Chapter 128

“Let’s go!”

The guards trudged back without finding a thing.

Fortunately, it looked like they truly didn’t have any search-related skills.

If they’d had guards with tracking skills like Shin Jae-heon, we wouldn’t have been able to avoid an all-out fight.

“For now, let’s treat anything that pops out as an enemy.”

Shin Jae-heon said it with a straight face, gripping Maletia’s sword.

We nodded and approached the mansion, eyes scanning our surroundings.

Detouring through the forest instead of the main road slowed us down, inevitably.

But what could we do? We weren’t a carriage!

“Should we have taken a carriage?”

For the first time since entering the dungeon, I regretted it. But that regret vanished seconds later.

The system window had kindly updated us on the Eastern Empire team that took the carriage.

“Only Hunter Shin Jae-heon got one on our side, right?”

“So all four of theirs got hit?”

Hunter So Yeri burst into giggles at my words.

“Gotta be the coachman disguise.”

“Or the carriage itself.”

Shin Jae-heon jumped in.

They were clearly tackling just as rough a path over there.

I couldn’t help but feel a bit cheered up.

How many hours had we been going like that?

“Sun’s about to set soon, huh?”

I pointed at the sky turning golden. The mansion had gotten just a tiny bit closer by then.

“Was it originally this far?”

It had seemed like a few hours’ distance for sure.

As I tilted my head, Joo Yian spoke up cautiously.

“The mansion hasn’t gotten any closer after a certain point. Doesn’t feel like normal distance.”

“Dungeon progression-wise, this is about time for a rest, right?”

Shin Jae-heon chimed in, eyeing the distance to the mansion.

“Then shall we scout for a spot to crash?”

Hunter So Yeri scanned the surroundings.

Unlike the Eastern Empire crew’s half-hearted glance hours ago, her eyes were sharp.

Overnighting in dungeons was routine after all this time.

“But we’ve been invited to the mansion. Is it okay to show up late?”

The real issue was how the dungeon would progress.

Shin Jae-heon shrugged at my words.

“If they wanted us early, they’d have sent more guest carriages. Plus, a few guests are already there.”

Fair point.

Then a system window popped up.

“Again?”

If it wasn’t one of our stationary four, it had to be the Eastern Empire side.

After the first count popped up, the system started notifying us every time someone got a warning. Probably triggered after a certain number across all entrants.

It had gone off twice more after that.

They were clearly having a blast stumbling around. Tsk tsk.

See? Should’ve ditched the carriage.

“Alright, let’s find some firewood first.”

I waved my hand.

Hunter So Yeri, having picked a spot, nodded while casting her barrier skill.

“Perfect! Oh, pairs for scouting!”

She barked it out like lightning.

Joo Yian, casting a different barrier nearby, turned to me.

“I’ll go with you.”

That’s when Shin Jae-heon stepped up beside me. Smart—dealers sticking together preserved mobility.

Not our first rodeo, so Joo Yian gave a slight nod.

“Let’s move.”

I patted Shin Jae-heon’s back.

“An SS-rank dungeon won’t see through a concealment cloth, right?”

Concealment cloth.

Essential for outdoor camping in dungeons.

Even S-rank hunters performed differently sleeping by a fire versus without.

But lighting one up meant advertising to every monster with the glow and smoke.

That’s where dungeon concealment cloths came in—they absorbed light, smoke, and scent while venting heat, keeping your fire hidden.

Of course, we couldn’t all crash out. Alert skills and watches were still mandatory.

“This should do for branches.”

Arms full of firewood bundles, I scanned around.

Shin Jae-heon, similarly loaded, pulled a dungeon lighter from his inventory.

“Let’s head back.”

As I gestured, he froze mid-motion.

“What’s up?”

He looked flustered.

No debuff, and surely no ridiculous system message like ‘For dignity’s sake, no fires in the forest’?

But it was something more basic—and absurd.

-Click.

Shin Jae-heon flicked the lighter and muttered.

“Out of fuel, looks like.”

“Whoa.”

Shin Jae-heon always checked his entry gear meticulously.

Even monkeys fall from trees, huh?

For real? I stared at him.

“…Anyway, let’s go. We’ll figure out fire somehow.”

He looked thrown off too, face sour as he started walking.

“Light it with Flame Sword?”

This guy, a fire hunter, didn’t know the value of flame?

He furrowed his brow briefly at my jab.

“…Even minimized, it’d torch the tent.”

I thought he was overthinking—turns out he was actually considering it!

“They’ve probably got the tents up by now.”

I nodded at his words.

“Finishing touches time.”

Light it en route? Forest instead of tent?

Nah.

“Hey, just don’t swing it. Light the tip of Maletia’s sword later.”

SS-rank Flame Sword as a match?

“Am I a lighter now?”

He shot back an incredulous look. I shrugged.

“Versatile skills are a good thing.”

Shin Jae-heon had fire skills, but even So Yeri with her arsenal lacked one.

No need to light fires, after all.

By the time we returned, the tents were up as expected.

Hunter So Yeri and Joo Yian were chatting—or rather, Joo Yian was getting grilled—beside dungeon rations piled from inventory.

-Whirr!

As we neared, So Yeri’s soundproof barrier shimmered in welcome.

With thorough alert skills and perimeter scans done, their relaxation meant we could ease up too.

“Rock, pa—per, scis—sors!”

So Yeri thrust her hand out; Joo Yian hesitantly offered a fist.

So did she.

“Tie. Again—”

“No way.”

So Yeri suddenly stuck out her thumb. Then shamelessly declared.

“This is a lighter, Hunter Joo Yian.”

“Pardon?”

“Just lit a fire.”

She grinned. Joo Yian looked pained.

“Where’s a lighter even—”

“My neighborhood had lighters.”

“Ours didn’t.”

“Ours did. Tsk.”

So Yeri narrowed her eyes.

“Lighter beats all. Just burn ’em!”

Joo Yian puzzled over this bizarre RPS rule.

“Lighter beats everything? So rock and scissors burn too…?”

Her logical approach furrowed So Yeri’s brow.

“Hmm, scissors melt, rock… Ah!”

She jabbed our way.

“Here comes the dungeon lighter that can torch rocks!”

Shin Jae-heon looked baffled.

He tossed and caught the empty lighter.

“Out of fuel.”

Her brow furrowed deeper.

“I win.”

Joo Yian said mildly. So Yeri flailed her hand.

“No! Fight’s not over. Look, human lighter over there.”

She brazenly turned to Shin Jae-heon.

“Flame Sword can melt rock and scissors too, right?”

He arched a brow.

Using an SS-skill as a match was iffy enough—melting RPS choices?

“Technically, I’m more flamethrower than lighter.”

The handling irked him!

“Anyway, not a lighter, he says.”

So Yeri clutched her head.

“Ugh.”

What started this RPS frenzy?

“Betting?”

-Thud.

I set down the firewood beside them and asked.

So Yeri nodded miserably.

Joo Yian smiled faintly.

“So you’ll have the ‘special measure’ later.”

Joo Yian’s dungeon-mountain nutrition soup? I eyed So Yeri.

She didn’t look sick.

Her face crumpled at his words.

“I… was gonna eat it…”

She clutched her head.

“Even the maker grimaces at that stuff! The smell was ominous from the start!”

“I eat it fine.”

Joo Yian said evenly.

“Then prove it!”

“Loser shows it after RPS.”

He stood firm against her shout.

“Warmed up, it’s even tastier. Scoot.”

Support class worshipping dungeon-mountain bellflower from day one—knew this day’d come!

I couldn’t hold back laughter, poking So Yeri.

“Why, what, why.”

She pouted and stepped aside.

Shin Jae-heon and I advanced like it was planned.

“?”

As they watched puzzled, I began stacking the wood meticulously.

“…Do we need to light it that dramatically?”

So Yeri asked, baffled.

“Yes.”

We nodded solemnly.

A red aura swirled around Maletia’s sword.

“?”

By now, So Yeri watched with keen interest.

Joo Yian just stared, utterly lost.

“Fire.”

I murmured low. Shin Jae-heon nodded curtly.

His gaze fixed on the tip of Maletia’s sword, raised skyward.

And—

-Whoosh!

Flames erupted at the blade’s edge.

“Naaace! Hold it steady!”

I reverently touched my bundle to the flame, like an Olympic torchbearer.

“Why such a big production for fire— Oh.”

Joo Yian finally recalled our lighter fuel story, hand to forehead.

So Yeri howled with laughter.

Of course, laughing didn’t save her from the ‘special measure.’

“Warmed it up nice for you.”

“Ugh.”

Her face turned the color of the dungeon-mountain nutrition soup.

I beamed at her, recalling the horrors I’d choked down before.