Chapter 868

EP.868 [Light Novel Side Story] The Death Dinass of Chongcheon Vol.1 015

Thanks to Yuna’s movements that resembled a secret operation, Nuri safely arrived at the office.

However, with her home address already compromised, staying at an office merely five minutes away from her house wasn’t exactly ideal. Xian came up with a clever plan.

“Anyway, let’s just head to the dungeon now.”

Nuri decided to evacuate to Cheonan after contacting her family, and Seo Hyang, Nuri’s mother, readily agreed to Xian accompanying her as a guardian.

Fortunately, they managed to slip out of New Seoul unnoticed and arrived safely at their destination, Cheonan.

* * *

<3:00 PM, Eunnam Cheonan City E-Rank Slime Dungeon>

“So, it’s another slime dungeon?”

Nuri sarcastically remarked from the back of the group. With people hyping her up, she began to think her abilities were unmatched, but her arrogance quickly grew. Both Nuri and Raon felt uneasy, yet Xian treated Nuri the same as always.

“Hmm.”

“Can’t we try a D-Rank dungeon?”

“Nope. Did you forget what happened yesterday?”

Xian’s comment deflated Nuri. Though she had cleanly sliced through a slime, her behavior during the process was nothing short of embarrassing. Xian continued to reprimand her.

“Our team’s primary goal is to conquer D-Rank dungeons, but there’s something more important. This.”

Xian pointed to her heart.

“Yuna, unlike the real world, what happens if you die in a dungeon?”

“You respawn at the entrance, but your growth cap decreases. The higher your rank, the more it drops. For E-Rank, it’s about two levels, I think.”

Only then did Nuri realize the recklessness of her actions. Entering a D-Rank dungeon could’ve led to her being killed by monsters, potentially jeopardizing her S-Rank growth cap forever. Xian tried to boost Nuri’s morale.

“The reason we’re running E-Rank dungeons isn’t for anything else. We’re here to build combat experience for newbies like Nuri. You’ve only ever held a pen; you’ve never wielded a sword, right?”

“That’s true.”

Nuri nodded while looking at the borrowed Core Weapon box from the rental shop. Despite fearing close-range combat, she insisted on using a sword, much to Raon’s dissatisfaction.

“Nuri.”

“What is it, sister?”

Since Raon’s breakdown the previous evening, Nuri had become relatively respectful, though occasionally slipping into casual honorifics. Raon didn’t mind at all.

“Close combat does require training. Until you adapt, wouldn’t it be better to act as a ranged dealer?”

“Are you telling me to go ranged? Then will you tank? Not interested yesterday, huh?”

Nuri immediately questioned back. The tension between Nuri and Raon stemmed from disputes over the “dealer” role, and their unresolved issues persisted. They hadn’t reconciled yet.

“Yes, I did say that.”

Raon nodded calmly but glanced at Xian before continuing.

“But it’s also true that Nuri’s attack power is significantly higher than mine. It was something time and experience would resolve, but I was overly sensitive. I apologize for yesterday.”

“Eh… um… I’m sorry too. You know so much about this stuff compared to me, and I acted arrogantly. I’m sorry.”

Watching them apologize to each other was heartwarming. Yuna smiled in relief and looked at Xian, who nodded and muttered under her breath.

“It’s said that seeing ugly people makes you happy—this is exactly that.”

Pfft. Yuna kicked Xian’s shin lightly. Realizing her mutterings had been heard, Xian understood her mistake and endured the pain silently.

“What nonsense are you spouting?!”

“I apologize…”

Yuna checked if the two had heard. Fortunately, they were still arguing about something unrelated. She wondered why they were bickering again after having reconciled.

“Absolutely not doing water magic users!!”

“Such statements cannot be ignored. Over 20% of South Korea’s special ability holders are water-attribute users. Including those like me with dual attributes, it’s probably over 40%.”

“It is strange how many water-attribute users there are in our country.”

Yuna casually chimed in while wiping her heels.

“Do you wonder if it’s true that during hero training in Korea, they fill bullets with water?”

“…They charge bullets with ‘water-type magic power.’ Don’t mislead people.”

Yuna corrected the blonde foreigner who believed distorted rumors about Korean heroes. But Raon added fuel to the fire.

“My old guild, <Cheon Gun>, had reserve members who created water-based bullets for K2 rifles.”

“Really?”

“They mentioned it during drinking sessions. There’s even a story about a water cannon squad in Gangwon-do clearing out nearby monsters.”

Xian whistled in amazement.

“Wow, Korea is impressive. How did you develop such technology? Would that mean no bullet costs?”

Yuna closed her eyes. Watching these adults believe army stories shared during drinking sessions made her feel like their common sense was collapsing. As Yuna pondered how to respond, Nuri suddenly shouted.

“No way! I’m not going to be some water gunner!”

For some reason, Nuri genuinely hated the idea.

“I don’t want to hide in the back shooting water guns! Noooo!!!”

“Is that really something worth hating so much?”

Raon frowned at Nuri, who was rolling around on the floor throwing a tantrum.

“Both efficiently and logically, it seems reasonable.”

Raon pulled out the Water Gun she had strongly advocated for from the Core Weapon box. Xian curiously took the Water Gun in hand, inspecting it closely.

“Just channel magic power and pull the trigger, right? Even I can use this.”

Xian channeled her magic power. A faint blue glow flowed into the barrel, and a red notification appeared on the display.

– Current Charge Level: 2%. Cannot Fire. Please recharge with more magic power.

“…”

Xian handed the gun back to Raon, who confidently gripped the handle and aimed at a distant slime.

“Nuri, my water attribute magic power is currently around 15.”

– Fully Charged. Pull the trigger.

As soon as the voice prompt sounded, Raon pulled the trigger. Pshew! A needle-like jet of water shot out and hit the slime.

??

The slime recoiled upon being struck but Raon calmly recharged and fired again. Twice, three times…

….

After four shots, the slime exploded, leaving behind its core. Raon handed the gun to Nuri, just as Xian had done earlier.

“Give it a try. See how much stronger you are compared to me.”

“…”

Though pouting, Nuri reluctantly took the gun. Xian marveled at how Raon was gradually breaking Nuri down.

“She’s got her act together, so she’s completely different from yesterday.”

“…Guild Leader.”

Yuna whispered beside Xian. Thankfully, Nuri and Raon were focused on searching for slimes.

“So, did you really just drink with Raon yesterday?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“…Never mind.”

Xian’s confident answer made Yuna blush slightly and look away. Meanwhile, Nuri had already aimed the gun at a newly appearing slime. Her grip and posture were utterly unprofessional, but the amount of magic power charging was the highest among the team. Still, Nuri looked reluctant.

“Why does she hate it so much when it’s just for gaining experience?”

“Yuna, didn’t you say you saw Nuri’s older sister earlier?”

Upon Xian’s words, Yuna nodded.

“Nuri’s older sister, Gaon, is a water-element B-Rank ranged dealer.”

“…? Wouldn’t that make things easier? She could just learn from her sister. Being family, wouldn’t that help?”

Xian’s gaze toward Yuna became peculiar.

“Yuna, you’re an only child, right?”

“Yes.”

“…Then maybe you wouldn’t understand.”

Xian chuckled awkwardly and pointed at Nuri.

“Normally, when one sibling excels, the other feels pressured. My guess is, Nuri’s awakening might have been due to—”

KWAHNG!! A massive water bubble erupted from the gun’s muzzle, blasting the slime into oblivion. The giant water cannon obliterated the slime without a trace, and Raon applauded the destructive power.

“This is enough. As expected, Nuri—”

“Nope.”

Nuri shoved the gun back into the Core Weapon box and grabbed a sword, raising it high.

“My soul is calling out. I’m destined to be a melee dealer.”

…Whether it was a strong declaration to never walk the same path as her sister or sheer stubbornness, Xian couldn’t tell. Nevertheless, Nuri was determined to stick to melee combat.

“Then shall we see how you fare against a King Slime?”

“Hmph, trembling in front of me and offering a gun? Never gonna happen.”

With Nuri insisting on melee and Raon suggesting ranged combat, the two started arguing again. Xian pressed her temples briefly before clapping to regain everyone’s attention.

“Then let’s do this. There’s no limit to the number of times we can run an E-Rank dungeon…”

Xian raised three fingers.

“We have plenty of time, so let’s try every possible combination to see which works best.”

The four cleared the dungeon, defeating the King Slime, and began their dungeon loop again.

Plan 1. Following Nuri’s suggestion, Kim Nuri wielded a sword while Park Raon used the gun. Result: Failure. Nuri froze in front of the slime, forcing Xian and Yuna to mop up the King Slime with their gun and staff.

Plan 2. Following Raon’s suggestion, Kim Nuri used the gun while Park Raon wielded a spear. Result: Failure. Raon defeated the slime but dodged the King Slime’s charge, and ultimately Xian and Yuna fought back until Nuri blasted the King Slime with a water cannon.

With neither Nuri nor Raon getting their way, both were disheartened. Meanwhile, Xian and Yuna stepped aside for a quick conference.

“What should we do? Nuri seems set on wielding a sword.”

“She doesn’t want to be compared to her sister. Hmm.”

Xian paused for a moment.

“To register for a D-Rank dungeon immediately, it’s best to give Nuri the gun. It’ll make registration smoother, and you can continue attending the academy.”

“Since Raon has reached D-Rank, we just need one more person, right?”

“Huh? What are you talking about? Cough! Yeah, yeah.”

Xian’s obvious attempt to change the subject caught Yuna’s attention.

“Spill it. Why are you hiding something?”

“…Didn’t I give you enough hints?”

“I don’t get it, so explain now.”

“Sorry. Just wait a few more days. Once proper testing equipment arrives from the U.S., we’ll retest and I’ll explain everything. Alright?”

Xian’s words left Yuna sighing. The topic returned to Raon and Nuri.

“Alright. So, Guild Leader, what’s your proposal? Are you planning to manipulate us like last time? Such a sly move?”

“That was beyond my control… Here’s what we’ll do.”

Xian tapped her magical gear and gave an evil grin as she looked at the exhausted Raon and Nuri.

“We’ll keep pushing them until they’re comfortable.”

“Huh?”

“Practice makes perfect.”

Plan 3. Keep running the dungeon until Park Raon and Kim Nuri stop freezing.

From the evening of February 4th, when they arrived in Cheonan, until the last autonomous taxi service ended, they continuously ran the E-Rank Slime Dungeon without rest.

By the evening of February 4th, Nuri slowly became accustomed to swordplay.

On the morning of February 5th, Raon started skillfully dodging the boss’s attacks.

Finally, on Wednesday, February 5th, at 8:00 PM.

With dark circles under her eyes, Xian asked Yuna,

“How many runs today?”

“…98th.”

KUNG. As Yuna spoke, a Royal Slime fell. Covered in slime residue, Raon and Nuri mechanically retrieved cores and claimed rewards. Xian pointed at Nuri, who lay sprawled on the ground, with disdain.

“When you kill the same monster repeatedly inside a dungeon, you earn an achievement called ‘Monster Slayer.’ The system automatically tracks your kills.”

“The threshold is 200 kills, right?”

“Exactly. Assuming we’ve run it roughly 100 times, that means we’ve killed nearly 2,000 slimes, haven’t we?”

Xian watched as Nuri celebrated achieving the milestone on the floor and shuddered.

“Should we celebrate taking three days to kill 200 slimes?”

“Don’t ask me.”

Yuna’s tone sharpened slightly.

“You were the one who said we couldn’t go home until we achieved the achievement.”

“That’s right.”

Just 20 seconds after the second Royal Slime fell since their first encounter, the slime dungeon began collapsing.

As the dungeon crumbled, Yuna sighed in relief, Raon wiped sweat from her hair, and Nuri posed dramatically with her sword.

Xian smiled contentedly at the sight.

“Let’s head straight to the D-Rank Goblin Dungeon.”

The faces of the three twisted in unison.

The dungeon collapsed right then.

Park Raon [‘Achievement’ Unlocked! <Slime Slayer>]

Kim Nuri [‘Achievement’ Unlocked! <Slime Slayer>]