LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 49
Once the introduction to the Thief Party was over, Han-gyeol stepped forward and briefly introduced the members.
For the Wings Guild, there are two C-rank Hunters and four D-rank Hunters.
Additionally, there’s Si-hyun, ranked D, and Ah-reum joining for observation purposes.
The gazes of the Thief Party’s men turned toward the two beauties.
Han-gyeol cleared his throat a few times to redirect their attention back to him.
“Ahem! We’ll divide the rewards by party. No objections, right?”
“Of course not.”
After the arrangements were made, the two men shook hands lightly.
Then, Kang Do-joon, the leader of the Thief Party, spoke up.
“I believe you have a rough idea of what’s going on. It’s time to tell you about the dungeon. I’ll keep it brief.”
As Do-joon began his explanation, the group listened intently.
The monsters that mainly appear in the dungeon are undead monsters like Skeletons.
Due to the nature of Skeletons, unless you defeat the boss controlling them, they slowly resurrect.
It was a race against time, so they pushed to explore despite the odds.
However, since it was a large-scale dungeon, they failed to reach the boss room.
Ultimately, except for themselves, who barely escaped using the thief’s stealth skill, everyone else died.
“It’s unfortunate for those who have passed on… But we have indeed cleared a route. We gathered early today, so if we push until dinner, we should be able to conquer it.”
“I see…”
The expressions of everyone, except for Si-hyun, hardened.
They recognized the uniqueness and dangers of the dungeon they needed to clear today.
Time attack.
If they couldn’t clear the dungeon quickly, the monsters from their past path would resurrect.
They needed to defeat the boss before being surrounded by the monsters from both sides.
“Still, it’s a relief that we’ve cleared a route. Let’s keep up the spirit!”
“Yeah, let’s go!”
After all the information exchange,
Once everyone finished preparing for battle, they entered the gate.
Ah-reum released Si-hyun’s arm that she had been clutching.
Instead, she stuck close and followed behind her.
Si-hyun glanced at Ah-reum for a moment before starting to walk with the group.
‘Stealth skill, huh…’
An oddly unsettling feeling crept in.
No matter how experienced they were, the men from the Thief Party radiated no anxiety whatsoever.
It was one thing for their leader, Kang Do-joon, to be B-rank, but the D-rank men were the same.
In fact, even now they weren’t looking around the dungeon but kept glancing this way.
They were really a relaxed bunch of guys.
“Ah-reum.”
“Yes, yes?”
Si-hyun called out to Ah-reum in a quiet voice.
Setting aside the unease brought by the strange men,
She couldn’t let the time spent with Ah-reum go to waste.
“Are you scared?”
“I… yes…”
Ah-reum replied in a voice that seemed to shrink.
Si-hyun chuckled lightly and said, “Where do you think fear comes from?”
“Uh, well…”
“Listen closely. There are various reasons like trauma and so on.”
Si-hyun looked directly into Ah-reum’s eyes.
The gazes of the two women met.
“I think the greatest fear comes from the unknown.”
“Ah, definitely. I think so too.”
“You just heard the conversation about the special nature of the undead dungeon.”
“Yes.”
As Ah-reum nodded, Si-hyun smiled brightly and said, “It’s review time. On the first day of lectures, what did I say to do when entering a dungeon?”
“Um… Predict what monsters will appear?”
“Correct! You were listening well.”
“Hehe…”
Si-hyun’s praise melted away the tension in Ah-reum’s expression.
Enjoying that cute reaction, Si-hyun continued the conversation.
“Then, doesn’t that mean there’s no need to be scared now?”
“……?”
Ah-reum looked puzzled, not quite understanding.
Si-hyun added further explanation.
“What’s in front of you is just simple Skeletons. Thus, the boss will be a monster controlling these Skeletons. Most likely, it will just be a Skeleton Mage or something.”
“It… it should be, right…?”
“That means there’s nothing left that can remain ‘unknown,’ right? It’s all common knowledge.”
“……Ah ha!”
Ah-reum’s eyes widened in surprise.
Covering her mouth with her hand, she thought, ‘Listening to the professor, it really isn’t a big deal?!’
What had once seemed overwhelming and terrifying felt brighter now, like the fog had lifted.
Of course, that didn’t mean she could just leap into the fray against monsters with her current skills.
At least the suffocating feeling that had weighed on her had vanished.
Ah-reum looked at her professor with admiring eyes.
Si-hyun grinned, enjoying the gaze directed at her.
It felt nice to enlighten a student so effectively.
At that moment,
The battle among the men up ahead began.
Si-hyun lightly patted Ah-reum’s head and looked ahead.
“By the way, our next lecture is about undead. Looks like you’ll get a head start today!”
“Yeah! Hehe.”
“See? There’s nothing to be worried about with Skeletons.”
Si-hyun pointed at the group of men battling the Skeletons from the Wings Guild.
“In the end, there exists a ‘template,’ whether it’s human-shaped or goblin-shaped.”
“Yes! That’s right!”
“Between a goblin with a bow and a goblin skeleton, which one’s scarier?”
“Both!”
Si-hyun scratched her cheek at the unexpected answer, observing Ah-reum.
She could see a timid smile on her face.
‘But thank goodness. Ah-reum’s tension has eased a lot.’
Si-hyun grinned and said, “Ultimately, what’s important is that, while you do have to apply the strategies for undead, there’s no need to overthink it.”
“Yes, I understand!”
“Great! Now, do a good job observing how everyone fights. Try using your skills if you need.”
“Yes!”
Ah-reum’s expression turned focused as she observed the men’s combat.
Meanwhile, Si-hyun watched the Thief Party’s leader, Kang Do-joon, dazzlingly sweep away the Skeletons with impressive movements.
He was fast and sophisticated, proving that he was B-rank with every motion.
Kang Do-joon’s performance surpassed that of all the men from the Wings Guild combined.
Nearby, a C-rank thief focused on evasion.
The other two D-rank members were using stealth to attack weaknesses.
‘They switched roles quite smoothly.’
Whenever the C-rank used stealth, the D-ranks naturally concentrated on evasion.
They were battling quite cohesively despite being a fixed party.
Ultimately, the first battle wrapped up with Kang Do-joon’s brilliant performance.
Once their monsters were dealt with, the three thieves took a break.
Only he joined the Wings Guild to help clean up the monsters.
“Phew, great work.”
“The numbers are overwhelming, so it’s tough.”
After a round of combat, the men wiped the sweat from their brows and lightly conversed.
Kang Do-joon gave the men a moment to catch their breath before speaking.
“Wouldn’t it be better to press on quickly rather than delay monster resurrection?”
“Hm, since we’ve cleared a route, you know the general location of the boss room, right?”
“Yes. We should be able to get there without any issues.”
“Then let’s do that.”
The discussion progressed smoothly as the group ventured deeper into the dungeon.
As things lightened up, Ah-reum had a question she was curious about for Si-hyun.
“Professor, professor.”
“…Hmm?”
“U-um… What does it mean to delay resurrection?”
“Aah, it means to smash them.”
“Smash them?”
Si-hyun nodded.
“Do you remember the story about how Skeletons slowly resurrect unless you defeat the boss?”
“Yes.”
“They don’t resurrect all at once. The broken bones gradually come together.”
“Ah ha…! If we smash them up, their resurrection speed should slow down?”
“Exactly.”
If they smash them up enough to hinder resurrection, the back would be safe.
However, it takes time, which causes delays in conquering.
Conversely, if they defeat just enough and continue, the speed of progression increases, but stability decreases.
Hunters choose strategies that suit them.
‘Though there are other methods.’
If someone wielding divine power or a magician were present,
Depending on their skill, it would be possible to sever the connection between the monsters and their controller.
But Si-hyun didn’t explain this far.
She had never heard anything about divine power on Earth, and it was too advanced to share with Ah-reum just yet.
The group silently advanced deeper into the dungeon, led by the Thief Party.
Battles occurred periodically, with short breaks in between.
“Heal! I’ll heal you!”
“Oh, thank you, student.”
“Hehe…”
Ah-reum used her skill to heal a male member of the Wings Guild who had a scratch on his arm.
Upon receiving thanks, she let out a cheerful giggle.
After advancing for half a day through the dungeon, the group took a break in an open area for lunch.
Each person pulled out prepared lunch boxes.
“Si-hyun, Ah-reum! Catch!”
“T-thank you!”
Si-hyun and Ah-reum shared the lunch boxes prepared by the Wings Guild.
At that moment, Kang Do-joon looked at Ah-reum and said,
“So you’re a student? Support class, I see. Your future looks bright.”
“Th-that’s not true!”
“Ah, it’s a precious profession. I’m sure many will try to snatch you up. Do you have a fixed party? If not—”
“…Do-joon.”
Si-hyun deliberately interrupted Do-joon’s words.
Ah-reum’s expression showed her displeasure, but she couldn’t refuse.
Ah-reum shuffled behind Si-hyun, still holding her lunch box.
Si-hyun adjusted her position and spoke.
“Ah-reum is already affiliated with a group.”
“Oh, is that so? That’s too bad, but it can’t be helped.”
Do-joon shrugged his shoulders as if acting.
He didn’t look disappointed at all.
His lips smiled, but his eyes scanned the two women sharply.
Once Do-joon started chatting with his party, Si-hyun let out a light sigh.
The men from the Thief Party kept shooting furtive glances their way whenever there was a chance.
Once the meal time was over, they resumed their expedition in the dungeon.
Whenever there was an opportunity, Do-joon would try to engage Ah-reum and Si-hyun in conversation.
After several battles, while Si-hyun and Ah-reum were talking with the members of the Wings Guild,
Do-joon was quietly conversing with his party at a slight distance.
“That old hag, pretty but so blunt and rude.”
“Right, brother? You know someone might look over here. They were glaring us down like crazy.”
“Should we threaten them a bit and pull off a score?”
“Again? If we do it consecutively, won’t the management bureau get suspicious?”
As one of the men spoke worriedly, Do-joon smirked and replied.
“Ha-ha, it’s an accident that happened in the dungeon, what can we do?”
“That’s true! How would they even know if it was an accident or not?”
“I’ll handle the boss, and there’s no problem, right? You don’t trust me, do you?”
“Haha! When have we ever doubted you, brother?”
The Thief Party gathered together to plot behind closed doors.
It was something they were all too familiar with.