“We need to pull ourselves together. That’s how we can get out of the dungeon quickly.”

“You’re really brave indeed.”

He said as if he was quite impressed.

“Still, since you can’t raise your level in a short time anyway, wouldn’t it be good to take it a bit easier? I think that would be better for you.”

Well, Teddy said it would take at least 5 years to reach level 10. If I kept living under such tension, I might burn out at some point.

It would be more stable to build up steadily without losing pace, like running a marathon rather than a sprint.

“Yes, I will.”

As he said, there was no need to rush since no one was chasing us. He smiled gently and then gazed at the water surface again.

‘Come to think of it, Hunter Ju Cheong Yeon is always relaxed.’

Maybe that’s why when talking to him, I somehow felt an age difference. Although he didn’t look that old on the outside.

‘How old is he? Seeing that he calls elder brother by name, he must be similar in age or older?’

I became curious about his age, but didn’t ask directly. Somehow, if I recognized him as older than me, it might become more uncomfortable.

Then suddenly, I remembered having a similar conversation with him.

“About what you said before. Can I ask what you meant?”

“Which words?”

“Last time by the river, when I said my family seemed to find me unreliable, you said elder brother said the same thing. That’s what I mean.”

I was asking about the conversation we had at the fishing spot before leaving the campsite.

Hunter Ju Cheong Yeon had said that I didn’t seem to be someone so weak that elder brother would worry. I felt upset thinking elder brother had talked about my weak side to someone else.

So I unconsciously retorted curtly, “I guess I wasn’t reliable enough.”

Hunter Ju Cheong Yeon then said something rather puzzling, that elder brother had said the same thing as me.

“Ah, that.”

He opened his mouth readily as if it was nothing special.

“Tae Rim said that it seemed you didn’t rely on him because you found him unreliable.”

“What? What does that mean?”

To think that he thought I didn’t rely on him because I found him unreliable.

Thinking of elder brother’s usual self, it didn’t fit at all, so I didn’t quite understand.

“He said that Bom used to be an honest child who laughed and cried easily, but at some point you started just enduring everything, and he felt it was all his fault.”

“……”

“He said you couldn’t trust him or rely on him, so you couldn’t even freely complain. He’s still a kid himself, but he wanted to be an adult for you.”

For a while, I couldn’t continue speaking. I never thought my attitude would be taken that way by elder brother.

I had just kept my mouth shut because I knew now that even if I cried and clung to him, he wouldn’t listen to me.

‘Why is he blaming himself for that? Stupid……’

Strictly speaking, it was my own way of protesting against going to the dungeon.

It wasn’t because I didn’t trust elder brother or didn’t want to rely on him, but because I didn’t want to lose him too.

It was an effort to hold onto family in a different way from father or elder brother who were trying to find mother.

Thinking of elder brother who must have blamed himself while worrying that I had become gloomy, I was at a loss for words.

My throat quickly became hot and my breath caught.

“Elder brother is so foolish. If he was worried about such things, he shouldn’t have entered the dungeon. No, it’s my fault. Knowing he was going to look for mother, I should have supported him instead of……”

Now, everything was just regret. I remembered him bringing fruits as gifts from the dungeon, and his occasional complaints about why I didn’t see him off.

I should have shown interest then, and told him I’d be waiting outside so he must come back.

I should have told him to be careful because I trust and care for him a lot.

I should have honestly expressed my fear that I couldn’t go on without him.

What was so difficult about that?

I wanted to say it wasn’t because I didn’t trust him that I kept my mouth shut, but what saddened me most was that now I couldn’t convey any words to him.

The moisture that had filled my eyes finally fell drop by drop.

“He probably doesn’t want to see this kind of sight, that guy is really strange.”

Hunter Ju Cheong Yeon casually wiped my tears. I was embarrassed and wanted to stop, but they wouldn’t cease, which was perplexing.

“I shouldn’t have brought up elder brother. I want to stop now.”

“Alright. If there’s any misunderstanding, clear it up when you meet later. From what I see, you both seem to have held back out of consideration.”

Hunter Ju Cheong Yeon spoke freely about elder brother or mother.

Usually, people around me would hush up when our family was mentioned, but there was no sign of that from him at all.

Seeing that attitude, what had happened to our family really felt like it was nothing.

It made me think that someday, I could meet mother and elder brother again. It seemed like we could clear things up later when we meet, as he said.

Thanks to that, my tear ducts, which I thought might not stop, fortunately had their faucet closed.

Yes. If there’s any misunderstanding, we can clear it up later. It’s not like mother and elder brother’s deaths have been confirmed.

“Hunter, you seem to know a lot and be very kind.”

“I’m being kind because it’s Yu Bom. I’m very picky about people.”

He replied playfully. He probably meant he was being nice because I was his superior’s daughter and his close colleague’s sister.

Still, having cried after a long time, I felt much more refreshed and in a good mood.

“It seems so.”

When I answered a bit honestly, he let out a laugh. Then he shook his head and smiled kindly.

[This is the timeline separator] [‘Blue Starlight Flame Angel Fish (A)’ has bitten the bait.] [Use the fishing skill within 10 seconds to catch an undamaged fish.] [‘Yu Bom (D)’ has used ‘The Small Fry Fishes for Time (C)’.] [‘Yu Bom (D)’ has caught ‘Blue Starlight Flame Angel Fish (A)’.]

“Wow! It’s a Flame Angel Fish!”

Only 30 minutes had passed, but I caught a fish. Moreover, it was a type of fish I had never seen before.

[‘Blue Starlight Half Moon Fish (B)’ has bitten the bait.] [‘Blue Starlight Candiru Fish (A)’ has bitten the bait.]

“Oh, oh?”

Other fishing rods reacted in succession. I immediately picked up the rods and used the skill.

“Wow, they’re really biting fast?”

“What did you catch?”

“Flame Angel Fish, Half Moon Fish, and Candiru Fish.”

I opened the fish guide to check the list.

[Fish Guide

− Blue Starlight Flame Angel Fish:

Uses: Grilled, Soup, Monster Feed, Stew

− Blue Starlight Half Moon Fish:

Uses: Grilled, Soup, Monster Feed, Raw

− Blue Starlight Candiru Fish:

Uses: Grilled, Soup, Monster Feed, Stew, Bait, Steamed]

Fish caught in Blue Starlight Valley, except for those that are too fishy or have too many bones, are mostly suitable for grilling or making into soup.

We often ate grilled fish at the campsite, so I was thinking of making spicy fish soup today.

‘I can make it with Flame Angel Fish and Candiru Fish!’

But I noticed an unfamiliar phrase. It was written that Half Moon Fish could be eaten raw.

‘Hmm, I do want to eat sashimi……’

Freshly caught fish sliced into sashimi would probably be really delicious.

Until now, there hadn’t been any explanations saying it was okay to eat the dungeon fish raw, so I had assumed it wasn’t allowed and just accepted it. But now that it clearly stated it was possible, I couldn’t help imagining it and my mouth watered.

“You could probably eat the Half Moon raw.”

Just then, Hunter Ju Cheong Yeon said as if he had read my mind.

“Yes, it’s written in the fish guide. But I know how to prepare fish, but I don’t know how to slice sashimi……”

“I know how to do it.”

“Really?!”

“Do you want to eat sashimi?”

“Yes!”

Did I sound too excited?

He let out a chuckle between his lips. Soon, a sashimi knife appeared in his hand as if by magic.

‘What’s with this person really? Is his inventory 2 or 3 times bigger than others? Or is he just thoroughly prepared……?’

Not only that, Hunter Ju Cheong Yeon, who even took out sanitary gloves, went to the riverside and started preparing the fish skillfully.

He made an incision under the fins to separate the body and head, then ran the knife from the tail towards the head to separate the bones and flesh.

The way he wielded the knife without hesitation, cleanly removing the blood as well, was as dexterous as a master who had run a fish shop for decades.

I sat down, marveling at his handiwork, and cautiously asked.

“Hunter Ju Cheong Yeon, what’s your true identity?”

“Pardon?”

“I thought teleportation was your exclusive skill, but you also use fire magic, know a lot of things, and produce whatever’s needed on the spot. Do high-rank hunters also know how to slice sashimi well?”

Listing it all out, he seemed like a cheat character.

‘But isn’t being a hunter not even his main job? Didn’t he say he works at the Dungeon Management Center?’

For a researcher, his abilities seemed too outstanding, making me doubt if he really was a researcher.

“Haha, anyone can do this much if they’re interested.”

“Ah……”

He spoke casually as if it was nothing special. Why did father suddenly come to mind?

For a moment, father’s image overlapped with Hunter Ju Cheong Yeon.

Father often couldn’t understand why I found it difficult or couldn’t do something when I was trying to learn or assemble something, even though he knew I was upset.

That’s because father could do anything, and believed everyone else could do that much too.

A person with a memory that could remember not just the content of a book, but even trivial sentences and words, yet didn’t think of himself as special…….

Hunter Ju Cheong Yeon somehow seemed like that type of person.

‘Why are there so many extraordinary people around me……’