Chapter 162

The golden light slipped neatly into Hunter So Yeri’s hand and vanished from sight.

“Oh.”

In the quiet, Hunter So Yeri, who had closed her eyes, opened them again.

Her eyes gleamed as if they had absorbed that earlier golden light, and she broke into a bright smile.

“It says the power of time has been charged by 20.”

“Oh……”

It seemed easier to gather than expected?

We all started rummaging through our inventories without a word, searching for items that ‘show signs of the passage of time.’

“What about food?”

Shin Jae-heon asked.

“You think that’ll work?”

Who tries to prove the passage of time with food?

As expected from the guy who claimed back in high school that ‘the freezer is where time stops, so you can eat pizza that’s two months old.’

What’s a fridge, some kind of room of time and spirit?

Why not just shove the whole fridge in there?

In the meantime, I found a good item in my inventory.

“What about this?”

What I pulled out was none other than a Mongdang pencil.

The item we’d gotten from the school RP dungeon last time.

I’d wondered what to use it for, but who knew it’d find its purpose here.

Aren’t Mongdang pencils the epitome of well-used old items?

“Oh!”

Hunter So Yeri’s eyes sparkled as she pulled a Mongdang pencil from her inventory.

Since all four of us had received them as rewards, four Mongdang pencils soon lay before us.

“Let’s give it a try……”

Hunter So Yeri’s eyes lit up as she pinched a pencil between her index finger and thumb.

No matter that she wasn’t a strength-based class, S-rank was still S-rank.

―Snap!

Hunter So Yeri snapped the Mongdang pencil without hesitation.

―Flash!

A smaller burst of golden light than when a heart shattered slipped into her hand.

After a brief silence, Hunter So Yeri shouted.

“5 points!”

“Oh.”

That meant 20 points from four of them.

The three Mongdang pencils we handed over snapped in Hunter So Yeri’s hands.

―Scatter……

The broken pencils turned to golden dust and scattered into the air.

“Total of 40 points now.”

“Anything else worth trying?”

We all checked our inventories, but nothing much turned up.

Of course, we had plenty of items we carried around that we could try, but the problem was…

“The points…… they’re stingy as hell, aren’t they?”

This.

After smashing a few more items, Hunter So Yeri looked troubled.

Most gave measly scores like 0.05 or 0.01 points.

And besides…

“Items from this RP dungeon don’t seem to work in the first place.”

As expected from a fire-attribute dealer, Shin Jae-heon even brought firewood from the fireplace.

Thick, sturdy-grown wood surely wasn’t immune to time, but the shattered logs yielded not a speck of golden dust.

“Well, if stuff from here worked, we’d have hit 100 points ages ago.”

Hunter So Yeri smacked her lips regretfully.

Our experiments with various items yielded these results.

“At least, it seems like it has to be from another dungeon, not here.”

Hunter Joo Yian said.

Items generally available in this ‘I’ve Possessed the Fragile Terminally Ill Young Lady (L)’ dungeon didn’t count.

And even among items from other gates like the Mongdang pencils or hearts, only the rare, hard-to-get ones granted the power of time.

Boss clear rewards or dungeon clear rewards, that sort of thing.

Surprisingly, one unexpected item worked.

“Stuff from the original world seems to work too.”

What Hunter So Yeri snapped was a dungeon-grown writing tool that Hunter Joo Yian carried for note-taking.

Ah, of course, with Hunter Joo Yian’s permission.

“What’s a writing tool got to do with the passage of time?”

Hunter So Yeri tilted her head.

“And it gave a whopping 5 points.”

“Maybe because you’ve carried it through so many gates?”

Time flows differently in each gate.

Like how we’d spent days in this mansion dungeon, but only half a day passed outside.

So an item that had been through many dungeons could be said to have ‘experienced a lot of time.’

“This skill is so picky.”

The regression skill Hunter So Yeri had acquired was an SS-rank skill, yet it was proving to be incredibly finicky.

“Anyway, from now on, whenever we hit a gate, we gotta pick up fun stuff to bring back.”

Hunter So Yeri’s eyes sparkled.

With that, she abruptly shot up from her seat.

“Alright, then!”

She stretched her arms high like a victory pose.

That action meant one thing!

“Pour it up, bottoms up!”

The afterparty had begun.

We’d told the outsiders it was a meeting, but the real purpose of coming here was treatment and the afterparty—nothing else.

Complicated stuff like meetings could wait for the group chat! It’s fine!

I wasn’t the only one with thoughts that would make the Seojin Empire folks faint if they heard.

Proof: none of the four of us brought up work.

Of course not.

How dare anyone bring up dirty work talk in the sacred afterparty venue?

“Still, it’s a relief this afterparty seems to be going healthily.”

Hunter Joo Yian smiled warmly.

As he said, simple drinks and snacks were laid out before us.

Thanks to Hunter Joo Yian showing off his skills after a while, various dishes were spread out too.

“I…… I’m touched.”

Hunter So Yeri was moved in front of the kimchi jjigae made from dungeon-grown ingredients.

“Seojin Empire food just doesn’t suit my taste!”

Shin Jae-heon and I nodded in admiration beside her.

“I knew you carried all sorts of stuff in your inventory.”

How do you even have all the ingredients for kimchi jjigae—not even retort pouch stuff?

“Make it salty and spicy! Salty and spicy!”

Hunter So Yeri bounced in her seat.

“Too bad there’s no soju.”

I smacked my lips. Hunter Joo Yian smiled.

“Unfortunately, no alcohol.”

But? Really?

I turned to Shin Jae-heon.

“You sure there’s none?”

At my words, the tense(?) gazes of Hunter Joo Yian and Hunter So Yeri turned to Shin Jae-heon.

A mysterious smile crept onto Shin Jae-heon’s face.

My conviction grew stronger.

That confident look.

“Let’s check the basement.”

I said with certainty. Shin Jae-heon seemed familiar with this villa.

Which naturally meant?

“Why the basement?”

Hunter So Yeri blinked.

“There’s definitely a wine cellar.”

“?”

A crack appeared in Hunter Joo Yian’s smile. Everyone’s eyes locked on Shin Jae-heon.

“Huh.”

None here!

But Shin Jae-heon had already vanished from his seat.

―Thud, thud.

As if on cue, footsteps on the stairs echoed, and Shin Jae-heon emerged from the basement stairwell.

Hunter So Yeri and I cheered at the sight of the ten bottles cradled in his arms.

“Yay!”

“No, alcohol is still……”

Hunter Joo Yian looked troubled.

But he knew too.

After field hospital treatment and intensive care, our conditions couldn’t possibly be bad.

Yet, true to his healer nature who insisted ‘even S-rank Hunters don’t need to seek out bad things,’ he tried to dissuade us.

Then Hunter So Yeri grinned.

“On days like this, you gotta break out the good stuff you’ve been saving.”

With that, she pulled out dungeon-grown soju. And popped a wine bottle.

Aaah no, what are you even trying to mix?

“No, that stuff……”

Hunter Joo Yian seemed flustered too.

That soju Hunter So Yeri pulled out was infamous for its high alcohol content, after all.

Then Hunter So Yeri played her trump card.

“It’s my resurrection party.”

“……”

Th…… This one’s unbeatable.

In the end, Hunter Joo Yian shut his mouth.

“Right? It’s okay? No nagging if we drink?”

Hunter So Yeri asked happily. I saw Hunter Joo Yian rub his forehead before finally smiling.

“……Don’t overdo it.”

“Yay!”

Hunter So Yeri cheered.

Good grief, we’re doomed.

I was laughing now, but when Hunter So Yeri actually vanished, I thought my heart had stopped.

“Pour me one.”

In the end, even Hunter Joo Yian cracked open a bottle.

Seeing Hunter So Yeri poised to chug straight from the bottle, he slyly reached into his inventory.

“In exchange, Hunter So Yeri, have another bowl of Special Countermeasure Soup—”

Hunter So Yeri paused briefly. Then she blurted out.

“You’re drinking too, Hunter Joo Yian.”

She flashed a pretty smile.

“So the healer should eat it.”

Su, support class counterattack!

Hunter Joo Yian’s face went pale in an instant.

Shin Jae-heon and I watched with keen interest.

Oho.

Hunter Joo Yian had only ever fed us the horror soup, never eaten it himself.

“You’ve worked hard healing us.”

I chimed in with Hunter So Yeri.

Hunter Joo Yian tried to stuff the pack of ‘Special Countermeasure’ back into his inventory.

―Swipe!

Spotting it, Shin Jae-heon swiftly snatched the pack from his hand.

We were all thinking the same thing.

Could Hunter Joo Yian withstand this horror taste too?

“I wasn’t directly attacked, so I’m fine.”

Hunter Joo Yian politely declined. But we spoke in unison.

“You used a ton of skills.”

It’s to settle the stomach before drinking!

As Hunter So Yeri and I insisted, Shin Jae-heon headed to the kitchen.

“I’ll heat it up.”

“No……”

Before Hunter Joo Yian could stop him, Shin Jae-heon was gone.

And soon returned with a bowl of soup.

It seemed a bit less than what we usually ate.

Where’d the rest go?

As I tilted my head…

“Eat up.”

Shin Jae-heon smiled as he set the bowl in front of Hunter Joo Yian.

Hunter Joo Yian’s shoulders were pinned down, one by Hunter So Yeri and one by me.

No escape!

“……I didn’t bring much Special Countermeasure.”

“Eat up.”

Shin Jae-heon repeated. Hunter Joo Yian continued.

“Anyway, for me to eat—”

“Eat up.”

“—it’d be a waste……”

“Eat up.”

Shin Jae-heon repeated like a machine. That expressionless face?

Hunter So Yeri and I were about to burst out laughing.

It’s the spitting image of Hunter Joo Yian when he’s mad!

“……”

Hunter Joo Yian seemed to sense the inescapable future.

“Sigh.”

Then he grasped the bowl with both hands.

“Hey, your hands are shaking?”

Still holding his shoulder, I keenly noticed his movement.

“For me to eat……”

As Hunter Joo Yian brought the bowl to his lips and tried to refuse again…

“Eat up.”

Shin Jae-heon said once more.

“Gulp it down. One shot.”

And Hunter So Yeri tilted the bowl right to Hunter Joo Yian’s mouth.

“Ack.”

As his mouth opened to speak, the soup poured in.

And we three witnessed it in that moment.

Hunter Joo Yian winced!

“Whoa! Can’t eat it!”

“He winced!”

“You said you could eat it someday!”

“You said you eat it fine!”

“Liar!”

We naturally went wild. He always said it was fine and made us eat it!

Judging by how little was gone from the bowl, Hunter Joo Yian—who’d barely touched it before—quickly made excuses.

“I was caught off guard. Watch.”

Then he grabbed the soup bowl and downed it in one go.

“Ooh~”

As Hunter So Yeri admired, I noticed something crucial.

“You held your breath while drinking?”

“Cough.”

Hunter Joo Yian seemed to choke this time. He waved his hand, face strained to avoid grimacing.

“No, it’s fine.”

Then he smiled faintly like it was delicious.

“Now that you’ve had yours,”

But Shin Jae-heon, as if waiting, emerged from the kitchen with a huge pot.

Where’d that giant thing come from?

He opened the lid to reveal it filled to the brim with Special Countermeasure broth(?).

“Knew you’d say that, so I prepared.”

Hunter Joo Yian’s face drained of color at the amount that wouldn’t vanish even after three days straight.

He finally confessed.

“I can’t eat much of it either.”

“You said it was tasty someday!!!”

Liar!!! You’ve fooled us for years!

Good thing Hunter So Yeri had put up a sound barrier. We were screaming loud enough to shake the mansion.