Chapter 60

After getting out of the car, I silently followed Section Chief like a good little puppy.

Somehow, the conversation flowed smoothly and before I knew it, I was successfully included in the later group.

Of course, nothing ever goes without a hitch.

“Foreigner, you say?”

A man who’d been appointed leader of the later group—Kang Cheol-min—turned to look at me. He’s an S-rank Hunter from the Cheongrim Guild or something. A towering guy with flashy gear all over him.

“Can you communicate? It’ll be problematic if you can’t follow orders.”

“Yeah, basic communication should be fine. Right?”

I nodded. Though if needed, I could use voice-altering magic. But unless absolutely necessary, I planned not to speak at all.

…Back when I wore a nun’s robe every day, this kinda thing happened often enough. Of course, whether by choice or force makes a difference.

“Hmph, whatever. I’ll just place you at the back.”

His arrogant gaze briefly landed on me then wandered off. After watching the Later Group Leader leave, I glanced at Section Chief.

“I’m heading back to my duties. We’ve got today’s commitments to fulfill, after all.”

Nod nod.

“In that case, I wish for your safe conquest.”

Section Chief returned to where they’d parked the car earlier. That left me standing slightly apart from the other hunters of the later group, waiting idly.

“Now we’re moving out!”

Together with everyone else, I entered an A-rank Undead Dungeon. The dungeon’s usual eerie vibe mixed with a dense mana concentration hit me right away.

Following instructions from the Cheongrim Guild leader, everyone took their positions. About half the members of the later group seemed to belong to the same guild. They were chatting casually as they positioned themselves.

Most of them were frontline fighters while I was placed at the rear. Honestly, I didn’t plan to get involved unless necessary, so this worked out well for me.

“This way!”

One of the thieves began guiding us. Apparently, he was one of the scouts sent in after the incident. Following his lead, we started seeing traces of previous battles.

“Tch, undead corpses are always gross no matter how many times you see ’em.”

“Yeah, tell me about it.”

“And isn’t this related to some boss?”

“Please don’t let anything weird pop up…”

We walked along as murmurs rippled through the group. Moving swiftly, we soon encountered a group of freshly resurrected skeletons.

Definitely feels like an A-rank dungeon. Skeleton Warriors, Archers, Mages—they had their formation ready. And among them were enhanced types too.

“Take care of them quickly and regroup!”

“Got it!”

With Kang Cheol-min’s powerful shout, the battle began.

“Yraaah!”

BOOM! CRASH!

Every time he swung his massive hammer, massive craters formed in the ground. At the same time, the skeletons shattered into bone dust.

The archers and mages immediately focused their ranged attacks on Kang Cheol-min, who charged first.

“Haha! You think that’ll work?!”

Though his flashy armor deflected everything without a scratch…

Kang Cheol-min deliberately acted as bait, drawing their attention while the others organized their ranks behind him to continue the fight.

Since the skeletons weren’t even in perfect condition to begin with, the battle wrapped up pretty quickly.

“No time to waste! Let’s move again!”

“Understood!”

The hunters shouted energetically as they resumed their march. I followed suit, keeping pace with them.

It was clear the vanguard had already cleared the path ahead, so combat only occurred sporadically. Most of our time was spent moving deeper into the dungeon.

After another skirmish, a short break was called. A Magic-Type Female Hunter plopped down beside me and said,

“Ugh… The deeper we go, the more my body starts trembling! This dungeon’s mana density is insane…”

“That, that’s true. I wasn’t imagining things.”

Another hunter chimed in in agreement. The woman shivered dramatically, looking like she had goosebumps all over.

“Hnnng… Could there really be an S-rank dungeon inside here?”

“With four S-rank Hunters joining us, they’ll handle it!”

“Y-yeah, that’s probably true, right?!”

As if trying to shake off the tension, people around us started chatting nervously.

Just then, I felt someone looking at me and turned to find the Magic-Type Female staring.

“…?”

Wondering if she needed something, I tilted my head questioningly.

“You understand Korean, right?”

She initiated conversation. I gave a light nod and waited for her to continue.

“Oh, um… Nothing much. Just curious since you haven’t participated in any combat yet… What’s your class?”

Ah, so that’s why she approached. Made sense now. Since everything was going smoothly, I hadn’t bothered stepping in, but from their perspective, I must seem like some useless loafer.

Can’t have them thinking I’m deadweight.

I pulled out my sword from the bracelet—it was inconvenient carrying it around otherwise—and gave it a quick swing.

WHOOSH!

Then pointed at myself once, then at her.

“Oh, so you’re guarding us?”

Nod nod.

“Hmm, got it. So what’s your rank—”

“Let’s get moving!”

Right as she was about to ask more, a booming male voice interrupted and everyone sprang back to their feet.

The Magic-Type Female did the same. Not overly curious about me after all, she gave a slight bow and ended the conversation.

The group pressed further into the dungeon. As I followed, I found myself reflecting on a growing sense of déjà vu.

…Hmm, kind of vague.

Shaking my head, I focused on keeping pace.

* * *

During the Later Group’s forced march, the Magic-Type Female occasionally glanced back at the woman trailing behind.

“…Is she even female?”

Her guess was based purely on height. The nun’s robe she wore covered everything, making it look almost like a priest’s attire at first glance.

She hadn’t spoken once throughout the entire journey and hadn’t shown any special abilities either.

But to dismiss her as mere baggage…

“…There’s definitely something reliable about her.”

Ever since entering the dungeon, the deeper they went, the more oppressive the mana density became, affecting many hunters—including herself.

However, there were exactly two people whose demeanor hadn’t changed at all since entering:

The leader of the Later Group, Kang Cheol-min of the Cheongrim Guild.

And the woman in the nun’s robe following quietly at the back.

Once she started noticing, the feeling of reassurance grew stronger.

And it turned out, that feeling wasn’t misplaced.

Although major combat situations were rare, the Later Group had fewer high-ranking hunters compared to the vanguard. Eventually, an emergency arose.

“Damn it, what if they break through!”

“Rear guard, be careful!”

“Hurry up and catch up—!”

Undead beasts on all fours absorbed the frontal assault and charged forward.

A few fell instantly, but…

They couldn’t stop them all.

“Calm down and respond!”

“G-go, attack!”

The rear guards hastily unleashed their skills. Flashy spells rained down on the beasts.

But spells cast in haste lacked sufficient power.

One defining feature of undead monsters: they feel no pain.

The beasts continued their charge without hesitation, closing in fast on the rear guard.

“Grrl, kyaaak—!”

The first beast let out a low, sinister growl before leaping toward the nearest rear guard.

“Kyaa?!”

“Hhheeeek!”

The hunters in its path screamed.

At that exact moment—

SWISH—

Thud.

The beast’s head cleanly severed and rolled across the floor.

In the blink of an eye.

The hunters, still processing what just happened, stared at the figure who had stepped forward. The woman in the nun’s robe stood calmly in front of the rear guards.

“Krrr!”

“Kiik—!”

More beasts charged toward her, revealing rotting flesh and jagged teeth while emitting chilling sounds.

Unlike before, several undead beasts attacked simultaneously this time.

But the result remained unchanged.

“Woah…”

“Whoooww…!”

The hunters watched wide-eyed as the nun moved.

Calmly raising her sword—

The first beast lunged.

SSSSHIICKKK—

Her wrist moved like lightning, cleanly bisecting the beast mid-leap. She adjusted her stance as the monster collapsed behind her.

Two more beasts charged at once.

The woman gracefully sidestepped, spinning her sword in a fluid motion.

Not a single wasted movement—clean, refined technique.

SWISH— Thud.

Both beasts’ heads flew off as they hit the ground.

“—.”

The woman repositioned herself and faced the remaining beasts.

“Grllk…!”

Even though undead creatures shouldn’t feel fear, they hesitated briefly.

Without delay, the woman darted forward with incredible speed. The remaining beasts prepared to counterattack, but her blade moved faster.

Twisting her body slightly, she slashed upward.

“Kyaak!”

Then followed up with a downward slash, cutting down another beast.

Only one beast remained.

Needless to say, finishing it off took barely a moment.

The rear guard hunters stared at the nun in stunned silence.

Everything happened so fast, they barely remembered the details of the fight. The scattered undead remains proved just how skilled this nun truly was.

“Wow… She’s really good.”

“So that’s why Section Chief brought her along in such a hurry!”

Everyone looked at her in awe.

At that moment, the Magic-Type Female noticed someone watching her. The veiled face was pointed directly at her.

She instinctively gave a thumbs-up.

The nun hesitated for a second, then responded with her free hand.

Thumbs up.

From beneath the sleeve of the nun’s robe peeked delicate fingers and hands.

The Magic-Type Female smiled softly. Even though she couldn’t see, she imagined a kind, diligent, and adorable woman hidden within that nun’s robe.