Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Among the party members I came face to face with, Mr. Kim Seongmyeong, an A-Rank hunter, was a man who reminded me of a bear the first time I saw him.

He was carrying a shield as big as his own body, and it seemed to be a weapon enchanted with an ice attribute, because a chill emanated from it just by standing close.

I made sure not to stand too near his shield, then turned my gaze to Hunter Jeong Soyeon.

Ms. Jeong Soyeon, a B-Rank hunter, was a woman with a prim expression and a long, slender figure that could have walked a runway right then and there, and she wore a very stylish-looking rapier at her side.

Ms. Jeong Soyeon seemed to have a cheerful personality, smiling throughout her self-introduction, and each time she did, the alphabet tattoo on her forehead shifted into a subtle shape.

Since Hunter Kim Seongmyeong and Hunter Jeong Soyeon had finished their introductions, it was my turn to speak.

“I’m Yoon Seohee, a C-Rank hunter. I’ve been given an undeserved opportunity to accompany all of you. I can handle holy-attribute magic, but it’s at a weak level… I think I can slow down poisoning if someone gets poisoned.”

Hunter Kim Seongmyeong, an A-Rank, and Hunter Jeong Soyeon, a B-Rank, probably had some notable specialties, but I had absolutely none.

…Well, technically, I did have the ‘Ruler’s Garden,’ but… let’s just leave that skill out of it. I have no intention of increasing the number of people who call me master.

As my self-introduction ended, Mr. Yoon Juyeong, who had been subtly receiving everyone’s attention, opened his mouth.

Today, Mr. Yoon Juyeong was wearing a black coat with a strange sheen to it. Any hunter with even a little eye for equipment would immediately recognize that the coat he was wearing was extremely expensive gear.

“I’m Yoon Juyeong, recently awakened as an S-Rank hunter. I’m proficient in dealing damage, debuffs, and stealth. I have no expertise whatsoever in defense or healing, so I’d like to rely on Hunter Kim Seongmyeong and Hunter Jeong Soyeon for help.”

It was a perfectly standard and, at the same time, unexpected self-introduction.

From an ordinary person’s perspective, it would have just been a very polite, textbook introduction…

The problem was that Mr. Yoon Juyeong was none other than an ‘S-Rank’ hunter. And people in the hunter industry generally knew how full of themselves those S-Rank types were.

Naturally, they realized how unusual and strange Mr. Yoon Juyeong’s ‘normal and polite’ self-introduction was.

Hunter Kim Seongmyeong and Hunter Jeong Soyeon looked at Mr. Yoon Juyeong in surprise, exchanged a glance with each other, and then immediately returned a polite answer.

“Likewise, I look forward to working with you. You have no idea how happy I am to get the chance to go through a dungeon with an S-Rank hunter.”

“I look forward to working with you as well. I was very curious about what kind of person the S-Rank hunter who achieved such a dramatic reawakening would be, so it’s an honor to meet you in person.”

From what I heard, it seemed Hunter Kim Seongmyeong already knew about Mr. Yoon Juyeong. Well, considering the S-Rank hunter list and rankings had been updated recently, and reports about ‘Hunter Yoon Juyeong’ had been pouring in everywhere right after, it was only natural.

Thanks to that, I had to change my number because those journalist scumbags from Hunter Daily kept calling me for interview requests, having somehow gotten my number…

As I recalled the reporter who had called my number out of the blue and jumped straight to the point with, ‘I’d like to get an interview,’ the two hunters’ gazes turned toward me.

It seemed like they wanted me to add a similar word or two as well. Come to think of it, it probably would have looked a bit strange for a C-Rank hunter to keep her mouth shut while an A-Rank and a B-Rank hunter were each offering compliments.

‘I’ll just make up something appropriate.’

“As a mere C-Rank hunter, I also—”

“It seems the conversation has gone on long enough. Shall we just confirm that everyone’s preparations are complete and start the raid right away?”

“……”

What the hell. That blatant interruption.

For a moment, I forgot what I was saying and just blinked. It seemed I wasn’t the only one who found the situation strange, as Hunter Kim Seongmyeong and Hunter Jeong Soyeon were also looking back and forth between me and Hunter Yoon Juyeong with odd expressions.

‘…He’s not the type to cut me off for no reason.’

This was Mr. Yoon Juyeong, of all people. Even though my own will wasn’t involved, the person who insisted on treating me as his master had no reason to casually interrupt me.

I glanced at Hunter Yoon Juyeong with a puzzled look, then turned around and followed the people heading toward the dungeon.

‘Well… it’s not like he’d have any intention of harming me.’

I figured what just happened was probably something he did for my sake, in his own way.

I just hope he hasn’t planned something unnecessary for my sake. Really.

* * *

“Hey, Hunter Seohee.”

“Yes?”

After we’d all finished checking our preparations and were waiting in front of the gate to enter the dungeon, Hunter Jeong Soyeon spoke to me.

I stopped adjusting the dagger at my waist and met Hunter Jeong Soyeon’s gaze.

“Um… don’t take it too much to heart. S-Rank hunters are always kind of like that, you know.”

“Ah.”

It seemed Hunter Jeong Soyeon was concerned about me getting cut off by Mr. Yoon Juyeong every time I tried to speak earlier.

Well, Juyeong had been pretty blatant about ignoring me. From the introductions to checking if everyone was ready, he’d deliberately interrupted me whenever I opened my mouth…

I answered Hunter Jeong Soyeon’s concern with the brightest smile I could manage.

“It’s fine. I’m not offended at all.”

“If you say so, that’s a relief… Ugh. I know S-Rank hunters have a reputation for their temper, but I didn’t expect him to act all nice and then do that.”

So that’s how it looked to the other hunters. I think I had a vague idea of what Mr. Yoon Juyeong was aiming for. He was probably trying to completely sever any connection between us, at least outwardly.

I glanced at Mr. Yoon Juyeong, who was talking with the gate attendant at the front of the party.

“But still, there aren’t many S-Ranks who are that friendly.”

“That’s true… Honestly, it’s well known that S-Ranks don’t even treat lower ranks as people. Ugh, but still. Look over there. He’s fawning over Hunter Yoon Juyeong.”

Saying he was ‘fawning’ sounded pretty weird, but the target of that remark was none other than the bear-like man, Hunter Kim Seongmyeong.

Following Hunter Jeong Soyeon’s words, I looked at Hunter Kim Seongmyeong, who was standing right next to Hunter Yoon Juyeong, chatting about this and that.

His dark, greenish eyes were filled with admiration and joy as he gazed at Hunter Yoon Juyeong.

“If you didn’t know better, you’d think he was Chunhyang pining for her lover in the Joseon era.”

“That’s a very poetic way to put it…”

The fact that she could compare the bear-sized Hunter Kim Seongmyeong to ‘Chunhyang’ made it clear that Hunter Jeong Soyeon had a very unique sensibility.

Hunter Jeong Soyeon’s face twisted as if she was about to burst out laughing, before she barely managed to put on her usual prim expression.

“Thanks for the compliment. Anyway, honestly, his behavior is a bit much, isn’t it? Clinging to someone stronger and sucking up, while ignoring the people that strong person ignores.”

“Hmm, I don’t think Hunter Kim Seongmyeong is ignoring me… maybe he’s just so happy to meet an S-Rank who’s nice to him that he’s a bit distracted.”

“Then that’s a problem in itself. It means he’s not considerate. Especially when there’s someone weaker than him around.”

Hmm, we’d only exchanged a few words, but I felt like I was starting to understand what kind of person Hunter Jeong Soyeon was. Instead of answering, I just smiled lightly and nodded.

Just as Hunter Jeong Soyeon was about to say something to me, a voice called out from the front.

“The gate is ready! Both of you, come quickly!”

“Got it!”

“Yes!”

Without any further delay, I walked up to the two people standing in front with Hunter Jeong Soyeon. The gate, now fully prepared, was emitting a bright blue light.

* * *

This dungeon, which had formed where my original home used to be and which I was personally tackling, was called the Fourth Dungeon, meaning it was the fourth one to appear.

I couldn’t help but think the name was a bit too lazy, but from a principle and efficiency standpoint, it wasn’t a bad name.

According to the dungeon investigators so far, the Fourth Dungeon’s field was a forest, the monsters were mammalian types, and the final boss was still unknown due to the quest dungeon’s nature of having no clear records yet.

‘It’s… denser than I thought.’

The first thought that came to mind as I stepped through the dungeon gate and saw it for myself was that it was a very lush forest.

I carefully examined the dense trees filling the field. Judging by their pointed leaves, they were a type of conifer.

“Be prepared for a sudden ambush. They’ll likely jump out from between the trees, or conversely, drag us into the gap between them.”

Hunter Kim Seongmyeong, who was also surveying the forest just like me, cautiously opened his mouth.

Normally, the highest-ranked hunter would take the lead in party leadership at times like this, but this time, Mr. Yoon Juyeong himself had asked Hunter Kim Seongmyeong to take on the role of party leader. The reason was that while his own rank was higher, Hunter Kim Seongmyeong had more experience in dungeon raids.

It was true that Hunter Yoon Juyeong was originally a B-Rank hunter, and while he wasn’t entirely inexperienced in dungeon raids, he did fall somewhat short compared to a veteran A-Rank hunter.

Hunter Kim Seongmyeong described Hunter Yoon Juyeong’s opinion as “humility born from a good character” and immediately accepted the party leader role. From my personal perspective as an observer, they really seem to make a well-matched pair.