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Chapter 43
Abysmal Drop Rate
The battle was over.
But the hall was still in chaos, reminiscent of a battlefield.
“Ughhh!”
“Just hold on a little longer.”
“Team leader! We’re almost out of potions!”
“What!? …Treat the major wounds first, hold off on the minor ones.”
“But—”
“There’s no choice. Just wrap them in bandages for now!”
This was the price of fighting not just one but eight Yetis, and Yetis in a berserk state at that.
“I’m sorry. If only I had landed that snipe….”
“Save the blame for after we finish this dungeon. Pull yourself together!”
If the ranged dealer had successfully sniped the Yeti rider, none of these casualties would have happened.
“How many injured?”
“Four lightly wounded who can still fight, two seriously injured who can’t continue.”
“If we use potions on the serious cases?”
“It’s impossible. We don’t have enough left.”
“Damn it.”
Shin Chaeri bit her lip.
The only silver lining was…
“How about the porters? Are you alright?”
“We’re fine.”
The porters, who had been ambushed at the rear, had somehow survived unscathed.
How the hell are they fine? There’s no way two porters alone could have survived against that.
There had been three Yetis that appeared in the rear.
Kim Yujin, that porter, clearly had some skill—but even so, it made no sense.
Still, now wasn’t the time to pursue that curiosity.
She gave the porters a small bow of her head.
“Sorry.”
“Not at all.”
“As you can see, our side has taken heavy losses, so we couldn’t properly protect you.”
In principle, hunters were contractually obligated to protect porters inside dungeons.
Of course, in reality it was a dead clause, rarely enforced. But if you strictly assigned blame, this incident fell largely on the New Cherry Guild.
And then—
At this rate, defeating the boss will be impossible.
She might need their help.
If only we had more money…
The guild’s finances had been tight lately, so they hadn’t stocked enough potions.
With each potion costing several million won, New Cherry Guild simply couldn’t afford to use them freely.
The result: too many injured, and a severe loss of combat strength.
It was sheer luck no one had died.
If these porters weren’t just porters—but could function as combat power—
We might be able to take down the boss.
The dungeon had to be cleared. Too much had been invested into this “Snow Mountain Cave” run to walk away empty-handed.
So, with desperation, Shin Chaeri asked:
“By chance, could you two tell me your hunter ranks?”
“That’s no trouble. I’m 4-star.”
“I’m 2-star.”
“…..”
A 4-star and a 2-star?
Was this a joke?
And yet those two supposedly took down three 5-star monsters, the Yetis, on their own?
Even if they hadn’t been berserk, that was still absurd.
Her voice nearly rose without meaning to.
“Don’t play games—just tell me—”
“Does it matter?”
“…What?”
“We’re porters anyway. Does our rank really matter that much?”
Kim Yujin, the porter, calmly rebuked her.
Kim Yujin… right.
He was a sharp one.
And meeting his calm, steady gaze, she realized—
This one knows exactly what’s going on.
Trying to fob him off with vague persuasion wouldn’t work.
There was only one choice left.
“…Sigh. How about this—forget porter contracts. How about a mercenary contract instead?”
She’d have to tell the truth, and ask for help.
In truth, no one needed to see this dungeon through more than I did.
【Straight ahead this way—we’ll find the Ice Crystal! I can feel it!】
Because I needed to restore Prill’s power.
If Team Leader Shin Chaeri had decided to retreat, I’d have had to find a way to persuade her to push onward.
But things turned out far better than I’d expected.
They asked us first to lend our strength to clear the dungeon.
Which meant I could negotiate a mercenary contract on very favorable terms.
Of course, not everyone took it well.
“This is nonsense! These conditions are better than what guild members get! You’re offering this to mere porters?”
“Deputy leader.”
“I refuse! Absolutely not!”
The useless deputy leader threw a fit.
It wasn’t incomprehensible.
The terms were outrageous.
A daily rate of 200, plus a share of loot distribution.
If I had just entered as a porter, I could never have dreamed of such terms.
Especially the loot share—it was even higher than what guild members got.
But we had proven ourselves, and the New Cherry Guild was the one in need. That desperation let us secure such conditions.
(Of course, it also helped that I negotiated well.)
Unlike the desperate provincial guilds, Seoul hunters weren’t so cutthroat. With their impatience, it wasn’t hard to push through favorable terms.
In the end, the deputy leader was overruled.
“Do you not want to beat the boss?”
“But—”
“You saw their abilities earlier. Taking down the boss benefits us more.”
“….”
He couldn’t argue against Shin Chaeri’s authority.
So in the end, we were no longer just porters—we’d be treated on equal footing with hunters.
“Hyung, you’re amazing! How did you get terms like this….”
Yoon Jiho’s eyes sparkled at me.
It was a bit much.
“We’re just being compensated fairly for our ability. You’re a 4-star hunter now too.”
“Well, yes, but still….”
Yoon Jiho had negotiated as if he were a 4-star, not a 2-star.
Thanks to unlocking his absurd “Hero of Justice” trait permanently.
With logic like, “Growing stronger is justice,” his stats were multiplied fivefold at all times.
And now that he had even learned to wield aura, calling him 4-star wasn’t exaggeration.
This guy’s definitely a natural talent.
Even with a broken trait, learning aura in such a short time was proof of his innate skill.
I myself had needed much longer training.
Best to stay close to him.
Maintaining a good relationship would only help. And luckily, Yoon Jiho seemed to hold me in high regard, so that wouldn’t be difficult.
We continued deeper into the dungeon.
Fighting Yetis again, Jiho and I took on the role of aggro diversion since we’d never fought alongside New Cherry Guild before.
Naturally, we performed that role flawlessly.
“Dribbling four Yetis at once—impressive.”
“The fight feels so much more stable with you two.”
“They said 4-star, but if he’s not using aura threads yet still fights like this… I’d say he’s nearly 5-star.”
Even guild members who had eyed us skeptically before began to acknowledge us.
All except one.
“They’re still just porters! Something’s fishy. Otherwise why would they be doing porter work?”
Deputy leader Im Gaho.
Useless from the start, and now picking fights at every turn.
He hadn’t even shared his name until forced to by the mercenary contract.
Whatever. Let’s just focus on the job.
Thankfully, one man’s pettiness couldn’t outweigh the truth everyone else could see with their own eyes.
“Boss ahead!”
At the end of the cave, in a vast chamber, we faced the Yeti Boss.
A hulking five-meter figure.
Razor claws, jagged fangs, a thick coat of coarse white fur.
Compared to the regular Yetis, it radiated overwhelming might.
Grrraaaaaa—!
The battle began immediately as it charged us.
“Tanker, up front! Dealers, spread out!”
“Yes!”
No one panicked. We had already gone over our positioning strategy for the boss fight.
My place was on the left flank—perfect for exploiting openings after its heavy swings.
Boom!
The boss slammed its massive arm down.
“Urgh.”
The tank braced with his shield but still groaned under the force.
Still—he survived the blow. That was enough.
Dealers spread out and unleashed their firepower on the boss.
The ribs—!
I plunged my Frostblade, wreathed in aura, into its side.
Clang!
But it barely scratched it.
Its defenses were ridiculous.
Tch. Tough to land decent damage.
Still—I wasn’t the only dealer.
Bang! Bang!
Attacks rained in from all sides.
The biggest strike came from the archer.
Thunk—!
Graaaahhh!
His arrow pierced the boss’s left eye, robbing it of vision.
It’s strong, but manageable.
This would be a straightforward boss fight.
Which meant my real concern wasn’t here.
Prill—have you found it?
I was after the Ice Crystal.
The item that would restore Prill’s power. The real reason I’d joined this dungeon, even as a porter.
【It’s here! In a crevice behind the boss!】
Prill found it lodged in the wall behind the monster.
Can you absorb it?
【Let me try.】
I’d been planning for this. Ever since entering, I’d been thinking: could Prill absorb the Ice Crystal unseen, while others were distracted?
【Yes!】
Good. Then do it.
【Here I go!】
Beaming with excitement, Prill began absorbing the Ice Crystal.
The cave felt faintly warmer.
Ding!
[Contracted spirit ‘Prill’ has begun absorbing the Ice Crystal.]
[Estimated time required: 10 minutes.]
Which meant one of the dungeon’s clear rewards was now mine.
A bit sorry to the New Cherry Guild, but…
Technically, since I wasn’t leading this dungeon run, the crystal didn’t belong to me.
But what could I do?
Life is a battlefield.
If no one caught me, it was a perfect crime.
Meanwhile, the boss fight was proceeding smoothly.
Apart from one tank getting knocked out after slipping, there were no serious losses.
Graaaaahhh!
The Yeti Boss, enraged by its wounds, let out a furious roar.
In that instant—
Tap—tap!
Team Leader Shin Chaeri dashed up the cave wall and launched herself into the air.
“Hyaaahh!”
Her rapier, glowing with aura threads, pierced straight through the boss’s face.
Squelch—!
The massive beast toppled slowly—
Boom!
The boss was dead. The dungeon was cleared.
“Haa… everyone, good work.”
“Good job!”
Shin Chaeri quickly organized the aftermath: healing the injured, checking the loot.
How much time left?
[Estimated time remaining: 6 minutes.]
Prill still needed a bit more. Hopefully no one noticed.
Thankfully, attention was pulled elsewhere.
Someone suddenly screamed, voice filled with excitement.
“A S-skill Core! It’s a Skill Core!!!”
“What!? A Skill Core?!”
A Skill Core.
Depending on its performance, even the cheapest sold for billions, the rarest for hundreds of billions.
An item with an abysmally low drop rate… had just dropped!
