I did end up joining the exploration team just like I wanted, but things turned out to be a bit strange. First off, there was Liam White, grinning in front of me, and next to him was Andrew Bailey, frowning like he had a headache.

Then there was Joshua Lehmann, still wearing that grumpy expression, and another hunter with an attack skill. I could understand why the other hunters were here, but I had no idea why these two were. I pointed at Eden and Do-gyul and said—

"I can overlook that pink hair, but isn’t it kind of wrong to bring a kid along?"

"…"

"…!"

Do-gyul stared at me with a calm expression, while Eden appeared to have a lot to say—but not a single word left his mouth. It seemed like he was still being silenced by Do-gyul. I clicked my tongue inwardly.

Kang Yoo-hyun had unexpectedly added Eden and Do-gyul to the exploration team, calling them additional members. The hunters in the exploration team were dumbfounded by the unnecessary addition. They weren’t exactly reinforcements who would be of much use in combat.

A mental-type hunter and a wind-type hunter—it was a combination that seemed more suited for evasion than for actual combat. In fact, Eden and Do-gyul had managed to dodge countless monsters on their own while trailing the raid team.

Kang Yoo-hyun's intentions were clear. It seemed like he expected them to grab me and run if things went south. But the problem was, Eden and Do-gyul didn’t even know who I was—could they really protect me if things took a dangerous turn?

"Don't underestimate me. I'm an S-class hunter."

"…!"

Do-gyul said, speaking in a clear and firm tone as he looked at me. For a moment, my mind went blank.

Oh my god, Do-gyul is speaking so confidently to someone he doesn't even know! Well done, my little bro!

"…I see."

"…"

I quickly pressed my lips together, stopping the smile that was about to slip out. I didn’t want to suddenly appear suspicious, smiling for no reason. Let’s control my expression, I muttered to myself. Han Yi-jin’s passive skill was surprisingly helpful, even in situations like this.

"Well, there must be a reason why Kang Yoo-hyun recommended you. I have no complaints."

"Same here… if you're S-class…"

"Hmph."

Liam White and Andrew Bailey seemed to acknowledge Do-gyul, while Joshua Lehmann simply turned his head, as if he didn’t want to deal with it. That guy probably just hated the whole situation.

"Sigh…"

Anyway, it seemed like I couldn’t just leave Do-gyul behind in the raid team and go off on my own, so I decided to give up at this point. After that, we roughly formed the party, and everyone’s gaze suddenly fixed on one spot.

"Aigoo, ugh…"

"…"

It seemed like the dwarf noticed our gaze, as he let out an exaggerated groan before slowly opening his eyes. Liam White approached the dwarf, who was lying on the ground.

"You said you know where the legendary weapon is, right?"

"Y-Yes."

"Can you guide us there?"

"Of course! Yes!"

The dwarf, lying flat on the ground, kept answering out loud. Liam White nodded and took something out of his inventory. It was a binding item.

"Sorry. We still don’t fully trust you."

"Ah, t-that's alright. Haha…"

The dwarf answered awkwardly, taken aback for a moment before quietly extending his arm. A binding item was placed around his dark wrist. I figured it probably worked similarly to the bracelet Baek Si-hoo had once forced me to wear.

The memory from that time made me feel a bit uncomfortable, but I didn’t show it and kept watching the dwarf. Surprisingly, he didn’t seem to react at all after wearing the item. With a puzzled expression, the dwarf tilted his head, then brushed himself off and stood up.

"Should we go then?"

"Yes, yes!"

As Liam White urged him with a smile, the dwarf shouted loudly and then pointed somewhere.

“First, we should go this way.”

"…?"

But that's a blocked-off area?

The place the dwarf pointed to wasn't a path; it was a dead end. Still, he pointed at it with confidence.

"Can I just break it?"

"No, no. There's a path here."

"…?"

The dwarf waved his hand in a panic as Liam White immediately reached for his weapon. As Liam White looked at the wall with a puzzled expression and tilted his head, the dwarf fumbled along the wall with his hand. Then, a section of the wall pressed in, followed by a clicking sound.

Click.

“…!”

Is this a secret door?

I got so excited that I forgot what was going on. Normally, when a raid team tackles a dungeon, it’s just a repetitive process of using scouting skills to find the path, killing monsters, and clearing it—so I never really got to feel like I was actually exploring.

"This way."

"…"

"…?"

The dwarf spoke and turned his head toward the hunters of the exploration team, but none of them stepped forward. Surprisingly, most of the hunters were rather timid—or, to put it more kindly, cautious. They had learned from experience that even one small mistake in a dungeon could cost them their lives.

Many of them had likely witnessed countless comrades perish in front of them. And now, they were separated from the main party and being led down a path that couldn’t look more suspicious. No wonder they hesitated. I understood how they felt. This wasn’t some game. Without their skills, hunters were just ordinary people.

"Shall we go take a look?"

As expected, Liam White shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. He glanced around at the uneasy hunters with a cheerful expression and spoke.

"Since he's equipped with the contract item, anything suspicious he does will show. So, there's no need to worry too much."

"…"

The hunters' gazes turned toward the bracelet the dwarf was wearing. In the end, the only thing they could trust was the contract; the system, after all, was reliable.

Relieved, the hunters finally began to follow the path led by the dwarf. I glanced at Liam White, who was leading the way, and slowly stepped back.

"…Um."

"…?"

Do-gyul, who had been staring at me intently for a while, tilted his head. I gulped nervously as I met his innocent gaze. Now, what should I do about Do-gyul? I never expected him to follow me all the way to the dungeon. I had planned to leave him with the main team, but once again, things went awry because of me, and he ended up joining the exploration team.

"Sigh…”

“…?”

Do-gyul looked at me with even more confusion as I suddenly let out a sigh. From his perspective, it must have been strange for a stranger to approach and sigh like that. I quickly composed myself and turned my head.

"How long is that person going to be unable to speak for?"

“Ah.”

“Eup…! Eup…!”

I casually asked, intending to give Eden his speaking rights, which no one had bothered to notice. At that moment, Do-gyul finally seemed to realize, looking at Eden with a surprised expression. He had forgotten about Eden, who had been silenced.

Well, at least thanks to Do-gyul, I managed to break the flow of the original story, so it wasn’t all bad. Still, I felt a little sorry for Eden, so I guess I should ask him to release his skill now.

"Don't worry about it."

"Huh? But it must be frustrating not being able to speak."

"It's fine. He's someone hyung doesn't need to worry about."

"Hyung?"

"…"

Do-gyul quickly shut his mouth with a look of realization. His small face turned red with embarrassment. I narrowed my eyes slightly.

Was Do-gyul really this friendly to call someone he had just met "hyung"? I had never seen him act like that with anyone else but me.

"I'm sorry, but Hunter Park Ho-su resembles my hyung a bit…"

"Me?"

"Yes."

"…"

That can’t be right. I tilted my head in confusion. With Lee Chae-jin’s potion, nothing about my appearance resembled Han Yi-jin. Seeing my puzzled expression, Do-gyul continued speaking.

"Th-the vibe is similar."

"Vibe?"

"Yeah, like my hyung… you have that same warm vibe…"

"…"

Do I really give off that kind of vibe? Or is it just that Do-gyul, being a mental-type hunter, has sharp intuition? As I tilted my head, unable to make sense of it, the hunters walking ahead of me suddenly stopped in their tracks. I looked ahead with a puzzled expression.

“From here on out, we have to be very quiet.”

"…?"

For some reason, the dwarf lowered his small body even further, speaking in a whisper so faint it was almost inaudible. His voice was so quiet that only someone with the sharp hearing of an awakened person could catch it. That alone made it clear how careful we needed to be.

What on earth is in here that’s causing him to act like this? Just as that question crossed my mind, a faint sound brushed past my ear—it was the sound of someone breathing. But it didn’t sound human.

Grrng, grrrng. It was the unmistakable breath of a beast. It seemed I wasn’t the only one who heard it, as the faces of the hunters slowly turned pale.

"This is where the evil dragon hid its treasure. Naturally, the dragon itself must be nearby."

“…!”

This bastard…! He should’ve told us that earlier…!

The words I couldn’t express surfaced as anger on my face, and also on the faces of all the hunters.