Chapter 25. Dungeon Training (2)

Chapter 25. Dungeon Training (2)

Baek A-Young slightly raised the corners of her lips as she approached me.

“Ta-da. Surprised? It’s a surprise~.”

Her bright smile as she spoke was quite adorable.

It was a different kind of charm than a woman’s seductive allure. She had a charm that made you want to protect and take care of her.

“Wow, I’m really surprised. I never thought I’d meet A-Young here. This feels a bit strange.”

“It feels different from when we meet outside, right? This is what being an adult feels like.”

She seemed pleased to be showing her more mature side to someone younger.

If anything, it only made me want to protect her more.

Hunters affiliated with the Association are required to wear the designated formal uniform.

Of course, unlike ordinary suits, these uniforms are enchanted and designed for ease of movement.

Even in her office-style suit, she exuded an aura that made me want to protect her. That was true talent.

“You really do look like an adult in your suit, A-Young. When I saw you at the orphanage, you felt like a big sister, so calling you ‘A-Young’ didn’t feel awkward, but now, I don’t know how to address you.”

I figured she’d appreciate being treated like an adult, so I went along with the mood.

“Oh, come on, just call me the same way you always have. It makes me more comfortable.”

On the left side of Baek A-Young’s chest was the Association’s emblem—a soaring dragon.

The dragon held a yellow-colored Yeouiju (a mythical wish-granting jewel).

The color of the Yeouiju indicated the individual’s rank within the Association.

Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet.

Yellow ranked third.

Although third place sounded average, in reality, red was reserved for the Association’s president, and orange was for high-ranking executives.

In simple terms, red was like the CEO of a major corporation, while orange represented the board of directors.

Baek A-Young, who was ranked yellow, clearly held a significant position.

Healing magic was rare, and Baek A-Young’s abilities were exceptional.

It was said that as long as someone was still breathing, she could bring them back to life.

“I went to the orphanage last weekend, but they said you had already been there. Will you be visiting again this weekend?”

“Ah, I won’t be able to for a while. I have to assist in a mandatory dungeon raid.”

“Ah....”

Just like how she was dispatched to the academy, Baek A-Young also got sent to various guilds as a helper.

“This is your first dungeon training, right? There are three sessions before the final exam, so I guess I’ll be seeing you at least three more times.”

Smile, smile.

She really was someone who smiled a lot. It was hard to believe a woman with such a bright demeanor had such peculiar preferences.

“That’s right. I’ll be in your care for three more times. I think I’ll be seeing you often since I’m not very strong.”

“Oh my, if you come too often, you’ll end up on the blacklist.”

As she responded playfully, I thought to myself:

“A-Young, the next training session is going to have a dungeon outbreak, so we’ll only see each other one more time....”

And that would be the perfect time to start her route.

*

Groups 1 through 10 entered the first dungeon.

Since I was in Group 13, I was part of the second wave. I gathered with my group members to observe the first wave.

However, Nam Daeun and the other guy were nowhere to be seen, so it was just Lumi and me watching together.

Looking up, the large holographic screen displayed the first wave’s dungeon progress.

“Wow, that’s amazing. They say an invisible eye follows each participant.”

“Yeah. So, it’ll follow us when we go in too?”

“I think so.”

I had heard that it was some kind of artifact used by magicians, but I didn’t know the exact mechanics.

Lumi, clearly more comfortable when we were alone, kept striking up conversation with me.

“Wow, Team 7 really stands out.”

“Well, Elise is in that group.”

Ten teams were dropped into one dungeon, each at different locations with one exit.

The placement was calculated precisely, ensuring that all teams faced similar difficulties in finding the exit.

Team 7, led by Elise, was making an explosive advance.

Elise sprinted forward, slicing sideways with her sword.

Kyarrrrk!

The goblins, mere cannon fodder, were effortlessly cut down.

Blood spattered as the goblins were severed in two, their lives extinguished.

Sizzle—

The flesh of the goblins Elise cut through burned, leaving behind trails of smoke.

“Wow. I’ve never seen this up close before. So that’s the famous magic swordsman.”

“...Yeah.”

Magic swordsman—what a cringy term.

In the game, Elise’s class path changed depending on whether the protagonist specialized in magic or swordsmanship.

If the protagonist focused on magic, Elise would be called a ‘Battle Mage,’ which sounded way cooler.

But this was reality.

Even though I was a mage, Elise was still classified as a magic swordsman. It was a shame—I preferred ‘Battle Mage.’

Still, magic swordsman was the correct term for her.

A fighter who wielded both swordsmanship and magic. What else would she be called?

Most magic swordsmen ended up as half-baked hunters.

They never truly mastered either path, eventually falling behind in both.

But Elise was different.

She had devastating talent in both swordsmanship and magic.

Even if she had only excelled in one, she would still be considered a prodigy of the century. Yet she had it all.

For now, she was still relying on a brute-force method—channeling magic into her sword to amplify its physical attacks.

But in the future, she would grow into a fighter who slashed with her sword while simultaneously unleashing spells with no casting delay.

“That was really cool....”

“What was?”

“Oh? Uh, nothing. Never mind.”

Elise’s Team 7 was dominating. They were moving so fast they wouldn’t even encounter other teams before reaching the exit.

Lucy’s Team 8 wasn’t doing too bad either.

Lucy continuously fired flaming arrows from the rear, dealing damage and keeping enemies at bay simultaneously.

Team 7 was overwhelmingly dominant, while Team 8 was leading among the rest.

“Still, Lucy’s in second place.”

“Lucy’s team has a great atmosphere. Ever since we were kids, wherever Lucy was, the mood was always cheerful. Well, except when I was around. Hehe.”

“People just don’t recognize your charm. I actually prefer people like you.”

Since she was showing signs of self-doubt mid-conversation, I gave her a reassuring response.

“Wh-What? I-I mean! I really like you too, Hoyeon!”

“Huh?”

“Ah, no! Forget it! It was nothing...”

Lumi suddenly blurted out a half-confession and then started fiddling with the red ribbon tying her hair, trying to act nonchalant.

I couldn’t quite describe it, but Lumi had a different kind of charm from Baek A-Young—one that made me want to protect and take care of her.

★ Heroine Status Window

[Lumi]

- [ Affection: 66 ]

- [ Lust: 60 ]

- [ Appetite: 10 ]

- [ Fatigue: 25 ]

Ever since we drank together, her affection and lust had skyrocketed.

I never thought Lumi would be the first heroine I’d make progress with instead of Moon Surin.

With an affection level of 66, she should accept my confession if I make one, but there’s no sign of things moving forward. Since the last time we drank and I woke up in a motel, it feels awkward to suggest drinking again.

There’s no way shy Lumi would confess first either.

“Oh! Team 7 has already completed the dungeon.”

At Lumi’s words, I looked up at the screen and saw Elise’s team finishing their run.

Elise, expressionless as ever, was adjusting her slightly disheveled clothes while undergoing a medical check-up. Meanwhile, her teammates had expressions that seemed to say, “It was nice getting carried, but will we even get decent scores?”

Shortly after, Lucy’s Team 8 also cleared the dungeon, followed by the other teams one by one.

Lee Byunghoon finally returned to our group.

“Where’s Nam Daeun? We should start preparing now.”

“I’ll go look for her.”

“Hmm, I didn’t see her when I was walking around earlier. Maybe she’s resting somewhere?”

Taking his suggestion, I left the waiting area and searched in more secluded spots.

That’s when I heard Nam Daeun’s voice behind a corner.

“Don’t worry. Have you ever seen me lose? I’ll get first place again today. I have to go now, but I’ll call you later.”

“Okay! Love you, sis!”

“...Yeah. Love you too.”

A tone I’d never heard from Nam Daeun before—a warm and affectionate voice reserved for someone truly precious to her.

I peeked around the corner.

Nam Daeun, eyes brimming with tears, was staring at a hologram.

It was a video call, and the face of a young girl appeared in front of her.

Every time the girl spoke, Nam Daeun would smile.

It was a stark contrast to her usual expressionless face, filled with emotions this time.

Even when expressionless, she had a sculpted beauty, but her smile made her shine even brighter.

“....”

That girl was Nam Daeun’s younger sister.

★ Heroine Status Window

[Nam Daeun]

- [ Affection: 11 ]

- [ Lust: 10 ]

- [ Appetite: 30 ]

- [ Fatigue: 83 ]

Her abnormally high fatigue level spoke volumes about how exhausted she was.

I quietly backed away so she wouldn’t notice me eavesdropping.

Thinking about how to approach Nam Daeun made my head hurt.

*

I returned to our waiting area. Lumi and Byunghoon asked about Nam Daeun, but I simply said I couldn’t find her.

Nam Daeun arrived shortly after. No one seemed to notice, but I caught the slight wetness in the corner of her eyes.

The first group’s dungeon run had officially concluded, and the second group was given time to prepare.

In front of me, students who had returned from the dungeon were being tended to.

Injured students were heading toward Baek A-Young for healing.

“It’s okay. Just breathe slowly and close your eyes. This will be over soon.”

“Gah, huff, huff...”

Some students had sustained serious injuries.

This was a real combat training exercise. While safety measures were in place to prevent fatal incidents, accidents still happened.

“Teams 11 through 20, get ready!”

“Let’s start preparing.”

“Yes!”

“Okay.”

“....”

The second group of students gathered with their assigned professors.

Our supervising professor was Kim Jinhyuk, the homeroom teacher for Class A.

He led us underground.

“No talking while we walk. We’ll arrive soon, so don’t get anxious.”

Shortly after, we entered a chamber where a magic portal was drawn on the floor.

From here on, I knew what was coming. Stepping into the academy’s portal would transport us to a controlled training dungeon.

“This portal will take you to your designated coordinates. Step in.”

Honestly, I was a bit scared and hesitated. Beside me, Lumi looked just as nervous.

“Once inside, it’s up to you to determine where you are and what to do next. You will receive no prior information.”

We were given zero details about the dungeon, the monsters inside, or the way out. Figuring those things out was part of the test.

Kim Jinhyuk finished his instructions and stepped aside.

Nam Daeun entered the portal without hesitation, followed closely by Byunghoon.

“Let’s go, Lumi.”

“Y-Yeah. I’m a little nervous.”

Cautiously, Lumi and I stepped into the portal. A bright light enveloped us, and after a brief moment of dizziness, we found ourselves in an entirely different space.

The air was thick with mana, and the damp soil beneath us reeked of moisture. Water dripped from the ceiling.

It was a cave-type dungeon. Nam Daeun and Byunghoon were already surveying the surroundings.

If this was a cave dungeon, navigation wouldn’t be too difficult—just keep moving forward and eventually, we’d find an exit.

Of course, doing that would earn us terrible scores.

It seemed I had to take charge.

“Alright, guys, let’s start moving. To find the exit, we need to—”

BANG!

Before I could finish speaking, the sound of air splitting echoed as Nam Daeun dashed forward.

“....”

“Hey! We need to catch up!”

Lee Byunghoon also took off after her.

“Hoyeon, hurry!”

“Uh, yeah. Let’s go.”

Something felt off. Wasn’t I supposed to be the team leader?

*

“Damn, she’s insanely fast! Seriously.”

The three of us struggled to keep up with Nam Daeun’s trail.

Even when monsters appeared, her pace never slowed.

Kreeeek!

Crombats, creatures commonly found in dungeon caves.

They typically move in groups of ten or more, using their large wings to intimidate enemies before quickly closing the distance and attacking with their steel-like wings.

Normally, it would take four cadets about five minutes of combined effort to take down a pack of fifteen Crombats.

They weren’t powerful enemies, but their speed made them annoying opponents.

However, we had Nam Daeun leading the way.

Nam Daeun briefly halted before drawing her sword.

Slash! Chhajajak!

She vanished from my sight for an instant, only to reappear in the same spot, her sword lowered as if nothing had happened.

Thud-thud-thud.

The mutilated remains of the Crombats rained down to the ground.

“Whoa… that’s Nam Daeun’s acceleration technique…”

Lumi murmured in awe, almost dazed.

Wait, did she just move so fast that I couldn’t even see her?

Nam Daeun, expressionless as ever, flicked the blood off her sword, sheathed it, and took off running again.

The imbalance was ridiculous, but there was no time to complain. We had to follow her.

After about five minutes of relentless sprinting, a thought crossed my mind.

“Hmm, catching a ride on this bus is nice and all…”

Nam Daeun was eliminating every monster along the way, and the dungeon path itself was a straightforward tunnel.

This wasn’t just a regular bus ride—it was a luxury express bus.

Sure, Nam Daeun’s speedrun made things easier, but…

“Yeah, but…”

“Look, if this keeps up, we’re not going to get any points!”

Lee Byunghoon was right. At this rate, we wouldn’t receive any credit.

I had pitied Elise’s teammates earlier, but now I realized we were in the exact same situation.

Nam Daeun clearly didn’t care about teamwork points—she was gunning for max individual scores, and she knew exactly how to get them.

“Sigh… Let’s just catch up first.”

“Got it!”

Fortunately, Nam Daeun had stopped in an open space.

When we arrived, we found ourselves in a cavern with ten branching paths.

Nam Daeun appeared to be contemplating which path would lead to the fastest completion.

She was already gathering mana again.

Clearly, she intended to pick a path at random and sprint ahead.

Before she could take off, I quickly spoke up.

“I think I know which way to go.”

Nam Daeun turned slightly, glancing at me.

Finally, it was time for the passenger to take the wheel.

Chapter end