Chapter Title: Instructor Kwon Sora
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Hunter Association had a system called the Beginner Course.
Every quarter, a B-rank or higher hunter would serve as an instructor, taking a group of fresh newbies who'd just awakened as hunters into a dungeon together.
It wasn't mandatory, but the survival rate for E-rank hunters tackling their first dungeon solo without the Beginner Course was barely around 50% at best.
That's why all newbie hunters preferred the Beginner Course.
I was no different.
'Better than wandering around ambiguously solo.'
Since the Beginner Course was run directly by the Association, it guaranteed a solid level of safety.
The B-rank-plus instructors had their backgrounds fully disclosed, so there was minimal risk of getting assaulted by party members mid-run.
Above all, I absolutely wanted to tackle my first dungeon in a party.
Because as a male hunter, the more allies fighting alongside me, the better off I was in every way.
And so, on the first underground floor of the Hunter Association.
I joined the Beginner Course group set to depart for Dungeon Level 1 at 8 a.m.
And, as expected...
"...Huh?"
"Whoa?!"
"A m-man?"
I became the center of attention in an instant.
***
A B-rank Fighter Hunter with hair blazing like the sun.
Kwon Sora was already an elite among elites, having led the Beginner Course sixteen times at the Korean Hunter Association.
Her top was just a chest band barely covering her ample breasts, and her bottom was, naturally, shorts for easy movement.
Dressed in the "light attire" considered basic for Fighter Hunters, she was ready to greet today's newbies and radiate positive energy as usual.
And with good reason—freshly awakened female hunters all lacked courage.
Boosting that courage was the role of a seasoned senior, she believed.
Having arrived for work this quarter as the Beginner Course instructor, she...
"Wh-wha-wha-wha-what...?!!?!"
"I-Instructor?"
"What do we do? The instructor's glitching out from tension before we even enter the dungeon!"
Three female hunters.
...And in the middle, one head that stood out noticeably larger: a 'man'.
Yes, a man!
Wrapped head to toe in a weird suit, but a genuine man—a hunter, no less—had joined her Beginner Course, leaving her the most tensed-up of all.
'A m-man?! A real one? Wait, a hunter too?'
A male hunter.
Wasn't that just some AV trope?
They actually existed.
No, she'd been assigned one.
Like a school trip recreation leader reciting the same lines every time to hype up the newbies, Kwon Sora was supposed to do just that.
But right now, she was the one surrounded by her juniors, learning breathing exercises to calm down.
And again, with good reason—a male hunter.
For starters, he was taller than her, which was insanely hot.
His body looked well-trained too; even through the suit, his solid build was evident. But more than that, his demeanor.
"Please take care of me, Instructor."
"Y-yes?! Oh, y-yes! Please take care of me too..."
Looking down at her warmly and offering his hand—it made her lower belly flutter wildly.
'As a hunter, his body must be way firmer than a regular guy's.'
Hunters had at least ten times the strength of normals.
Meaning doing it with him once could feel like satisfaction from ten times with an average guy.
Realizing that...
Clap clap clap clap!
"Bad instincts! Bad instincts!"
"Ba..."
"d instincts?"
She slapped her own cheeks to barely suppress the writhing feminine urges, lest she turn into the enemy of the newbies she was supposed to teach.
***
Instructor Kwon Sora, leading our Beginner Course team this time, turned out way better than I'd imagined.
For one, there was none of that sticky, female-specific gaze aimed at me.
Contact was limited to one handshake, then she just did introductions for me and the other three E-rank newbies in this Beginner Course.
No groping or anything; she simply gave us a short break before departure.
She was so cool about it that, surrounded as I always was by women drooling at every chance, I even felt a bit of respect.
Meanwhile.
"Hi! I'm Jo Yuna!"
"I'm Jo Heena!"
"Both of us are Thieves! Nice to meet you!"
Taking the opening as the instructor stepped aside, since we'd be together for the next little while.
The four of us who'd signed up for the Beginner Course decided to introduce ourselves.
First up: the two Thief hunters, matching head to toe—even their fishnet outfits were coordinated.
Yuna and Heena cloaked just their key areas with capes and cloth, introducing themselves in unison.
Next came a mage in what looked like a nun outfit with minimal coverage.
"U-um, hi... I'm Park Haseon... a-and I'm a Priest Hunter..."
Haseon, holding a cross staff as tall as she was, mustered her courage to introduce herself.
'Alright, next up is obviously...'
Whirr.
'...me.'
Why were these people I'd only be with for a week suddenly doing introductions?
The reason was obvious: me.
They kept glancing my way then averting their eyes—don't underestimate a guy with 21 years in this reverse world.
"My name is Kim Hyunjun."
"Ooh...!"
"And?"
"That's it?"
"Whaaat?!?!"
What did they expect from acquaintances you'd only see briefly in the Beginner Course?
And you all just gave your names too.
"Oh, and my hunter class... is a jack-of-all-trades hunter who can do a bit of everything."
"N-not that!"
"Like hobbies you like! Or what you usually eat!"
"Y-you really have nothing else to say?"
Yeah.
If I said more, it'd spell trouble.
I nodded silently instead of answering.
Deliberately coming off as rude.
Covered head to toe and not even speaking—it'd make me seem like a total jerk.
A rude ploy to get them to back off.
But.
Slurp.
"He's so bad..."
Thump thump...
No dice.
Heart-shaped pupils already forming in their eyes, regardless.
At this level of delusion, they'd probably savor spit or piss to the face.
Which only made it scarier.
Right then.
"Everyone! We're not here to date!"
Nice one, Instructor!
Was prep for dungeon entry finally done?
Instructor Kwon Sora arrived with our dungeon passes, furious at the scene.
Handing them out while prying off the E-rank hunters clinging to me, she led us to the portal.
"Listen up, everyone! We're entering Dungeon Level 1 now!"
Gulp...!
"Dungeon Level 1..."
"Level 1 should be fine, right?"
"No! Not fine at all! Half or a bit more of hunters starting their first clears without a Beginner Course like us survive!"
The very reason the Hunter Association created the Beginner Course.
Hearing that, the women around me swallowed hard, faces tense.
"You may know this, but while dungeon 'exits' are fixed, entry points are not."
"Meaning..."
"In other words, no one knows where on Level 1 we'll pop out?"
"Yes. Worst case, we step through and land smack in a goblin nest on Level 1."
Come to think of it, I'd read that in hunter books.
Hunters always tense up crossing layers via portals for that reason.
"And remember: before entering a portal, party members must be in physical contact."
"Physical..."
"Contact?!"
"Yes. Otherwise, you'll scatter to different spots."
Of course, I knew that.
That's why I planned to solo as soon as I gained some experience.
Because...
Gulp.
Just the phrase "physical contact" made my party members' eyes gleam monstrously.
Of course, that was...
Whack!
"Ow?!"
"Eek!"
"It hurts..."
...preemptively stopped by Instructor Kwon Sora.
"Everyone, you don't want to become criminals, right?"
"O-of course not!"
"Then line up on my right. Hyunjun, on my left—hold my hand."
"Y-yeah..."
Truly grateful, Instructor.
Grip.
"...!"
As expected of a B-rank pro oozing professionalism.
Regular women would drool and pant just from holding hands.
Compared to that, the relatively calm Instructor Kwon Sora let me smile warmly inside my helmet.
"A-alright! Let's hurry in—into the dungeon!"
"O-oh...?"
"Instructor's voice is super loud."
"Yeah."
Overflowing with energy too.
Following her lead, the five of us lined up and stepped into the brightly glowing Dungeon portal.
And that's when the misfortune began.
"What the hell is that...?"
"A goblin? But isn't it too big?"
The place we emerged after the portal wasn't the standard blue-grass plains of Dungeon Level 1.
Stepping through triggered intense vertigo.
And I wasn't the only one.
Everyone noticed the wrongness; when we came to, we were in a wide, dark-sealed cave tunnel.
The only light: glowing magic stones embedded in the walls.
There, we all froze at the sight of an orc... wife with massive breasts too huge for a goblin.
"Everyone, evade!!"
Until Instructor Kwon Sora's shout.
Splat!
She drove a knee kick into the face of the charging orc wife shaking the ground toward me.
A heavy thud echoed through the cave; that single blow exploded the aroused, drooling orc's head with a pop!.
'This is a B-rank hunter...?'
Orc wives appear from Dungeon Level 5.
Minimum rank to fight: D or higher.
No one dared even think of engaging, but as expected of a B-rank.
I didn't know why we'd dropped deep in a dungeon like this, but with Instructor Kwon Sora...
"Get ready to run, everyone!"
"Huh?"
...we could escape safely...
"But you just took her down?"
"Orc wives are harem-pack monsters by nature!"
Right at that moment.
"Grrr...?"
"Grrr."
"Grrrrrr..."
From the shadows behind the dead orc wife's corpse, green, jiggling breasts emerged one by one.
Soon, a horde of orc wives swarmed.
Slurp.
In that instant, I felt a primal survival instinct screaming not to get caught.