“Was the guild name ‘Cheonsudan’?”
“Ugh… That’s such an unadaptable name.”
At Yeon-hee’s question, Cha Jin-hyuk beams a bright smile.
“Yes, yes, Yeon-hee-nim!”
“What? Cheonsudan? Sounds like some sort of cult name.”
“Hayeon, why would you say that?”
“Oh, my bad. I’m sorry.”
“Not at all. I hear that sort of thing often.”
Noh Ha-yoon seems to think the guild name is a bit old-fashioned. If she knew what Cheonsudan stood for, she’d probably freak out even more.
“Guardian Squad of Angels… Cha Jin-hyuk must have really lost it while facing death at that time.”
His companions, who accepted that name, were just as peculiar.
I sneaked a glance at Cha Jin-hyuk’s companions, and none of them were lacking in talent and combat power.
I’m grateful they mesh well with Cha Jin-hyuk, and having skill too is just icing on the cake.
“Everything’s great, but there’s no offensive sorcerer. Even if Cha Jin-hyuk’s abilities can be used offensively, he’s ultimately a supporter. We need a bit more balance.”
We shifted to another spot and had a simple meal.
“······”
“······”
For some reason, our party members silently stuffed their faces with food in this rare gathering with other district hunters.
Even though we were hungry after fighting, the silence was excessive, but truth be told, our party members are a bit cold in nature.
Even Joo-ah, who is supposedly the best at socializing, isn’t particularly warm, so I expected this part.
“Clap, Clap, Clap.”
“Uh?”
“Wait?! Are you trying to say something?”
As I broke the silence with a sound, the quiet dining atmosphere suddenly changed.
“Haha, it sounds like a word of encouragement.”
“Huh? That summoned creature said that to us?”
“Yeah…”
“You guys need to do your best so that this world can be protected.”
“Out of nowhere?”
“Hahaha, I guess you look like you’re struggling.”
“I look more out of it than you do! What are you talking about?”
Through the medium of the summoned creature, the hunters began to exchange bits of information and start conversations.
Among those engaged in the same trade, once the conversation flow starts, there is indeed a lot to discuss.
With Yeon-hee, who has stunning beauty surpassing that of Haseirin and Noh Ha-yoon, the atmosphere could hardly be bad.
“Just this level of camaraderie could be a great help if we end up fighting together later.”
“Next… let me see.”
Yeon-hee busily inspected information about the next dungeon while sitting next to me.
We wrapped up our meal, sent our companions back to the hotel first, and privately called Cha Jin-hyuk to talk.
Of course, a little distance away, Haseirin was staring at me red-faced, but that was easily ignored.
“I have something to tell you, Jin-hyuk.”
“Wha, wha, what do you mean?!”
“Jin-hyuk, that’s a bit too loud.”
I put my index finger to my lips, and Cha Jin-hyuk jumped back in surprise and covered his mouth.
[Sanctuary of Vigilance]
I activated the Sanctuary of Vigilance, which had grown significantly after feeding it the corpses of the Creeper Guards.
It’s now large enough to hold about three people comfortably.
In here, there’s no worry of anything leaking out, and it can block most attacks.
“What I’m about to say is entirely truthful, not a single lie.”
“Of course.”
Yeon-hee carefully explained to Cha Jin-hyuk about the imminent threat.
“If Yeon-hee is deemed a follower, that’s a strong enough trust bond.”
In some ways, Cha Jin-hyuk might give more trust than Kang Yeon-su.
“Um, that, that…”
After hearing the entire explanation from Yeon-hee, Cha Jin-hyuk’s expression was one of disbelief.
It wasn’t distrust towards Yeon-hee but rather a shock from the possibility that the world could come to an end.
However, he soon shook his head vigorously and asked what he needed to do.
“See… this guy is reliable.”
Cha Jin-hyuk’s eyes were filled with trust for Yeon-hee, whom he believed wholeheartedly to be an angel.
“If Yeon-hee hadn’t survived back then, would I have looked at her with those eyes?”
It was a thought that crossed my mind for an instant.
“We decided to only proceed with the weapons we commissioned up until the final mana stone smelting process. Of course, using normal mana stones extracted from the mines will work, but the mana stones obtained by the user themselves from hunting are much better.”
“Yes, yes!”
The technique of applying mana stones at the end of weapon smelting is a rare skill even among dwarves. It’s better to have custom-made weapons if possible.
“Please write the names of the party members on the address I’ve sent and send the mana stones over. Then I’ll supply the custom-made weapons.”
“Got it. The Orc Legion Commander is probably a high grade we’ve never seen in the dungeon yet. What kind of combat power does it have?”
Cha Jin-hyuk seemed to be getting more confident and subtly hinted at wanting to help Yeon-hee when the day of darkness arrives.
“That sort of confidence and pride is commendable. But the Legion Commander…”
The power of the Orc Legion Commander I felt in my past life was formidable enough that even a top-tier Transcendent would need to back down.
Considering the drastic increase in the monsters’ levels now, it’s highly likely they will appear with an extraordinary combat power.
“Not just the First Escalon… it might even surpass Jo Gi-man. Though not against Jo Gi-man in his perfected form.”
“Just know that it’s going to be extremely powerful. It may… not be easy even for a high-tier Transcendent.”
“Transcendent?! Is it really that level…”
At the mention of the word Transcendent, Cha Jin-hyuk merely hung his head low.
He must have sensed that this wasn’t a place for him to intervene.
“As long as you maintain what you were doing here, you’ll fulfill your role.”
I patted his shoulder a few times to encourage him.
“Th-thank you, Il-wol-nim.”
Nod-
There’s no need for him to be so polite to me. He’s such an inflexible guy.
After that, I got to hear how Cha Jin-hyuk has been managing the guild up until now.
He said that ever since Haseirin arrived, they’ve been financially better off and everything has been running smoothly.
“Just don’t take my money… You’re not a mobster or something.”
I might need to warn Haseirin again.
“Hmm… Yeon-hee, can you ask Jin-hyuk to show us his ability?”
“Huh? Um… Jin-hyuk, could we possibly see your gravitational ability?”
“Ah! M-my ability?! Of course!!”
“Don’t get too excited.”
Cha Jin-hyuk looked excessively happy and stepped back a fair distance from us.
-I’ll demonstrate here!!
“Yes-!!”
Grrooooh──
Boom────!!
“Whoa…?! That’s impressive.”
As Cha Jin-hyuk activated his gravitational ability, the ground formed a circular dent within a certain radius, deep enough to bury dozens of orcs, leaving still ample space.
The process was so cleanly executed that it was clear he had matured from the earlier clumsy, brute-force style.
“But, if I dig any deeper, I might burst the sewer pipes! I adjusted my strength a bit.”
‘Adjusted to that level…’
“Yes! That was great to watch!”
As Yeon-hee clapped her hands in delight, Cha Jin-hyuk twisted and turned his body like a worm, unsure of where to put himself.
“Wow… Jin-hyuk, you’re seriously strong. Right?”
“Clap, Clap, Clap.”
His ability to control space means that as long as he doesn’t get ambushed, no matter how fast the enemy is, it won’t be easy to deal with him.
“Aside from me, none of the summoned creatures can win against him…”
Even the Alpha Rakan combined with a newly summoned werewolf would struggle to suppress him; they wouldn’t lose but wouldn’t win either.
“If he could combine with an ogre, it might be possible, but that’s quite impressive.”
Now that I’ve seen Cha Jin-hyuk’s ability, I find myself in deep thought.
‘I should contemplate more on Cha Jin-hyuk’s placement.’
I’m feeling greedy.
I have a gut feeling that even the First Escalon wouldn’t be able to easily shake him off.
‘I think Jin-young’s confinement ability might have more control effects. Either way, that’s a major gain.’
“Um, so are you going up tomorrow?”
“Yes… I’ll run through the dungeon once more, but you’re going into the Tarantula dungeon tomorrow, right?”
“Yes, I’m sorry. I have a schedule set up. Once I go in, I probably won’t come out for at least a week.”
“Stay strong!!”
“Yes, yes!! Yeon-hee-nim, stay strong too!!”
“A week… That’s quite diligent.”
We parted ways soon after, and on the way back to the hotel, I let her know about Haseirin.
“Is she like a minion or something?”
“Pretty much, yeah. But if she dies, she won’t come back again.”
“Ah, so in the end, she’s a subordinate who listens well and doesn’t betray.”
“Exactly.”
Yeon-hee cast a glance at Haseirin, who was trailing behind us at a distance.
Although Haseirin had her hat pulled low, one could tell she was an attractive woman just from her overall demeanor.
Yeon-hee had distanced herself the most from Haseirin even during our meal earlier…
“······.”
For some reason, Haseirin met Yeon-hee’s gaze without averting her eyes.
‘Don’t do that… You’ll get in trouble.’
When I said something, Haseirin finally averted her gaze, sulking and kicking the ground.
“I feel like Ainz and Zweihander are pretty friendly to me, but… that girl is different. I felt that from earlier.”
“Clap.”
I only managed to persuade Yeon-hee to head back to the hotel first and finally found myself alone with Haseirin.
“Master-! Haah-”
But as soon as Haseirin saw me, she suddenly burst into tears.
‘Why, why is this happening?’
She sobbed and begged to be allowed to stay by my side, but I firmly said it wasn’t possible.
‘We can’t have overlapping roles with Ah-rin, and there’s no need to create tension with Yeon-hee.’
I still vividly remember the time I met ‘Iris Cass’ with Yeon-hee’s power.
I don’t want to accidentally instigate her displeasure.
“Tch…”
With my refusal, Haseirin wiped away her tears as if it had never happened.
‘Good acting.’
I almost fell for it. That sly girl…
“I need a sorcerer.”
‘Do you think so?’
“Yes. Strangely enough, this region lacks sorcerers. I heard they were scouted by guilds in the capital that pay better.”
‘That’s true… I’ll consider that. If you have any financial issues, just let me know.’
“Yes. But Master, could you perhaps give me a few more of ‘those’ you gave me last time…?”
‘······.’
I looked at Haseirin, who was fiddling with her fingers, blushing, and thought maybe I should pass over a few of the things I had prepared just in case.
They were various sizes and shapes, but she said she’d use these to cope with her loneliness.
“The ones I got last time are worn out.”
‘…… Those wore out? There’s no way my bones are that weak. I can’t believe that. You’re not actually chewing on them, are you?’
I just couldn’t understand how she’d managed to wear those out so thoroughly.
“I don’t know. I’m embarrassed…”
‘······.’
Anyway, after calming her a bit, I finally managed to send her off and returned to the hotel.
“Shower. Scrub, scrub.”
“Clap…?”
As soon as I entered the room, Yeon-hee pushed me into the shower.
Saying something about Haseirin’s scent still being on me.
‘I can’t believe this.’
In any case, the next day, we cleared the Lukrakota dungeon once more before heading back to our main base.
“Hehe- Still, it was fun for two days, right?”
“That’s right! The open terrain is the best! When are we coming back?”
Anyway, I’m planning to visit the Tarantula dungeon again soon.
“Within half a year, it should be possible, right?”
“Hehe- I’m planning to travel mainly to open, scenic dungeons later on.”
“Oh, that sounds good.”
Despite just raiding a dungeon for two straight days, the companions seemed satisfied.
They were all hunters but had the adventurous spirit of explorers.
Maybe it was the charm of experiencing an entirely new world.
*
Upon our return, we received some bad news.
Or rather, the messages were ringing so loudly that we learned about it whether we wanted to or not.
“Dungeon Break…?! W-wait. That’s here, isn’t it?”
With Joo-ah’s shout, everyone quickly began scanning their phones.
“Alerts sent only to S-class hunters… What in the world is going on in Ilseom?”
‘Formal support request from Ilseom Guild… While Uncle Jung-gil could be indifferent, what are the other instructors doing?’
“Not knowing the specific details is terrifying.”
“What should we do…”
Are they going to publicly announce that their guild’s base has been invaded? This is serious.
‘No matter how strong hidden dungeon monsters are, they shouldn’t be that powerful…’.
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