It was a pride-crushing remark, but how would Han Sang-ah's senior react to that?
"W-Well… yeah."
What the hell? He folded immediately.
Han Sang-ah's gaze shifted back to me.
"It doesn't seem like my senior likes you very much, so I'd like to accompany you instead."
"Why?"
At my question, Kim Min-jae replied in a calm voice.
"You're stronger than I am. I want to watch and learn."
"You're really laying the flattery on thick."
Han Sang-ah responded to that.
"The melting point of gold is 1,064 degrees Celsius. If you gilded your face with it, you'd die before you ever got embarrassed."
"…Damn it."
No matter how I looked at it, there was something a little off about her.
Anyway, switching teams.
Between traveling with that so-called senior who clearly had a problem with me, and traveling with Han Sang-ah—even if she seemed a bit unhinged—I'd rather choose the latter.
At least she didn't seem hostile.
"If it's possible to change teams, I'd like to do that too."
Han Sang-ah nodded.
"I'll take care of it right away."
After saying that, she went somewhere, then returned a short while later.
"I'm Team 8 now."
"Uh… aren't you going to ask for my opinion?"
At the senior's cautious question, Han Sang-ah replied:
"There are three people affected by the team change: myself, Yoo Chan-seok, and you, senior. Two of us have agreed. If you believe there is a reason this decision should be rejected, please state it."
So, quorum had been met.
"…No. That's not it."
"Then it's settled. Senior, you'll move to Team 3."
Just like that, the teams were changed, and Han Sang-ah sat down next to me as if it were only natural.
"Do you know how to use a sword?"
Instead of answering, I lightly tapped my spear. Seeing my gesture, Han Sang-ah let out a thoughtful hum and paused to think.
"Judging by the sound, it seems quite sturdy. But that doesn't really answer my question."
I closed my eyes for a moment.
"My main weapon is a spear."
"Yeah, I know. Your fight with Lee Se-eun was incredible. I couldn't take my eyes off it."
The conversation felt like it was going in circles. Just as I was about to say something more, someone stepped up onto the auditorium stage, thanked us, and once again explained the details we had already heard.
—That concludes everything. We have great expectations for you all. We sincerely wish for your success and your safe return.
After that, we immediately stood up, left the auditorium, and boarded boats by our assigned teams, heading for the problem area—Gyodong Island.
"Quite a sight."
As I watched, a chilly feeling crept over me. Once the island came clearly into view in the distance, tension spread across people's faces.
Among them, a few weren't just tense—they were afraid. Probably hunters without much field experience.
"You don't look very scared."
It was Han Sang-ah again.
I'd seen far too much to be scared by something like this. I'd seen hells made by humans, hells made by nature—and I'd even been to real hell.
"It's just a gloomy island."
Developing this place into a tourist attraction would be pretty tough. That was all I thought.
"We'll be landing in ten minutes."
As the boat operator announced our arrival time, everyone hurried to prepare. Some prayed. Others checked their weapons or tightened the straps on their armor.
Hunters live their lives facing death—whether it's the death of allies or the death of monsters. People call it superstition, but if it helps steady the mind, who has the right to mock it?
"We've arrived."
We landed on the southern end of Gyodong Island. A nearly collapsed pension building stood abandoned, bleak and desolate. In the wind, a loose door creaked as it swung.
"What are you all standing around for? If you're here, get off already."
I said that to my teammates and hopped off the boat. The hunters who had been staring blankly at the unsettling scenery snapped back to their senses and followed.
The moment we disembarked, the boat fled as if running away, not once looking back.
12:17 p.m.
I checked the time on my smartphone, then turned my gaze to the side.
"And you there, Hunter—what kind of ability do you use?"
At my words, the man who had been standing there blankly snapped back to his senses with an "Ah," then answered.
"Fire."
"Tell me the technique you're most confident in, and how long it takes to complete it when you're in peak condition."
"Uh… Fireball. It takes about thirty seconds to finish?"
I almost frowned when I heard that. About thirty seconds? Thirty seconds is thirty seconds—what does "about" thirty seconds even mean? Do you want to be about hit? I was half-tempted to ask.
After hearing his answer, Han Sang-ah spoke up.
"As for me—"
"You already know. 0.57 seconds to draw, 7.7 seconds to finish preparation. 0.13 seconds to take it out and swing."
Han Sang-ah blinked at my words, then said,
"How did you know that? Was there a clock behind me or something? I don't even know the exact numbers myself."
"Even if I explained it, you couldn't replicate it."
Ambient mana, unlike mana accumulated and controlled within the body, vibrates at a constant interval. If you use that vibration, it's like carrying around an extremely precise timer.
But once you start accumulating mana in your body, ambient mana becomes too faint by comparison, making it impossible to perceive those vibrations.
At my explanation, Han Sang-ah fell silent.
"If you don't have anything else to say, I'll continue."
"Yeah. Got it."
After roughly gauging everyone else's capabilities through a few questions, I stated firmly,
"We'll survey two areas over the course of one week."
We had already brought enough supplies for a week. The only thing left to decide was where we'd be staying.
"We'll establish a base at Hwagyesa and operate from there."
One of the people listening frowned in dissatisfaction.
"And why should we follow your plan?"
"For an average person, it takes about thirty minutes to reach the summit of Hwagyesan via the hiking trail."
If it took a normal civilian thirty minutes, we could cover it in moments.
"The peak is only 259.6 meters above sea level, but from Hwagyesa you can see Eumnae-ri, and from the summit you can directly observe Gyodong-myeon."
I pressed on without giving him room to interrupt.
"There could be a collapsed Infiltration Source nearby, or one close to the temple—but if it's neither, the old temple buildings should still be standing and usable as lodging."
It was a small temple, but there would be more than enough space for seven people.
The man fell silent. He'd probably wanted to say something like, Why should we follow someone on their first assignment?—but instead, he offered a different objection.
"There are plenty of places to stay nearby if we look. Why go that far? If we climb the mountain for no reason, we could get surrounded."
Like Ma Suo dying of thirst in the mountains?
"We're seven people. It's not like the enemy is marching around with thousands of troops."
How exactly do you surround a mountain? If you don't like it, at least come up with a reason that makes sense.
"Either way, I don't feel like tagging along behind an inexperienced hunter."
Experience? Of all things, he chose experience to bring up in front of me.
At his firm statement, I shrugged. Fine. Do whatever you want. I wasn't about to drag someone along against their will either.
"What about the rest of you?"
Four people sided with the hunter who had just spoken. The ones staying with me were Han Sang-ah and the man I'd questioned earlier.
"If something happens, contact us using this."
"And what about you?"
At that, I looked at the man.
"Is your fire usable as illumination?"
"Yes. That much is no problem."
That was answer enough. I tossed them the flare gun and handgun we'd brought from the boat.
"Probably won't need them, though."
In the end, we moved as a group of three. What was this guy's name again?
Ah, right. Kim Min-jae.
"Hunter Kim Min-jae, I'm curious—why did you choose to follow us?"
When I spoke to him, he hesitated briefly, then answered,
"This is your first assignment for both of you, isn't it? I was worried about leaving two rookies to operate on their own."
So he'd decided that even someone with experience like himself should follow along and help. He had a kind heart.
"Thank you for your consideration."
Han Sang-ah also expressed her thanks. The amount of mana accumulated in their bodies was roughly the same.
Whether their actual skill levels were comparable was another matter. If I had to guess, Han Sang-ah probably had the edge.
After gathering our gear, we postponed reconnaissance and headed toward Hwagyesa first.
Along the way, we discovered a spot where small dwarflike creatures had gathered.
The ones with bat-like heads were warming themselves by a fire, their crude spears and bows leaning nearby.
"There aren't that many."
Twenty-two. Since it felt like something that needed repeating—twenty-two. I turned to Kim Min-jae.
"Please take the first strike."
At my words, Kim Min-jae took a deep breath and extended his hand. He drew up the mana accumulated in his body and condensed it into a mass of flame in front of his palm.
He said 'about thirty seconds,' and I thought that was absurdly long.
At this level, the power would be more than sufficient. Estimating the amount of mana gathering and the expected strength of the completed fireball, I immediately revised the plan.
"We'll focus on protecting Hunter Kim Min-jae."
"Why?"
"When dealing with numbers, it's most efficient for Kim Min-jae to take the main offensive role."
If we handled that many ourselves, we'd just be wasting more strength than necessary.
"It's finished."
The fireball he created flew toward the bat-headed dwarfs who had been quietly warming themselves by the fire. The time required to complete it was exactly 23.1 seconds.
As expected—it wasn't thirty seconds.
The fireball slammed into the ground and exploded. Six died instantly, and three were injured.
"Hunter Kim Min-jae, keep preparing. We'll buy you the time you need to complete it. Give us a signal before you fire."
Considering his skill and accumulated mana, he should be able to cast fireballs of this power several more times without strain. After speaking, I tapped Han Sang-ah lightly on the back.
"I'm going in. Watch him carefully."
"Didn't you say you'd buy time?"
"I did. Not by sticking next to him."
If those creatures got close to Kim Min-jae, everything would be pointless. Buying time also meant securing his safe distance.
"You protect Kim Min-jae. I'll dive into their ranks and stall them."
With that, I grabbed my spear and charged at them. Startled by the sudden explosion, the creatures hurriedly grabbed their weapons and turned their batlike heads toward me.
"Kiiieeeeh!"
Armed with crude spears and bows, they screeched a piercing, grating cry as they rushed me.
"That's your greeting? Then mine too—Kiiieeeeh!"
There was no need for me to kill them myself. As long as I kept them pinned here, Kim Min-jae would deal with them from afar.
Kim Min-jae attacks. I hold them in place. Han Sang-ah protects.
The strength of clear role division is that maximum efficiency is achieved when everyone simply does their part. And in combat, I value efficiency.
A moronic situation where one person does everything—like a college group project—can't be called role division.
It was time. Kim Min-jae would fire another fireball.
"Now!"
Already prepared, I leapt backward in an instant to clear the area. Another explosion followed.
As the fireball detonated once more, the bat-headed dwarfs in front of me stopped focusing on me and instead strained desperately to reach Kim Min-jae behind me, the one hurling the fireballs.
"Shoo, shoo."
Not a chance. I swung my spear around like a long staff, blocking their movement. A couple managed to slip past me—but—
Han Sang-ah wasn't idle either.
They were dealt with by her hand.