Although they had decided to go together, the rules still required a full team of eight people.
Castorice had initially considered inviting Han Song-Yi along—not to bring her into the dungeon, but thinking that since they needed to hire hunters anyway, Song-Yi could tag along and earn some extra pay.
But after a moment's hesitation, she decided against it.
After all, Song-Yi had been working pretty hard these days—going to school in the morning, then diving into dungeons with her after class.
Even if she didn't have a specific role, she'd insist on carrying magic crystals, doing her best not to seem like she was just freeloading.
That kind of intense schedule was still a lot for a high school student. Money could be earned anytime; it was better to let Song-Yi rest and spend some time with her family.
Thinking that, Castorice sent her a message saying, 'Got something on today, we'll go again tomorrow.'
Only after getting a reply did she put her phone away.
Because of Castorice's… unique situation, the two of them couldn't take regular transport to the gate, so they simply rode together on the Death Dragon.
The Death Dragon Pollux was a creature created by the previous Thanatos—Polyxia—an extension of her will, though not herself.
Since Polyxia wasn't here, the Death Dragon had become an extension of the current Thanatos—Castorice's will.
It didn't inherently possess Castorice's 'Avatar of Death' constitution, though it could have.
This time, the gate was at the foot of a mountain in a remote countryside.
The hunters hired to make up the numbers were already waiting there—after all, they were only low-level D and E ranks, and without guild affiliations, they didn't have much to do normally.
Even though it was just a hiring fee, Cha Hae-in was a generous employer, paying them enough for two dungeon runs on a normal day. So, putting on their best behavior for the boss was only right.
But…
Watching the two figures—one gold, one purple—leap down from the Death Dragon was like seeing heaven and hell intertwine, naturally drawing everyone's eyes.
Someone who could interact with the 'Maiden of Death' without any apparent hesitation… besides Cha Hae-in, you probably couldn't find a second person like that in the country.
'Maiden of Death' was a nickname, much like Cha Hae-in's 'Dancer' or Choi Jong-In's 'The Ultimate Soldier.'
It was said to have been uttered unconsciously by a hunter Castorice hired during a dungeon run, overheard by others and quickly spread.
Honestly… it sounded impressive without fully understanding it, but it fit well and had a nice ring to it, so it just stuck as her alias.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, the association hunter walked over from near the gate to Cha Hae-in, the winning bidder. After registering everyone present, he left.
"Since it's not just the two of us this time, let's not head straight for the lord's chamber."
Following Castorice through the gate, Cha Hae-in said, "We can clear out the enemies here first and haul out the magic crystals."
Castorice was familiar with this approach and gave a slight nod, her modern clothes instantly shifting into her 'classic skin' from the game.
"Huh…?"
That caught Cha Hae-in off guard.
Glancing at her own casual wear, then at Castorice's 'combat outfit,' Cha Hae-in drew her longsword from her spatial storage and asked curiously, "Is your spatial magic already that polished? I can only store my sword in mine right now."
Truthfully, this was already progress for her—before, she couldn't even fit a sword, only small items like rings or necklaces.
"But then, you do have summoning abilities too, so I guess it's not that strange."
Though curious, Cha Hae-in didn't find it too odd. In her eyes, Castorice leaned more toward the magic type, even understanding concepts like mana control—she must've practiced a lot.
It made sense she'd be better than someone like Cha Hae-in, who only used mana to enhance herself and was essentially a self-taught swordsman.
"If you need it, Cha-sunbae, you can keep a spare set of gear with me anytime."
Castorice smiled, offering without hesitation.
Through their time together, she knew Cha Hae-in was very well-equipped.
Unlike other hunters who enjoyed luxuries, Cha Hae-in spent most of her money on gear and weapons.
She had prepared numerous sets suited for various dungeon situations, while a smaller portion went toward supporting other hunters in her guild.
Castorice hadn't expected to meet someone so genuinely kind-hearted, which greatly increased her fondness for Cha Hae-in, considering her the second friend she'd made in this world.
The reason it had taken so long for Cha Hae-in to repay her, and why she'd hired only E and D-rank hunters, was also because her funds outside of equipment weren't very plentiful.
In other words, she had plenty of valuable gear, but not much liquid money.
It was like an isekai version of Mona… though no, Mona was way poorer than Cha Hae-in.
"Ah… no need for that. You should save your space for things more useful to you."
Facing Castorice's kindness, Cha Hae-in waved her hand, feeling embarrassed about taking up space with her own equipment.
As the two finished speaking, the other hunters filed in one after another.
Though Cha Hae-in had originally hoped they'd wait outside, getting a close look at an A-rank dungeon and S-rank combat was a rare opportunity—especially when both S-ranks were such uncommon beauties.
It was both a feast for the eyes and great material for stories later, so the hunters naturally wanted to enter the dungeon too.
Since it was just an A-rank dungeon, even without full gear, Cha Hae-in didn't think she and Castorice would fail to protect these low-rank hunters behind them.
They weren't planning to engage the boss anyway.
An E-rank mage lit an illuminating fireball. Without the heightened senses of an S-rank, they still needed light to see properly.
This dungeon was another cavern—maybe a mountain cave, maybe underground. With only one path ahead, the group pressed forward.
"Something's coming."
Before long, Cha Hae-in caught a foul scent flooding her nostrils, and several large canine creatures with red fur darted out from shadowy corners beyond the firelight's reach.
Whether as the one who invited her or as her senior, Cha Hae-in didn't intend to let Castorice handle unnecessary fights. After all, this dungeon bid was meant to repay Castorice, so she wanted to give her the best experience possible.
"They're dungeon jackals!"
The D-rank mage gasped, almost losing focus on maintaining the fireball.
Frowning slightly, Cha Hae-in's sword never faltered. A golden glow climbed the blade, and with agile, dazzling movements—almost like a dance—she cleared out over a dozen jackals in barely two seconds.
But…
"Something's off."
Cha Hae-in looked at the fallen jackal corpses and immediately noticed the collars around their necks. "Why are there C-rank magical beasts in an A-rank dungeon? And these collars…?"
It was as if they'd been tamed. But… monsters taming monsters?
Cha Hae-in couldn't shake the feeling this A-rank dungeon was anything but ordinary.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.