"Yeah!"
"Come here. Let's go eat something tasty."
"Okay!"
Even as she carried Baek Seol into the tent, the stares burned into the back of her head.
"You staying out there?"
"……"
"Stubborn. Come in if you change your mind later."
"……Team Leader Bong."
"What."
"Done with the brooding?"
A sigh escaped Bong Sang-hoon's lips.
"Haa…… What's the point? They don't even listen."
"But… can't we go in too?"
His subordinate's ridiculous question made Bong Sang-hoon's brow furrow.
"Stop talking nonsense. The dungeon situation is twisted. Split into pairs and fan out. Gather as much information as possible."
"What about the last one?"
"Someone has to watch this place. Why are you even asking?"
『Kkyaruk, kkyaruruk』
His subordinate's dazed gaze drifted toward the tent.
"Team Leader Bong, just a little…"
"Move."
Even B-rank hunters were still human—they felt the cold. Bong Sang-hoon's own feet didn't want to leave either. Yet what bothered him more than the cold was how casually a mere cadet like Han Ga-eul was using what looked like an inventory space.
Bong Sang-hoon was starting to understand a little of what Yoo Bit-na had said.
—Chik, chik.
"Whew— What the…"
When she stepped out to smoke, there was no presence at all. Unless they'd sulked off home, the Silver Wing guild members should have been there.
"Baek Seol, anyone nearby?"
"Over there!"
"Not the tent. Somewhere else."
Baek Seol tilted her head, ears twitching.
"None!"
Something must have happened.
