Yoon Seo and Kwon Jihan teamed up, and once the battle ended, the hunters naturally gathered around them.
"What kind of skill did you use?"
"Aren't you supposed to be a B-rank support hunter?"
"A weapon that pierces the giant yeti's skin in one strike? Let me take a look at it."
Expecting this, Yoon Seo didn't feel flustered and instead hid behind Kwon Jihan. Kwon Jihan, shielding Yoon Seo, frowned as he faced the crowd, clearly showing his displeasure.
"Don't come near my hyung. My hyung's just a regular B-rank hunter, and I killed the monsters with the weapon I gave him."
"So the weapon came from Kwon Jihan, but what about the skill that killed the monster…?"
"That was my skill too."
"But isn't Kwon Jihan's mana black? That hunter over there had blue mana."
"Hey, what's with you? You've been watching my hyung a little too closely. Got a crush on him or something?"
Kwon Jihan glared at the questioning hunter. The world's strongest S-rank hunter gave such a fierce look that the other hunter shrunk back.
"Why is everyone so interested in my hyung lately? It's really pissing me off."
"..."
"My hyung wanted to experience an S-rank dungeon today, so I brought him along. Don't bother him and just do your own work. I'll protect my hyung, and I'll take care of everything for him. We have a particularly special bond."
It meant he had brought Yoon Seo into the S-rank dungeon out of pure curiosity. Though lower-ranked dungeons sometimes offered tourist-like raid experiences, the idea of using an S-rank dungeon for sightseeing was truly shocking. Some people accepted it with a "Well, it's Kwon Jihan," while others were dumbfounded.
[The God of Life is astonished at the progress of the relationship between the two.]
[The God of Life proudly declares that they are family.]
[The God of Death remarks that it's probably a different kind of family.]
[The God of Life doesn't understand.]
"The gods are in an uproar."
"Same here. The God of Life always talks a lot, but it's the first time I've seen the God of Destruction this chatty."
"What kind of god is the God of Destruction?"
"Childish and immature. Likes blood and people getting hurt."
"Sounds a lot like the God of Death."
[The God of Life bursts out laughing.]
[The God of Death threatens to withdraw their blessing.]
Yoon Seo suddenly became curious about the gods.
At first, he thought these gods were the ones from Earth. Later, he assumed they were aliens. Now, he vaguely regarded them as higher beings who governed the universe.
The black portal message had said that once the final gate was cleared, a new world would open, and Gaia would be with him.
Did this mean the gods would reveal themselves?
Would he meet them once he entered this new world?
The talkative and kind God of Life, the hot-blooded God of Death who loves blood. The silent Watcher who always observes, and Gaia, the creator of the system.
Questions and curiosity swirled in Yoon Seo's head.
In the past, he never had such curiosity. His mind was too filled with thoughts of wanting to die, leaving no room for wonder. But now, he had become curious about the existence of the gods, which meant, though he didn't realize it himself, he was gradually changing.
The future was approaching Yoon Seo.
***
It took 50 hours of battle before they found a safe zone. As they each prepared to rest by setting up camping cars and tents, Jo Mani approached the two of them.
Yoon Seo, who was about to enter the camping car, sensed his presence first and signaled Kwon Jihan with his eyes. Kwon Jihan stepped outside.
"What do you want, old man? Got something to say?"
"I have something to discuss with Yoon Seo of the Guild of Leaves."
"My hyung hasn't been part of Leaves for a long time. Call him Yoon Seo of Seokyoung."
Jo Mani looked at Kwon Jihan with disdain.
"I have nothing to say to you. I wish to speak with Yoon Seo of Leaves."
"Then speak through me."
"Is he really just an ordinary B-rank hunter?"
"My hyung is just an ordinary, slightly curious B-rank hunter."
"Don't be ridiculous. His movements were those of a seasoned hunter. Where else would you find a B-rank hunter who could calculate the friction of the ice surface and land precisely on a monster's weak point?"
"Right here."
"Are you playing word games with me?"
Jo Mani snapped angrily. Kwon Jihan, in the most arrogant stance imaginable, nonchalantly scratched his ear. Yoon Seo sighed and pushed Kwon Jihan aside, stepping forward.
"Didn't you check my system profile? Or do you not know how to read ranks? It should clearly say B-rank."
"The system profile can easily be manipulated."
"I have no reason to lie about my rank."
"…I don't know your reason, but it's certain that you're hiding your true identity."
At Jo Mani's confident tone, Yoon Seo frowned. Jo Mani had also volunteered for the Great Dungeon expedition, so his true identity would be revealed once they entered the dungeon. However, revealing it here, with so many people around, wasn't ideal.
Jo Mani continued.
"What on earth is Seokyoung plotting? Adding two members just days before the briefing—one being Kwon Jihan, and the other this suspicious guy. Does Grace Elysia think there will be some rare items or treasure chests in this dungeon? Have you come to snatch away the treasure chest with that cute little bird inside?"
Jo Mani's wild speculation made Yoon Seo narrow his eyes and lower his voice.
"Keep quiet. The treasure chest is supposed to be a secret."
"Hah! So, it was true. That treasure chest will be Rainbow's achievement. Don't even think about laying your hands on it."
Jo Mani spat out those words and stormed off.
Thanks to his greedy nature, Yoon Seo narrowly avoided being exposed.
Yoon Seo smirked and entered the camping car. Kwon Jihan followed him inside and closed the door.
Once Jo Mani was far enough away, Kwon Jihan asked.
"Hyung, doesn't your skill
"It doesn't work on an S-rank Awakened."
"Oh, I see. That's a relief."
"Relief?"
"I was a bit worried you might use
"Why would I use
Yoon Seo raised an eyebrow, clearly displeased, and Kwon Jihan scoffed.
"Honestly, if it worked, you'd have used it a bunch of times by now. Like when we first got pulled into that temporary team, when you became the top contributor, when you made that shield at the market, or when you used
"That's true. A shame, really."
"Seriously? You could at least say, 'I wouldn't do that.'"
"Why deny the truth? I'll take a shower first."
Yoon Seo swiftly headed to the bathroom. From behind, he could hear Kwon Jihan click his tongue in mild frustration.
The camper they were using had a broken bathroom door, so Yoon Seo used
[The God of Death feels frustrated.]
[The God of Death says they couldn't improve their power because of Gaia.]
[The God of Death… ]
Yoon Seo paused, halfway through undressing, and tilted his head in confusion.
What's this?
[The God of Death has fallen silent.]
What the heck? Why did they stop talking all of a sudden?
Suspicious, Yoon Seo raised an eyebrow.
[The God of Life urges you to undress quickly and shower.]
[The God of Death wants to see your scars.]
"…"
It almost felt like the gods were deliberately trying to change the subject.
As Yoon Seo finished undressing, he considered what he had read. Unable to improve because of Gaia… It meant the blessing gods were under Gaia's control. If there was a similar skill, but they couldn't give something stronger, then that similar skill would likely be
In the Great Dungeon,
As Yoon Seo turned on the shower, warm water gushed down, and he found himself growing familiar with this camper's shower. He let thoughts of Hughes and the memories they carried wash away with the water.
***
Jo Mani had become almost certain that a treasure chest existed. Whenever he had the time, he and his guild members went searching for it. One of the Seokyoung guild members grew suspicious of this behavior and secretly eavesdropped, discovering that the Rainbow guild was also looking for a treasure chest. Seokyoung's members quickly reported this to Kwon Jihan. Although he dismissed it, telling them there had been no such revelation, the guild members were still on high alert, scanning every icy corner.
With both large guilds searching frantically, even the smaller guilds began to suspect something. Eventually, rumors about the treasure chest spread throughout the entire raid team.
In the end, all the hunters except for Kwon Jihan and Yoon Seo were frantically searching for a non-existent jackpot. Well, of course, it couldn't be said with absolute certainty that it didn't exist—just that the odds were extremely low…
On the day before the boss monster raid, the only ones left in the base camp were Kwon Jihan and Yoon Seo. Everyone else had given up their rest to go out and search, knowing that there wouldn't be any time for treasure hunting once the battle began. Yoon Seo enjoyed the quiet, as it meant he could relax without worrying about anyone else. He stretched out leisurely in an armchair by the campfire.
"They have incredible stamina, don't they? Fighting in this cold and still running around without proper sleep to find a treasure chest. Or maybe it's not stamina but sheer willpower."
"It's just obsession and greed. If I were certain there was a treasure chest here, I'd probably be one of them."