Chapter 9: Another(1)
Dragged half-forcibly by Hong Suyeon, I stepped into the gate. A mystical aura enveloped me as I entered, and the scenery shifted to a cave-like dungeon.
Scattered around were the corpses of goblins, already dead.
“Porters, please collect the mana stones.”
“You took them out already?”
“They jumped us right as we entered. Nearly gave me a heart attack.”
Min Kyuhyun, proudly shaking blood off his sword, signaled to move forward. Hong Suyeon skillfully extracted mana stones from the goblin corpses and hurried along.
She doesn’t look it, but her stomach’s strong.
The raid party entered the dungeon and began wiping out enemies with ease. The monsters were mostly goblins, with a few werewolves and orcs at best.
My job, alongside Hong Suyeon, was simple: activate the mana stimulator to disorient the beasts, making them easier for the hunters to handle.
By the third skirmish, as the last werewolf fell, Min Kyuhyun’s voice echoed from afar.
“Alright, let’s take a break and regroup!”
At his command, the party set down their gear. After prolonged combat, a rest was a smart call.
Seems like Min Kyuhyun’s got decent leadership skills.
But why this lingering unease?
While Hong Suyeon and I collected mana stones from the fallen beasts, a violent tremor shook a corner of the cave.
“Hey, Kim Mandeok, can’t you do your job right?!”
Sub-dealer Park Dongha was smacking tanker Kim Mandeok’s head, hurling insults.
“If you’re gonna tank, focus! You almost got Gunwoo and Minji hurt because you zoned out!”
“S-Sorry…”
Kim Mandeok bowed his head in apology, but Park Dongha didn’t stop the assault. The other party members showed no sign of intervening.
“Shouldn’t we stop them?!”
Hong Suyeon raised her voice, her face serious. Seeing Kim Mandeok take the beating and Park Dongha’s practiced strikes, this seemed like a recurring issue.
Unable to stand it, Hong Suyeon stood to mediate. At that moment, Min Kyuhyun stormed into the scene.
“Dongha, even if he messed up, you can’t beat him up in front of everyone.”
“But, Kyuhyun, we almost got hurt because of him…”
—Slap!
“Kyuhyun…?”
Park Dongha, stunned, clutched his cheek after Min Kyuhyun slapped him.
“How’s it feel to get hit? If it sucks for you, apologize to Mandeok.”
“…”
“You deaf?”
Silenced by the sudden intervention, Park Dongha, still holding his cheek, bowed to Kim Mandeok in apology.
“Dongha, go check your gear for issues.”
“Got it…”
Park Dongha, fists trembling, shuffled away, looking like a defeated animal. Min Kyuhyun, having quelled the commotion, approached us.
“Sorry for the ugly scene.”
“It’s fine.”
“Please understand. Mandeok’s a troubled guy, so this happens a lot. He gets distracted whenever new people join.”
Except for Hong Suyeon and me, they all seemed like regular members. I thought Kim Mandeok was just dim, but he had a tragic story.
Feeling pity, I glanced at him—and he was staring back.
Even when our eyes met, unlike most people, he didn’t look away; his gaze intensified. To a normal person, that stare would be chilling.
Caught in an impromptu staring contest with Kim Mandeok, Min Kyuhyun and Hong Suyeon gave me odd looks.
“Suhyun, what’re you doing?”
“Oh… he kept staring…”
“Ugh, Mandeok’s at it again. If it bothers you, let me know. I’ll rein him in.”
“It’s fine, I guess…”
Kim Mandeok seems like someone to watch out for. I don’t get Min Kyuhyun’s reasoning for using a mentally unstable tanker—could endanger the whole party.
Just in case, I cloaked myself with a faint star’s blessing.
Min Kyuhyun, asking for understanding, returned to the others. Once he was gone, Hong Suyeon whispered a warning.
“Suhyun, don’t get too close to that guy.”
“Why?”
“He seems like a creep. That whole scene felt performative…”
“So what if he’s a creep? It’s a one-time thing.”
Personally, I’m fine with creeps as long as they don’t cross a line. As a former guy, I don’t think liking women is a crime.
Hong Suyeon, displeased, puffed her cheeks, signaling her frustration.
“StarHater… you only hate me… only pick on me…”
True to her internet gremlin nature, she started spiraling into victim mode. What am I supposed to do with her?
The brief, golden rest time passed, and the party, having finished maintenance, prepared to move.
*
Under Min Kyuhyun’s command, we reached what looked like the boss room’s entrance. The battles to get here left minor scratches on the party.
“Ugh… can’t you go easier?”
“Shut up, I’m trying to heal. Why’d you get hurt? If I were you…”
“This chick’s at it again.”
Before the boss room, a small group of orcs—stronger goblins—caused some damage. Thanks to Kim Mandeok’s fervent tanking, it was minimized, but Choi Gunwoo still got lightly injured.
To me, Kim Mandeok did nothing wrong, yet the blame kept piling on him.
“If Kim Mandeok tanked properly, we’d be fine.”
Korea’s indeed a political powerhouse. Even in ordinary citizens’ lives, it runs deep.
But Kim Mandeok, unfazed, kept watching Hong Suyeon and me.
“Suhyun, he’s staring again. Should we tell the leader?”
“…Let’s watch a bit longer.”
He’s got issues, so as long as he doesn’t harm us, it’s fine. I don’t want to join the future politicians over there in condemning him.
Despite intense combat, Kim Mandeok’s wounds remained untreated. Seeing blood trickle from his ear, I approached the healer, Kim Minji.
“Hey, healer.”
“…What’s up?”
Her prickly attitude, unchanged since the start, made it clear what kind of person she was—snapping after just one heal.
“It’s just… the tanker’s pretty hurt. Shouldn’t you heal him?”
“Oh… Mandeok doesn’t usually take heals.”
“He… doesn’t take heals…?”
“His durability and defense are high, so he gets bulk healing after the raid.”
Her words hit me.
The stench of party bullying was unmistakable. What tanker goes through a raid without a single heal? If he wasn’t B-rank, or in another role, he’d be long retired.
Hong Suyeon, overhearing, couldn’t hide her outrage.
“That’s ridiculous! He’s bleeding—shouldn’t you heal him now?!”
“That’s just how our party’s always done it.”
“But that’s too much! What kind of person—”
Kim Minji, mid-healing Choi Gunwoo, stood and approached Hong Suyeon. Towering over her, she intimidated Hong Suyeon, who faltered despite our similar heights.
“Hah, what did you say? I was holding back for Kyuhyun-oppa, but I’m done.”
“W-What… did I say something wrong?”
Scared but defiant, Hong Suyeon stood her ground. She was about to get hit. As their voices echoed through the cave, Min Kyuhyun and Park Dongha rushed over, sensing the conflict.
“What’s going on?!”
Kim Minji ran to Min Kyuhyun, playing victim and tattling.
“Oppa, these girls came at me, saying why I’m not healing Mandeok! I explained everything, but…”
Whining like a kid, Kim Minji acted blameless. Knowing how this would go, I quickly stepped in to calm Hong Suyeon.
“Stop it. They said this is how they’ve always done it.”
“But… this is too much! What party doesn’t heal their tanker during a raid?!”
It’s absurd, but if this is their norm, we can’t stop it.
Hong Suyeon, still not listening, kept yelling at Kim Minji to heal.
“…These porter bitches do nothing but talk shit.”
“What did you say? You don’t heal the tanker and you’re blaming us?!”
In the escalating tension, it all came down to Min Kyuhyun’s decision.
“This… right before the boss room, what a mess.”
“Kyuhyun, what do we do?”
Min Kyuhyun and Park Dongha looked conflicted. It’s laughable they’re even debating, but Kim Mandeok’s on the verge of collapse. Without healing, entering the boss room risks serious injury or endangers the whole party.
Min Kyuhyun, what’s your call?
“Hmm… no choice. Dongha, let’s start early.”
“Got it.”
At Min Kyuhyun’s signal, Park Dongha approached Hong Suyeon and swiftly subdued her.
“Kyaa!”
Her arm twisted behind her, Hong Suyeon crashed to the ground with her bag. Sensing someone behind me, I quickly stepped away.
As expected, Choi Gunwoo was poised to restrain me.
“…What’s this about?”
“If you two hadn’t caused a scene, we’d have done this slowly… but it seems you’re about to ditch the party.”
“What does that—”
Min Kyuhyun’s sudden attack was incomprehensible. Was he doing this because we upset him?
My confusion was answered by Hong Suyeon, pinned to the ground.
“Suhyun, run! These guys are ‘Anothers’!!”
“Anothers?”
“Criminals who lure people into gates for crimes!!”
So that’s it. That’s why I felt uneasy all along.
“Suhyun… let’s do this nicely. We each get what we want, right?”
“What do you want?”
Gone was the friendly facade Min Kyuhyun showed at first. His true intentions surfaced, his tongue flicking with a sinister grin.
“At first, we just wanted items and to plan for later. But we might not see you again after today.”
The remaining party members closed in, surrounding me. Min Kyuhyun barked orders.
“Strip her first.”