Chapter 32: 32

Today, I met Jina for the first time since the incident where the Cave Black Bear appeared.

It was reported that the Hunters of the Dungeon Management Office, the people who were late in responding the last case, were all replaced. In addition, Jina was recognized for her quick work, so her affiliation was changed. From Hunter’s Assistant to the Emergency Dungeon Countermeasures Team, directly under Hunter Kang Hyunwoo. Hunter Kang Hyunwoo is so famous that I have even heard of his name. He is a role model for the public officials. Since she is directly under such a popular person, it is practically a promotion.

Still, now that she works almost exclusively at the main office, she doesn’t come to the Dungeon Gate often. Until now, I only contacted her through KakaoTalk, but I’ve been curious about something, so I invited her today after a long time.

However, Jina’s face was dark.

I thought she would feel better now because she’s done with Hunter’s Assistance…..

Deep dark circles, bloodshot eyes, and a sigh that flowed out unconsciously. It was about the same as when she first collapsed in front of this store.

“Jina-ssi, are you okay?”

“Ah … no. I’m fine.”

You don’t look fine….

“Are you busy with work?”

“It’s not like that, but I’m just a little worried about something….”

I quickly sat Jina in the chair. Then, I grabbed Lime, who was stuck in front of the oven, and placed it on her lap.

I thought that if she touched the chewy body, she would feel a little more comfortable. This slime’s body was addictive, the more you rubbed it, the more you want to rub it.

As expected, when she touched Lime, she couldn’t resist and began to fiddle it.

Rub, rub, rub….

After fiddling with Lime for a while, Jina opened her mouth.

“The truth is, my mother’s son is a Hunter.”

“Your mother’s son?”

“I mean my brother.”

“Ah….”

“A few years ago, he strangely changed his name and left home. And then he made an accident!”

Rub, rub, rub….

Perhaps she recalled a bad memory, the hand that touched Lime became rough.

“But he suddenly called me some time ago and boasted that he was going join a famous guild. After this, he will not be ignored in the future.”

Jina shook her head. It seems that the person she called oppa was quite a troublemaker.

“I hope he doesn’t get into trouble because it’s a famous guild or something. Hunters are really….!”

Jina, who let out a heavy sigh with a complaint, suddenly paused.

“Ah, I’m sorry. Rieul-ssi is a hunter, too.”

“Ahahaha….”

I told Jina that I had awakened. To be precise, she learned it naturally. It happened because I inquired about shop repair issues and tax issues.

Jina’s older brother was a hunter, too … I wondered if I would have a chance to meet him one day.

“But Rieul-ssi doesn’t seem like a hunter.”

“Is that so?”

“Oh! Uh, look, I mean, it’s not a bad thing! In a good way!”

Jina was taken aback and added an afterthought.

“Meooong, meoong (Isn’t it because you are weak)?”

I ignored Mieum.

It was a compliment that felt incredibly sincere as it passed by.

“But this place smells good? Umh… is it the smell of butter and sugar?”

Ding!

The cookies just happened to be all baked in the oven.

“I was working on a new menu. Would you like to try it?”

“That’s so nice!”

I opened the oven and checked the cookies. A savory smell sprang up. It is well baked golden-brown cookies. The shape did not spread or crumble, and it was shaped like a round rose.

[Item: Butter Cookie (★★★☆☆)

A golden brown buttered cookie.
Your coffee’s best friend.
Beware of similar products.]

Is it because I didn’t use the ‘Cafe in My Hand’ skill? The butter cookies have a status window, but no other effects are attached.

Of course, even without that effect, the dessert is great on its own.

“Waeeong yum?!”

“Be careful because it’s hot … ah, it’s already too late.”

Mieum, who was aiming for a cookie, straightened her hair. She seems surprised by the heat of the freshly baked cookies.

I prepared the coffee while I transferred the cookies to a plate and cooled them down. I’ll eat it with freshly baked hot cookies, so a cold coffee would be nice.

I made two iced Americanos and sat across the table.

The afternoon sun shining through the window was warm. It was a perfect time to enjoy a cold coffee.

I took a bite of the butter cookie first. The soft, not crumbly cookie melted down with a fragrant smell in my mouth.

This time, I took a sip of iced Americano.

Take another bite of the cookie, another sip of coffee….

As expected, I was right.

It means that Americano and cookies went very well together. Sweet and bitter. Coffee after a sweet dessert. It was a fantastic harmony.

“What do you think?”

Eating sweets relieves stress. Jina, who ate the butter cookies and drink her iced Americano, exclaimed.

“It’s really tasty!”

The golden gauge above the head also showed Jina’s satisfaction.

Tiling!

At that time, a system notification that I saw for the first time appeared in front of me.

[The condition has been met.
Combo bonus will be generated.

Combo: Afternoon Snack (Iced Americano, Butter Cookies)
Effect: Reduces stress.]

Ah, it really reduced the stress.

Perhaps thanks to the combo bonus, Jina looked more comfortable as if she had relieved some worries about her family.

After distributing the cookies to Mieum and Lime, I sat at the table, enjoyed the coffee and cookies, and brought up what I wanted to ask Jina.

“Jina-ssi, do you know about higher-attribute dungeons?”

“Yes?”

Sparkle. Jina’s eyes lit up.

“Rieul-ssi, you’re interested in dungeon, too!”

Umh, it’s not really like that….

But Jina opened her mouth with an excited expression.

Dungeons, hunters, and monsters have become common in this world, but not many people are interested in the dungeon itself. They only care about how to get rare items and how to clear the dungeon quickly. How the dungeon works and what the ecology is is out of interest.

“It’s really stupid.”

… Jina let out a sigh,

“The dungeon is an unknown land where undiscovered mysteries lie!”

As she said that, Jina’s face overflowed with life that was different from just now.

She entered the Dungeon Management Office because she liked dungeons. It was true love.

It was true that there was little information about the dungeon itself. So, it was even harder to find the information I was looking for.

I tried to find out about the dungeon where Choi Yichan was involved in the pre-regression past. If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. Gathering information about the dungeon may lead to new ways to avoid the future.

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However, the only thing I remember is the keyword ‘higher attribute dungeon’. It was difficult to find information about the dungeon with only this vague memory.

I also checked the Ether-Wiki, but….

[Ether-Wiki]

[Welcome to the encyclopedia of the dimensions cultivated by The Eligible.]

‘Higher attribute dungeon.’

[No results were found for your search.
Gather more information to make your encyclopedia more meaningful.]

“….”

The system didn’t help either.

As soon as I hit the wall,  I eventually decided to ask the person who was most interested in dungeons I knew; Jina.

“You know that there is such a thing as an ‘attribute dungeon’ among dungeons, right?”

“Yes.”

I’m actually hearing it for the first time now. But that’s not the point, so let’s move on.

Literally, it means a dungeon in which certain attribute appears strongly.

“Fire, wind, ice and poison are the most representative. If you don’t have the right armor or potion, you get attribute damage. If a particular ether becomes too strong in this attribute dungeon….”

“What will happen?”

“It transforms into a higher attribute dungeon.”

Jina continued her explanation.

“There are two high-level attributes: light and darkness. However, high-level dungeons are 100% dark attribute.”

“Why is that?”

“The light attribute only occurs when the dark ether is purified in a special way. Purification is impossible by human power. So, theoretically it exists, but has never been observed in practice.”

“I see….”

“And dark dungeons are very dangerous because they inflict dark damage to hunters. They could lose their life.”

“…”

According to Jina’s words, the dungeon in which Choi Yichan was involved before the regression would also be a dark dungeon … because they said the F-class dungeon has been transformed into a high-attribute dungeon.

Then, it would be nice to have an item that can block the dark attribute.

“Is there any way to nullify the dark damage?”

“Yes?”

Jina’s face turned pale.

“Huh, are you thinking of going into the dark dungeon? No, it’s not a place for a non-combat hunter!”

I waved my hand in surprise.

“No, I don’t mean to go in. I’m just curious.”

After reconfirming that I really had no intention of entering the dark dungeon, Jina continued.

“Well, the dark dungeon has not occurred in several years, so the related items are rare.”

“I see….”

“Even the amount of stocks has disappeared as a result of hoarding in illegal guilds. The main office is cracking down on it, but they’re so secretive that it’s hard to catch.”

“An illegal guild?”

The word I never heard before came out.

“It means a private guild that is not registered in the Dungeon Management Office. No, you can’t even call them guilds!”

Jina raised her voice as if she suddenly got angry.

As a result, Mieum, who was putting her front paws on the cookies on the plate, was surprised and took off her front paws. I pretended not to notice the cookie crumbs around her mouth.

“They do all kinds of vicious things, including smuggling and tax evasion. In particular, the guild called the Shin-Crown Party is given special caution.”

“Is it a dangerous guild?”

“It was there before the Dungeon Management Office was established.”

“That means….”

“That means it’s very wicked!”

Jina looked at me for support. I nodded at the force of it.

The current Dungeon Management Office was established 10 years ago. Prior to that, an institution called the Awakening Center was in charge of Hunter-related work.

However, there were many problems such as corruption and collusion, so it is said that the hunter world at the time was like a lawless zone. Slavery contracts, item smuggling, exploitation … all conceivable heinous things happened.

Back then, an F-class water body like me would have been rolled into a dungeon as a porter or ore slave. Well, I’m glad it’s gone now.

It was said that a guild called the Crown Party, which committed all sorts of illegal activities at that time, was active again under the name of the Shin-Crown Party.

After talking up to that point, Jina took out a thick book from her bag. It was a hard cover that was too thick to hold with one hand.

“I didn’t know that Rieul-ssi was interested in dungeons! Please refer to this Dungeon Ecology Encyclopedia for more detailed information. I will lend you this.”

“….Do you usually carry such a thick book?”

“Even though there are some ebooks, it’s easier to find what you’re looking for when you flip them by hand.”

Buk!

When I put the book down on the table, the sound was very heavy.

“….It’s also good for self-defense.”

Jina said that it’s okay to read it slowly and return it later, then she left the one-hit instrument … no, she left the Dungeon Ecology Encyclopedia with me.

Now that I’ve got it, I’ll give it a try. Maybe I can get some information….

“Then it goes back. Meooong.”

“Kyuu … kyuuuu!”

“Uh, heem….”

Huk, I fell asleep.

It was a book with a tremendous sleep effect.

***

My shoulders were stiff from falling asleep on the table. While rubbing my shoulders, I noticed that that Lime was missing again.

“Uh, where did Lime go?”

“Meoong (It went to the space).”

“What are you doing there….”

Is it taking a nap inside?

I went into the space beyond the wall to bring Lime out.

Yggdrasil, still with thick branches and lush leaves, greeted me. There were so many branches that even though I picked a lot of coffee fruits, it didn’t seem to have shrunk at all.

“Lime-ah, where are you?”

“Kyuu, kyuuuu!”

Lime was crying in the small space behind Yggdrasil.

[Next]

Translator’s Corner:

If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles (지피지기면 백전백승). it’s a popular quote from Sun Tzu.

I’m actually not sure what should the cult’s name be translated tbh. It’s 신크라운파라 (sinkeuraunpara / sin keu ra un pa ra). I think the correct way to read it would be 신 크라운 파라, 신 is God, 크라운 is Crown, and 파라 is … idk, is it blue? and their previous name is 크라운파라 (just delete the Shin).

but God-Crown Blue doesn’t make sense as a name … and I don’t want to call it ‘God’ because it doesn’t suit the organization, so I keep it as Shin-Crown for now … and for the para … I wrote it as ‘Party’ because it’s close to ‘para’ and looks like a proper guild name.

Well, now that I think about it, the Shin-Crown probably should be “Neo-Crown” or “New Crown”. Because, for example, 신국민주의 (shingugminjuui) is neo-nationalism / new nationalism. And considering they added the “Shin” part when re-establishin

Huh. I don’t know, You guys can give me suggestion if you find a better name …

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