They had managed to lift the dungeon’s closure, but seeing the growing number of employees at the entrance suggested the investigation was still underway.
So, investigators with well-developed senses would soon discover the corpses, as well as the hidden space created by the Blue-eyed Organization underground.
‘It’ll only be tiring to stick around… Should I just leave…? No, leaving might look even more suspicious.’
If the corpses within the Blue-eyed Organization’s space were discovered, an investigation into the cause of death would follow, meaning all the hunters who entered today would be included in that.
Lost in thought while hunting, I spent three hours appropriately hunting near the entrance and only realized I no longer had to worry after returning.
The hunters gathered near the entrance were talking loudly about things that didn’t seem like secret information, and from their chatter, I heard surprising news.
– When did that happen?
– About two hours ago? They found decapitated bodies.
– Then why are the investigators injured? They looked pretty beat up.
– Apparently, there was a hidden space underground near the corpses, and an explosion happened right after they entered.
– Was it a terrorist attack aimed at the investigators?
– Who would even like those unlucky suckers? Did they dig a trap on purpose? That story seems a bit over the top.
– But if that’s not the case…
– Shh! They’re coming over here.
As the officials from the Hunter Management Bureau made their way into the dungeon, the hunters, who had been chattering, fell silent, half scared, half curious, observing the newly arrived investigators.
Since some of their companions were seriously injured and these were the people who had been sent in, the investigators were glaring sharply at each and every hunter they passed, which heightened the tension.
However, their posture—heads held high and shoulders stiff—was no different from the Hunter Management Bureau officials I remembered.
‘Still, it’s just the same E-rank trying to act important.’
Anyway, if the explosion was strong enough to injure investigators, the corpses inside must have been significantly damaged.
‘That guy in the robe I met in the grave also had his head blown off; it wasn’t an explosion-worthy incident, but still…’
Thinking back to that time, I couldn’t shake the suspicion that the explosion might have been arranged by the Blue-eyed Organization. Maybe that functionality was hidden in the priest’s body or cloak.
‘I need to be careful… An explosion…’
Lee Yeon-hee was also wiping her forehead in relief.
(Huh… We almost got into big trouble, didn’t we?)
*Nod*
Soon, the newly arrived investigators began examining the hunters, one by one, at the entrance, including Yeon-hee.
Raiding the inventory of the other summoned creatures, she had only me by her side while waiting for her turn.
“Eh? What’s this skeleton doing here?”
The startled investigator looked at me and then checked the paperwork with Yeon-hee’s profile, nodding as he spoke.
“Lee Yeon-hee. Please tell me your movements for today. Be detailed, from the moment you entered until now.”
‘Just talking like that makes me want to smack him.’
I didn’t like his stiff tone as if he was dealing with a criminal, so I naturally crossed my arms. But Yeon-hee seemed unfazed and calmly began answering the questions.
“Yes, that’s right. I often saw posts saying to hunt only near the entrance in the community. We were just going around here. There were only goblins, so we were planning to leave today.”
“Hmm, I’ve heard that you took a somewhat different route than the formal one when you set off?”
“I planned to avoid places that others frequent. If it’s near the entrance, I’m confident I can handle the monsters by myself, so I didn’t want to share any achievements unnecessarily.”
“What would you do if you encountered a group of Fire Monkeys? You can handle that, right?”
Unusually, they were spending much more time on us than the other hunters. Maybe a male official was planning to corner Yeon-hee, but the official in front wasn’t a man; she was a woman. She kept asking Yeon-hee questions with suspicious eyes and looked visibly displeased.
Yeon-hee seemed a bit annoyed, squinting her eyes and began casting a spell. Suddenly five Lizardmen erupted from five portals around us, all glaring at the official.
“Hiiik—What’s happening right now?! Are you kidding me?”
“I’m just showing you that I can handle it, since you doubt my abilities. Should I show you more summoned creatures?”
Even the other officials and hunters present seemed startled, as weapons had appeared in their hands from their inventories.
At that moment, a man sighed and approached, speaking to the investigator.
“Hey, Investigator Cha. We don’t have much time. The sun is starting to set; how long do you plan on holding the hunters here? Let’s get to the field investigation quickly. I’ll take care of this.”
“Uh? Oh, yes, Team Leader!! Then—”
The investigator who was questioning Yeon-hee hurriedly handed over the paperwork to the man who had approached from behind and rushed over to join the field investigation team. The female investigator shot Yeon-hee one last glare, but I couldn’t understand what bothered her so much.
‘Is she jealous because Yeon-hee is pretty, young, and capable? Who knows… Women can be so…’
“Nice to see you again, Yeon-hee. We met once before, didn’t we?”
‘Great, what luck, this guy is still an E-rank?…’
It was Jeong Hyo-chan, the investigator who had been in charge when Yeon-hee had dealt with the trio that had approached her with ill intentions two weeks ago. He smiled broadly while skimming through the paperwork.
“Ah, hello…”
“Yes. So, is it true that there have been deaths again just like last time? Let’s see…”
‘Shit… Of all people, it has to be him… If he uses his ability to detect lies, we’ll be crushed.’
Jeong Hyo-chan’s gaze followed the paperwork down for quite a while before he closed the folder, looking at Yeon-hee with his magic powers gathering around him.
“Lee Yeon-hee, have you ever been to the underground space of this dungeon?”
If it was a question about whether she had harmed the investigators, I wouldn’t be scared, but given how he asked it, it seemed that this guy hadn’t just become the captain of the low-level dungeon team by chance.
As his question blared, the magic he had been gathering materialized and was released outward.
The aura of magic slithered toward Yeon-hee.
‘I can see that coming from a mile away. That twisting scales of magic is… damn it, can’t I block it?’
Even if Jeong Hyo-chan was a negligent official, things would be different if his colleagues were hurt.
The firmness in his eyes was unmistakable.
‘…Should I kill him?’
For a moment, that thought crossed my mind, but it was quickly dismissed.
Killing an official was not something Jo Gi-man could manage.
I simply felt an overwhelming desire to protect her. Or maybe it was just that I didn’t want anyone else’s magic to seep into her body.
As Jeong Hyo-chan’s magic reached her head, and Yeon-hee sensed something and tightly shut her eyes, a message suddenly popped into my mind.
– Mental-type magic has been detected!
– Trait [Protection] is activated.
– Trait [Protection] shares trait [Calm] with the protected target.
– The mental resistance of the protected target increases by 50%!
‘-!! Did Protection have such an effect?! Whatever it is, nice one!!’
“Eh?!”
Yeon-hee seemed to recognize the effect as well, and she looked startled, glancing at me, and I nodded approvingly.
Then Jeong Hyo-chan wiped his forehead in a panic, saying, “Huh? What? Why is this happening…? Wait a moment, this can’t be right…”
His face twisted, and he looked flustered; something must have triggered a message in his mind indicating resistance to the magic.
And the amount of magic Jeong Hyo-chan possessed was evidently depleted.
‘Of course, it’s an ability that consumes a lot of magic. I bet from the way he’s flustered that there’s quite a cooldown period for using it on the same person… We’re safe!’
I could feel Jeong Hyo-chan’s magic scale no longer approach Yeon-hee, so I finally let out a sigh of relief.
=====
Calm
– Never loses composure, regardless of the situation.
– Mental-type status resistance +50%
=====
Since it’s a passive ability that’s always active, I generally don’t think much of it, but I was reminded once again that the trait [Calm] is truly top-tier.
And then.
=====
Protection Lv.2
– Shares 51% of the damage taken by the summoner.
=====
As the number of summoned creatures increased, Yeon-hee rarely got attacked, and the trait [Protection] hadn’t activated much recently, but I never expected such hidden abilities existed. Like the hidden powers of the skill [Stealth] that turns items into air, perhaps every trait and skill has some concealed effect?
“Ahem—Uh, the investigation is over, so you can go now.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
Yeon-hee lightly greeted Jeong Hyo-chan, then released the five Lizardmen and headed toward the entrance.
Phew…
Her faint yet deep sigh mirrored my own feelings, making me almost instinctively reach out to touch her head.
“Il-wol, I’ll see you later.”
*Clap, Clap, Clap!*
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