Please Cooperate In The Execution Of S-Class Official Duties

* * *

There were a total of two girls in school uniforms.

“We were visiting the studio…….”

The situation was rather simple. A girl, who introduced herself as Choi Sookyung, said that for the sake of her school’s performance assessment, she asked her mother, a staff member of the broadcasting station, and even brought her friend, but things ended up like that. 

When the gate opened, the children were drawn in without knowing what it was.

When they came to their senses, they ended up in the middle of the dungeon, just like Hara and Seheon. Fortunately, the children were dropped next to a large tree. The girls, who were currently in their first year of middle school, managed to squeeze their small bodies between gaps in the tree’s roots. 

“Uhuhuhu, I was so afraid that a monster would come that I couldn’t even breathe, Uhuhuhu.”

As she calmly explained the situation, Sookyung eventually burst into tears. The same goes for the girl next to her, Heeyeon.  

“Hey… Stop…”

She said, “Don’t cry, alright?” but eventually burst into tears, overwhelmed. Perhaps the fact there are other people aside from them gave them great comfort. 

Even though it was their first time meeting each other, the girls sobbed while hugging Hara and Seheon. Hara hugged them helplessly.

“It’s alright. Everything’s alright now. Hm? Don’t cry, it’s alright.”

But Seheon was the only one that remained composed. 

“Please don’t cry. The monsters will rush over upon hearing that sound.” 

For him to speak with honorifics to a young girl that barely reached his shoulder, and the words he said weren’t comforting at all at that. 

Upon hearing those words, Heeyeon, who was sobbing while clutching Seheon’s waist tightly, covered her mouth with reddened eyes.

Hara frowned slightly.

But she didn’t intend to say anything to Seheon. Seheon’s words were right. Rustle… She spotted bright yellow eyes looking in their direction from the forest. 

Overall, they seemed to be a mixture of insect-type monsters in E-class or F-class, but the animal-type monsters would appear soon.

“What should we do? I can’t fly with everyone in my arms.”

“Is this place far from the safe zone?”

“No, it isn’t too far from here.”

Eventually, it was decided that she’ll move the children first.

If she wasn’t in contact with Seheon, her power would return to its original state, so Hara measured Sookyung’s weight. Sookyung, who’d graduated from elementary school last year, was similar in height to Hara, but it’s possible to carry her with all her strength.

Seheon would remain with one child, while Hara rushed towards the safe zone with Sookyung. 

Fortunately, the safe zone was relatively wide. The child was also relieved at the sight of the safe zone. It seems like things like the ‘Safety Education on the Code of Conduct during Dungeon Isolation’ that were conducted by civil servants at schools every semester was effective.

Just like that, she flew Heeyeon over. During the course of events, she was worried about Seheon, who would remain alone until the end, but fortunately, Seheon was safe. It seemed like luck was on their side. 

However, it seemed like he had a hard time chasing away the small, insect-type monsters.

“A cockroach the size of a rabbit.”

As he said that, there was a subtle furrow to his brow. When the four of them reunited in the safe zone again, the children, who barely managed to relax, spoke in unison.

“We also fought with that too.”

“You fought? You two?”

“It kept crawling through the gap in the trees…….”

Goodness. If a cockroach kept crawling in while hiding, it was as terrifying as an S-class monster. Everyone shuddered. 

Meanwhile, a huge wolf-type monster slowly walked out of the forest. The four of them froze unknowingly and watched it cautiously, but this was a safe zone. The wolf-type monster sniffed, and walked away without paying any heed to them.

Only then did the four people truly relax their guard and sat down. Hara picked up some things that can be used as firewood near the safe zone. The leaves were damp and couldn’t be used, but there’s no need to count on them. 

“Even so, the both of you managed to hold out pretty well.”

It seems like Seheon, who had been speaking formally all this while, was asked by the children to speak comfortably. Other than Hara, the others couldn’t leave the safe zone, so Seheon naturally became in charge of the two children.

Hara walked quickly while voicing her agreement. 

“Yes, even we adults had a hard time.”

“About that…”

Sookyung, who watched their moods, opened her mouth.

“There’s another person.”

“……What?”

Hara paused. Seheon also looked back at the children in surprise. Tears poured out of Heeyeon’s eyes as she looked at them.

“Oh, what about Seoyeon…”

From the beginning, Sookyung brought two friends along. Heeyeon and Seoyeon.

When they first fell into the dungeon, Seoyeon, who was much calmer than her peers, soothed the crying two and began looking for a place to hide.

“It’ll be alright, guys. Let’s hide here.”

Seoyeon was the one that found a gap in the tree, and Seoyeon was the one that pushed Sookyung and Heeyeon in it.

And just as Seoyeon was about to duck into the tree’s gap. 

“Screech!”

A large eagle or some unnamed bird flew in and took Seoyeon away. 

The children ended up running out of the tree, but it was to no avail. Seoyeon was already taken into the skies.

Just then, they looked at the children’s dirty faces again. The faces of the girls, who cried while covering their mouths the entire day in the tree’s gap, were indescribable. 

Hara rubbed her face. Seheon let out a long sigh.

The children sobbed, “What will Seoyeon do?,” but they didn’t say anything to the adults. It’s because even if they were young, they probably knew what happened to that child. 

* * *

The safe zone also had a small pond. However, it didn’t seem drinkable at first glance. The water in the pond was rotten black and made a strange, boiling sound. The fact that it didn’t have a strong smell was the silver lining in the cloud. 

“You can’t drink that, alright?”

“Yes……”

The children, who had swollen faces after crying for a long while, answered side by side. 

Hara sighed while collecting firewood. Even if she called it firewood, it was just a collection of entangled dried branches, so it wasn’t worth looking at.

“If only I had an emergency kit.”

It was a must-have item when hunters entered dungeons. There was everything needed for survival within. She never thought that she’d be so desperate for firewood.

“The Hunter Market isn’t open in dungeons, right?”

“Yes.”

Hara nodded at Seheon’s question and flattened the dry branches. The girls watched Hara with curiosity-filled faces.

Hara smiled at the children and opened her mouth.

“Inventory.”

Plop. The things she’d gained from the rabbit’s carcasses poured out. The children’s eyes grew wider. It was probably because it seemed like they fell from thin air.

Seheon smirked at that sight of her. She could have taken it out easily through the system window, but he noticed that she seems to have done it purposely in order to attract the children’s attention. 

“Look at this. I caught a rabbit earlier.”

“Wow.”

[Meat of a carnivorous rabbit]

Unappetizing appearance.

[Skin of a carnivorous rabbit]

Poor quality.

The conditions of the meat and skin were also visible to hunters, but perhaps it only appeared as a chunk of meat and fur to the children. It’s fortunate that the system tanned the fur automatically.

Sookyung blinked and asked.

“Sister, are you a hunter?”

“Yes, of course I’m a hunter. Didn’t I fly in the sky to send you guys here earlier?”

At the sight of Hara’s proud countenance, Heeyeon quickly asked. 

“What class are you? A-class?”

Sookyung shook her head.

“No. My younger sister collects Hunter cards, but I’ve never seen this sister before.”

Hunter cards.

It was a collection of cards that children would often bring around to play with. The actual faces of hunters were imprinted and occasionally used to play confrontation games.

However, only S-classes and A-classes were used as actual characters. It’s because there were too many people from B-class onwards.

When Hara shut her mouth, anxious looks immediately appeared on the children’s faces.

“Eum…… are you a B-class, then?”

At that moment, Seheon suddenly cut in.

“Heeyeon-ah. If someone suddenly asks you what your ranking in school is, you wouldn’t feel good. Right?”

“Ah……”

Heeyeon blinked, and her face turned red when she realised what he meant. 

“I’m sorry.”

Hara immediately answered. 

“No, Heeyeon. It’s alright. Heeyeon probably asked because you’re uneasy. Right?”

“Yes……”

“It’s natural to wonder how strong our side is when you’re in a dangerous place like a dungeon. Right? So it’s okay.”

Hara patted Heeyeon on the shoulder.

“It’s enough for me to protect Heeyeon.”

“That’s right. B-classes are also strong. And isn’t this a B-class dungeon?”

Sookyung meddled again.

There’s no need to say that she’s an E-class here. This is because it would only add to children’s anxiety.

However, she also can’t reveal that she’s an S-class. It’s because Hara hasn’t completely become an S-class yet.

Seheon, who was vaguely aware of Hara’s situation, kept his mouth shut. Hara smiled and took out something from her pant pocket and waved it around. 

“I’ll show you guys something else. Do you want to look at this?”

“What’s that?”

“It’s my weapon.”

Each hunter official had a weapon in case of an emergency. The same held true for Hara, who was mainly doing desk work.

“Oh? It’s a lightstick! I know this.”

Heeyeon recognised it. 

Hara smiled embarrassedly and waved around a handspan-sized plastic lightstick. It was a lightstick that would only be sold at an idol’s concert.

No, that was the case in reality. The lightstick that she bought at her favourite idol’s fan meeting was Hara’s weapon. 

“But how would this be a weapon?”

“Look here, and you’ll know how strong it can be once you open the lid.”

The moment Hara opened the switch, a faint light appeared. Then, she took off the lid and shone it at Heeyeon’s eyes. 

‘Kyaah,” Heeyeon covered her eyes with a shriek. “Me too, me too,” Sookyung said, and when the lightstick’s beam shone in her eyes, she fell backwards with a laugh. 

“It’s so bright!”

“It’s very strong, right?”

It would obviously be bright when the lightstick’s beam was directed in their eyes. Seheon raised an eyebrow next to her dumbfoundedly. ‘Don’t tell me you’re going to catch monsters like that,’ was written in his eyes. 

Hara lifted the lightstick again awkwardly. Of course not.

* * *