Owner of the S-Rank Dungeon Campsite (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 9

“Hunter Chae Donghwa, there’s something I’d like to ask you.”

“Yes.”

I guided Hunter Chae Donghwa toward the tent and casually started the conversation.

“Actually, it’s just that you’ve been the only guest at the campsite, which seems odd. Have you seen any other hunters around here?”

“……”

Hunter Chae Donghwa, who had been walking while looking straight ahead, suddenly turned to look at me. One of his eyebrows arched slightly, as if asking whether I was really that clueless.

“Of course. As you probably know, Blue Starlight Valley gets deeper as you head west. Since the extermination rate hasn’t even reached 60%, this campsite near the central area is too dangerous for hunters to visit—except during scheduled expeditions that require periodic monster clearing.”

“Huh…? What did you say?”

This place was the central area…?

In other dungeons, I’d usually cleared the core at least once, so the central zone wouldn’t be particularly dangerous—but Blue Starlight Valley was different.

Just as Hunter Chae Donghwa said, Blue Starlight Valley hadn’t even reached 60% extermination.

In other words, this campsite was precariously perched right on the edge of the un-cleared zone.

“You didn’t know that?”

Hunter Chae Donghwa stared at me with even greater bewilderment.

He didn’t know I’d warped into the dungeon; I’d only mentioned that I couldn’t leave due to certain circumstances.

He must have assumed that since I arrived here on my own, I’d naturally understand how deep this place was.

“The truth is, I got warped here—it wasn’t like I walked in myself…”

After hearing my brief explanation, he nodded.

“I see. This location sits midway between the Forest of Giants and the Forest of Dragons.”

“Gasp—giants and dragons?”

Encountering a harpy earlier now seemed like child’s play. If I’d met a giant or dragon, their sheer presence would have frozen me in place.

“I had no idea this place was so dangerous… So when do the expedition hunters usually arrive?”

“The Association assigns dungeons to guilds that submit requests, and the entire preparation process typically takes about three weeks. Most expeditions happen toward month-end, though the exact timing varies by guild.”

Month-end wasn’t too far off—that was fortunate, at least.

“Then, are there really no other hunters who wander the dungeon alone like you, Hunter Chae Donghwa?”

“There might be solo hunters near the dungeon entrance, but they rarely venture this deep. Especially alone—this dungeon is also infamous for its ghost stories.”

“……”

I knew about those ghost stories too.

The gate inside the dungeon that instantly swallows hunters whole.

Both my mother and Oppa were swept away by that gate.

It wasn’t just a rumor anymore—it was fact.

“Then why do you travel alone, Hunter?”

Naturally, I couldn’t help but wonder. Everyone who’d vanished through that gate so far had been an S-rank or higher hunter.

That’s why the Dungeon Research Center theorized that higher-ranked hunters were more likely to get pulled in.

Which meant Hunter Chae Donghwa was currently taking an extremely dangerous risk—more than anyone else.

“I’d like to contribute to solving that mystery myself.”

“Huh?”

Surprised by his words, I turned sharply to look at him. His face, as usual, showed no emotion.

Was he joking?

“Can I rent Small Tent No. 1 again today?”

“Yes, of course.”

After dropping that cryptic remark, he casually changed the subject as if nothing unusual had happened.

‘Guess he really was joking.’

Seeing his nonchalant attitude, I brushed it off lightly and followed him.

“Here’s your Tent No. 1 bracelet.”

“Thank you.”

I handed him the Small Tent No. 1 bracelet I’d prepared earlier.

“Then rest well.”

“And this.”

Just as I turned to leave after saying goodbye, Hunter Chae Donghwa pulled something from his inventory.

[‘Chae Donghwa (S)’ has offered ‘Yubom (F)’ the ‘S-Rank Blue-Horned Ox Shank Meat’.

Accept / Decline]

What he offered was marbled meat of exquisite quality—likely from a dungeon monster.

When receiving A-rank or higher items, the system window appears like this—but this was actually S-rank.

While hunting monsters, there’s a slim chance of obtaining high-grade cooking ingredients. Naturally, due to their rarity, they fetch high prices.

“I got this while hunting monsters. It’s the same meat used in outside restaurants, so it should suit regular human tastes as long as it’s cooked properly.”

“Oh, you should keep this for yourself, Hunter! I’m fine!”

“No, I’m giving it to you because of the campsite quest. I’ll only receive the buff if you, Miss Bom, accept it.”

“Then I’ll gratefully accept it. Hehe.”

I quickly took it and stored it in my inventory.

Since opening for business, a campsite quest had appeared.

At first, I thought it was exclusive to me, but it turned out to be a rare system feature that also triggered for campsite guests.

Most quests revolved around camping activities—

staring into the fire, chopping firewood, or even playing with ethereal monsters wandering the campsite.

Rewards granted buffs tailored to each hunter’s needs and also gave me experience points. Occasionally, I’d receive an exceptionally powerful buff, though I hadn’t figured out the underlying mechanics yet.

I’d asked Teddy about it, but even Teddy didn’t know. I planned to investigate systematically, as there seemed to be some fixed rules behind it.

[☀ Spring Campsite Quest

– Obtained premium ingredients from your guest. Host a barbecue party together!

– Completion Reward: Work Speed +5%]

“Hunter Chae Donghwa, shall we have a barbecue party with this today? I just got the quest too.”

Although this quest could appear even when alone, the rewards were sweeter when completed together with a guest.

I looked at Hunter Chae Donghwa with hopeful eyes.

“I just got it too. Let’s do it. I’ll change clothes and be right out.”

“Okay.”

Lately, we’d been completing quests together like mad. My rapid two-level jump in such a short time was largely thanks to these quests.

Though barbecue parties required lots of effort, that percentage buff was irresistible.

Soon after, hazy smoke began rising from the campsite.

[This is the timeline separator]

“This won’t do. I need to ask Donghwa for help.”

A long time had passed since Bom went missing. If she’d drowned in the river, they’d at least hoped to recover her body—but even that had failed.

Myunghyun finally decided he had no choice but to ask Donghwa for assistance. Even though he’d made a promise to Taelim, this was no longer a situation where promises mattered.

With Donghwa’s skills, he might not determine whether Bom was alive or dead, but he could at least confirm if she’d awakened as a hunter.

At this point, if Bom hadn’t awakened as a hunter, there was no hope left.

“Where’s Donghwa now?”

“He hasn’t returned from the dungeon yet.”

Gayoung, standing beside him, answered.

“Still? It’s been about three months since he entered the dungeon—still hasn’t come out?”

“Yes. He usually reports back every quarter, but this time he’s running late.”

“So how long has it actually been?”

“About four months.”

“At that point, his supplies must have run out.”

Donghwa wasn’t the type to report meticulously, but he’d always emerged from the dungeon once per quarter.

This was the first time he’d stayed inside for so long.

Even if his food really had run out, there were things to eat in the dungeon—he’d surely survive somehow…

“But could something have happened?”

Because of Bom’s situation, Myunghyun’s thoughts leaned toward the worst-case scenario.

Even without the guerrilla gate, dungeons were dangerous places.

Especially Blue Starlight Valley—an S-rank dungeon.

If monsters swarmed him or he was ambushed while sleeping outside a shelter, even Donghwa couldn’t be guaranteed safety.

“Should I go look for him?”

“Alone?”

Myunghyun and Gayoung exchanged glances.

“No, I’ll gather a team.”

“Which guild is handling the Blue Starlight Valley expedition this month?”

“Hwarang.”

“Ah, Beagle’s guild.”

Hwarang was a rising new guild. For such a recently formed guild to secure an S-rank dungeon expedition was no small feat.

Their success stemmed from a clear distinction from other guilds: Hwarang employed a small, elite team of young, high-ranked hunters.

Its core members were close friends with the guild master, creating strong bonds.

Moreover, Hwarang’s guild master, ‘Snow Hound,’ was famously nicknamed ‘Beagle’ for his notoriously abrasive personality.

If they carelessly sent a large scouting team and ran into Hwarang, they might cause friction—accusations of interfering with the expedition could easily arise.

“The timing’s bad.”

Myunghyun was torn. If not for Bom’s situation, he wouldn’t have worried so much about Donghwa being a few weeks late.

Yet sitting idle made him anxious—what if he was missing the golden window to save Bom? He couldn’t be sure.

“If it’s just two of us, including me, it should be fine even if we cross paths with Hwarang. We’re only doing reconnaissance, so we don’t need many people anyway.”

“But Blue Starlight Valley is still…”

Gayoung herself wasn’t low-ranked—she was an A-rank combat hunter.

The guerrilla gate in Blue Starlight Valley was theorized to target higher-ranked hunters more frequently.

Moreover, since Taelim’s disappearance, there’d been no new missing persons. Internally, they suspected the gate only activated for groups of one or two—hence the rule requiring at least three for reconnaissance.

Though seeing Donghwa roam alone unscathed made this seem like unnecessary worry, Gayoung was practically family to Myunghyun.

She’d grown up like a sister to Bom and was close friends with Taelim. The thought of her bringing back bad news troubled him deeply.

“Uncle, don’t worry—I’ll be fine.”

“But it’s still too dangerous.”

“If you let Chae Donghwa wander alone but refuse to send me, everyone will say you’re playing favorites!”

Gayoung teased with a playful tone.

“Besides, our team didn’t come here expecting special treatment. Should a hunter really fear dungeons?”

“……”

Myunghyun could no longer stop Gayoung.

“I’ll go with Hunter Han Ryeo-woon. With him, we can reach the central area and return in under two weeks.”

Hunter Han Ryeo-woon was Recon Team 7’s lead supporter. With him, reconnaissance time would halve, and safety would be assured.

“Alright. Be careful.”

“Yes.”

“Just do reconnaissance—if you can’t find anything, return immediately. You might miss each other otherwise.”

“Yes, understood.”

[This is the timeline separator]

For starting a fire, kindling is essential.

Kindling refers to the initial flame source—outside, people often use charcoal or alcohol-treated corn cobs.

Among natural fire starters, pinecones were the most common.

‘But I can’t get pinecones here.’

Instead, there was something similar.

In Blue Starlight Dungeon, there grew peculiar trees with spiral-shaped leaves that dropped ‘Inita’s Fruit.’

‘Inita’s Fruit’ looked just like the spiral potatoes sold at rest stops—only its color was blue.

Thus, hunters commonly called it ‘Spiral Pinecone.’

‘Luckily, there are plenty of Inita trees within the campsite grounds. I can use them freely for now.’

I’d gathered them whenever I remembered, and already had a full sack. That was enough kindling material—it was time to actually light the fire.

The method Hunter Chae Donghwa taught me involved carving a groove into a wooden plank and rubbing a stick against it to ignite a flame.

It required considerable strength—so much that even if explained, an ordinary person would struggle to replicate it.

But as a hunter, my stamina was better than a normal person’s, and after a few tries, I grew accustomed to it.

After confirming the kindling caught well, I added dry firewood—starting small, since piling it all at once would extinguish the flame.

“You’re lighting fires well now. I don’t need to help you anymore.”

While Hunter Chae Donghwa changed clothes, I’d finished lighting the fire.

The campsite quest always included a daily ‘light the fire’ task. I never skipped it, as even a little experience mattered.

“Thanks to you. Was there a quest related to fire-lighting by any chance?”

“No, just participating in the barbecue party. What should I do?”

Hunter Chae Donghwa approached the foldable wooden table he’d bought from the vending machine and asked.

On the table, various vegetables I’d prepared earlier were already laid out.

“Well, Hunter…”