"...So, what if we give the remaining goblin heart to her?"
"Ah, to Isabel?"
"Her name is Isabel?"
"Yeah. Actually, it's Kim Isabel. ...Oh, 'Kim' is the surname, so don't get confused, Seon-ho."
Judging by the way she said it, she'd already mixed it up once herself. So very Cha Eun-ju.
They must have chatted a bit while I was away, since they'd even exchanged names. Kim Isabel only had a pathological fear of men; she could talk normally with other women.
"Anyway, if we're splitting hairs, she contributed to luring the monsters all the way here. It might've been a coincidence, but she went through some hardship, so it feels wrong to send her back empty-handed."
"Y-Yeah, Seon-ho really is kind... I didn't even think of that..."
"What about the teammate she came with? No way a Recovery Department student entered the dungeon alone, right?"
"Oh, that. She said there was an accident right before they entered..."
Apparently, she'd lost hold of her Spear Arts Department supporter's hand just as they were porting in, ending up transferred alone. Up to this point, it was straight out of the original story.
The betrayer was probably Min Ye-won from Myeongwol Hunter Academy. I'd confirmed seeing her with Kim Isabel in the waiting room earlier, so no doubt about it.
'I'll deal with Min Ye-won later.'
Broadly speaking, it was thanks to her that I got a shot at approaching Kim Isabel, but that was separate from the fact that she'd put one of my women in danger—she'd pay for that.
That aside, priority one was building favor with the girl isolated in the dungeon.
No matter her androphobia, Kim Isabel wouldn't just abandon me and Cha Eun-ju to wander the dungeon alone.
"Alright, I'll go talk to Isabel. Tell her there's one goblin heart left, and if she needs it, I'll fill her material pouch."
"N-No, I'll go!"
"Why?"
"She said earlier she's not used to guys, so talking to them is hard."
"Ah, so that's why she could barely speak when I talked to her."
I nodded, pretending this was new information even though I already knew.
"Oh, and she wanted me to thank you for saving her. Said it's too hard to say it herself."
"I didn't do much. You took down all the goblins anyway."
"S-Still, Isabel said you spotted them first. I can't fight properly without your buffs anyway."
"Sure, let's say that's true. Anyway, go pass it on. One heart for the material pouch... Oh, and since she has no partner, maybe toss in some extra materials too?"
We didn't collect brains or ears anyway. Add the heart, and we could fill about seven slots at once. Even cheap materials were better than an empty pouch.
"Oh, right! I'll ask about that too!"
"Yeah, go ask. Bring back Kim Isabel's material pouch when you do."
"Okay!"
...Frankly, with so many dropouts in this practical exam, Recovery and Support students would pass just for entering the dungeon.
Still, stacking small favors like this wasn't a bad idea.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Found the target?"
「Yes. Just spotted her.」
"Good. Where is she now?"
「Stopped briefly in sector 14.」
"Herd some monsters and lure her to sector 25. We'll capture her alive there."
「...Um, there's a problem.」
"What?"
「The target made contact with another examinee party. One's a mage.」
"So? Herd some orcs at them. At exam-taker level, a few orcs will make them drop her and run."
「Thing is... the mage seems pretty skilled. She used multi-cast Shadow Ball from the start, so orcs might not—」
"...Tch."
...Lucky break for her. I'd finally isolated her in the dungeon, and now she hooks up with other examinees for help.
I'd wanted to grab her quietly without drawing eyes, but dragging this out would mess up the plan.
"You have the emergency summon magic circle I gave you?"
「Yes.」
"Summon it and lure it to sector 25. It's tuned to track holy power, so it'll go after her on its own."
「Is that okay? The summon reaction might tip off Cheonmu Academy.」
"We're already late; getting caught is just a matter of time. Secure and extract the target ASAP."
「Understood.」
Poor sods in that other party.
Well, if they didn't want to get dragged in, they shouldn't have messed with someone else's property from the start.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"R-Really, is it okay for me to take it...? What if it causes trouble for you two..."
"N-No, it's fine. Seon-ho suggested it first, and I wasn't gonna object anyway."
"But if it lowers your practical exam scores because of me..."
"Using the full time effectively is part of the evaluation too... or so Seon-ho said."
"Still, I didn't do anything during the goblin hunt..."
"Luring them right to us was your job done. ...Seon-ho said that too, so no worries!"
The three of us finished dismantling the goblins and moved to another area.
Kim Isabel, whose empty material pouch was now filled to seven slots, kept asking worriedly. Cha Eun-ju reassured her over and over not to fret.
She was stuck relaying my words since Kim Isabel couldn't talk to guys directly, but she worked hard at it.
I wondered if the 'Potion of Courage' affected communication skills too—Cha Eun-ju was chatting surprisingly well with Kim Isabel, someone she'd just met.
'No harm in them getting friendly now.'
Eventually, both would be crawling under my cock anyway.
To have them double-team a blowjob on either side, better to eliminate any mutual hang-ups early.
And so, while wandering the dungeon in search of this event's final piece, Han Sora (+Seo Woo-jin)—
'Groooaaargh...!!'
...an eerie, unidentified roar echoed from nearby.
'It's starting, huh.'
A heavy, resonant bellow that carried far.
The monster's presence alone was intimidating just from the sound, so naturally, not just me—Cha Eun-ju and Kim Isabel tensed up too.
"Wh-What was that...? You hear it, Seon-ho?"
"...Yeah, I did."
"Maybe an orc...? But do orcs roar like that...?"
"Doesn't sound like an orc... When we took down those orcs earlier, they didn't roar like this, right...?"
"Yeah. This roar's new to me too."
...We hadn't found Han Sora yet. This might get dicey.
I picked up the pace, ready to bolt anytime, gripping Cha Eun-ju's hand tight so we wouldn't lose each other.
"Let's get out of here fast. Feels like a dangerous monster."
"Okay..."
"..."
I held Cha Eun-ju's hand; Kim Isabel grabbed her other. We broke into a light jog—
'Grrroooaaargh!!'
The roar, distant before, now much closer.
"Damn it, run!"
"...O-Okay!"
"...!"
Contacting an Owl Bear with this lineup was risky.
Cha Eun-ju's magic could bind it temporarily, but not kill it outright. We needed Han Sora's arrows and skills for a clean kill.
My abilities weren't suited against monsters, nor were Kim Isabel's heals.
Without perfect prep, running was priority. Their lives came before building favor.
-Tadak, tak, tadak!
"Haa, ha, haa..."
-Thud, thud, thud!
The sound of us crashing through the forest path. And massive footsteps rumbling from not far behind.
-Crack, craaack.
...Thick trees snapping like twigs tightened the noose around us, heart pounding harder each time.
I'd half-expected this with Kim Isabel in tow, but facing it for real, even I felt fear creeping in.
If knowing ahead still scared me this much, how must Cha Eun-ju and Kim Isabel feel?
-Crunch.
I gripped Cha Eun-ju's hand harder as we ran side-by-side, determined not to let go.
"Head for open ground! Whatever it is, we're slower in the forest!"
"G-Got it...!"
In the original, Han Sora and Seo Woo-jin fought the Owl Bear in a wide plain perfect for battle.
Not gambling solely on that, of course. Plains favored us more for evasion too.
If we just reached open ground—or bumped into Han Sora by luck...
-Thud, thud...
"Haa, haa, haaa... Urp!!"
...Oh, right.
I'd overlooked Cha Eun-ju's stamina.
Kim Isabel had some endurance, not being as much of a hikikomori as Cha Eun-ju, but Eun-ju was a total klutz at physical stuff.
Plus, running with those huge tits was no joke. Should've factored that in from the start.
'Graaaaaahhh!!'
"Haa, hurr...! Urrp, urp...!!"
The Owl Bear's roar closing in, Cha Eun-ju dry-heaving from exhaustion.
No more delays. Meeting Han Sora was top priority; her slowing us would doom us all.
...Sorry, Cha Eun-ju, but no choice.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡
Suggestion: Adrenaline Burst
* Target: Lee Seon-ho
-Flash.
"...Uh, urgh?!"
"Sorry, Eun-ju. I'll carry you like this till we're out of the forest."
Cha Eun-ju startled as I scooped her up mid-run in a princess carry.
Worried her chest would make her too heavy, but her small frame made it manageable.
"Hauh?! S-Seon-ho?!"
"Arms around my neck, hold tight. Getting out fast is what matters now."
"O-Okay! N-No choice right now, yeah...!"
I princess-carried the flustered Cha Eun-ju and bolted from the forest.
My consistent strength training under Choi Marie paid off big here.