Chapter 60
Closing my eyes against the strong light, I felt a familiar sensation. The feeling of the ground crumbling beneath my feet along with my vision flipping upside down.
What memory could it be this time? Looking around, I stopped walking in the empty space. I couldn't even complain that there was an error. I sat down waiting for the memory to begin when I heard a familiar... voice from somewhere.
"―"
Jumping to my feet, I ran toward where the voice was coming from. As the white space stretched endlessly, I swung my hand to call Ashil, but the golden thread that always followed me was nowhere to be seen.
"―…."
Even though I didn't know what was being said, I ran following the voice that rang out once more until my breath filled up to my chin, but I couldn't see anything. Even though I wanted to call out the name of someone rising in my mind, no sound came out.
And once again, there was a voice ringing in my ears.
"Alright, so just eat one more bite."
This was... my voice. I watched the memory gradually revealing itself like fog clearing, but ended up closing my eyes.
"Hunter Seong Dohyeon!"
Opening my eyes at the hand grabbing and shaking my shoulder, I let out rough breaths as if pulled out of water. As I sat on the ground coughing as if trying to throw up my insides, I felt a hand patting my back. That hand carefully pulled my shoulder, pressing me into their embrace.
I tried to push away, wondering what kind of behavior this was, but at the heartbeat felt through the point of contact, my narrowed vision gradually recovered.
"Uncle... Are you okay?"
I nodded to Baek Hamin who approached with a tearful face, and pushed Baek Eunseong away. Baek Eunseong, who obediently stepped back, swept my sweat-soaked hair and frowned.
"You seem to be like this every time you enter a dungeon, is there some problem—"
"No."
Turning my back on Baek Eunseong who stubbornly tried to check my condition even though I said there was no problem, I took out water from my bag and gulped it down. As the cold water went down my throat, I felt my confused mind organizing itself.
Letting out a light sigh, I slowly stood up and called the two kids who were making worried faces.
"Baek Kyungmin, Baek Hamin."
"Yes."
"Yeah, Uncle..."
Baek Kyungmin nodded with a determined face as if prepared, and Baek Hamin twisted his body and reached his arms out to me. Oh ho, trying to get out of this situation by acting cute again.
I ignored Baek Hamin and stood in front of Baek Kyungmin with Baek Eunseong. Baek Eunseong crouched down to match Baek Kyungmin's eye level and said in a gentle voice.
"Kyungmin, if you wanted to enter the dungeon, you should have said so."
"What's the reason you caused such a commotion to come in?"
At my direct question, Baek Kyungmin looked down at the ground for a moment before speaking clearly.
"To resolve the discord within the guild."
"Huh?"
"If I choose Uncle... no, the Vice Guild Master, the people who support me would also have to choose that side, and if the Vice Guild Master takes me in, the people who chose that side would also support me."
...Oh.
It was such a peaceful resolution that I wondered if it really came from a child's mind. If it were me, I would have crushed everyone and then shouted for anyone else who wanted to make trouble to come out, solving it with force.
"So, that method was to jump into the dungeon without a word?"
Baek Kyungmin, who was fidgeting with his hands at my question, nodded.
"I wanted to show everyone who I was choosing. Then at least they wouldn't fight over me and Uncle."
Unlike me who was nodding, Baek Eunseong froze in the posture of wiping his face dry. Baek Hamin also bit his lip and clung to my leg.
"And."
"What else."
"...It won't make people fight over me and Hamin either."
Impressive.
I clapped inwardly as I looked down at Baek Kyungmin. My goodness, planting beans and harvesting pearls. If a kid like this became guild master, it would certainly be peaceful. Well, Baek Eunseong would handle it though.
After roughly nodding, I shook the shoulder of Baek Eunseong who was still frozen. Leaving Baek Eunseong stumbling to his feet, I looked around. Damp, soggy ground from humid moisture—it was the swamp dungeon 'Omi'.
Since four people entered, four waves would pour out, and I hoped a toad would definitely appear during that time.
Opening the skill window out of habit, I looked down at Ashil with a strange expression and shook my head. Because I had a ridiculous thought for a moment.
I would... gather the materials and return to my original world. I couldn't die in a world like this.
Clenching my fist, I walked as Ashil guided me and then just toppled over.
"Hunter Seong Dohyeon!"
While Baek Eunseong ran over and helped me up, I stared at Ashil in disbelief. To think I'd suffer such embarrassment following a guide. Seeing me fall, Ashil busily moved around me, shaking golden threads to both sides.
"Explain."
At my words, Ashil flattened itself on the ground and pointed at the constantly moving floor. The floor was constantly changing—suddenly sinking down, abruptly rising up, or bubbling.
"Still, you should guide me properly, that's your job."
Ashil, with its head hung low, pretended to sob for a moment before straightening its back and started finding the path. I followed behind the now-focused Ashil, but then looked back. Just as expected, Baek Eunseong was making a path.
Should have done that from the start.
As I clicked my tongue and touched the core, the sound of wing flaps came from somewhere. At the same time, Baek Kyungmin, fully prepared for combat, dashed out stepping on the swamp. I, who had opened the skill window to use 'Splash Splash', waved my hand at Baek Hamin who was hanging back.
"Why? Are you hurt somewhere?"
I pulled the child over to check if he was injured, but Baek Hamin looked down at the ground and shook his head. He was a kid who had excitedly run around even in his first dungeon. It's not like he'd be scared of dungeons now, so why was he acting like this? I frowned and looked at Baek Eunseong.
Baek Eunseong, who met my eyes, averted his gaze and drew a bitter smile.
"What is it? Why?"
I alternated looking at Baek Eunseong and Baek Hamin who weren't doing anything, then went to help Baek Kyungmin who was handling the swamp dragonflies alone. A moment later, Baek Kyungmin approached with a relieved expression and sat quietly until the next magical beast appeared.
Looking at Baek Hamin who was also sitting quietly, I propped my chin on my hand. Weren't the two of them quite close? Or was Yang Jiyul serving as the bridge between them? Watching the two who somehow looked awkward and uncomfortable, I sipped water little by little to calm my churning stomach.
"Are you uncomfortable?"
"A little."
Baek Eunseong created a pillar for me to lean against, but my stomach was still churning due to the constantly moving ground. Baek Kyungmin, who had been looking at the quiet core, crawled over to my side and dipped his hand in the mud. Then the undulating floor calmed down.
"I'll stay with you."
There was no need to refuse. When I nodded, Baek Kyungmin sat down next to me. I was breathing heavily and calming my stomach when I heard a splat sound. Forcing my head up while suppressing my nausea, I saw a mud slime walking this way.
Ah, I don't get along well with slimes. Just as I was about to flick my hand with a scowl, Baek Eunseong covered my hand.
"Wait a moment."
"Why?"
Sitting down next to me, Baek Eunseong signaled Baek Hamin with his eyes. Then Baek Hamin, who had been watching our reactions, bloomed a lotus flower and bounced forward. At the same time, a massive tree grew and crushed the mud slime with its roots.
Watching the slime being absorbed by the roots, Baek Kyungmin muttered softly.
"...I'm jealous."
"Of what?"
"Huh?!"
Startled, Baek Kyungmin alternated looking at me and Baek Eunseong. Baek Eunseong was looking at me with a face that genuinely hadn't heard anything.
Hmm. Baek Kyungmin had just muttered under his breath, but it seemed my sensitive ears had caught it. I stared at Baek Kyungmin who was avoiding my gaze with a flustered face, then grabbed Baek Eunseong's shoulder and pushed him.
"Move aside so we can talk."
"What?"
When Baek Eunseong asked with a bewildered face, frustrated, I trudged through the mud floor, getting as far away from Baek Eunseong and Baek Hamin as possible. Baek Kyungmin, who had been sitting quietly without resisting until then, jumped up with a face that said this wasn't right when the two also got up and moved far away.
"Sit down."
"No, I just said it without any particular meaning."
"Yeah, I got it, so sit down."
After hesitating for a long time, Baek Kyungmin sat in front of me with a reluctant expression and muttered very, very softly.
"Hamin is... amazing, you know."
"You're S-rank too."
"No, that's not it..."
Seeing Baek Kyungmin holding back his words, Baek Hamin looking this way, and Baek Eunseong standing behind him, I roughly grasped the situation.
"Were the two of you compared to each other?"
Baek Kyungmin didn't answer, but his silence was the answer.
Even Baek Jisung, who had a large age gap, had lived his whole life being compared to Baek Eunseong. Why was everyone so anxious to not just leave people alone? Sighing, I scratched my forehead.
"So right now, do you think Baek Hamin is stronger than you?"
"That's—"
"No, right?"
Even if he thought that was true, a hunter's competitive spirit wouldn't accept it. I also thought I was the strongest in the world, after all.
Raising my eyebrows, I pondered for a moment before gesturing to Baek Hamin, then said to the child who came bouncing over stepping on lotus flowers.
"You two, want to make a bet today?"
"Huh?"
"Yeah?"
"From now on, whoever kills more by touching the core gets all the snacks today."
"What kind of snacks?"
"Worm jelly."
At those words, Baek Hamin's eyes lit up and he ran toward the core, and Baek Kyungmin, who had been looking up at me with a bewildered face, quickly followed behind Baek Hamin.
From the looks of it, Baek Kyungmin was watching Baek Hamin's reactions, and Baek Hamin seemed to be doing the same. Just dropping everything and having a proper match would clear the air.
As soon as the kids disappeared from sight, my stomach churned like crazy. I closed my eyes and focused my mind trying to calm it down, when Baek Eunseong approached.
"Want to make a bet with us too?"