A gray circle spread out in waves around Kim Jinhae. After a moment, I pointed in one direction.
"There are three over there, and they're quite large. "One of them seems to have flight capabilities."
"Nice."
Hong Euiyoon stepped on the accelerator. His face was lit with excitement at the thought of a fight. From the passenger seat, Lee Jungin asked,
"You two received item gifts from the Gaia System, right? How are they? Do they seem useful?"
Kim Jinhae shook his head.
"I got something that doesn't match my traits. A C-rank item, 'Dusky Mixed Stew.' Apparently, it's an extremely spicy stew."
"Haha, sounds perfect to give to someone who hates spicy food."
Kim Jinhae glanced at Hong Euiyoon.
"Want it?"
"You wanna die?"
"What, can't handle spicy food? Your hair's bright red, but your taste is like a baby's?"
"You think that weak-ass taunt will work? Damn, you're dumb as hell, fits a healer."
"What about you, Yoon Seo? What did you get?"
As sparks flew between Hong Euiyoon and Kim Jinhae again, Lee Jungin redirected the conversation.
"Ah, nothing much for me either."
"I'm curious, tell me what it is. What's the item name?"
"It's so bad I don't even want to look at it again."
"Hiding it makes it more suspicious."
Lee Jungin narrowed his eyes. Yoon Seo just shrugged. He hadn't received any gifts. The only thing he got was the instruction manual that everyone received. His first dungeon entry had been 11 years ago, and his memories of it were hazy. There hadn't been item gifts back then, times really had changed…
***
Kraaaaagh.
The closer they got to their destination, the clearer the monsters' screams became. Yoon Seo was starting to tense up, but not because of the monsters, it was because of Kim Jinhae sitting beside him. It was his first time in a dungeon, and he had gone pale, even breaking out in a cold sweat. The back-and-forth with Hong Euiyoon had stopped, and now he was just biting his lips anxiously.
[The
[Encyclopedia of People: Kim Jinhae, 27 years old, Male
Rank: C
Trait: Healer
(Protected by the God of Spring)
Skills:
Special Skill:
*Would you like to view additional stats?]
[Health 980/1001]
[Mana 2600/3100]
'What is this health… He's basically a baby…'
Yoon Seo looked at Kim Jinhae's status screen with the pitying gaze of a grandmother watching her brother grandchild. Technically, Kim Jinhae's mana was quite high for a C-rank, but to Yoon Seo, he just looked like he would crumble at any moment.
'On top of being fragile, he's a healer. And healers are always on edge.'
Having been active since the Cataclysm, Yoon Seo had only ever met one healer who wasn't overly sensitive, Park Soobin. Park Soobin was a laid-back yet sly guy. Maybe that's why he had been the perfect fit for an undercover role.
It was annoying to realize that all the times he had smiled with his eyes and hovered around had been just to confirm whether or not he was actually Seo Chaeyoon. But thinking about how he was probably suffering between the silent Namgung Simhae and the extremely shy Park Kang made him feel a little better.
Kieeeeeel!
"They've spotted us. Everyone, get out."
The car came to a sudden stop. As soon as they hurried out, Hong Euiyoon stored the car in the guild's subspace. Even storing it counted as using the subspace, consuming guild experience points.
Kwaang! A lump of mud crashed into the spot where the car had been. If they had been even a little slower, the car would have been destroyed.
"There are two of them?"
One was a bird monster with a beak the size of a house, while the other had the lower body of a horse and the head of a lion.
"There were definitely three. "One must be hiding somewhere."
"Well, maybe your skill is just totally trash."
"Believe what you want. Either way, if you don't trust me, you're the one who's going to suffer in battle."
Hong Euiyoon and Kim Jinhae glare at each other.
[
In the meantime, a fireball spat out by the giant bird exploded against the shield. Normally, a B-rank shield should have lost 50% of its durability from this attack… but since Yoon Seo had instinctively strengthened the protective shield as soon as he saw the monsters, only 10% had been shaved off.
He knew they would heal quickly with potions and healing skills even if they got a little hurt, but after suffering from Great Dungeon trauma, Yoon Seo hated seeing anyone injured right before his eyes.
Kwaang-!
The bird flapped its wings, creating a powerful taste that battered the shield. The durability was decreasing in real time. As seasoned dungeon raiders, Lee Jungin and Hong Euiyoon had a rough estimate of how much durability a B-rank hunter's
"The shield is sturdy, so let's stay on alert and take down these two first. I don't have a flight skill, so can you handle the bird monster, Hunter Hong Euiyoon?"
Lee Jungin requested.
"That thing is nothing."
"I'll do my best to defend against the horse monster."
"Hurry up and finish so you can get me back up."
Hong Euiyoon retrieved a weapon from his inventory. It was a long spear. He conjured fireballs at both ends of the spear and took off into the air.
Lee Jungin gauged the distance between him and the horse monster before speaking.
"Yoon Seo, I'm not an offense-type, so I can barely hold my ground. Since we still don't know the whereabouts of the third one… protecting the healer should be our top priority."
"Understood."
As Yoon Seo agreed, Lee Jungin kicked off the ground and rushed toward the horse monster. Kwaang, thud, kkeeaaaCck. Ominous sounds echoed from above and in front of them.
"There were definitely three… My skill is only C-rank, but if I were wrong, the guardian god would have sent me a revelation."
"Can't you use the skill again?"
"The cooldown is an hour."
Kim Jinhae bites his lip.
Hunters' skill cooldowns varied widely, and in the case of powerful unique skills, they could range from an hour to as long as a week. That's why hunters with skills or items that reduced cooldown times were highly sought after. Usually, support-type hunters possessed cooldown reduction skills, but, unfortunately, no one in this temporary team had one.
Kim Jinhae nervously alternated his gaze between Hong Euiyoon and Lee Jungin. He needed to use his healing skills immediately if either of them got hurt, but Yoon Seo's shield skill was holding up quite well.
"How long is your shield's cooldown, Yoon Seo?"
"It's not long enough to worry about. What about your healing skill's cooldown, Hunter Kim Jinhae?"
"
"I see. Don't worry. I'll keep the shield up."
Yoon Seo reassured Kim Jinhae, who was so tense and anxious that he even forgot to pretend he was weaker.
For Kim Jinhae, this was his first dungeon, so being terrified was natural. Even if the person next to him wasn't Yoon Seo but Seo Chaeyoon, he would still be tense.
Yoon Seo looked at the ground five meters away from them.
He had known since before they came here that the third monster was under their feet. It was a worm-like creature of considerable size, currently lying in wait for the right timing.
['Hong Euiyoon' has activated the
['Hong Euiyoon's attack power increases. The monster is terrified.]
['Hong Euiyoon' has activated the
['Hong Euiyoon' has activated the
Hong Euiyoon stabbed the monster's wing with his flame-imbued spear. The wing tore apart with a long gash as the bird screeched in agony. Its claws scratched at Hong Euiyoon in its struggle, but
'Looks like he's stacked items that reduce cooldowns. 'He also has plenty of mana potions, so no worries about him.'
His personality wasn't great, but he was undoubtedly a trustworthy and powerful hunter in combat.
Yoon Seo shifted his gaze toward Lee Jungin. Lee Jungin wielded a whip as his weapon and was clearly struggling.
[Encyclopedia of People: Lee Jungin, 28 years old, Male
Rank: B
(Using the item 'Felt Earring' increases skill success rate.)
Trait: Puppeteer
(Protected by the Faceless God.)
(Protected by the Created God.)
Skills:
Special Skills:
*Would you like to view additional stats?]
[Health 4891/6100]
[Mana 2046/2980]
He had high-grade skills, but they weren't particularly attack-oriented.
['Lee Jungin' has used the 'Dummy Doll' Item.]
Kraaaa!
A figure identical to Lee Jungin appeared. The dummy doll smiled with dimples and lashed a thorny whip at the monster. As the monster let out a shriek and charged at the doll, the real Lee Jungin attacked from behind.
His attacks weren't powerful enough to inflict fatal damage, but they seemed sufficient to stall for time until Hong Euiyoon arrived.
The problem was the worm waiting for an opening to attack. The target of this giant insect's focus was none other than Lee Jungin, who wasn't even aware of the worm's presence.
[The God of Death urges you to fight.]
[The God of Life advises you to retreat far away.]
'What the—'
Still unaccustomed to the gods' revelations, Yoon Seo quickly dismissed the log and spoke to Kim Jinhae.
"Hunter Kim Jinhae, do not leave this spot."
"Huh?"
[The
Yoon Seo spread a wide protective shield around Kim Jinhae. Kim Jinhae looked flustered.
"Y-Yoon Seo, where are you going?"
"I need to help Hunter Lee Jungin."
Before Kim Jinhae could say anything further, Yoon Seo stepped out of the shield.