Retire 261

by Cristae

261 Countermeasure Meeting (3)

“What?!”

Han Taekyung practically leapt to his feet. Was what I said really so shocking?

If someone told me I didn’t have to go into the dungeon, I’d be grateful and accept it without hesitation.

But Han Taekyung, as if he couldn’t possibly accept it, began to protest, full of indignation.

“How could you…!”

This is why I say I’m not suited to being a Hunter. That must be the real reaction of a Hunter.

“Take me with you, too!!”

Han Taekyung shot up, causing the flimsy camping chair to tip over.

“I said, take me with you!!!!”

“Now, wait—”

“Why are you leaving me here all alone!!”

“I’m not abandoning you, I’m dividing up the roles.”

“You ditched me the moment Ms. Kim arrived!”

What do you mean, ditched? I stared at Han Taekyung in disbelief.

Ah, those damn sunglasses. With his eyes hidden, I couldn’t tell if he was being sincere or just playing around.

A person’s eyes reveal more than you’d think.

I exchanged glances with Hong Seokyoung. In any other situation, I wouldn’t ignore a Hunter so eager to take part in a raid, but this wasn’t a normal situation.

Earlier, the discussion about whether or not to send Han Taekyung into the dungeon was just that—a discussion of possible responses, not actual permission for him to go in.

I explained that again, as gently as I could, but Han Taekyung only resisted more fiercely.

“No! By that logic, I’m supposed to go into the dungeon!”

So he really did want to go in. I mean, after all that fuss, it’s not like he was just joking….

……

Forget it.

I was getting tired.

“I want to go in too!!”

Up until Kim Chaemin arrived, Han Taekyung had been presenting his arguments logically, but now he was just throwing a tantrum.

It was too childish to be sincere, but too sincere to be a joke.

I felt foolish for having apologized for ignoring him earlier.

He wasn’t some little kid, so what was he doing, really?

“As I said before, it’s dangerous.”

Still, I couldn’t use force on someone who wasn’t a monster. I am a civilized person.

“Then isn’t it dangerous for everyone else too!”

So Han Taekyung…

What was Han Taekyung, anyway?

“Because Ms. Kim is with us…”

“Then shouldn’t I be fine too, since Ms. Kim is there! And if not, I can just do what we said and run straight out the gate!”

“There could be situations where that isn’t possible.”

“Even with Ms. Kim there? She’s an Archmage!”

“What I mean is…”

Fine, maybe his pride was wounded at the thought of being left somewhere safe by himself. I could understand that.

Or maybe he felt guilty for sitting out when everyone else was at risk, or maybe he just thought he was being excluded. I tried to understand all of that.

But there’s only so many times you can try to calm someone down with words before you start to get annoyed.

If he’d at least tried to logically explain why he had to go in, like before, I could understand, but this… this was no different from a child throwing a fit because things weren’t going their way. Even little kids will listen if you explain it to them properly.

“Mr. Han,”

Sensing my irritation, Kim Chaemin spoke up in my stead, pressing her fingers to her temples.

“Do you have a reason you absolutely have to go into the dungeon?”

“…Excuse me?”

“You seem really desperate to go in.”

Kim Chaemin tilted her head to the side.

“I was just wondering if there’s a reason.”

“……”

Han Taekyung suddenly fell silent. The whining from just a moment ago seemed like a lie.

The change was so abrupt that my rising annoyance vanished completely. Han Taekyung pressed his lips together, rotated his head from side to side, bent it forward and then back, stretching his neck. Then he flexed his wrists, massaged the back of his neck, and finally broke into a broad grin.

“Good luck in there!”

…What on earth.

“Hm, hm-hmm, hmmm.”

Han Taekyung had broken down.

No, to be fair, he’d always been… a bit eccentric, so maybe calling this a breakdown was unfair.

Han Taekyung was simply back to his usual self.

He hummed the theme song of some anime as he waved his hand.

“If you’re not back in two days, I’ll let this Hunter know!”

“…I doubt it’ll take that long.”

“You never know!”

I looked at Han Taekyung with suspicion. I wasn’t the only one—Hong Seokyoung and Kim Chaemin both wore strange expressions.

Still, it seemed Han Taekyung didn’t have the sense to notice.

“Ah! I don’t mean to say you’ll fail!”

…Apparently not.

“Getting out safely is the most important thing. Good luck!”

With the person in question standing right there, we couldn’t say anything about him. We just exchanged glances and decided to head into the dungeon. Once inside, maybe we’d have a chance to talk about it.

Though honestly, I wasn’t sure we’d get the chance.

“Wait a moment!”

Before passing through the gate, Kim Chaemin cast several layers of defensive magic against golems and mud.

She’d been called out here on short notice, but Kim Chaemin prepared for the dungeon with practiced ease. I’m not just talking about the magic—she’d also changed into clothes that were easy to move in and donned some simple armor.

“Won’t the magic break when we go through the gate?”

“I’ve accounted for that! Do I look like some clueless mage to you?”

I asked, just in case, but Kim Chaemin only flashed a confident smile.

So this is why Archmages are so valuable. Well, any skilled mage is in high demand. Even after runes became commonplace, mages still played a crucial role in raid teams.

“Still… hmm…”

After a moment’s thought, arms folded, Kim Chaemin plunged her hand into her bag. She rummaged around and pulled out a staff, roughly carved from wood—a magical focus used by mages.

Usually, staves are studded with mana stones, but the one Kim Chaemin produced had none. It looked well-used, the grip polished smooth by years of handling.

It’s rude to ask about a mage’s personal equipment. I looked away from the staff in her hand. There was an odd lack of mana around it. It was clearly no ordinary object. Judging by its age, it might not even be Kim Chaemin’s, but something inherited from her grandfather.

“All set now! Let’s go!”

Since this wasn’t an official dungeon entry, we skipped the usual procedures.

“Stay right behind me.”

Kim Chaemin took the lead, I was in the middle, and Hong Seokyoung brought up the rear.

We entered the dungeon for the second time.

“…Huh?”

Just before we crossed the gate, Han Taekyung muttered in a puzzled voice. Before I could react, something yanked me forward.

No gravity.

No light.

It was the first time since Park Seohyun’s shadow that I’d been trapped in a space so dark I couldn’t tell if my eyes were open or closed.

I never thought I’d experience something like that again. Life is unpredictable.

I checked my senses, starting from my fingertips. Everything was fine. My limbs moved as they should. No sign of mind magic, my sword still in my grip, my armor still on.

I remembered passing through the gate.

…And Han Taekyung making a strange sound.

“……”

With nothing visible, there was nothing I could do. I felt like I was floating in midair, but I wasn’t falling.

Was it worth taking a risk?

If I stayed still, nothing would happen.

I pulled a pen and a piece of paper from inside my jacket. If I dropped them, I’d never get them back. I traced a familiar rune by touch. There are all kinds of dungeons in the world. Only an inexperienced Hunter would rely on light to draw runes.

When I activated the finished rune, a faint blue glow flickered—far from bright, but better than nothing.

I held up the rune to illuminate my surroundings.

Nothing changed. It was still dark.

…But there was something I could see.

Something slow, undulating… something. Something? No, it was mud. I was inside mud.

Ha.

I almost clicked my tongue, but stopped myself. I couldn’t risk making a sound when I didn’t even know what kind of situation I was in.

Still… this must be the fairy’s doing.

I’d expected it to attack the moment we crossed the gate, but I never imagined it would submerge the gate itself in mud.

Well, it was certainly effective. Without Kim Chaemin’s magic, we would have been helpless.

I touched the thin membrane surrounding me with my palm. It squirmed, and I sensed Kim Chaemin’s familiar magic. It was brimming with vitality, so she must be safe too. I’d wondered what all those layers of spells were for… That’s an Archmage’s intuition for you.

It was a defensive spell far more advanced than a simple shield. There were at least five layers of magic woven together—oxygen supply in case of being trapped, levitation in case of falling… There was probably a communication spell in case we got separated, too.

<Ah, ah. Can you hear me?>

Just as I thought.

Speak of the devil, Kim Chaemin’s voice echoed in my head.

<Wow. If I hadn’t prepared for this, we’d be in big trouble. Got it? Both of you owe me a good meal when we get out.>

A good meal? That’s a small price for our lives.

Slowly, the membrane began to move. Floating, drifting. The situation was tense, but somehow I found it funny. Being trapped in mud was almost thrilling enough to make my hair stand on end. Like riding a roller coaster.

I’d heard there were Hunters addicted to this kind of thrill, always seeking out the most dangerous dungeons. For the first time, I understood them.

<…In, interference. The, connec—cutting… trouble, no, th—!>

Kim Chaemin’s voice, which had been chattering away, suddenly began to cut in and out.

Interference?

If Kim Chaemin was attacked inside this mud, or if her magic was dispelled…

…Would the identification tag prevent suffocation?

Probably not, since it wasn’t direct damage.

Tap.

Even with Kim Chaemin’s voice gone, the membrane around me continued to float. As long as we could regroup safely, it would be fine.

Tap. Tap.

But with the dungeon like this, even finding the gate would be a challenge. In the Siren Dungeon Hong Seokyoung had described, the sea shifted from place to place, but he’d never said the gate was sealed.

Tap.

Hong Seokyoung was right. What on earth had happened to the standard of Korean Hunters these days…

Tap tap tap tap tap.

“……”

An irritating sound.

I looked up.

Tap tap. Tap.

I met golden eyes, floating in the mud.