Episode 6

“Excuse me…”
“……”
“S-senior?”
“……”

Damn it.

I sighed inwardly.

‘It’s a mistake.’

Yes, it was a mistake.

Such a huge mistake.

Even though I had spent 5 years with Ma Hana, that was a story from the ‘GAL’.

I had only just met this world’s Ma Hana for about 10 minutes all together.

‘…And then, out of the blue, talking about cheeks, holding hands, saying it’s unfortunate or whatever…’

It was no wonder I got that reaction from her.

B-but how could I not do that?

‘How could that little one think about hitting herself?!’

Even if it were done by her own hands, I couldn’t accept it.

Injuries sustained in battle could be passed off as a ‘hunter’s’ honor, but not any other wounds.

‘Ughhh… Still, it hurts a bit that she doesn’t say anything.’

Walking hesitantly and looking around for about 5 minutes, the gate mentioned by the employee came into view.

At the same time, a woman who was standing with her arms crossed and flicking her fingers caught my eye.

Her long hair flowed with a glossy purple sheen.
She seemed to be in her mid-160s in height, a bit taller than the average woman.
Lastly, a beauty with a cold demeanor…?

Wait, hold on.

‘…Is this her first appearance here?’

‘…Why aren’t they coming?’

A total of 20 minutes.

Moon Bora. She had been silently waiting for her other party members in front of the gate for 20 minutes already.

She thought to herself.
Whoever it was, they’ve got some nerve coming late.

‘…To make me wait for 20 minutes…’

Moon Bora basically disliked people who lacked manners.

Manners were the basics learned at any home.

And they were the foundation for showing respect to others.

Therefore, she had made it a rule to always arrive at least 10 minutes early for any plan.

But that didn’t mean she had plenty of time or patience.

She was a busy person. With so much to do, it was frustrating to waste time like this.

‘…Just wait.’

I’ll give you a piece of my mind!

It was then, as she was angry.
Like the saying, speak of the devil, and he will appear, she sensed the presence of two people.

They must be the party going into the dungeon today, no doubt of it.

“…Hey! Why are you so late–?”

However, Moon Bora couldn’t continue her sentence.

The man in front of her.

Despite knowing it wasn’t polite, Moon Bora couldn’t help but be shocked at the man in front of her.

“Uh, sorry for being late.”
“…Uh?”
“Yes?”

And despite knowing that it wasn’t polite, she still found herself unable to hold back those words.

“Why are you a hunter?”
“…What?”
“…I mean, you could just live off your looks. Why bother– Ouch!”

Having blurted that out, Moon Bora belatedly realized how rude she was and muttered a small “excuse me…” as she quickly turned her head away.

It was her own little way of soothing her flushed face.

‘…What am I saying? That’s so unlike me…’

Even she thought it was incredibly rude.
It had been a long time since her true feelings had come out so boldly without any filter.

She even wondered if the man in front of her had used a [Mental] skill. That’s how surprised she was.

‘…Let’s calm down for now.’

After a brief moment of panic, Moon Bora coolly assessed the two of them.

First, the man in front of her, who had made her flustered.

No matter how dazzlingly handsome he was, he was still a man. It was easier to think of him as essentially a non-strategic entity.

‘…This is within expectations.’

Then, the rest must be the key to the strategy.

She took a closer look.
A Myoin Tribe girl, only a head shorter than herself… small and cutely built.

Judging by the black fur, she seemed to be of the Black Cat Tribe…

‘Is she an adult, though?’

I can’t tell.

Since the Myoin Tribe uniquely ages physically based on their ‘mental age’ among the beast tribe… she might be older than she looks.

‘…Small stature, Myoin Tribe, and a shield on her back… then…’

Moon Bora, who didn’t go to the ‘guild’ often, also ended up hearing about someone.

She guessed that this person was one of the hunters known as ‘dropouts.’

Sigh.

Moon Bora barely swallowed the sigh rising within her.

No matter how you look at it, weren’t both of them incapable of pulling their weight?

‘…It can’t be helped.’

Like it or not, it was a ‘mandatory subjugation’ ordered by ‘The Association’.

No matter who the party members were, no matter what the process was, bearing the name of a Hunter meant accomplishing the mission.

She reached out her hand, coming to the simple conclusion that she should lead.

“I apologize for the rudeness earlier. Let’s start with introductions. I’m Moon Bora. My position is Special, a Mage. Please take good care of me today.”

I stared blankly at Moon Bora as she introduced herself with a bit of flair.

‘…Well, this is something.’

It was a face I missed.

Moon Bora.
A 4★ Mage character by birth.
Her[Grade]is [Sorcerer]

A Mage character who had almost given up on the various utilities and variable creation abilities that one typically associates with Mages, focusing solely on ‘attack power’.

‘Well, even with that focus, the attack power is somewhat mediocre.’

To be honest, she wasn’t a character with good performance either.

Among the 4★ characters around, she was just a mid-tier character, more useful as a supporter than a dealer to a team.

However, regardless of her performance, she was very popular among the Supervisors.

There were various reasons, but she seemed cold and rational on the outside, yet unexpectedly clumsy to work with.
She had a lot of compassion, often taking on roles that cause her loss.
Despite being calculative, she ultimately had a kind heart and always helped others.

And then, surprisingly, her ‘personal story’ was quite gloomy.

Her various charms were significantly impactful on a person.

I, too, had diligently raised her when playing the game, so it felt like seeing a long-lost friend.

“…Excuse me.”
“Yes?”
“…Is there something… on my face? Why do you keep snickering by looking at me…?”

Ah, it seems I’ve looked at her too long, just like Ma Hana.

‘It’s just a feeling,’ I hastily covered, causing Moon Bora to look embarrassed. Sighing, she continued.

“So… now that I’ve introduced myself, would you mind sharing about yourselves?”

Was it finally starting?

“I’m Ma Hana. My position is the main… tank. I’m in vanguard position.”

Ma Hana was the first to speak up.
Naturally, the gazes of the two women turned to me next…

“Yu Seha. My position is close-range main dealer. My Grade is Sword Saint.”
“The composition of the party isn’t bad. Main tank and main dealer… and Sword Saint… Wait, what? Did you say Sword Saint? Now?”
“Yes… that’s correct.”

At my response, not only Moon Bora but also Ma Hana looked at me as if they couldn’t believe it.

Ah, this reaction again?

“…Hmm.”

It wasn’t long before Moon Bora crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes in a glare.

Without saying much, their attitudes and expressions were filled with suspicion towards me, as if thinking, ‘Ugh… What should I do with this liar? Wasn’t that look in his eyes earlier suspicious too…? Is he a suspicious person to be wary of?’

“……”

Additionally, even Ma Hana.
She even took a step back and stood next to Moon Bora.

Oh, no! I couldn’t afford to lower my likability any lower than this!

“It’s not a lie! It isn’t!”

I shouted right then and pulled out my ‘Hunter’s License’ from my pocket.
Moon Bora, who had just received my newly issued Hunter’s License from the staff, carefully read it.

“……!”

Soon, the grade [Sword Saint] was clearly visible to her eyes.

Ma Hana, who was glancing from the side, couldn’t hide her surprise either.

“…R-really?”
“…Woah.”

Exclamations of surprise and shock.

And then, with a cough, she handed me my ‘Hunter’s License’.

“Sorry for doubting you. It wasn’t something I could easily believe…”
“Oh, it’s alright.”
“I get it… I understand. But, Mr. Yu Seha?”
“Yes?”
“Is this your first time entering a gate then?”

As I nodded, Moon Bora touched her forehead.

“…Please don’t take this the wrong way. It’s not good to reveal your grade like you just did. Here, even Miss Ma Hana only said tanker, right?”

“…Uh?”

“There are many reasons… but the biggest one is that certain [Grade] become targets of aversion. Conversely, there are [Grades] that receive better treatment.”

“…So, do we enter without revealing anything at all?”

Wouldn’t that be against normal happening?

Even within the same position, what each [Grade] could do varies greatly.

To my question, Moon Bora shook her head as she explained.

“It’s not that. But it’s difficult to properly strategize within the dungeon. So, usually, we enter into a ‘Vow of Oath’ and show each other. Then, we adjust any differing opinions and thoughts.”

I’ve heard of this before.

In the original work, there was a system of vows where characters guaranteed promises by risking their ‘origin’.

If violated, they would suffer severe penalties, such as being forced to live only on ‘crimson pyroxene’ after being made to suffer greatly, among other difficulties.

“Mr. Yu Seha is typically in a grade that receives good treatment. However, the losses will surely outweigh the gains you get. No, it’s just that the interest itself is of poor quality.”

“…Eh, why?”

“It’s extremely precious. Even if the performance is good, if it’s not a rare grade, it doesn’t matter to anyone, but the Sword Saint is like a treasure that shines in itself. It has the highest growth correction value among all… Essentially, it’s a grade that’s bound to become strong. Moreover, it has a cheat skill tree called [Heavenly Governance], so it’s bound to attract a swarm of flies in many ways.”

Uh, well. That ultimate skill tree.

I couldn’t learn it… for the time being.

Anyway, having said this much, I’ve become a bit curious.

“How rare is a Sword Saint, exactly?”

“As far as I know, including Mr. Yu Seha, there are 3 people in the country who have the Sword Saint grade… Even if you count overseas, it won’t go past 50.”

“Oh…”

“…that’s your reaction?”

“…Um. Rare, you say?”

At my bland response, Moon Bora pressed her temples as if they hurt.

“Yes, I understand. Let’s stop here… no, wait.”

Suddenly, as if realizing something important, Moon Bora swiftly looked us over, me and Ma Hana.

“…Then, who will be the ‘backup’? The entry condition for ‘Goblin Village’ requires a ‘backup’, doesn’t it…?”

At her question, we looked at each other.

Ma Hana shrugged her shoulders.

And me, wondering, ‘Huh? What’s this now?’

Only then did Moon Bora realize she had been subjected to what’s commonly known as ‘left out’.

“Eeek! Kkeek! I’ve been fooled…!”

Grit!

Moon Bora gritted her teeth so hard that it looked painful even to those watching.

Tremble tremble! In the midst of thinking about how cute she looked, she sighed.

“…we cannot do this. We’re running short on time, so I’ll handle it for now. But just to let you know in advance, I’m in a special position. Specifically, my specialty is [Ice] magic. So, my ‘backup’ skills are basic. In many ways, I’m inexperienced. Please understand this…”

As she touched her own body, a complex geometric magic pattern unfolded.

And then, with a transparent light shining, what appeared was…

“Um… I am still not used to it.”

Huh? Wait…

“…Where did she go?”
“…Don’t joke around. Mr. Yu Seha. I am right there.”
“Ah, huh?”

Moon Bora’s voice rang clearly in my ears. However, her figure had completely vanished.

Just when it seemed like a ghostly situation, Ma Hana, who was next to me, pulled on the hem of my clothes and pointed down.

“Here…”
“Huh?”

As I lowered my gaze, what I saw was… Moon Bora, shrunken to about 15cm in size.

However, it wasn’t just the same Moon Bora, but one with an enormous head, resembling a deformed doll typical of an SD character with a two-head-tall proportion.

The feeling of something being refreshingly clear and incredibly cute coexisted.

“Wow…”
“Really. You’re slow to react.”

It was then that I fully realized what the term ‘backup’, which both the employee and Moon Bora kept mentioning, was.

‘So this is how it’s implemented!?’

From [Gonis Archive Life], the most unique and talked-about system feature.

Commonly known as the [Back Position] system.

A position-changing system that transforms characters fighting in the front line into supporters with special effects.

Of course, it wouldn’t work for everyone.

One had to have or learn the related skills to use it, and some characters, when used this way, ended up being duds filled with penalties after various trials and errors.

Moreover, it wasn’t used as often as one might think.

Most characters were stronger in a pure ‘Striker’ state than in a ‘Back Position’ state.

In any case, it was a very unique system, so it was highly considered a different feature from other subculture games.

‘In the game, I’ve seen some would shrink suddenly and ride on other characters’ shoulders, but this…’

I never dreamed it would actually be like this.

I naturally thought it was just a game mechanic.

Looking to the side, Ma Hana nodded without any sign of surprise, as if it were all perfectly natural.

It seemed that in this world, this was the basic thing.

“Mr. Yu Seha? Could you stop looking that surprised and place me on Miss Ma Hana’s shoulder? We need to proceed with the bonding process to enable a proper ‘backup.’”

“Ah, yes!”

I carefully lifted Moon Bora by her armpits and placed her on Ma Hana’s shoulder.

Without hesitation, Moon Bora sat around Ma Hana’s neck.

Ah, what a pity.

‘…I wanted to hold her a little longer.’

Despite being a doll, the warm sensation felt from her was that of a living creature.
It was truly a wonder to witness.

“Thank you.”

Moon Bora, expressing her gratitude for the lift, adjusted her neck and flicked her fingers towards the air.

Then, a translucent status window appeared.

Ma Hana, looking at it, seemed surprised.

“…I thought revealing the status window was usually avoided.”

Ma Hana was right.

The ‘Grade’ release already sparked much discussion here, but the ‘Status Window’ that held even more information about a person and was considered to have said it all, was being displayed?

Yet, Moon Bora crossed her arms as if to say this was exactly what needed to be done.

“Even though we met for the first time today… I am your backup and have formed a bond with you. I believe you understand. If you, as a tanker, get hurt, I also share the damage.”

Essentially, we shared a life.
Therefore, syncing their breaths was necessary, and for this, knowing each other’s information was essential.

“Whether you like it or not, trusting each other is essential to safely clearing the dungeon. This is my answer to that trust.”

“……”

Looking at Moon Bora, Ma Hana nodded slightly and revealed her own Status Window.

I also hurried to reveal mine, but…

“Mr. Yu Seha, you don’t need to.”
“…Ah.”
“This is a necessary process for just the tank and backup to undertake together. There’s no need to burden you with additional information.”

Though the words were utterly rational and devoid of any emotional fluctuation, I somehow felt a sense of disappointment.

At the same time, Moon Bora was closely examining the status window handed to her.

With her cute fingers propped against her chin, she was deep in thought.

‘…I heard she’s been a hunter for about a year…’