Chapter 9: Dungeon (1)

Ddong ddang ddung ddang –

Another lively day in the Dwarf Village.

Bold was cutting wood with a saw in the forest near the village.

“Ah, I’m so sick of sawing.”

Even though he’d been at it for a while, the saw still didn’t feel familiar in his hands.

Other Dwarves could handle it easily without even being taught.

Sawing wasn’t the only one.

Hammering, chopping with an axe, working the bellows—

Everything was difficult for Bold.

Bold quietly stopped sawing.

“Tsk, this is no fun. I wish it was mealtime already.”

Then he could take charge of cooking.

That was when Bold felt confident.

But as soon as he thought about cooking, something came to mind.

“Ah, that jjajang ramen was so good. Of course, the soup ramen was tasty too, hehe.”

Slurp.

Bold wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve.

“Ah, I want to eat it again.”

He spent a long time just imagining ramen.

Naturally, his thoughts drifted to where the ramen came from.

“Giant, you were really amazing.”

The Orc invasion.

Though Bold was always pessimistic, yesterday he’d felt true despair.

But then the Giant appeared.

He smashed the Orc with a crowbar and soon took down the Shaman as well.

If that house-sized fireball from the Shaman had flown at him?

Just thinking about it was terrifying.

Bold recalled yesterday’s battle as if in a dream.

But then, a strange thought popped into his head.

‘If I can smash monsters, doesn’t that mean I can chop wood too?’

Bold sprang to his feet.

Chaaeng—

But he’d forgotten that he’d stopped in the middle of sawing.

The saw blade snapped with a sharp crack.

“You rascal, Bold! Did you break another tool?”

“Ah! Chief, it’s not what you think!”

“Not what I think, huh. I saw you slacking off, and now you’ve even broken the saw!”

“No, that’s not it. I just discovered something amazing!”

“Amazing or not, get over there and start chopping with an axe!”

“Okay, I understand, Chief. I’ll go get the axe.”

Bold dashed toward the village.

Once he was out of the Chief’s sight, he changed direction.

Toward where the Giant would appear!

***

Suho, as soon as he woke up, opened the freezer door.

He could hear the sounds of Dwarves at work.

“Diligent as always.”

Muttering, Suho poured milk into his cereal.

At that moment, a voice rang out.

“Giant—Giant—please come out for a moment—”

What’s going on so early in the morning?

Suho picked up his cereal bowl and headed for the fridge.

“Giant—!”

He recognized the familiar voice—it was Bold.

“Bold, what is it?”

“Giant, I have a favor to ask!”

“What is it?”

“Could you chop some wood? Since you’re so big, you could cut it in no time.”

At that sudden request, Suho let out a small exclamation.

“I didn’t even realize I’d been avoiding interfering directly with the Dwarf Village.”

On the first day he awakened—

Suho had stuck his hand into the freezer without thinking, and the Dwarves had scattered in terror.

Because of that memory, Suho had been avoiding putting his hand in the freezer.

“But they probably won’t be as surprised anymore, right?”

Then there’s no reason not to do it.

While Suho was thinking, Bold repeated his request.

“If the Giant helps, we can finish building the village so much faster. And I won’t have to saw anymore. Please help us!”

At the same time, a message popped up.

[You have acquired the Dimensional Mission [Village Construction Support (Ongoing)].]

[Check the Dimensional Panel for details.]

—

[Village Construction Support]

• If your giant hands lend their strength, the Red Hammer Tribe’s relocation will proceed much faster. Help the Red Hammer Tribe build their village.

-This is an ongoing mission. You can repeat it until the situation is completely improved.

• Reward: Red Hammer Dwarf Satisfaction.

—

Ssnip snip—

“I should have helped sooner.”

He’d been too busy to think of it.

Ssnip snip—

“If I use scissors, it’s so easy.”

To Suho, logs from the other world were like toothpicks.

He could snip them apart with scissors in no time.

What took the Dwarves tens of minutes, he finished in three seconds.

Ssnip snip—

“Wow—amazing! As expected of the Giant, you’re the best!”

“Incredible, really.”

“Chief, I asked the Giant for help this time. Don’t forget.”

“Yes, Bold, you did well this time.”

“Hehe, then I’ll go make some ramen.”

“…Call me when it’s ready.”

Bold ran off, brimming with excitement.

Suho chuckled and continued snipping away.

“Giant, I feel bad for always relying on your help. We’ll repay your kindness as soon as we can.”

“It’s fine. It’s not difficult for me at all.”

“Thanks to you handling the logging, we have extra hands. The rest of us are working on the smithy and other facilities. Before long, we’ll be able to make you proper equipment, Giant.”

Proper equipment!

Anticipation welled up inside him.

“If there’s anything else I can do to help, just let me know.”

“Thank you so much, Giant.”

Ssnip snip—

***

After about an hour of snipping, the mission was complete.

The Dwarf Village was now stocked with lumber, and Satisfaction rose by 30.

“It’s almost time to meet Hyunsu.”

He should get going.

After finishing his shower, Suho received a message.

-Jung Hyunsu: Hyung, I think I’ll arrive in about 30 minutes. Should I come to your store?

Suho replied.

-Won Suho: Let’s meet at a nearby coffee shop.

It was best to avoid exposing the Dwarves.

-Jung Hyunsu: Okay, I’ll head there. See you soon, hyung.

-Won Suho: Alright.

Suho got ready to go out.

“If I get the contract money, maybe I can treat them to some pork belly.”

The number of Dwarves had already surpassed 300.

Feeding them all would cost hundreds at least.

Maybe meat was still a bit too much for now.

***

30 minutes later, at the coffee shop.

Suho greeted Jung Hyunsu with a slightly awkward expression.

Seeing Suho’s face, Jung Hyunsu spoke first.

“Suho hyung, I wanted to come alone, but my sister insisted on tagging along… Sorry.”

“So it’s your sister. Hello.”

Suho greeted her.

Her expression wasn’t friendly at all.

“So you’re Won Suho? I’m Hyunsu’s sister, Jeong Hyeona.”

“Yes, I’m Won Suho. Nice to meet you.”

“I can’t say I’m pleased to meet you.”

Jeong Hyeona replied coldly.

He’d guessed as much from her expression.

She must be unhappy about the contract.

“Noona, come on! You said you’d just watch.”

“How can I just watch? My little brother’s about to get scammed!”

“Please, noona, I explained everything already.”

The siblings bickered.

Suho didn’t wait.

“Hyunsu, if you don’t want to sign, let’s not waste each other’s time.”

Suho stood up as he spoke.

“No, hyung, wait! That’s not it, I swear. Please, just give me a moment. Noona, come over here.”

Jung Hyunsu grabbed Jeong Hyeona’s arm and pulled her to a corner.

Suho sat back down.

‘Did he not tell his guild yet?’

Then his sister found out?

If that was the case, Suho would have been just as frustrated if he were the sister.

‘But that doesn’t mean I’ll just back down.’

Contract?

It’d be nice, but he wasn’t going to force it if it wasn’t meant to be.

It’s not like he didn’t have other sources of money.

Soon, the siblings returned.

“Suho hyung, sorry. It’ll be fine now. Noona promised to stay quiet.”

“Alright.”

“Then please wait a minute. I’ll go buy us some drinks. Noona, please, just stay put.”

Jung Hyunsu went to the counter.

Jeong Hyeona sat across from Suho.

She stared at him sideways.

Suho pretended not to notice.

Then she let out a sarcastic snort.

“Won Suho.”

Jeong Hyeona called out to him.

“Do you have something to say?”

She was Hyunsu’s family, so he couldn’t just ignore her.

Suho responded politely.

Sseuek—

Jeong Hyeona’s hand shot out like lightning.

Her target: Suho’s face.

Suho didn’t move.

He wore a calm, composed expression.

He didn’t even blink.

“Da—”

But it was Jeong Hyeona who was surprised.

Her hand stopped right in front of Suho’s face.

She’d never intended to actually hit him.

“Would you mind moving your hand away?”

Suho spoke in a relaxed tone.

“Ah, yes. Sorry.”

Jeong Hyeona quickly withdrew her hand.

And then berated herself.

‘Why did I just do what he wanted like an idiot?’

Flustered, she’d even apologized.

She’d been completely caught off guard by Suho’s calm reaction and tone.

‘But how can he not even blink?’

Jeong Hyeona was a Hunter.

Awakened for four years, level 37, class: Ranger.

High agility and sharp eyesight were her specialties.

‘Did he not even notice my hand coming at him?’

Or maybe he was just frozen in place.

But his voice telling her to move her hand was too calm for that…

‘No way a level 11 could read my movements. Damn, what is going on?’

She felt like there was something, but couldn’t figure out what.

Still, she couldn’t just accept Suho’s ability as it was.

The contract at stake was too important.

‘Of all times, why won’t he move? There’s no point in testing him like this!’

She’d wanted to judge his level by his reaction.

But at this rate, it was pointless.

‘I’ll have to try one more time.’

Just then, Jung Hyunsu returned with drinks.

“Here, have some coffee, hyung. Noona, have something sweet to calm down.”

He placed an Americano and a parfait on the table.

“Do you think I’m a child? You think sweets will calm me down?”

“Just eat it. Here’s a spoon.”

A long parfait spoon.

At the sight of it, Jeong Hyeona’s eyes flashed.

‘This time, I’ll get to the bottom of it.’

Jeong Hyeona grabbed the spoon.

And thrust it forward.

Her target, as before, was Suho’s face.

But this time, much faster.

And she didn’t stop.

The spoon was blunt, so it wouldn’t hurt much, but if Suho didn’t dodge, he’d get poked in the face.

Kkadak—

Suho tilted his head slightly.

The spoon missed.

Sseuem—

The spoon cut through the air with a whoosh.

“He dodged? No way!”

“Ugh—Noona, are you crazy? What the hell are you doing?!”

The siblings shouted in unison.

Suho’s gaze turned cold.

He’d let it go once, but doing it again was crossing the line.

Any more and he’d just look like a pushover.

“That’s enough. Hyunsu, let’s talk later.”

Suho stood up.

“Hyung, wait a minute.”

Jung Hyunsu called out, but Suho ignored him.

He walked out, crossing the parking lot.

Tadadadak—

He heard rapid footsteps; someone blocked his path.

It was Jeong Hyeona.

Her eyes were still sharp.

But what she did next was unexpected.

“I was rude. I’m sorry. Even knowing it was wrong, I acted that way because it was about my brother. Please accept my apology.”

Her tone was formal.

She bowed deeply.

It felt sincere.

Well, at least she wasn’t completely without manners.

But he couldn’t just let it go.

“You seem to have some experience as a Hunter. You do know what a preemptive attack means between Hunters, don’t you?”

Jeong Hyeona’s face turned pale.

A Hunter’s superhuman abilities meant they could kill each other at any time.

That’s why a preemptive attack was treated no differently from attempted murder.

For Jeong Hyeona, it had just been a ‘test,’ but she couldn’t deny it if the other party called it an attack.

Given the level difference, there was no excuse.

“I really didn’t mean to hurt you. It wasn’t an attack, I just wanted to gauge your skills…”

Suho cut her off.

“I can’t know your true intentions, Jeong Hyeona. I don’t want to. What matters is how I feel.”

If it weren’t for his favorable impression of Hyunsu, he wouldn’t have been this polite.

Suho added.

“…I’m sorry. I didn’t think it through. I’m truly sorry.”

Jeong Hyeona apologized again.

She’d finally realized her mistake.

By then, Jung Hyunsu had caught up.

“Hyung, I’m so sorry. My sister kind of lost her mind worrying about me. Please forgive us.”

Watching the siblings apologize in succession, Suho thought,

‘It would be better to contract with Hyunsu personally than with another guild.’

But he couldn’t keep tolerating this kind of rudeness.

If he let it slide once, they’d keep interfering.

He needed to make sure it wouldn’t happen again.

Suho, looking grim, spoke.

“As things stand, I can’t sign the contract, Hyunsu.”

“…Hyung, I’m sorry. Please reconsider, just this once.”

Jung Hyunsu apologized with a devastated expression.

Jeong Hyeona, having realized her mistake, stood silently.

To the siblings, Suho said,

“We’ll have to rewrite the contract.”

• No one from Sangwangryeon is to interfere with the movements of Won Suho and Jung Hyunsu’s party.
• No information about Won Suho’s class, skills, or equipment is to be requested.
• If any of these are violated even once, Won Suho will not pay any of the promised compensation to Jung Hyunsu.
• At the end of the three-year contract period, payment will be settled at the original price.

Suho requested several special clauses be added to the contract.

“This way, they won’t be able to interfere again.”

Paying the full amount at the end was a kind of bonus.

It was a big sum for Suho, but still a fair condition for them.

‘If I just make demands, they might dig in their heels.’

Suho also preferred the contract to go through.

Especially with these special clauses added, it was almost perfect for him.

‘Maybe I’ll give them a little justification to accept.’

Suho spoke to Jeong Hyeona, who was still sitting pale-faced.

“Ms. Jeong Hyeona, you’re sitting quietly because of your earlier rudeness, but you’re still skeptical about the contract, aren’t you?”

Even without her answering, it was obvious.

“It’s not that Sangwangryeon is short on money. You’re worried that my lack of ability might put Hyunsu in danger, aren’t you?”

“…Yeah.”

Jeong Hyeona sighed as she answered.

“Then let’s do this. In exchange for adding the special clauses, you’ll join us for the first Dungeon. See for yourself whether Hyunsu will be in danger because of me or not.”

“…Oh.”

At Suho’s offer to have his abilities tested, Jeong Hyeona’s expression brightened.

Suho barely managed to suppress a smile.

‘The golem’s desperate to have someone guide us through the Dungeon.’

It was his first time in a Dungeon.

Suho needed a Guide.

And now, the golem—Jeong Hyeona—would act as his Guide, and for free at that.

And it didn’t even look like Suho owed them anything.

“Of course, there’s something to do before that.”

There was something to settle first.

“But, I’ll need the contract fee up front. Even if the contract falls through, I won’t return it.”

Even if the deal broke down, he’d at least have enough money to feed the Dwarves for a night.

Suho had nothing to lose, and they could verify his abilities for a small price (?).

“You can decide when we go into the Dungeon. I’m fine even if it’s this afternoon.”

With that, Suho finished his proposal.