Chapter 106

“What, why are you only coming now?”

Cho-i Hyeon, covered in monster blood, walked out unharmed from among the scattered corpses. Jihan Kim stared at her with his mouth agape. The others were not much different, especially Yuri Ja’s eyes were shaking greatly. It was Seoyeon Ha who spoke first.

“A-amazing! Did you just fight all of them by yourself?”

“Oh? Yeah. What’s so hard about that?”

Cho-i Hyeon grinned and looked at Yuri Ja.

“Right? You can do that much too.”

“Me, me too…!”

Yuri Ja stepped forward as if provoked, but Jihan Kim quickly stopped her. And he shook his head at Yuri Ja.

“No. You usually can’t do it alone. It’s an S-Rank dungeon. Not an A-Rank dungeon, but an S-Rank dungeon.”

“Haha.”

Cho-i Hyeon laughed loudly, seemingly in a good mood.

“Among other S-Ranks, only someone like Gihyeon Park would be capable of this.”

“Ah, right, he would be too. His output is good, so it’s definitely possible for him.”

Cho-i Hyeon thought of Gihyeon Park. Even if he seemed a bit reckless, if you think about it, he’s the strongest in Korea after Taehyeok Sa. Although his temper is bad, so his guild is only third. Cho-i Hyeon nodded at them.

“Don’t get in my way, just watch. I told you I’d do everything anyway.”

“No, I didn’t think you were serious…”

Jihan Kim said. Jihan Kim was also an S-Rank hunter who didn’t lose to anyone. She was the Guild Master of Geumsin and had two S-Rank hunters, and she was confident that she herself was among the top three hunters in Korea.

‘If she does well, my position might be in danger…’

A being that threatened her position. But instead of being anxious, she found it interesting. A rookie who appeared like a comet. Cho-i Hyeon was the perfect fit for that description.

“Shall I go again, then?”

Cho-i Hyeon said, twirling her sword.

“That’s a dealer’s weapon, isn’t it?”

“It just happened that way.”

“So, a tank that can deal damage?”

“The Entity also just happened that way.”

Cho-i Hyeon shrugged. Jihan Kim couldn’t hide his intrigued expression and said,

“How much would it take for you to join us?”

“I’ve heard that a lot already.”

“Really? But I’m serious. How much would it take? What’s your price?”

“That reminds me of a famous drama from a long time ago.”

Jihan Kim seemed quite impatient. Taehyeok Sa, that lucky bastard. He snatched up such a talent all by himself? Of course, he knew very well that Taehyeok Sa must have offered good terms. But he also had the ability to offer even better terms.

“No, thanks. Anyway, I have something to pay back to Taehyeok Sa.”

“Pay back?”

“Something like that. If you ever hear that Taehyeok Sa died, assume it was me.”

“Hmm.”

Jihan Kim hummed once, as if amused, and then laughed.

“Then if Taehyeok Sa dies, will you come to our guild?”

“Hmm, if you kill Gihyeon Park too, I’ll consider it.”

“What? Someone’s already claimed him?”

“Right?”

“Unexpected. Gihyeon Park. I thought he wouldn’t make such an offer after losing to you. He’s more prideful than he looks.”

“Well, he said he likes women stronger than himself.”

“Ah~.”

Jihan Kim blinked.

“So that’s what it was?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re being courted right now.”

“Is that what it is?”

“The Entity is also from Taehyeok Sa and Gihyeon Park.”

“Well, you could say that.”

“Still interesting.”

Jihan Kim approached Cho-i. He then bent down to meet her eyes.

“Can you accept my courtship too?”

“Uhm, I think I’d have to join a waiting list?”

“What? Hahaha!”

Jihan Kim laughed out loud. Yuri Ja’s expression grew darker and darker, and Cho-i glanced at his face. Ah, so that’s why he kept picking fights with me. Cho-i snorted.

“Anyway, let’s go quickly. I don’t have time.”

Cho-i quickly turned around.

“Why are you in such a hurry?”

“I’m meeting Taehyeok Sa on Saturday.”

Jihan Kim asked with a puzzled expression.

“Then why do you need the Nine Lives of Myoyeong?”

“To give it to Taehyeok Sa.”

“Why would you give that to the guy who seems least likely to die in the world?”

Then Cho-i laughed in response and sprang forward.

“Because I’m going to kill them.”

She pushed off the ground and shot forward. Jihan Kim blinked at the unexpected words.

“That wasn’t a joke?”

“H-how unusual.”

Seoyeon Ha said beside her.

“Unusual, my foot. She’s just an attention-seeker trying to look like a lunatic.”

Jihan Kim admonished Yuri Ja for his clearly twisted attitude.

“Didn’t I tell you to stop picking fights? If you and she fight, you won’t win. Don’t bother her unnecessarily. I don’t want to seriously tangle with her either, you know?”

Then Seoyeon Ha asked in surprise.

“You’re not confident you can win?”

“It’s not that I’m not confident I can win. It’s that I’m not confident I won’t take damage.”

“Oh, I’ve never heard the Guild Master say that before.”

“Well, my opponents are Gihyeon Park or Taehyeok Sa, after all.”

She smiled lightly, looking at the back of Cho-i Hyeon, who was disappearing into the distance.

“We should go too, so we don’t fall behind, right? We have to join up in the boss monster room, don’t we?”

“Yes!”

“Yes…”

And so, the three of them also pushed off the ground, following Cho-i Hyeon. Cho-i Hyeon, running ahead, splattering blood, was more like a tank than a tank. A tank armed with Thorn Armor. Slash- Along the path of her blade, monsters tumbled with whimpering sounds. Cho-i thought. No matter how I look at them, they seem more like dogs, so why is it called Cat Dungeon?

“Go slowly!”

“I told you I’m in a hurry!”

“But you said you couldn’t give me the Nine Lives of Myoyeong!”

“It’s fine! What comes out of the hidden dungeon is mine anyway!”

Cho-i Hyeon cackled and split another monster that charged at her. Red entrails spilled out and scattered on the floor. The monster with its head split was crushed on the floor, and those that bared their teeth at Cho-i Hyeon had their jaws torn and were thrown aside.

“With that kind of output, we might lose in the hidden dungeon?”

“Huh?”

“No way. There are two dealers and one healer here. We can endure to some extent even without a tank. Even if Hunter Cho-i Hyeon is a tank, she can’t endure without a healer.”

Jihan Kim nodded at Seoyeon Ha’s words.

“Theoretically, that’s right. But her.”

Jihan Kim pointed at Cho-i Hyeon, who was leading the way.

“She hasn’t taken any damage since earlier.”

“Oh…?”

The monster’s claws and teeth clearly grazed her, but there was only a scratch on her skin, and her clothes were only slightly torn. Seoyeon Ha blinked as she ran.

“No, how tough is she? Even the Guild Master doesn’t get hurt by most monsters, but he’s still affected by A-Ranks.”

“Right. That’s why it’s strange. Is she really an S-Rank?”

“Honestly, considering her current output, I don’t think she’s an S-Rank.”

“She said she owed Taehyeok Sa something…”

“Did she lose to Guild Leader Sataehyeok?”

“Well, maybe. I don’t know the details.”

The three diligently followed behind her. Cho-i was so fast they couldn’t catch up. Even though the two S-Ranks were matching their speed to some extent for A-Rank Seoyeon Ha, it was still fast. Jihan Kim etched her retreating figure into his mind.

‘I might lose.’

If her skill became known, his rank would surely drop. From within the top three to within the top five. He could see why Taehyeok Sa cherished her so much.

‘And Paehyeok’s value will skyrocket. It will become a guild with two hunters ranked among Korea’s top three.’

How much time passed like that? They finally reached the boss monster room. No, it would be more accurate to say they had already reached it. Since she had taken down all the A-Rank monsters charging at them, the people behind had nothing to do but run. Only SS-Rank Taehyeok Sa could take down A-Rank monsters so quickly and easily. Jihan Kim thought, ‘That doesn’t seem like an S-Rank either.’

“Hoo-eup.”

Cho-i Hyeon stretched once in the boss monster room. She saw the three people running up from behind. Cho-i Hyeon looked at them and then swiftly entered the boss monster room.

“Ah!”

“Look at her!”

“Is she crazy?”

Even if one could defeat A-Rank monsters all at once, S-Rank was difficult. Unless one was truly SS-Rank, fighting an S-Rank monster one-on-one was dangerous. There was a reason they were S-Rank. The boss monster was Nine-Tailed Myoyeong. It looked like a nine-tailed fox. Oh, right, a fox is a canid, not a felid. Cho-i Hyeon approached the Entity.

‘Let’s eat.’ ‘Oh, really? Why are you popping out again? You weren’t interested in the S-Rank hunter over there.’ ‘It has no value as prey.’ ‘Ah, so you only prefer those S-Ranks who have crossed a certain line? You’ve lowered your standards a lot, haven’t you? You used to say Taehyeok Sa was weak.’ ‘I can’t starve to death.’ ‘Wow, when you put it like that, it’s really funny.’

Cho-i Hyeon spun her sword once and charged at the boss monster. She thought she heard something behind her, but she didn’t pay much attention to it. Because. Awooooo- The nine-tailed monster lunged at her. And Cho-i Hyeon put strength into her arm. Muscles could be seen twitching beneath her clothes.

“Can I do it in one blow?”

“Of course.”

Swoosh- Her sword instantly split the monster in half. Even its tough teeth and blade-like fur were useless before Cho-i Hyeon, who was empowered by the Entity. The monster’s blood gushed out like a fountain. Whoosh- Thud! The body, split in half, fell to the floor, and the blood that had gushed out like a fountain began to pour down like rain. The three people who had just arrived could only stare blankly at the sight.

“This… does it make sense?”

Jihan Kim said, his eyes wide. Then Cho-i Hyeon turned around, made a V-sign with her fingers, and smiled. She looked like a madwoman, laughing while soaked in blood pouring down like rain, but Jihan Kim also laughed. Out of sheer disbelief.