Chapter 125

The invitation ended like that.

With the transformation potion’s effects still lingering, my gaze met the three hunters’ unfamiliar faces.

“……!”

Hunter So Yeri glanced toward one side of her vision, as if about to type in chat, then widened her eyes.

She lightly covered her mouth with her fingertips and tilted her head.

‘Chat doesn’t work?’

It seemed like that kind of question. I nodded. It doesn’t.

“Hmm.”

That was when Hunter So Yeri crossed her arms.

“Ahem.”

The Eastern Empire folks had finished reading their invitations too, pocketing the letters and clearing their throats.

Then, all of a sudden, they started casually looking around.

The spot where we’d spawned was right in front of the avenue leading into the mansion.

The avenue wound up and down hills, the mansion visible in the distance like a thumbnail.

What was it again? Don’t run frivolously?

So, we were supposed to walk all the way there?

Whoever this Maiden—or Maid in whatever—was, their guest manners were top-notch.

“Quite the peculiar place.”

One of the Eastern Empire guys spoke up again. They were already huddled together in a group of four.

“It’s just a gate at the end of the day.”

Another replied.

His hands, pretending to be so relaxed, were trembling faintly.

Don’t act tough, kids.

That was when it happened.

—Neigh!

A horse’s whinny echoed from afar.

Turning around, I saw an old-fashioned carriage approaching with a clatter.

“A carriage?”

Here, out of nowhere? We didn’t even start in one?

“It looks too small for eight people.”

Joo Yian murmured in a low voice.

“Yeah.”

Maybe four at most?

Was this originally a four-man gate? There hadn’t been any such restrictions?

That left one possibility.

It could be a trap.

Honestly, since when were SS-rank dungeons ever nice to hunters? Expecting a ride?

That was when our team turned our heads in unison.

“?”

Gone!

The spot where the Eastern Empire guys had been was empty.

Where’d they go?

“We’ve been waiting!”

They were hurrying toward the carriage, acting all dignified, afraid we might steal it.

If not for the no-running rule, they’d have sprinted there like the wind.

“Oh.”

Shin Jae-heon let out a soulless exclamation as the carriage pulled up beside them.

“Guests of the Maiden?”

the coachman asked.

The four Eastern Empire idiots nodded in unison.

“Yes.”

“Then please, hop on.”

The coachman beckoned without even checking their invitations.

“Ahem!”

“Get on quick, quick!”

I could see them whispering hurriedly as they plopped down on the carriage seats.

“…….”

“…….”

Our gazes met theirs.

—Neigh!

As the carriage set off, their relieved faces broke into triumphant smirks aimed at us.

“We’ll go on ahead. Ahem.”

Then they rode off into the distance with happy expressions.

Silence fell over the rest of us.

“…….”

And just as the carriage vanished into the distance…

—Bzzz!

The transformation potions on the three of us wore off, revealing our familiar faces.

Shin Jae-heon looked dumbfounded both before and after his wore off.

Arms still crossed.

“What absolute morons.”

“Right?”

I agreed. Hunter So Yeri chimed in.

“Those kids are pure as can be.”

“They seem to believe in the goodness of humanity,” Hunter Joo Yian said, pulling a monocle from his inventory and putting it on.

“It’s been years since I last saw suckers that naive.”

I started walking.

We had to head to the mansion anyway, since we were guests.

Shin Jae-heon, walking beside me, picked up my words.

“Yeah. Haven’t seen anyone that innocently trusting a dungeon since the tutorial.”

“I’m betting the carriage turns into a monster.”

Hunter So Yeri interjected. Joo Yian shook his head.

“Thinking back to that mansion dungeon from two years ago, the coachman might be the enemy.”

Two years ago? Where was that? Was there a mansion RP?

“Right, didn’t the coachman transform back then?”

Hunter So Yeri asked, eyes wide.

“He merged with the horse.”

Shin Jae-heon said with a grimace.

“Fortunately, we caught him before he fully merged, so no issues.”

Joo Yian smiled faintly.

“Was that it?”

As I tried to recall, Hunter So Yeri continued.

“Yeah, Shin Jae-heon took him out in one hit.”

“Ah!”

That jogged my memory. I pointed at Shin Jae-heon.

“Didn’t you slice the horse and complain about who was gonna pull the carriage now?”

Hunter So Yeri burst out laughing, clutching her stomach.

Shin Jae-heon scowled.

“Why do you always remember the embarrassing stuff, Hunter Shin Yuri?”

“Says the guy who named my family Edelweiss.”

We narrowed our eyes at each other.

Of course, only briefly.

We couldn’t afford to let our guard down in an SS-rank dungeon.

“But we really have to walk all the way there, huh?”

Pulling ourselves together didn’t change the marathon ahead.

“No choice.”

Shin Jae-heon took the lead.

I followed, then Joo Yian and I side by side—no, me next, Joo Yian beside me, and Hunter So Yeri at the rear.

Advancing while scanning our surroundings.

“Hmm.”

Even so, on this wide-open carriage avenue, no monsters would pop out— just the sound of our footsteps.

How long had we walked?

“Well, isn’t that nice.”

Then give us a carriage!

All four of us pivoted to one side simultaneously.

“Doesn’t seem like we’ll be besties with the mansion owner.”

I heard Shin Jae-heon grumbling.

“Our actions will probably be even more restricted once we’re inside,” Hunter Joo Yian said, frowning slightly.

As we veered from the avenue into the woods…

“Huh?”

I widened my eyes.

Hunter So Yeri, peeking over my shoulder, saw the same thing and went wide-eyed too.

Ahead of us lay trampled, half-uprooted grass.

Unlike the tidy surroundings, this was blatantly damaged.

Weren’t we supposed to maintain dignity earlier?

No walking on the avenue for decorum?

As I swallowed the undignified words bubbling up, thinking of that warning…

“Is that spot maintained with dignity too?”

Hunter So Yeri blurted out what we were all holding back.

The moment she did…

—Thwack!

A knuckle-rap sound rang out, and she clutched her head.

“Ow!”

I could see Hunter So Yeri’s HP bar dip slightly.

“!”

Startled, Joo Yian unleashed a barrage of heal skills.

“You got a warning too?”

Hunter So Yeri shook her head, rubbing her forehead.

A real red mark was there, like someone had flicked her hard.

“It said to speak with dignity.”

Apparently that was the system message. I gaped in disbelief.

Shin Jae-heon looked equally stunned; we exchanged similar looks.

Criticizing the garden’s state was undignified?

“……The mansion’s owner seems quite confident in their aesthetic sense.”

Joo Yian said elegantly.

The mansion owner seemed satisfied with that assessment—no knuckle-rap for Joo Yian.

We three turned to him with impressed faces.

“In this dungeon, our party’s dignity rests on Joo Yian.”

I grabbed his shoulder.

When we wanna trash-talk, you do it for us! Elegantly!

Joo Yian smiled awkwardly under our fervent gazes.