For three years, Ryeo-un had been trailing behind Ga-young. Now, it was heading into the fourth year.

“Left alone again today… Ah, life…”

One day, out of the blue, Ga-young, who usually didn’t bother about such things, said they needed to go to the dungeon to find Hunter Chae Dong-hwa.

When Ryeo-un suggested going with the strategy team, Ga-young shut him down with a comment about not wanting to get caught by the Hwarang, leaving Ryeo-un no choice but to follow.

And, as always, this was the result.

“Next year, I’m really quitting this damned Recon Team 7!”

He had saved up enough money anyway. Over the past three years, each time the contract was about to end, the Association President would bring some unimaginably rare equipment to persuade him to stay, but this time, he was determined to leave.

‘This time for sure…!’

He resolved to leave the Association as soon as the contract ended this year.

“But where did she go? Moon Ga-young Senior!”

It was quiet all around. No matter how far he went, there was no trace of Ga-young.

“Ga-young, you brat! You’re in for it!”

“…”

Usually, when he spoke informally like this, the cheeky girl would pop out, but not this time.

Only the sound of nocturnal insects fluttering about broke the silence.

“How far did she go…”

Ryeo-un’s anxiety grew, quickening his pace.

Entering the cave, a slight chill was perceptible. As they delved deeper, the light dimmed.

Feeling a bit spooky, Ryeo-un’s body tensed up. He immediately took out a portable lantern from his backpack to light up the surroundings.

“Can’t you see well?”

“Yes, a little…”

No, actually, he couldn’t see much at all.

In contrast, Chae Dong-hwa walked confidently as if he had memorized the path.

‘Does he have night vision or something…’

Chae Dong-hwa nodded, then opened his palm. Soon, a bright light, round like a bulb, appeared above his hand, emitting black smoke around it.

“What’s that?”

“It’s extracted mana from my body. Among hunters, it’s called a mana orb.”

“Can I do that too?”

Every hunter skill is based on mana. Classes that use fists also utilize vigor, but everything is based on mana.

Oh. I use energy instead of mana, so maybe it’s impossible for me?

Like agility, mana is a stat that hunters should naturally have, but Ryeo-un didn’t.

“If you try, you might be able to do it. But I wouldn’t recommend it if you have low mana. It’ll deplete quickly.”

Ryeo-un, unaware of his situation, continued to explain. It was impossible for him anyway.

“Then you can make the light a bit smaller since I have the lantern.”

“Yes.”

The light dimmed a little. They started walking again, relying on the lantern and mana orb’s light.

The sound of water dripping from the stalactites seemed unusually loud. He walked tensely, expecting something to jump out at any moment, but soon reached the end of the cave.

“This cave’s a bust, I guess.”

The tension faded without finding any monsters.

“I guess I’ll just gather some plants.”

At the end of the cave, there were flowers with spotted patterns, something he hadn’t seen before.

‘Even if I don’t encounter monsters, I can still complete the plant collection.’

But there was one problem.

He hesitated for a moment, then asked Chae Dong-hwa.

“When I gather, I need no one around, could you step back a few steps?”

“Is that so.”

Chae Dong-hwa stepped back one step.

“More, please.”

He took three steps back. Ryeo-un gestured for more distance, and after ensuring no one else was nearby, Chae Dong-hwa retreated over ten steps.

‘This should be far enough.’

Even F-rank hunters have their pride. To use the gathering skill, he had to shout “I see the core, I see the core, I see the core,” which would echo throughout the cave.

Ryeo-un didn’t want to show such an embarrassing side in front of Chae Dong-hwa.

“I see the core, I see the core, I see the core.”

He whispered softly to the plant, bending down.

“…”

Perhaps because he spoke too softly, he had to repeat it three times, but the grade was still disappointing.
‘Well, at least I avoided an embarrassing situation.’

I consoled myself and focused on the increased number of plants I had collected.

“Are you done?”

“Yes.”

Chae Dong-hwa approached again. It seemed like he didn’t find it strange to be asked to stay away during the collection, as the method of using the gathering skill varies from person to person.

“Let’s move to the next one.”

“Okay.”

We then methodically scouted cave after cave, like ticking off a checklist. But, just like the previous ones, there were no monsters in the next cave.

And the one after that. And the one after that.

I ended up just continuously gathering and didn’t capture anything.

“It’s unusual for them not to show up like this. Strange.”

Chae Dong-hwa murmured as if talking to himself. Unintentionally, I experienced firsthand how scarce and rare dark attribute monsters are in the Blue Starlight Valley.