Declaration Of Extra Strike

 

“Are you heading to the lower floors? Would you like to join us?” 

 

“No, that’s not possible.” 

 

The immediate rejection caused the smile on the woman’s face to fade. It couldn’t be helped. Both Seong San-ha and I were concealing our identities, making it impractical to travel with others. I was more curious why they approached us with the offer to join forces. 

 

‘Did they recognize me as a potion master? Or did they somehow figure out Seong San-ha is the leader of the Cheon Rang Guild?’ 

 

I instinctively glanced at Seong San-ha. There was nothing particularly noticeable about him aside from his tall stature. It had to be because of me. Once again, it seemed like my presence was giving something away. 

 

When I didn’t immediately respond, the other hunter, who had a cheerful demeanor, stepped in instead of the woman who made the offer. 

 

“We didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but we overheard a bit of your conversation since we’re sitting close by. It sounds like the tall gentleman with you is a healer… And you’re not a combat-type hunter, right?” 

 

Pretending to be a combat hunter wasn’t something I could pull off, so I nodded nonchalantly. 

 

“If both of you are non-combat types, it means you’re here for a specific purpose rather than for a straightforward clear, right?” 

 

“Yes.”

 

“I am embarrassed to say this but most of our team is made up of high-ranking hunters, so we can clear the lower floors quickly. We can take you to the place you want to go. Oh, I should introduce myself. I’m Hyo-young from the Seiden Guild.” 

 

“I’m Lee Jae-ah, a B-rank hunter…. I’m independent.”

 

Seiden Guild? It sounded vaguely familiar. Hyo-young’s confident gaze suggested she didn’t expect me to refuse. Was it a famous guild? Since it didn’t come to mind immediately, it probably wasn’t connected to Nox…

 

Like Hyo-young mentioned, there was a group of people behind her that seemed to be her companions. I casually glanced over, only to lock eyes with a few men in the middle of the group. Their faces twisted into scowls as they either shook their heads or made throat-cutting gestures.

 

‘What the…? Are they doing that to me?’ 

 

I raised my eyebrows and looked around, but there was no one else. Just as I was about to speak out in confusion, Lee Jae-ah’s voice stopped me.

 

“Excuse me, Hunter nim?”

 

When I looked down, Lee Jae-ah’s face was flushed as she clasped her hands tightly.

 

“To be honest, I want to get to know you better. That’s why we suggested teaming up.”

 

“I figured.”

 

“What? You knew?”

 

“Yeah. It happens often.”

 

I decided to acknowledge it. Even though I was in Joo Ho-hyun’s body, my aura as a potion master was still leaking out. Sensitive people were drawn to it.

 

Lee Jae-ah seemed flustered for a moment, but then she spoke more confidently, as if she had made up her mind.

 

“Join us. If it’s too sudden, you can get to know us a bit first. It’s safer than having two non-combat types travel alone, so I don’t think it’s a bad idea.”

 

The idea that we needed help because we seemed weak was laughable, especially if they knew Seong San-ha’s true strength. But it was hard to harshly reject an offer made with good intentions.

 

“We don’t need it. Besides, we’re not in a situation where we can team up.”

 

“But you’re non-combat types…”

 

“Shall we stop here?”

 

Seong San-ha, who had been watching from a step back, stepped forward. The pressure he exuded was undeniable, and both Lee Jae-ah and Hyo-young flinched as they turned to face him.

 

“You’re a healer…”

 

“We appreciate the offer, but like many non-combatants entering a dungeon, we have sensitive and secret reasons for our mission, so it’s difficult to team up. I hope you understand.”

 

“Yes, yes, of course. We understand…”

 

“We have a long way to go. Goodbye.”

 

Lee Jae-ah and Hyo-yeong seemed dazed, not even realizing they were nodding in agreement. Meanwhile, Seong San-ha wrapped his arm around my shoulder and led me out of the shop. I twisted uncomfortably at the unpleasant contact, but he only pulled me closer and whispered threateningly.

 

“You’re dripping everywhere, attracting butterflies.”

 

Seeing the pleased expressions on the faces of the rest of their group as only the two of us emerged, I grumbled.

 

“I’m not dripping, it’s just overflowing on its own.”

 

***

 

Right after passing through the gate, there were too many hunters around to attract attention with conspicuous behavior. I quickly pulled on a defensive blue jacket that I had hurriedly acquired and ran through the dark forest, pretending to be an ordinary hunter. As we headed towards the warp point leading to the next floor, Seong San-ha spoke.

 

“Our goal is the 21st underground floor.”

 

“21st floor…..? Wow, that’s really far.”

 

I muttered while looking at the dungeon guidebook. Each floor was as vast as a typical dungeon, so just reaching the warp point took a considerable amount of time. Fortunately, since there were many hunters on the early floors, we didn’t need to deal with monsters and could focus solely on moving forward. Occasionally, when blind monsters attacked, Seong San-ha would stretch out his hand, and with a gentle glow, they would turn into corpses. I had no idea what skill he was using, but watching the monsters die instantly made me marvel at his prowess.

 

‘What a monster…’

 

By focusing solely on reaching the warp points, we managed to reach the 10th underground floor, a crucial junction, in less than a day. Unlike the increasing difficulty of higher floors, the 10th underground floor was as safe as the 1st underground floor. Many hunters used it as a base camp to rest or sleep, like an oasis in the desert. Naturally, I assumed we would spend the night there, but Seong San-ha headed straight for the next warp point.

 

‘Is it because there are too many people?’

 

Even though it was dangerous, I figured that Seong San-ha was confident in his abilities and could handle it, so I followed without complaint. Just as I felt the waves of the gate envelop me, I opened my eyes to find a dark cave before me. Unlike the previous underground levels where it was simply dark and eerie, this place truly felt like a subterranean world.

 

“This is the underground floor…”

 

Sharp stalactites hung densely from the ceiling, and the clear sound of dripping water echoed alongside the distant cries of monsters. The ground was damp with underground water and littered with stones that would make sleeping uncomfortable. It was hardly suitable for an overnight campsite.

 

“Why don’t we just stay on the 10th floor…”

 

Whiiing—

 

I stopped talking at the sound of something being swung. Seong San-ha was now holding a long rod that was taller than he was.

 

“Now I can move more comfortably. Let’s move quickly. Follow closely.”

 

“What? Where? Aren’t we taking a break?”

 

Without answering, Seong San-ha leaped forward. Before I could react, a system window popped up in my view.

 「Your master has issued a command to ‘Come here.’ Hurry and run to your master.」 

“Shit, yah…!”

 

Before I could finish my sentence, my legs moved on their own, obeying the command. To keep up with Seong San-ha, who was now practically flying ahead, I had to run at full speed. Thanks to the speed boost from what was likely the effect of the collar, I managed to keep pace without falling behind.

 

Whenever monsters appeared, Seong San-ha’s entire body would flash brightly from head to toe, causing all the monsters in front of him to explode. Avoiding the resulting debris, of course, was entirely my responsibility.

 

“Shit, shit!!”

 

I swung at the leg of an unidentified monster flying towards me, glaring at Seong San-ha’s back as he sped ahead. When I heard that it would take just three days to cover the distance that would take Lim Cheong and Zero a week, I should have been suspicious. Was this what he meant?

 

“Crazy bastard! Let’s go together!!”

 

***

 

A bright flash signaled the arrival of a group of hunters at the warp point on the 11th underground floor.

 

“See? I told you it’s advantageous to move while others are resting.”

 

“It was a good idea to rest beforehand. We need to get to at least the 15th floor to find a decent place to rest.”

 

“Let’s get deeper quickly and monopolize all the magic stones and items.”

 

When a boastful man spoke, Hyo-young, who was inspecting her weapon nearby, spoke seriously.

 

“Still, we shouldn’t let our guard down. The difficulty level is completely different from the 11th floor onward…”

 

“Yeah, yeah, I know. But with this many hunters gathered, we should be able to breeze through the early 10 floors.”

 

Shaking her head at his arrogance, Hyo-young stood up and approached Jae-ah. Unlike the others who were preparing for battle, Jae-ah looked around, distracted, causing Hyo-young to sit beside her with a wry smile.

 

“They wouldn’t be here. It’s hard enough for non-combatants to reach the 10th floor.”

 

“That’s true… but they went in before us, and we haven’t seen them on any of the floors so far.”

 

“Maybe they’re holed up on the 3rd floor or something, collecting resources. Let’s let go off the past encounters and focus on our current task. Remember, this is a dungeon. It’s not a place where you can afford to be distracted while fighting.”

 

Jae-ah, who had been nodding at Hyo-young’s words, sighed deeply when she saw three men lingering nearby, looking for an opportunity to talk to her.

 

“…

fuck

.”

 

“Let’s just ignore them this time. I made a mistake earlier.”

 

“You know, at first, they were just annoying, but after meeting that person, I find them very irritating now.”

 

“I get it. He was pretty handsome, especially those eyes… Hmm?”

 

Hyo-young, about to comment on the hunter they had met earlier, tilted her head in confusion when she realized she couldn’t recall his appearance.

 

‘He wasn’t the type to be easily forgotten…’

 

Her contemplation was cut short when the hunters who had gone ahead to scout came rushing back, shouting excitedly.

 

“Daebaek! The path ahead is completely clear! It’s just littered with monster corpses!!”

 

“What? Are you saying some hunter has already passed through? If the monsters haven’t regenerated yet, it must have been just recently.”

 

Who could it be…?

Hyo-young quickly stood up and moved forward as the leader called out.

 

“Everyone, get ready to move out! This is actually a great opportunity. Since our goal is to reach the 17th floor or beyond, we should pass through before the monsters regenerate, saving our strength for later.”

Damn, Ho-hyun is popular out there. Am I the only one who wasn't expecting that? I thought he was just talking big LMAO.