Transferred to an SSS-rank Production Class

“Oh? You have the leisure to look away?”

To draw its attention away from me and towards herself, Shin-ju launched a fierce attack at the soldier’s feet. The soldier, knowing from our previous encounter that my attacks weren’t particularly painful, turned its head downward.

Taking advantage of the soldier’s momentary distraction, I released the grappling hook I had attached to its hat decoration. Before my body could plummet to the ground, I quickly nocked an arrow.

“Apply ‘Gust’.”

As I released the bowstring, a transparent arrow flew towards the ground, leading a gust of wind. The strong wind pushing me upwards caused my hastily tied hair to come undone.

I shook my head from side to side to clear the hair that had fallen across my face. The round head was clearly visible from above. Explorer’s Eye also revealed the soldier’s weak point.

“Just the right red color to aim for. Anchor!”

A triangular cursor appeared on the soldier’s crown. After confirming this, I immediately fired an arrow with two layers of Concentration stacked. The arrow, swollen to the size of a massive sword, fell in a white straight line.

[Skill ‘Enchant (S)’ is activated.

– Slot 5: Concentration (Remaining uses: 2)]

Boom!

The arrow imbued with the Concentration formula pierced the soldier’s crown. The soldier staggered greatly, its weak point suddenly struck.

As I fell along with the arrow, I once again made eye contact with the toy soldier.

[X﹏X]

“I told you there’s always a way.”

As I pointed to the area around its shoulder marked with a star-shaped marker, Shin-ju recognized it and teleported to catch me. Joy dripped from her red eyes as she looked down at me.

“Phew, you’re really something else!”

“You’re exaggerating.”

Shin-ju, who had teleported to the marker I had planted on the soldier’s ankle, set me down.

“By the way, Yun Gaho, was your skill always like this?”

“Uh, what?”

“No, how should I put it… I think it used to be smaller in scale.”

Cold sweat ran down my back at her sharp question. To use my newly acquired ability in front of Shin-ju of all people. I had grown so accustomed to it that I activated the skill without realizing it.

As I scratched the back of my head and delayed my answer, Shin-ju leaned in close, her face right in front of mine.

“Suspicious, very suspicious!”

“Well, you see…”

Boom, boom!

Just as I was about to blurt out an excuse, the soldier conveniently drew Shin-ju’s attention away.

[(╬▔皿▔)╯]

The soldier, snorting angrily, stomped its feet and pressed hard on the armband drawn on its chest. The block pieces that made up the soldier’s body crumbled down.

‘Self-destruction seems a bit odd, doesn’t it?’

No sooner had I thought this than the LCD that had been attached to the soldier’s face floated up from the pile of blocks. And centered around it, the blocks swirled together, reconstructing into a new form.

“That’s…”

“How about it? Quite an interesting spectacle, right?”

It was a tank with an unnaturally large cannon.

While I was grateful for the change of topic, an uneasy feeling crept up my spine. Such intuitions are usually right nine times out of ten.

“Park Shin-ju.”

“Hm?”

“Is this field really B-rank?”

“Of course it’s B-rank… like an A-rank!”

Unable to contain my surging emotions, I smacked Shin-ju on the head. Shin-ju, deliberately putting on a sad face, whined about why I suddenly did that.

“You really…”

Bringing a C-rank like deadweight to a field that requires two A-ranks to clear. She must have either forgotten my rank or lost her mind, one of the two.

Clearly oblivious to my inner turmoil, Shin-ju brushed back her disheveled hair with her palm and boasted confidently.

“Come on, you think I’d bring you somewhere dangerous? Just trust your unni, Gaho!”

“What do you mean, unni…”

“Oops, watch out!”

Shin-ju suddenly embraced me and leaped backwards. At the same time, a pink beam flew into the spot where we had just been standing.

Despite its cute color, the beam’s ferocious power deeply gouged the ground.

[✪ω✪]

Then, the tank that had been the soldier turned its cannon towards us.

“Hmm, shall we raise the BPM a bit?”

“Park Shin-ju. Be serious.”

Instead of answering, Shin-ju grinned, set me down, and clapped her hands a couple of times.

“Hey, sweetie. Time to start Hard Mode!”

The speaker floating next to Shin-ju spun in place. By the time it stopped rotating, the number of speakers had increased to two.

“Give me some exciting music, please!”

The pair of speakers began to play two different songs that, surprisingly, fit perfectly together. Shin-ju, about to dash towards the monster, turned her head slightly to look at me.

“You’ll support me, right?”

“Do you even need to ask?”

“See, I knew I could count on you!”

Though it was a given, she seemed overjoyed. With heightened tension, Shin-ju leaped forward as if about to take flight. In response, notes appeared all over the tank. Unlike earlier when there were only red notes, now notes of various colors were rapidly shrinking.

“Let’s focus on the red ones.”

The notes of other colors had complex rules, like having to hit them after touching a specific color, or having to kick them. I had memorized most of them, but clumsily interfering would only mess up Shin-ju’s steps.

“You’re really getting into it.”

Moving between the markers she had planted earlier when the tank was still a soldier, her attacking form looked just like dancing. The effects bursting in time with the beat were dazzling.

“Flashy isn’t my style, but I’ll play along today!”

I pulled the bowstring tightly, letting out a chuckle.

◆◇◆◇◆

“Hah, there was no mention of a three-stage transformation.”

I sprawled out, avoiding the block pieces scattered everywhere. Having scraped the bottom of my mana barrel, I couldn’t muster any strength at all.

When the tank, which had been firing beams and shells indiscriminately, transformed into a huge lion, I was so surprised. Unlike the first transformation, this one happened in an instant, and I nearly got swallowed into the lion’s mouth.

Shin-ju, who had long since been rolling on the ground, clung to me, giggling.

“Well, no one said it wouldn’t transform either.”

She added that surely she wouldn’t have put me in danger, and I stopped scolding her, not entirely disliking her behavior.

Although I had grumbled, thanks to Shin-ju’s thorough knowledge of the field and the monster, we had managed to clear it without major crisis.

“I chose this field after careful calculation, you know.”

“Oh, really?”

Responding to my patronizing tone, Shin-ju mischievously messed up my hair. She only stopped when I threw a block at her.

“I bet no one in our guild knows this side of Hunter Yun Gaho.”

“What about me?”

“I like it.”

Shin-ju said flatly as she sprang to her feet.

“The kids should be done by now too.”

I nodded while still lying down. If they used Gate of the Dead, they would have cleared the second phase with the summoned vengeful spirit legion in an instant.

‘It wouldn’t be strange if they finished clearing long ago and were waiting for us.’

Speak of the devil, my Hunter Watch rang right on cue. It must be a message saying they successfully completed the conquest.

As I casually checked the message while thinking about dinner, something seemed off.

[- Sender: Cha Taeyang

Unni ㅠㅠㅠ I think I messed up…

We uprooted the tree and something weird came out.]

“Messed up? What’s this about uprooting a tree…”

“Hm? What is it, what is it?”

“The kids uprooted a tree. And something weird came out of it.”

Shin-ju burst into laughter after seeing the message I shared.

No, this is no laughing matter. It’s not just any field, but of all places, in the Ninety-Nine Branch Cave…

“That’s pretty novel! Why didn’t I think of uprooting that tree?”

“This tree they uprooted, it must be that one, right? The Hell Tree?”

“What else could it be?”

I got up with a sigh.

They must have finished the conquest, so the entry restriction should be lifted. We need to go quickly. They may be A-rank, but they’re still just kids.

“Let’s go, Park Shin-ju.”

“They’re really my kind of juniors, I tell you.”

“Don’t do anything, don’t even think about it.”

“Yes~ yes.”

◆◇◆◇◆

As soon as we entered Cave 49, an eerie atmosphere enveloped us.

“This is why I hate dark attribute fields.”

Just as I was rubbing my arms due to the unsettling feeling, a small figure rushed towards me.

“Gaho-unni!”

“Mr. Kim, do you know how long we’ve been waiting!”

It was Cha Taeyang, her face reddened by the light of the crimson moon. Not long after, Jo Sung-hyun trudged out from the same direction.

“Why are you so late! …Ack!”

“Look at how you’re talking to adults!”

Shin-ju, who lived by the principle that one unruly person was enough, kicked Jo Sung-hyun’s shin without hesitation. Jo Sung-hyun clutched his leg and teared up, indicating how hard she must have kicked.

“Respect your elders! Mr. Kim, you know your stuff. Manners are important.”

Leaving the goblin bantering with Shin-ju behind, I asked Cha Taeyang, who was clinging to me.

“Hunter Cha Taeyang, what happened that you call it a mess-up?”

“Well…”

“Let’s talk over there.”

Jo Sung-hyun, who had barely raised his head, nodded towards where he had come from. I nodded as I helped him up. It would be easier to handle the situation if I saw exactly what kind of mess they had made.

Cha Taeyang, looking anxious, took the lead. Even the usually cheerful goblin seemed gloomy.

‘What kind of accident could make them look like that?’

As soon as we arrived at the clearing where the field boss had been, I could see the answer to my question.

“What should we do, unni?”

“Phew, this is quite…”

I rubbed my eyes, thinking I might have seen wrong, but nothing had changed.

The spot where an enormous tree, so large that three or four grown men with outstretched arms couldn’t encircle it, had been uprooted was clearly visible under the moonlight.

And above it, a system message:

[Do you want to enter the field, ‘The Final Cave, Purgato (?)’?

– Remaining time: 71:27:32

– Person limit: 5

※ Field rank and clear conditions will be revealed upon entry.

※ If not entered within 00:27:32, the gate will close.]

The ninety-ninth cave had finally revealed itself.