Chapter 24: The Party's Misunderstandings Begin
As soon as we passed through the gate, a pungent, metallic stench of blood stabbed at my nose. The C-class dungeon, Crimson Nest.
The air in this place—its very name enough to turn stomachs—was on another level entirely from the E-class or D-class dungeons I'd braved before. Every inhale felt like jagged sand grinding into my lungs, and a thin, cloying film of blood-tang coated the back of my throat.
"Huff... huff..."
I wanted nothing more than to crumple right there, legs buckling, but I clung desperately to my backpack strap. Ahead of me, four veteran C-class hunters from the Hunter Management Bureau stood in tight formation—the Steel Escort party that had bowed ninety degrees to me just outside the gate.
The tanker, hefting his massive shield, shot a tense glance my way.
Thick beads of cold sweat dotted his forehead, defying the dungeon's chill.
"U-um, let me take the luggage. That's my job, after all..."
I stammered in a voice thin as a mosquito's buzz, reaching for the party's shared gear bag.
It felt too conspicuous to stand there empty-handed when I'd been brought on as the porter.
But before my fingers grazed the handle, the burly tanker panicked and threw himself in my path.
"No! Absolutely not!"
"Huh? But I'm just an F-class porter..."
"F-class? Haha, come on, sir."
The tanker forced a laugh, dropping his voice to a hush.
He scanned our surroundings for monsters, then leaned in to whisper conspiratorially.
"Truth be told, when we got the backup roster from the Bureau, we thought the brass had gone mad. An F-class porter for a C-class dungeon escort?"
His eyes darted cautiously to the shimmering air around me.
"But after that crushing killing intent you radiated at the gate... the whole party got it. You're the type who hides their power. Someone who erases their presence completely to dodge the hunter world's headaches."
"No! I'm really F-class! The Bureau's gauge confirmed it!"
I jumped in protest, injustice burning hot enough to bring tears.
Hide my power? What power? I'm the guy scraping by on cup ramen because my bank account's bone-dry.
But their reaction to my frantic denial was priceless.
The female healer behind us clasped her hands in reverence, nodding like she'd glimpsed divinity.
"We understand. Our lips are sealed. Your secret's safe."
As she spoke, the mage clenched his staff and muttered low.
"The pressure at the gate said it all."
"We won't be any needless variables."
The healer held her breath, flinching at my slightest twitch.
The tanker bowed first; the mage joined a beat later.
The healer glanced between them, then nodded too.
The misunderstanding spread like a virus, plain as day.
I gripped the strap harder.
My palms slicked with sweat.
The dungeon's reality hit me anew—terrifying.
This was madness.
My pleas of being true F-class rang hollow here, weaker than ever.
"Please... just believe me...?"
As I cradled my face in despair, the blue window in my peripheral vision erupted in a frenzy of scrolling.
Current Viewers: 19,450
Viewers burst out laughing at your shameless acting skills.
The gleeful brainrot from over nineteen thousand viewers flooded my vision. Their conviction and hype weighed down the air behind me like lead.
Whummm—! The dungeon's murky atmosphere sank heavily around me, crushing everything in all directions.
"Guh...!"
The tanker staggered under the gear bag, knees buckling.
The healer, face ashen, frantically cast a protective buff on herself.
They all figured I'd silenced them on purpose.
"S-sorry! How dare we speak of your profound intent!"
The tanker yelled, sweat pouring.
"From now on, we won't breathe a word about your true nature in this dungeon! We'll treat you just as a porter—as ordered! No, not treat... we'll serve you!"
"No, don't serve me—just leave me alone...!"
I backpedaled, voice half-sobbing.
Words weren't getting through; resignation was all that remained.
No matter how much I wailed here, they'd spin it as the whims of a transcendent being.
In the end, we pushed forward in this warped formation. Porters are supposed to trail at the rear, dodging monster aggro.
But this deranged veteran squad slotted me dead center. C-class hunters ringed me front, back, left, right—like full VIP escort.
"Three Blood Wolves approaching from the front!"
The mage's warning sent the party into seamless motion.
Terror glued my eyes shut; I huddled, arms over my head.
"Eek!"
My panicked squeak unleashed a tidal wave of viewer zeal. The air plummeted at my unwitting command.
The low-level Blood Wolves at the dungeon's mouth didn't charge—they crumpled under invisible pressure, legs tangling as they tumbled. Yelp! Grrk! They convulsed in foam, never breaching ten meters.
Slash! Thud!
The party butchered the helpless beasts with ease.
"As expected of Minsu-nim! You locked down the front perfectly!"
The tanker shook blood from his shield, face alight with awe.
"We just had to swing. Posing as porter while binding their legs from afar... incredible."
"No, I really did nothing! I just crouched from fear!"
"Hahaha! Yes, yes."
"Got it. We'll log it as 'crouched out of fear.'"
"Staying humble to the end."
This was driving me insane.
I pressed my forehead, sighing deeply.
In their eyes, even a trip was tactical genius.
The healer eyed my breaths; the mage checked mana flows whenever I paused.
Standing still earned explanations. A cough had the tanker tightening his shield strap.
To them, I was less human, more natural disaster.
Caught in that vicious misunderstanding vortex, we carved through the early dungeon like a hot knife.
Current Viewers: 27,800
Current Viewers: 29,140
The blue window's numbers rocketed toward thirty thousand.
As viewers swelled, the air's weight on me grew denser, icier.
Pressure beyond C-class seeped inward with my breaths.
"...Minsu-nim. This is where it gets real."
The lead tanker halted, readjusting his shield with a grim voice.
His tone froze the party's banter in an instant.
A massive entrance to the mid-dungeon loomed before me: a grotesque, dark-red forest of blood-soaked trees tangled thick.
No light pierced that eerie thicket; the mana wafting from it was murkier, deadlier than anything prior—like the air alone had rotted. Fishy reek clung to my tongue.
My fingertips numbed.
"We have to cross that forest to reach the boss room."
The healer swallowed dryly, pressing close.
A horrific chill raced up my spine; I shuddered. Scary.
Real monsters lurked there—ones that'd shred an F-class like me on eye contact.
Current Viewers: 30,102
Viewership has surpassed 30,000. Observation density increases by one level.
That instant, a mechanical chime rang in my ears as the blue glow exploded outward.
Thirty thousand gazes.
Their colossal madness lashed mercilessly across the entire forest zone.
Shhhhaaa—.
The blood-red leaves, rustling in the wind, froze mid-motion—like a lie.
Eerie silence swallowed the woods.