“If there’s no chance of getting mixed up with other hunters today, the goblin dungeon isn’t a big deal. So I should probably think ahead about the next dungeon. Hmm — going to the Big Boar dungeon seems like the right choice, right? Nice and simple.”
Fortunately, she was thinking the same way as me.
“Honestly, I’d love to head straight to the ‘Fire Monkey’ dungeon, but I don’t think it’s necessary to push it. Plus, it’d be tough to solo that one anyway. It’s better to challenge it after growing enough in the Big Boar dungeon.”
“Clap—!”
‘Rather than heading to the Fire Monkey after the Big Boar, it’s better to go to the Corrupted Ant Forest instead… Hmm…’
The Fire Monkeys tend to roam in large groups, making it a dungeon where having a party is essential. So from my point of view, it was a bit awkward.
‘If I level up a bit slower in the Corrupted Ant Forest while increasing my summoned creatures, I might be able to clear the Fire Monkey dungeon without party members. But I can’t keep letting Yeon-hee do dungeons alone forever. Gaining experience in team play is important too.’
While I was sitting across from Yeon-hee, organizing my thoughts, she stood up, sat beside me, and placed the pillow she was holding against my thigh before lying down.
“Clap—”
“Is that chin-declining move something you do when you’re flustered? Pffft— Il-wol, you’re really amusing.”
She lay back with her head resting on my leg, gazing vacantly at the ceiling.
“I’m just… reminded of lying like this on my mom’s lap when I was a kid.”
For a while, the only sound in the tiny room was the crunching of Wang-wang chewing on bones, until Wang-wang, sensing a different atmosphere, subtly approached her with a bone in his mouth.
Yeon-hee gently brushed the soft white fur of Wang-wang’s eyes, and without realizing it, I started stroking her hair.
—!!
Startled by my touch, she turned her head back to the ceiling and looked up at me.
We stared at each other for a long time, while my hand continued to stroke her hair. If someone were to see this, it would be quite a ridiculous sight.
A woman being patted on the head by a skeleton and the skeleton being patted by her…
‘Even I think this is a really absurd picture. But… it’s not bad.’
She definitely seemed to agree with my feelings. Just look at how her eyes slowly began to close, contrary to her initial response.
Soon, she fell into a light sleep, breathing softly, while Wang-wang had finished all the bones and spit out two mana stones from his tail.
– Kkiing…
Even after spitting out the mana stones, Yeon-hee showed no reaction and was deep in slumber, causing Wang-wang to let out a soft whimper, feeling a bit disappointed.
I gestured for Wang-wang, who was hovering near her face, to go away.
‘Hey— hey— don’t wake her up, go back to your place.’
Growl—
Wang-wang glared at me in discontent.
A moment later, maybe Yeon-hee’s mana had run out, as Wang-wang transformed into a tiny ball of light and was sucked into the portal.
‘It’s nice that there’s only bones left.’
I had been lending her my leg for over two hours, yet I didn’t feel the slightest bit of numbness; it wasn’t too shabby compared to humans.
I gazed down at her well-groomed, jewel-like face.
‘What a pretty and delicate child…’
My life-saving heroine who had saved many lives with her own.
‘I hope you have sweet dreams…’
* * *
The next day, we headed to the goblin dungeon as usual.
I briefly pondered if it might be better for Yeon-hee to take a day off, but I figured if a hunter who had been showing up daily suddenly took a break, it would raise suspicions, so we left the house again.
About two hours after entering the dungeon…
Having barely defeated six goblins and stripping bones to feed Wang-wang…
‘Three people, no, four.’
Yeon-hee seemed to sense something, so she moved to a spot where the way out was easy.
“Whoa, whoa— we’re not the bad guys.”
“That’s what a bad guy would say.”
“Jin-kyeong, please… could you shut your trap?”
As two of the four men and women approached us, they threw around playful banter.
“Are you the summoner Lee Yeon-hee?”
Pulling back the bickering couple, a woman in her late thirties stepped forward to address Yeon-hee.
“……What do you want?”
“Hmm— it’s nothing long-winded, we’re looking for a medium-sized colony. Would you be interested in joining?”
‘Ooh, medium-sized means about 50 goblins, right?’
Considering we had barely found six in the last two hours, it was an enticing proposal. Moreover, even for a medium-sized group, fighting a large enemy yields additional experience, so just participating would be a guaranteed profit.
Of course, that presupposes we don’t bite the dust. But would Yeon-hee take this offer after that scene yesterday with strangers?
“……Sure, but please assign us to rear support.”
“Hoho, that’s exactly what I wanted to ask. I heard you’re quite good with a bow. We’ve got plenty of frontliners, but we lack ranged.”
As expected, Yeon-hee was a resolute hunter. Seeing her accept immediately made me feel a bit proud for no reason.
Among the four I could see directly, the confirmed front-line types were two men, while the woman named Jin-kyeong and the current conversing aunt were technically mid-line.
Classes that typically assume mid-positions are either close-range heavy dealers, thieves, or guides like me. But there shouldn’t be any guides in such a low-grade dungeon, and judging by the weapons of the two women upfront, they were definitely close-range dealers.
“My name’s Helen. You can call the other three whatever you like, call them 1, 2, and 3.”
“Who’s the one with a guitar, huh? Can you stop using such a lame pseudonym?”
“It’s my style, so no interruptions, please. If you really dislike it, feel free to leave our party.”
“You think I’m going to be stuck with you?”
Just from the conversation, it seemed like they had a really tight camaraderie. And we weren’t really the sociable type to naturally blend into such a team.
Yeon-hee was already in a heavily curled up posture, so seeing that, I moved a bit forward and tightened my grip on my club.
“Oh? Is that the summoned creature of the summoner I’ve heard about…”
“Just a skeleton soldier. But he looks a bit more impressive than usual, doesn’t he?”
“If you fight, you’ll lose.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“They really have no idea they’re talking in front of a newcomer! Are they even aware of themselves?”
The woman using the alias Helen cleared her throat a couple of times before continuing.
“The distance is about a 15-minute walk from here. There are teams we’ve discussed waiting on the outskirts. And naturally, there won’t be a boss goblin, right? They were caught recently. Also, loot distribution will happen depending on the level of your contributions.”
‘How much loot can you get from goblins? They’ll be busy taking care of their own meal.’
The woman named Helen winked at Yeon-hee, then gestured for us to follow. We hesitated for a moment, but as I started to move forward, Yeon-hee gripped her bow tightly and walked along.
‘I think they might be a bit playfully annoying, but there’s no malice behind it. Honestly, it seems more like children’s play.’
Many hunters have a rough way of speaking because of the job’s nature, but the team in front of me seemed like fresh-faced kids.
Of course, that was according to my standards, and Yeon-hee was getting increasingly tense, with her breath becoming ragged.
After keeping a distance of about 10 meters and following for about 15 minutes, a goblin colony appeared near a small pond.
“It looks like there are more than fifty…”
Nod—
And just as Helen mentioned, we could see hunters poorly hiding their bodies.
20 F-class hunters. Adding Yeon-hee, that makes 21.
It won’t be an easy feat to face over 50 goblins with this many people. However, the faces of the newly met hunters appeared quite relaxed.
‘This is a lot better than last time.’
This was a different atmosphere compared to the last lot that caused a major debacle with over ten fatalities. This kind of air doesn’t arise from just anyone acting reckless; it’s a flow that appears when there’s definite weaponry or experience involved.
Even in a relaxed setting, bringing Yeon-hee along indicates that someone is thinking ahead of various possibilities.
‘Not bad…’
Since loot likely wouldn’t come our way, we could just gank the experience and slip away. In that regard, it was almost like the previous large-scale battle we faced.
(I’ve never seen so many tankers before…)
Yeon-hee whispered in my ear.
‘Sure enough, it’s uncommon that there’s only one ranged dealer among twenty.’
But it’s a different story if that one is a sorcerer.
‘That green staff… it’s nature-based magic. That explains why the hunters look so cheerful.’
Nature-type mages have a wider variety of spells than others, so it’s hard to know exactly what abilities they possess. But the fact that people display this level of confidence means…
‘It must be a binding-type.’
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