LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 21 - Basement 5th Floor
Translator: FenrirTL
Editor: KYSOIWDI
================
[ Chapter 21: Basement 5th Floor (4) ]
Two days later.
“……”
“……”
“…Is there something on my face?”
“No.”
It was peaceful.
The events at the training center seemed like a lie.
Or could it actually be a lie? Was there a possibility that all of this was just one big dream happening in my brain?
“Then what are you doing here?”
“Just sitting.”
No. I asked what you were doing.
A girl with a neat bob haircut squatted in the corner of the playground. After staring at my face for a long time, she seemed to get bored and lowered her head to look at the dirt ground. An ant was passing by.
…What is this?
“Are you watching the ant?”
“No.”
“…Then what?”
“Just sitting.”
Seriously, what’s with this kid….
She was like this at the training center, too. Lee Mi-sun looked at me with curious eyes but didn’t directly talk to me.
Did Hong Seok-young tell her about me? Judging by how she rambled on about Bangju, it seemed like Lee Mi-sun was somehow connected to this. I didn’t remember seeing Lee Mi-sun’s name in any reports related to Bangju. Did I miss it?
There’s no way she would dislike someone for saving her nephew just because their identity is unclear, right?
Anyway, Lee Mi-sun said she would dig deeper into the training center, and Hong Seok-young took Kim Chae-min and me out.
And now, here we are.
Peaceful… with reeds and a girl with a bob haircut.
“…Do you understand?”
Kim Chae-min, sitting under a parasol, was teaching two young magicians.
“Magic shouldn’t be seen as mere power. Especially for us magicians. In some sense, it’s as important as oxygen.”
Because we hired one more staff member, this school that didn’t even look like a school finally had a timetable.
Isn’t it really amazing?
The school had been open for over two months, and yet there had been no timetable until now?
If I were a parent, I wouldn’t send my child here.
However, I wasn’t the parent of the girl with the bob haircut, and like the other unfortunate children, she was going crazy at this school.
“Why are you alone? Where is Lee Seung-yeon?”
In the end, I spoke to the girl with the bob haircut again. Usually, she was stuck to Lee Seung-yeon’s side, but today, she was alone for some reason.
I didn’t have anything else to do, and I needed to start getting closer to the other kids besides the magicians.
As the weather got hotter, the children’s clothes also changed. The long-sleeved uniforms and gym clothes became short-sleeved. Originally, gym clothes didn’t have name tags, but the girl with the bob haircut had a name tag on the sleeve of her gym clothes.
Soon Soon-jin.
It was a unique name that you could never forget once you heard it.
Judging by the fact that I didn’t remember it, she must be one of the kids who died early or quit. She seemed pretty skilled when I saw her during Hong Seok-young’s class….
“It’s a strategy.”
Her speech was a bit curt.
I looked at Lee Seung-yeon. I was sure he had been rolling around with Hong Seok-young until a moment ago, but now he was fighting with Oh Hyun-wook. Where did that man go, leaving only the kids?
“Strategy?”
“The two of us can’t beat Oh Hyun-wook.”
Soon Soon-jin continued to watch the ant as she spoke.
Oh Hyun-wook was a guaranteed talent. Like other famous hunters, Oh Hyun-wook’s talents stood out from a young age. It was hard to believe that ten years later, he would gain the nickname “the pig” due to gaining weight, given his slender physique and nimble movements now….
### As of Now, Oh Hyun-wook Stands Out More Than Park Seo-hyun at the Pilot High School.
As for the rest?
If we exclude Yoo Hye-eun because she’s a healer….
To put it bluntly, they have no potential, and honestly, they’re just mediocre. Not entirely hopeless, but how should I put it?
Still, Soon Soon-jin has a talent that will definitely shine if properly honed.
Her skill in exploiting the opponent’s blind spots, using her small stature, is still rough. But with proper refinement, she would be very useful against humanoid monsters.
Facing large creatures like the Minotaur in the Myeong-dong Dungeon isn’t that difficult. Any attack will generally land.
The truly tricky ones are the humanoid monsters. When they have special gimmicks like the Siren that killed Kim Chae-min, the difficulty skyrockets.
That’s exactly when a hunter like Soon Soon-jin is needed.
“Um, teacher.”
“Huh?”
“Could you stop watching them….”
“Them?”
I tilted my head and looked at Soon Soon-jin. She glanced at me briefly before averting her eyes again.
Hmm.
Next to Soon Soon-jin’s foot was a short wooden sword.
Hmm.
Lee Seung-yeon and Oh Hyun-wook, who had been fighting at the end of the clearing, were slowly moving closer to us.
So that’s what this is about.
“Whose idea was this?”
“…Seung-yeon suggested we try it this way.”
“I think it’ll work better this way.”
“…Really?”
“Want me to help with the timing?”
“No.”
Soon Soon-jin shook her head.
“This kind of thing is meaningful only if I do it myself.”
“Admirable.”
It’s a mindset many adult hunters should learn.
Soon Soon-jin’s timing came soon. She knew it too. She stealthily moved her hand to grab the wooden sword.
See, this kid has potential… she has a good eye.
Soon Soon-jin glanced at me. Seeing her mischievously winking face made me chuckle. Are all high schoolers like this these days?
Soon Soon-jin sprang forward from her squatting position with the wooden sword in hand. Her target was Oh Hyun-wook’s neck, which Lee Seung-yeon had been pushing toward us with great effort.
Her movements were light, almost silent, and she swiftly got behind Oh Hyun-wook.
But Oh Hyun-wook didn’t stay still either.
As soon as he sensed Soon Soon-jin’s presence, he twisted his waist from his stance, prepared to attack Lee Seung-yeon. He bent his upper body backward almost to the ground and spread his legs for balance.
Soon Soon-jin’s sword passed through where Oh Hyun-wook’s head had just been, and Lee Seung-yeon’s sword went through where his waist had been.
“Damn, Soon Soon-jin!”
Oh Hyun-wook placed his hands on the ground and flipped away to create distance.
“Don’t let your guard down.”
Soon Soon-jin retracted her sword with a regretful look.
“That’s cheating!”
“Cheating?”
Lee Seung-yeon’s eyes widened.
“Don’t you remember what the teacher said? You never know what will happen in a dungeon.”
“Wow. That’s ridiculous.”
“If you’re upset, fight someone else.”
“Wow….”
Oh Hyun-wook glared at Lee Seung-yeon and Soon Soon-jin, looking flabbergasted.
Just then.
A jet-black SUV entered the clearing of the Pilot High School.
Kim Chae-min’s bright yellow sports car caught attention in a different way. Although the SUV didn’t aggressively enter the clearing like Kim Chae-min had, it smoothly circled around and then came to a stop in front of us.
To be exact, it stopped in front of the face-off between Lee Seung-yeon, Oh Hyun-wook, and Soon Soon-jin.
A man I had never seen before got out of the driver’s seat. He was armed. Just as I was about to ask him what his business was while moving the kids behind me, he turned and opened the backseat door.
Click.
A woman, with her hair casually tied up and dressed in the same black suit as she wore at the training center, was escorted out. This time, she wasn’t chewing gum. Lee Seung-yeon recognized her first.
“Aunt!”
“How are you doing, little one?”
Lee Seung-yeon immediately frowned.
“I told you not to call me that!”
It’s understandable to be embarrassed by such a nickname in front of friends.
“What should I call you if not ‘little one’?”
Of course, Lee Mi-sun pretended not to hear Lee Seung-yeon. Instead, she looked at Soon Soon-jin with a satisfied expression.
“Soon-jin, have you improved your skills already?”
“Uh, really? I’ve been practicing a lot….”
Soon Soon-jin responded, squirming.
…Did she eat something wrong? What’s with her?
“It was the right choice to leave you with Hunter Hong. Keep it up. I wish our little one here could be half as diligent as you.”
“Oh, Aunt!”
“I’ve spoiled him too much. He gives up as soon as things get a bit tough…. Boys should have more perseverance.”
Lee Mi-sun sighed dramatically and then looked at Oh Hyun-wook.
“Hyun-wook, you’ve grown taller? Meanwhile, little one is still close to the ground…. I noticed your movements have improved too. How about joining our guild? I’ll treat you well.”
“Don’t call me ‘noona’ (older sister). You’re an ahjumma (middle-aged woman).”
“Little one.”
“…Yes?”
“That’s why you don’t have a girlfriend.”
Lee Seung-yeon just opened and closed his mouth, stunned by his aunt’s sudden attack.
“Don’t you remember your elementary school days? That girl… what was her name? Yeon-kyung?”
“Ugh! Stop! Aunt, stop!!”
“If you had just listened to your aunt’s advice, you wouldn’t have been rejected….”
“Aunt!!”
“No one in our family has ever been bad at dating. Your dad and mom dated so much it was nauseating before they got married, remember? They say blood runs true, so why are you like this?”
Lee Seung-yeon pouted and grumbled.
“Must be because I take after you.”
“Little one.”
“…What now?”
“I choose not to date; you can’t date.”
“People who can’t always say that.”
“……”
“……”
“Little one, come here right now?!”
I had heard many times that Lee Mi-sun cherished her youngest nephew.
However… the scene before my eyes was just that of an ordinary aunt and her nephew. So ordinary it was almost surprising.
### New Element Names and Characters
– 명동 던전 = Myeong-dong Dungeon
– 송파구 = Songpa District
– 던전 관리법 = Dungeon Management Law
– 미노타우로스 = Minotaur
– 지네 = Centipede
—
There were several charity projects Lee Mi-sun had carried out in Lee Seung-yeon’s name. I thought they had a more affectionate relationship….
Or maybe not? Perhaps their good relationship just made them appear ordinary? How would I know without having an aunt myself?
…Still, it wasn’t an unpleasant sight. Lee Mi-sun looked much more human than she did while grumbling at the training center.
“Oh, you’re here?”
Hearing the commotion outside, Hong Seok-young came out of the container used as a teachers’ office and acknowledged their presence. Kim Chae-min also sneaked closer at some point. Behind Kim Chae-min, like goldfish poop, Park Seo-hyun and Choi Jin-woo were tagging along.
Hong Seok-young checked the time.
“Alright, it’s lunchtime! Since Seung-yeon’s aunt brought lunch boxes, everyone thank her.”
“Thank you!”
“Teacher Woo and Teacher Lee, come in for a moment. We need to talk.”
* * *
As soon as Lee Mi-sun entered the teachers’ office, she got straight to the point.
“I bid on that dungeon in Songpa District.”
Bid?
“I wasn’t planning to because it looked like the dungeon management law would change after the Myeong-dong Dungeon incident…. But I had no choice. It’s not like there’s no way to get compensation.”
I belatedly understood what Lee Mi-sun was talking about. Currently, guilds bid on dungeons to manage them. It was also the most important way for the state to make money.
As Lee Mi-sun mentioned, once the Myeong-dong Dungeon issue was resolved, this bidding method would disappear.
“Still, everyone was cautious, so I didn’t spend much money. The newly opened dungeon is estimated to be low-grade….”
“Has the grade not been properly assessed?”
“Unfortunately, the Myeong-dong Dungeon broke out the day before. It got postponed.”
“You haven’t gone inside yet, right?”
“No. I’ve made sure no one can enter.”
“Then we’ll try to go in as soon as possible….”
Lee Mi-sun crossed her arms and leaned back against the sofa.
“…The problem is the Myeong-dong Dungeon.”
Everyone fell silent.
The Myeong-dong Dungeon was the one where Hong Seok-young personally captured the Minotaur and closed it. Kim Chae-min had been there too.
“We need to understand what it means that the dungeon failed….”
“Teacher Woo. Do you have any guesses?”
“No. If I knew, I would have told you already.”
Even yesterday, we thoroughly checked the magic clock. There was no useful information.
However, since it was such a vast organization, it’s not impossible that they were involved in dungeon-related activities.
“Well…. There’s no way to deal with a dungeon that’s already closed. Let’s start with the Songpa District Dungeon and then decide what to do.”
Here, this Songpa District Dungeon is the Bangi-dong Dungeon where the centipede crawled out.
Could there be a way to close the dungeon early by tying it to Bangju?