The Magical Hunter Girl Decorates the Dungeon! - Chapter 86

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Magical Hunter Girl Decorates the Dungeon! Episode 86
Grimoire answered at once.
[This is a Dungeon, right? Why’d you call so late? You always call the moment you step inside!]
“I was worried the other Hunters who came in first would notice. But this Dungeon… something’s wrong with it. It’s F-rank, but the Civil Servant Hunters say no one’s been able to clear it.”
[How’d you end up in a Dungeon like that?]
“I didn’t come here on purpose. The Gate entrance stretched toward me and swallowed me up!”
[The Gate entrance expanded? That means…….]
Grimoire fell silent for a moment. Inside the bag, Grimoire closed their eyes as if concentrating on something……
Then their eyes snapped open suddenly.
[F-rank? Not anymore! This Dungeon’s gotten stronger.]
“Like the Blacksmith Dungeon?”
That place was originally a D-rank Dungeon, but it grew to B-rank when Jin Si-heon’s Soul Fragment rolled inside.
[Something like that. The F-rank Dungeon might’ve gotten food supplied to it……. Are the people who came in first still alive?]
“Just a moment. I found one person, so let me ask and tell you!”
The nest in the field was right before her. Lee Ji opened her bag just a crack and leaned toward the entrance of the nest made from cogon grass.
Inside sat a tired-looking male Civil Servant Hunter.
With a hollow expression, he held one hand out to a zebra while patting an Egg with the other—and only then did he notice Lee Ji, startled.
“Who are you? How did you get in here?”
“Hello. I’m in second grade at Chamsae Elementary School, and I fell into a Gate that just popped out!”
“A Gate popped out? Wow…… Damn it. This Dungeon, it definitely— Hey, hey!”
The Civil Servant Hunter bared his teeth at the zebra that kept gnawing on his hand.
“Squeak! Dad said he was busy!”
“……”
“Stop that or you’ll be in trouble! When are you going to stop acting like a baby!”
“……Whiiiine.”
The young zebra’s ears drooped as it turned away. The Civil Servant looked a bit apologetic, then turned back to Lee Ji.
“Look, kid. I don’t really know how to put this—”
“I’m from a Hunter family, so I know a lot about Dungeons! You’re clearing a Quest right now, aren’t you? What happened here?”
“……”
The Civil Servant started to say something, then closed his mouth with a complicated expression. Lee Ji knew that look.
‘No point telling a kid. Get an adult.’ That kind of expression.
“Kid, did you get separated?”
“I got separated with a friend, and he’s looking after an Egg that the dinosaur gave us.”
“You both got Eggs? Then you’d better take good care of it! Don’t you dare abandon it!”
The Civil Servant’s eyes were desperate. Lee Ji, pouting visibly, pointed at the zebra sitting grumpily beside them and asked.
“Um…… If you abandon an Egg, does a kid who bites his dad like this get born?”
“That’d be lucky! Ugh, I don’t even want to think about it.”
The look that flickered across his face was unmistakably fear.
What on earth had happened here?
As Lee Ji faltered, he shook his head rapidly and forced out cheerful words.
“It’s fine. I sent an SOS earlier, so another Hunter should come help us soon.”
“An SOS means this isn’t an F-rank Dungeon anymore, right?”
“Ah, well, listen—don’t be scared! Everything’s okay!”
“I’m not scared! You could just be honest and tell me what happened!”
There was barely any information at all.
She was wondering if it’d be better to look around with Grimoire instead, when—
Someone came running toward them, and then a familiar voice called out.
“Are you the Civil Servant Hunter?”
“Y-yes! You came to help?”
Color returned to the Civil Servant’s face.
Meanwhile, Lee Ji recognized the owner of the voice standing right beside her.
‘It’s Ji-hyeok!’
The Hunter with his face almost completely hidden behind a mask and hoodie—Han Ji-hyeok—pulled out an ID Badge.
Han Cheon-hyeok
On official duty
A fake made by the Association, complete with an alias.
“I’m a Hunter dispatched on emergency orders by the Association. Would you mind explaining what happened?”
If they’d been outside the Dungeon, the Civil Servant would’ve picked up from his voice and demeanor that Ji-hyeok was a teenager.
But anxiety, the hope of rescue, the Association ID Badge……
and standing next to Lee Ji, his physique made him look far more adult, which buried the Civil Servant’s doubts.
“The kids probably shouldn’t hear this—
Ji-hyeok pretended to cover Lee Ji’s ears.
“Please, go ahead. It’s not like we can send them far from here anyway.”
“……Understood.”
The Civil Servant took a breath.
“As you saw coming in, we received a Quest to hatch an Egg. Of course, our job is to destroy the Core, so we planned to ignore the Quest.”
“……”
“But we couldn’t locate the Core.”
The Civil Servant pulled something compass-like from his pocket. A Core Detector. The red needle spun wildly because the Core was too far away.
“So I decided to proceed with the Quest instead, while my partner tracked the flow of Magical Power by running around.”
“Where is that partner now?”
Lee Ji glanced around. There wasn’t a human shadow anywhere. Various creatures roamed about here and there.
The Civil Servant spoke with a downcast face.
“Actually, we both got Eggs by accident, so my partner left his Egg on the ground and went exploring. But not long after we separated—wait a moment.”
The Civil Servant gently rocked his Egg, then continued.
“From the abandoned Egg……. A spider the size of a medium dog was born.”
Lee Ji almost screamed. She’d rather have the friend with two pairs of wings!
“My partner got chased by the spider and disappeared over a hill…… and then, shortly after, I felt the Dungeon’s Magical Power rising. When I checked with the power detector, it had become E-rank.”
“……”
“I can’t destroy the Core alone, so I had no choice but to proceed with the Quest. ……P-please don’t call me a coward.”
“I won’t. Clearing a Dungeon solo is insane.”
Lee Ji stared at Han Ji-hyeok’s face for a moment.
‘This guy said he wanders Dungeons alone without anyone knowing.’
Ji-hyeok deliberately avoided her gaze.
“Then what about that zebra?”
“The first life to hatch from my Egg.”
“Pardon?”
Lee Ji added her own words.
“The Dinosaur Professor gives us Eggs one by one, and if you take care of them properly, something hatches from inside. Crocodiles, sea cucumbers…….”
“And spiders too?”
“Yes.”
“I never want to raise an Egg again.”
The Civil Servant sighed.
“If everyone refuses the Quest and it leads to a Dungeon Break, that’s also a problem. There are people trapped here…….”
“First, I should find the missing Civil Servant.”
“Should I come along?”
The Civil Servant asked urgently.
But Ji-hyeok smiled wryly and shook his head.
“You seem busy.”
He was right. The Civil Servant was juggling rocking the Egg with his left hand while pushing away the zebra that kept digging into his right side.
“I’m sorry! Once the second Egg hatches properly, I’ll help search for the Core too! Take this for now.”
The Civil Servant handed over the Work Radar. Ji-hyeok took it.
“Thanks. Come on, kid. Let’s go.”
“Okay!”
Ji-hyeok immediately scooped up Lee Ji and started running.
Behind them came the Civil Servant’s voice—whether happy or unhappy, it was hard to tell.
“Stop it. Dad’s not sulking. I’m busy looking after your brother, so stop poking me…… Ahahaha! D-don’t tickle me!”
Ji-hyeok sighed.
“That guy seems to be getting attached to the zebra.”
“Zebras are cute.”
“Did you get an Egg too? You better not get attached like he did.”
“I’m not attached! ……But the Egg makes cute sounds.”
“If an Egg makes cute sounds, that’s when you should be scared. Anyway, how’d you end up here?”
“The Dungeon suddenly got bigger and swallowed me! I just watched it happen!”
“Wow, this Dungeon really is insane.”
It was a crude thing to say, but Lee Ji emotionally agreed with the sentiment. This really was a weird Dungeon!
“But, um, where are we going?”
“I’m taking you somewhere safe first.”
“What? Weren’t we supposed to fight together from now on?”
“You’re an elementary school student.”
“……”
For the first time, a spirit of defiance toward the teenager she’d once thought only cool sparked to life in Lee Ji’s heart.
‘He sneaks around alone without telling anyone!’
“Don’t even think about sneaking after me. Where did you come from?”
“……Over there. The forest beyond the Fence.”
“I’ll take you back. Hey, don’t even try to transform! No, stop transforming! I said rest somewhere safe! I’m going to quickly show off my…… Ahem. I’ll eliminate the Dungeon!”
‘Childish.’
“In that case.”
Lee Ji proposed a mature negotiation.
Ji-hyeok probably wouldn’t refuse.
Naive as he was.
“Just call me your ‘partner’ once.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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