Chapter 25

“The aggro seems solid, so it would be best for us to attack from the periphery.”

“If you lose aggro, you die!”

They began to kill the Mantises from the periphery. The B-Rank healers were watching Cho-i, ready to cast their skills. The B-Rank and A-Rank dealers cut the backs of the necks of the monsters that had turned their heads towards Cho-i Hyeon.

“Kieek!”

“Hey, aggro!”

At that moment, a monster that a B-Ranker attacked but didn’t die in one hit turned its head. Again, a loud roar was heard. It was Cho-i Hyeon’s Shout skill. The monster turned its head again at that skill, and A-Rank Hunter Suui Kim finished it off.

“It’s stable, though. It’s not often that the aggro is this stable when so many are holding it.”

Yeonsu Nam said. At her words, Suui Kim made a grunt, as if she didn’t want to admit it but couldn’t help it. And Namsu Kang, who was shooting her gun next to them, smashing the Mantises’ heads, said,

“I wish she were our team’s tank.”

“My head would break.”

Namsu Kang and Suui Kim were in the same party. And the leader there was Suui Kim. A tank who wouldn’t listen to her? Just thinking about it gave her a headache, but…

“She’s useful.”

He had to admit it. She was a pretty good tank.

“But isn’t that A-plus? Is she really A-Rank?”

“She’s a bit short for A+ Rank. She’s probably a close A-Rank.”

At his words, Yeonsu Nam narrowed her eyes.

‘That’s strange, she wasn’t like this when she first entered the dungeon.’

She was sure. It was true that her rank was high, allowing her to easily kill C-Rank monsters, but it wasn’t enough to work on A-Rank monsters. Yet, she’d improved this much in the meantime?

“It’s strange.”

“She’s clearly not in her right mind.”

“No, I don’t mean that, even though she’s not in her right mind. No, but that’s not it.”

“What, why are you saying the same thing twice?”

The A-Rank hunters were chatting, yet they were still swiftly dispatching the Mantises that swarmed around them. Even if it was an A+ Rank dungeon, the small fry weren’t A-plus, so they hadn’t had to exert much effort until now.

‘They’re dying faster than I thought?’

Even though Cho-i knew their weak points, like their thin necks and waists, it was too easy. Her wrist felt lighter than when she’d cut them down just before leaving the dungeon.

‘My stats must have gone up a bit.’

In fact, her stats were still steadily increasing.

[You have defeated a monster! Your strength stat has increased by 1!]

Am I going to become S-Rank like this? Cho-i chuckled happily. She didn’t know what was inside her stomach, but it was clear that it brought her benefits through combat.

‘It contributes to the wearer’s growth.’

That sentence came to mind. It seemed to be a reaction from becoming a host to the parasite.

‘That means whatever is in my stomach is also growing with each battle.’

Goosebumps instantly appeared. And those goosebumps mixed with the tension of battle, becoming a kind of excitement. Her unfocused black eyes shone strangely.

‘I need to kill them all and find out.’

She mimicked the movements of whatever had moved her body on its own recently. She swung her shield at the Mantises, hitting their heads, and then thrust her sword at the staggering monsters. They were B+ Rank, so they should have been evenly matched, but her weapon and shield were serving as her hands and feet. And the B-Rank tank watching her gulped. Could he move like that inside there, carrying those items?

‘I can’t.’

He felt a kind of self-loathing. Of course, it was natural that he, a B-Rank, would fall short compared to the A-Rank hunter, Cho-i Hyeon, but her natural movements and combat skills, honed through dozens, perhaps hundreds, of battles, made him feel insignificant.

“Screech.”

The party members, having defeated the last Mantises in the vicinity, let out a sigh of relief. The corpses of Mantises lay scattered around them.

“Alright, where to next?”

“Didn’t I tell you not to run ahead?”

As soon as the battle ended, Suui Kim chased after Cho-i, grabbing her by the collar and shaking her. She swayed loosely, smiling broadly.

“Oh, it worked out well, didn’t it?”

“Still, cooperate a little, cooperate! Are you an S-Rank or something?”

“Not yet, right?”

“‘Not yet,’ my foot!”

She shook Cho-i’s collar a few more times, then sighed and released her. She then brushed off the crumpled clothes she had grabbed and said,

“You did well, though. Please, just don’t run off by yourself. I’m begging you.”

At those words, Cho-i finally gave in.

“Hmm, alright. I really won’t run off alone again.”

At her promise, a look of relief washed over the faces of the other party members. What did I do to make them act like that? Just for running ahead a bit. I should just…

“Don’t run off.”

“Okay.”

At Suui Kim’s words, which read her mind like a ghost, Cho-i gave up. She really was like a ghost. The party moved forward, systematically eliminating groups of Mantises. Cho-i kept looking around, but she couldn’t see the stone building she had encountered with her previous party members.

‘It’s not here. Then why did I even come here? And what was that pull I felt earlier?’

“What are you looking around for so much?”

“Oh, I was just wondering if there was a hidden dungeon.”

“You’re so silly. A hidden dungeon wouldn’t just appear so easily.”

‘I was just in that hidden dungeon a little while ago.’

She didn’t answer but grumbled and walked forward. And once again, they faced a group of Mantises.

“Cho-i Hyeon, aggro…”

Before anyone could shout ‘…it!’, Cho-i Hyeon cast Shout. There was nothing better for grabbing aggro from the Mantises.

“Where on earth did something like that come from?”

Suui Kim muttered. Namsu Kang and Yeonsu Nam, who were nearby, nodded in agreement. A hunter of such skill should definitely be well-known. But Cho-i Hyeon had appeared completely out of nowhere, as if she had just dropped from the sky.

“An A-Rank wouldn’t have been wandering through illegal dungeons.”

moved from one place to another.

“There’s no way he was low-ranked and suddenly became A-Rank.”

That was true.

“No way. Is it that easy to raise your rank?”

So that was correct. There were even people in the Paehyeok Guild who weren’t originally S-Rank but became S-Rank, but it was kept so secret that even the guild members didn’t know. They followed Cho-i Hyeon, who had taken aggro, and started fighting again. Slash! Thud! Cho-i Hyeon plunged her sword into the Mantis in front of her, twisted it, and cut it down, frowning.

‘I feel a bit nauseous.’

It wouldn’t be from seeing so many Mantis’ internal organs. But somehow, she started to feel nauseous, like she was standing somewhere high up. Specifically, in her lower abdomen.

“Ah!”

“What’s wrong!”

Cho-i Hyeon suddenly clutched her lower abdomen and crouched down. Shaaak! And in that gap, two of the Mantis’ forelegs grazed her back. Her skin tore.

“Hunter Cho-i Hyeon!”

Yeonsu Nam cast a skill.

[Casting the skill Heal! Restores the target’s wounds!]

She groaned, clutching her lower abdomen. It felt like a moving pain, and also like a pain that was tearing her belly apart.

“Ah, aaah!”

She screamed. Her stomach hurt so much. And on top of that, the Mantises’ attacks rained down. But her stomach hurt so much that she didn’t even notice the Mantises’ attacks.

“Why is she suddenly like that!”

“I don’t know! She must be in pain!”

“Damn it!”

As she crouched down and didn’t move, the aggro was lost, and the Mantises’ attacks began to shift to the dealers who were attacking them. Namsu Kang raised his gun and blocked attacks with the body of the gun, and Suui Kim raised her sword and struck down the entities. Cho-i Hyeon, who had been kneeling on the floor, looked up. With her eyes bloodshot, she opened her mouth.

“-!”

Shout, the Entity, was cast once more. The attacks that were aimed at the dealers turned back to Cho-i. However, Cho-i was in too much pain to move, feeling like her stomach was tearing apart. She received the attacks while crouched.

“Damn it! Attack quickly!”

“Yes!”

Cho-i felt the Mantises’ forelegs piercing her body and tightly clutched her lower abdomen. It’s strange. It’s strange. What keeps happening. She finally managed to stand up with bloodshot eyes. She swung her sword widely and hit the head of a nearby Mantis with her shield. Clang! A loud sound echoed, and she immediately raised her sword and brought it down on the Entity’s neck. As she killed one, a system window appeared before her eyes. Ding.

[First growth completed! Growth slows down!]
[First growth rewards have been paid!] [Confirm]

Cho-i stared at the system window with bloodshot eyes. She swung her sword widely, cutting down all the Mantises. Her body felt light. Her wrists, which cut them down, felt even lighter. The pain in her stomach that had been bothering her suddenly disappeared.

‘What the hell?’

She couldn’t immediately adapt to this change, but she moved her body to cut down the Mantises that had gathered around her. And she was sure, even though she hadn’t opened her stat window to check directly.

‘My rank went up.’

Definitely to A-plus. She began to slaughter the Mantises, directly experiencing the Entity. The speed at which she cut down the Entities, stomped on them, and hit their heads with her shield surpassed that of the current A-Rank dealers.

“What’s wrong with her again!”

“I don’t know! Don’t ask me! I don’t know either!”

Everyone was confused, seeing her suddenly crouch in pain and then fly around again. But their hands steadily moved, crushing the head of the last Mantis. Cho-i stood blankly, rubbing her stomach. First growth is over? Growth slows down? Was that why my stomach hurt just now? She was in a state of great confusion, and Yeonsu Nam came over and asked her.

“Hunter Cho-i Hyeon. Are you alright?”

“Oh, yes. I’m sorry. My stomach suddenly hurt so much in the middle.”

“Why? Is there something wrong with you?”