Why is he staring at me like that?

Is he blaming me for the raid team splitting up when everything had been going so well?

Even if that were the case, his gaze felt too intense. I smiled awkwardly at Joshua Lehmann before turning my head away. I didn’t want to get on the bad side of a major guildmaster either. The only reason I’d joined this dungeon expedition was to save that suspicious-looking dwarf.

"Ughh…”

After drinking Lee Chae-jin’s confession potion, the dwarf passed out and was left lying in a corner. I couldn’t just rush over to him, so I kept my distance, quietly hoping the guildmasters would finish their discussion about dividing up the teams soon.

Now, where should I go? Should I continue exploring the dungeon, or should I follow the dwarf and head to the place where the legendary weapon is hidden? If I want to see the fantastic results for myself, following the dwarf seems like the better option.

But since I’m currently disguised as a low-ranking hunter from the collection team, around level 21, I’m not sure I’d be allowed into a specialized exploration team—those are usually made up of elite hunters who can manage just fine on their own.

"Hmm."

Now that I think about it, even if I had entered the dungeon as Han Yi-jin, there’s no way they would’ve placed me in such a dangerous team. Either way, it seems I was destined to be left out of the exploration group. What should I do? While I was lost in thought, a loud voice reached my ears.

“Does everyone agree with this?”

“…?”

I wondered who had shouted so loudly, and it turned out to be Liam White. He looked visibly excited, and even from a distance, his face was quite red.

‘Looks like Liam White got the exploration team he wanted.’

With the original events disrupted, Liam White stayed quiet, but he was the one who seemed most interested in what the dwarf had said. Even now, his excitement was so obvious that everyone around him could see it.

If Liam White, with his long-range attack skills, joined the small exploration team, there was a chance someone with close-range combat skills would be included as well. Could it be Kang Yoo-hyun? Or Anastasia? But both of them were strong enough that if they suddenly left the main team, it could mess with the balance.

Unless I revealed my identity, I wouldn’t be able to use my auxiliary skill on them. If it came to a critical situation, I’d have no choice but to step in… Anyway, I couldn’t help but wonder who else would be included in the exploration team as I glanced toward the guildmasters.

"Let go of this…!"

"Haha, you're acting shy."

"…!"

Liam White, with his arm around Joshua Lehmann’s shoulder in a friendly gesture, burst out laughing. I stared at them, eyes wide. Wait, could it be that the Guild Masters chosen for the exploration team were Liam White and Joshua Lehmann?

How did that happen? I blinked slowly, trying to make sense of it. Joshua Lehmann had been one of the most vocal in labeling the dwarf a monster and despising him. So how could he suddenly be joining the exploration team? There had to be some hidden agenda behind this.

And then there was Liam White, the guy I’d suspected of being in a traitor guild, and Joshua Lehmann, who had only just started raising my suspicions. As someone who had to keep an eye on the two of them, I could only sigh at the composition of the exploration team.

Maybe I should use my invisibility item again to follow them secretly. Or maybe there’s another useful potion among the ones Lee Chae-jin gave me? As I muttered to myself, someone walked up to me.

"Excuse me."

“Gasp…!”

“…!”

It was one of the hunters from the collection team—the one who had tried to give me the Cheongsimhwan. I was lost in thought and got startled when he suddenly spoke to me. Seeing my reaction, the hunter who had offered the Cheongsimhwan looked even more surprised.

“Are you okay?”

“Ah, yes. What’s going on?”

I was surprised, but I tried to play it cool and asked. In response, the Cheongsimhwan hunter pointed to a spot.

"The guild masters are asking for you."

"Yes?"

"They want you there."

"…?"

Me? Why?

I looked at him with a confused expression, but the low-ranking Cheongsimhwan hunter couldn’t possibly know that. He was just delivering the message. I awkwardly turned my head and looked directly at the spot I had been secretly watching until just now. It was where the guild masters were gathered.

“…!”

Liam White flashed a big smile and waved at me. What’s going on? Confused, I quickly made my way over to them.

"Um… I’m here?"

"…"

The first to lock eyes with me was Kang Yoo-hyun. With his usual unreadable, expressionless face, he stared at me for a moment before slowly opening his mouth.

"Thank you for providing the S-grade confession potion earlier."

"Ah… you're welcome."

"The Odin Guild will handle the payment as soon as we return."

"Ah, no, it's really fine."

I flusteredly waved my hands. Payment? I’d gotten it for free from Lee Chae-jin, so there was no way I could ask for money. But Kang Yoo-hyun, as usual, was just as persistent.

“That won’t do. Since this happened during the dungeon raid, the Odin Guild should take responsibility for it.”

"No, that's…”

What should I do? If I admitted I got it for free, things would only get more complicated. A low-ranking hunter getting an S-grade potion for free? That would only raise more suspicions about who I really was. I broke into a cold sweat as I stared at Kang Yoo-hyun.

"Really, it's fine."

"I've told you, that’s not possible."

"No, seriously… sigh…"

It felt like I was talking to a wall. I sighed heavily. When I was pretending to be the villain, Han Yi-jin, I had no trouble speaking casually, even to someone as powerful as Kang Yoo-hyun. But now, things felt different. Oddly enough, trying to be polite made it even harder to interact with him.

He probably treated everyone the same way, but it made me realize how special his treatment of me had been all along.

Wait a second—I'm not Han Yi-jin anymore. Right now, Kang Yoo-hyun and I are strangers. Maybe I should be bolder than usual. With newfound confidence, I turned to Kang Yoo-hyun and asked.

"Then, is there a chance I could receive something other than money as a reward?"

"…Something other than money?"

For some reason, Kang Yoo-hyun looked a little uneasy. I wasn’t sure why, so I tilted my head slightly before answering.

"Yes, some other form of compensation."

My gaze shifted to where the exploration team was gathered. I fixed my eyes on them and continued speaking.

"I want to join that exploration team. And if there are any legendary weapons or items, I’d like to have priority in claiming them."

"…"

"Is that okay?"

My request seemed to catch Kang Yoo-hyun off guard—he fell silent for a moment. I turned my gaze back to him.

“Hunter Kang Yoo-hyun?”

“…”

Why isn’t he saying anything? Is he planning to reject me? Having someone from the collection team involved could just be a nuisance, after all. Should I mention that I have more of Lee Chae-jin’s potions? If I show I can survive on my own, maybe he’ll change his mind.

As I was seriously considering it, Kang Yoo-hyun spoke through gritted teeth, his head lowered.

"Do you really have to do this?"

"…?"

"Han Yi-jin."

"…!"

Kang Yoo-hyun's eyes met mine, shimmering with a blue glow. It was then that I remembered the skill he possessed, the Eyes of the Absolute God. It was a legendary skill that could see through anything—whether a hunter or an item. With such a power, it must have been incredibly easy for Kang Yoo-hyun to uncover my true identity.

"You… know…”

"Stay quiet and go back. I'll protect you."

"…"

"Han Yi-jin."

Kang Yoo-hyun whispered softly, as though urging me. I could feel his anxiety. It seemed like he was trying to act as if he didn’t know my identity, likely to avoid causing trouble within the raid team.

Given his role as the leader and his responsibility to protect my auxiliary skill, this was probably the most reasonable course of action. But I didn’t come into this dangerous dungeon just to quietly follow orders. If I was only going to nod and obey, I wouldn’t have come here in the first place.

"I don't want to."

“Han Yi-jin.”

Kang Yoo-hyun quietly ground his teeth. However, when he noticed the observant guildmasters watching us, his expression hardened. Soon, he spoke with a stern look on his face.

"…Do as you please."

"…"

Kang Yoo-hyun spoke harshly and turned away, making his way toward the group where the exploration team had gathered.

"I'll be increasing the number of people in the exploration team."

"Yes?"

The members of the exploration team looked confused. Among them, only Liam White still wore a smile. I approached them awkwardly.

"Nice to meet you. I am…"

"Other hunters will also join the exploration team."

"…"

Kang Yoo-hyun cut off my greeting with a calm voice, then quickly turned and walked away. Dumbfounded, I stared at his back. The other members of the exploration team were equally bewildered.

"Haha."

"…"

As expected, Liam White was the only one whose face showed he was having a great time.