Chapter 156

In reality, Dongju Kim was cursing profusely in the car behind, but that was none of their business. Yeonhan Kim continued to appease Cho-i by braking intermittently whenever Cho-i got bored, and Dongju Kim’s swearing grew worse and worse. And as soon as they arrived in front of the dungeon, Dongju Kim leaped out of the driver’s seat and shouted,

“Are you going to drive like that?!”

“Hahahaha.”

Yeonhan Kim just laughed and waved her hand. Cho-i, seeing the British hunters’ hair disheveled, clapped her hands with satisfaction. They made unpleasant expressions, but Yeonhan Kim and Cho-i Hyeon ignored them and looked at the dungeon. Speaking of which, when would the dungeon management team arrive? And just then, other vehicles arrived one after another. It was the dungeon management team. As soon as they got out of their cars, they greeted the Paehyeok Guild members and immediately went to check the dungeon’s condition.

“It will take about 30 minutes. So please wait a moment.”

Yeonhan Kim spoke kindly, unlike someone who had just slammed on the brakes, and the British hunters, though frowning, seemed to have decided to wait patiently for now. And Cho-i Hyeon…

“Hey, hey.”

“…What is it?”

Cho-i Hyeon went up to the hunter whom Taehyeok Sa had marked as SS-Rank and started talking to him. Cho-i Hyeon smiled brightly as if she had no intention, and extended her hand.

“What’s your name? How old are you? You look a bit young.”

“Why should I tell you that?”

“Well, we’re going into the dungeon together, right? Wouldn’t there be a reason to call your name?”

“…It’s Silen Tail.”

“Silen. That’s a unique and pretty name, how old are you?”

“I’m twenty-two.”

“Too young, even.”

“I believe a hunter’s abilities and age are unrelated.”

He responded sharply. Cho-i Hyeon shrugged her shoulders and stepped back, as if saying, ‘What did I say?’ She had already satisfied all her curiosities anyway. Oscar, the Guild Master of the British guild, seemed to think Cho-i had come to dig for information, and he didn’t take his eyes off her until she left.

“Ugh, that’s creepy. Is he always like that?”

Cho-i Hyeon returned to the Paehyeok side and grumbled, and Yeonhan Kim looked at her and replied,

“It’s a very sensitive time for them. They just brought in an SS-Rank, so they’ll cherish him, and they’re also making a bet on who will take the lead, aren’t they?”

“Why are they so sensitive? Paehyeok will win anyway.”

“They probably don’t think so.”

“There’s something going on, but what could it be?”

“I don’t know. Shall I search for some British news articles for a moment?”

“Would you?”

Yeonhan Kim accessed a British news site and searched for Violent. However, strangely, the news was only three months old.

“…Hmm, this is strange.” “Indeed. An SS-Rank hunter joined the guild, but there’s no news?” “They’re deliberately suppressing the articles. Did they do something amazing? It’s the first time there’s absolutely nothing.” “Hmm, we’ll find out if we engage them.” “I like how relaxed Hunter Cho-i Hyeon seems.” “Is that an insult?” “Ahaha, you caught me.”

Yeonhan Kim laughed and feigned indifference, and Cho-i Hyeon glared at the back of Yeonhan Kim’s head before turning her gaze towards Violent. Violent’s hunters were gathered in one place, talking about something. It sounded like a strategy meeting…

“You don’t need to worry about Hunter Cho-i Hyeon. I’ll handle it.”

Ah, that sounds a bit insulting. Cho-i Hyeon frowned and gave a fierce smile. The one who said that was Oscar, Violent’s Guild Master. It’s true that it would be better for an S-Rank to handle another S-Rank.

“Sister, I’ve changed my mind.” “What changed?” “Should we go with a winning streak system?” “A winning streak system…? Hunter Cho-i Hyeon, that might be too much…” “Wow, you’ve lost your touch, sister.”

Cho-i Hyeon said, spreading her hands wide.

“Even Taehyeok Sa can’t beat me, so will some rookie who just awakened to SS-Rank beat me?” “Well… that’s true. But are you sure? It doesn’t matter to us.” “Well, it’s unlikely to happen, but if I fall, then we’ll have to work hard from then on. Because I really can’t lose.” “Is there actually a chance you’ll fall?” “No. Unless there’s a variable.” “What do you mean by variable?” “Well, if they’re stronger than me? That’s the variable.”

Cho-i Hyeon grinned and looked at Violent. They seemed to have heard their conversation, as their eyes were fierce. Oh, what are you going to do if you stare like that? As Cho-i responded, Zhixuan, who had been standing quietly beside her, spoke.

“If that’s the case… why am I here?” “…Hmm, an observer?”

Zhixuan, whom Cho-i Hyeon had brought without much thought, was now useless. Of course, as she said, if, just if, they were stronger than Cho-i Hyeon, Zhixuan would be needed. After all, he was an SS-Rank and could probably take down several S-Ranks at once.

“No. You’re the standby. I’m counting on you.” “So, I’m just on standby?” “What’s good is good. I’ll make sure you don’t have to fight.” “Do you even know that this fight has nothing to do with me?”

Cho-i Hyeon didn’t even pretend to listen, and Zhixuan sighed as if he had expected it. Yeonhan Kim lightly patted Zhixuan’s shoulder. Just then, Dongju Kim approached and spoke to them.

“It looks like the dungeon condition check is all done?” “Oh, really?”

Then, from a distance, the dungeon management team shouted.

“Condition check complete!” “Any issues?” “None!” “Alright! The dungeon check is complete. Everyone, please enter the dungeon in order!”

Yeonhan Kim gathered the people. Cho-i Hyeon yawned widely and then wiggled her finger at the Violent guild, pointing towards the dungeon. It meant for them to go first. Violent, who had agreed to clean the dungeon, gritted their teeth and rushed into the dungeon.

“Did you really need to provoke them that much?”

Dongju Kim asked Cho-i.

“It makes it more fun.”

Dongju Kim could never quite understand Cho-i Hyeon’s true feelings, but now she tilted her head with an even more bewildered expression. So, it meant that the fight would be more interesting if the other side got angry. And that was something Dongju Kim also agreed with.

“But you’re going with the winning streak system.”

“Yeah.”

“Who’s going first?”

“Me.”

“…So in the end, you’re the only one fighting.”

“Oh, you’re smart, aren’t you?”

“I don’t know exactly how you change when you become ‘that.’ But what’s certain is that even the Guild Master can’t beat you, right?”

“That’s right.”

“So there’s no way it’ll be my turn.”

“Oh, you’re so smart.”

“Don’t praise me. It’s annoying.”

“Do you want to fight?”

“Of course.”

Yeonhan Kim and Dongju Kim were basically battle maniacs. The reason they brought Cho-i Hyeon into Paehyeok was because they didn’t have a tank who could handle them. So far, things hadn’t gotten complicated enough for them to need a tank, but now that it was happening, it seemed like a good idea to check their skills in advance.

“I’ll do it for a bit and then hand it over.”

“Well, I’d appreciate that.”

“Oh, have you changed your mind?”

“I realized I shouldn’t take everything. Since you’ve been waiting like this.”

“Well, that’s good news.”

Yeonhan Kim smiled kindly. Cho-i Hyeon looked at his face and thought. You really can’t tell what’s in a person’s heart. A battle maniac with such a kind and gentle face. Who would ever guess?

“Ah, should we go in now?”

As they talked, more than five minutes had passed since the Violent Guild members went in. Given the number of people and the low dungeon rank compared to the guild members’ ranks, the initial part was probably being cleared up.

“Let’s go in.”

“Alright.”

“Haa… Can’t I just not go?”

“Go in.”

And so, Paehyeok’s Group entered the dungeon. The first thing they felt upon entering was humidity. A white, fog-like substance covered the entire dungeon. Cho-i Hyeon realized that this wasn’t something created by the dungeon.

“Ah, so that’s why they were so confident.”

Cho-i Hyeon blinked slowly. Her eyes glinted for a moment.

“Did they get a hidden item?”

“A hidden item?”

Yeonhan Kim’s voice was heard right beside her. The fog was so thick that even the person standing right next to her was blurry.

“Yes, this is artificial fog made with a hidden item.”

“An SS-Rank… and a hidden item, it certainly makes sense to be confident.”

“Is a hidden item a big deal? We all have them too. Oh, I don’t anymore, though.”

“Huh? You don’t anymore?”

“Oh, it’s not that I don’t have it, it exists in my heart. Or should I say in my stomach.”

“I don’t know what that means, but I understand anyway.”

While the two were talking, they heard footsteps approaching from afar. Cho-i Hyeon perked up her ears. You can block sight, but not sound, huh? And out of the fog appeared the tallest and longest-haired man among the Violent Guild members.

“Come this way.”

“Quite the welcome. Is this your living room?”

“It is now. If you don’t want to get lost, you’d better shut up and follow. Our fog is vast.”

Cho-i Hyeon saw something sparkling on his neck. It seemed he was the man with the hidden item.

“Let’s follow him for now.”

At Yeonhan Kim’s words, Cho-i Hyeon and the others nodded and began to follow him. Not long after following him, the fog gradually began to clear. It seemed they had cleared the fog near where their teammates were. Cho-i Hyeon checked one more thing. The fog does not distinguish between allies and enemies. As they emerged from the fog, they saw a red sky and black ground. The same sight as they had seen before. But all the monsters seemed to have been cleared; not a single one was visible. And the fog surrounded the area, and the circular clearing they had made in the middle was all that Cho-i could see.

“They prepared quite diligently.”

“I told them to clean up, and they cleaned up and even did some dungeon decoration.”

“What’s dungeon decoration?”

“Decorating the dungeon.”

“…Right.”

Dongju Kim replied softly, with a look of disbelief.