The Next Day
Min-Jae, as requested by Choi Jong-In, joined the main team alongside Cha Hae-In for an A-Rank raid.
"It's Guild Master Choi Jong-In who asked me to join. You should know—he should have told you," Min-Jae said.
"He did," Cha Hae-In replied as they stood at the scene of the A-Rank gate. "I was just asking because you have your own team now. Won't it clash with your raid schedule?"
"Nope," Min-Jae said, waving toward the remaining hunters gathered for the raid. "After Hunter Sung Jin-Woo's guild was established, for the last four days, the competition has gone up quite a bit. As Vice Guild Master, you should know that."
"Yeah, I know," she said, a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks at the mention of Sung Jin-Woo's name. She cleared her throat quickly. "His guild is making waves. The Hunters Guild needs to step up to stay competitive."
Min-Jae noticed the blush but said nothing about it. "Don't worry. I'm here because I'll get a bonus for extra raids. I'll do the bare minimum."
Cha Hae-In gave him a look. "Bare minimum?"
"Yup. You guys can handle it. I'm just here for backup."
She shook her head, a small smile forming. "You're impossible."
---
The team entered the A-Rank gate.
The dungeon was a massive underground cavern system, with glowing crystals embedded in the walls providing dim light. The air was damp and cool, and the sound of dripping water echoed through the passageways.
The A-Rank members of the team took the lead, clearing through waves of monsters with practiced efficiency. Min-Jae stayed near the back, occasionally using telekinesis to assist when needed, but otherwise letting the team handle everything.
Cha Hae-In moved like water through the dungeon, her sword flashing in elegant arcs as she cut down enemies with precision. Her speed was unmatched among the team, and her swordsmanship was a sight to behold—graceful, efficient, deadly.
After about an hour, the team had cleared everything except the dungeon boss. They located the boss room—a massive sealed chamber at the deepest part of the cavern—and exited the dungeon to allow the mining team to do their work.
---
Once the mining team finished, the raid team re-entered the dungeon and headed straight for the boss room.
The doors opened to reveal a massive armored beast—a chimera with the body of a lion, the wings of a dragon, and the tail of a serpent. Its roar shook the chamber, and its eyes glowed with malevolent intelligence.
"Cha Hae-In, you take the lead," one of the team members called out.
She nodded, stepping forward with her sword drawn.
The A-Rank lunged at her with terrifying speed, its claws extended. She sidestepped effortlessly, her blade slicing across its foreleg. The creature roared in pain and retaliated with a sweeping tail strike.
Cha Hae-In leaped into the air, using the momentum to land on the creature's back. Her sword plunged into its spine, and she twisted the blade before pulling it free. The beast thrashed wildly, trying to shake her off, but she held on, moving with its movements like she was dancing.
With one final, graceful strike, she drove her sword through the back of the chimera's skull. The creature let out one last roar before collapsing to the ground, lifeless.
The chamber fell silent.
Cha Hae-In landed lightly on the ground, her sword dripping with the beast's blood. She flicked the blade clean and sheathed it in one smooth motion.
"Boss down," she said calmly.
The team cheered.
Min-Jae, who had been standing off to the side the entire time, gave a small nod of approval. "Told you. Bare minimum."
Cha Hae-In rolled her eyes but smiled.
---
They exited the dungeon together, the gate shimmering behind them before collapsing in on itself.
As they walked toward the parking area, Min-Jae's phone rang. He pulled it out and saw it was Choi Jong-In.
He put it on speaker.
"Yeah?"
"Is your raid finished?" Choi Jong-In's voice came through.
"Yeah, just now. Why?"
"There's an emergency request for cooperation from the Hunter Association. It's near your location—the same school where you cleared the orcs before. They're saying it's a Double Dungeon."
Min-Jae's expression shifted slightly. "A Double Dungeon?"
"Yes. Get there with the squad. Tell Cha Hae-In too."
"She's listening," Min-Jae said. "Phone's on speaker."
"Good. Head there immediately. I'll send backup if needed, but you're the closest team."
"Understood."
Choi Jong-In hung up.
Min-Jae lowered his phone and looked at Cha Hae-In, who was already frowning.
"A Double Dungeon at a school," she said quietly. "That's not good."
"No, it's not," Min-Jae agreed. He turned to the rest of the team. "Alright, everyone. Change of plans. We're heading to another location. Emergency situation. Let's move."
The team quickly gathered their things and headed for their vehicles.
Cha Hae-In walked beside Min-Jae. "You think it's serious?"
"If it's a Double Dungeon, yeah. Definitely serious."
She nodded, her expression tense.
"Let's go," Min-Jae said, getting into his car.