Chapter 95

EP.95 A Pile of Stained Rocks (7)

I put the information windows on hold for a moment.

There were many things I wanted to confirm, but first, I needed to talk to the Holder who had taken over this battle for us.

After hunting the giant wolf.

A woman stood there, sword in hand.

I cautiously spoke to her.

"Um..."

"Wait."

"Yes?"

Before I could say anything, she briefly replied and continued.

"Please wait a moment."

With those polite words...

She ran forward.

And I understood why she had asked us to wait.

Auu-?!

Auu, Auuu-!!

The gray wolves, caught in the [Power Break], were still unable to escape.

Almost in a dying state, but if left alone, they could still pose a significant threat.

She thoroughly eliminated all potential dangers.

A Holder so skilled that she could assassinate a giant wolf in 10 seconds, dealing with the injured monsters was as easy as eating cold porridge.

Climbing the rock pile step by step, she began her hunt...

Finally, after disposing of all the monsters, she returned.

Now, we were safe enough without having to leave the dungeon.

"Are you hurt anywhere?"

And when she stood in front of us and spoke.

A white robe and white hair that reached her waist.

A cold atmosphere, as if covered in snow.

In that, a beautiful appearance bloomed like a flower.

When I saw her appearance directly with my eyes.

I finally understood the entire situation.

"Holder Yoon Seul...?"

"You know me."

Of course.

How could I not?

The only S-rank Assassin-type Holder in the country, Yoon Seul.

She was a character who was given considerable weight in the original story and, due to her fame, I had seen her face several times in newspapers and articles since coming to this world.

A woman who had reached the pinnacle of assassins.

A Holder who had achieved the highest rank without a clan.

If a Holder active in the country didn't know her, they would be no different from a spy.

"Wa, wa... It's Holder Yoon Seul..."

Kim Chaeun, who was exclaiming behind me.

Just by seeing her reaction, I could tell.

Yoon Seul, in response to our admiration, asked without changing her expression.

"You don't seem to have any external injuries... but did you suffer any internal injuries from the wolves' attacks? I have plenty of potions, so feel free to speak up."

I couldn't understand why she was here or how she had saved us...

But the important thing was that the battle was over and post-battle handling was necessary.

I shook my head and replied.

"Fortunately, the battle ended before we were injured. Thank you for your help, Holder Yoon Seul."

"Y-Yes! I'm not hurt either-"

As I bowed in gratitude, Kim Chaeun followed suit.

Yoon Seul, raising her hand to accept, continued.

"First, I'm sorry for entering without the initial discoverers' consent. I happened to see that a two-person party was attempting to clear the dungeon, which seemed dangerous, so I came in."

Yoon Seul offered a light apology.

In fact, the discovery and clearing of a dungeon are issues related to ownership, so the entry of a third party not involved in the discovery can lead to awkward situations.

This is a matter regulated within the association.

But that's the story for the general case.

Rescue in a crisis, like just now, is an exception.

"It was a dangerous situation. If it weren't for Holder Yoon Seul, it would have been difficult to escape. Thank you again."

I bowed as respectfully as possible.

Kim Chaeun, standing behind me, widened her eyes.

Is this the first time she's seen such a formal manner?

I found it awkward at first, but now it feels natural.

After nearly a month of intern clan member life, I've unknowingly become quite accustomed to the etiquette of a Holder.

Yoon Seul, in turn, received the formal greeting and said.

"As you know, I'm Yoon Seul, an unaffiliated S-rank Holder. May I ask about your affiliations?"

Kim Chaeun, her eyes shining, answered first.

"Hello, Holder Yoon Seul! I'm Kim Chaeun, a C-rank Holder and a student at the Seoul Holder Academy-!"

Before this dungeon attempt, Kim Chaeun had completed a two-week association review and was promoted to C-rank.

Thanks to this, she could enter the Seoraksan field without being restricted by the level regulations.

I followed her lead.

"I'm also a student at the Academy, a C-rank Holder named Joo Jae-hyun. It's a great honor to meet the renowned Holder Yoon Seul."

A clean introduction, minus a few flowery phrases.

"The Academy...?"

But Yoon Seul's expression was peculiar.

Her brows were slightly furrowed.

"Yes. Is there any problem...?"

Did the Academy have some trouble?

I couldn't recall anything specific when I searched my memory.

Rather, if there was any trouble, it would be with the <Villain> clan, not the Academy.

"No, no."

Shaking her head as if it was nothing, Yoon Seul asked us again.

"Would it be okay if I joined you in clearing the dungeon? I have some questions I'd like to ask while we travel together. I'll give up all rights to the dungeon, so you don't need to worry about that."

It was a bold proposal.

An S-rank Holder, and the only Assassin-type in the country.

The opportunity to clear a dungeon with someone of that caliber.

This doesn't come easily.

Originally, I would have given up on clearing the dungeon today and come back tomorrow with renewed strength... but with an S-rank Holder, it could be cleared within an hour.

Moreover, unlike in the original story, a sudden pack of wolves and a giant wolf appeared, disrupting our planned clear.

In such a situation, an S-rank Holder joining our party was a reassuring ally in itself.

'And she's giving up ownership rights...'

We don't have the strength to clear this dungeon now.

If we leave the dungeon and Yoon Seul clears it alone, the ownership rights would likely go to her.

But she's willing to give all that up.

There was no reason to refuse.

The only thing that bothered me was...

She said she had questions for us...

Well, I'll have to answer whatever they are.

After all, it's Yoon Seul asking.

I carefully asked her.

"Is it really okay?"

"Yes. If you allow it, I'd like to clear the dungeon with you."

Tap, tap.

I felt fingers tapping my back.

Turning around, I saw Kim Chaeun nodding vigorously.

It meant she was in full agreement.

A smile escaped me.

Whether it's Jung Sun-young or this time Yoon Seul...

Kim Chaeun is particularly fond of meeting high-ranking Holders.

Nodding once, I said to Yoon Seul.

"Then we'll join you. I look forward to your guidance, senior."

And so, our journey together began.

It was my first experience teaming up with an S-rank Holder since becoming a Holder.

* * *

I felt this when I first met Kim Chaeun.

And when I looked at my face in the mirror...

First impressions often differ from the actual image.

Kim Chaeun, despite her cold appearance, has a warm and bright personality, and I, despite my sharp appearance, have a rather mild personality.

It's the opposite of what one might expect.

And the same goes for Yoon Seul.

She didn't show her emotions easily and her tone was stiff, but she surprisingly answered our questions well.

"Aseena...?"

"Yes. A B-rank monster that occasionally appears in the Seoraksan field dungeons. It has the habit of forming packs with wolf-type monsters and occasionally leads them on hunts. In academic terms, it's called a mid-boss monster."

A B-rank monster, Aseena.

The identity of the giant wolf we encountered at the entrance of the dungeon.

'So it was a mid-boss...'

Of course, I know about mid-bosses.

Monsters that are stronger than regular monsters and are encountered before reaching the boss room.

They can be hidden in the dungeon's terrain or appear under special conditions.

But I've never heard of a mid-boss that leads a pack of regular monsters.

"Many Holders have been caught off guard by Aseena while clearing dungeons. That's why when clearing dungeons in the Seoraksan field, it's essential to have an A-rank or higher Holder as the leader. You never know when Aseena might lead a pack of wolves."

It usually leads a pack of about thirty wolves and rarely appears at certain points in the dungeon.

We encountered such a 'rare' attack from the moment we entered the dungeon.

It was a case of extremely bad luck.

Auuu-!!

"I'll prepare for battle."

While we were exchanging a few words.

Wolf-type monsters appeared again.

This time, a different species from the gray wolves.

A B-rank monster, the Black Wolf.

Without the mid-boss Aseena, the pack consisted of five wolves, a normal number.

"Ha...!!"

I held up my shield and blocked the wolves' attacks first.

The battle formation of our party, with Yoon Seul added, was standard.

I tanked at the front, Kim Chaeun used light control magic, and Yoon Seul finished the job with her attacks.

A typical party composition of tank, damage dealer, and support.

'But the power is unbelievable...'

Hunting gray wolves or black wolves isn't difficult.

If it wasn't for Aseena leading dozens of them...

Kim Chaeun and I alone could handle the hunt.

But with Yoon Seul, the top-tier damage dealer.

The hunting speed was on a different level.

Swish, swish, clang!

Auu?!

Auu-!!

Her movements, like a flash of light, were a sight to behold.

How many seconds this time?

2 seconds? 3 seconds?

Yoon Seul's use of movement runes and dagger runes was beyond imagination.

Her body, moving like the wind, was hard to track even with the naked eye, and by the time I saw her daggers embedded in a few wolves, her short sword was already spewing fire and decapitating another wolf.

I didn't even get a chance to see her main rune, [Snow Plum Blossom].

After blocking an attack with my shield once, the battle was already over.

The hunting speed was so overwhelming in terms of efficiency and speed that it was embarrassing to compare it to ours.

[You have won the duel! Your high contribution in the duel has been recognized. By the mysterious power of the Rune Hunter, you can duplicate one of the opponent's runes. Please select the rune to duplicate.]

[You have selected Sharp Fangs. As it is a level 9 rare rune, it will be downgraded to level 5.]

[You have obtained a new rune.]

[You have gained 1 Strength and 1 Durability from the rune's attributes.]

After the hunt, the information window appeared again.

The only rune available from the Black Wolf was [Sharp Fangs], so it was registered without a choice.

'Now that I think about it...'

I looked at the information windows I had put on hold.

The countless information windows that appeared when I first met Yoon Seul.

When she swept away the A-rank monster Aseena and numerous gray wolves, all the runes they possessed were registered by the [Rune Hunter].

Just the ones I can think of off the top of my head are [Tough Wolf Skin], [Agility], [Prey Detection]... including the [Sharp Fangs] we just obtained, it's quite a number of runes.

I wanted to check these runes.

"Holder Yoon Seul, can we take a short break?"

Yoon Seul, who was adjusting her equipment, nodded readily.

"Yes, let's do that."

In fact, we had been moving at a much faster pace than a typical party hunt.

We needed a short break, and Yoon Seul seemed to have noticed, so she readily agreed.

Since the dungeon's structure was all made of rocks and boulders, there was no proper place to rest, so Yoon Seul and Kim Chaeun found a suitable rock and sat down to rest.

I also sat on a rock.

Pretending to check my equipment, I looked at the information windows.

The information windows from the moment we entered the dungeon until now.

'Let's see... First, the ones we got from the gray wolves... Huh?'

But something was strange.

The runes we obtained from the gray wolves, black wolves, and Aseena.

I had called up the information windows to check them...

'What is this?'

A strange information window.

It appeared first in front of me.

It was the same one I had experienced before.

A dazzling golden information window.

[There are currently combinable runes. Using the mysterious power of the Rune Hunter, you can obtain a higher-level rune.]