EFME 31

Bada, who had followed Sunyul to the shooting range after finishing his martial arts training, watched Sunyul’s back, absorbed in his thoughts as he focused on shooting.

His posture was so similar, and there was more than one strange thing about him.

For some reason, Bada had become soft towards Sunyul. Of course, the kid had looked at him with pitiful eyes, but the usual Lee Bada wasn’t the type of person to weaken just because someone looked pathetic. Yet, for some reason, no harsh words would come out when it came to Lim Sunyul.

Besides, Bada wasn’t the only one acting strange.

Jeong Dakyung was strange as well. Dakyung was friendly to everyone, but he was especially affectionate towards Sunyul. The way he talked, it was as if he were treating a brother he had known for years.

Of course, the strangest of all was Kwon Muyoung. He was a man who originally had no interest in others and didn’t know the meaning of consideration. But that same Muyoung suddenly brought Sunyul in, offered him his own space, and would coldly warn anyone who said anything harsh to Sunyul.

Every time Bada saw Muyoung being affectionate in front of Sunyul, he felt like he wanted to throw up.

Some people suspected that Lim Sunyul might have a skill that inflicted a status abnormality. But after checking with all sorts of items and skills, there was nothing wrong with Bada’s condition. Muyoung also got tested after being persuaded by those around him, and it was the same for him.

Some did suspect that because Sunyul was EX-class, his skill level was just as high, making it undetectable. Of course, the probability of that was low. They had taken that into account, greatly enhancing the effects or running multiple cross-verifications.

Anyway, he was an incomprehensible guy. From one to ten, everything about him.

Bada felt someone approaching from behind and turned around. It was Muyoung. He reflexively checked the time and saw it was already almost six o’clock.

“Hyung, the Guild Master is here.”

At Dakyung’s words, Sunyul lowered the gun he was holding and turned around. At the same time, a bright smile bloomed on Sunyul’s face.

“Guild Master!”

Seeing him so openly happy, Bada felt a strange foulness rise in his mood. He himself didn’t know why he was feeling bad. Bada swallowed his irritation and looked at Muyoung and Sunyul. For some reason, there was a bitter taste in his mouth.

“You both worked hard.”

After listening to Sunyul chatter about what he did today, Muyoung said to Dakyung and Bada.

“Not at all. I had fun too.”

“It’s a paying job, so whatever.”

Bada deliberately spoke bluntly. Before, Sunyul would react with a sullen face when he said things like this, but today, he didn’t seem to mind much. Was it because Muyoung was here? His heart ached for no reason.

“Was he teachable?”

Snapping back to his senses at Muyoung’s question, Bada nodded.

“He was good. If he does well, he might even be able to beat an F-class Awakened.”

“Am I that good?”

Sunyul looked at Bada, his eyes twinkling. Banjjak-banjjak. Bada nodded, a bit awkwardly.

“Uh, you were decent.”

“Will I be able to fight monsters too?”

“Maybe, if it’s a weak one.”

Sunyul was filled with motivation. Even so, the dungeon they would be entering was S-class, so he wouldn’t be able to do anything.

“Then teach me again next time. Until we enter the dungeon.”

“Well… sure.”

He hesitated for a moment, but he was actually willing. Looking at the motivated Sunyul, Bada let out a chuckle without realizing it. Pisik.

⊹₊｡ꕤ˚₊⊹

Sunyul looked at the monsters loitering before him.

They were moose-like monsters. Albeit, unlike a moose, they had six legs. The monsters, three times larger than Sunyul, were intimidating by their mere presence.

Their estimated rank was A. A whole pack of them had gathered, a situation where an average hunter would have to be prepared for death.

‘Team Leader! We should retreat for now and wait for backup…….’

‘If we run away, the camp we set up will be destroyed. It’s fine, so Ms. Sooyeon, you go hide well!’

Lee Sooyeon was a healer with no attack power. Though she didn’t know what to do, Sooyeon obediently ran away and hid behind cover.

Sunyul observed the monsters, who were wary of him. Among them, two monsters had moss and mushrooms growing on their backs, and that moss was extremely expensive.

If I collect it safely, it’ll be worth quite a bit of money. He was lucky that two monsters growing the moss had appeared. Sunyul racked his brain, planning to catch them with as little damage as possible, and as soon as he made his decision, he immediately used his skills.

[Using skill ‘Blooming Spring’.]

[Using skill ‘Brilliant Summer’.]

[Using skill ‘Sanctuary Proclamation’.]

[Trait ‘Duty of the Strong’ activates.]

[All stats are increased by the effect of trait ‘Duty of the Strong’.]

[Trait ‘Fruitful Autumn’ activates.]

[All stats are increased by the effect of trait ‘Fruitful Autumn’.]

[Duty of the Strong] was a trait that activated when protecting someone weaker than himself. After confirming that the trait had definitely activated, Sunyul immediately used a skill on the monsters.

[Using skill ‘Marksman of the Magic Bullet’.]

Magic bullets that appeared around Sunyul were immediately fired at one of the monsters. The magic bullets, which couldn’t be dodged or blocked by ordinary abilities, embedded themselves straight into the monster and exploded.

— Geueoeoeogeok…….

The monster next to it roared with a low, eerie cry. Sunyul could understand what the monster was saying. It was a chilling promise to kill and devour him in one go.

It wasn’t the first or second time monsters had acted like this. Not feeling particularly threatened, Sunyul smirked. Pisik.

The monsters, now fully recognizing Sunyul as an enemy to be killed, charged straight at him.

Letting the distance get too close wasn’t a good situation for Sunyul, who was not a close-combat type. Sunyul kept a close eye on the one with moss among those charging at him.

[Using skill ‘Researching Madohakja: Stop’.]

The two with moss stopped in their tracks, unable to move a muscle. Kkomjjakdalssak. Sunyul roughly measured the distance to the monsters before looking up at his head.

The sky was brilliantly clear. Dungeons had no sun, but the day would brighten and darken on its own. It was a strange thing.

Of course, he hadn’t looked up just to admire the sky.

[Using skill ‘Researching Madohakja: Warp’.]

[Researching Madohakja] was a magic skill that allowed him to research up to seven desired abilities, register them, and use them freely. Research took time, and there were limits to the types of abilities he could learn, but it was a magic skill with more versatility than any other.

Among them, ‘Warp’, which he had researched and registered in the early days, had never once been pushed aside for another skill. He could freely move to any place he had been to at least once, or anywhere within his line of sight.

Having warped high up into the sky, Sunyul confirmed the monsters’ positions. From up high, he could certainly see the monsters’ locations at a glance, making it easy to aim. Sunyul smiled leisurely.

[Using skill ‘Marksman of the Magic Bullet’.]

[Using skill ‘Researching Madohakja: Flight’.]

The consecutively used [Marksman of the Magic Bullet] skill rained down on the monsters. With a loud explosion, the monsters were instantly burned into black charcoal.

Sunyul only had two offensive skills. But the S-class [Marksman of the Magic Bullet] skill, while simple, possessed powerful attack strength, which was a great help in battle.

Sunyul flew as he was and landed inside the sanctuary he had proclaimed. Sooyeon, who had been watching him, ran over and looked at the two monsters with anxious eyes.

‘Why didn’t you kill those two?’

‘They have moss on them, and that moss is expensive. If I kill them with my skill, it’ll all be ruined, so I was going to tell Awakened Park Chuljoo to catch them when he comes.’

‘What? W-what if they come this way.’

Seeing Sooyeon’s pale face, Sunyul laughed. Haha. It seemed that Sooyeon, for whom this was her first dungeon, wasn’t confident in how strong Sunyul’s [Sanctuary Proclamation] skill was.

‘They can’t. The skill is blocking them.’

‘But…….’

‘Awakened Lee Sooyeon.’

‘Y-yes.’

‘Trust me. I may be young, but I’ve been entering dungeons for 4 years… hmm, that’s not very long either.’

‘…….’

‘If you’re really worried… ah, never mind.’

‘What?’

‘They’re coming right over there.’

Sunyul pointed behind Sooyeon. Sooyeon couldn’t see anything. Just as she was getting scared that Sunyul was seeing things, Sooyeon’s ears also began to hear someone’s shout.

‘Team Leader!’

The people who ran over in an instant were the other members of Combat Team 8. A team member who saw the monsters Sunyul had killed whistled.

‘You took them out in style.’

‘There are two left. I didn’t kill them because of the moss, so please catch them safely.’

‘Moss? Are we having beef this time?’

‘We’ll see how you catch them.’

The other team members ran over, excited. Since they were monsters that had been stopped by Sunyul’s skill anyway, they could be captured without much difficulty.

Someone tapped Sooyeon on the shoulder as she was staring blankly at the scene. Tuk-tuk. It was the most senior Awakened on this team, Park Chuljoo.

‘Ms. Sooyeon, you seem very nervous.’

‘Ah, yes……. Yes, a little.’

‘What are you worried about when you’re with the Team Leader? The Team Leader is probably stronger than all of us combined.’

‘I’m not that strong…….’

Sunyul, who was listening, retorted. At that, Park Chuljoo laughed heartily and slapped Sunyul on the back. Peok-peok.

‘Ow, ow! That hurts.’

‘Don’t be a baby. Anyway, don’t you worry. Ms. Sooyeon, you’ll be able to get out without a single scratch.’

‘Yes, thank you…….’

At Chuljoo’s words, Sooyeon nodded, her face much more relieved.

Hmm, maybe because I lack experience, my words are less believable. But if it had been him, many people would have followed him regardless of age.

Sunyul looked around, anticipating a slightly better tomorrow.

With a final glance at the high sky, Sunyul woke from his dream.