“Hamari-shu, Variant of Blood Mosquito, Minescarabe, Frizkana.”
“That’s right.”
“Most of these monsters only appear in hidden dungeons… I need to talk to Ilseom about this. Ah, I’m so tired. I can’t believe I have to meet that slippery Hyeon Il-hwan again. Anyway, got it. Leave the material gathering to me.”
“Do you think they’ll think it’s weird if we approach them about materials?”
“That’s true. It’s a bit burdensome to let them know we already know the recipe since it’s a potion developed by Ilseom. For now, let’s ask our guild members to enter the dungeon frequently and gather materials on our own. I’ll look into finding an Alchemist.”
“Ah, yes!”
Securing an Alchemist is vital for mass production, but they usually operate in the shadows, so it won’t be easy.
‘By the way, am I putting too much burden on Yeon-su…?’
I felt a bit guilty, but since she seemed more determined than ever, I decided to leave it to her for now.
‘I could gain an advantage in the early stages by sharing potion information. Should I share part of it with her? Or maybe I could repay her with “Sky Craft”? I’ll have to think it over.’
“By the way, haven’t we heard from the association yet?”
“Huh? Um… not yet?”
“Really…? Hmm…”
“Why do you ask?”
Yeon-su hesitated for a moment but offered a warning that required our attention.
“You guys probably know that the association’s position weakened significantly after the Devouring Creeper ambush. It was decisive that those they put forward couldn’t perform, but anyway, I heard they’ve been pushing themselves a bit to change that atmosphere recently. Of course, this is also information I heard from The One Who Shows the Way.”
“Ah, yeah!”
‘That woman, The One Who Shows the Way. She seems to really care about Yeon-su. Since she tells her everything.’
Or there might be a chance she’s trying to gain something by spilling that information. Of course, Yeon-su likely bears the risk of associating with her.
“If the association people approach, it’s best to postpone any decisions. Until now, I’ve been uncertain, but now we have a clear objective of repelling the Orc Legion. Let’s focus solely on that.”
“Did you say we can stop them like that?”
“The One Who Shows the Way can’t foresee the future. She can only help us choose the most meaningful path among various crossroads.”
“Ah… That’s definitely different from divination.”
“Exactly.”
‘Could it be that The One Who Shows the Way has the association people moving as well…? Hm… I don’t know. There’s just too little information to judge. I need to deal with Maeng Seong-yong quickly.’
“Yes! I understand!”
“And Jo Gi-man has suddenly disappeared to Russia with his secretary; I don’t know when he’ll be back. He did say he’d come through China, so it seems he’ll be out for a while.”
Jo Gi-man left Korea yesterday, and this time he didn’t even leave a clone behind. No, it’s more accurate to say he couldn’t leave one behind.
‘He’s definitely facing issues after what happened to us.’
“Ah… Thank you for continuously keeping an eye on that person.”
“Thankfulness aside, Il-wol, can you make a few more of those potions?”
“Clap, Clap, Clap.”
“It’ll take about 2-3 days.”
“I’m more surprised that it only takes that long to make such items. But anyway, thank you. Huuuh—this uncontrollable aura is really hard to bear. I want to rush to the Giant’s Dungeon right now.”
Eight dungeons in the world are still reported as not being cleared.
One of them, the Giant’s Dungeon, is filled with giant tribes, and I remember it hadn’t been cleared even before I was killed by Jo Gi-man in my previous life.
‘It’s filled with monsters even Jo Gi-man and Joong-gil couldn’t conquer… If that’s not hell, then what is it?’
“For now, I’ll send the data regarding the hunt in an electronic document, so you just need to sign it and I’m off to check other places.”
“Thanks as always, sister! I’ll contact you later.”
“Sure, Il-wol, dream of me, okay?”
“Clap…”
“Ha-ha, look at you getting flustered. It’s funny.”
Yeon-su threw a playful joke and vanished with the support team she brought, always appearing and disappearing coolly.
The companions who had been staring blankly where she had been took a moment to gather their senses as I clapped a few times.
“Phew… I really can’t say a word under that pressure. Yeon-hee is amazing in her own right. She isn’t intimidated at all in front of that incredible person.”
“That’s not true. I was totally intimidated.”
Joo-ah seemed a bit envious that Yeon-hee could talk easily with Yeon-su.
“Anyway, let’s regroup and discuss things again among ourselves. Step by step from the beginning!”
“Right! Why does Yeon-su know such information before us? It’s a bit upsetting.”
“Um, that’s…”
The companions expressed their discontent, but as the serious discussion began, those feelings unexpectedly vanished, replaced by empathy and pity for Yeon-hee, who had been alone with these problems.
“I didn’t find it hard. The real struggle was undertaken by Il-wol… The important thing is that kind of future has come to us now. And… despite that, we need to continue our dungeon climbing as we have been. I’m curious about what you all think…”
“I think the same. We need to grow stronger. I believe we should climb faster.”
“Eek… faster than now?”
“Look at our growth rate. Has there ever been a party that developed this much in less than half a year? We can do it. Even if it’s pushing ourselves a bit, we need to reach a higher level. That way, we can be of help later on.”
‘How far No Ha-yoon has come since attacking us head-on. You truly never know what life will bring.’
I realized just how much had changed in just a few months.
The companions encouraged each other, solidifying their determination to grow.
While I’m not yet sure if Bae Joo-ah will continue with us, seeing her fervently discussing response plans with Yeon-hee made me feel like I wouldn’t have to worry for a while.
* * *
Returning home, Yeon-hee washed up, devoured the dinner I had prepared in a flash, and immediately began preparing to challenge the Cursed Giant Tribe.
“Today, I’ll definitely endure for 30 minutes!”
She had set her goal slightly lower.
Moving from defeating the Cursed Giant Tribe to simply causing them some damage. And after the last two days, she was now just aiming to survive as time went on.
But it wasn’t because her will was weak.
Perhaps she was objectively evaluating her current abilities through her challenges.
From witnessing her performance during the raid on the Evolved Creature factory, it was clear that battling against the giant tribes was a significant help to her growth.
‘I’m just a bit worried about her becoming numb to the fear of death. After nurturing her so carefully, I don’t like the idea of her dying at the hands of the giant tribes every day.’
“I’m off!”
“Clap, Clap, Clap…”
Yeon-hee closed her eyes and then vanished like the wind.
For some reason, watching Yeon-hee leave on her quest alone made a feeling of unease and loneliness wash over me.
‘Does Yeon-hee feel this way every time I go somewhere…?’
Though I understood it in my mind, watching her back as she departed was emotionally tough for me.
‘I want to go with her… Rainy must have always thought that as she saw me leaving the Dark Space.’
Only by being in the opposite situation do I truly understand another’s feelings. I realize again how immature my thoughts still are.
‘I need to work harder so I don’t feel the emotions I’m feeling right now…’
For now, let’s stockpile potions with my newly gained abilities.
I already had plenty of materials; I could easily make over two hundred potions.
‘I should probably test the potions in human form. I’ve confirmed they won’t work in Skeleton form.’
Once Yeon-hee returned, I would activate Transformation and experiment—
A crackling noise─
‘Huh?! What’s that?’
Lost in thought, a passage suddenly appeared where Yeon-hee had vanished.
Whoooosh──
‘A road leading down… It’s obviously an ominous tunnel.’
The usual system messages that popped up when a new space opened didn’t appear.
But realizing that this space was the single opportunity the Old Woman had mentioned, I quickly threw myself through the passage before it shut.
* * *
It seems my consciousness was briefly cut off.
I had a view from above, looking down at a fierce battle on the ground.
‘A prison…?’
A massive iron cage that could be vaguely sensed among the waves of sensation was clear.
It was evident that someone had tried to imprison someone else, and the being fighting against that was a beautiful and cute woman I knew very well.
– ······!!
Whatever command she had given, her summoned creatures formed an orderly line as something huge that seemed at least 20 meters tall hurled a mighty punch towards her.
‘Is she trying to block that?’
Boom—!
“Kyahhh!!”
‘That’s impossible…’
More accurately, she tried to block it but failed miserably.
Even a single punch was larger than a combined horde of Orcs; it was truly a terrifying creature from the Giant Tribe that could not be defended against simply by bundling her summoned creatures together.
‘Then isn’t dodging an option?’
Yeon-hee must have attempted to dodge as well.
Whoosh──
Thud──!!
As the Giant Tribe slammed the ground, three Ogres burst apart like bugs.
Watching the sheer power of that monster made me realize a hard truth.
‘Is that what they call A-rank upper? What a joke. That sort of quest wasn’t meant to be conquered. Its speed rivals Jung Tae-hyung! Even cursed, they still reign as giants.’
It was beyond dodging level.
With speed that didn’t match its size and overwhelming mass, that was more than enough to immobilize Yeon-hee.
As the Sword Dragon endured the onslaught, the relentless targeting of just the Alpha-ranked summoned creatures prolonged the battle, but the momentum was heavily against them.
The summoned creatures, visibly retreating under pressure, were quickly resummoned and now, Yeon-hee stood alone, looking up at the Giant Tribe.
‘Sweat pouring down like rain. It’s rare to see Yeon-hee struggle like that. She’s clearly pushing her magic power to the limit.’
“Hah— Hah— Is it happening again today?”
“······.”
In response to Yeon-hee’s question, the Giant Tribe seemed to reply.
But since the system didn’t translate what was said, it served as proof that this was an unaffiliated duel.
‘But that was really kind of him to speak so gently.’
The Giant Tribe, known to randomly appear in dungeons like a ‘Mimic,’ was often described only in the context of their insane rage in the few records I had come across online.
This situation struck me as odd.
The Giant’s fist fell over Yeon-hee’s head.
‘Ah— No!!’
I couldn’t help but yell, but I was frozen in place.
Then suddenly, my vision went black, and the space flipped upside-down.
‘It’s Yeon-hee!’
In the distance, I could see Yeon-hee floating in the air.
She appeared accustomed to the situation, calmly closing her eyes as she floated upward. When I regained my senses, I found myself facing her about a hundred meters away.
“What?! What’s going on? A hidden quest?”
Yeon-hee realized that something unusual was happening and her face lit up with excitement. But then she spotted me.
“I, Il-wol? Is that you?”
“Clap, Clap, Clap.”
“Kyaah! Amazing! How did you get here?! This is incredible! Right?!”
“Clap…”
“Now Il-wol can join too? Wow! We can summon Castle as well!”
During the fight with the Giant Tribe, I and Castle were restricted from being summoned.
But it seemed those limitations had lifted for this battle.
“Hehe, why are you standing still? Should I come over there?”
Just like that, Yeon-hee, excited from meeting me in another dimension, seemed completely incapable of seeing the message that had popped into my head.
– To walk the King’s path, break the chains of restraint.
Unkindly, there was just that single line of message.
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