* * *
“Hello, Manager Lee Dabin.”
“Hello. I didn’t expect you to come here. Hello, kids.”
Despite the friendly wave to the unfamiliar woman, the children hesitated and clung to Do Hajun’s pants.
“What brings you here?”
“Why else? I’m here to put the new recruits to work.”
Looking in the direction Dabin pointed, Do Hajun saw a nervous-looking man and woman staring at the tutorial dungeon, which resembled a building.
“Are you not recruiting new members?”
“We have no vacancies.”
“Try to recruit some. No matter how much they’re called National hunters, you’re overworking them.”
Do Hajun smiled faintly at Dabin’s words.
People in the guild called National hunters “National Slaves,” implying they were treated like slaves for little pay. However, unless a dungeon or rift suddenly emerged, National hunters usually had the most free time.
“Which floor are you going to?”
“We’re going to the 4th floor.”
As the floors of the tutorial dungeon increased, so did the difficulty level. The 4th floor was equivalent to a C-rank dungeon.
“So, the hunters are C-rank?”
“No, they’re B-rank. We’re starting on the 4th floor to test them before moving to the 5th floor. What about the kids?”
“We’ll start from the 1st floor.”
“Why? Aren’t they SS-rank?”
“Manager!!”
Ahn Eunseon, who was habitually late, came running. Her labored breathing indicated how much she had run, making Do Hajun click his tongue and greet Dabin.
“Then we’ll be off. Take care. Let’s go.”
Do Hajun lifted the children, who were clinging to each leg, in one motion.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes!”
“Okay!”
“Alright!”
Having already formed a party with healer Ahn Eunseon, they boarded the gate to the 1st floor and were immediately transported.
The 1st-floor F-rank dungeon was a round tunnel. With three waves of monsters, it was designed to test whether people felt repulsion at the sight of monsters.
“Okay, let’s get down.”
Setting the two children down, Do Hajun pointed to the circle in the middle.
“Monsters will come out from there.”
“Monsters?”
“Rabbits?”
Remembering what they had seen in the last dungeon, Lee Cheongmyeong asked.
“Not rabbits, real monsters. Ahn Eunseon, keep a close watch.”
“Yes, don’t worry!”
They were there not for a test or to assess the children’s abilities but to let them use their powers. Hence, they had brought only a few people along, just in case.
“Alright, here it comes.”
The circle marked in red began to glow.
The first summoned monster was a scorpion-shaped venomous insect, Jjiryeong.
“Kaah!”
Jjiryeong screeched, baring its cracked teeth.
Monsters summoned on the 1st floor of the tutorial dungeon could not leave the summoning circle, so Jjiryeong could only scream without attacking.
Aileen Spencer clung to Do Hajun’s pants in fright as soon as the monster appeared.
“Wow!”
Unlike her, Lee Cheongmyeong’s eyes sparkled.
“Cheongmyeong, can you freeze that?”
“Freeze it?”
“Yes, you can freeze it, right?”
As soon as Lee Cheongmyeong nodded, frost began to form on Jjiryeong’s body.
“Kaah!?”
Despite its struggles, the frost rapidly spread, freezing Jjiryeong entirely.
“I did it!!”
Lee Cheongmyeong raised his hands in triumph.
“Good job.”
“Wow! Our Cheongmyeong is amazing! Well done!!”
Ahn Eunseon, who was filming Lee Cheongmyeong with her phone, shouted like an excited fan.
“Wow! Cheongmyeong is awesome! Great job! White brilliance, Lee Cheongmyeong-!”
“Be quiet.”
Do Hajun scolded Ahn Eunseon, then pulled a dagger from his pocket and threw it at Jjiryeong.
With a solid thunk, the dagger shattered the ice, breaking Jjiryeong into pieces.
“Kaah!!”
Seeing the crushed ice, Lee Cheongmyeong ran around Do Hajun in excitement, while Aileen Spencer still clung to his pants, trembling.
“Aileen.”
Lee Cheongmyeong tilted his head at her.
“Are you scared?”
Aileen Spencer flinched and shouted.
“No!”
“Then why?”
Aileen Spencer gripped Do Hajun’s pants tighter.
“I just like it here! I want to stay with Hajun!”
“Hmm.”
Lee Cheongmyeong’s voice showed he didn’t believe her, and Aileen’s face turned red.
“Cheongmyeong, that’s enough.”
Just as Do Hajun was about to lift the trembling Aileen, the circle glowed again.
This time, a mouse-shaped electric monster, Pichu, appeared. (TL: Lol pokemon inspired)
“Now it’s the princess’s turn!”
At Ahn Eunseon’s words, Aileen Spencer flinched greatly.
But after a moment, she let go of the pants she had been gripping and looked at Pichu.
The small electric sparks from Pichu, baring its front teeth, made it look threatening.
“Pichu!”
At that moment, Aileen Spencer froze.
Though it was a small, harmless mouse, her reaction made Do Hajun call Ahn Eunseon.
“Ahn Eunseon, grab Cheongmyeong.”
“Yes.”
Ahn Eunseon put away her phone and ran to Lee Cheongmyeong.
Do Hajun lifted Aileen Spencer.
“Aileen.”
“I, I’m scared. I can do it-”
Instead of replying, Do Hajun gently patted her back and slowly walked toward the exit.
The room was small, so they couldn’t go far, but the monster was small enough for Ahn Eunseon’s body to block it completely.
“Aileen.”
“No, it’s not.”
Aileen Spencer’s voice trembled and broke into sobs.
Do Hajun stroked her shaking back and leaned against the wall.
“Yeah. She was notorious for being bad. But when she turned into a child, she became a fool. In the dungeon, she runs away in fear and doesn’t know how to use her powers.”
‘Calling a scared child a fool.’
Focusing on the need for them to use their powers, he had forgotten the mocking words of the American hunter.
‘I didn’t realize she was so scared.’
He had assumed it was just because there were too many strangers, the monster was too big, or her state was unstable. But it wasn’t that.
‘Just because Lee Cheongmyeong is okay doesn’t mean she is.’
Do Hajun clicked his tongue inwardly at his own arrogant assumption.
“…Hajun.”
Aileen Spencer’s face was full of tears as she looked up.
Do Hajun wiped his face with one hand and spoke.
“It’s okay.”
“They said I have to do it.”
“You don’t have to do anything.”
“They said it’s not okay if I don’t.”
“There’s nothing you can’t do.”
Without a moment of hesitation, Do Hajun answered firmly.
“But still…”
“No. If you don’t want to do it, you don’t have to. No one can force you.”
Hunters exploring dungeons was not about morality or humanity.
It was purely for their own benefit, even if it happened to save others’ lives.
Refusing to enter a dungeon wasn’t something to be criticized or condemned.
“It’s okay. We can find another way.”
Aileen Spencer burst into tears again.
“Aileen’s crying?”
Having defeated the final monster in the F-rank dungeon, Lee Cheongmyeong ran over to Do Hajun.
“How is she?”
Ahn Eunseon whispered, asking.
When Do Hajun shook his head, Ahn Eunseon looked at Aileen Spencer with a sympathetic expression.
“Aileen.”
Despite their bickering, Lee Cheongmyeong called out to Aileen Spencer in a sulky voice, worried.
“It’s okay.”
Do Hajun patted Lee Cheongmyeong’s head with a smile.
“Okay.”
Instead of a hug, Lee Cheongmyeong clung to Do Hajun’s leg.
Even Ahn Eunseon, who had been worried, smiled as she asked,
“Are you going to stop here?”
“No.”
The reason they entered the dungeon wasn’t just to clear it but to use their abilities.
“So what will you do?”
“Let’s do it here.”
“How?”
Do Hajun’s eyes sparkled as he looked at the clearing where the red circle had disappeared.
* * *
Aileen Spencer, who had been sobbing sorrowfully, calmed down after some time.
Do Hajun patted Lee Cheongmyeong’s head for patiently waiting and then called Aileen.
“Monsters won’t come out anymore, so should we play?”
“Play?”
“Shall we play?”
“Yes, let’s play.”
Do Hajun put down Aileen Spencer, whom he had been holding, and took out a handkerchief to wet it with water.
Then he wiped her face clean.
“Aileen’s crying.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Your eyes are like frog’s eyes.”
“You!”
Aileen Spencer rushed at Lee Cheongmyeong, who was teasing her while laughing.
Chasing the giggling Lee Cheongmyeong, Ahn Eunseon smiled and said,
“It’s peaceful.”
Do Hajun, who had been looking displeased, took out a small wooden figure from his inventory.
“Both of you, stop and come here.”
Showing the wooden figure to the two children who ran over, Do Hajun said,
“Now we’re going to play with this.”
The two children tilted their heads in curiosity.
“This is wood, so Aileen can burn it.”
“Burn?”
“Yes. Aileen, I’ll throw it, and you try to burn it.”
This was a test Do Hajun had thought of.
He needed to see if Aileen Spencer was simply afraid of dungeons or unable to use her ability.
Before Aileen Spencer could respond, Do Hajun threw the wooden figure.
The wooden figure soared into the sky and was engulfed in flames.
As it turned to ash in an instant, Lee Cheongmyeong exclaimed in awe.
“Well done.”
“I did it?”
“Yes, you did well.”
Aileen Spencer grinned with puffy eyes.
Using abilities came as naturally to her as it did to Lee Cheongmyeong, who could use his powers freely.
So it was simply the dungeon she feared.
‘It must be the traumatic memory of her first dungeon that makes her afraid of monsters.’
Unlike Lee Cheongmyeong’s picnic-like first dungeon, Aileen Spencer’s first dungeon had been the worst.
‘Damn bastards.’
Grinding his teeth inwardly, Do Hajun took out another wooden figure.
“Now, let’s play.”
“How?”
“How?”
Do Hajun showed the wooden figure to the children, who looked at him with bright eyes.
“From now on, I will throw this into the sky. Aileen, you have to burn it like before, and Cheongmyeong, you have to use water to keep it from burning.”
The two children nodded vigorously.
“And Cheongmyeong, you mustn’t let it fall.”
“It shouldn’t fall?”
“Yes. It must stay up in the air.”
He was also working on improving Lee Cheongmyeong’s precision skills.
Not letting the wooden figure fall was part of that training.
For Lee Cheongmyeong, it would be a piece of cake.
Just blocking wouldn’t fully utilize his ability.
Looking at the children focused on the wooden figure, Do Hajun threw it into the sky.
Aileen Spencer used her ability first.
As the wooden figure was engulfed in flames, water immediately surrounded it.
“I did it!”
“No, you didn’t!”
The flames that evaporated the water tried to burn the wooden figure again, but another water attack began.
A mist began to form around the wooden figure.
As the wooden figure started to fall, water pushed it back into the sky, while the flames tried to evaporate the water again.
“Darn it!”
“I’m going to win!”
The two children, grinding their teeth in determination, looked like baby predators with cute appearances but dangerous sharp teeth and claws.
“They’re cute.”
Ahn Eunseon, who was watching them with satisfaction, occasionally used a whip to keep the wooden figure from falling during their fight.
Do Hajun didn’t take his eyes off the wooden figure.
Unlike the large, aggressive flames, the water delicately surrounded the wooden figure.
Only the necessary parts were being targeted with precision.
‘Hmm. Drawing practice seems to have helped.’
In terms of control, Lee Cheongmyeong was superior, but Aileen Spencer’s power was stronger.
She was using her skills with brute force, yet she wasn’t falling behind.
‘Aileen needs to improve her precision, and Cheongmyeong needs to enhance his attack power.’
“Ah!”
“Kyaa!”
In a moment of distraction, the flames overpowered the water, turning the wooden figure to ash.
“I did it!”
“No! Let’s do it again!”
“I did it! I did it!”
As Aileen jumped up and down excitedly, the sulking Lee Cheongmyeong ran over to Do Hajun.
“Jun give us another one.”
“Okay. Here.”
Do Hajun took another wooden figure from his inventory.
“It’s 1-0 now. The game ends when someone wins three times.”
“Okay!”
“Alright!”
Do Hajun threw the wooden figure into the sky again.
The second round of their game began.
* * *
