“Jong-sik, your family seems more interesting the more I see them. Taking the exam in this day and age. Hmph. Thanks to you, I had an interesting experience.”
Pyeong-ari, holding the steering wheel, chuckled softly.
A moment ago, she remembered herself stuffing money into the orc’s ear.
But that wasn’t all. At Jong-pal’s urging, she also wished for a successful dungeon raid.
She was not one to believe in superstition, so the experience felt different to her. Yet somehow, today she felt like trying her luck with superstition.
Today must have been an important day for Pyeong-ari.
“Today is the day of the first dungeon raid for the Healing Guild. Please help us finish it safely without any injuries.”
Pyeong-ari silently repeated her wish. At that moment, Jong-sik opened his mouth with a strange expression. It was obvious what she was thinking.
“Do you have anything to worry about when I’m here?”
“Hmph! Well, you still have to worry. If the person in charge doesn’t worry, then who will?”
“I didn’t see it that way, but I guess worrying suits you.”
Jong-sik expressed his shameless confidence. It might have seemed arrogant, but Pyeong-ari felt reassured.
The burden weighing on her shoulders suddenly felt lighter.
As the overall manager on site, she hoped that no one would get hurt. Especially not the porters. After all, people were more important than dungeons.
“Everyone return safely. With Jong-sik here, maybe it’s possible…”
Without realizing it, Pyeong-ari found herself relying on Jong-sik. Of course, Jong-sik was unaware of such thoughts.
“Anyway, let’s get this over with and go pick some chicken”
“If anyone hears that, they’ll think we’re going on an outing.”
“Not much different, is it? Sigh. More importantly, I want to eat chicken quickly. Jong-pal always fries chicken so well.”
“Hmm. Just saying that makes my mouth water….”
Not just empty words, Pyeong-ari swallowed her saliva audibly. They continued their in-depth conversation about chicken for a while. And how much time had passed?
“It seems like everyone came early.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. Once we get off, I’ll introduce you to the team members. Everyone was so excited to see Jong-sik…”
The speeding vehicle gradually slowed down. Soon, they spotted several vehicles marked with the healing symbol and a crowd of dozens of people waiting. They had finally arrived at their destination.
***
While there are no set rules, there are recommended essential roles for dungeon raids.
For example, tankers, healers, melee DPS, and ranged DPS. Other positions like porters or butchers are supplementary.
As the overall manager on site, Pyeong-ari followed this guideline when recruiting team members. However, they excluded melee DPS due to the nature of the dungeon.
Tank, healer, elemental mage, ranger.
With the essential roles totaling four, and including temporary workers like porters, the total number of dungeon participants approached thirty.
Pyeong-ari introduced Dok Jong-sik to the essential team members.
“You all know, right? This is Dok Jong-sik, who will be in charge of command inside the dungeon. Let’s address him as Team Leader. Now, Team Leader Dok, please introduce yourself.”
Everyone standing before her knew Dok Jong-sik. After all, who else would be gathered here? If they were hunters, they would all know him.
Nevertheless, all four people paid attention to Jong-sik. Especially the woman with a quiver on her shoulder, whose eyes sparkled like stars in the night sky.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Dok Jong-sik. Let’s do well together from now on.”
However, contrary to expectations, his introduction was brief. The woman with the quiver quickly raised her hand.
“Age! How old are you?”
“I’m thirty-three.”
Dok Jong-sik hesitantly revealed his age with a somewhat uncertain expression. He said it, but it felt awkward. Thirty-three.
“What about your position?”
“I do a bit of everything.”
“Wow, really? What about a significant other?”
The questions were starting to take a strange turn, and it was all from one person. But he still had to answer. It wasn’t a difficult question.
Jong-sik spoke up.
“I don’t have…”
“Let’s stop with the personal questions and introduce the others, shall we? We don’t have much time.”
“Aww, I was curious though.”
At that moment, Pyeong-ari interrupted, cutting off Jong-sik’s trailing words. Simultaneously, the bombardment of questions resumed, albeit mildly.
But Pyeong-ari remained unfazed and proceeded to introduce the people. She saved herself for last.
“…I’m Pyeong-ari, the overall manager. Any personal discussions can wait until after the dungeon raid at our dinner gathering.”
“Yay! I love dinner gatherings. Team Leader, what are we eating today? Are we going to have drinks too? Surely we’re not just eating and parting ways, right?”
The question bombardier, or rather, the ranger Seo sunhwa, asked with a childlike tone. With her cute appearance, combining pink and brown in a two-tone dye, she was as adorable as her voice.
Of course, a woman’s charm works wonders only on men. As if to prove this, Pyeong-ari responded with fervor.
“Let’s not go there. Let’s focus.”
She clapped her hands sharply to emphasize her words.
“Let me give you a quick briefing before entering the dungeon. According to the pre-survey by the pathfinders, the monsters inhabiting the dungeon are called ‘Fire Letz.’ They’re quite troublesome creatures, right from the first schedule.”
Fire Letz.
While they are graded as C-rank monsters, they are perceived to be close to B-rank in terms of threat level.
Their attack skills may be lacking, but their agility is their distinctive trait.
At first glance, they may seem to be classified as C-rank, but they possess a deadly characteristic.
That is their self-destruction. When critically wounded, they charge forward and explode, making them several times more troublesome to deal with than ordinary C-rank monsters.
Pyeong-ari was explaining this.
“So, the role of the ranger is more critical than ever. Oh, of course, the elemental mage too. Both of you need to block the monsters’ approaches with long-range attack skills, and if any monsters slip through, Jong-sik will take care of them to minimize damage to the rear guard.”
At her instructions, the elemental mage nodded quietly, while the ranger Seo sunhwa chuckled brightly, shaking her head.
“Yes.”
“Hehe. I won’t miss a single one. I’ll try to carry us through!”
Just by listening to them speak, their individual personalities were clearly revealed.
Including the last member of the essential personnel, the tank, Baek Hodam.
“Wow. Then I should go in feeling relaxed today.”
The tank, Baek Hodam, chuckled heartily. The sparse beard on his chin hinted at his age.
“To ensure Tank Uncle’s rest, I’ll work hard!”
“Huh? Uncle? Did you just call me uncle!”
“Oh…! Then, mister?”
The elemental mage shook her head nervously with a worried expression. And almost called Seo sunhwa by an inappropriate name.
“Seo sunhwa, I’ll take the initiative. There’s a delay after each attack, so please cover that gap.”
“Okay, I got it.”
That’s how the discussion continued for a while. Just as they were having a meeting that was not a strategy meeting, someone came looking for Jong-sik.
“Excuse me, are you Dok Jong-sik?”
“Oh, are you from the Rose Workshop? That’s me.”
Recognizing the stranger immediately, Pyeong-ari waved and called out to him.
“Hello. I have a delivery from Teacher Rose. Please confirm and sign here.”
“You’re not late. Hmm. Since it’s from Teacher Rose, I don’t think I need to check it.”
Pyeong-ari handed the suitcase she received to Jong-sik while speaking.
“There’s a changing room prepared inside the Rose Workshop delivery van. Please change and come. We’ll enter as soon as Team Leader Dok arrives.”
The hunters watching them couldn’t help feeling envious. Why wouldn’t they? It was a suit painstakingly crafted by the S-rank artisan Rose.
“Ugh. It’s okay to just go as is.”
But Jong-sik showed signs of reluctance. As mentioned earlier, no matter how good the suit was, it was useless to him.
Of course, the team members who didn’t understand English looked at him wide-eyed, and only Pyeong-ari replied firmly.
“Please hurry, Team Leader Dok. We’re waiting.”
‘Well, if people are courteous enough, put it on, put it on.’
In the end, it was Jong-sik who headed towards the dressing room. Shortly after, Jong-sik returned wearing the suit. He could finally step into the dungeon.
***
The entrance to the dungeon boasted vibrant colors. However, behind that facade was a different reality, as evident from the dungeon Jong-sik’s party entered.
At the entrance of the dungeon where Jong-sik’s party entered.
There were scattered skeletal remains and filth that one wouldn’t want to think about.
A damp and gloomy atmosphere enveloped the members of the advance team, and the unpleasant odor permeated their noses like a fog.
Only now did the reality of entering the dungeon sink in. Deep furrows appeared on the brows of the team members, except for Jong-sik.
“These bastards, they’re really filthy.”
“Yeah, it’s only the entrance, right? I even brought a map, but they managed to break through it.”
“They’re really vile. Ah, I feel like my head is spinning. Team Leader Dok, how can we pick up the pace?”
Unable to bear it, Baek Hodam furrowed his brow and asked. Jong-sik shook his head.
“The foul smell will become bearable after a while, so maintain your composure and keep moving.”
From Jong-sik’s perspective, tackling the dungeon wasn’t that difficult. It was a piece of cake, to put it bluntly.
They didn’t even need this many people. He could handle it alone. Yet, there was one reason he was keeping pace with them.
“Jong-sik, please take command inside the dungeon. Not just today, but from now on. Let’s start with the position of team leader.”
That was the request from Pyeong-ari, who had entrusted him with the mission. That was why Jong-sik wasn’t doing a one-man show. Well, shall we start soon?
“Seo sunhwa.”
“Yes?”
“Seo Sunhwa, you’ll go scouting with me. The rest of you, maintain the pace and follow from behind.”
“Understood.”
Jong-sik issued his orders firmly. No one objected.
“Hehe, then I’ll be off. Don’t worry about the rear. I won’t let anyone through!”
Jong-sik and Seo Sunhwa pounded the ground. How far had they run? Jong suddenly raised his right hand, signaling to stop.
“Wait, let’s handle it here.”
“Yes?”
What did he mean by handling it here? There were no signs of the Fire Letz’s tail. Seo Sunhwa looked around anxiously. Still, there was nothing visible.
“Five of them are coming. Get ready. Have you loaded your arrows?”
“Oh, yes. I’ll do it!”
Despite Seo Sunhwa’s uncertainty, Jong-sik persisted with his orders. Seo Sunhwa reluctantly retrieved three arrows from her quiver. After all, she had no choice but to follow the orders of her superior.
With that thought in mind, she loaded her arrows…
Sasasak. Sasasak.
The Fire Letz had indeed appeared.
“Oh, huh? It’s real!”
Surprised, Seo Sunhwa looked at Jong-sik.
“You should look ahead. Will you keep acting dazed?”
“Sorry. I’ll handle it right away!”
With a slight click of her tongue, Seo Sunhwa pulled the bowstring. Swish. Soon, her arrow hit the target precisely.
Boom!
The result was a self-destruct. The distance was considerable, so Jong-sik and Seo Sunhwa suffered no damage. But there were still two left.
Seo Sunhwa quickly reloaded, and eventually, the remaining two vanished in flames not long after. All five had been annihilated.
“Hehe, it’s all taken care of.”
Seo Sunhwa turned to Jong-sik. There was a sense of pride in her tone. However, Jong-sik wore a solemn expression.
“Seo Sunhwa, that’s not how you’re supposed to do it.”
