Kim Min-jun, the dungeon management officer, couldn’t close his gaping mouth.  

He had known that Gyeoul was under the protection of the Dawn Guild, but the fact that Kang Jinho himself had come along was astounding.  

Yeoreum, who often accompanied Gyeoul, was already an exceptional adventurer, but Kang Jinho was on a completely different level.  

He was a name that came up every time the strongest adventurer in the world was mentioned.  

The mere fact that he was here to protect Gyeoul in a goblin dungeon was big news among adventurers.

Even the few novice adventurers near the gate seemed to recognize him.  

They began murmuring excitedly as they looked at Kang Jinho and Gyeoul.

*Word is going to spread like wildfire,* Kim Min-jun thought.  

Perhaps it was lucky that he had some minor connection with the Dawn Guild.  

As he pondered this, Gyeoul tapped on the table in front of him.

“Excuse me…”

“Hm?”

“There aren’t many people here today.”

Wow.  

Such an everyday conversation.  

Gyeoul was quietly proud of herself for managing to say something so ordinary, but Kim Min-jun just sighed.

“Park Min-gyu is in the dungeon right now.”

“P-Park Min-gyu?”  

Who is that?  

The name sounded vaguely familiar, and Gyeoul tilted her head in confusion.

“He’s the younger brother of one of the Legion Guild’s higher-ups.”@@novelbin@@

“The Legion Guild?”  

Kim Min-jun glanced around to make sure no members of the Legion Guild were nearby.  

Then, speaking in a low voice that only Gyeoul could hear, he continued.

“It’s a famous guild, but the younger brother isn’t as talented.”

“That can happen. Not everyone is a genius.”

“True. The problem is that Park Min-gyu has a terrible personality…”

“Ah.”  

So, he was someone who used his guild connection to throw his weight around.  

Gyeoul, not being a fool, quickly understood what Kim Min-jun was getting at.

“Well, you shouldn’t have any issues.”

“Right. But I’ll still be careful and avoid him.”

“No harm in being cautious.”

No matter how impressive the Legion Guild was, Kang Jinho was right next to her.  

There was no competition to be had.  

Kim Min-jun handed over Gyeoul’s dungeon permit without further warning, hoping she wouldn’t lose her childhood innocence because of someone like Park Min-gyu.

---

Inside the dungeon, I hunted goblins.  

By now, I could handle an entire goblin squad on my own.  

Encia and Argo followed closely behind me without offering much advice, only observing.

“It seems you can handle this dungeon on your own now, Gyeoul.”

“R-Really?”

“Yes. From now on, goblins shouldn’t pose any threat to you. Especially here, where there are plenty of eyes watching…”

“Eyes watching?”  

I glanced around, but there was nothing around us—just the forest that surrounded the area.

Still, I didn’t doubt Encia.  

She wasn’t the type to lie for no reason.

“So, it’s okay if I come to the goblin dungeon alone from now on?”

“No problem!”

“Yes. I don’t see any issues with it either. We’re keeping an eye on the area, after all.”

“Thank you.”  

I had been worried about taking up their valuable time, but with their approval, I felt relieved.  

Time was money for top-tier adventurers, after all.  

And for me, I could now hunt goblins without anyone else.

At this rate, I’d be able to pay off my debts in no time.  

Filled with hope, I moved to track down the next goblin, when I suddenly heard footsteps nearby.

Heavy ones—too heavy for a goblin.  

I loosened my grip on my bow.

*…Maybe I should introduce myself.*  

I knew that greeting strangers was just as difficult as fighting the boss horned rabbit, but it was something I needed to do for my social growth.  

It wouldn’t hurt to give it a try.

“There are people up ahead.”

“Yes, I hear them too.”

“Let’s go check it out.”  

I led the group toward where the other team was.  

When we arrived, I saw a familiar man among them—the very one who had harassed me so much in the beginner’s hunting ground.

“Gasp…!”  

As soon as I saw his face, I ducked behind a tree.

The first to react to my sudden movement was the Master.  

He followed me behind the tree, and Encia and Argo hid behind nearby rocks a moment later.

“…”

The Master looked down at me with an impassive gaze.  

What are you doing?  

That seemed to be the question in his eyes.

I wanted to answer that he was a scary person, but if I opened my mouth, I’d be discovered.  

So, I stayed quietly hidden, and the others, respecting my decision, remained silent as well.

I was specialized in stealth and agility, while the others were simply incredibly skilled.  

Thanks to that, we managed to stay undetected.

“Damn it, who the hell cleaned out all the goblins?”  

The familiar man’s voice made me tremble.  

I instinctively covered my mouth with both hands.

“It’s a public hunting ground, so it must have been other adventurers.”

“That’s why I told you to take control of the hunting ground!”

“Guilds can’t control dungeons managed by the state…”

“Ugh, whatever. Just shut up.”

“…”

The man with the nasty personality was accompanied by a quiet guy who reminded me of Encia.  

They were the same people I had seen at the beginner’s hunting ground.

Why were they here?  

Because it was close and the level was about right, most likely.  

As I mulled over the situation, the two of them began to walk away into the distance.

“Ha… haah…”  

I let out a deep breath and slid down against the tree.  

Encia and Argo rushed over to me.

“Captain!”

“Are you okay, Gyeoul?”

“Y-Yeah. Let’s just go back.”

“…Understood.”  

I took Encia’s hand and stood up.  

Throughout this, Kang Jinho continued to look down at me with his usual impassive expression.

---

Back home, I took a warm shower and sat on the floor to relax.  

Just as I was about to stretch out and lie down, Yeoreum approached me.

“Gyeoul, I heard you went to the dungeon with the Master?”

“Yeah…”

“How did the hunt go?”

“Well… did it go well…?”  

I hadn’t even caught that many goblins before fleeing the hunting ground.  

I wouldn’t say it went well.

“Hmm… I guess it didn’t go as planned, huh?”

“Yeah… I didn’t catch many.”

“I see.”  

Yeoreum scratched her cheek and plopped down onto the nearby sofa.  

She patted the seat next to her.

“Gyeoul, why are you sitting on the floor? There’s a sofa right here.”

“I’m fine. I actually prefer the floor.”

“The… the floor?”

“Yeah.”  

Isn’t it normal for Koreans to sit on the floor even when there’s a sofa available?  

Maybe people in this world don’t share that trait.  

Every time I encountered these little cultural differences, I couldn’t help but be surprised.  

To Yeoreum, I probably seemed like a primitive person.  

I quickly came up with an excuse, unable to tell her I was from another world.

“I-I’m still not used to the sofa… It’s something rich people use, so it feels like it’s too fancy for me…”

“Uh, yeah. I guess that makes sense.”  

Yeoreum waved her hand dismissively, then got off the sofa and sat down next to me on the floor.  

She hugged her knees, looking small and reserved.

“I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s fine. There’s nothing to apologize for. The floor’s not so bad.”

“...Right.”  

Claiming that the sofa was “too much for me” was a pretty weird excuse, but I had no choice.  

I had come up with it too quickly without thinking.

I should’ve given it more thought before saying anything.  

As I was silently regretting my hasty words, Yeoreum reached over and tapped my shoulder.

“Gyeoul, can I ask you something sensitive? Would that be okay?”

“Yeah, it’s fine.”

How sensitive could her question be?  

For some reason, I felt a bit tense.

“You were bullied before, right? Bad people hit you on the head and stuff.”

“…That’s right.”  

To ask about bullying right after I’d run into that guy…  

The timing was strangely coincidental.

“It must’ve hurt a lot, huh? Since you didn’t have any mana back then.”

“…I don’t really know.”

“You don’t know?”  

It must have seemed strange to her that I didn’t know if it hurt.  

Her eyes widened in surprise.

“I passed out every time they hit me. Maybe it’s because my brain got shaken up.”

“You… passed out?”  

“Yes. But when I woke up, my head would hurt a lot. I’d get big lumps, too.”

“Oh…”  

Yeoreum’s pupils trembled violently.  

Maybe I had said too much.

I wasn’t trying to brag about my suffering, so I showed her a confident expression.

“But I’m fine now.”

“You’re… fine?”  

“Yes. No one’s hitting me anymore.”

Even though I was smaller, my physical abilities were much better.  

At least now I could defend myself.

Even if I couldn’t fight back, I could run away.  

I felt proud of how far I’d come, but for some reason, Yeoreum’s expression only darkened further.

“Gyeoul, I’m really sorry.”

“Sorry for what…?”  

Hadn’t she already apologized before?  

We had already cleared up the misunderstandings.  

I didn’t understand why she was apologizing again.

“I was so indifferent to you…”

“It’s okay. This was all my fault, anyway.”

“Your fault?”

“Yes. It’s my fault for being born weak.”  

Not paying attention to me wasn’t her fault.  

It’s impossible to care about everyone in the world.  

I waved my hand at her, saying it was fine, but she just buried her face in her knees.

“Being born… isn’t a fault…”

What a strange thing to say.