Chapter 124

Exactly three days later, after exchanging a simple contract with Paehyeok, Taeyang Kang was quite excited inside. This was due to the fact that he could enter a dungeon with Cho-i Hyeon and that Cho-i Hyeon, who had nothing particular to do, had stayed by his side for several days.

“Hey, what do you want for lunch today?”

“I don’t know?”

Taeyang Kang, still with a fluttering heart, answered curtly today. Taeyang Kang was very conscious of his tone, but Cho-i Hyeon didn’t seem to care much, cackling as she made the juvenile monster do a cheer.

“Let’s go to a Korean restaurant. I’ve been eating Western food all the time lately, so I’m craving rice.”

“…Okay.”

I like you! Taeyang Kang wanted to shout that, but he suppressed himself as much as possible. He didn’t want to be branded as a weird pervert by Cho-i Hyeon. While Taeyang Kang was suppressing himself with superhuman strength, Cho-i Hyeon was holding the juvenile monster in one arm and contacting Taehyeok Sa with the other hand.

[You’re ready for the dungeons?] [Yes, I’ll send a pickup car to the hotel.] [Where are they?] [Blizzard’s Noon, Ice Cliff, Icicle Castle. Three of them, B-rank, B-rank, and A-rank, respectively.] [Anyway, whoever names the dungeons always makes them so grand.]

Cho-i jumped up from her seat and began to get ready to leave. Taeyang Kang pondered over Cho-i Hyeon for a moment, and when he looked up, she gestured to him.

“Let’s go, the pickup car is coming.”

“Already?”

“Paehyeok is fast at getting things done.”

“So…”

The article was released so quickly. Just the day before, he recalled Huntred, which had been buzzing with articles about Paehyeok’s recruitment of Taeyang Kang. He wondered what was going on since the contract hadn’t even been signed yet, but it wasn’t that the Korean reporters were fast; it was Paehyeok who was fast. He released the article before the contract was even signed to prevent any backing out.

“Anyway, he’s like a fox…”

“Well, I’ll admit that. Let’s go!”

Taeyang Kang and Cho-i Hyeon went down to the hotel lobby. Paehyeok’s guild car was already there, waiting for them. Cho-i Hyeon naturally handed her pet to the gloved guild member and got into the car. It wasn’t yet time to take it into the dungeon. As Cho-i sat in the back seat, Taeyang Kang also naturally sat in the back seat. The guild member, who was about to open the passenger door for them, awkwardly sat in the driver’s seat and placed the juvenile monster in the passenger seat.

“Where are we going first?”

Cho-i casually asked the guild member in the driver’s seat.

“We’ll go to Ice Cliff first.”

“Okay~”

Since it was only a B-rank, there was no need for a strategy. If there was anything tricky, the guild member would have probably told them first. Since there wasn’t, he was probably just driving quietly.

“You don’t have a weapon?”

“No.”

“Right, Lord Taehyeok doesn’t have a weapon either.”

Cho-i Hyeon agreed and leaned on Taeyang Kang’s shoulder, picking at the split ends of her hair. Come to think of it, would an S-Rank’s hair also be S-Rank? If so, would S-Ranks not experience hair loss? Unlike Cho-i Hyeon, who was having such useless thoughts, Taeyang Kang’s shoulders were tense.

‘Cho-i Hyeon is leaning on my shoulder…!’

He stared straight ahead with a stiff face. The guild member, whose eyes met Taeyang Kang’s in the rearview mirror, flinched and stiffened, then began to drive, looking straight ahead. He thought that an SS-Rank’s aura was indeed extraordinary. He also found it strange that Cho-i Hyeon, a hunter, was so comfortable with him, even though he was an S-Rank.

‘I smell the same shampoo on Cho-i Hyeon as on me… ‘

That’s because Cho-i Hyeon had stayed at the hotel for those three days without going home. Taeyang Kang hadn’t slept properly due to the fact that they were sleeping in the same space, but fortunately, being an SS-Rank, he didn’t accumulate fatigue.

‘If this continues… if this continues…’

While Taeyang Kang was fantasizing, the car screeched to a halt. Then Cho-i Hyeon stretched to loosen her stiff body and got out of her seat. Taeyang Kang also finally came to his senses and got out of the car, seeing the dungeon management team moving busily.

“We’ll clear all three today.”

“Good.”

You will. Without knowing Taeyang Kang’s thoughts, Cho-i Hyeon rushed into the dungeon as soon as the management team gave permission. Taeyang Kang ambled behind her, and the breakthrough took less than two hours.

***

Having broken through Ice Cliff and Blizzard’s Noon, the two of them were now inside Icicle Castle, the final dungeon. Icicle Castle was a huge ice castle, as if built by ElX, and strangely, the ice didn’t melt when touched.

…It’s cold.

Cho-i, who had no cold resistance, shivered with cold. Fortunately, Taeyang Kang, who did have cold resistance, quietly took off his outer coat and gave it to her.

Oh, thanks.

While Cho-i Hyeon quickly put on Taeyang Kang’s outer coat, he surveyed their surroundings. A large hall spread out before them, and what looked like a door leading out of the hall was visible. Each doorknob was carved from ice.

Be careful, without cold resistance, you might freeze and get a debuff. Okay. I should have called Gihyeon Park if I knew this would happen. Gihyeon Park? Why Gihyeon Park?

Taeyang Kang frowned.

Because he uses fire. At least he wouldn’t have been cold.

Then Taeyang Kang shook his head.

Gihyeon Park wouldn’t work because he’d have even less cold resistance. He’d feel the cold more, due to his constitution. Oh, is that a constitutional thing? Apparently.

‘Hmm, maybe because I’m a Mantis, I feel like I keep getting sleepy.’

Why do they hibernate? No, that’s not it. They die in winter. Haha, damn it. Cho-i Hyeon shivered and walked, pulling Taeyang Kang’s coat tighter around her. The enormous hall was like a dance floor in a party hall. Whoosh- And indeed, ice fairy monsters began to appear from all over, dancing gracefully. It should be that if they have the same ice attribute, they would take less damage. Thwack- Bang! But their rank is overwhelming. One by one, the monsters began to fall from the icicles Taeyang Kang launched. Cho-i Hyeon sniffled and walked right behind him.

Easy, isn’t it? …So Gihyeon Park isn’t needed. Well, right?

Cho-i Hyeon, who hadn’t expected him to suddenly talk about Gihyeon Park, said with a bewildered expression. It was just something she’d said, as they couldn’t bring him anyway, but she thought he seemed quite offended by being told he wasn’t needed. And Taeyang Kang…

‘It’s better to be just the two of us.’

That’s all he was thinking. So, the two of them defeated all the monsters that appeared on the dance floor and stepped out of the hall. A long corridor appeared, and the ice statues displayed in the corridor simultaneously turned their heads to look at them.

Should I step up? No, you can stay put.

Dozens of sharp icicles instantly floated in the air around Taeyang Kang. With a whooshing sound, the flying icicles embedded themselves in the monsters’ heads one by one. They began to fall without being able to stop the Entity.

It’s an unremarkable dungeon. Right? What we’re looking for is the unusual dungeon inside here.

Choi Hyeon looked around with a smile. There were no windows in the hallway. When he opened the door at the very end of the hallway, another room appeared, which looked like a bedroom.

“It reminds me of some dungeon.”

“What dungeon?”

“The SS-Rank dungeon I went to when I was called by the USA. It was a dungeon with spider monsters and was in the form of a mansion. It doesn’t look exactly like this, but it’s somewhat similar, right?”

“If it’s that… are you talking about that SS-Rank dungeon?”

“That’s right! I was surprised when the rank suddenly went up…”

Crumble-! In the middle of their conversation, the castle suddenly began to shake. Choi Hyeon tightly grabbed Taeyang Kang, who was next to him, and Taeyang Kang stood firm, supporting Choi Hyeon. Choi Hyeon looked around, frowning with one eye.

“Oh, no way…”

And at the same time as he said that, a blue window appeared in front of him.

[Dungeon rank has been upgraded!] [Icicle Castle (SS Rank)] NEW!

“Aargh!”

Choi Hyeon clutched his head.

“No, why suddenly!”

What do you mean ‘new’? Why is my life never smooth? As Choi Hyeon stared blankly at the blue window, Taeyang Kang calmly said,

“Don’t worry for now. An SS-Rank is enough for the two of us…”

“I’m so pissed off~”

[Casting Sanity Paralysis!]

Choi Hyeon immediately cast a skill and drew his Sword and Shield. Then he looked at the Ice monster that appeared with the SS-Rank dungeon notification window. The monster that appeared in the room with a grinding sound had a massive body. Its height was at least 3 meters, and Taeyang Kang’s Inspect revealed it was an S-Rank monster.

“That’s me…”

“Die!”

Choi Hyeon swung his sword in annoyance. Taeyang Kang, surprised, floated several pale blue icicles in the air. He had expected Choi Hyeon to draw aggro. But. Smash-! With one swing of Choi Hyeon’s sword, the monster’s body was split in half. Taeyang Kang’s eyes widened as he looked at Choi Hyeon. They were both S-Rank, but there was such a difference?

“Is it perhaps SS-Rank?”

“It is now.”

He didn’t want to bother explaining that it was more than that. Choi Hyeon waved his hand and roughly moved on to the next room. When he opened the door, he saw the long hallway he had seen earlier.

“This damn life! Why won’t you leave me alone!”

Choi Hyeon advanced without hesitation, his face inexplicably filled with anger.

“It seems faster than me somehow.”

Taeyang Kang thought as he followed her, and began to inspect the surroundings.

‘The cold seems to be getting stronger.’

The creeping cold was getting stronger and stronger. It was a fact he knew because he handled ice. Taeyang Kang shouted to Cho-i Hyeon, who was ahead of him.

“Don’t move recklessly, the cold is getting stronger!”