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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: Thorn Prairie (3)
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['Joo Tae-hee' has been changed to 'Joo Tae-rin'.]
"Just clear the dungeon quietly and leave. Then I'll continue to overlook things, like now."
Joo Tae-rin, provoked by Shin Se-hee, couldn't utter a single word and was forced to enter the dungeon with her lips tightly sealed.
And for good reason...
"Captain, I really don't think this is right... We got caught by Cheonhwa during that transaction before, didn't we? That's why we're in this mess."
Indeed.
Sometime ago, they had engaged in illegal byproduct trading at a Gate.
Gates, where electronic devices don't function, were the perfect environment for such clandestine deals.
It was foolish not to take advantage of a single transaction that yielded overwhelming profit, far more than endless monster hunting.
However, the problem was that Shin Se-hee had discovered them in the act.
What's more, the transaction wasn't just any ordinary deal; it involved the powder of the Laplace Flower, a raw material for drugs, making it a serious felony.
Cheonhwa held this as leverage, thoroughly pressuring Joo Tae-rin and her party members.
'…I should have dealt with Cheonhwa back then.'
But with the Shin family backing her, and her own abilities being nothing to scoff at,
they had been forced to tread carefully, only clearing low-grade dungeons until now.
"But if we do anything to them and get caught... Cheonhwa will expose us, won't she...!"
The dealer, who had been tormented by Shin Se-hee and experienced her terror firsthand, spoke with a voice full of dread.
Joo Tae-rin was not unaware of that anxiety.
'I really should have dealt with Shin Se-hee somehow back then...'
But it was too late for regrets now.
"I know for sure now."
Joo Tae-rin hardened her expression and spoke.
"...That bitch has no intention of letting us go, no matter how much we humble ourselves."
"So, we all die together...?"
"Does anyone here truly know about the Shin family?"
To free herself from the weakness Shin Se-hee held over her, she had been personally investigating for a considerable time.
"Don't you think it's strange?"
Joo Tae-rin's deduction was as follows:
Shin Se-hee, who had been desperate to prove herself, suddenly stepped back and took on the management of a party.
Even after successfully recruiting Kang Do-hee.
Cheonhwa refused such a golden opportunity to elevate her own reputation?
This was clearly unusual.
"The Shin family has given her a test."
"...A test?"
"Yes, Shin Se-hee is in a competitive relationship with Shin Soo-yeon, the Shin family's eldest. But as everyone knows, Shin Se-hee can never defeat Shin Soo-yeon in terms of combat power."
At that, the party members nodded.
Even if Shin Se-hee was called a promising next-generation hunter, it didn't mean she would surpass Shin Soo-yeon, an active S-rank hunter.
She was merely acknowledged by those around her as a scion of a prestigious hunter family, which was enough.
"So, she tried to appeal in a different way, not through combat power."
"...Ah. Wait, then what about the man who became the party leader this time?"
"He's probably the son of a wealthy magnate. An awakened individual, but one with insignificant abilities."
"Then, making him the party leader..."
"Yes, the Shin family made a deal, taking money in exchange for making that man a hero. The Shin family pretends to be clean, but in truth, they're even shadier than us behind the scenes."
A light of understanding dawned in the party members' eyes.
At least, no one here would dispute that the Shin family was shadier than their own guild, Darkness.
Suddenly, the dealer cried out, his face pale.
"W-wait, Captain! Then we shouldn't touch them! We'd be messing with the Shin family, not just Shin Se-hee!"
"When did I say we would 'touch' them?"
Saying that, she pulled out a bottle from her pocket, filled with a shimmering green liquid.
She had intended to resume her illegal dealings while Cheonhwa was at the Academy.
This was a sample she had received from a client.
'Bewitching Incense.'
It was a drug that lured monsters and made them lose their will to fight.
Of course, it had the drawback of wearing off quickly with even a slight stimulus, but that was no problem now.
The dealer's eyes widened.
"That's what the client gave us this time...!?"
"Yes, we'll use this to lure monsters and make them attack them. Then, while they're fighting, we'll immediately turn back and clear our own route. It's common to go over time when clearing a dungeon, isn't it?"
Joo Tae-rin offered a wry smile.
"And the Shin family will hold Shin Se-hee directly responsible for the failure of this dungeon run."
*Hiss—*
Joo Tae-rin uncorked the Bewitching Incense and lit the wick sprouting from the bottle's opening.
*Whoosh—*
As the flame went out,
an eerie green smoke slowly began to spread in all directions.
"Special Wind Magic. Spread it as wide as possible."
"Oh, okay."
Following her command, the mage standing behind her chanted a Wind Magic spell.
A gentle breeze rose, and the smoke began to disperse widely.
And after a short while.
*Rumble—*
*Grind—*
A rumbling sound came from the ground, from the side paths of the route.
It was the sound of Black Hedgehogs, drawn by the Bewitching Incense, heading towards the source of the scent.
Joo Tae-rin gazed with cold eyes at the approaching horde of monsters.
One Black Hedgehog, seemingly the closest, came right up to them.
It seemed to have lost its aggression; its red eyes had lost their light and were unfocused, hazy.
"As expected for a sample... The performance is definitely reliable. Let's move out then! At a slightly faster pace."
Joo Tae-rin led her party members and began to track the route Jin Yu-ha had taken.
*
As they walked, burning the Bewitching Incense, Black Hedgehogs followed them one by one like zombies.
"Is this all Kang Do-hee's work...?"
Joo Tae-rin couldn't help but harden her expression as she encountered the first traces left by the Utopia party.
The exploded bodies of Black Hedgehogs were strewn everywhere.
And the ground was stained with dried, dark red blood, as if it had seeped out.
Among them, Joo Tae-rin, carefully observing the dried blood on the ground, let out a hollow laugh.
"Ha, I see. So he wasn't completely useless after all. Or rather, he is useless, but he wanted to show that he could at least contribute something, is that it?"
"What do you mean, Captain?"
"I've figured out why Cheonhwa chose this as their first clearing ground."
"What?"
"That party leader, Jin Yu-ha, has Detection as his characteristic ability."
"...Detection!?"
Joo Tae-rin nodded.
"First, all the Black Hedgehogs on the surface are dead, each one having exploded somewhere."
"...Uh, yeah."
"That's all Kang Do-hee's work."
Joo Tae-rin grimaced at the rough and savage traces.
"And this."
She then pointed to the bloodstains on the ground.
"If you look here, there's a hole where a sword was thrust in."
The party members narrowed their eyes and looked at the traces. Indeed, there were marks indicating something had been deeply impaled.
"That means Jin Yu-ha only caught the Black Hedgehogs that were ambushing them. While being thoroughly protected from behind."
"Ah..."
As they faced the evidence supporting her claims, the party members, who had been feeling anxious, relaxed their expressions.
They had been particularly concerned because Shin Se-hee had stated in an interview that Jin Yu-ha, the party leader, was stronger than Kang Do-hee.
"In other words, Kang Do-hee is responsible for the actual combat power. Jin Yu-ha is useless, except for Detection."
"Heh heh, then we can really get one over on Cheonhwa, can't we...!?"
Even the dealer, who had been anxious just moments ago, added, sounding expectant.
"Yes, the Shin family is cold, even to their own blood. Shin Se-hee won't get off lightly, I can tell you that."
* * *
*Rumble, rumble—*
It had been hours since they started running, wafting the Bewitching Incense.
Now, the Black Hedgehogs following them numbered almost a hundred.
A strong sense of pressure was felt from behind.
Joo Tae-rin's eyes trembled.
'…They've already progressed this far?'
They had been running without a single combat encounter, yet Jin Yu-ha's party was still nowhere in sight.
Only the corpses of monsters, stripped of their magic stones and thorns, indicated that they had passed through here.
'If this continues... it's not good...'
Originally, their plan was to unleash these monsters on Jin Yu-ha's party, then quickly return to their original route.
They needed to avoid suspicion.
Going any further would make it difficult to establish an alibi.
But now, there was no stopping.
Joo Tae-rin's back was slick with cold sweat, unsure when the Bewitching Incense would run out.
"C-Captain?"
"Hmm?"
"This place... it's strange. This should be the route we cleared before, but why does it feel so unfamiliar...?"
At the dealer's flustered words, Joo Tae-rin looked around.
And realizing that she was in a completely unfamiliar place, her face hardened.
"...Did they take the wrong path?"
She muttered to herself without realizing it.
"No, this is the right path."
Suddenly, someone's voice interjected into her soliloquy.
"...!?"
She whipped her head around.
A short distance away,
a man stood smiling, as if he had been waiting.
"Welcome. Is this your first time in the unknown?"