Chapter 5: Chapter 5

A narrow, dimly lit passage hidden inside the cave stretched before us, illuminated only by the magic of the fire conjured by the magic-type hunter.

The leader took the front position, while the magic-type hunter, an older woman, brought up the rear. Han-gyeol and I took the middle.

I had told the others that as a paladin, I could serve as the tank and lead the way, but the leader refused almost immediately. As a D-rank hunter, he declared himself strong enough to take the front. Fine, let him do as he pleases.

“Han-gyeol, have you ever encountered a rare dungeon?”

“Uh, no… I haven't.”

Han-gyeol smiled awkwardly, scratching his cheek. Then, the leader cut in.

“I have.”

“What was it like?”

“...”

The leader glanced between Han-gyeol and me, sighed deeply, and continued.

“There were goblins hiding in a secluded area. The moment we stepped into the open space, they ambushed us from both sides.”

“Huh. I’ve learned about a few patterns at the academy, but that sounds brutal.”

“Ah, you're an academy graduate?”

“Yes, although I only graduated recently.”

Hiding monsters... Well, I didn’t sense anything like that around us, so it seemed like this time was different.

My curiosity was slightly satisfied, but it wasn't particularly helpful information for the current situation.

“In any case, I have experience. Just follow my lead.”

“Understood.”

“...Huff.”

Suddenly, a loud breath sounded from behind me. I turned to find the older woman glaring at me, her face scrunched up.

“...?”

“Focus on walking and stop looking around.”

Why is she always so angry? That's not good for her health. I nodded indifferently and turned back, uninterested in the reason for her irritation.

---

The magic-type hunter glared at the person walking in front of her.

The white-haired woman’s hair shimmered in the magical light, giving it a reddish hue, like a painting.

The more she stared at her, the more envy and resentment welled up inside her.

As someone who had mastered attack magic, she had always been the one in the spotlight. She should have been the center of attention, receiving the admiration of the male hunters.

But now?

Both men’s gazes were fixated on the woman in front of her. Even during combat, they kept watching her, as if ready to jump in and protect her at a moment’s notice.

If only this woman were incompetent... If that had been the case, she could have bullied her openly.

Yet, despite being a rookie who didn’t even know how to use the status window, she fought without ever losing her composure, no matter how many monsters came at her.

How was that even possible?

She had initially scoffed at the absurdity of someone wearing a skirt into a dungeon, but even the skirt didn't seem to flutter in a way that would hinder her.

In the end, although she was only pulling her weight, the magic hunter couldn’t shake the suspicion that the woman might be doing more than her fair share.

“We’ve reached the open area.”

“Finally.”

The older woman sighed in relief. Her mana was nearly depleted, and she wanted to finish the job quickly.

The group surveyed the open space.@@novelbin@@

It was about the size of a small auditorium. There wasn’t much to it, except for a chest visible on the opposite side.

“A treasure room!”

“Wait!”

The older woman ran toward the chest, but the leader tried to stop her. Too late.

The moment she reached out to touch the chest, an invisible barrier stopped her in her tracks.

And at that exact moment—

A magic circle formed in the center of the space, glowing brightly.

“Damn it! Get over here!”

“Eek!”

She hurried back to the group, panting heavily. While she caught her breath, the others prepared for battle, scanning their surroundings.

Then—

“Kerk!”

“Kekekeke!”

The familiar cackling of monsters echoed through the space.

Small, weak goblins—monsters often underestimated—began pouring out of the darkness.

“There are... so many of them!”

“This is bad.”

It wasn’t just a few goblins. They came from all directions, dozens of them at once.

Even for D-rank hunters, there was a limit to how many they could handle at once. Being surrounded like this made it difficult to move, let alone fight effectively.

The leader made a quick decision.

“There are a lot of them, but they’re just goblins. Stay calm and we’ll get through this!”

Before the goblins could tighten their encirclement, he led the charge, starting the battle. Han-gyeol and I joined in, with the magic hunter staying in the middle, providing support.

Han-gyeol didn’t hold back, repeatedly using his skills. Now wasn’t the time to conserve mana.

Luckily, he felt great today. His body felt light, and he was full of energy, like he could do anything.

Fueled by that momentum, he cut down goblins left and right.

“Kieek!”

“Not today!”

A goblin charged at him from the front. He stepped back to dodge its club and quickly counterattacked.

But just as he took down that goblin, two more swung at him from either side.

‘One of these hits is going to land. I’ll just have to endure it.’

Steeling himself, he sliced through the goblin on his right and braced for the impact from the other side.

But—

“Huh?”

Nothing. He felt no pain.

Glancing over, he saw the remaining goblin clutching its head in agony.

He had no idea why, but he didn’t waste time. He swiftly finished the goblin off with his sword.

Having taken down three goblins in quick succession, he finally had a moment to catch his breath.

He looked back.

Surrounded by goblins, Si-hyeon was evading every single attack with what seemed like effortless grace. And every time she counterattacked, the number of goblins steadily dwindled.

Is that really how a paladin fights? Isn’t that more like the fighting style of a martial artist?

Her image didn’t quite match his expectations, but at least she seemed safe.

The magic hunter was still supporting the leader, so as long as Han-gyeol focused on his part, everything should be fine.

Meanwhile, the leader was hiding his unease. Sweat dripped down his back as he fought.

They had encountered enough goblins to match the entire population of an E-rank dungeon.

If Si-hyeon hadn’t drawn half the goblins' attention, their party would have collapsed by now. Injuries—maybe even deaths—would have been inevitable.

‘And she’s supposedly a newly awakened E-rank hunter…?’

Was this what it meant to have true talent?

The leader felt like Si-hyeon was glowing with an aura of brilliance.

“Finish them off!”

“Kieek!”

Finally, after a fierce battle, dozens of goblins lay defeated.

The hunters sighed in relief.

Si-hyeon was about to say something when—

“Kehhehe!”

“Kikikik!”

More goblins emerged from the shadows.

And there were just as many as before.

At that moment, the leader instinctively took a step back.

He could feel death approaching.

They had barely managed to survive the first wave by exhausting every last bit of mana and strength.

Now, without even a moment to rest, they were facing the same number of goblins again?

His body and mind were already worn down.

This was impossible. There was no way they could survive.

Even if they somehow defeated these goblins, what if there was another wave after this?

They never should have come here. Greed had led them to make a fatal mistake. His poor judgment had doomed them all.

In that case, at least for the final moments...

He decided to go out with some dignity.

“Si-hyeon!”

“...?”

Without taking his eyes off the goblins, the leader shouted, his voice filled with fake bravado.

“We’ll clear the way to the exit! You can make it out alive!”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

The magic hunter screeched in disbelief.

This lunatic was spouting nonsense all of a sudden.

If they were going to survive, they should do it together. If they were going to die, they should die together.

How could he give up already and say only one person should escape?

And why her, not me?

He was out of his mind, no doubt about it.

She glared daggers at the leader.

But the leader paid no attention to her.

That brilliant talent he had seen—it couldn’t be wasted here. He had made the mistake of dragging her into this mess for his own gain, and now it was up to him to make amends.

He had to go out with honor, leaving behind an image of a strong, dependable man.

“If anyone should survive, it’s you, Si-hyeon!”

“I’ll help!”

“No, damn it!”

As the leader yelled, Han-gyeol stepped forward in agreement, ready to fight.

The magic hunter swore as she watched the two men’s ridiculous behavior.

But they both ignored her.

Meanwhile, Si-hyeon tilted her head, confused.

Why were they suddenly acting all heroic, like they were about to meet their end?

“Kerk... Kekh!”

She kicked away a charging goblin and began analyzing the situation more carefully.

She had only intended to pull her own weight, but apparently no one else had noticed what she had.

These goblins were fake.

Their bodies vanished when they were killed, and they didn’t drop any magic stones

.

The fact that she hadn’t noticed them when they entered the room...

These monsters hadn’t existed in the first place. They had just appeared out of nowhere.

“Do it while we hold them off!”

“As long as we’re holding the line!”

“Shut up and focus on the fight!”

Si-hyeon sighed. No one had figured out the trick.

She had no interest in playing along with this charade. If she let this drag on, they would only waste time.

It would draw a little more attention than she liked, but... It was better to deal with this quickly.

The sooner they finished, the sooner she could go home and have dinner with her sister.

“I’ll take care of this. Just hold them off for a while.”

“What?!”

“There’s no time for this kind of—”

“Oh, for crying out loud, she’s lost it too!”

They were loud. Too loud.

But judging by how much energy they still had, they should be able to hold out on their own.

She could take out all the goblins at once, but that would draw too much attention.

Better to play it safe.

Si-hyeon cast a stronger buff on herself, preparing to end the fight.