The blood on the flat of the blade did not come off easily with a simple wipe.
Chae-ho ran a piece of cloth from the floor over the sword one more time before placing it into the sheath.
The click of the blade sliding into place echoed unusually loudly because the inside of the cave was silent enough to hear a pin drop.
"Is everyone not moving?"
When Chae-ho asked in his indifferent voice, the frozen party members flinched and finally came back to their senses.
"Ah, yes! We need to move. We're almost at the boss room."
Choi Min-seok hurriedly picked up his shield and took the lead.
However, the atmosphere of the formation had subtly changed compared to before.
No one casually spoke to Chae-ho anymore.
The frontline fighters who had initially thought of him as a former porter needing protection now carefully watched his movements and naturally made way for him.
Even the mage kept glancing back, looking at him with eyes filled with awe.
'The headache hasn't fully faded yet.'
Chae-ho pressed his faintly throbbing temple.
It was the aftermath of activating the skill for around 0.7 seconds to twist the monster's charge trajectory.
It was not severe pain, but the fatigue was unavoidable.
Ignoring the gazes of the others, he simply continued walking silently.
Before long, a heavy iron door appeared.
Beyond it was the boss room where the owner of this Grade C dungeon waited.
"Prepare yourselves thoroughly. There's no guarantee another unexpected variable like the last one won't appear."
At Choi Min-seok's firm voice, the party members tightened their grips on their weapons.
Creak.
The iron door opened, and the battle began.
The boss was an Armored Bear with a massive body.
Every time it swung its front paw, the stone floor shattered from its terrifying destructive power.
But to Chae-ho's eyes, it was merely a slow and predictable beast.
'Time Deceleration.'
For a brief instant, the world slowed.
Chae-ho did not bother aiming directly for the boss's neck.
There was no need.
He glanced at the trajectory of the front paw carrying the bear's weight, then lightly kicked up a large stone rolling on the ground.
Thud!
The stone struck the joint of the bear's rear leg perfectly and bounced away.
As the world returned to normal speed, the bear's posture collapsed greatly.
It had lost balance at the exact moment it was raising its front paw to strike, leaving its defenses wide open.
"Now!"
Chae-ho shouted briefly.
Choi Min-seok was not someone who would miss such an opportunity.
As he struck the bear's jaw upward with his shield, the spearmen's attacks pierced into the beast's chest like blades.
"Kuaaah!"
The mage's fireball delivered the finishing blow.
The boss, engulfed in flames, collapsed onto the ground with a heavy crash.
The battle ended almost anticlimactically.
The party members looked back and forth between the fallen boss and their own weapons while breathing heavily.
"What was that? Why did the boss suddenly stagger?"
"Seriously. I didn't expect my spear to go in that easily."
Among the confused party members, only Choi Min-seok quietly stared at Chae-ho.
The exact timing.
The perfect angle.
The touch of someone who had cleverly created a crack at the point where the boss's attack would flow most naturally.
Choi Min-seok swallowed dryly.
He felt certain that this hunt he had been leading as party leader was actually moving within the palm of a single man standing behind them.
"The situation is over. Let's collect the mana stone and leave."
Chae-ho turned away and spoke indifferently.
No one had anything to say against him.
***
Outside the gate, the sky had already grown dark.
The group gathered at one corner of the parking lot and organized their equipment while feeling the cold evening wind.
The party members repeatedly bowed their heads and thanked him for his hard work.
Some even approached Chae-ho carefully, handed him their business cards, or asked him to form a party together again next time.
Chae-ho simply smiled lightly and packed his things.
At that moment, Choi Min-seok approached quickly while holding a tablet PC.
"Hunter Lee Chae-ho. Do you have a moment?"
The blunt attitude he had shown when they first met was nowhere to be found.
Seeing him stand straight and speak with such polite respect was almost strange.
"Yes. Please go ahead."
Choi Min-seok held the tablet screen out toward Chae-ho.
It was the settlement statement.
"This is the settlement payment for this raid. Please check it."
Chae-ho's eyes stopped on the number at the very bottom of the screen.
It was an amount that made him question his eyes.
It was on an entirely different scale from the small payments he had received while doing every dirty task imaginable as a porter in his previous party.
"This is much more than the share we originally agreed on."
"Of course. Without your contribution, our party would have either been heavily damaged or wiped out when we encountered the Mutated Orc. I calculated the danger compensation and additional settlement ratio at the maximum level."
Choi Min-seok spoke firmly.
"Honestly, this is still a small amount compared to your actual ability. I'm only sorry that this is the limit I can provide with my authority as party leader."
Chae-ho did not refuse and simply nodded.
It was fair compensation for what he had done.
"Thank you. I'll accept it."
When he turned to leave, Choi Min-seok hurriedly called him back.
"Excuse me, Hunter."
"Yes?"
"What are your plans for the time being? If possible, I would like you to join our party as a permanent member."
Choi Min-seok's eyes were earnest.
Using someone with such incredible ability only once as a temporary party member was almost negligence as a party leader.
But Chae-ho had already decided on his answer.
"I truly appreciate the offer, but I don't plan on joining a fixed party for the time being."
"Are the conditions not suitable? We can adjust the settlement ratio however you want."
"It's not about money."
Chae-ho answered calmly.
"I still have many areas where I lack experience. I want to face various monsters in different environments and build up experience. If I become tied to one party permanently, I'll have less time to train."
Choi Min-seok was speechless.
Even after showing such terrifying movements, he still said he needed more training and experience.
It was unbelievable, but Chae-ho's eyes were so serious that he could not force him.
"That's a shame. Really a shame."
Choi Min-seok lowered his head with a genuinely disappointed expression.
"If another opportunity comes, I'll contact you again. You worked hard today."
"Yes. You worked hard as well."
Chae-ho gave a small nod and turned away.
His footsteps as he walked away from the gate were much lighter than when he had entered the dungeon.
***
After returning home, Chae-ho went straight to the bathroom and turned on the hot water.
Standing beneath the shower stream, he washed away the smell of moss and blood that had soaked into his body.
After drying himself and entering the living room, he took out a bottle of water from the refrigerator, drank it, and picked up his smartphone.
The first thing he did was open his banking app.
The settlement money Choi Min-seok had shown him earlier had been deposited in full.
Without hesitation, Chae-ho transferred a large portion of the amount to his parents' account.
In addition to the examination fees and truck repair costs he had already sent, it was enough to comfortably cover their living expenses and future medical bills for the time being.
Less than a minute after pressing the transfer button, his smartphone rang loudly.
The caller was, of course, his mother.
Chae-ho cleared his throat once and answered.
"Yes, Mother."
— Son, what is this money? Why did you send so much?
His mother's voice carried more worry than happiness.
— You aren't doing something dangerous again, are you? You said you left your previous party. You didn't go somewhere strange because you needed money quickly, right?
A faint smile appeared on Chae-ho's lips.
Parents worried about their child getting hurt before they celebrated receiving a large amount of money.
"No, it's not like that. Don't worry."
— Then where did all this money come from? It's much more than what you usually send.
"This hunt happened to go really well. We found some good mana stones in the dungeon, and the party leader gave me a bonus because I worked hard."
— Really? You didn't get hurt?
"I'm fine. I just ate as well."
— That's a relief. You have plenty of places to spend money. Why did you send so much? You need to repair your own equipment too.
"I already set aside what I need for myself, so don't worry and use it. Check if Father's truck repairs turned out well, and make sure both of you eat something good."
— Alright. Don't skip meals, always be careful, and don't overwork yourself.
"Yes. I'll be careful. I'll hang up."
After ending the call, Chae-ho placed his smartphone on the table and collapsed onto the edge of his bed.