Chapter 19

Cho-i also didn’t want to engage in meaningless predation anymore. So, all five teammates gathered and entered the practice room, starting to practice with more Suui Dummies. When Cho-i focused on tanking with minimal attacks, the party ran incredibly smoothly. Everyone seemed satisfied, and after practice, they gave Cho-i a thumbs up.

“You said you were good at tanking, and you really are.”

“Exactly. I was a little worried earlier, but it seems it was just my unfounded fear.”

If a tank doesn’t protect the party members and runs wild, that party is doomed, no matter what the tank does. And the practice just now completely washed away those worries.

“You’ll come practice again tomorrow, right?”

“Of course. We have to try our best to get in sync.”

“Then shall we meet here again tomorrow at 10 AM?”

“Sounds good.”

After everyone made their promise, they parted ways. Cho-i was the only one who felt a sense of emptiness and dissatisfaction. As soon as she returned to Nara’s house, she pulled the blankets over her head. She felt irritated, as if something she wanted hadn’t been achieved, and her body kept tensing up, making it quite difficult to relax.

“What’s wrong? Are you not feeling well?”

“I want to go into a dungeon.”

“Since when did you like dungeons so much? You used to turn pale at the mention of going into a dungeon.”

“I don’t know either. I guess fighting the Mantises was quite enjoyable.”

“Don’t talk nonsense. Sometimes when I see you losing your mind, it makes my blood run cold too.”

Nara then asked,

“More importantly, who is watching us? Who do you think it is?”

Cho-i, with the blanket over her head, answered casually,

“Yeonsu Nam.”

“Why?”

“Because she’s a healer.”

“Is that all?”

“Yes, because it’s a position where she can see everyone from the very back.”

“Ah, that’s true.”

“Do you have anyone else in mind?”

“I think Mr. Hoyeon Kim. Looking at how he practices, it doesn’t seem like he’s only been in a dungeon a few times.”

“Right, it could be him too.”

She sounded completely uninterested. Nara patted Cho-i, who was under the blanket, a few times, then went to the kitchen, saying she would prepare dinner. Cho-i closed her eyes under the blanket, like a caterpillar sleeping in a cocoon.

* * *

The next day, Cho-i also finished that day’s practice without incident. However, everyone worried when Cho-i’s expression was not good, just like the day before.

“S-she’s on her period!”

And Nara took care of it. Yeonsu Nam, being a woman, nodded, saying that it was completely understandable. The two men quietly shut their mouths. It’s best not to comment on things you don’t know much about. As training ended late that afternoon, Hoyeon Kim suddenly said,

“Shouldn’t Cho-i buy new items? She’s so good that she might not need them, but honestly, she should at least have items appropriate for her rank.”

“Ah, I was about to say the same thing.”

When Hoyeon Kim and Maru Dan spoke, the atmosphere immediately shifted in that direction. Yeonsu Nam, the healer, also nodded.

“If you use items appropriate for your rank, you can be even more efficient. I’m actually looking forward to it.”

“Oh, so are we going shopping?”

Hoyeon Kim asked, sounding pleased. Nara Shim looked at Cho-i, and Cho-i nodded with an expression that conveyed she was still uninterested but would do it if she had to.

“Then, shall we go?”

“Great! There’s a department store exclusively for hunters nearby, so let’s go there!”

“Sounds good!”

Cho-i’s bank account currently held about two hundred million won. It wouldn’t be difficult to get C-Rank gear with that.

Upon arriving at the hunter-exclusive department store, a doorman opened the door for them. Unlike regular department stores, every shop in the hunter-exclusive department store was decorated like a boutique. The YH Department Store and Yuhan Department Store, adjacent to the Paehyeok Guild, sold only C-Rank items and above. C-Rank items were on the first floor, and the higher they went, the higher the grade of the items. The top floor was exclusively for VIPs, making it impossible to enter without permission.

“This is my first time here.”

“Mine too.”

“Wow…”

Everyone, with a slight sense of excitement, began to explore the department store. Now that dungeons were opening and the number of awakened hunters was increasing, items had also developed a kind of brand. The Yuhan Department Store, in particular, had a direct deal with Paehyeok and was selling items provided by Paehyeok.

“Oh, I think those are items from Paehyeok!”

People naturally entered the boutique selling items provided by Paehyeok. The items had the letters P.H. hand-carved by a craftsman. Cho-i found the entity a bit tacky and frowned, but everyone else was busy looking around.

“Hunter, what items do you need?”

Just then, a boutique employee approached and asked. Yeonsu Nam immediately replied,

“I need a C-Rank shield and a sword. They’re for a tank, and I’ll be using them for the Paehyeok Guild entrance trial.”

“Ah, you’re applicants. Please stand here, and I’ll pick out a few things for you. Could you wait a moment?”

“Yes.”

As the five of them sat huddled together, it felt like they were on a picnic. After about 10 minutes, the employee returned with three or four display items and placed them on a glass display case.

“Two C-Rank shields, two C-Rank swords. Who will be using them?”

People gestured to Cho-i. The employee smiled naturally and picked up a shield.

“As you can see, this red shield increases defense and health by 5% each, and its red color provides an 8% aggro correction rate when using aggro skills.”

The employee was very professional. Cho-i felt like they were listening to her explain the items one by one, but then they snapped out of it and realized they had already paid for one sword and one shield and put them in their inventory.

“Here’s a low-grade health potion. Use it on your way.”

“Th-thank you.”

Another guild member replied.

“Uh, I feel like I was enchanted.”

They came out with their items. It was their first time entering such a department store, and they were still bewildered.

“Wow, this is my first time in this department store, and they’re incredibly kind.”

“Right? It’s probably why they have a direct contract with Paehyeok.”

“Because of their reputation, it felt a little expensive.”

“Still, I wonder if there are any bonus points. Oh, that friend bought an item from Yuhan. 10 bonus points!”

Everyone laughed at that. But Cho-i blinked, looking at their inventory. They gazed at the C+ Rank shield and sword they had for the first time. They blinked again. It felt strange. It was like having something completely their own for the first time. Entirely bought by them, entirely theirs. Cho-i smiled so wide their mouth nearly split. Their steps were light.

“Then, shall we have dinner and part ways today?”

“Sounds good!”

It’s a problem when people are too nice. Cho-i found it bothersome but was even more bothered by the thought of going home alone, so they joined in. They decided to go to a nearby pork belly restaurant for dinner. Someone wanted to order alcohol, but since tomorrow was the trial day, everyone’s dissuasions prevailed, and it was called off.

After finishing their meal, they each returned home. However, one person, instead of going home, headed back to Paehyeok. That person scanned their hunter registration card and went up to the 79th floor. At the front desk on the 79th floor, they contacted the S-Rank hunter on the 80th floor. Soon, Yeonhan and Dongju came down from the 80th floor. Yeonhan sprawled on the window-side sofa, while Dongju Kim stood beside her, legs crossed.

“So, how was it?”

When she asked, the one who came to Paehyeok, healer Yeonsu Nam, smiled and said,

“Today’s practice wasn’t bad. The tanking and buffs were stable. It’s clear they’ve been in parties where they didn’t quite mesh. I could see them trying to anticipate and react to any sudden situations.”

“So, not bad?”

“It’s beyond just ‘not bad.’ And if I may ask, is that tank really C-Rank? Their strength stat seems excessively high.”

“Ahahaha.”

Dongju and Yeonhan just laughed it off. Yeonsu Nam, a Guild Member of Paehyeok and a B-Rank healer, sighed.

“I understand why you, Lady Dongju and Lady Yeonhan, are so keen on her, but how long will it take to raise a C-Rank and use her? There are so many A-Rank tanks already in Paehyeok.”

“No, I don’t want to. I like her.”

Yeonhan cut her off with a smile. Yeonsu Nam narrowed her eyes and looked at her. It seemed like there was more to it. At first, Yeonsu Nam didn’t think Cho-i was C-Rank. But today, after seeing her spend a considerable amount of money on C-Rank items, she changed her mind. Seeing her buy items for such a price, despite not seeming to have much money, made her think she was probably around C Plus grade. In fact, it was a huge misunderstanding, but there was no one to correct it.

“Then I’ll keep a close eye on her from now on.”

“Alright, I’m counting on you.”

“And don’t ask me for favors like this again. In the dungeon, I’ll only be working as a judge.”

“They’ll manage well on their own. So I don’t expect anything more than that.”

Even if Nara Shim was C-Rank, as long as Cho-i Hyeon was A-Rank, there wouldn’t be much danger in the dungeon. There was only one problem: being A-Rank itself. If that got out, they’d be screwed. They were uneasy, but decided to trust Cho-i. Surely she had some sense, no matter what… didn’t she?

* * *

Thus, the morning of the trial day dawned. Since the trial started at 10 AM, everyone gathered around 9:30 AM to formulate their final strategy. However, since this party didn’t really have a ‘brain,’ only simple strategies like “maintain formation well, block well, and hit well!” were exchanged.

‘Can you even call this a strategy?’

Yeonsu Nam looked at the party members with a strange expression. But considering this team’s abilities, just sticking to that would probably allow them to pass the trial with above-average results. Instead of sighing, Yeonsu Nam smiled and said,

“Work hard!”

“Alright!”

“Shall we do a cheer?”

Hoyeon Kim said. Cho-i immediately made a reluctant face, but Nara Shim forcibly pulled her hand and placed it at the bottom.

“Alright, let’s go!”

“Let’s go!”

The party’s atmosphere wasn’t bad. It was a great stroke of luck.