Episode 25. Dungeon Practice (2)

Baek Ahyoung saw me and slyly raised the corners of her mouth, then approached me.

“Ta-da! Surprised? It’s a surprise~.”

As she said that, Baek Ahyoung’s face, smiling brightly, was quite cute.

A charm different from a woman’s sexy and provocative allure. She’s the type of woman you want to protect and keep safe.

“Wow, I’m really surprised. To meet Ahyoung-ssi here. It feels kind of strange.”

“It feels a bit different than when we meet outside, doesn’t it? This is the feeling of being an adult.”

To young me, she had a happy expression, showing her adult side.

Rather, I want to protect her even more.

Hunters belonging to the Association must wear neat suits provided by the Association.

Of course, unlike regular suits, they are comfortable for activity and come with various enchantments, making them versatile outfits.

Even though she was wearing a suit that gave off an office girl vibe, the fact that I felt like protecting her is truly a matter of talent.

“Definitely… seeing Ahyoung-ssi in a suit makes you look like a real adult. When I saw you at the orphanage, you seemed like a Noona, so it wasn’t awkward calling you Ahyoung-ssi, but now I’m at a loss for how to address you.”

Still, I figured she’d like being treated like an adult, so I went along with the vibe.

“Oh my, what are you talking about. Just keep doing as you were. It makes me more comfortable too.”

On Baek Ahyoung’s left chest was embedded the Association’s mark, depicting a dragon ascending to heaven.

The color of the wish-granting jewel held by the dragon was yellow.

Depending on the color of the jewel, one could tell their position within the Association.

Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet.

Yellow is the third rank.

Although it’s the third rank, Red is the Association President, and Orange represents the executives directly below him.

To put it simply, the chairman of a major corporation is Red, and the executives are Orange.

Baek Ahyoung’s position, being Yellow, showed how high up she was.

The healing magic attribute is rare, and Baek Ahyoung’s abilities were exceptionally outstanding.

As long as there’s breath, there was mention of her bringing people back to life, which says it all.

“Okay. When I went to the orphanage last weekend, I heard Ahyoung-ssi had visited. Are you going to the orphanage this weekend too?”

“Ah, I don’t think I can visit for a while. I have to participate in a dungeon raid helper application.”

“Aha….”

Just like she’s dispatched to the Academy now, Baek Ahyoung is also dispatched as a helper to other guilds.

“Hoyeon-ssi, this is your first dungeon practice, right? After three dungeon practices, they say there’s a test, so you’ll be able to see me three more times.”

She smiled brightly, again and again.

She’s such a cheerful woman. It’s almost unbelievable that a woman like this possesses such perverted fetishes.

“I suppose so. Please take care of me for these three times. Since I’m weak, I feel like I’ll be seeing you often.”

“Oh my, if you come too often, you’ll be blacklisted.”

While playing along with the conversation, I thought to myself.

‘Ahyoung-ssi, during the next class, the dungeon will go berserk, so you’ll only be able to see me once….’

And that will be the time to make my move on Baek Ahyoung.

*

Teams 1 through 10 entered the first dungeon.

Since I was in Team 13, we were the second group to be deployed. Gathering with my teammates, we were watching the earlier teams.

However, Nam Daeun and the guy were nowhere to be seen, so I watched with Lumi alone.

Looking up at the sky, a large hologram screen was showing the first deployed teams.

“Wow, it’s amazing. Those invisible eyes like that apparently follow each participant.”

“Yeah. If we go in there, will that follow us too?”

“Probably?”

It’s said to be an artifact used by mages, but I don’t know the detailed principles either.

Lumi, clearly showing she was more comfortable when it was just the two of us, started talking to me.

“Wow, they really stand out, Team 7.”

“Well, Alice is there.”

Ten teams are dropped into one dungeon. Their drop locations are all different, and there’s only one exit.

However, because the locations are chosen with precise calculations, finding the exit is said to be of similar difficulty for everyone.

Team 7, led by Alice, was showing incredible breakthrough speed.

Alice ran at high speed, swinging her sword horizontally.

Slice!

The goblins, acting as the dungeon’s fodder, were easily sliced down.

Goblin blood splattered, their bodies split in two, and their lives ended.

Sizzle-

Where Alice’s sword passed, the goblins’ flesh burned and smoke rose.

“Wow. This is the first time I’m seeing it properly. That must be the famous Sword Mage.”

“…Yeah.”

Sword Mage, seriously? That’s damn cringe, really.

In games, depending on whether the protagonist becomes a mage or a swordsman, Alice’s focus also changes.

If the protagonist leans towards magic, Alice is also called by the cool name ‘Battle Mage’.

This is reality, so that doesn’t happen.

Even though I’m a mage, Alice was just a Sword Mage. Battle Mage sounds better, what a shame.

Admittedly, the word to describe Alice is indeed Sword Mage.

If you use both magic and swordsmanship, you’re a Sword Mage. What else would you be?

Sword Mages usually end up being mediocre hunters, neither here nor there. It’s common.

Even if they start strong, later on, they fail to reach mastery in either, becoming indecisive.

However, Alice is different.

Her destructive talent in both swordsmanship and magic.

Even if she had been born with just one of them, she would have been hailed as a genius of the century, but she was born with both. What selfish genes.

For now, she infuses magic into her sword, delivering magic with physical force, which is somewhat inefficient but amplifies destructive power upon impact.

Later, as she grows further, she’ll swing her sword and unleash magic without incantations, displaying game-breaking performance.

“That was really cool….”

“What was?”

“Huh? No, it’s nothing.”

Team 7, with Alice, was overwhelming. Their speed was so immense that they seemed likely to escape without encountering other teams.

Lucy’s Team 8 wasn’t bad either.

Lucy was constantly dealing damage and providing support from the rear with fire arrows, simultaneously.

Team 7 was overwhelming, while Team 8 was moving ahead compared to other teams.

“Still, Lucy is in second place.”

“Lucy’s teammates have a good vibe. Ever since she was young, any space Lucy was in was always harmonious. Not that I was, though. Hehe.”

“People just don’t recognize your charm. I personally find your type more comfortable and likable.”

During our conversation, she started reflecting on herself, so I gave her a compliment.

“Y-yes? Ah, me too! I really like you too, Hoyeon-ssi.”

“Huh?”

“Ah, no. It’s nothing. It’s really nothing….”

Lumi, after suddenly making a confession of sorts, fiddled with her hair tied with a red ribbon unnecessarily and tried to change the subject.

I don’t know how to put it, but Lumi, in a different way than Baek Ahyoung, has a charm that makes me want to comfort her.

★ Heroine Status Window

[Lumi]

• [ Affection: 66 ]

• [ Lust: 60 ]

• [ Appetite: 10 ]

• [ Fatigue: 25 ]

Ever since we drank together, her Affection and Lust have risen dramatically.

The heroine I thought I’d pursue first wasn’t Moon Surin, but it turned out to be Lumi.

Anyway, with an Affection level of 66, she likes me enough to accept a confession, yet there’s no sign of progress. Last time we drank, I woke up in a motel, so it feels awkward for me to suggest drinking again.

Lumi, being a loser, confessing first? That’s unimaginable.

“Oh! Team 7 has already finished the raid.”

Hearing Lumi’s words, I looked at the screen, and Alice’s team had indeed finished.

Alice, expressionless, was tidying her disheveled clothes while undergoing a medical check. The other team members looked like they were thinking, ‘It’s nice getting carried, but will our scores be good…?’

Soon after, Lucy’s Team 8 also finished the raid, and other teams began finishing one by one.

The guy, Lee Byung-hoon, gradually gathered near our team’s spot.

“Where did Nam Daeun go? We should probably start getting ready soon.”

“I’ll go look for her.”

“Hmm, she wasn’t around when I kept looking. Maybe she’s resting in some corner?”

Following Lee Byung-hoon’s suggestion, I left the student waiting area and wandered into places where people likely wouldn’t be.

Then, from behind a corner, Nam Daeun’s voice was heard.

“Don’t worry. Have you ever seen Unnie lose? I’ll get first place today too. Unnie has to leave soon, so let’s talk again later.”

“Right! Unnie. I love you!”

“…Yeah. I love you too, really.”

A tender voice I never heard from the usual Nam Daeun. It held the warmth one shows to someone truly precious.

I carefully peeked out from beside the corner, showing only half my face.

Nam Daeun was looking at the hologram, her eyes welling up with tears.

It seemed to be a video call; a girl’s face floated before her eyes.

Every time the girl spoke, Nam Daeun smiled.

It was an expression full of emotion, unlike her usual stoic face.

Even when expressionless, she had a sculpted charm, but Nam Daeun’s beauty truly shone when she smiled.

“….”

That girl is Nam Daeun’s younger sister.

★ Heroine Status Window

[Nam Daeun]

• [ Affection: 11 ]

• [ Lust: 10 ]

• [ Appetite: 30 ]

• [ Fatigue: 83 ]

Her abnormally high Fatigue level seems to be crying out, asking me to recognize how difficult her situation is.

I quietly retraced my steps, making sure not to be caught eavesdropping.

Figuring out how to pursue Nam Daeun again gave me a headache.

*

I returned to my spot. Lumi and Lee Byung-hoon asked where Nam Daeun was, but I replied that I couldn’t find her.

Soon after, Nam Daeun arrived. While others didn’t pay much attention, I noticed the slight dampness remaining around her eyes.

The first deployed teams had completely finished their raids, and we were given a break before the second group went in.

Before my eyes, the students from the first deployed teams, returning from their dungeon practice training, appeared.

The injured were heading to Baek Ahyoung. With only 4 members per team across 10 teams, Baek Ahyoung could handle the injured alone.

“It’s okay. Slowly, close your eyes and take a deep breath. It’ll be over soon.”

“Kuhh, Haa, Haa, Haa….”

Among them were students with severe injuries.

It was literally dungeon ‘combat’ training. Although monitoring eyes watch the students’ backs to prevent the worst-case scenarios, unforeseen accidents still happen.

“Teams 11 through 20, hurry up and get ready!”

“Let’s get ready now.”

“Yes!”

“Okay.”

“….”

The students belonging to teams 11 through 20 went to find their respective professors.

Our team’s professor was the homeroom professor of Class A, Kim Jin-hyuk.

Kim Jin-hyuk led us to the building’s basement.

“Do not talk while following me. We’ll arrive soon, so don’t be anxious.”

Not long after, we opened a door in the underground area and entered, revealing a portal inscribed with a magic circle.

From here on, it’s a setup I know. Entering the transfer portal prepared by the Academy leads to a dungeon managed for the test.

“This is the portal that transports you to the coordinates assigned to your team. You can enter immediately.”

Honestly, I was scared and glancing around nervously. Looking beside me, Lumi was the same.

“Once you enter, you’ll find out, but where it is, and how you should move, you must decide yourselves. No information is provided beforehand.”

What kind of dungeon it is, what monsters exist, how to escape – no methods are given at all. The ability to figure these things out, your judgment, etc., are all part of the evaluation.

Kim Jin-hyuk finished his final instructions and stepped aside from the portal.

Nam Daeun entered the portal without a moment’s hesitation, and Lee Byung-hoon followed.

“Let’s go quickly too. Lumi.”

“Y-yes. I’m a little nervous.”

Together with Lumi, I cautiously stepped into the portal. A bright light enveloped me, my head spun briefly, and when I opened my eyes, I saw a space completely different from the room I was just in.

The air was thick with mana, and the ground was damp earth. Water dripped from the ceiling.

It was a cave-type dungeon. Nam Daeun and Lee Byung-hoon had arrived earlier and were looking around.

If a cave-type dungeon like this appears in practice training, the difficulty of finding the path itself is relatively easy.

If you just keep going forward, you’ll eventually find an exit.

Of course, breaking through like that would result in terrible scores.

For now, I feel like the leader of our team. Since no one else steps up in times like these, I have to take command.

“Guys, let’s head forward for now. To search for the exit…”

Whoosh-!

Before I could even finish my sentence, hearing a sound like air bursting, Nam Daeun dashed forward.

“….”

“Hey! Let’s hurry and follow her!”

Lee Byung-hoon also followed right behind her, quickening his pace.

“Hoyeon-ssi, hurry!”

“Uh, yeah. Let’s go.”

Strange. Wasn’t I the team leader?

*

“Ah, shit, she’s damn fast! Seriously.”

The three of us were barely keeping up with Nam Daeun’s retreating back.

Even when monsters appeared, Nam Daeun’s speed didn’t decrease at all.

Kuaaaaeaaaak!

Chrome Bats, which mainly inhabit cave-type dungeons.

They usually live in groups of 10 or more, threaten enemies with their large wings, approach at high speed, and strike with wings as hard as steel.

Normally, about 15 Chrome Bats would require 4 students to attack together, keeping them occupied annoyingly for about 5 minutes.

They aren’t strong enemies, but their speed makes them annoying opponents.

But, ahead of us was Nam Daeun.

Nam Daeun briefly stopped, then drew her sword.

Shing- Chak-chak-

Nam Daeun, sword in hand, momentarily vanished from my sight, then stood back in her original position, sword lowered, as if nothing had happened.

Thud-thud

And then, the mercilessly minced Chrome Bats’ corpses fell to the floor.

“Wow, that’s Nam Daeun-ssi’s acceleration…”

Lumi muttered, as if her soul had left her body.

No way, I couldn’t see any of it, is this even right?

Nam Daeun, without any particular emotion, wiped the blood off her sword, sheathed it at her hip, and started running forward again.

It was a ridiculous imbalance, but there was no time to complain, so I quickly followed.

After running like that for about 5 minutes? Worries started to creep in.

“Hmm, this ‘bus’ ride is sweet, but…”

The monsters that occasionally appear are cut down by Nam Daeun, and the path is a simple straight line.

This isn’t just any bus; it’s Nam Daeun’s express bus.

The Nam Daeun bus is nice. But…

“Yes, it is, but….”

“Hey, if it goes on like this, I don’t think we’ll get any points!”

As Lee Byung-hoon said, if it continues like this, we won’t get any points.

I offered condolences to Alice’s teammates earlier, and it looks like I’ll be next.

Nam Daeun, by clearing the dungeon like this, will receive the lowest score for cooperation, but she’s doing it with the mindset of getting perfect scores in other areas.

“Sigh, let’s just catch up quickly for now.”

“Yes. Understood!”

Fortunately, Nam Daeun had stopped in a clearing.

We quickly followed her into the clearing, and saw ten passages branching out.

Nam Daeun seemed to be pondering which passage to take here to finish quickly.

Nam Daeun raised her mana again.

Since she didn’t know where to go, she was about to rely on luck and dash into any path.

I quickly spoke up before Nam Daeun could rush off.

“I think I know where to go.”

Nam Daeun glanced back, looking at me.

Finally, the bus passenger had a chance to step up.