Chapter 14

‘You need to use magic to discover the hidden dungeon…’

Certainly, as Yoo Ju said, if the hidden dungeon only reveals its location when magic is used, it makes sense why no one has known about its existence or location until now.

Others, unaware that Yoo Ju is a Returner, seemed impressed by her speculation.

Ahn Tae-woo’s expression brightened as he began to speak.

“Indeed… as Yoo Ju said, using magic might reveal the location of the hidden dungeon! Yoo Ju, you’re truly amazing. How did you come up with this idea… hahaha!”

“It’s not certain yet. It’s just a guess.”

No, coming from Yoo Ju, it’s not a guess but a fact.

Yoo Ju revealing the truth about the dungeon now means she believes the current group can clear the tutorial. But just in case, it’s necessary to gauge her intentions.

“Yoo Ju. If the dungeon is in the center… can we clear it now? Isn’t it too dangerous…?”

With a worried expression, he spoke, and others also began to show concern.

Everyone seemed worried about the possibility of someone dying.

“…It’s not certain, but I think it might be possible.”

Yoo Ju’s words suggest a high chance of clearing it. Hearing her answer, they began to feel relieved.

They had prepared a plan for the worst-case scenario… but honestly, they wouldn’t have executed it.

…This is just a hypothetical.

If we can’t clear it on our own… we could forcibly bring others from the camp or outside into the dungeon to use them as meat shields.

If there are monsters in the dungeon, we can use others to distract them.

However, this is truly a last resort, and since the people here wouldn’t pass this method, I kept it buried in my heart.

Well… putting that aside, if the chance of clearing is high, we need to think about other issues.

There are other people outside this camp, and the problem is there’s no guarantee they’re good people.

There’s a good chance we could be ambushed on the way to the dungeon. We have food, and there are women in the party.

‘Could there really be people who use magic to find the dungeon and ambush us inside…?’

No, that’s too much worry. Thinking we’re finally approaching the end of the tutorial, my paranoia and suspicion from Earth seem to be resurfacing.

“…So, are the nine of us here going to enter the dungeon?”

“Yes. That seems to be the plan.”

‘Sigh… it does seem like a small number…’

Seeing Yoo Ju’s confidence, the chance of clearing is high… but still, the small number is worrying.

“When are we leaving?”

“…If everyone is okay with it, we plan to leave tomorrow morning.”

******

“Yoo Rim, Yoo Hyun. Are you ready?”

“Yes, oppa.”

“Yes, hyung!”

“Alright… let’s go.”

After breakfast, as we headed to the camp entrance with the kids, everyone except the new trio was gathered.

“Oppa… will it be okay? Going to the dungeon today…”

Yoo Rim, seemingly worried about Yoo Hyun, glanced at him and spoke to me.

“Probably… it’ll be fine. Honestly, if it’s impossible with the people here… there’s no hope for others either.”

“…..”

I patted Yoo Rim’s head as I spoke.

“Don’t worry too much. You’ve seen how strong Yoo Ju is. And this is just the tutorial. It can’t be that difficult, right?”

Yoo Rim smiled slightly, perhaps feeling a bit relieved.

“Oppa, your words make me feel at ease.”

“Unnie, don’t worry! Yoo Ju unnie is super strong!”

‘Well… the older sister is worried about the younger brother, and the younger brother is acting like it’s nothing…’

After some time, Ho-won, Kang I-seo, and Hyeon-jin arrived.

As soon as Kang I-seo arrived, she opened her mouth with a playful expression and tone.

“Oh, you’re already here. How about it? Today might be the last day, wanna have one last round?”

Kang I-seo looked at me, making a circle with her left thumb and index finger, and moved her right index finger in and out as she spoke.

“Wh-what kind of crazy talk is that?!”

Yoo Ju, hearing Kang I-seo’s words, turned bright red and shouted before I could say anything.

I covered my ears, thinking my eardrums would burst. Yoo Rim had already covered Yoo Hyun’s eyes and ears when Kang I-seo started speaking.

“Hey… it was just a joke. She’s my type.”

“Pl-please refrain from such jokes in the future! It’s unpleasant for the listeners!”

“Hey, the person in question is staying quiet, why are you reacting, Yoo Ju?”

Hearing Kang I-seo’s words, Yoo Ju narrowed her eyes and looked at me.

“Yoon Seong… by any chance…”

“…What do you take me for?”

Kang I-seo smirked at Yoo Ju’s reaction and then turned back to me.

“Hey, really, no thoughts? If you want, I can…”

I cut her off before things got more troublesome.

“…..Stop joking, I-seo. And don’t jinx today as the last day…”





“Please don’t say that it’s possible.”

Kang I-seo wiped the teasing expression off her face, clicked her tongue, and said,

“Tch. Boring. Why are people so boring?”

“…What kind of person is fun by your standards, Lee Seo? Definitely not someone normal, I guess.”

Hearing my words, she burst into laughter.

“Hehehe… Yeah, I guess so~”

Suddenly, Ho-won sighed, grabbed Kang I-seo’s head, bowed it, and apologized to Seo Yoo-ju and me on her behalf.

“Ahem…! Sorry. She’s been like this since forever…”

“Ah! Let go of me, old man! Can’t I even joke around?!”

Just because of Kang I-seo’s existence, I felt so exhausted… My head hurt, so I closed my eyes and rubbed my forehead.

“Hmm, hmm… Anyway, let’s get going now.”

And so, we left the camp where we had been staying until now.

After some time had passed since we started moving, when we were about halfway to the center, Seo Yoo-ju spotted some monsters and stopped us.

“….There are five ahead. Yoon Seong and Ha-eun, save your mana for the situation inside the dungeon. Lee Seo will take one down with her bow first, and then we’ll start the battle. Lee Seo, get ready.”

“Hoho, finally my turn~”

Kang I-seo, hearing Seo Yoo-ju’s words, aimed at one monster’s head and pulled the bowstring.

*Whoosh—*

*Thud—*

“Kek…!”

It was clean and precise. As the arrow pierced the monster’s head, the other monsters noticed our presence and started charging at us, screaming.

Ho-won was the first to rush forward, smashing one monster’s head with his shield.

*Crash!*

Just as another monster tried to attack Ho-won, Hyeon-jin swung his sword and cut off the monster’s arm.

“Kieeeek!”

Immediately after, Ho-won slammed the disarmed monster with his shield, sending it flying. It crashed to the ground, howling in pain, before an arrow finished it off neatly.

‘These three definitely work well together.’

Just from watching them fight, it was clear they were used to coordinating with each other. I thought they’d do just fine even after the tutorial.

There were two monsters left. Ahn Tae-woo and Yoo Rim were finishing off one, and the last one had its head sliced off by our Returner with a single swing of his spear.

As the situation wrapped up, Seo Yoo-ju began to speak.

“Good job, everyone. Ha-eun and Yoon Seong, save your mana for now.”

“Yes.”

“Okay, Yoo-ju.”

I started talking to Hyeon-jin. His stats were average, but seeing him fight, I was surprised at how well he handled himself.

“Hyeon-jin, you’re really good at fighting.”

“Really…? Getting praised by you feels nice. Hehe…”

It wasn’t an empty compliment. Back when we were with Jo Chan-ho, I had seen Hyeon-jin’s status window and didn’t think much of it at the time.

******

After moving a considerable distance, Seo Yoo-ju’s expression gradually hardened. She began speaking quietly, so only we could hear.

“….Everyone, don’t respond loudly to what I say. Stay calm and listen. We’re being followed right now.”

As soon as I heard her words, I sighed inwardly. It was the worry I had been thinking about since leaving camp, now becoming reality.

The others didn’t show it, but Song Ha-eun and Yoo Hyun’s expressions betrayed their unease.

Ho-won, seemingly familiar with such situations, didn’t show any signs of panic and quietly asked Seo Yoo-ju,

“…Can you tell how many there are?”

“Not exactly, but… roughly six behind us. I suspect there are more on the sides or ahead. But… you seem unfazed?”

“Hyeon-jin and Lee Seo and I have been in situations like this a few times. We’ve even fought before.”

‘No wonder they seemed so experienced in combat from the start.’

“Anyway… I think we should fight before we get surrounded. Moving further ahead would just give the enemy a more advantageous position, and it’s no different from starting a battle.”

Song Ha-eun and Ahn Tae-woo looked very tense at the thought of fighting people for the first time.

“So what do we do…?”

“For now, let’s give up on clearing the tutorial today. I have a rough idea of where the followers are, so I’ll attack the rear first. However, I can’t cover the front, so Ho-won, since you have a shield, block the attacks from the front. Everyone else, focus on the front and sides. Don’t worry about me. And… Yoon Seong and Ha-eun, don’t worry about saving your mana. Prioritize your safety as much as possible.”