#35
“…Don’t be so certain, jeez!”
But Choi Do-jun wasn’t listening.
Completely ignoring Seo Yi-young’s opinion, he grabbed his arm and yanked him toward himself. Without any chance to resist, Seo Yi-young fell into his arms like a straw doll. Feeling Choi Do-jun’s firm body against the places where they touched, Seo Yi-young trembled violently.
Seo Yi-young knew from previous experience that his physical strength was greater than the average person’s. Hadn’t he picked up and thrown away a large man who tried to attack him with a knife in a parking lot with just one hand? But against a combat Hunter, he stood no chance. And when that Hunter was S-Class Choi Do-jun, there didn’t seem to be room for even a needle to pass through.
Choi Do-jun’s large hand slipped right into Seo Yi-young’s clothes.
Good Lord. It seemed like he really intended to do it.
Seo Yi-young lamented how things had come to this and began to retrace the events of the past hours.
*
One day earlier.
As Jo Tae-su had said, Seo Yi-young and Choi Do-jun were assigned to the same dungeon team. Though they claimed to form teams as fairly as possible, Jo Tae-su’s influence was certainly an undeniable pressure.
They prepared to enter the dungeon and waited for the preliminary investigation team to return. The report written by the team, who had stayed until the time limit within the dungeon, contained just one line:
‘Dungeon monster information: Unknown.’
It was the first time since dungeons appeared that a New-type dungeon had been identified without any information about the monsters inside. Naturally, both ordinary people and hunters were agitated.
The hunters who had been deployed for preliminary investigation reported that they hadn’t seen any mobs despite wandering through the dungeon. They had thoroughly examined up to 10km from the dungeon entrance before exiting, as continuing further risked encountering the boss mob.
Some voiced concerns that deploying S-Class hunters without any dungeon information was too much of a gamble. But the majority opinion was that S-Class hunters should be deployed precisely because of this. The main argument was who would take responsibility for a dungeon break if lower-ranked hunters failed to conquer it.
At the emergency meeting hosted by the government, the consensus was that it would be better to deploy only S-Class hunters for conquest at once. This meant that the other hunters on the team were excluded, and only Seo Yi-young and Choi Do-jun would enter the dungeon.
The second preliminary investigation team that went in after the first team didn’t come back completely empty-handed.
They reported that the maximum number of people who could enter the dungeon was two. Both the first and second investigation teams consistently reported that any more than that couldn’t even pass through the entrance. With these agents’ reports, they could understand the dungeon’s internal environment.
First, it was important that there were no mobs inside, and one could move around without wearing equipment that defended against specific attributes. If the dungeon environment had been underwater or a fire pit, the situation would have been more complicated.
Of course, that was the only fortunate aspect. Until they entered the dungeon, they were under tremendous stress. Going in with just the two of them.
Especially when the other person was Choi Do-jun.
No matter what, Seo Yi-young couldn’t say he disliked it or refuse. He clearly knew that he and Choi Do-jun were the perfect combo to enter such a mysterious dungeon. Other S-Class hunters would remain outside the dungeon for surveillance and preparation in case of any unforeseen incidents.
…I guess I have no choice.
Sighing in resignation, Seo Yi-young entered the dungeon with just Choi Do-jun.
Inside the dungeon, there was nothing, as the report had stated. Absolutely nothing. That was literally it. There wasn’t even anything that could be called an environment. The interior, composed only of black and white alternating squares, was disorienting even when standing still.
While Seo Yi-young was speechless at the strange dungeon, Choi Do-jun began walking first.
“Hey, Choi Do-jun.”
Seo Yi-young called out to him as he walked ahead. Choi Do-jun silently turned to look at him in response.
“You shouldn’t go first.”
“Why? Are you scared?”
Despite such a question, Seo Yi-young didn’t get angry. Since Choi Do-jun had been like this for a while, he had grown somewhat used to it. Of course, it was also due to the tension the dungeon itself created. He needed to conserve his energy instead of wasting it getting angry at Choi Do-jun, so he could adapt to the dungeon quickly and examine its internal state.
“That’s not it. If a mob appears and attacks, you can’t get hurt. If you die, who will conquer the dungeon? You’re not expecting fragile me to do it, are you?”
Seo Yi-young said, raising his eyebrows. Choi Do-jun remained silent for a moment, just staring at him.
“Is that why you’re stepping forward first?”
“So what?”
Choi Do-jun made an expression as if he’d heard something very strange. Regardless, thinking the conversation was over, Seo Yi-young was about to walk ahead when Choi Do-jun grabbed his arm.
He thought Choi was surprisingly agreeing with him.
“Do you have that little confidence in your abilities?”
“What?”
What was he saying now?
“Are you telling me to fight an opponent that could injure an S-Class Healer to the point where they can’t take action, without you?”
“…”
For someone like Choi Do-jun, it was a strangely persuasive argument. Certainly, if Seo Yi-young, who had the ability to heal considerable injuries instantly, was injured to the point where he couldn’t use that power, it would be a problem in itself. It would also be evidence of the mob’s tremendous offensive power.
Choi Do-jun’s expression suggested he didn’t want to discuss this topic further.
“Get behind me.”
With those words, Choi Do-jun easily made Seo Yi-young stand behind him. But Seo Yi-young wasn’t one to be pushed around. He tapped Choi Do-jun’s shoulder with his hand in protest.
“Hey. Didn’t you hear what I said? If the dealer gets hurt, what am I supposed to do all alone?”
“I’ll take them out before I get hurt.”
Seo Yi-young looked at Choi Do-jun in disbelief after hearing those words.
Strike the opponent before getting hit.
It was true. Definitely true, but that wasn’t always possible. Other hunters didn’t fail to do this because they didn’t know better.
Of course, S-Class combat hunters seemed tougher than himself, a healer, but it still made him anxious to put Choi Do-jun at the forefront in such an uncertain situation. If Choi Do-jun, their main combat force, was injured and unable to attack, the path to dungeon conquest would become remote.
“What? Hey, Choi Do-jun. I told you. If you end up dying—”
“If I could die from something like this, it would be a blessing.”
The words Choi Do-jun muttered with a sneer at the corner of his lips touched a nerve in Seo Yi-young. He ran to Choi Do-jun, who was walking ahead again, and grabbed his clothes.
“What do you mean by that?”
“By what?”
“That thing about being grateful if you could die.”
Choi Do-jun raised his eyebrows slightly, but that was it. He seemed unwilling to say anything more.
Being grateful if he could die? What kind of talk was that? Besides, it wasn’t something to say while discussing the hypothetical trouble if Choi Do-jun were to die. It’s not like dying would literally be a blessing to anyone.
No matter how he thought about it, Seo Yi-young could only interpret it as a rebuke directed at him. Since it would be ridiculous to just stand there on edge in a standoff, Seo Yi-young let go of Choi Do-jun’s clothes and began to confront him.
“Is that what you should be saying? Why is your tone always like that?”
“…”
At those words, Choi Do-jun’s expression became a bit strange.
“Ah, forget it. Go ahead. You said you wanted to go first.”
Talking was just wasting breath. Quickly conquering the dungeon and getting out would be better for his peace of mind. He had been trying to learn about Choi Do-jun as objectively as possible, but now he didn’t care anymore.
After saying that, he tried to move, but it didn’t go as planned. That was because Choi Do-jun caught Seo Yi-young’s waist as he tried to pass by. Even though it was just that, he couldn’t move his body freely.
Just how strong is he?
Although there’s a difference in physical abilities between combat hunters and support hunters, isn’t this too much? It wouldn’t be this bad even if a child and an adult were matched against each other. Perhaps comparing a newborn baby to a martial arts fighter would be more accurate? Anyway, it was really unfair.
Look at the difference in arm thickness. Choi Do-jun’s wrist was thicker than Seo Yi-young’s upper arm. Keeping his complaints to himself, Seo Yi-young glared at Choi Do-jun.
“Let go.”
He spoke in a fairly threatening tone, but Choi Do-jun merely frowned slightly. Well, no matter how hard a healer tries, they can’t match a combat hunter. This guy probably knew that too. That’s why he was acting so arbitrarily.
Despite Seo Yi-young’s demand, Choi Do-jun didn’t respond. He didn’t loosen his arm wrapped around Seo Yi-young’s waist at all, just staring intently at his face.
What if I bite his shoulder? Would that hurt a little? Surely my teeth wouldn’t break.
Seo Yi-young barely calmed his boiling insides while imagining various scenarios in his head. Choi Do-jun, who had been staring at him, finally opened his mouth.
“What’s wrong with my tone?”
After wondering what he would ask, this was the question.
Seo Yi-young was furious. If it wasn’t deliberate, then this guy had an incredible talent for infuriating people.
The intention behind this question was obvious. To intimidate the other person. Who would properly counter such an abrupt question? Even friends would struggle. Rather than going through such trouble, most would just distance themselves without saying anything. But he was mistaken about Seo Yi-young. Others might move according to Choi Do-jun’s wishes, but not him.
Seo Yi-young thought it was time for him to step up. Ignoring it wouldn’t end things. They weren’t people who would see each other once or twice and never again; they would have to see each other several more times during dungeon conquests.
If no one would tell Choi Do-jun, then Seo Yi-young had no choice but to do it himself.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
