episode_0009

“Krrrk-?”

“Kieeek-!!”

Upon entering the gate, goblins welcomed us.

Though they were the weakest monsters, we couldn’t let our guard down.

“Hellhound.”

“Spirit summon!”

Crackle-!!

Without even drawing my sword, flames erupted from the ground, swiftly followed by two hellhounds and a small firebird appearing from above, swiftly beginning to tidy up the goblins.

“Hmm… can’t afford to be careless.”

Honestly, this might not be so bad even if it’s a bus…?

Assigned to deal with the goblins coming through with spirits and hellhounds, it didn’t seem like it would even come to me.

The abilities of Park A-yeong and Lee Ji-hyun, who were responsible for our rear, were truly remarkable…

“Kie, e, ek….”

Despite being ambushed by goblin hordes upon entering the gate, the battle ended abruptly and anticlimactically.

With the final scream, the goblins vanished into dust, leaving behind mana stones and their leather.

“Wanna have some bread?”

Confirming the end of the battle, Cha Yoo-rin, standing at the rear, offered the bread she had made early in the morning.

“Let’s eat here for a moment.”

The party members immediately gathered around Cha Yoo-rin to receive the bread.

-Ate Mana Wheat Bread! Mana recovery rate and maximum amount increased for a certain time!

-Ate Strength Fortifying Bread! Strength increased for a certain time!

-Ate Miracle Bread! All stats increased for a certain time!

As we picked up and ate the bite-sized bread, various buffs began swirling before our eyes.

True to her title as a baker, Cha Yoo-rin’s ability indirectly buffed those who ate her bread.

Originally planning to eat after entering, we had no choice but to eat here due to Professor’s urging.

“Seems a bit bland inside…”

“It seems to be a cave-type dungeon.”

The cave, illuminated by flickering flames here and there, revealed only pitch darkness when trying to look further.

Each dungeon inside the gates had different terrains.

Sometimes caves, sometimes forests, cliffs, plains, etc… Each terrain had its own points to watch out for.

In these cave-type dungeons, one had to be careful of ambushes and traps due to limited visibility.

“Send the Hellhounds forward first, then followed by Baekhwa and Park Ah-jun, then Cha Yoo-rin, and finally Park A-yeong and I will stand at the rear.”

Following Lee Ji-hyun’s prompt planning, we marched in formation behind the Hellhounds. It was reassuring to follow the Hellhounds checking for any potential traps.

“Enemies ahead…! 10 goblins!”

With her increased affinity with spirits, Park A-yeong warned us.

Most cave-type dungeons had limited visibility of about 10m even with flames illuminating the path, or twisted paths, making such tracking abilities crucial.

Even in non-cave dungeons, hunters like Park A-yeong with tracking abilities were often sought after by large guilds despite their lower ranks, as they could detect enemies approaching from underground or behind, preventing ambushes.

Of course, Park A-yeong’s tracking ability now depended on the grade of the summoned spirit, so it might not meet the expectations of higher-ranked hunters with strong tracking abilities.

However, this place was the lowest F-grade dungeon left for practice.

For now, Park A-yeong’s tracking ability was more than sufficient.

“Krrrk-!!”

“Kieeek-!!”

Goblins started rushing towards us.

However, we could only stare blankly at the charging goblins without reacting.

Chyak-!

“Everyone, run!!”

As the goblins’ heads suddenly flew off, Ji-hyeon Lee activated the teleportation spell that Professor Kim Se-yeon had taught her.

“Just when I have a chance to absorb some energy, do they have to interrupt?”

Woojik-! Woojijik-!

With a sound like something twisting and breaking, we could see a being who effortlessly killed all the goblins with a single gesture.

This creature appeared with a black tail on its buttocks, bat wings on its back, and goat horns on both sides of its head—it was a succubus.

Appearing almost human-like, the succubus was seductive and charming, resembling a beautiful woman one might think had dressed up in cosplay if seen at an event.

However, beauty comes with thorns.

While succubi’s strength wasn’t inherently fixed like other unintelligent monsters, among the discovered succubi, even the weakest one possessed a strength equivalent to Grade C.

“C-Crazy… Shattering an A-grade hunter’s teleportation with just a gesture…?”

Beside me, Baek-hwa muttered in disbelief.

But seeing it shattered before Professor Kim Se-yeon’s teleportation spell could potentially activate due to unforeseen danger, it must have been at least above A-grade.

‘Even A-grade offers hope…’

As a grand mage by profession, Professor Kim Se-yeon received adjustments regarding magic, making her teleportation spell extremely stable and robust.

However, the fact that it shattered with a single gesture hinted that it might surpass A-grade, possibly reaching S-grade.

– Rare female found! Luck grade is increasing!!

– The Sex Master never misses luck! Enters a Lucky Scave state for a certain period!

Meanwhile, luck stats were rising upon encountering the succubus.

In the midst of potential imminent death, it was baffling to consider where luck played a role. One would want to grab this insane system window and inquire about it.

“Hehe. Don’t be too afraid. Leave the men here, and I’ll spare the rest of you.”

“Spare us…? Ha! If you’re going to kill us after the men die! It’s hard to absorb energy if we’re simply consumed by fear!”

Succubi were quite a common type of monster.

Due to their intelligence, they referred to themselves as demons but were classified strictly as monsters by humans.

One of their characteristics, well-documented in textbooks, was that women were spared initially to drain men’s vitality. Excessive fear made it difficult to absorb vitality fully, almost rendering them unable to even get aroused.

The most crucial rule was that men should never be swayed by their appearance.

In the past, when S-grade hunters first encountered succubi, they underestimated them, assuming they were merely Grade C monsters, leading to rape incidents.

The outcome was disastrous.

Among the 6 S-grade hunters involved, 3 were drained to death by the succubus, while the remaining 3 were killed trying to escape.

Such incidents even triggered gate explosions, emphasizing the thorough education provided about succubi.

Of course, despite such precautions, there were always fools who, due to their arrogance, caused accidents. Thus, even though succubi might be considered weak individuals, their danger level remained high.

“Hmm? You seem to know a lot about us? But today, I woke up feeling really good after a long time. I’ll genuinely spare you, so hurry up and leave.”

“Everyone, prepare for battle!”

Ejihyun, who rejected the succubus’s proposal without hesitation.

Even if she surrendered to me, there was no guarantee she would spare my life. It seemed more hopeful to strike before the succubus grew stronger by draining my life force.

“Breaking Professor Kim Seyun’s magic in one go must involve some secret! Perhaps it’s an artifact of some sort! Focus on enduring for now! The professor and our friends outside are watching us explore the dungeon! The rescue team will arrive soon!”

“You’re right, Miss! We don’t know why we suddenly appeared in this dungeon…! Since we encountered goblins, it might be a B-rank monster, so be careful!”

Clang!

Baekhwa and I gripped our swords, assuming defensive stances, while Hellhounds stood guard on both sides.

Ready to unleash their most powerful attacks at any moment were Park Ayeong and Ejihyun.

“I-I’m sorry for not being helpful…! B-Bread armor!”

Finally, the bread made by Chayurin began adhering to our bodies.

Despite its delicious appearance, the bread armor provided genuine protection.

Park Ayeong’s attack caused no harm, and although Ejihyun’s attack was only once, it could be blocked.

“Hah~! Are you all ready? Then let’s go?”

“Ugh!”

“Cough-!!”

As the succubus finished speaking, we could do nothing but collapse to the ground in agony.

She had simply exerted magical pressure with her hand, not using any skills or launching an attack.

Yet, that simple pressure shattered the bread armor and the protective spell Professor Kim Seyun had cast in an instant.

The difference in power felt suffocating.

Our opponent, though complacent, seemed so far ahead of us that victory seemed impossible.

‘Endure until the rescue team arrives…?’

Against such a monstrous foe?

It was impossible.

“Phew. I’ve wasted some time… Alright. Are you now willing to accept my proposal?”

“Don’t be ridiculous!”

Whoosh! Crash!

While Park Ayeong created a fireball aimed at the succubus approaching me, it hit the wall in the distance before she could release it.

“Fool… Run away…!”

Despite the pain from hitting the wall, Park Ayeong urged me to flee.

“Hmm~♡ I can’t just let go of such a delicious prey like this~”

Ignoring her, the succubus approached me slowly.

What could I do?

‘Just endure…!’

“Got it? Hurry and get the others to escape! Seems like this guy’s after me. Right?”

I calculated the highest probability of survival for my team in the current situation.

We hadn’t ventured far into the dungeon through the gate.

It was clear that we could escape straight away.

So, all I could do was trust in this damn profession and endure.

“Well, then. No need to go through the trouble. I’ll let the others escape~♡”

With resignation in response to my words, Park Ayeong and the other party members began to flee, and the succubus smiled faintly.

It was regrettable that this smile would be the last I saw, but I steeled myself.

After sacrificing myself for my twin sister and others, perhaps it wouldn’t be a bad ending!