#124
After entering the dungeon entrance and waiting for a moment, Han Nari soon followed.
She was wearing special equipment that could film inside the dungeon. She quickly looked around to check the environment near the entrance. The equipment, which recorded exactly what the wearer saw, was very rare and expensive, but it was provided by the Awakened Management Center to broadcast my first solo dungeon conquest to the world.
“Wow, it’s so bright! This is my first time actually conquering a dungeon!” Han Nari shouted loudly as we descended the hill where the dungeon entrance was located.
“Ah… I heard you can do alternative service by working at the Medical Center.”
“That’s right! Other healing Espers who don’t work at the Medical Center have to go to dungeons! I started working at the Medical Center as soon as I awakened. My parents were so worried about me going to dungeons.”
Come to think of it, I heard on the first day that Han Nari was 21 years old. She’s still young, so it’s understandable they’d worry.
“Is it okay for you to come with me like this then?”
“I’ve always wanted to go to a dungeon! And C-rank or higher healers are rare. That’s why I got to come!”
She smiled brightly and made a V-sign with her fingers next to her cheek. Her smile was as bright as sunshine.
‘Come to think of it….’
When I first met her, I got the impression that she was as bright as sunshine, but then I felt uneasy. For some unclear reason, I felt reluctant about Shin Haejun seeing Han Nari’s smile.
“And that’s when I first met the Center Director one-on-one. Throughout the interview, he was really worried about Guide Lee Jaeha. You two are dating, right?”
“Huh? Is that so?”
“Yes, he said he absolutely couldn’t send you alone, that he was really worried you might get hurt. He said he wanted me to go because I’m a C-rank type capable of wide-range healing.”
Enjoying the talk about romance, she giggled out loud. She talked so much that it really felt like my ears might bleed as someone had said, but this particular conversation was pleasant to hear.
Hyun Dowoon had been so worried about me. And I thought he had just found a C-rank healer, but it seemed he had considered the skills as well.
‘I’m quite… happy.’
I felt both embarrassed and happy at the same time. When I just smiled without saying anything more, Han Nari tilted her head for a moment.
“…But then, what’s the relationship with Esper Shin Haejun? Ah, I’m not prying! Don’t mind me!”
She muttered quietly and then waved her hands in surprise.
That’s right, what kind of relationship do we have? We’ve done some intimate things for guiding, expressed a lot of affection, and depend on each other, but….
Like the puzzled Han Nari, I suddenly thought that no one would understand this triangular relationship.
“Ah. Why were we walking?”
“Pardon?”
“We don’t need to walk. Just a moment.”
I took out the ‘Ice Flower Palanquin’ from my inventory. It was a mount item I had used before with Hyun Dowoon.
“Wow! What’s this?”
Han Nari marveled at the floating palanquin that suddenly appeared, staring wide-eyed at the ice flowers. It’s understandable that she was amazed, as it was not only beautiful to look at but also cool.
“I heard you use interesting items, and it’s true!”
“What kind of rumors are going around about me?”
I asked as I helped her onto the palanquin. She blinked a few times and then grinned.
“Are you not interested in rumors about yourself? You’re all over TV.”
“It’s not that… I’m intentionally not watching because it’s a bit burdensome.”
“Why? I think it would be really gratifying.”
Unable to explain my thoroughly ordinary mindset, I just smiled. She seemed to understand in her own way, nodding before answering my question.
“I heard you use strange and interesting items, and each one is incredibly powerful and amazing. I also heard that you’re a very calm person. My friend told me that even S-rank Espers were impressed. She’s in Team 3. She said her team leader thought you were incredible.”
I don’t know who that team leader is, but it seems they were part of my dungeon verification.
“Oh! Over there!”
Han Nari pointed to a spot far behind a tree. Dark mist was billowing up from there.
“It’s a Poison Butterfly! We need to hit its antennae!”
The dark purple mist seemed to be poison emitted by the monster. I vaguely recalled reading about Poison Butterflies in the file Hyun Dowoon had given me before.
I wondered how to hit the antennae, but looking at it now, they were so ridiculously large that it seemed quite possible. Judging by the fist-sized eyes on the antennae, it looked creepy but the attack itself seemed straightforward.
Since I’m terrible at FPS games where aim is important, my inventory contained several items that could melt with firepower or assist with sniping.
Among them, the [Sanddle Co.] Fireworks Rocket was an item I had bought out of curiosity at an auction, made by the server’s 10th-ranked creator. The description said it would fly towards the target like a firework and cause a chain explosion, but I had never used it before.
‘Since there are multiple targets, throwing one should be effective.’
To see how it worked, I took it out of my inventory and a small rocket appeared in my hand.
From a distance, I set the target on the antennae of the nearest Poison Butterfly and threw it lightly. The rocket flew with a whooshing sound.
Screech!
“Kyaaa!”
The Poison Butterfly screamed like nails on a chalkboard as it was hit by the rocket and burst into colorful flames. Fireworks of various colors bloomed over the poisonous mist emitted by the monster. Although the cute shapes like hearts, stars, and smiles weren’t bad to look at, the strange screams of the Poison Butterfly in real-time made my ears sting.
“Ugh… I’m wearing this on my ears.”
I quickly took out earplugs from my inventory, handed them to her, and quickly put on a pair myself. Once the noise was completely blocked, it was much better.
“…!”
“What did you say?”
Han Nari was shouting something, but the earplugs were so effective that I couldn’t understand anything. As I leaned in close and tried to read her lips, it looked like she was saying ‘Look behind you!’
‘Behind?’
I quickly turned my head and saw a Poison Butterfly, strangely colored, approaching with weird tentacles protruding. The visual was so horrific that it momentarily took my breath away.
Just in case, I threw another rocket at the butterfly’s antennae, and they instantly disappeared in the explosion. The impact sent the palanquin flying backward.
‘I should have listened to the sound!’
Regretting this, I took out one earplug with one hand and grabbed the control stick with the other to steady the palanquin, which barely stopped in mid-air. Then I could hear Han Nari screaming continuously.
“Kyaaaa! Kyaa! How! Is it still alive! Kyaaa! It’s gross!”
The noise hurt my ears. Looking closely, as she said, the butterfly that had lost its antennae was flying towards us, wobbling and extending long tentacles.
“I thought they died when you destroyed the antennae!”
“Kyaaaa!”
Still wearing her earplugs, she didn’t seem to hear me and screamed with her eyes tightly shut.
I couldn’t understand how it was still moving when it had a huge hole from its antennae to the middle of its body.
Anyway, it was a very bizarre sight. It was a pity for Han Nari to encounter such a creepy and scary situation on her first dungeon trip, but I needed her to come to her senses so we could deal with this somehow. I felt frantic, being attacked from both sides.
“What do we do about that one without antennae!”
I asked Han Nari while maneuvering the stick to avoid the zombie-like butterfly flying towards us. But she wasn’t coming to her senses at all, so I had to reach out and shake her body.
“Esper Han Nari, snap out of it!”
“Huk, uuuh, I’m sorry! I was so surprised…!”
She explained that she couldn’t handle gross things or insects, which made her sharp reaction quite understandable.
“But… what should we do? Honestly, I don’t know how to deal with that… It’s supposed to be a mid-level monster that instantly loses power when you attack its antennae…!”
She stammered in a troubled voice.
‘If Hyun Dowoon personally decided… it’s probably not due to Han Nari’s lack of ability.’
If Hyun Dowoon decided to assign her to me, he wouldn’t have chosen just anyone. Moreover, all the other Poison Butterflies died, but only one specimen is in this state. So… if I had to say, this seemed like it should be considered a dungeon anomaly.
I took out another attack item and attacked that strange Poison Butterfly again. After attacking hard with strong firepower, the Poison Butterfly melted instantly.
Just as I was about to sigh in relief, suddenly, a creepy tentacle shot out from the dark purple poison mist. It struck like lightning, faster than I could maneuver.
‘If I get hit, I can use an elixir.’
As I was thinking it was too late to defend and deciding on my next action, the situation that the writer had prepared started to go strangely.
“Ugh… Kyaaaa!”
The tentacle that should have attacked me instead wrapped around Han Nari who was behind me.
“Sa-save me!”
Han Nari screamed, her face turning deathly pale as she was wrapped in the horrifically creepy tentacle.
The mist tentacle that had snatched Han Nari quickly fled in another direction. I abandoned the palanquin to gain speed, took out a wing item, and frantically chased after Han Nari and the tentacle.
‘Why wasn’t it me?’
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
