IEUST 10

Chapter 10

The blood on the back of the blade did not come off easily with a rough wipe.

Chaeho ran the sword over a scrap of cloth lying on the ground one more time before sliding it into its sheath. The cave was so deathly quiet that the metallic scrape of the blade being sheathed rang out unusually loudly.

“Is everyone not moving?”

At Chaeho’s indifferent question, the party members, who had been frozen in place, finally jolted back to their senses.

“Ah, yes! We should move. We’re not far from the boss room.”

Choi Minseok hurriedly picked up his shield and took the lead.

But the atmosphere of the formation had subtly changed from before.

No one dared speak casually to Chaeho anymore. The vanguard members who had initially thought of him as a porter they needed to protect were now quietly watching his movements and making way for him.

Even the mage kept glancing back at him, their eyes filled with awe.

The headache still hasn’t completely gone away.

Chaeho pressed down on his faintly throbbing temple.

It was the aftereffect of activating his skill for about 0.7 seconds and twisting the trajectory of the monster’s charge. The pain wasn’t severe, but there was no helping the fatigue that was beginning to set in.

Ignoring the gazes around him, he simply continued walking in silence.

Before long, a massive iron door appeared. Beyond it lay the boss room where the master of this C-rank dungeon awaited them.

“Be thoroughly prepared. There’s no guarantee we won’t encounter another variable like the one just now.”

At Choi Minseok’s grim voice, everyone tightened their grip on their weapons.

Creeeak.

The iron door opened, and the battle began.

The boss was an Armored Bear with a massive, imposing body. Every swing of its forepaw possessed enough destructive force to shatter the stone floor, but to Chaeho’s eyes, it was nothing more than a slow and predictable beast.

Time Deceleration.

For the briefest instant, the world slowed down.

Chaeho didn’t bother aiming directly for the boss’s neck.

There was no need.

He glanced at the trajectory of the bear’s forepaw as its weight shifted forward, then lightly kicked up a large stone lying on the ground.

Thud!

The stone struck the joint of the bear’s hind leg with pinpoint accuracy before bouncing away.

As the world returned to normal speed, the bear’s posture collapsed dramatically.

It had lost its balance at the exact moment it was raising its forepaw to strike, leaving its defenses completely exposed.

“Now!”

Chaeho shouted briefly.

Choi Minseok wasn’t the kind of person to miss such an opportunity.

As he slammed his shield upward into the bear’s jaw, the spearmen’s attacks pierced into the beast’s chest like daggers.

“Graaaagh!”

The mage’s fireball delivered the finishing blow.

Engulfed in flames, the boss crashed heavily to the ground.

The battle ended almost absurdly cleanly.

The party members panted heavily, looking back and forth between the fallen boss and their weapons.

“What happened? Why did the boss suddenly stagger?”

“Exactly. I didn’t expect my spear to go in that easily.”

Amid the bewildered chatter of the party members, only Choi Minseok quietly stared at Chaeho.

The perfect timing. The incredible angle.

Someone had subtly created a crack at precisely the point where the boss’s attack was supposed to flow most smoothly.

Choi Minseok swallowed dryly.

He had the overwhelming realization that this hunt he was leading as party leader was, in truth, revolving entirely in the palm of the man standing behind them.

“Situation’s over. Let’s collect the magic stones and get out.”

Chaeho turned around indifferently as he spoke.

No one had anything to say in response.

It was already getting dark outside the gate.

The party emerged into the cold evening wind and gathered in one corner of the parking lot to organize their equipment.

The party members repeatedly bowed and thanked Chaeho for his hard work. Some even approached him cautiously to hand him their business cards or asked him to join their party again next time.

Chaeho simply smiled politely and packed up his belongings.

Just then, Choi Minseok approached him briskly, holding a tablet PC.

“Hunter Lee Chaeho. Do you have a moment?”

The curt attitude he had shown when they first met was nowhere to be found.

Seeing him standing perfectly straight and speaking with such respectful formality was almost unfamiliar.

“Yes. What is it?”

Choi Minseok turned the tablet screen toward Chaeho.

It was the settlement statement.

“This is your payment for the raid. Please take a look.”

Chaeho’s gaze stopped at the number displayed at the very bottom of the screen.

It was enough to make him question his own eyes.

The amount was on an entirely different scale from the paltry sums he had received at his previous party while doing all sorts of menial porter work and taking care of everyone’s errands.

“This is much more than the share we originally agreed on.”

“Of course it is. Without your contribution, our party would have been half wiped out or completely annihilated when we encountered the mutated orcs. We maximized the hazard pay and additional contribution percentage when calculating your share.”

Choi Minseok spoke firmly.

“Even this is actually on the low side considering your abilities, Hunter. I’m sorry that this is the limit of what I can give you using my authority as party leader.”

Chaeho didn’t bother refusing and simply nodded.

It was fair compensation for the work he had done.

“I’ll accept it gratefully.”

Just as he was about to leave, Choi Minseok hurriedly called him back.

“Um, Hunter.”

“Yes?”

“What does your schedule look like for the time being? If you don’t mind, I’d like you to join our party as a permanent member.”

There was an earnest look in Choi Minseok’s eyes.

Using someone with such incredible abilities as a temporary party member just once and then letting him go would practically amount to dereliction of duty on his part as party leader.

But Chaeho had already made up his mind.

“Thank you very much for the offer, but I don’t plan on joining a permanent party for the time being.”

“Are the terms not to your liking? We can adjust the settlement percentage however you want.”

“It’s not about the money.”

Chaeho answered calmly.

“I still have a lot of room to improve. I want to gain experience by facing various monsters in different environments. If I’m tied exclusively to one party, I won’t have enough time to train.”

Choi Minseok was left speechless.

Even after displaying such terrifying movements, Chaeho still claimed that he needed more training and experience.

It was difficult to comprehend, but Chaeho’s eyes were so serious that Minseok couldn’t bring himself to pressure him any further.

“That’s a shame. It really is.”

Choi Minseok lowered his head with a genuinely disappointed expression.

“If I get the chance, I’ll contact you again. You worked hard today.”

“Yes. You did too.”

Chaeho gave him a light bow before turning away.

His footsteps as he walked away from the gate were much lighter than when he had entered the dungeon.

After returning home, Chaeho headed straight for the bathroom and turned on the hot water.

Standing beneath the shower, he washed away the smells of moss and blood that clung to his body.

After drying himself off and stepping into the living room, he took a bottle of water from the refrigerator and gulped it down before picking up his smartphone.

The first thing he did was open his banking app.

The settlement payment Choi Minseok had shown him earlier had already been deposited in full.

Without hesitation, Chaeho transferred a substantial portion of the money to his parents’ account.

In addition to the medical examination fees and truck repair costs he had already sent them, it was enough to comfortably cover their living expenses for the time being, as well as future hospital bills.

Less than a minute after he pressed the transfer button, his smartphone began ringing loudly.

As expected, the caller was his mother.

Chaeho cleared his throat once before answering.

“Yes, Mom.”

—Son, what is this money? Why did you send me so much?

There was more concern than happiness in his mother’s voice over the phone.

—You’re not doing something dangerous again, are you? You said you left your previous party. You didn’t get involved in some strange place because you were trying to make money quickly, did you?

A faint smile spread across Chaeho’s lips.

That was what parents were like.

When their child sent them a large sum of money, their first thought wasn’t joy, but worry that their child might get hurt.

“No, it’s nothing like that. Don’t worry.”

—Then where did all this money come from? It’s much more than what you usually send us.

“This hunt happened to go really well. We got quite a few good magic stones from the dungeon, and the party leader gave me a bonus because I worked hard.”

—Really? You’re not hurt anywhere?

“I’m perfectly fine. I just ate, too.”

—That’s a relief. You have plenty of things to spend money on yourself. Why did you send us this much? You need to repair your equipment too, don’t you?

“I already set aside everything I need for myself, so don’t worry and just use it. Check that Dad’s truck is okay after the repairs, and make sure the two of you treat yourselves to something good to eat.”

—All right. Don’t skip your meals, and always be careful. Don’t push yourself too hard.

“Yes, I’ll be careful. I’ll hang up now.”

After ending the call, Chaeho placed his smartphone on the table and plopped down onto the edge of his bed.