Chapter 60: Chapter 60

After stepping out of the car, I silently followed the manager, keeping close behind.

The conversation proceeded smoothly, and before I knew it, I was naturally included in the rear party.

Of course, it wasn’t without a hitch.

“Foreigner, you say?”

The man introduced as Kang Cheol-min, the leader of the rear party, looked directly at me.

He was said to be an S-rank hunter from the Cheongrim Guild. A hulking man clad in flashy, high-grade gear from head to toe.

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

“Yes, he can handle basic communication well enough. Isn’t that right?”

I nodded. If necessary, I could use a voice alteration spell, though I planned to avoid speaking unless absolutely required.

…It’s not like this situation was new to me, having worn a nun’s habit every day back then.

Of course, the reasons then were quite different from now.

“Hmph, fine. I’ll assign you to the rear position.”

His arrogant gaze lingered on me briefly before turning away.

I watched him walk off, then turned to the manager.

“I’ll be returning to my duties now. I still have to keep my end of today’s arrangements.”

Nod, nod.

“Well then, I wish you success in your raid.”

The manager headed back to the car, leaving me with the rear party hunters.

I waited idly at a slight distance from the group until—

“Alright, let’s move out!”

Along with the others, I entered the A-rank undead dungeon.

The dungeon exuded a uniquely eerie atmosphere, with a dense concentration of mana hanging in the air.

Following the Cheongrim Guild leader’s instructions, everyone assumed their positions.

About half of the rear party seemed to belong to the same guild, judging by how familiar they were with each other while setting up.

Most of them took the vanguard, while I was placed in the rear.

That suited me perfectly since I didn’t plan to step in unless something major happened.

“This way!”

A rogue led the way, someone who had reportedly participated in reconnaissance after the incident.

Following his guidance, we began to see traces of the previous battles.

“Ugh, undead corpses are always so disgusting.”

“Tell me about it.”

“The boss will definitely be connected to all this, right?”

“Please, let’s hope nothing too weird shows up…”

I walked alongside them, listening to their murmured conversations.

As we swiftly moved forward, we encountered a group of skeletons, freshly reanimated in relatively intact condition.

As expected of an A-rank dungeon.

The skeletons included warriors, archers, and mages, arranged in proper formations.

Scattered among them were enhanced variants.

“Let’s clear them quickly and rejoin the others!”

“Understood!”

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

“Hyahhh!”

**Boom—!**

**Crash—!**

Each swing of his massive hammer left craters in the ground, and the skeletons shattered into clouds of bone dust.

Archers and mages focused their attacks on Kang Cheol-min, who had charged ahead.

“Haha! Not a scratch!”

His flashy equipment blocked every attack without leaving a single mark.

It was as if he was inviting them to target him, thrashing about wildly.

Behind him, the other hunters maintained their formation, continuing the fight.

Since the skeletons weren’t fully restored, the battle didn’t take long to conclude.

“No time to waste! Let’s keep moving!”

“Yes, sir!”

With a spirited shout, the hunters began marching again. I followed, keeping up with their brisk pace.

Thanks to the vanguard clearing the path ahead, we only encountered sporadic battles, spending most of the time delving deeper into the dungeon.

After another brief skirmish, a short break was called.

A female magic hunter plopped down nearby and spoke.

“Ugh… The deeper we go, the more I feel chills down my spine. The mana concentration here is overwhelming…”

“Right? So it wasn’t just me.”

Another hunter nodded in agreement.

The woman shuddered as if to emphasize her point.

“Gah… Do you think there’s really an S-rank dungeon hidden deeper in?”

“With four S-rank hunters in the main team, I’m sure they’ll handle it!”

“Y-Yeah, you’re probably right!”

It seemed like everyone was trying to shake off their nerves by chatting here and there.

Suddenly, I felt someone’s gaze on me. Turning my head, I saw the magic hunter looking in my direction.

“...?”

Curious, I tilted my head slightly, and she spoke up.  @@novelbin@@

“You understand Korean, right?”

I nodded lightly, waiting for her to continue.

“Oh, uh, nothing much. I was just wondering what your role is since you haven’t joined any of the fights.”

Ah, so that’s why she approached me. It made sense.

Since everything had been proceeding smoothly, I hadn’t needed to step in.

But from their perspective, I probably looked like some idle, useless burden.

I couldn’t let that impression linger.

Pulling out the sword I hadn’t bothered to use from the bracelet, I swung it once in a clean arc, then gestured between myself and her.

“Oh, so you’re here to guard us?”

I nodded.

“Hmm, I see. But then, what’s your rank—”

“Let’s move out!”

Before she could ask further, the loud voice of a burly man interrupted, prompting everyone to rise quickly.

The magic hunter, too, stood up, giving me a slight nod before ending the conversation.

The party began moving deeper into the dungeon.

Following them, I mulled over a vague sense of familiarity creeping in.

…Hmm. Ambiguous.

Shaking my head to dispel the feeling, I focused on keeping pace with the others.

***

Amid the grueling march of the rear party, the female magic hunter turned her head slightly, glancing at the woman following silently behind.

“…She’s a woman, right?”

Her assumption about the other’s gender was based solely on height.

The completely concealing nun’s habit could almost be mistaken for a priest’s robe at a glance.

The woman hadn’t spoken a single word since entering the dungeon, nor had she taken any notable actions.

Yet, despite this, she didn’t seem like dead weight either.

“There’s something reassuring about her.”

The deeper they ventured into the dungeon, the more the oppressive mana concentration bore down on everyone, herself included.

But there were only two individuals who seemed utterly unaffected by the dungeon’s atmosphere:

Kang Cheol-min, the leader of the rear party and S-rank hunter of the Cheongrim Guild.

And the silent woman in the nun’s habit who followed closely at the rear.

Once this realization struck, the woman felt oddly reassured, almost comforted.

And that sense of security wasn’t misplaced.

Although battles were infrequent, the rear party lacked the number of high-ranking hunters present in the vanguard.

As a result, an emergency situation arose.

“Damn it, what do we do if they break through?”

“Rear guard! Stay alert!”

“Keep up, quickly—!”

Beast-type undead charged headlong into the vanguard, absorbing their attacks with their bodies.

Some fell immediately, but not all of them were stopped.

“Respond calmly!”

“A-Attack!”

The rear-guard hunters hastily activated their skills.

Flashing spells rained down on the beasts in a rushed attempt to suppress them.

However, hurriedly cast spells lacked the necessary power.

One defining trait of undead monsters is their immunity to pain.

Taking full advantage of this, the beasts charged relentlessly, unbothered by the attacks.

“Grrrk, kyaaaak—!”

The first beast reached the rear line, emitting a low, eerie sound, like it was scraping its throat. It lunged at one of the rear-guard hunters.

“Kyaaah?!”

“Ahhh!”

Cries of terror erupted from the hunters in the beast’s path.

In that instant—

Schlick—

Thud.

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

It happened so quickly that no one could comprehend what had occurred.

All eyes turned to the one who had stepped forward.

The woman in the nun’s habit stood calmly at the forefront of the rear guard.

“Grrrr!”

“Screeech—!”

More beasts charged toward her, their decaying flesh and exposed teeth emitting guttural, ominous noises.

This time, multiple undead beasts attacked simultaneously.

But the result didn’t change.

“Whoa…”

“Wow…”

The hunters widened their eyes, captivated by the nun’s movements.

She raised her sword with calm precision.

As the first beast lunged—

Swish——

Her wrist flicked like lightning, slicing the beast cleanly in two.

Ignoring the collapsing creature behind her, the nun readjusted her stance.

Two beasts charged at her simultaneously.

She gracefully sidestepped and spun, her sword moving in a fluid arc.

Not a single movement was wasted. Each action was crisp and refined.

Schlick—, Thud.

With one motion, both beasts’ heads were severed and tumbled to the ground.

“….”

The woman straightened herself, her gaze fixed on the remaining beasts.

Despite being undead, creatures incapable of fear, they hesitated briefly.

The nun didn’t give them a chance to recover. She dashed forward with agility.

The beasts attempted to counterattack, but her sword was faster.

Twisting slightly, she slashed upward—

“Kyaaaak!”

—and then followed with a downward strike, cutting down another beast.

Now only one beast remained.

Unsurprisingly, the final strike took but a moment.

The rear-guard hunters stared at her in stunned silence.

The entire ordeal had happened so fast that they couldn’t even recall the details of the fight.

The scattered corpses of the beasts were the only testament to her prowess.

“Wow… She’s incredible.”

“No wonder the administrative manager rushed to bring her in!”

Their gazes turned to the nun, now filled with admiration and awe.

Meanwhile, the female magic hunter felt a sensation of being watched.

The veiled head of the nun turned slightly, its focus now on her.

Unconsciously, the magic hunter raised a thumb.

A thumbs-up.

The nun hesitated for a moment before lifting her sword-free hand in response.

A matching thumbs-up.

The delicate hand and fingers peeked out from beneath the hem of the habit’s sleeve.

The magic hunter smiled warmly. Though unseen, she felt certain that beneath the nun’s habit was a kind, sincere, and endearing woman.