Everyone was a little dazed by the battle ending in just five minutes, but the atmosphere wasn’t bad.
People had been secretly tense, since it was the country’s first S-rank Great Dungeon. But thanks to the S-ranks handling the monsters so smoothly, the pressure had eased.
“Team Leader, please take a look at this.”
Park Minhyuk, who had been checking for potential injuries and helping with cleanup, walked over to a Hunter analyzing a monster corpse.
“You can faintly see it on the monster’s shoulder, right? A number.”
When he looked where the Hunter pointed, there really was a number stamped into the monster’s shoulder like a tattoo.
“01... is that what it says?”
“Yes. Usually, when something’s carved onto a monster, it ends up being a hint. Maybe it’s the same this time?”
“There’s a good chance.”
Park Minhyuk stroked his lips, mentally repeating the number ‘01’.
Numbers or letters found inside dungeons often turned out to be indicators of zones. Zone 1, Zone A—like that.
‘Maybe the moving walls are connected to these numbers?’
Wouldn’t hurt to check. Right now, they had no idea how to navigate this maze, so they had to cling to whatever leads they could find.
The government-affiliated Hunters who had entered the dungeon with Park Minhyuk dispersed after receiving orders. It didn’t take long before quick reports started coming in.
“We’ve confirmed numbers on the walls!”
“All of them were found in the bottom left corner. They weren’t there earlier, so we assume they appeared after the monsters spawned.”
“Team Leader, there’s a wall over there with the number ‘02’ carved into it. The entire section beyond that wall is labeled ‘02’.”
“Then that’s the right path.”
“Confirmed.”
Finally, they’d found a clue to escape the maze. As the team cheered, Park Minhyuk let out a sigh of relief.
‘The problem is that we have to go through a monster wave each time we exit a zone.’
Since the numbers only appeared after monsters had spawned, it meant they’d have to endure a wave for every zone they passed through before escaping the maze.
Still, this information put them in a much better position. Sharing it with the rest would only lift morale further.
After instructing someone to spread the news, Park Minhyuk made his way to the three S-ranks.
He wanted to personally report the findings to the trio who had just demonstrated such overwhelming strength in the recent battle.
While scanning the area for them, he spotted Cha Seohu’s face first—and right in front of him were three familiar backs of heads, lined up in a row.
“Did you do that on purpose to screw me over or what?”
Cha Seohu questioned with a sweet smile that did nothing to soften his sharp tone. The three men bowed their heads even lower.
“That’s not it...”
“It just kind of happened...”
“We’re sorry...”
Kwon Taehyuk, Ryu Sunghyun, and Song Jiwoon all rushed to offer excuses and apologies like they’d been waiting for the scolding.
“I did ask you to help test my skill performance, but this was a bit much. I think a few people have already started to get suspicious.”
“Hmm...”
“We’ll need to hide the fact that you were buffed as much as possible.”
Unfortunately, contrary to Cha Seohu’s intention, Park Minhyuk—whose S-rank hearing picked up the entire conversation—stood there in disbelief.
‘What the hell...’
Even if he hadn't meant to eavesdrop, he couldn't help being dumbfounded.
Он легко восстановил картину произошедшего. То есть, грубо говоря... эти трое крошили монстров в капусту, как рыбы в воде, только благодаря баффу Ча Соху.
‘But it should’ve been just a B-rank buff.’
There’s a reason someone gets a B-rank. Especially with his affiliation to the government, Park Minhyuk knew the ranking criteria in detail.
If the buff quality is lacking, or if the energy output is insufficient, or if any aspect is below average, it’s marked as B-rank.
If all factors are average or slightly above, it’s A-rank. If they’re overwhelmingly superior, it’s S-rank.
Of course, since skills vary from person to person, the rankings aren’t absolute, but the criteria are clear.
Cha Seohu was officially a B-rank buffer, which meant at least one of his skill metrics was below average. And yet here he was, scolding S-ranks.
Park Minhyuk, ever the upright type, never imagined Cha Seohu would falsify his ranking. Clicking his tongue inwardly, he approached the group.
Cha Seohu, noticing him before he could say anything more, abruptly clammed up and feigned innocence.
On the other hand, the three S-ranks shot warning glares toward Park Minhyuk. It was honestly ridiculous.
“...We’ve found a core piece of information related to the maze.”
Park Minhyuk explained what he had discovered from the monster corpses.
Everyone would find out soon enough anyway, so he briefed them on the spot.
“So we’ll have to withstand monster waves continuously while exiting the maze.”
“With the maze being too vast for the aerial team to fully scout, we’ll likely have to endure at least ten waves.”
“Still, the fact that we’ve found a way forward is good news.”
At least their reaction to dungeon strategy was normal. Park Minhyuk nodded quietly and gestured toward the crowd.
“Let’s gather and hold a meeting. There are a lot of details to finalize before entering Zone 2.”
It was a not-so-subtle hint for the three of them to stop clinging to Cha Seohu and come join the briefing.
“Understood. We’ll be there soon.”
Kwon Taehyuk reluctantly replied in place of the tight-lipped Ryu Sunghyun and Song Jiwoon.
He clearly didn’t want to go either, but as Guildmaster of Yesung, he had no choice.
‘Was he always like this?’
Park Minhyuk had worked with Kwon Taehyuk many times before, but this side of him was new. Honestly, he preferred the old, stiff version.
“Don’t be late.”
Watching the three S-ranks dawdle near Cha Seohu like lovesick puppies, Park Minhyuk left a final warning and turned to go.
“Team Leader Park Minhyuk.”
His name was suddenly spoken in an unexpectedly gentle tone.
Startled, Park Minhyuk turned his head. Cha Seohu was looking at him with that usual sly smile.
“Would you like a buff?”
“...Excuse me?”
He thought he misheard. Reflexively asking again, Cha Seohu repeated himself, his eyes curving up playfully.
“A buff. Would you like one?”
The offer surprised not only Park Minhyuk but also the three S-ranks nearby.
“Cha Seohu Hunter?”
“Why all of a sudden...?”
Everyone except the offerer and recipient looked flustered, bordering on panicked. Seeing that, Park Minhyuk changed his mind about turning it down.
To be honest, he was curious. What kind of buff could a B-rank Supporter possibly offer that made three S-ranks act like this? It was a strange curiosity, but real.
‘Just what kind of buff is it?’
With that question lodged in his mind, he impulsively replied.
“I’ll accept it.”
As soon as he said it, he could feel sharp stares pierce into him from all sides. He was ready, but it was tense nonetheless.
“Give me your hand.”
Cha Seohu chuckled softly and extended his hand toward Park Minhyuk.
The offered hand was white, neat, and strangely elegant. What kind of guy has hands like this?
‘So his skill only works through physical contact, huh.’
Skill activation methods varied from person to person. Using touch wasn’t common, but not unheard of either.
“...?”
Park Minhyuk, reaching out for a handshake, looked confused when Cha Seohu didn’t take his palm but instead gripped just one of his fingers.
When their eyes met, black irises gleamed under long lashes.
Zzzzt!
“Ugh...!”
A sharp, electric-like current surged from his index finger, coursing through his entire body. It felt like static—hot and intense—a completely unfamiliar sensation.
Then, his fatigue vanished, and a dormant energy pulsed through his chest. It was the effect of the buff.
He awkwardly rubbed at his chest as Cha Seohu let go of his finger and spoke.
“Not bad, right?”
“...Ah, yes. Thank you.”
“No problem. You’re the raid team’s leader—giving you a buff is the least I can do.”
His tone was mischievous and cheerful, completely unlike Park Minhyuk’s calculated nature.
“Ahem.”
Feeling oddly self-conscious, Park Minhyuk cleared his throat, nodded, and walked away.
As soon as he did, the three S-ranks, who had been staring daggers at him the whole time, erupted.
“Cha Seohu Hunter, was that really okay?”
“What if he figures something out...?”
“Park Minhyuk is government-affiliated. If he reports anything, things could get very complicated.”
It was unclear if they were concerned or complaining.
Cha Seohu glanced at Kwon Taehyuk, Song Jiwoon, and Ryu Sunghyun in order and shrugged like it didn’t matter.
“It’s fine. I only grabbed one finger on purpose.”
“...On purpose?”
“He’s already suspicious of me, so better to give him a buff and clear up the ‘misunderstanding’. Since I only touched one finger, the buff was weaker than it would’ve been with a handshake. It’ll only last about... three minutes.”
It would probably feel like a typical ‘B-rank buff’ to Park Minhyuk. The duration was absurdly short, but for someone suspicious like him, that ★ Novelight ★ was ideal.
“Still, we’ll have to be more careful with our next buff. Now that Park Minhyuk knows my skill requires touch, we need to be subtle. I’ll leave that to the Guildmaster. You brought the camper van, right? Let’s use that.”
Cha Seohu winked at Kwon Taehyuk.
The suggestion to secretly pass buffs in the camper—and the wink that came with it—turned the tips of Kwon Taehyuk’s ears red. Ryu Sunghyun and Song Jiwoon didn’t object either.
Cha Seohu gave them all a dry, unimpressed look for being so bashful despite their size, then sank into thought.
He was recalling the performance test they’d run before he scolded them.
‘They said it was way stronger than when I shook hands.’
It wasn’t just about duration. The more skin contact, the more effective the skill. That’s why he had only gripped a finger for Park Minhyuk.
‘In the camper van, we won’t have to worry about people watching.’
Wouldn’t it be worth trying something more than just a hug?
‘It’d be a waste to miss this opportunity.’
When else would he have the chance to go into a dungeon with all three S-ranks at once?
Yeah, let’s do it.
Cha Seohu, having made up his mind all on his own, began seriously contemplating how to upgrade the physical contact.

Comments

Loading...