Chapter 137

At my enthusiastic shout, Hunter So Yeri’s eyes sparkled.

“Right! We gotta nail ’em right in the middle of the saltwater!”

Excitedly crying out, Hunter So Yeri scanned the sea.

In the meantime, we were still flying steadily in a specific direction.

“But we’re heading the right way, right?”

It was always tough to run straight ahead while looking elsewhere.

Especially in mid-air with no friction from the ground.

But Hunter So Yeri said confidently,

“Yep, yep. Don’t underestimate Navi-Yeri.”

Navi-what now?

It was so natural I almost missed it.

And Navi-Yeri soon pinpointed the perfect spot.

“How about over there?”

The place she pointed to was far out in the ocean.

Taking the telescope, I peered through. The waves were crashing high—trouble brewing for sure.

Dropping in there, knights might manage, but mages unused to physical strain would suffer big time.

Perfect spot for those jerks who tried to screw us over.

“Call.”

On the way, Hunter So Yeri looked thrilled.

Especially since there were no speakers—or special spaces—to muffle our chat; she seemed right at ease.

Chattering away, she recounted last night’s tale.

“The butler tried to leave four boxes behind! But bam, bam, bam, bam—four S-rank gates slapped right on top! Cold sweat pouring down, for real!”

Of course, way more detailed and vivid than her earlier version.

“Even before that, that maid who showed up first seemed off. Demanding a treasured item out of nowhere—what’s that about?”

“Oh, that maid!”

I had plenty to say about her too.

“If that’s the case, just send her out to pick some flowers or something!”

Hunter So Yeri chimed in.

“Exactly! The second I saw that system window, I thought, ‘If she’d picked flowers, would they count as a substitute gift?'”

I burst out laughing. Great minds think alike, huh?

But as we talked, curiosity struck.

“Right, but what got taken from you, Hunter So Yeri?”

The chatty response I expected came surprisingly late.

“?”

Glancing up in confusion, I saw her looking down at me.

“What about you, Hunter Yuri?”

Me? I shrugged.

“My weapon vanished.”

“Huh?”

Hunter So Yeri blinked.

Bracing for the teasing, I humbly closed my eyes.

Sure enough, after the mental circuit of ‘Her most prized possession is a weapon? How DPS-obsessed is she?’, she burst into laughter.

“You treasured it that much!?”

Even I was baffled by it.

“I didn’t realize I cherished my weapons so much?”

Especially since it was that SS+ wooden sword from the PE teacher that vanished from my inventory—maybe that’s why.

Was it because it’s an SS+ weapon that I treasured it most? Well, of course SS+ weapons matter.

The rank gap meant I hadn’t wielded it properly yet, but just being SS+ made it plenty precious.

But most treasured item? Hmm…

…Maybe because all my prized stuff is stashed in the Galaxy Server inventory?

I don’t get that attached. Was the wooden sword the one I bonded with most?

“My lifeline, maybe?”

She laughed at that.

“Could be! Lifelines are important!”

Hunter So Yeri hugged me tight, cradling under my shoulders. Her laughter sounded happier than usual.

This’d make me her eternal punchline! She was enjoying it more than I’d figured.

“So, what about you, Hunter So Yeri?”

I quickly changed the subject.

And thanks to the hug, I was close enough to feel it.

“…?”

Her stiffening.

I turned to her with a puzzled look.

What had she lost?

For a split second, her face looked tense.

Unlike her usual self.

“Erm.”

Had I asked something I shouldn’t?

Just as I thought that, her expression melted away like it was all my imagination.

“A memento?”

She said vaguely, without details.

Of course, that sparked my curiosity.

“Mind if I ask what?”

She tilted her head slightly.

“Erm.”

Then pondered. That much hesitation? It must be important!

I regretted asking for a moment.

“A parasol.”

Surprisingly, she spilled it straightforwardly(?).

“A parasol?”

But the item was kinda out of left field.

A parasol? Why a parasol? I glanced back at her.

With her hugging from behind, her face was hard to see.

Well, a DPS nut losing her weapon happens, so a parasol obsession isn’t wild—

“Yeah. A parasol with holes in it.”

But her follow-up halted my thoughts.

“Oh…”

Not just any parasol—a holey one?

“That’s… quite the specific taste you’ve got.”

Tastes are to be respected! I nodded.

Hunter So Yeri could totally have that vibe.

Her most prized possession being a parasol—and a holey one at that…

Wait, this mattered.

Our house had over twenty parasols she’d bought rolling around, but she wouldn’t inventory her own purchases.

So, nine times out of ten, a gift from someone.

And Hunter So Yeri wouldn’t poke holes in a gift.

So, did she get it already holey?

Who gifts a useless, holey parasol?

“A gift from someone else, right?”

Whoever it was must’ve had unavoidable circumstances.

Otherwise, I’d gladly punch a hole in their head.

“Pretty much.”

But her answer was ambiguous.

If it’s a gift, say so; if not, no. What’s with the ‘pretty much’?

And the gift itself seemed even fishier.

“…You got it with the holes already?”

“Huh?”

Caught off guard, she faltered.

“Was the parasol holey when you received it? You said holey parasol.”

She blinked.

“Yes.”

Short and to the point.

I narrowed my eyes.

“Whoever gave it… impressive person.”

No matter who, they better have a looong excuse.

Who gifts a holey parasol?

Some lover’s token?

The oddity spawned wild delusions.

“Don’t tell me… an ex gave it?”

If she treasured it, she must’ve cared for him!

But that jerk gave her a holey… parasol…?

No, that’s trash behavior!!!

I bristled.

“Date me instead!”

She blinked, then laughed.

“Not like that. Just something from way back.”

Not like that? Really???

That wistful look—really not???

Was I hallucinating from those 19+ romance novels before entering the dungeon?

As I reconsidered Choco Books’ harm,

Her next words hammered a 100-ton punch into my brain.

“More precisely, they left it behind.”

“What?”

Left a holey parasol as a breakup gift???

No breakup mentioned, but the story flashing in my mind was this.

Total scumbag!!!

I whipped around to check her.

From behind, glimpses showed her expression wasn’t bright.

Smiling as usual, but her energy had dipped noticeably.

“Who is it? Who made Yeri noona sad?”

I yelled, and she laughed.

“I said it’s not like that.”

What do you mean not! She looks depressed! About to cry any second!

“If you spot that jerk on the street, tell me. I’ll have a nice, private chat.”

Mid-rant, my eyes widened.

Wait—this was Hunter So Yeri’s past!

Among us four, she was the least open about her history.

No need to spill, sure, but living together, backstories slip out naturally.

Not with her. Chattiest one, yet zipped about herself.

“Before you became a hunter?”

She froze at my words.

Bingo! My eyes lit up.

—Whiiiing!

Suddenly, she accelerated. I nearly bit my tongue.

“Taxi reckless driving! Reckless driving!”

I’m reporting you! I gripped her arm tight.

She burst out laughing.

“The passenger started with the weird questions!”

Asking what vanished from inventory—how’s that weird? The weirdo’s the parasol-giver!

“What kind of bastard iiiiiis thaaaaaaat?!”

Before I finished, speed ramped up. Freaked, I shut up.

En route, we spotted a pack of about a hundred monsters swarming prettily toward us.

Quadrupedal beasts, so pretty fast movers.

But my first thought on seeing them:

“Perfect size for an AoE wipe, huh?”

“And they’re A-rank.”

She could see the ranks, apparently.

Stack buffs and unleash wide-range—should sweep that size easy.

That was when it popped up.