Chapter 3.2

“There are five vacant dungeons nationwide you can enter right now. The closest, of decent size, is in Jongno. The farthest, but the largest, is in Haeundae. Which one would you like to go to? Both guarantee travel time, but you’ll have to enter the dungeon immediately upon arrival.”

It felt like she was saying, ‘You can handle at least that much, right?’

Please, brain…Just take it as it is.

“I want to go to Haeundae!”

Ending every sentence with an upward tone is really exhausting.

“Shall we head out right away?”

She opened the car door, which I hadn’t even noticed waiting, and gestured for me to get in.

“Let’s go.”

At her words, the car shot forward.

The ONES Guild member sped so recklessly I wondered if he wouldn’t get fined for it, but thanks to him, we reached Busan in just 4 hours.

Clutching my queasy stomach from motion sickness as I got out of the car, the distinctive salty smell of the ocean filled my nostrils.

I rubbed my upper stomach and took a deep breath of the ocean air.

As Seo Rana, who’d been scanning the area, approached from the side, I instinctively straightened my hunched back.

“The dungeon is this way. Do you see that place with all the people?”

“Yes. Are those guardians?”

“Yes. With a dungeon that size, the more victims there are. Even in winter, the beach draws plenty of people.”

I didn’t know what to say to Seo Rana, who was staring at the guardians with a bitter look.

‘It’ll be okay? We’ll save them?’

It seemed no words could cover that expression.

“Ah, Guildmaster!”

A few people blocking the dungeon entrance greeted Seo Rana.

Standing beside her, I was completely ignored.

It was treatment bitter enough to sting, but I was fine. Probably fine.

“Are the preparations complete?”

“Of course. You may enter right away. But are you really going in with that thing?”

I heard that.

“…Shall we go in now?”

I hoped someone would step in and say don’t talk like that, but Seo Rana didn’t even blink.

The words that thing made my nose sting.

To keep from showing how hurt I was, I stepped into the dungeon first.

 

You are entering Shallow Sea, Deep Sea, Jellyfish (A) Dungeon.

[Warning! Warning! Warning!]

Beware of mental interference.

Due to the effect of the title [Unyielding Spirit (S)], mental interference has been nullified.

 

***

 

I drifted in the shallow sea.

My body is submerged in water so deep it envelops me completely.

I let myself drift, lulled by the vague sensation, but the moment I remembered where I was, I opened my eyes and that’s when the suffocating pressure hit.

Gurgle.

Bubbles rose toward the surface.

It felt like I could reach the surface if I just stretched out my hand, but my body only sank further.

Where’s Seo Rana?

Through the murky water, I spotted her not far away, her body hanging limp.

My heart dropped in my chest.

She’s the #2 Hunter. There’s no way she could die this easily.

Even so, my arms and legs moved frantically, carrying me toward her.

Her face was pale, lips sealed shut.

She looks dead already.

In a rush, I pried her mouth open.

Squeezing out what breath I didn’t have, I pressed my lips to hers and forced it into her.

Her eyes snapped open.

Instead of the look of someone regaining consciousness, her furrowed brow held a strange expression.

Don’t tell me… she was faking?

Every time a bubble tapped my cheek, her eyes flickered..

This woman, seriously…!

Just as I was about to pull away in surging anger, her hand pressed the back of my head.

“Mmpff•••••!”

I clamped my lips shut as her tongue tried to force its way in.

Her softened gaze urged me to open them.

But because I’d already shared what little air I had with her, I was suffocating until I had no choice but to part my lips.

A sweet scent like grass after winter rain spread through my mouth.

As oxygen filled my starved lungs, my eyes closed on their own.

As if she had been waiting for that moment, Seo Rana pulled away.

Following Seo Rana, I opened my eyes and saw an opaque sphere enclosing us.

“It’s fine now.”

“…! I-I can talk…?”

The sensation was strange like being underwater, yet not.

As I touched the sphere surrounding us and looked out into the clear sea beyond, Seo Rana spoke with a faint note of gratitude.

“Thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to secure some air for a while.”

“…Yeees……”

If she could make a space like this to breathe, why didn’t she do it sooner instead of scaring me half to death?

Of course, I didn’t say that out loud.

Instead, I pouted and harshly wiped my lips with the back of my hand.

“The skill takes a little time to cast, so I had to concentrate. If you hadn’t been there, it would’ve been difficult.”

“Ah, yes… I see…”

I made no effort to hide how ridiculous I thought it was, and the system chime rang out, clear and sharp.

Surely my Affection Level didn’t just drop?

 

Ding—!

 

Affection Level of a nearby lifeform has changed.

Calculating Affection Level…

[Seo Rana – Affection Level: -100]

The closest entity is displayed first.

 

No way…!

The Affection Level had gone back to where it was when we first met.

Was I… supposed to be glad about that?

“First, we need to decide whether to go up or down. What do you think, Ms. Baek Youngha?”

If her score was still -200, she probably wouldn’t have asked.

As that thought crossed my mind, an idea hit me and I sighed.

Maybe this useless skill actually was useful.

If I knew how someone felt about me, I could tailor my words and actions accordingly.

But… was I even smart enough for that?

Even if I could, I didn’t want to manipulate someone’s feelings.

Besides, right now there are people trapped in this dungeon who need saving.

I had to set my priorities straight.

I looked down through the opaque sphere at the pitch-dark sea below.

As far as I knew, the deeper the sea, the heavier the crushing pressure.

Would this sphere hold up against it?

No matter how hard I swam, the surface was unreachable.

The only path open to us was down.

“Will this sphere hold if we go deeper?”

This time, I decided not to end my sentences with a lifted tone.

At -100, I could act like I did when we first met.

“In water, yes.”

“Then how about we go down?”

Other survivors were probably trapped underwater too.

Most of them likely suffocated to death.

But if one of them had a water-specialized skill, they would have gone down into the deep sea.

“Can I hear your reason?”

But what should I even call Seo Rana? ‘Ms. Seo Rana?’ That feels too awkward…

‘You?’ What kind of way to address her is that…

In the end, I just had to avoid calling her directly as much as possible.

“It’s impossible to go up. If the other survivors are in the same situation, most will already be dead. But if even one of them awakened, they would have gone down into the deep sea.”

“Really?”

“It may be better to stay where there’s light, but searching for an exit that might exist is more hopeful than clinging to one we can’t reach.”

“That makes sense. Shall we go down?”

What the…?

She’d already thought the same thing?

Then why bother asking instead of just moving? Or explain as we went?

Unable to read her intent, I narrowed my eyes at Seo Rana.

“That was unexpected. I didn’t think you’d consider what survivors might do.”

The opaque sphere slid downward, and a subtle lurch stirred in my stomach.

The unfamiliar sway made me nauseous.

I hunched slightly to steady myself, and warmth lingered at my back.

But nothing was actually touching me.

As I shifted against the warmth, Seo Rana’s low voice tickled my ear.

“Hunters only look at the situation right in front of them, thinking only of how to clear the dungeon. No one considers the people trapped inside. All they care about is who raises their contribution score, who takes the items first. I’m not saying that’s wrong. Everyone acts to get what they want. But sometimes I wished a Hunter would come along who put people first instead. I didn’t realize one would be right beside me.”

“What?”

That was far too heavy a thing to say while her Affection Level was sitting at -100.

And she was overestimating me so much it made me uncomfortable.

“I’m not that good a person.”

“Is that so?”

If her expectations rose any higher, it would be a disaster.

The smallest disappointment and her Affection Level would surely come crashing down.

So I deliberately added that awkward extra remark that I wasn’t a good person. But Seo Rana’s Affection Level stayed the same.

Whether that was fortunate or not, I couldn’t decide. Just as I was about to ask if she’d really heard me, white light suddenly flooded the pitch-black sea, like a bucket of black paint spilling into it.

The piercing light blinked slowly, then, like bulbs flaring on all at once, several lights illuminated the waters around the sphere.

The deep blue sea turned white.

 

Ding—!

 

A lifeform has been detected nearby.

Calculating Affection Level…

[Seo Rana – Affection Level: -100]

[??????? – Affection Level: 0]

The closest entity is displayed first.

 

No way, are these question marks that light?

 

A new lifeform has been detected.

Lifeform Detection (A) has activated.

[Deep Sea Ocean Jellyfish (C): A jellyfish with long tentacles that supply oxygen.]

 

That light. No, the jellyfish liked me more than Seo Rana did.

Could I maybe get this jellyfish to cooperate?

I pressed my face to the sphere. The jellyfish floated closer and tapped its long tentacle against my cheek.

It felt like we were bonding at an aquarium, in other words, it didn’t feel good, because I felt like the exhibit in the tank.

When I scrunched my face, the jellyfish tapped the sphere, like it was trying to get in.

At the sudden sense of threat I jerked back, but Seo Rana calmly mimicked the jellyfish’s action.

“It’s fine. A monster like that couldn’t possibly breach the sphere.”

“But still…”

Just as I was about to say not to let our guard down, the jellyfish’s tentacle pierced the sphere.

“What the…!”

The oxygen that had filled the sphere began to gush out.

I tried covering the hole with  my hand, but it was useless.

I checked my skill window, but in this situation not a single one was usable.

Since I couldn’t do anything, I had to hope Seo Rana would fix it.

“I don’t have any skills I can use here right now!”

“Are you serious?”

You’re doubting me now?

I’m serious!

“I mean it! I really don’t!”

Only when my breath caught in my throat did she seem to believe me, and the hole closed.

“Haa…”

…Alright.

Just because her Affection Level went back to -100 doesn’t mean she actually became favorable.

We did enter the dungeon together, but after that close call I couldn’t keep sticking with her. I don’t need her help. I’ll save everyone here on my own and get out.

I wanted to do that, but at the moment I needed Seo Rana’s help.

Unable to protest, I focused on keeping my balance inside the wildly shaking sphere. The jellyfish vanished from view. I couldn’t even see my own hands, let alone Seo Rana.

The pressure made my ears pop.

The sphere jolted as if it had hit something, flinging my body around.

“Ugh!”

I nearly fell, but Seo Rana caught me.

“There’s space here.”

You’re calling that a space?