Chapter 153

 

‘Right, we had Tae Jae-heon ahead of us.’

I had momentarily forgotten after climbing several floors in a daze.

“…Do we really have to go up to the 7th floor? Can’t we just sleep here?”

“Are you serious? How can we sleep here?”

“Here… you mean?”

Even Cheong looked flustered as he glanced around. As he said, the area was nothing but a swamp filled with mud, with no place to step.

Well, even Seongsan-ha would have avoided it if he could.

The fact that he insisted on going to the 7th floor despite knowing Tae Jae-heon was there meant there was no better option for a base camp among the adjacent floors.

“Enough nonsense, let’s just go. The good spots are probably already taken, but if we look around, we might still find a decent place to stay.”

A small protest was quashed by Lim Dan, and we trudged along toward the warp as if being dragged.

As soon as we set foot on the 7th floor, a forest spread out before us—lush greenery and solid ground. It made me realize there really were no better alternatives, and with a pout, I followed behind Seong San-ha and Lim Dan.

As we passed through terrain that hadn’t fully recovered, the traces left by Tae Jae-hun became increasingly visible.

I grimaced at the sight of corpses—blackened and torn apart by beasts.
There were signs of runes and looting.

‘He really went wild here like it was his own backyard.’

He could’ve handled this quietly, but instead, he let those mutts loose and left this mess behind—it was a warning message meant for me.

“Crazy bastard…”

Lim Dan, who was walking ahead, looked back, thinking I was cursing at her.

“What did you say?”

“I was not talking to you.”

I grumbled and turned my eyes away from the monster corpses.

The group marching toward the distant mountains stopped in front of a river.

“If we cross this river, we’ll reach the base camp.”

“What about Hunter Kim Yeo-jin?”

“Not here yet. But it’s not far, so she’ll be back soon.”

Earlier, I saw a few hunters break off from the group and disappear somewhere—it looked like we were waiting for them.

As expected, the order came to wait for a moment.

I plopped down on a big rock, and Zero, who was standing next to me, handed me a sandwich.

“Boss, might as well fill up while we wait.”

“You brought something like this? Thanks. I’m touched.”

I was starving. Fresh food was a luxury that could only be enjoyed at the beginning of a dungeon expedition, so I gratefully took it and took a big bite.

Zero looked down at me with his round eyes, then smirked mischievously once he saw me chewing.

“What can I say? You’ll probably lose your appetite after meeting the Nox Guild Leader later, haha.”

“Ugh! Cough, …Pfft.”

There was no need to wait until later—my throat was already so tight I felt like I might choke. I glared with resentment as I chewed and swallowed the bread chunks stuffed in my mouth. Just then, I saw the hunters who had left earlier returning.

‘Are we about to move out again?’

I stood up, but everyone looked grim, exchanging serious words as if something had gone wrong.

“There’s only one base camp that can accommodate a group this size.”

“Can’t we just set up over in the basin?”

“That area is smack in the middle of a monster habitat.”

“How about we spread out a little and stay that way?”

“Don’t even think about it—what if the Nox bastards ambush us? We’d be done for.”

“What’s going on?”

The ones speaking turned to look at me. I raised my chin questioningly, and Cheong quietly explained.

“There were originally a few other places on this floor suitable for staying overnight besides the base camp, and we planned to use them. But it turns out they’ve all been destroyed.”

“…Don’t tell me it was Tae Jae-heon?”

Cheong nodded.

I turned instinctively to look at Seongsan-ha. It seemed like he had expected it as he didn’t look particularly shocked.

“We don’t have a choice. We’ll have to go to the base camp.”

After crossing the river, we soon reached a clearing in the middle of the forest where tents had been set up.

Sure enough, there were few monsters around, and the surrounding cliffs offered natural cover—ideal for spending the night.

I thought we’d run into Nox right away, but there were only empty tents. Not a soul around. Everyone looked puzzled as they glanced about.

“They haven’t arrived yet?”

“Maybe they went up to the 8th floor?”

“To find a place to sleep, you’d have to go all the way to the 10th. Not even Tae Jae-heon could make it there today.”

“It would be nice if he just died by accident.”

A monster like Tae Jae-heon dying was unlikely, but I clung to the small hope as I stepped into the base camp.

The tents, likely set up before the tower bounce, bore the Hunter Association’s logo and advertisements from various corporate sponsors. I found that a bit amusing.

‘They really put ads even in places like this. Well, at least my workshop needs this kind of gimmick—we’re doing fine.’

Everyone started picking tents and unpacking their gear. I wandered about, trying to decide where to settle.

Given the location, the tent interiors were sparse—just some basic furniture and field cots—but for inside a dungeon, we couldn’t complain.

I was looking for a tent slightly off to the side where I could sneak Cloud out later, when suddenly a system window popped up before my eyes.

「Master has used ‘Come Here’. Rushing to Master’s side.」

“This little bastard…”

At the same time, my feet started moving on their own.

I finally stopped in front of the innermost tent. Annoyed, I pulled back the curtain covering the entrance and stepped inside.

Seong San-ha looked back at me with a mock-surprised expression.

“Are you planning to sleep with me tonight?”

“You wanna die? You were the one who called me. What is it?”

I stared at him, clearly demanding an explanation. 

Seong San-ha casually tossed me a pillow.

“Sleep here.”

“No thanks. Why would I trust you with that? …Cloud, come here!”

Cloud must have realized it was just the two of us left in the tent, because he suddenly popped out and started bouncing around the space, bleating loudly.

“Mehhhhhh!”

Seong San-ha gave an annoyed tilt of his head.

“Seems like Hamaal approves.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Cloud, come here. Huh? Didn’t I tell you not to trust that guy?”

Cloud glanced at Seong San-ha, then tilted his head back and forth before rubbing up against my leg.

He probably wanted food, so I opened my inventory while muttering,

“My Cloud usually understands everything I say…”

“Mehhh—”

“Hamaal’s got a good eye, I see.”

“I’m going to make potions, so don’t bother me.”

“I’m about to start dinner, so wrap it up and come out later.”

Grumbling, I finally plopped down on the bed and unpacked my things.

I spread out the portable crafting tools Seung-yeon had given me and began sorting the ingredients I’d gathered on the way here.

While the materials themselves were new, what was odd was that several of them were showing a option—even though they didn’t have any poison attributes.

“…What’s going on here?”

The <Cursed Mouth of the Greedy>  item that Seongsan-ha had given me only allowed one item at a time, so I couldn’t tell whether this was a trait of the materials themselves or if something was wrong with the ones I’d collected.

I tapped the table as I looked over the laid-out ingredients.

‘Guess I’ll need to be careful when giving anything to Cloud too… I’d better gather more of the same materials just to be sure.’

Materials like the claws of a Lycanakamorph—unique drops from monsters only found in certain places—weren’t something I could easily get again.

What else could I collect around here?

I dug through my memory for anything I’d seen on the way and got up.

In the distance, the other hunters were busy prepping meals. From the way they were just starting to boil water, it was clear it’d take a while.

I glanced between Seong San-ha, who was off talking to the Cheon Rang crew, and the herbs growing along the cliff right behind the base camp.

I had weapons on me, and there was no way I’d act like a kid begging someone to come herb-picking with me.

Well, it’s not far. Nothing should happen.

Strapping my gear back on, I headed out.

But I hadn’t even taken a few steps when Cheong and Zero suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

“Whoa! What the…”

“Tae Jae-heon is in the same area. It’s dangerous—we’ll go with you.”

Here’s the English translation of this next section:

“It’s just a precaution. I’ve never been much for running away, you see. Heh heh.”

I scratched my head awkwardly, feeling a bit sheepish for being caught trying to sneak off alone.

“I wasn’t really trying to hide it. I was just going to gather some herbs right behind here and come back quickly.”

“I’ll come with you.”

“It’s not far, true. But still, it makes me uneasy to send Hunter Lim Cheong alone with someone. I’ve had… not-so-great experiences.”

“…Are you trying to die?”

Lim Cheong shot Zero a cold glare.

Well, they were asking to come along—no reason to say no. I gave a small nod.

“Alright then. Let’s be quick so we can eat dinner after.”

***

The cliff turned out to be a treasure trove, much more than I expected.

Not only did I find the materials I was looking for, but I also discovered some new minerals that made my eyes light up.

Using both hands and activating my gathering skill, the materials began stacking up neatly wherever I passed.

Zero, who was watching me in fascination, whistled as he noticed the golden glow around my hands.

“Truly incredible. Your speed… it doesn’t even seem human. No matter how many times I see it, it never stops being impressive.”

“I’m the Potion Master Kang Eui-jin. I don’t do much gathering these days, but that doesn’t mean I’m not good at it.”

While I gathered and talked, the materials had already piled up into a huge bundle.

Since you can’t put things back into the bag item once they’re removed, I had to carefully calculate what to pack. My regular inventory had been full for ages, so I had to carry the rest by hand like some kind of primitive scavenger.

I was about to wrap up when suddenly Cheong stepped in front of me and drew her sword.

“Cheong…?”

“Get behind me.”

From where her sword was pointed, Tae Jae-heon slowly emerged.

“…Tae Jae-heon.”