Chapter: The Vicious Cycle of a Giant Misunderstanding

“Guru, the van's pretty high, so let me carry you down.”

“Yesh~!”

The manager gently lifted Guru and set her down on the ground.

“I’m fine,” Veilach refused bluntly—but the manager didn’t give him a choice.

Guru watched Veilach get carried out by the manager too, then checked out the filming site.

'Everyone’s just sitting around doing nothing...'

Dozens of actors in zombie makeup, both leads and extras, were all gathered together in little clusters.

The staff were murmuring in small groups with worried looks on their faces, and the director wasn’t even around.

Not far from the set, the gate was pulsing ominously.

If it didn’t get cleared soon, all these people would’ve come for nothing.

Seeing it in person made it feel like an even bigger deal.

Guru locked eyes with Woojoo and gave a solemn nod.

As if jolted by lightning, Woojoo's face tensed up—then he nodded furiously in return.

“Guru, bathroom break.”

Guru immediately set off toward the porta-potty, taking Veilach and Mephisto with her.

[Activating skill: Dungeon is an Open Door.]

As soon as Guru opened the door to the porta-potty, what awaited her wasn’t a bathroom—it was a dungeon landscape.

Guru dug into her bag, pulled out her transformation wand, and stepped inside.

Rumble—!

A low, thunderous hum echoed from within the clouds.

“Thunder Domain, huh.”

Veilach squinted, his pupils forming into stars as he rubbed his chin in thought.

“Could it [N O V E L I G H T] be... that one’s domain?”

By then, Guru had finished transforming into Jjapso and had Lukeipher perched on her shoulder as she scanned the ruined temple.

— That one?

“If it is, things might get easier.”

As Guru tilted her head, puzzled, she could feel monsters watching from beyond the temple walls.

But she wasn’t afraid—thanks to Mephisto’s [Fear Immunity].

When she looked up and grinned at Mephisto perched above, he tapped the air with his beak.

At that moment—

The thunder-filled ruins morphed into a fluffy, white-clouded bathhouse.

The sound of rumbling lightning became the bubbling of hot water, and a faded, rickety sign above the old building now read: Bathhouse.

From behind a wall, a monster peeked out, trembling—and had taken on the shape of a bright red octopus plushie.

— An octopus?!

Startled, Guru looked to Veilach, who explained,

“That’s just how it appears to you because of Mephisto’s influence.”

— Hooh... Mephisto, such power you possess.

“Bip-bip-bip!”

Mephisto stood triumphantly, wings planted on his round little hips, smirking confidently—eyes fixed on Veilach.

His face said it all: Look at the difference between you and me.

'You little... Veilach clenched his fist.'

'That bastard Mephisto... does he seriously want to be her pet?'

After all, this was the guy who sealed Sheir and became an emperor—practically the strongest of the strong.

And yet here he was—reduced not just physically but emotionally to a scheming little lackey.

'What kind of master could pull that off...'

Feeling the weight of just how terrifying Guru truly was, Veilach told himself he didn’t want to be like that—yet felt an anxious tightness in his chest all the same.

Mephisto’s smug face, Guru’s nonstop praise—every bit of it chipped away at him.

Standing close to Guru, who was chatting happily with Mephisto and the trembling plush-octopus monster, Veilach stepped in.

“...We’re here, so nothing should go wrong, but still. Be cautious. Creatures like that, low intelligence—they're more dangerous because they’re unpredictable.”

He took Guru’s teddy bear hand and gently pulled her closer.

Sensing Veilach’s overwhelming presence, the monsters instantly scattered and fled.

— Ohhh...

Veilach wrapped an arm around Guru’s shoulders in a protective gesture.

He smirked at Mephisto, who was now trembling on her head.

'This is the difference.'

'I’m the master’s guardian. You—no matter how hard you try—you’re just a flattering little pet.'

And the reason you targeted Woojoo in the first place?

Because you wanted power. You wanted to turn human.

Hmph. Veilach snorted.

Even he only got small “tastes” of the master’s attention now and then—what made that pathetic flatterer think he’d get to devour Woojoo?

Whether it was power, becoming human, or being Guru’s First Guardian—all of it was out of reach for that loser!

Veilach’s stare said it all, and Mephisto, for once, glared back with uncharacteristic sharpness.

Ssszzzzzt—!

Electric tension sparked between them—round two of their war had begun.

Meanwhile, Guru was gazing up at the steamy bathhouse sign, gently stroking Lukeipher as she asked,

— Bayee, when do we pwactice yohwam?

“Ah, let’s go to the boss room first.”

Veilach gestured with a thumb at the bathhouse building (formerly a temple).

Guru nodded and pulled a bike out of her inventory.

Squeak—squeaaaak—

A rusty old bicycle rolled toward the center of the temple ruins.

***

Negotiations with the movie studio ended in a win for the guild.

After pushing back with every trick in the book, Blue Lagoon Guildmaster Kim Inhan managed to squeeze out four times the usual dungeon price.

Standing at the gate, tugging leather gloves onto both hands, he sneered.

“All right, guys, screw the small stuff—straight to the boss room. Let’s wrap this up quick.”

“Huh? What about farming?”

“Dude, we got double pages, double. With clients paying this much, we can toss in some bonus service. Don’t be stingy, Blue Lagoon!”

His words prompted laughter all around.

“Everyone checked their weapons, right?”

“Yes!”

“Yessir!”

“Let’s gooo~!”

As he went down the lineup confirming each member, his eyes landed on someone and blinked.

“...Who’s that?”

“Something wrong, sir?”

“Uh... well...”

'Was this guy part of our team?'

Among the familiar faces was one that felt oddly out of place. Tall, sharp features—not the kind of person you’d easily forget.

“You, what was your name again?”

“Ah.”

The man opened his mouth like he was rehearsing.

“Uh... Dominic. My name’s Dominic.”

He finally spit it out.

“Ahh, right! Dominic. Damn, I really am losing it lately.”

Kim Inhan slapped his forehead hard with his palm.

Right, Dominic. The new recruit they took in recently.

'But... why did I put him in Raid Team 1? Was he really that good?'

He wasn’t the only one puzzled. The other guild members looked around uncertainly, but no one dared to question the roster out loud.

“Anyway—move out!”

And just like that, they crossed the gate, heading deep into the dungeon—while Dominic trailed behind, grinning faintly.

Crackle—Zzzzt!

A massive ruined temple loomed ahead, surrounded by thunderclouds.

“Creepy...”

“...Why are there no mobs?”

The quiet surroundings left the team scratching their heads.

“Yeah. It’s like someone already cleared the place...”

“No way. We’re the ones who won the bid.”

“Exactly. This is our dungeon.”

“Well, hey—could be our lucky day. Let’s just go straight to the boss room. Follow me.”

Tat-tat!

Kim Inhan picked up speed, and the rest followed suit.

As they ran toward the center of the temple—where the boss room would be—Kim Inhan’s eyes narrowed.

'Something’s wrong. Not a single monster? It’s like they’re scared of something...'

Apparently, the others felt it too. Their earlier chatter had faded to silence.

“......”

Arriving near the boss room without incident, the team quietly checked their gear and exchanged wary glances.

These were veteran Hunters. They knew full well that monsters wouldn’t run away just because of them.

Which meant... something else was here.

They sharpened their senses—and then:

Rumble—BOOOM!

Squeeeak—squeaaaak—

A spine-chilling sound overlapped with the thunder.

It was the grating squeal of old hinges.

Everyone turned their heads toward the noise, tense.

And then, breaking the silence, Kim Inhan spoke:

“...That mana...”

His teammates all nodded in grim understanding.

The source of that creaking was radiating massive mana.

'A-Rank?'

No... someone with that much confidence wouldn’t leak mana so carelessly.

'It’s definitely S-Rank.'

Gulp.

The sound of swallowing echoed all around.

Running into an S-Rank Hunter by chance in a dungeon?

It wasn’t by accident. And it was never a good thing.

'Did the studio send them?'

As Kim Inhan racked his brain—

Squeak—squeak—squeak—

First appeared a pair of tiny, teddy bear-like feet pedaling a bicycle.

Then a pink teddy bear suit gradually rolled into view.

Like a mini Bremen Town Musicians, she had a hamster and a bunny on each shoulder, and a chick on her head.

It was so cutesy that for a moment, their tension eased—

But then came a grave, robotic voice.

— Unnamed guild. Greetings.

“.......”

'Jjapso?!'

Some let out awkward laughs—but most just looked bewildered.

Wasn’t Jjapso supposed to be a crafter? Why was a crafter here alone? And why was their mana this powerful?

Confusion buzzed among the guild members.

Then, as if reading the silence—

— Fear not. I shall handle this dungeon!

Her voice echoed through the temple like thunder in a cave.

RUMBLE! BOOOOM!

Inside the lightning-scorched temple, her declaration resounded.

It was, unmistakably, a raid theft announcement.

“......?”