Chapter 67

EP.67 The Forest Covered in Snakes (1)

The next day, on the 33rd floor of the Clan Tower.

I went up to the meeting room early in the morning and organized the tasks for the new members with Shin Yuna.

The tasks were simple, like laying out the strategy report on the table.

In fact, this wasn't even essential in the horizontal clan culture; it was just that Shin Yuna had insisted, saying, "If you're a new member, you should take the initiative to do things like this!" and dragged me along.

A total of 8 people were attending this operation meeting.

All members participating in the strategy party were present.

Before 9:00 AM.

Clan members arrived one by one at the meeting room.

Among them, Kang Juyeon was there, and I greeted her with a nod.

Kwon Ohjun, the team leader and party leader of Hunting Team 5, arrived last.

As he entered the meeting room, the operation meeting officially began.

Thud—

Kwon Ohjun loudly placed the documents on the table as soon as he arrived.

"First, I'll pass on some announcements. The dispatch date for this operation has been moved up. We're leaving this afternoon, not tomorrow. This is a confirmed decision from the upper management, so there's no room for discussion. Make sure everyone completes their dispatch preparations by this afternoon."

Following the schedule change announcement.

The date was moved up by one day...

To today.

However, it didn't seem to surprise anyone too much, as they all nodded in agreement with the changes.

Of course, some clan members had questions.

"Team Leader, may I ask the reason for the date change?"

Holder, who was sitting diagonally to my left.

According to the booklet Shin Yuna gave me, he was Min Chae-hwan, a B-rank archer in Hunting Team 5.

Min Chae-hwan, Min Chae-hwan...

I was sure I had heard the name somewhere, but I couldn't remember.

I had a strange feeling when I read the booklet.

It seemed to be a faint memory in my mind.

He might be one of the extras who appeared briefly in the original story.

In any case, Kwon Ohjun cut straight to the point in response to Min Chae-hwan's raised hand.

"What did you just hear? There's no room for discussion. It's an order from the upper management. Don't argue and start your dispatch preparations."

"...Understood."

Kwon Ohjun's sharp response surprised me.

'Isn't he being too harsh?'

Even though Kwon Ohjun was a team leader who spoke casually to his juniors, his reaction seemed excessive.

It was as if Min Chae-hwan had been caught by Kwon Ohjun.

However, Min Chae-hwan nodded without any change in expression.

It seemed to be a familiar situation for him.

With that, Kwon Ohjun resumed his operation meeting explanation.

"The dungeon we're planning to tackle this time is located in the middle of the Jongno Inwangsan Field. Some of you might remember, it's in a similar location to the Tiger Den dungeon that Hunting Team 4 tackled before."

The clan members in the meeting room nodded as if they remembered.

I also flipped through the strategy report, focusing on his words.

Inwangsan Field.

A field outside the barrier where it's rumored that the S-rank monster 'Guardian Beast Baekho' appears at the mountain's peak.

Of course, no holder has discovered Baekho yet.

As a mountain known for frequent appearances of tiger monsters, this field has quite a few tiger-related dungeons.

Among them, the 'Tiger Den' dungeon was one of the dungeons that <Judgment of Fire> had completed a few months ago and was now a major source of income.

Thud—

Beep—

Kwon Ohjun put down the plan for a moment and turned on the projector.

A PPT with detailed information about the dispatch destination.

Inside it...

Photos of unique-looking 'snakes' were displayed.

"The location is similar, but the monsters and the dungeon's characteristics are completely different. As you can see, the main monsters are snakes. The dungeon's provisional name is 'The Forest Covered in Snakes.'"

Beep—

Kwon Ohjun used a pointer to flip through the slides.

The first monster shown.

A long body and tail.

In contrast, a broad face.

It was the B-rank monster, Rapid Cobra.

"The Rapid Cobra, as its name suggests, is a snake-type monster that focuses on speed. Snakes are known for being fast, but these are particularly quick. They are likely to possess related runes. Shin Yuna, Joo Dae-hyun."

"Yes!"

"Understood."

We quickly responded to the sudden call.

Kwon Ohjun looked at Shin Yuna and me alternately and said matter-of-factly.

"You two are the only three warriors in this operation. You need to hold the center firmly and tank. If you panic and let the monsters get past you due to their speed, their attacks will head towards our party's rear. Remember that."

"Yes, I will keep that in mind!"

"Understood."

Although Kwon Ohjun tried to intimidate us, neither Shin Yuna nor I would be easily shaken.

First, both of us have the [Agile Movement] rune.

Through the rune, we can easily handle fast attacks, and if necessary, we can raise our shields.

Especially Shin Yuna, who is specialized in speed, can easily lure the monsters with 'evasive tanking.'

'As for me... I can use magic attacks if needed.'

Given that Kwon Ohjun has already seen the versatility of my runes.

There was no need to hold back as a multi-holder.

Frankly, my [Flickering Flame] activates faster than the magic attacks of our party's mages.

Since I only need to manifest mana, not cast spells.

Both Shin Yuna and I were holders of a higher level than ordinary C-rank holders.

After a brief warning.

The explanation continued.

"The B-rank monster, Green Anaconda, appears at the entrance and mid-section. Unlike the Rapid Cobra, the Green Anaconda is extremely slow but has high durability and strong muscles. Be especially careful when using magic attacks, as they can be difficult to handle. ... ... The B-rank monster, Mega Snake, mainly appears in the mid-section... ... "

The meeting was more like an announcement and training session.

It lasted about 2 hours.

Kwon Ohjun's explanation and PPT materials were concise.

Various snake-type monsters and their characteristics.

The special properties of the dungeon were clearly organized in the PPT.

Despite the rather tedious explanation, it was crucial for the party members' safety, so Kwon Ohjun meticulously completed the explanation without any mistakes.

He also mentioned the monsters that had not been fully scouted.

"Occasionally, the A-rank monster, Basilisk, is reported to appear in the mid-section. Although it hasn't been confirmed, the boss room monster is also expected to be A-rank. The strategy report contains the characteristics, weaknesses, and all related information of the monsters... Memorize it thoroughly before the afternoon dispatch. Got it?"

"Yes!"

"Understood...!!"

The loud responses of some enthusiastic party members echoed.

The warrior class: me, Shin Yuna, and Kwon Ohjun.

The mage class: Kang Juyeon and Kim Sung-cheol.

The holy class: Lee Su-mi.

The assassin class: Choi Dong-wook.

And the archer class: Min Chae-hwan, who had asked the question earlier.

A total of 8 members of the dispatch and strategy party.

After checking the members,

Kwon Ohjun lightly tapped the table to signal the end of the meeting.

"Take care of your morning preparations and lunch on your own, and gather at the entrance of Inwangsan Field by 2:00 PM. Dismissed."

The Forest Covered in Snakes.

This was the dungeon I was lucky enough to tackle right from the start after joining <Judgment of Fire> as an intern.

* * *

There was nothing special I needed for the dungeon.

My equipment was sufficient, so I didn't need to meet Choi Yumin, and the equipment that was damaged during the previous Leviathan hunt had already been repaired.

Since the dispatch was late, we might have to camp inside the dungeon, but I had already prepared for that with Shin Yuna in the morning.

All I needed was confidence and appropriate tension.

"...You don't have to be that nervous."

Kang Juyeon, who was walking beside me, spoke.

Since there was no one to go with to the entrance of Inwangsan Field, I was walking with Kang Juyeon.

We had become somewhat close, and being together wasn't uncomfortable.

Kang Juyeon seemed more relaxed today compared to yesterday.

She even offered me advice first.

...Coincidentally, Shin Yuna wasn't there today.

Was she really angry with me yesterday?

"Various circumstances helped, but... you've hunted A-rank monsters alone before, right?"

"That was just luck."

What was she talking about?

If she asked me to hunt a Grizzly Drake again now, I wouldn't be able to do it even if I died and came back to life.

...Or would I?

If I poured all my runes into it, maybe I could...?

In any case, hunting an A-rank monster alone.

Even now, after growing so much, it wasn't an easy task.

"I know. But you're still better than an ordinary C-rank holder, and that means you won't be a burden to a B-rank party... Considering all that, Joo Dae-hyun. I advocated for your inclusion in the party."

Kang Juyeon said with a slight smile.

At first, I didn't notice her facial expressions, but after spending a long time with her and going through various events, I started to see them.

Kang Juyeon just didn't know how to laugh loudly.

But she definitely knew how to smile.

I responded with a smile.

"Thanks. You've been looking out for me since I joined as an intern. Thanks to you, I've been able to go to high-level dungeons with the best clan members. I'm lucky, I guess."

"...No, you're not."

Kang Juyeon turned her gaze away, her face seemingly blushing.

As we exchanged such trivial conversations while walking,

We soon reached our destination.

We were the first to arrive, as there was no one at the entrance.

We found a nearby bench and sat down for a moment.

"Ah."

While sitting on the bench,

Kang Juyeon suddenly rummaged through her magic bag.

She then took out a vial and handed it to me.

"...Here."

"What is this?"

A unique vial with a green glow.

Judging by its contents, it was clearly a special 'potion.'

"An antidote to paralyzing poison."

"...Paralyzing poison?"

"Yes. Snake-type monsters often carry poison... While other types of poison are fine, paralyzing poison is dangerous when you get hit."

Poison can vary greatly in effect depending on the type, but paralyzing poison is particularly deadly for the warrior class.

If a warrior, who needs to tank at the front, is paralyzed and can't move, it can quickly endanger the entire party.

Kang Juyeon was worried about this and had given me the [Antidote].

The [Antidote] can be taken in advance to prevent the poison for a certain period.

It was a thoughtful gift, considering my class.

However...

'My poison resistance is already 8...'

After training with the Toxin Iguana in the academy's underground dungeon, my poison resistance was already at 8.

My [Deadly Poison] skill was also quite proficient, now at level 5.

At this level, I could say I was immune to most poisons.

Even the venom of ordinary snakes wouldn't affect me.

I felt bad for Kang Juyeon, who had prepared the antidote,

But it was actually useless to me.

"...Thanks. I, I'm lucky, I guess."

Nevertheless, I took the potion with a forced smile.

Ignoring the effort of the person giving the gift was one thing,

But if I rejected Kang Juyeon's gift,

The atmosphere might turn cold again, like yesterday.

Honestly, the thought of that was scary.