Chapter 24

However, she hadn’t completely stopped. She was bracing herself, putting strength into her thighs. She didn’t budge an inch.

“Hey! What did you bring!”

“Th-that C-Rank tank!”

Suui Kim urgently replied, grabbing Cho-i’s waist.

“What? You crazy bastard, three A-Ranks just attacked, and you’re saying he’s a C-Rank?”

“No, he’s not really a C-Rank. Anyway! There’s something like that. He’s an A-Rank tank.”

“What are you talking about? First a C-Rank, then an A-Rank.”

“Ah! He’s an A-Rank, anyway!”

“He was a tank? No wonder he was so hard to stop. But what’s wrong with him?”

“I don’t know either! Yeonsu Nam!”

“Yes!”

“What’s wrong with him?”

“He’s always been a bit easily excited…”

“He’s charging like a rhinoceros right now, and you’re giving me that explanation?!”

“Damn it, it’s the truth, what do you want me to do?!”

“Hey, did you just say ‘damn it’?”

“Ah! Everyone shut up! Is the dungeon not urgent right now? Is that what’s urgent? Calm him down!”

Yeonsu Nam approached Cho-i. Cho-i’s temple veins were bulging from how much strength she was exerting. Yeonsu didn’t know why Cho-i was so agitated and tried to calm her down.

“Cho-i, I know you’re in a hurry, but we’re going in there anyway. So try to calm down. Did you know anyone on the B-Rank team?”

“No.”

Cho-i replied simply. She began to take deep breaths. It was a place they were going to enter anyway. Yes, that was right. So there was no need to be so agitated. She slowly relaxed her body, and the Hunters who were blocking her also slowly backed away. She asked, panting.

“So when are we going in?”

“Right after the equipment check.”

“Ah.”

Damn it. I only have C-Rank equipment. Cho-i thought. No, for an A+ Rank dungeon, B-Rank items weren’t entirely ineffective. Right.

“Let’s take it.”

Once inside.

“What’s he saying now?”

Cho-i turned around for a moment and started running to make people let their guard down.

“Hey! Where’s he going now!”

“Isn’t he running away out of fear?!”

Cho-i ran straight ahead, then immediately made a sharp turn and ran towards the dungeon. Fortunately, there were fewer people guarding the front because they were chasing her, and…

“Stop him!”

“It’s too late!”

She immediately dashed into the dungeon. Her goal was to get in and take things before the others arrived! As soon as she entered, she saw a familiar forest greeting her. A clear sky and a lush forest. And Mantises visible in the distance. And cute B-Ranks gathered at the entrance.

“Wow…!”

“Someone from Paehyeok came! See, I told you they’d come!”

“Excuse me! You’re from Paehyeok, right?”

Cho-i smiled brightly and said.

“Of course! The others will be here soon. More importantly, who’s the tank?”

“Huh?”

At her question, they looked bewildered but pointed to one spot. A man was sitting leaning against a tree, injured. It seemed he had already tried once, realized it wouldn’t work, and returned to the entrance. Cho-i said,

“You’ve worked hard.”

“Oh, no, not at all.”

“From now on, I’ll take care of everything.”

“Yes, yes, yes.”

“First, take it off.”

“…Huh?”

“Kid, your equipment’s good.”

“Huh?”

The total number of people in this dungeon was 8. Five had already entered, so three more were to come. Cho-i diligently finished plundering the equipment before then.

“Wow, this equipment is really good.

She ended up taking and wearing the B-Rank hunter’s equipment. It wasn’t even just B-Rank, it was B-Rank+ items.

“Paehyeok Guild Member…”

“What?”

Then, the B-Rank hunter, who had his equipment taken by Cho-i and was suddenly wearing C-Rank gear, spoke.

“You’re really an A-Rank Paehyeok Guild member, right?”

“And?”

Since I’ll be a Paehyeok Guild member in the future, it’s not wrong.

“But why a C-Rank item…?”

They looked at her with suspicious eyes. Cho-i smiled brightly, pointed to her own eyes with two fingers, then pointed at each of their glaring eyes.

“What are you glaring at, trying to die?”

“No, it’s not that we don’t believe you.”

“Wait. Why are they so late over there? Why aren’t they coming in quickly?”

Just then, three Paehyeok Guild Members entered the dungeon. They were Suui Kim, Namsu Kang, and Yeonsu Nam.

“You’re here?”

“What do you mean, ‘you’re here’? Do you know what a mess you caused outside?!”

“How would I know? I was inside. And why are you suddenly speaking informally?”

“You try being me. See if you come out or not!”

Suui Kim pounded her chest as if she was about to explode.

“Just you wait until you’re under me. I’ll tear you to shreds.”

“Oh, are you going to accept me into Paehyeok?”

“Ugh…”

Suui Kim turned her head as if to drop the subject, then noticed the B-Rank hunters.

“Please gather without worry. We’ll start with a briefing first. Ah! Cho-i Hyeon, hunter, don’t go!”

“Yes.”

Cho-i, who had been subtly moving towards the Mantis, returned as if she hadn’t done anything. The tank whose equipment was taken raised his hand.

“Yes, Hunter Park San-woo, please ask your question.”

“Isn’t that person a Paehyeok Guild member?”

“Not yet.”

“Not yet? Are you really going to accept me?”

“Ah, just be quiet for a bit!”

“Why do you always tell me to be quiet?!”

“Your, your mouth, just keep it still!”

“Ugh, ugh, ugh!”

Suui Kim tapped Cho-i’s mouth twice. When an indignant Cho-i let out a yelp, she hit her on the head once. She couldn’t be more wronged. Pouting, she covered her head with a tearful face, and Suui Kim sighed and said,

“She’s a C-rank, no, an A-Rank hunter who was taking the Paehyeok Guild trial.”

“I think you just said C-Rank.”

“You misheard.”

“Then did that person come from the A-Rank trial grounds?”

Cho-i said,

“No, I came from C-Rank?”

“See, I told you!”

“But I am A-Rank.”

“Are you playing word games with us right now?”

“Oh, you caught me.”

“Hey!”

“Since when did we start speaking informally?”

“You started it!”

“That’s true. Speak informally.”

Suui Kim, clutching her throbbing head from the squabble between the B-Rank hunters and Cho-i, shouted.

“Everyone, quiet!!”

It was Lion’s Roar. Perhaps it was just my imagination, but the Mantises over there seemed to have turned their heads. I thought he’d be good as a Tank, so why is he a Dealer?

“Anyway, Hunter Cho-i Hyeon is indeed an A-Rank, and he’s here to rescue the B-Rank Hunters present. Please treat each other with respect.”

“Why me?”

Cho-i raised her hand and asked. When Suui Kim made a gesture to hit her mouth again, she immediately shut it.

“Regardless, time is ticking, so let’s break through. First, B-Rank Healer.”

B-Rank Healer Byeola Park from the B-Rank party replied,

“Yes. Yes?”

“From now on, you’ll be working with B-Rank Healer Yeonsu Nam from the Paehyeok Guild. I look forward to your cooperation until the conquest is complete.”

“Yes, yes.”

“And the Secret Examiner in charge.”

When Suui Kim called, one of the Dealers, who had been silent until now, raised his hand.

“Yes.”

The man answered in a very unenthusiastic tone and casually walked out, revealing his identity in a very half-hearted manner.

“I am A-Rank Sangwoo Gam, Secret Examiner for B-Rank Party No. 2. Keeping it a secret was, well, ordered from above, so it’s not my fault. Since my identity has been revealed, I might as well say that I missed the timing to reveal it earlier, so I’ve been quiet until now.”

Suui Kim was seen pressing her temples, indicating that there were too many troublesome people.

“In any case, the eight of us here must break through an A+ Rank Dungeon. Since everyone except the B-Rank Hunters is A-Rank, there should be no problem with the strategy, so don’t worry too much.”

“But Hunter Cho-i Hyeon stole my items?”

The man who had been constantly arguing with Cho-i out of injustice raised his hand. At his words, Suui Kim checked his items and, indeed, they were all C+ Rank. He asked Cho-i, hiding his trembling fists,

“Did you suddenly rush in because you didn’t have equipment…?”

“Yes!”

When Cho-i answered confidently, Suui Kim lunged, Namsu Kang tried to stop her, and Yeonsu Nam held her back. Cho-i smiled brightly and clapped her hands in front of them. The B-Rank Hunters couldn’t feel at ease at all seeing that. Yeonsu Nam began to sort out the situation. It seemed they wouldn’t even be able to depart if they left it like this.

“We’ll have the B-Ranks in the middle and the A-Ranks on the edges. Hunter Cho-i Hyeon.”

“Yes.”

“Please, don’t run off and cooperate properly. Please…”

“Okay.”

Suui Kim interjected,

“You sure are good at answering!”

“Ahaha.”

Cho-i’s face was bright. Although, in reality, she wasn’t feeling that way. She kept glancing at the Mantises. They looked exactly like the Entities she had torn apart and who had tried to devour her. But why now?

‘Why did they appear before me like this now?’

Cho-i was suspicious of this dungeon that suddenly appeared before her eyes, as if inviting her in. But for now, there was no way to find out. She had no choice but to confront it herself.

“Alright, let’s go.”

Suui Kim finally got her temper in check and said. And Cho-i…

“I’m going!”

and dashed out in one breath.

“Hey!!!”

She couldn’t help but swear. Cho-i Hyeon ran out, laughing. Would she find the place where she had died countless times? She had to. Because she needed to find out about ‘this’ that was now occupying her stomach. So Cho-i immediately ran towards the Mantises and used a skill.

[Casting skill Shout! The aggro of surrounding monsters is focused!]

Instantly, monsters swarmed around Cho-i Hyeon. She stomped the ground once and leaped among them.

“No chance of losing aggro!”

At her words, the Hunters looked around. Dozens of monsters were surrounding Cho-i Hyeon. She was in the center, repeatedly defending and attacking, dealing with the Mantises. Her movements were the epitome of skill. This was because these Mantises were the monsters she had faced thousands, no, tens of thousands of times.