"Gidan, are you teaching the kid something good?"
"No, this is all because I'm worried. Hyung, aren't you worried about Geuru either?"
"Worried?"
As if dumbfounded, Jurim looked Geuru up and down.
Geuru was currently decked out in A-Rank items from head to toe.
It was because Jurim, Nayeon, and Gidan had armed the kid with all sorts of defensive items.
At this rate, she could even serve as a tank in a C-Rank dungeon.
Wearing items worth about 1.5 billion won combined and entering an F-Rank designated dungeon could be better described as an outing than a raid.
Geuru had no idea how much the items she possessed were worth; she simply accepted whatever was given to her and put them on.
After carefully examining Geuru to see if there were any forgotten items, Jurim asked.
"Is it okay to follow anyone besides the party leader?"
"No!"
"What did I tell you to do if it's dangerous and scary?"
"I use the emergency escwape scwoll!"
Geuru fumbled through her bag and pulled out an Emergency Escape Scroll. It was an item that allowed immediate movement outside the dungeon.
"Good."
Jurim nodded in satisfaction, and Gidan burst into a disbelieving laugh.
"You said you weren't worried. Isn't that hard to find even at the auction house?"
"Be quiet."
Regardless, Jurim helped with the remaining preparations.
"The suit?"
"Here!"
Geuru came over dangling the shopping bag she had left beside the sofa.
"Put it on now. We need to leave."
"Okey!"
Geuru pulled out the bear outfit from the shopping bag and slipped her feet and arms through.
When she zipped it all the way up to her neck, a bear-shaped hat that could cover her entire face dangled behind her head.
Jurim put the bag back on Geuru's shoulder, placed a twig inside, and closed the zipper.
When Geuru became a teddy bear doll wearing a hip sack, Gidan snickered and asked.
"Dummy Geuru, what's that?"
"A warm, toasty defensive suit!"
"Pfft."
Gidan burst out laughing, and Jurim let out a slight sigh, but Geuru remained resolute.
The truth was, Jurim didn't want Geuru to go to the dungeon. It was dangerous, yes, but more than that, he didn't like the idea of an unspecified number of people learning about Geuru's identity.
He had suggested sending a bear doll in her place, just as he had been active on Onion Market, but Geuru couldn't compromise.
The first reason was whether a Hunter's license would come out even if she didn't enter the dungeon herself.
The second was, 'If I just get through this ordeal, Geuru will be a Hunter too.'
To become a proper Hunter, one couldn't avoid going to dungeons, could they!
And so, they had reached a compromise: she would wear a suit that covered her face and protected her body.
The truth was, most Hunters wore suits made of special materials crafted by production-class Awakened.
The problem was that no one made suits for toddlers.
Actually, if you thought about the demand for toddler suits, it was only natural there was no supply.
For that reason, Geuru had had to personally modify the unfinished teddy bear doll overnight.
"Why is it warm and toasty?"
"Because I put hot packs inside, so it's warm and toasty."
According to the dungeon guide, Bukhansan Dungeon was the domain of the Frost Bloodline and had a cold environment. Being F-Rank, the environment probably wouldn't be that severe, but.
'I hate the cold!'
Therefore, she had extracted 'Tough and Sturdy (E)' from the cowhide and 'Warm and Toasty (F)' from the hot packs and synthesized them into the unfinished teddy bear suit.
Geuru even pulled out her only weapon from the shopping bag, the stinging duck tongs. The unfinished teddy bear doll held the duck tongs aloft, as if piercing the sky.
"Combined, they're Warm-and-Pinch!"
"Ahgahahahahaha!"
When Gidan started rolling around laughing again, Jurim grabbed Geuru by the scruff of her neck and left the guild master's office.
"But isn't busing illegal?"
After the laws changed and some prospective Hunters easily acquired their Hunter's licenses by pairing up with high-ranking Hunters, there had been a time when busing became controversial.
In response, the Management Bureau announced that they didn't define busing as illegal but discouraged it, and since there were hardly any sanctions, Hunters who made busing their livelihood even began to appear.
Gidan, who didn't know this, asked Jurim as he followed him out.
"I got the Bureau Chief's permission."
"Well then, I guess it's fine."
*
At the entrance to the Bukhansan F-Rank Designated Dungeon.
Prospective Hunters began to gather to receive their Hunter licenses.
While waiting for the party members who would board his bus, D-Rank Hunter I Sanghyeok began observing them with the eyes of a hawk.
On the day he received an anonymous call, the proposal had been this:
If he recruited a party at a specific date and time and cleared the Bukhansan F-Rank Designated Dungeon, he would be paid 10 million won.
'10 million won for one F-Rank designated dungeon run? I can't pass this up.'
However, since they hadn't revealed who exactly would be boarding the bus, he felt slightly anxious and on edge.
That was when he heard it.
Chirrick, chirrick, chirrick—
The grating sound of bicycle pedals turning.
Chirrick, screech—
A large teddy bear pedaling a toddler tricycle hard came to a stop in front of them.
Its hot pink fur was curly and soft, with adorable drooping eyebrows and a mouth that looked like an upside-down 3.
The party members all stared at the teddy bear with blank expressions.
Soon, a distorted mechanical voice that didn't suit the teddy bear at all burst from its mouth.
—Is this I Sanghyeok's party?
The blank-faced I Sanghyeok nodded slightly.
—Nice to meet you. I am Unfinished Bear Mk.1, who will be participating in this raid.
Somehow, the droopy eyebrows—which enraged anyone who looked at them—rose to the top of its head.
I Sanghyeok and all the party members thought the same thing.
'A fake Sso.'
'It's a fake Sso...'
The mad concept freak whose face-to-face reviews occasionally circulated on anonymous communities.
Having confirmed the existence of Jjapsso, the party members swallowed. Then they all huddled together and began whispering.
"Is that real?"
"What is that? Is it a real doll?"
"We're going with Jjapsso? For real?"
Questions filled with nothing but doubt popped out all at once.
I Sanghyeok felt cold sweat trickling down.
He was just as confused, but after all, he had a job to do.
Just as he was thinking he should calm everyone down and head in, the tricycle rolled over with a chirrick.
Unfinished Bear Mk.1, who braked with his right foot with a clack, opened the zipper of the bag on his chest.
Ziiiiip—
Then something began fluttering out of the bag.
[Attack power against slime-type targets increases by 10%.]
[Attack power increases by 10%.]
[Accuracy increases by 10.]
Three penguin toys circled round and round above the party.
I Sanghyeok, who had been staring at the flying penguins with a dazed expression, checked his status window in surprise.
The attack power was being applied with overlapping double buffs.
'...Are they crazy? They brought such expensive stuff just to hunt slimes...'
I Sanghyeok decided not to think too deeply about it.
Whatever. Whether the bus passenger was a lunatic or a doll, as long as he got paid, that was enough.
"Now that everyone is here, let's depart."
*
The ice slime puffed up its body. Toot-toot-toot-toot, sharp chunks of ice flew toward the party members.
I Sanghyeok casually batted away the ice shards with his dual swords.
The dungeon was far below his level, and running it daily was routine, so there was nothing difficult about it.
However, today felt different.
'My body is definitely lighter.'
What kind of buff stacking calculation produced this effect?
Were buff items made by high-ranking Awakened really this different?
'The rich get richer.'
As I Sanghyeok thought about the rich getting richer and put more strength into batting away an ice shard.
'Whoops!'
Perhaps because he was unaccustomed to controlling his strength due to the buff.
One ice shard ricocheted and flew toward Unfinished Bear Mk.1.
'Right at our big-shot customer!'
He clenched his teeth and tried to block it. Judging by the angle, it wouldn't cause a serious injury, but he couldn't let an esteemed guest get a scratch!
But he soon realized there was no need.
Ching—
Swoosh—
Woom—
About three auto-shields unfolded before the ice shard could even graze it.
—What just happened?
Unfinished Bear Mk.1 looked around in confusion, not even knowing what had happened.
Naturally, it wouldn't know. The ice shard hadn't even gotten close enough to notice.
Thanks to that, I Sanghyeok's pupils shook as he stood awkwardly with his sword drawn.
'Is it really Jjapsso? Just how much money was poured into that doll shell? Is Jjapsso really that rich?'
Auto-shields cost several hundred million won at least......
Was this the ultimate concept freak? I Sanghyeok swallowed at the madness he couldn't comprehend.