Owner of the S-Rank Dungeon Campsite - Chapter 56

“Food and potions are essential for long-term dungeon reconnaissance. That campsite allowed us to have meals and receive buffs instead of potions, extending the reconnaissance period.”

“Is that all?”

“Yes.”

However, the following answer flowed in the opposite direction of what Myung Hyun had expected. Dong Hwa regarded the campsite as if it were a well-equipped rest area.

“Hunter Moon Ga Young said that you seemed to be on quite good terms with the campsite owner.”

This time, Dong Hwa just stared at Myung Hyun without saying a word. As always, Dong Hwa’s expressions were difficult to read.

As that gaze continued for a long time, Myung Hyun became anxious, wondering if he had misspoken.

From the perspective of someone who didn’t know that Myung Hyun and Bom were father and daughter, it might seem like a boss interfering with personal life.

“So what I want to say is…”

Thinking this wasn’t right, he was about to try probing him in a different way when Dong Hwa spoke again.

“So Hunter Moon Ga Young thought we seemed to be on good terms. I didn’t know that.”

“Huh?”

“Did Hunter Moon Ga Young say she was uncomfortable with me getting along well with Yu Bom?”

“No, that’s not it.”

“That’s a relief.”

What’s a relief? Unable to ask directly, the conversation kept skirting around the issue.

Anyway, Dong Hwa seemed to be unusually mindful of Ga Young’s feelings. Asking if she was uncomfortable with their relationship…

Then Myung Hyun realized something. Dong Hwa was being considerate of Ga Young because he thought she was family to Bom.

“You know that Hunter Moon Ga Young and our family are close, right?”

“Yes.”

Then couldn’t he also use the excuse of thinking of Bom as family to probe?

“So I know Bom well too. When I heard she was in the dungeon, I was very worried and wanted to see her.”

“I see.”

Myung Hyun mixed truth and lies in his words. As he spoke, he almost choked up again, but soothing his emotions, he returned to the main point.

“Dong Hwa, didn’t you ask Tae Rim to introduce you to my daughter? That’s what I understood. But Ga Young said you seemed quite close with Bom, so I was curious.”

Dong Hwa again just stared at Myung Hyun without saying anything.

“Then has your desire to be introduced to my daughter disappeared?”

“No.”

“Then are you not particularly close with Bom?”

“I’m not sure what the criteria for ‘particularly close’ are.”

Dong Hwa gave a somewhat ambiguous answer.

Myung Hyun knew well from Tae Rim that Dong Hwa had difficulty understanding emotions.

Normally, he would have waited for him to think more and answer, but he kept feeling impatient.

“Then do you want to meet both of them?”

That impatience flowed in the worst direction.

“About that. It seems Elder Brother Tae Rim also has a strange misunderstanding, but my desire to be introduced to Elder Brother Tae Rim’s sister wasn’t meant in that way.”

Dong Hwa spoke about the blind date with Tae Rim’s sister as if this was the one thing he could explain.

What followed was somewhat shocking.

Dong Hwa had thought Tae Rim’s sister was still a young child, and he only wanted to dote on a colleague’s sister.

“…Then why didn’t you tell Tae Rim that earlier?”

“I did. But he didn’t listen.”

“…”

Yu Tae Rim, you bastard. What kind of blunder did you make!

Myung Hyun felt embarrassed on behalf of his son. Anyway, one misunderstanding had been cleared up.

Then.

“What about Bom? Are you two in a special relationship?”

“She is someone who makes me feel special emotions.”

No matter what was asked, a satisfactory answer didn’t come out. Myung Hyun wanted to ask outright if he liked his daughter.

‘But what if this guy doesn’t even know what the feeling of liking someone is?’

Dong Hwa had outstanding abilities as a hunter and was also good-looking. Yet he had never been involved in even one of those common scandals.

It was already a well-known fact in the association that Dong Hwa treated women as if he were taking care of them.

With such good conditions, for such rumors to spread to that extent, it was quite a credible suspicion that he might not even know what the feeling of liking someone is.

‘Sigh… It’s difficult to know how to ask.’

Myung Hyun wondered if he should ask more here. In a way, even asking this much might have already crossed a line.

If Bom knew, she would surely dislike it. What child likes their parents interfering in their love life?

At first, he was too surprised by the unexpected situation to think about it, but whether Dong Hwa liked Bom or not, he wasn’t someone to treat carelessly.

Dong Hwa was one of the most cautious and serious people Myung Hyun knew.

“Do you plan to go back to the campsite when you enter the dungeon?”

“Yes.”

“Because the campsite is convenient?”

“…”

Although he had readily agreed at first, Dong Hwa now frowned as if confused. Myung Hyun saw a faint possibility in that expression.

“I care for Bom a lot.”

“Yes.”

“More than you think.”

Their eyes met in a straight line.

“So I’d like you to think about this issue more deeply. In what way is it special? Is it just sympathy for an isolated newcomer, or do you truly want her?”

“Want… her?”

“The feeling of wanting to see someone, wanting to touch them. The feeling of liking someone.”

“…”

What Myung Hyun had just said was his heartfelt sincerity, filled to overflowing. But Dong Hwa still had an expression as if he didn’t understand.

Myung Hyun sighed and changed his words.

“Someone you want to protect no matter what happens. This approach might be more suitable for you.”

“…”

“If you’re not sure, imagine Bom in a dangerous situation. A situation where her life is in peril.”

Dong Hwa lowered his eyes as if lost in thought. The depth in those eyes seemed unfathomably deep.

Soon, as if he had reached some thought, light flashed in his eyes.

His hands, which had been calmly resting on his knees, trembled slightly. Then he clenched them so tightly that the tendons stood out.

His gaze, which had been uncomfortably straightforward, now wavered uneasily.

“Ha…”

After letting out a heavy sigh, he frowned as if trying to calm himself, and Myung Hyun widened his eyes in surprise.

It was the first time he had seen this kind of crack in Chae Dong Hwa since getting to know him.

[This is the timeline separator]

Inside the Silver Tree, white snow was falling. No, on closer inspection, it was sparkling powder. Silver powder was accumulating softly inside the tree.

Looking up along the trajectory of the falling powder, there was a hole in the ceiling.

A large planet was tightly fitted into the circular hole.

“What is this powder?”

“When the light of the planet enters the Silver Tree, it turns into sparkling powder. It’s a mysterious phenomenon.”

Light turning into powder… It was a phenomenon I had never seen outside.

Thanks to the sparkling powder, the interior wasn’t that dark. When I inhaled, the fresh smell of dew-laden grass filled my nostrils and body.

In the center of the tree was the lake Hunter Ju Cheong Yeon had mentioned. The lake water had a blue glass-like luster.

Fish swam leisurely, reflected in the clear water.

‘It looks shallow on the surface…’

Overall, it had an unfamiliar and mysterious atmosphere. It also had a secretive feeling, as if we had secretly entered a fairy’s secret hideout.

“But it’s a bit cold inside. It feels like winter has come only here.”

I was dressed in overalls, a T-shirt, and a cardigan on top.

I had worn the outer garment considering it might get chilly at night, but here it wasn’t just chilly, it was cold. So cold that I could see my breath when I exhaled.

As I wrapped my arms around my shoulders, Hunter Ju Cheong Yeon opened his robe as if he would take it off right away.

“Shall I take it off for you?”

“No, it’s fine.”

As I waved my hands refusing, the Invincible Backpacking Quest popped up with perfect timing.

[Invincible Backpacking Quest

− Find a safe campsite and pitch a tent.

− Reward: 6 hours of invincibility]

“The backpacking quest just popped up. It’s a quest to pitch a tent. The temperature will be regulated inside the tent. It would be good to sit there and fish.”

“Let’s do that. I’ll also start a fire on one side. I’ll take care of that.”

“Okay.”

We hurriedly unpacked. Hunter Ju Cheong Yeon took out firewood and a fire starter from his inventory.

They were all expensive items coated with magic stone powder.

Soon after, a small flame rose from his hand.

‘Can he use fire too?’

I had heard that in the hunter industry, you could make a living with just the teleportation skill.

The teleportation skill was that useful and rare. So I naturally thought that would be his exclusive skill, but I just witnessed him using fire magic as well.

As I looked at him with slightly surprised eyes, our eyes met. He smiled with his eyes as if it was no big deal.

‘Right. It’s amazing, but there’s no law saying you can’t have more than two good skills.’

It was just a bit strange that someone with such good skills was a researcher.

I also averted my gaze and moved.

To pitch the tent, I looked around near the lake for a flat spot with few stones.

‘This should do, right?’

I also checked the soil condition by rubbing the ground with the toe of my shoe. It was rather damp, probably due to the rain that had fallen for several days.

‘My hands will get all muddy pitching the tent.’

Thinking that the weather-induced environment couldn’t be helped, I was about to take out the tent.

‘Ah, right. I wonder how much the tent pitching proficiency has increased?’

Suddenly, I remembered a function I had forgotten about. Exclusive skills have proficiency.

Originally, the tent pitching skill was one where the tent was pitched as soon as it was cast. Of course, the higher the proficiency, the higher the success rate.

I had been pitching tents manually all this time, so it should have increased quite a bit.

[Tent Pitching (D)

− Instantly complete a comfortable tent. If lucky, you can add special effects.

Proficiency: 72%]

Already 72%. It was higher than I thought.

At this level, I might be able to use the skill to pitch the tent.

‘Tent Pitching!’

As I inwardly called out the skill name, yellow energy flowed out from my body. It surrounded the tent bag, and the equipment aligned one by one.

First, the skin was spread out, then the poles started to click into place.

‘Wow, it seems to be working!’

But that was only for a moment, it collapsed with a loud clatter in an instant.

[‘Yu Bom (D)’ has failed ‘Tent Pitching (D)’.]

“What… You shouldn’t have pretended to work from the start.”

Feeling annoyed, I kicked the pole lightly with my foot, and a soft laugh was heard.

“Is that your exclusive skill, Bom?”

Hunter Ju Cheong Yeon had approached from the side at some point.