RG 26

I waited an extra five minutes, just in case.

Fortunately, it seemed like the monsters had completely retreated. There was no sign of their presence, and even their footsteps were no longer audible.

“Phew…”

Finally, my tension eased a bit. Taking a deep breath of relief, I untangled my body from the crack of the wall where I had crouched and cautiously stepped outside.

Even in the midst of the chaos, Cha Sahyeon nestled against me like a koala, not moving at all. I reached for his neck and gently pulled him away.

“Let’s talk.”

“…”

While it was fortunate that the monster had backed off, the root cause of the problem had not been resolved.

The sudden quest to pacify the antagonist still remained, and I needed to figure out why Cha Sahyeon was upset in the first place.

‘If something like this happens again…’

It was okay this time since it was the first, but if the same thing happened in the next dungeon, there would be no choice but to narrow down the culprit.

Already struggling to make ends meet, being banned from entering dungeons on top of that… No, even before that, Cha Sahyeon could have been taken away by the government if they noticed something strange about him.

“Hey, kid.”

Cha Sahyeon, who seemed sullen due to being forcibly separated from my embrace, raised his head at my call. The light from the torch on the dungeon wall reflected in his green eyes.

Certainly, he could be a potentially catastrophic existence that could destroy the world, just like the previous one, and he was still dangerous enough. However, looking at him gaze up close like this, he appeared irresistibly weak and simply like a child.

“Now, tell me.”

“…”

“What’s your dissatisfaction? What didn’t you like that made you so angry?”

When I asked calmly, the child slightly narrowed his eyes and turned his head. Then, with an obvious expression of displeasure, he pursed his lips.

Look at this kid. Even in the midst of a life-and-death situation, he’s making an effort to vent his feelings.

‘…Stay calm.’

While I wasn’t the most patient person, I couldn’t afford to show irritation now. Grabbing a frustrated child and displaying my annoyance wouldn’t gain me anything.

The other person is a child. A young child. Probably around 16 years younger than me. Anyway, holding onto a kid with at least a 10-year age difference and complaining about my frustration would only make me look like trash.

After making an effort in mind control, I forced a smile, lifted the corners of my mouth, and grabbed Cha Sahyeon’s shoulders. “Huh? Just tell me without hiding anything. That way, this brother can take care of it for you.”

“…”

“Someone bothered you while I wasn’t around?”

Finally looking at me again, Cha Sahyeon started to hesitate, as if pondering something.

Yes, go ahead and ponder. And then spill it all out to me.

“I’m not forcing you to speak.” While thinking differently in my head, I gently and affectionately patted the child’s head, pretending to be a relaxed and caring adult. “But if you keep avoiding and refusing to talk like this, nothing will be resolved. We have to keep living together, right? Do you want to silently get angry and move on every time? I don’t like that.”

“…”

“We need to talk a lot to understand each other better and be considerate, right?”

While offering cliché advice straight out of a moral book, I continued to gently stroke Cha Sahyeon’s head without stopping. His hair was soft and pleasant to touch.

With his eyes reddening, Cha Sahyeon finally nodded, then slowly began to speak, “I…”

“Yeah?”

“People keep…”

Was he finally speaking? Filled with anticipation, I focused on the child’s words.

“…!”

The child, who had been speaking, suddenly widened both eyes and then quickly turned his head to look behind us. Even the face I had just managed to relax while soothing him stiffened again.

Curious, I turned my gaze in the direction the child was looking, and I felt the approach of someone.

‘Wait, it’s not a monster, is it? Moreover, this energy is…’

In the midst of my confusion, the owner of the approaching presence swiftly arrived in our room. Like the wind, they entered the room, and the person who entered also looked at me with a slightly surprised expression.

‘What’s going on?’

Witnessing Kwon Taehyeok and Ryu Seonghyeon entering the room left me so dumbfounded that I couldn’t utter a word.

‘Are these two insane?’

Did they come here, knowing well that dozens of monsters and an Ogre roam the dungeon with just the two of them?

Ryu Seonghyeon, who arrived late, noticed my bewildered state and approached. “Hunter Cha Seohu, you’re safe.”

“Oh, yes.”

“I’m really relieved. I was very worried.”

Standing in front of me, Ryu Seonghyeon carefully examined both Cha Sahyeon and me, checking if there were any injuries. In his bright brown eyes, full of genuine concern, I could see the emotions of worry.

‘Brother…’

Even though I was essentially a stranger from his perspective, he genuinely cared so much. While I was feeling a warm appreciation for Ryu Seonghyeon’s kind heart, Kwon Taehyeok, who had walked briskly over, interjected with a cold voice, “What’s this?”

“What?”

“How can you be perfectly fine?”

Kwon Taehyeok threw out a remark, scanning me up and down. Unlike Ryu Seonghyeon, who carefully checked for injuries, his gaze was more suspicious.

“Since the number of monsters wasn’t small, undoubtedly…” Kwon Taehyeok didn’t finish his sentence, but I immediately understood what he meant.

Certainly, what? I must have died? Surely, I couldn’t have survived without a scratch?

‘I understand why he would think that way.’’

Honestly, if I were Kwon Taehyeok, I would have likely considered the situation just as hopeless. And Kwon Taehyeok, coming all the way here to find someone deemed hopeless, was quite an impressive individual.

I gave a wry smile and pointed to the hidden gap in the wall where we had taken refuge earlier.

“The child and I were hiding over there. The monsters didn’t spot us and left the room.”

Even with my explanation, Kwon Taehyeok remained skeptical. “I have one more question. Why didn’t you enter the room?”

“Well…”

“Right before entering the room, you changed direction. Why on earth would you do that? Why did the horde of monsters chase after you?”

“…”

Apparently, he’s quite perceptive. Swiftly rolling my eyes while silently cursing, I pondered what to do.

‘What should I do?’

Given his reaction, it seems like most excuses won’t fly. However, if I take too long to respond, it will look suspicious.

In situations like these, this is the best card to play. Covering my mouth with my hand, I spoke with a bitter expression, “I’m sorry. At that moment… I was way too behind, and without thinking, ran in a different direction to avoid putting others in danger.”

“Danger? Hunter Cha Seohu, there are mostly individuals stronger than you. Are you saying that instead of asking for help, you ran away, potentially making the situation worse?”

Goodness, he’s really pushing it. Whether you doubt or not, this is all I’ve got to say.

“I’ve never encountered such a situation before, and I was just so surprised… It’s true. Why would I purposely do that?”

Let’s just move on from this, okay?

As Kwon Taehyeok seemed about to press further, a familiar notification sound rang out.

Ding!

《Specialty: Drenched Cat (Class F) activated!》

《Elicits sympathy from the opponent!》

‘Huh?’

This trait activates in a situation like this?

As I was dumbfounded by the absurd timing, Kwon Taehyeok, who had been cornering me with a cold expression, suddenly twitched and tightly pressed his lips together.

“Let’s stop here, Hunter Kwon Taehyeok. Hunter Cha Seohu seems to be in a difficult situation.”

Not only Kwon Taehyeok but even Ryu Seonghyeon stepped forward to support me. No, it seemed the trait also applied to Ryu Seonghyeon?

“Sigh, I understand. I acted hastily at a time like this.” Sweeping his bangs aside, Kwon Taehyeok sighed and spoke to me with noticeably softened eyes, “We’ll discuss the details after escaping the dungeon, so let’s leave here for now. Hunter Cha Seohu, are you able to move?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“Still, just in case, hold my hand.”

I didn’t know what was going on, but it was a gain for me anyway. Once we escape the dungeon, I’ll make a quick getaway.

With everything settled, I smiled brightly as I took Ryu Seonghyeon’s hand.

《Warning! There has been a change in the progress of the Seed of Calamity!》

《Warning! The progress of the Seed of Calamity has increased!》

《Warning! If the progress of the Seed of Calamity exceeds 50%, exercise caution!》

《Failure to finish Sudden Quest: Prevent the Progress of the Seed of Calamity!》

《Quest Failure Penalty will be imposed!》

‘What?’

Before I could even fully read the crowded status window, something hot surged up from my throat. Simultaneously, my chest felt heavy, and my vision blurred.

Unable to endure any longer, I regurgitated the contents filling my mouth.

“Cough, hack!“

The liquid that had been in my mouth spilled onto the floor. The vivid red blood spilled on the floor was painfully clear, even through my blurred vision.

[Main Quest: Successfully conquer a dungeon of B-class or higher with the antagonist. (Remaining time: 3 days 8 hours 27 minutes)]