Chapter 75

< Teacher of the Chick Class (2) >

Since the grace period for managing the S-rank dungeon was almost over for both Haeyeon and the Breaker guild, they decided to enter the A-rank dungeon the very next day.

There wasn't much to prepare for. It was a well-documented lower A-rank dungeon, expected to be completed within three days, or even two at the fastest.

They arrived at the entrance of the gate management building for the lower A-rank dungeon, known as the "City of Black Golems." As soon as Haeyeon got out of the car with Peace in her arms, a sleek red sports car appeared and parked with precision, as if measured with a ruler. The driver seemed to have been parking for about ten years, such was the skill.

The person who got out of the sports car was none other than the guild leader of Breaker, Moon Hyun-a. She wore a tight racing suit and a utility belt for carrying small items. The backpack slung over one shoulder wasn't very large.

The suit, belt, and backpack were likely all dungeon items or made from dungeon byproducts. Despite the weather, she wore long sleeves and long pants, but the temperature inside the dungeon would be different anyway.

Yoo Hyun was also dressed in a coat. I remember it was an S-rank item, but what was it again?

"Hey, bro!"

Moon Hyun-a closed the car door with a kick and raised one arm in a wave. It's a fancy car, but she's handling it roughly. It might get scratched.

"The thought of exploring a dungeon with a glass orb makes me excited, even though it's just an A-rank. Don't let it break."

"It's not for carrying around. If you keep it in a safe place, it won't break."

"Tsk, you're no fun. Hello, Yerim!"

"Hello, Onee-san!"

The two hugged affectionately. Or rather, Yerim twisted Moon Hyun-a's arm, and Moon Hyun-a casually broke free, putting Yerim in a headlock.

"Wow, you've gotten stronger, haven't you?"

"Ow, ow, I surrender!"

They get along so well. Yerim is shouting, "I love you, Onee-san! Save me!" It must be nice to say "I love you" so easily. I need to say the keyword to Moon Hyun-a too.

"What are you staring at? Jealous?"

Yoo Hyun made a sarcastic remark. My neck is delicate, you know.

Meanwhile, another car arrived. The person who got out was none other than the guild leader of Se-seong, Seong Hyeon-je. As expected, he wore a coat that didn't match the season, looking more like a young entrepreneur than a hunter.

I remember that dark red coat. It's the SS-rank equipment, the Wings of the Fire Dragon Silicia, from the first conquest of the S-rank dungeon "Raining Volcano." The fire resistance S-rank option is particularly useful, which made it hard for Yoo Hyun during the ranking battles.

'But how are dungeon reward items made?'

Could it be that the system developers make them by hand? There are armor items too, but the more advanced the item, the more modern they seem, tailored to our world. And they are more expensive, even if they have the same stats. A coat or vest is better than a cloak or armor.

"Am I the last one to arrive?"

Seong Hyeon-je approached with a smile. It would have been fine if he hadn't come.

It was a perfect A-rank dungeon, but it happened to be under the management of the Se-seong guild. They gave us permission to conquer it, but an unnecessary tagalong came along.

The S-rank hunters in our country are really idle.

"Bro, lend me Peace. I want to test it against that guy."

Moon Hyun-a looked at Seong Hyeon-je with a determined gaze.

"Let the veterans handle it. Don't think about involving our underdeveloped kid."

"Even if he's underdeveloped, he's still S-rank."

"Fine."

This isn't a dungeon conquest, so you should resolve your issues among yourselves. I hugged Peace even tighter, and Seong Hyeon-je stepped closer to me. His gaze was full of interest.

"Interesting things happened while you were away."

"That-."

"Contact Hunter Myeong-woo directly. You know his number, don't you?"

Yoo Hyun interrupted me. He knows that Myeong-woo has his phone turned off these days. But it's true that Se-seong and Myeong-woo getting closer isn't good for Haeyeon.

Seong Hyeon-je glanced at Yoo Hyun beside me.

"I'm always surprised when I see the young master. How did he hold out for three years? With that temper."

"Mind your own business."

"It's not just anyone's family affairs when both brothers are extraordinary."

Ha, they're really at it. Next, it's Yerim's turn. I stepped back slightly and looked at Kim Sung-han, who was picking up his luggage. He also looked quite troubled.

This is why S-rank hunters don't often form teams. Even after the dungeon difficulty increased, S-rank hunters maintained the minimum number in teams, not just because of the shortage of hunters.

"Yoo Hyun, let's go in. Se-seong guild leader, that's enough."

"You can call me casually."

What do you want me to do? Should I call you "uncle" like Yerim?

There were no other A-rank hunters in this conquest team besides Kim Sung-han. The lower A-rank dungeon was more than enough for the current forces, and it would be unfair to drag in an innocent A-rank hunter.

Think about it, there are three guild leaders. In a gathering of our CEO, the next-door CEO, and the across-the-street CEO, who else would be a low-level employee but me? Just a moment ago, Moon Hyun-a tried to make Kim Sung-han carry her bag, but he refused.

An ordinary A-rank hunter can't act like me, so it's better that they don't come. They might get caught in the crossfire of a whale fight.

The S-rank hunters went through the gate first, and I entered the dungeon with Peace and Kim Sung-han about ten minutes later.

[○┣┗┗＝┃○!!]

Yes.

The air was slightly cool, different from the outside weather, and a ruined city was visible. It wasn't a modern city. The collapsed walls, the skeletal remains of houses, and the castle in the distance shrouded in mist resembled those of medieval Europe. However, I heard that no past era had exactly the same architectural style.

'...Is this a trace of another world?'

Such traces of civilization were only found in higher dungeons. Lower dungeons usually only had natural environments.

'What's that?'

Between the ruins of buildings, there were long marks in the ground, as if a giant excavator had dug them. About thirty meters long, there were five of them, fanning out. They looked like a giant beast had scratched the ground.

Around these marks, there were scattered remains of monsters. They were shattered like they had been put through a blender, making it hard to guess their original forms.

"Bro, bro!"

Moon Hyun-a, likely the owner of those destruction marks, approached me with a cheerful expression, holding a large, white spear in one hand. It looked like she had pulled out a utility pole.

"I'm not trying to fight Seong Hyeon-je, just lend me Peace!"

"...Why again?"

"I've never used a mount to my heart's content in a higher dungeon. The mid-rank monsters can't handle my power. Let's settle this today without waiting for Blue Kgil. Okay?"

It wasn't a bad idea. Peace could gain experience by coming to an A-rank dungeon. But...

"Peace belongs to Haeyeon. You should ask her, not me. Stop bothering the wrong person."

Yoo Hyun interjected with a smile. He's right; I'm not the one to ask.

Moon Hyun-a pouted like a child, but her eyes were those of a seasoned warrior who had fought for years on the battlefield.

"Requests are only for those who can understand-."

"Let's start moving now."

I cut off Moon Hyun-a and stepped away from the two. She talks so nicely. I wonder if Yerim, who already has a foul mouth, will get even worse from hanging out with her.

"Peace."

-Clang!

Without a word, Peace jumped out of my arms and grew. Not to its full size, but to a size between adult and adolescent. Checking the status window, its stats had risen to S.

It's too big to be a target, so this size is appropriate for the current situation. Our Peace is smart.

Moon Hyun-a stopped growling and her eyes sparkled at Peace's larger form. Seong Hyeon-je also showed interest and approached.

"It's smaller than I heard. Can you adjust your size?"

"Yes, as you can see."

I took out a mount saddle from my inventory and placed it on Peace's back. The A-rank mount equipment had options for weight reduction and speed increase. As a dungeon item, it automatically adjusted to the right size.

Hanging the luggage on the back of the saddle, I felt a bit awkward. Of course, as a top-tier combat mount, it would rarely carry luggage.

"Onee-san! Can I really eat all the mana stones?"

Yerim flew over and shouted. I wondered what she was doing near the remains of the massacred monsters, but she was collecting mana stones.

"Sure, take them all."

Yerim smiled brightly at the generous permission. Selling all the A-rank mana stones would significantly reduce her debt.

In ten minutes, all the surrounding monsters were cleared, so we started moving. With my stats lacking, I had to rely on Peace.

The City of Black Golems was a two-story dungeon where golems and undead were the main monsters. They were tough and resilient but slow, and their only ranged attack was throwing rocks, making them perfect for our situation.

Occasionally, a lower-level lich would appear, but it specialized in poison curses, so it wasn't a problem.

The first floor was cleared by massacring the undead army that appeared after dealing with a certain number of monsters around the city.

"These guys are too slow!"

Yerim, standing on the head of a golem about three meters tall, laughed. She showed no tension or fear, as if she were on a picnic.

The cold sighs floating around her were a frosty white fog that froze enemies, enhancing the ice tree spear's attribute buffs and immobilizing dozens of golems.

Flying around, she bound the golem groups, and then,

Kwaaang!!

Moon Hyun-a's spear unleashed its power.

The ground split, a whirlwind arose, and the hard golem fragments flew like leaves. It was almost pitiful to see the monsters being crushed like eggs by rocks.

"Moon Hyun-a is formidable even without a mount."

I said, lowering my telescope. If a high-tier mount with good charge power were added, there would be no one to stand in her way. At the current dungeon difficulty, even an S-rank boss might be knocked out in one hit.

"The concentrated destructive power at the tip of the spear is something few can match."

Yoo Hyun, who was riding behind me, said. I know my back is the most vulnerable, but it's not necessary to stick so close. Anyway, it's overprotection.

"But the path is obvious, so it's easy to dodge. I haven't fought her, but I imagine it would be easy to avoid."

"Moon Hyun-a is simple in many ways. That's why she and Yerim work well together. For Moon Hyun-a, there's no easier target than one she can't avoid."

Seong Hyeon-je, who was walking a bit behind, added.

Yerim's skill in immobilizing opponents, enhanced by attribute buffs, is outstanding. If she adds the shadowless day, it would be even more formidable.

Look at her now. She easily freezes the softer undead with her sighs,

Swoosh!

Without even needing Moon Hyun-a, she plunges a pale rain of spears, shattering them. The scattered ice shards sparkle in the sunlight.

She quickly collects the mana stones with a detector and lightly flies to the next group of golems. She's having a great time.

"Wouldn't it be more fun to fight the young master than Moon Hyun-a?"

Seong Hyeon-je casually said while watching the monsters being swept away.

"Take off that coat and come at me. I'll fight you."

Why does Yoo Hyun always take the bait? Yerim, who was annoyed by the bickering between Moon Hyun-a and Yoo Hyun, had moved away, hoping for a peaceful moment, but now the remaining two were having a staring contest.

Seong Hyeon-je, don't unbutton that coat.

"There's a group of golems moving to the northwest. If you're not here to play, Seong Hyeon-je, please step up."

"Call me casually."

"Please, Seong Hyeon-je. I don't have the stamina for a long dungeon run, and my kids are waiting at home, so I want to finish quickly. Please cooperate."

You don't really lack stamina, do you, Kim Sung-han?

"I can't refuse a request from our Han Yujin."

Seong Hyeon-je smiled and turned around. Fine, go away. He'll be back soon.

"Hey, why do you always take the bait? What are you going to do, fight here? Do you want to see my back split open?"

"Of course, we'll fight after Yerim and Moon Hyun-a return, at a safe distance."

Look at him. He's not saying he won't fight. S-rank hunters are like this, so the ranking battles must have been intense. Aggressive like S-rank, but cooperative like F-rank.

"There's no healer now. Don't fight. Even if the Holy Lady were here, I don't want to see you get hurt over something trivial."

"...Fine. But Seong Hyeon-je will keep provoking me."

"Is that uncle not mature enough, or what?"

Seong Hyeon-je was far enough away, so I grumbled. Yoo Hyun is still a kid, so he can act like that, but what about a grown man?

"S-rank hunters rarely gather in a dungeon like this. It's a good opportunity to gauge each other's abilities. In an A-rank dungeon, there's not much to see against monsters, so they want to test their skills lightly. Not just Seong Hyeon-je, but Moon Hyun-a and I too."

"Still, hold back a bit. Do it when I'm not around."

I should have found a way to leave Seong Hyeon-je behind. Sigh, Peace is the most considerate.

The S-rank hunters kept trying to one-up each other. Even Yerim, who was relatively weaker, said she could win if given a stat penalty.

What could I do but try to mediate?

"Yerim, there's a group of undead to the east. It's a bit far, but you're the fastest, can you go?"

"There are golems gathered perfectly between the walls. It would be perfect for Moon Hyun-a to go."

"Yerim and Moon Hyun-a have caught a lot, so this time, you should go, Yoo Hyun."

"Seong Hyeon-je, you look bored. Why don't you go for a light walk? There seems to be something moving behind the collapsed building. Ah, yes, Hyeon-je, that's fine?"

By the time I finished talking, we were in the center of the city, and the fog covering the old castle had disappeared.

-Woohoo

With a eerie cry, the castle gates opened, and the undead army crawled out. Among them were black golems, about twice the size of the ones we had seen so far.

The number was overwhelming, but I felt no tension. Of course.

Who should I send this time?

< Teacher of the Chick Class (2) > End

ⓒ Geunseo