It wasn’t a place that would just disappear immediately, so I wasn’t too worried. But it was still disappointing.
As soon as we came out of the dungeon, Yeon-hee and Yu Dal-ri exchanged contact information, and Yeon-hee hesitated for a moment while looking at me, ultimately placing me in the Dark Space.
She might have planned to wander through the city together, but even moving just 100 meters away would have resulted in being surrounded by government employees, receiving reports from citizens, and getting into trouble.
A short while after entering the Dark Space and being summoned back to my one-room apartment, I realized Yeon-hee’s expression while she was showing me her phone was rather grim.
[E-1445: It's reported that there has been an incident where 37 hunters, including a government employee guarding the entrance of Dungeon E-1445, have died, prompting an investigation by the Hunter Management Agency. The investigation bureau has requested that speculative reports be refrained from, as there’s still no concrete information...>
'What is this...? Am I losing my memory? No, I wasn't always glued to the news. I hadn't awakened back then either. Still, you’d think I’d remember something of this magnitude... Hmmm...'
"Wow, I was really shocked! The government employee we saw on our way out couldn’t have been that person, right?"
I shrugged off her racing heart by acting as if it was nothing serious, but the truth was, I remembered the employee's name tag. Their surname was Lee...
'The problem is that a government employee who could have escaped at any time was killed... Was there such a terrifying monster that they couldn’t even think to flee? That can’t be... It's just a Fire Monkey mutant at worst.'
Since we left early in the afternoon, anything was hard to guess.
"Haah- Looking at this, today's earnings are 780,000 won? This could really be nothing at all. What’s the point if you die?"
Nodding along—
She seemed to have hit a reality wall, lying on the floor for a while, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Then suddenly, she stood up and said to me,
"That doesn’t mean I'm afraid or anything. It's just... a bit disheartening. I wonder if what we do inside has any significance at all."
'It has great significance. After all, it's confirmed that when monsters pile up, the dungeon bursts, so all the hunters are certainly contributing to society in that regard.'
"Yeah, I guess. It’s not like thinking deeply about this will make me quit my job... Anyway, I should summon someone!"
Maybe wanting to change the mood, she hurriedly pulled out a gray summoning scroll and recited the summoning incantation, and soon a familiar-looking Lizardman stepped through the portal.
Kreeeek-
'Is it possible to summon just Lizardmen this smoothly? The odds are incredibly high.'
"Hello? Your name is Lizardman 3. I’ll train you until you're strong enough to fight all three of you at once, so just wait a little, okay?"
Hooong-
Lizardman 3 swung its machete big in agreement.
(Hey, don’t swing that around in such a cramped room.)
(Where is the enemy...?)
'Sigh... These guys aren’t even AI, yet they all seem to think the same way...'
I wondered if killing Lizardmen would allow me to obtain skills or traits.
"Anyway, my earnings have been increasing lately; should I think about moving? To a two-room place? It feels so cramped even with just one Lizardman summoned."
Yeon-hee looked around the room and touched her chubby cheeks.
'Hmm... until when is the contract valid?'
"The contract is until the end of this month... what should we do? Shall we move?"
Nodding—
Of course, I'd prefer to move to a larger space. It's too confined here for training... wait a second.
'This month only has two weeks left, right?'
"Hehe— The landlord has been texting me a lot, asking for a quick reply. I totally forgot!"
"The landlord wouldn’t dare confront a hunter directly. And Yeon-hee, you didn’t do anything until there were only two weeks left..."
Even if I were to see someone about getting rid of a child, I wouldn’t feel this anxious.
Anyway, agreeing with my positive thoughts, she began looking for houses on her phone.
'Does she even have a security deposit?'
In this area, the minimum security deposit would be a thousand and rent at least 600.
"Ugh... I’ve been saving a little, but two more dungeon visits should take care of the security deposit."
Now, when I simply made gestures, it felt almost magical that she would read my mind and speak. Then, Yeon-hee suddenly asked again.
"By the way, what should we do tomorrow? The Fire Monkey dungeon seems a bit much, huh?"
With such a major incident occurring, it’s likely that people won't be able to enter for a few days. Hmm.
"Where should we go... The Lizard Swamp is probably still tough just with our Lizard brothers, and how about the Ent Forest or the Zombie's Resting Place? The Hobgoblin dungeon is rated slightly lower than the Lizard Swamp, but here you absolutely need a party."
In response to her question, I just raised a finger and nodded.
"Ent Forest?"
Nod—
"Hmmm— Does Il-wol have any memories about the Ent Forest?"
'Oh… was I too obvious? Why the sudden question?'
I shook my head and quietly looked at her; she gazed back at me meaningfully and shrugged, saying, 'I just wondered.'
'Huuuh— Even if I draw some suspicion, there are actually two artifacts in the Ent Forest. We have to go, after all. Hehe!'
I was already feeling my heart race just thinking about seeing those gleaming artifacts.
"Alright, tomorrow it is, Ent Forest!! Should we register right away..."
As she was about to apply to enter the Ent Forest dungeon on her app, her phone vibrated.
Vrrrr-
"Huh? Ah, it’s Yeon-su Unni!"
'What’s up with Kang Yeon-su?'
When I approached her to eavesdrop as usual, Yeon-hee switched to speakerphone.
'Oh, nice.'
- Hey~ Yeon-hee~ Unni~ How have you been?
The two exchanged greetings and spent about 5 minutes on unimportant small talk before the actual conversation began.
- It’s not anything special~ It’s about your Skeleton Soldier. There’s someone who claims to have seen it using flames, and the broadcasting station has requested to verify if it’s true. You know those programs that tell you how to handle monsters.
"Ah, yeah..."
- However, the head of the department became interested as well, and I wanted to hear your voice, so I contacted you.
"Ah— um... um..."
'What should I say to cover this up... I could say I just let the Skeleton Soldier handle a one-time firebomb, but there were too many people around to have not felt the magical energy.'
"My, my Skeleton Soldier... is a special one that handles fire attributes..."
'Uh... Since when has that been? It only has one skill, there’s nothing so grand about it...'
"Ah, no, technically it’s only the ability to throw a ball enshrouded in flames!"
'That’s more like it.'
- No way~ Are you serious? From the first time I saw it, it seemed unusual. A Skeleton that handles flame projectiles... that’s interesting! Do all your summoned creatures have different abilities than regular monsters? Hehe— Anyway, what an intriguing class you have.
- Well, if it's a Lich-level summoned creature, what can’t it do? But with your Skeleton Soldier having elemental attacks... I got it. I’ll explain it well to the department head. We’ll be seeing each other in 2 months, right?
"Ah— yes, yes..."
- Right. When that time comes, I’ll treat you to plenty of delicious food, so look forward to it, hoho~ Take care of yourself and don’t go to the Fire Monkey dungeon for the time being, okay?
"Yes! I understand. Yes yes— take care, goodbye."
Click—
'In the end, she called because she was worried about the dungeon accident but phrased it differently.'
Anyway, it looks like I’m about to be labeled as some weird anomaly with my flame Skeleton Soldier. Maybe the interest that had momentarily faded might come back.
'Is it such a big deal anyway? If they were going to touch on it, they would have done so already. I think I’ll be safe until at least April. Considering what I had Yeon-su do. Hmmm—'
But the snake-like eyes of that guy still seemed to be watching us, which was a significant burden.
'What if Yeon-su also has something going on? I never noticed before, but her affection for Yeon-hee seems a bit excessive...'
Experiencing death once hits hard, and I think I’m getting a bit paranoid. Even so, Yeon-su was the one who showed interest in me first...
Puhuhaha—
"Just talking on the phone with someone makes me feel this nervous; it makes me think I’m not normal."
'Yeah... it does feel that way...'
"Il-wol thinks so too, right?"
"Clap, clap!!"
"Wang-wang!!"
"What? No? Hah, even so, as long as I have Il-wol and Wang-wang, I’m good!!"
Wang-wang!! Crackle-crackle—
(Hey, stop just munching and do something to lighten Yeon-hee’s mood too.)
As I nudged the distracted Wang-wang, who was fixated on the Fire Monkey's leg bone, it momentarily growled at me before diving between Yeon-hee's knees.
"Wooow— Wang-wang is getting so chubby! What do I do? It’s so cute, I can’t handle it, sob sob—"
Wang-wang!!
(Exactly. That's your role.)
Grrr—
(What are you staring at? You wanna fight?)
Anyway, we decided to enter the Ent Forest dungeon tomorrow, and Yeon-hee picked Wang-wang up and headed into her room.
'I wonder if I can also get a reward by handing over the artifacts this time? Hmm... I plan to keep one for myself.'
Whoosh- whoosh-
Swinging my stone hammer to organize my thoughts.
'I have Lizardman 3, Kobold 1, Slime 1, Steel Bug 1, and Spirit Ran as well.'
I still hadn’t summoned them all for combat; the efficiency wasn’t there yet.
'If I call Ran, I could instantly boost my combat power to the max, which would be useful against particularly strong enemies. In general circumstances, I’d go with just Ran and a Lizardman. Is that about right?'
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