I know it’s for raising the summoned creature, but with Yeon-hee taking care of me like this, I couldn’t help but feel my lips curling up.
“Uh? Is Il-wol next to you?”
Bae Joo-ah seemed to notice that I was there after seeing Yeon-hee glance into the air.
“Ah, yes. I’m standing next to you.”
“Huh?! So, there’s really a Skeleton Soldier in stealth mode?”
“Yes.”
“Can you show it just once?”
“Uhm…”
Yeon-hee looked around the second-floor café. When we first arrived, two spots were taken, but somehow everyone had left, and now it was just us.
“Well, just a moment…”
“Sure, sure!”
As Yeon-hee lowered her voice, Baek Ah-rin instinctively shrank back and also lowered her voice. However, her long ears kept twitching, revealing her anxiety.
‘We’ve got one more cute one now.’
Feeling a strange urge to surprise her, I briefly revealed myself.
“…Eek! Wow!! It’s real!! Amazing!!”
“Uh… Eek!”
Baek Ah-rin clapped like a seal, clearly thrilled, and for some reason, Ham Eun-young quickly took out her hand mirror, gripping it tightly while looking up at me. Was she planning to smack me with that if things went sideways?
I knew it wasn’t an ordinary hand mirror, but it definitely wasn’t meant for hitting.
“Oh come on—Eun-young unnie! It’s not dangerous at all, so put that hand mirror down—”
“Huh? Oh…”
“Wow! Really! So amazing!”
Baek Ah-rin’s admiration showed no signs of stopping, and she even stood up, circling around me to take a better look.
“Don’t touch it, Bok-kyung. Yeon-hee doesn’t like that.”
“Okay! Got it.”
Yeon-hee didn’t outright dismiss Bae Joo-ah’s warning.
After about ten more minutes, the conversation picked up again.
“Let’s head to Red Wolf Valley. That’s the easiest place to start.”
“Ugh—again there… Well! I’ll think of it as a team play session!”
“Thank you.”
“……”
After chatting for about thirty more minutes, we parted ways and met again the next day at the entrance of the dungeon known as the ‘Wolf Den.’
“Ah—The air feels refreshing.”
“Right? Hehe—”
“Wow… The scenery is definitely different. It’s so open.”
This dungeon, featuring Lesser Dire Wolves as its main attraction, wasn’t like the E-grade dungeons predominantly filled with forests. To find a decent hunting spot, one would have to traverse wide open plains, and during that time, you’d almost certainly end up surrounded by a pack of wolves. Overcoming that situation is key to this dungeon.
In the forest, ghosts occasionally appeared, but the most frequently encountered monsters were ‘Gray Molds.’
These creatures travel in packs, making them not easy to deal with, and when attacked, they emit a slowing smoke for defense. Underestimating it and inhaling can turn you into their prey before you know it.
So typically, rather than moving through the forest, it’s standard to fight while just moving across the plains.
– Wow, it’s Baek Ah-rin. She’s so pretty, really.
– Beastmen are the best~
– Crazy bastard, haha—
Not far away, three men scanned our party with gluttonous eyes.
Yeon-hee and Ham Eun-young, with only parts of their skin showing, seemed to be out of their sight, while Bae Joo-ah and Baek Ah-rin were the center of attention. Especially Baek Ah-rin, who showed off her figure, became the main target.
However, Baek Ah-rin appeared unfazed by their gazes and remarks, while Bae Joo-ah, seemingly already accustomed to this, commented casually, “Are you popular?”
Baek Ah-rin had uploaded several of her training videos to YouTube as a pastime after reaching D-grade, and unexpectedly, they went viral, making her quite recognizable. From her tone, it seemed like she had been dealing with this for some time.
After all, someone with the traits of a Rabbit Beastman is a rare sight in our country, so it makes sense she’d stand out anywhere.
“Then shall we go?”
Naturally, Baek Ah-rin became the leader of this party, and with her signal, we walked towards the vast horizon.
As we set out, several teams began to follow us, all made up of only men.
Of course, they weren’t trying to do anything to us, but it’s no surprise that men, simple creatures by nature, would rather join the path we’re taking.
– That’s a nice view from behind.
– Wow~ The energy is really high right from the start!
– Crazy bastard, your remarks suck. Are you a construction worker?
– That’s rich coming from you, loser.
– Stop the nonsense and let’s move quickly.
Honestly, as a man myself, I could guess why they were acting like that. Just the thought of putting up with these pathetic guys begging for attention was somewhat annoying.
Why do Hunters behave so decently in society, only to become completely reckless inside a dungeon, like soldiers in reserve?
“Sigh— It’s just a bunch of barking dogs, Hase-young. They’ll probably drop out soon enough.”
“Yeah.”
“You’re dressing like that, so of course, they’re reacting. Try to dress more normally.”
“No way! If I wear layers, it’s uncomfortable when fighting.”
‘It’s hard to argue when she’s dressing for her own comfort.’
I remained cautious of any potential human rampage, and about thirty minutes into our journey, the signs of our first battle appeared.
Awoo—
Even in the morning, the unmistakably piercing howl of a wolf.
“Ah— so annoying!”
Just like there were goblins in every E-grade dungeon you could visit, D-grade dungeons would always have wolf-type monsters. Yeon-hee and Joo-ah would soon experience the lingering echoes of howling in their ears.
And I knew the real scare would come when someone rides on those beasts. Not something to worry about yet.
Awoo—
To pressure their prey, to communicate among their kin, or maybe just for fun.
Whatever the reason, the distant howls followed us the entire way, growing louder.
“They’re about to charge.”
“Is there anything we should be careful about?”
“Um— Nope! Just smash every one you see. They may try to come in large numbers, but they’re just Lesser Wolves. They’re still inexperienced in combat and tactics.”
“Got it…”
Since these monsters don’t have any special skills, it seemed likely. But if we got clawed, the status effect ‘Bleeding’ would probably apply, so we need to be careful.
The bleeding status inflicts damage like poison over time, but unlike poison, it doesn’t stack. Instead, if you move around while bleeding, the damage increases, potentially making it more lethal than poison during battle.
Tatatatak—
Crossing the ridge of the plain, we spotted a pack of around thirty wolves orderly following alongside us. They cunningly kept their distance for a while but matched our steps.
With dark brown fur sticking out sharply and bodies nearly 1.5 times that of a large dog, the wolves drooled, exposing their fangs.
At first glance, they had a distinctly intimidating presence.
The beasts tilted their heads, carefully observing our strength.
‘Maybe it’s because I haven’t seen them in a while. They seem bigger than my memories.’
Or maybe the overall strength of monsters in this world has increased. Either way, the size of those wolves clearly exceeded my last world’s by 5-10%.
In the back two-thirds of the pack, there was one with particularly sharp eyes. A creature that likely led the group, whether it was ten or a hundred wolves—it was probably that one.
“Oh? The group behind us is gone?”
As Bae Joo-ah said, the group that had been leering at our party had vanished from sight. In fact, it had been a few minutes since they disappeared.
“Even though they’re called Lesser, their intelligence is almost on par with Dire Wolves. They probably picked on weaker-looking Hunters first.”
Indeed. These beasts naturally gather in groups of at least a hundred. The remaining 70 were probably sent to hunt the sixteen Hunters who had been behind us while thirty stuck with us, unsure if they could hunt by themselves.
That’s why they’ve just been watching and not acting.
“Hey, Ah-rin, is this your fault? They seem hesitant, sensing the power difference.”
“Oh ho ho— Is that so? Those little ones are quite perceptive.”
“Actually… After thinking about it, it can’t be you. It must be Il-wol.”
“Am I weaker than a skeleton?”
“Maybe?”
“… I guess I’ll have to show you the power of the deity I’ve hidden in my left arm.”
“Sure! I understand.”
Perhaps this dungeon’s wolves felt burdened by Arin’s experience or maybe genuinely because of me, but they remained in their stance.
However, after another ten minutes, as twenty more wolves joined the group from the rear, they finally decided to act.
“They’ve entered our range!”
“Everyone, get into position!”
Yeon-hee first summoned the Specter ‘Chehwa’ to engage the main pack of wolves.
“Chehwa, maintain a distance while staying connected with me and prepare for battle!”
[Hwaahh——!]
It seemed she wasn’t able to send it too far yet and was probably waiting for the right moment to approach while chanting her incantation.
Hwaahh——
Kkkhaeng—!!
‘Chehwa’ charged into the thick of the wolves’ main group, swinging its sharply manifested arms chaotically. The actual damage might not be much, but since it drains life, the wolves would feel it.
The wolves tried to strike Chehwa with their front paws but merely struck the air. For a hit, they would need to counter at the exact moment Chehwa attacked, but the creatures lacked the ability to make such judgements.
“Eek?! It’s a Specter!!”
“Uh? Yeon-hee, is that your newly acquired summon?”
“Yes!”
With Yeon-hee’s confident reply, Baek Ah-rin and Bae Joo-ah exchanged nods, feeling relieved that they had teamed up.
The wolves, rushing in to surround us, suddenly found their formation disrupted by the Specter’s sudden entry. Their attacks were ineffective against a monster that absorbed their strength. Every hit seemed to sap their energy.
Instinctively realizing they were outmatched, the wolves began to crowd to one side.
‘Are they retreating?’
But instead of fleeing, they huddled briefly, growling again before charging back at the Specter, attempting to attack wildly. And then—
Pook-!
[Hwaahh!!]
It seemed that in a brief moment of corporeal manifestation, Chehwa was struck by a wolf. However, it successfully drew aggro, definitely pulling its weight.
‘The start of battle is magic! Hit, hit!’
I had trained in the Dark Space, but I wasn’t sure I could land a hit myself.
[Fireball]
Whoosh—
Bang!
Kek—??
‘Damn it…’
After yet again missing my Fireball by a fair distance, Baek Ah-rin and I joined the fray in close combat, using the [Warrior’s Roar] we obtained in the canyon.
“Clap, Clap, Clap!! (Warrior’s Roar!!)”
Though it wasn’t quite the mighty roar I had hoped for, the effect was definite!
– The warrior’s roar invigorates the allies!
– Strength +3
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