Yesterday, after solving Baek Ah-rin’s issue as the party leader, we stepped into the Orc Dungeon with light hearts and cleared the boss battle without a hitch.
Our clear time kept getting faster, and Ah-rin and Joo-ah wrapped things up, only consuming a single bottle of Irmana’s lake water.
It was a dense progress, killing three times? No, even five times more monsters than other hunters.
No one could deny that it was possible because my sense had expanded, allowing me to move through a more attuned and efficient route.
Of course, my party members, who only realized it after going through the ‘abandoned school’ dungeon, kept giving me thumbs up, but honestly, it felt as natural as breathing to me.
Anyway, thanks to that, the growth rate of my party members was bound to surge.
The thunderous sound came after we happily stepped out of the gate.
“Hello? Ah, yes. Sister…”
As soon as Yeon-hee turned on her phone, a call rang. And the urgent message from Helen was outrageous.
“…? Yes?!”
BAM!
“No, oh! Damn, does this even make sense?”
Bae Joo-ah couldn’t hold back her frustration and slammed her hands on the café’s table.
Hunters sitting at nearby tables frowned and turned their heads, but after checking our party out, they returned their gazes.
We submitted the contract we obtained yesterday directly to the management office in the morning.
Issues among hunters are very sensitive and usually involve guilds, so the investigation period tends to take a long time, but with solid evidence, we thought this time would be an exception.
“They say it’s going to take some time for the contract review procedure? What kind of nonsense is that? What’s there to review? Anyone can see it’s a contract containing a pact!”
“Ugh… What’s going on…”
Ah-rin looked like she was about to cry.
If there happened to be a discrepancy between the contents of the contract we submitted, she would face a significant penalty for false claims.
The biggest problem is that if this information leaked to the media, there would be sanctions from the association level.
But there were no errors on the contract. I could stake one of my 95 remaining lives on it.
‘As long as they don’t erase the evidence. That’s impossible.’
No matter how corrupt the management office may be, they can’t erase existing evidence. The evidence was submitted by someone, so there was no way to eliminate it.
There was also no room for other manipulations when submitting items of evidence to the monster-shaped artifact called ‘The Scales of Judgment.’
It seemed that responding to someone’s request to buy time wasn’t that burdensome. What was submitted in the morning was processed just after lunch, and it was relayed to Helen about an hour ago.
‘Too unnaturally quick. Who on earth is this? To exert this level of influence, it must be a significant power player.’
It wasn’t something even an elder could accomplish. At least it would have to be someone at the guild leader’s level to even attempt it.
‘How am I not getting invaded by orcs with this…?’
I sighed, but at least it was a relief that Apex would acquire information on this, so they wouldn’t actively hunt us anymore.
‘I… I need to deal with those guys someday. Hiring a hit on fellow hunters? Even if money is involved, what kind of time is this…?’
“Il-wol? The contract was solid, right? Right?”
Yeon-hee asked me anxiously, and I nodded vigorously. Then I even sent a message through Ran.
“They say it’s guaranteed in Irmana’s name!”
“Right? Yes! It’s certain, even I could tell that! So don’t worry!”
“Okay! Got it!”
“… Who could it be…?”
“Ah, what brings you here, sister?”
“Um, just… curious… It couldn’t have been easy… and not just the management office… but a special incident task force…”
Ham Eun-young spoke up, which was quite a rarity.
As she questioned, it was true she was tied to the management office, but special teams are traditionally classified as independent groups. They dig into only incidents and are known for having no compromises. If they reach that level, it would have to be at least a three-house guild or an entity or individual with comparative power.
‘Could it be related to politics? Heo Min-sol didn’t have that kind of connection. Hmm…’
So it ultimately pointed to Ilseom’s side, but it couldn’t be that Uncle Jang was involved.
‘Hyun Joong-seob? Would he really care about such lowly matters? That can’t be… I don’t understand this.’
We momentarily fell into silence, then our attention returned to Ham Eun-young.
“… Should I… bring it up with my grandmother…?”
‘Wow… Why is she acting like this?’
I had never thought much about it since she always kept quiet, but did she care for our party in her way?
“Oh?! Really?!”
“Uh… Isn’t that a bit too much trouble…? Someone like that suffering because of me.”
“Hey! What kind of nonsense are you saying?!”
When Ah-rin muttered in a lowering voice, Joo-ah scolded her for spreading nonsense.
‘Yeah, I should at least utilize whatever I can. And getting into debt with someone like her grandmother isn’t necessarily a bad thing…’
Usually, being in debt to someone isn’t particularly pleasant, but if that someone was Ham Eun-young’s grandmother, the story changes.
Establishing a connection with someone like that would hold significant meaning for our future lives.
“Then, can you say something to her, sister?”
“Okay… I’ll do it…”
“Really, thank you. How should I repay you?”
“No need… I just… wanted an excuse to see my grandmother…”
‘Looks like she’s in good condition today.’
She was speaking better than usual.
Thinking back, the feeling between when we first met and now was quite different. Not just in appearance, but in atmosphere as well.
Is Ham Eun-young gradually growing too?
“Good. Honestly, this isn’t a big deal. I asked someone I know just now, and the number of cases of false accusations among the crimes reported to the special department isn’t even that many.”
“Oh, that’s a relief. Joo-ah, you seem to know a lot of people…”
“This country of Korea runs on connections, doesn’t it?”
Joo-ah commented with a bitter smile and changed the topic.
“That aside, isn’t the Orc Dungeon a bit easier now?”
“Yeah. But it still feels like there’s room for improvement.”
“I think it’s sufficient…”
Yeon-hee seemed eager to move on to the next dungeon. This truly also stemmed from class differences. Even though Yeon-hee uses a bow, she doesn’t combat directly, so it might be a bit boring for her.
In contrast, Ah-rin was still receiving minor injuries while breathing with those in the battlefield. It’s a difference between teetering on the brink of death and someone sitting atop a high seat.
“Anyway, we can’t delay anymore. Noh Ha-yoon said she only has time until this week. Since we decided to do it, we might as well not drag it out, right?”
“The Nargul Dungeon… the concept is entirely different from the dungeons so far. Once you go in, you must reach the exit; it’s really another story altogether.”
Ah-rin remained cautious.
It’s partly because she bears the role of a parent caring for multiple younger siblings, but it wasn’t just that.
Until now, the dungeons were the same as having the entrance act as the exit, but in Nargul’s dungeon, the entrance and exit on the first floor were completely opposite. You had to reach the exit to decide whether to go down to the second underground floor or exit the dungeon.
Hunting near the entrance and returning to the gate if danger arose is a situation with drastically different levels of risk.
“If Ha-yoon joins, do we still need extra members? I’ve heard that usually, a few additional people are added on the first try against Nargul.”
Yeon-hee, of course, is not the type to be careless or proceed without preparation. She often fiddles with her phone before sleeping, focusing on acquiring dungeon-related information each time.
“I suppose one Ha-yoon would be enough? Or would it be lacking in magic power… Given there are so many of us.”
“It’s fine to find one more temp if needed. After all, there should be enough earnings.”
“The stress of not being able to recruit people compared to other guilds is much less thanks to the summoned creatures.”
“Hehe-”
“It’d be better to ask Ha-yoon to bring someone.”
“Oh, that sounds good. It’s better than us trying to find someone.”
“Right? It’ll be easy to let them know. Should we say it like that?”
“Sure-!”
“Okay. I’m sending the message right away.”
Our party had finished gauging each other’s tendencies, so coordinating opinions was smooth. Yeon-hee was the most proactive in development, while Ah-rin turned out to be surprisingly the most passive. Joo-ah acted as a mediator, collecting opinions, and Ham Eun-young… simply nodded along as the seasoning.
Noh Ha-yoon would undoubtedly fulfill her part. The critical thing is who we bring along as that other member. Ideally, I’d like to bring a man.
In the memories that passed through during my transformation yesterday, there were many scenes where I had taken a significant hit from all-women parties.
There were times when women fought over me or when someone kept coming onto me while their boyfriend was plainly watching. Now that I think about it, it seems I didn’t exactly have an uneventful party life.
“Hmm…”
I subtly touched my mouth, which was stretched like cheese.
… Indeed, I don’t think this is something I should worry about right now.
“… Yeah, she said it’s fine. But it’s kind of creepy that she disappears just as I send the message. What’s up with Noh Ha-yoon?”
“Maybe she’s just been waiting for your text, Joo-ah?”
“Ugh… that might be a bit scary.”
Yeon-hee showed a genuinely uneasy expression. Since we’ve all crossed this threshold together, the worst first meeting wouldn’t be so easily brushed aside.
“Actually, I’ve been through a few dungeons with Noh Ha-yoon, and I must say, she’s a bit strange.”
Bae Joo-ah surprisingly started gossiping. It wasn’t exactly harsh criticism, but she provided some preliminary information on Noh Ha-yoon’s quirks.
“When we go through dungeons, there are times when we get hit by monsters, right?”
“That’s right. It shouldn’t be happening, but it does.”
“But she seems to gain strength the more she gets hit… Sometimes she laughs like a crazy person. It can get a bit eerie at times.”
‘… So that’s why it felt off after being hit.’
“Could she possibly be a masochist?”
Ham Eun-young suddenly chimed in with sparkling eyes. Her energy today was strangely high.
“Something like that… maybe? I can’t be sure. Anyway, she thrives in crisis situations like during the canyon, so she won’t be bad for us.
Ah, Ah-rin and Eun-young haven’t seen it, right? You should have seen her spraying while holding Yeon-hee’s orb; it truly was monstrous.”
‘So that’s how it was…’
“Wow… that sounds exciting.”
“Hmm? Exciting about what?”
“… Nothing…”
After a long time of keeping her mouth shut, Ham Eun-young nodded gently and wore a strange smile. The other party members found her demeanor puzzling but let it pass without much thought.
‘Well, Ham Eun-young is also a bit…’
I recalled Eun-young, who had trampled the men chasing us in the Wolf Den Dungeon. That was probably the time she was the most energized.
Ham Eun-young’s interest in Noh Ha-yoon might be a kind of curiosity towards someone with an opposing disposition.
‘They might be a good match. Let’s hope they become close.’
Although the party composition seemed to be heading into a maze, if they had the skills, personalities could be adjusted.
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