SSS-Grade Cafe in Front of The Dungeon
chapter-169

“Let’s go this way.”

“……Yes.”

I had made my decision and was about to start walking with Ash.

Tiling!

[The quest participants have been selected after rigorous testing.

Second participant: Kang Hyunwoo (A)

……(Now Loading)]

‘It’s different….’

The members were different from the vision I saw in my grandmother’s notebook. Could it be because the future has changed several times? The notification continued.

[※Once power gathering is complete, you will automatically move to the Gate of ████ where the power has been collected. Please be prepared for the move.]

Time is running out. I hurried my steps.

Whiz! Just then, an arrow from behind my back hit a flying monster in midair.

“That’s it! Gotcha!”

The monster that had been targeting us from afar crashed to the ground. I turned to the direction of the sound. It was Joo Shinhee, one of the twins. As she put the arrow back in her quiver, she turned to Joo Shinwoo, “As expected, one of us had to be a melee dealer. Two ranged dealers is unbalanced.”

“Then why didn’t you do it, you idiot!” Joo Shinwoo, who had a curse stake in his hand, grumbled. Joo Shinhee immediately refuted, “You idiot! It’s an international loss for an archer like me not to hold a bow!”

Swish! As if to prove those words, the second arrow mercilessly pierced the monster’s body.

“I like long ranged too!” Joo Shinwoo drew a simple magic circle on the ground and placed a curse stake. He then shouted, tapping the stake with his hammer, “I don’t care about balance, I just want to get rid of it!”

The magic circle glowed and the curse was triggered.

Kiieeeek! Thud! There was the sound of a giant falling. The twins rushed over, their faces beaming with joy as they confirmed the monster was dead.

“Eonnie! I’m glad you’re safe. Kim Ash, too!”

“You guys …. how did you get here?”

“We were out patrolling, and we saw you and Kim Ash, so we came!”

“Eonni, our guild leader is over there. Do you want me to guide you?”

“….Yoohyun-ssi is here?”

“Yes, he’s right over there!”

The twins chattered as they ran over and stood right next to me and Ash. I was relieved to see the twins so energetic. Neither of them seemed to be injured.

As soon as Joo Shinhee put her arm around me, the system window updated again.

[Data collection is complete.]

[The quest participants have been selected after rigorous testing.

Third participant: Joo Shinhee (A)

Fourth participant: Joo Shinwoo (A)

……(Now Loading)]

“……What?”

This is ridiculous. Sure, the twins are strong, but they’re still young. The future has already changed so many times, why is this time the same outcome as the previous one?

I swallowed a shaky breath and looked at the twins. Still small in stature, round cheeks, innocent smiles …. they look just like the children I knew.

After checking the system notification, Joo Shinhee loosened her arms and lifted her head. Her expression was calm, without surprise, but it was different from the pale, doll-like coldness I had seen before the regression. This time, she looked serene and pure.

I quickly grabbed her hand. It was a small hand.

“Eonni, I really liked it when you treated me like a child.”

“…….”

“I’ve never been treated like that, even when I was younger than I am now. Sometimes you make me feel like I was an ordinary child, which actually makes me want to act even more foolishly.” The twins glanced at each other. A light smile lingered on their lips for a moment, as if they understood each other’s meaning without words. Joo Shinhee spoke again, “But I am Hunter, and now is the time to do what I have to do.”

How could I hold the twins back when they spoke like that?

Lastly, the twins exchanged greetings with Ash.

“……Be careful.”

“What do you think of us!”

The grip dropped. The twins ran forward.

“You idiot! We’re supposed to be transported automatically, where are you going?”

“You idiot! Then we’ll have to kill as many monsters as we can in the time we have left!”

“Who did you call idiot, you idiot! I’m going to catch more, you see?”

Black magic shackled the monster’s feet. Then, a blazing arrow pierced the creature’s chest.

After the twins had completely disappeared between the buildings, at the end of my line of sight, I found him.

“….Yoohyun-ssi!”

His long black hair fluttered in the cold breeze. He smiled so beautifully, but for some reason, I felt uneasy.

Stop it. I didn’t even have time to think about that.

The streets were torn apart by a series of rifts and monster attacks. Particles of brilliant light scattered, transformed into thin threads, then intertwined again to form a net.

The broken streets began to mend. As if they had never been damaged in the first place.

***

Myeongdong, Jung-gu, Seoul. In front of a nursery school.

“Ugh…….”

Han Wuju, an independent tank, gripped her shield that was taller than her height tightly. Though short in build, she was skilled.

It was impossible to take another step back from here, behind her were only children and old people.

‘What happened…!’

Important facilities such as childcare centers are equipped with protective barriers. Therefore, Han Wuju planned to leisurely drive the monsters toward the defense line while the children took refuge inside.

However, one of the monsters had an unusual intelligence: instead of charging at Han Wuju, it used the corruption skill to neutralize the barrier. The result was this isolated situation. The monsters swarmed through the gap, and even though she used layers of defensive skills, she couldn’t fend them off alone.

Han Wuju urgently requested assistance. . However, she honestly didn’t have the confidence to hold out until another Hunter arrived.

No, no, no. Let’s not despair.

‘Step back who….!”

A quest had begun. The top rankers, including Ki Yoohyun, were being selected, so ordinary Hunters like her would only have to endure until then. This nasty rift situation would be over by then. That’s why…..

“Agh, aaaahhhh!” Han Wuju shouted and swung her sword with all her might. She succeeded in slicing through two of the attackers at once.

But there was no time to rejoice. For a moment, her back was momentarily defenseless, and the monster’s sharp claws pierced her back. A fatal wound.

“…cough, cough!” Blood poured out. The hand that gripped the shield trembled. She couldn’t see clearly through the red glaze in her eyes.

She always imagined that she would die in battle one day, but she didn’t expect that day to come so soon.

‘Sh*t, I dreamed of retiring and getting a pension…….’

Her head felt dizzy. At least there’s still time for one more attack. If she launches an AoE attack, she might bring some of them to afterlife with her. She braced herself for the last attack.

Syaaaaa─

Just then, a gentle breeze arrived.

The pain faded away. The blood stopped flowing and new flesh filled the wound. Her weary body regained strength, allowing her to hold on to her shield.

‘The Ultimate Healing Skill……!‘

Who on the heavens is that? Han Wuju looked in the direction the breeze had been blowing.

Sparkling silver hair, a cool appearance, and a long robe with the name of the ‘White Silver Guild‘ written on it.

“Are you all right? You’ve held up well.”

‘Holy, awesome, this is crazy. Re-real thing … is this real?’

She forgot the situation and was amazed.

Kwon Jiwoon, the healer whom Han Wuju had been a fan of ever since her awakening, was in front of her. It was the first time she had seen him since she failed the interview for the White Silver Guild due to a story she couldn’t recall without tears.

‘Sign … ah, no, the slogan … uagh, it’s not in my inventory right now!’

Unfortunately, she cleaned out her inventory last week. She should have not organized her inventory on time…..

“….Hunter-nim?” Kwon Jiwoon tilted his head. The reaction is strange. Could it be that she suffered a mental attack? Kwon Jiwoon, who suspected so, casted additional mental healing skills.

Han Wuju thought, ‘Even if I die now, I have no regrets. I have no regrets … no, I will try to be his shield until I retire and receive my pension.’

Bam! The shield immediately straightened up. Han Wuju stood firmly in position with a determined expression.

At that moment, the system notification updated in front of her eyes.

[Data collection is complete.]

[The quest participants have been selected after rigorous testing.

Fifth participant: Kwon Jiwoon (A)

……(Now Loading)]

And then there was the reinforcements.

Shash-shash, bang! He was a Hunter who freely wielded a sword as long as a human’s height with one hand. After wiping out the monster in front of Han Wuju with a single AoE attack, the Hunter landed with ease. Han Wuju immediately recognized him.

“Uh, Hunter Choi Cedric…..?”

She had heard that he had left for some remote region after C&L Corporation disbanded. Was it only a rumor?

And then there was someone else. A petite, silver-haired girl.

“Hold on a little longer. I’ll restore the barrier now.”

She appeared to be delicate, not at all Hunter-like, but…….

‘Is she flying….?’

“I’m not a barrier master, so it’s not perfect. The good thing about grimoires is that they contain miscellaneous good. It’s truly a 21st century all-purpose magic book. This will be enough for temporary use.”

The girl’s assurance was not a lie, and the barrier was soon restored. Han Wuju, who realized that she had finally gotten a break. was just about to thank this unique support group.

“……Ouch! Don’t come near me!” Choi Rona, who discovered Kwon Jiwoon, gasped and hid behind Choi Cedric. Kwon Jiwoon, who had never met her in person before, asked in confusion, “What’s wrong?”

“We have the same hair color. Hair color is a big part of character, and I was planning to appear completely mysterious!”

“Haa…..” The unfamiliar girl seemed like a familiar concept bug¹. Kwon Jiwoon sighed slightly.

“Phew, if I knew this would happen, I would’ve worn a hat.”

However, Choi Cedric, instead of responding to his younger sister’s words as usual, just stared blankly into the air.

“….Ah.”

Now it’s my turn. Choi Rona, who muttered like that, was not surprised in the least, as if she had already guessed it. She just glanced at Choi Cedric with a bit of regret.

[Sixth participant: Choi Rona (N/A)

……(Now Loading)]

[※ The last participant will be announced after data collection. please wait for a moment.]

Translation’s Corner:

1. 컨셉충: Concept Bug. It’s a (negative) term to call someone who presents personality and setting different from the really … idk how to explain it. It’s mainly used in internet. Like someone is making a fake persona in internet and totally dedicated in living with the concept they created. ↩︎

Sharing a happy news, I will have my thesis defense in two weeks~

ALSO MY BRAIN ALWAYS FILLED WITH JOY EVERYTIME KWON JIWOON APPEARED T_T The charm of an older brother…..

Also if you can’t remember Han Wuju, she’s that one NPC in Chapter 96

ANYWAY GUYS I’m so sorry I know this is very late (there’s only like less than 30 chapters left????? I’M SO SORRY), but I will change Rona’s name from the and will edit the past chapters in the future when I have time, which one do you guys like more between “Lona” and “Lorna”? Her name is “로나” so actually both Rona/Lona/Lorna all correct, but I’m just going to change it for … well, there’s a reason. So please give me your opinion between Lona and Lorna … fast because I need to do the …..