These Lunatics are Obsessed With Me

“…”

Looks like he’s lying. When I looked at him suspiciously, Kang Soo-hyun closed his eyes and smiled. I concentrated once again. This time, I gripped his sweaty hand tightly, trying to feel more clearly.

“Ha, I’m going crazy…”

“…?”

A languid voice sounded above me. When I looked up in doubt, I saw Kang Soo-hyun with a reddened face. I frowned.

This guy, I know he lied about the skill not being applied!

I was so angry and tried to pull my hand away. But Kang Soo-hyun was persistent and wouldn’t let go of my hand.

“Hey, let go of me quickly!”

“Ei, just a little more.”

“Do you think this is the time to joke?”

I angrily slapped Kang Soo-hyun’s hand.  Of course, my hand hurt more from the impact, which only added to my frustration.  Damn it

“We don’t have much time, so let’s move on quickly, hunter Kang Soo-hyun.”

Song Cha-hyun, who felt it was not worth her time, looked at us, then spoke with a dissatisfied face. Kang Soo Hyun frowned and let go of my hand.

Anyway, this guy thinks everything is a joke. That’s why he’s still a brat.

I shook my head inwardly and put my gloves back on. I saw Kang Soo-hyun and Hae Song-ha approaching the cave entrance again.

Lati who got off Hae Song-ha’s shoulder climbed onto Kang Soo-hyun’s shoulder.  The little squirrel moved its tail and moved back and forth between Kang Soo-hyun’s shoulders. After a while, Kang Soo-hyun, whose eyes were red, turned his head and looked at Song Cha-hyun.

“It’s detected.”

“Hoo….”

Song Cha-hyun and the rest of the team also breathed a sigh of relief, dispelling their worries. At least now they didn’t have to worry about getting lost in Area 2.

“That makes three people for the day. Is that condition still valid under these circumstances?”

“…”

Kang Yoo-hyun looked at Song Cha-hyun’s face with a slight smile on his lips.

I don’t agree at all, but Kang Yoo-hyun has firmly stated that I can only use my auxiliary skill on three people per day.

I used my skill on Hae Song-yeon and Han Yeo-reum in Area 1, and then I applied it at Kang Soo-hyun to detect Area 2. That’s how I ended up using my skill on three people.

However, it seems unreasonable to try to break through Area 2, whose difficulty has increased where S-class and A-class ability detection skills are ineffective, without my auxiliary skill. It occurred to me that it might be better to apply the skill on the Valkyrie members. It was then that I tried to convince Kang Yoo-hyun with that thought.

“Yes, it’s still valid.”

“…! Hey!”

“…”

Kang Yoo-hyun, who was looking at me with an indifferent face, pushed me slightly.  Then my body was pushed backwards. Oh, what?

“Instead, I’ll clean up Area 2.”

“Huh…”

Kang Yoo-hyun? By himself?

As I stared in surprise, Kang Yoo-hyun started to walk away. I stared at his back stupidly.

“Huhu.”

“…”

For some reason, Song Cha-hyun turned around, wearing a twisted smile that seemed to say, “Just as planned.” It was clear that either Kang Yoo-hyun or I was being used. Kang Yoo-hyun had fallen for that bait.

""

“Phew.”

Originally, Areas 1 and 2 were supposed to be cleared by the Freya Guild. These zones mostly had low class monsters, and no significant anomalies had occurred there.

Therefore, they sought the help of SS-class Kang Yoo-hyun from Area 3 and 4, where the mid-boss monsters appear. Kang Yoo-hyun would be the only one who could deal with it if the boss mob’s rating rose sharply due to the abnormal rating phenomenon. Until then, we intend to conserve his strength. However, since Area 2 turned out like this, we have no choice. We can only hope that Kang Yoo-hyun’s condition will last.

Well, he’s the protagonist, so I think he’ll be fine. Despite this thought, I couldn’t hide my concern and entered Area 2.

However…

“Kuaaah!”

“Kieeee!”

“…”

What a human bulldozer he was!

If Hae Song-yeon and Han Yeo-reum were truck-level bulldozers, then Kang Yoo-hyun was truly a bulldozer. He annihilated monsters in Area 2 with incredible strength.

The collection team now only moved their bodies mechanically, but there was no time to pity them. I can barely keep up with him either.

“Yi-jin-ah, are you okay?”

""

“Haa… don’t talk to me.”

“Kkyauu, kkyau.”

I was practically carried by Eden and Yong-sik as we walked. Why can’t I use the auxiliary skill on myself? I also want to become stronger. I want to increase my stamina…

By the time I felt like I was about to get motion sick from being dragged around too much, the team had reached the middle of Area 2. In game terms, it was like a save point.

After leaving the narrow path through the cave, we soon find ourselves in an open area. It was a neutral zone where monsters didn’t appear.

“Fuaaa…”

I lay down on the stone floor and breathed heavily. All my energy was drained from my body.

This is madness. This is just plain crazy.  How could he attack recklessly? My arms and legs were shaking and I couldn’t move.

“I guess we can rest here for today.”

“Yeah, thank goodness we’re in neutral territory.”

“…”

I could hear Song Cha-hyun and Song Yul talking to each other. Anyway, I’m glad. I will recover my stamina after a good rest here.

Kang Soo-hyun had been pushing like crazy until the duration of the auxiliary skill ran out. So we were able to get through Area 1 and half of Area 2 in just one day.

Looks like we can set a new record for clearing the Sæ Dungeon at this rate. The clearing time, which normally took at least a week, would be reduced by more than half thanks to my skill. I started to understand more of what Song Cha-hyun said before.

“Hunter Han Yi-jin, are you okay?”

“…Hunter Hae Song-ha…”

Although I feel a little tired, hunter Hae Song-ha is in much better shape than me.  Despite his youthful and fragile appearance, he is indeed a solid A-rank hunter. Being a detector, he probably has good stamina. I can’t help but feel envious of him.

“Would you like me to call a healer?”

“No, I’m not hurt…….”

“But wouldn’t it be better to get a heal because it will help you restore your energy?”

“Oh, really?”

It was the first time I heard that a healer’s healing could also restore energy. Novels often focus on strong protagonists, leaving little attention to supporting characters like myself with weaker stamina. Anyway, maybe I should seek help from a healer.  Since no one was injured so far, healers had little to do and the monsters had been annihilated by monsters like Hae Song-yeon, Han Yeo-reum, and Kang Yoo-hyun.

“Then please.”

“Yes! I’ll bring the healer here!”

Hae Song-ha shouted energetically and hurriedly ran somewhere. I watched him go and sat down on the stone floor.

“Aigoo, I’m dying…”

“Kkyuuu.”

“Yeah, Dad, it’s okay, it’s okay.”

Yong-sik, who was busily walking back and forth next to me, pressed his front paw against my leg. How adorable. I raised my hand and stroked Yong-sik’s head gently.

“Do you want some water?”

“Oh, thank you.”

I gulped down the water Eden offered me. The wind was blowing gently from somewhere, perhaps due to Eden’s wind ability, and I felt a little alive. Despite being in a gloomy dungeon, with a dragon massaging me and a human fan by my side, it was worth it. It was when I smiled contentedly.

“I brought her. Hunter Han Yi-jin!”

“Ah.”

I looked up and saw Hae Song-ha and a girl I’d never seen before standing nervously beside him. She’s a healer? I hastily stood up from my seat.

“Hello.”

“Hello. Hu–hunter Han Yi-jin-nim.”

The nervous girl gripped a staff that looked like it was made of wood. Is she too nervous? Is it because of me? Do I look that scary? While I was panicking, the girl, who I presumed was a healer, spoke in a trembling voice.

“I… I’m an A-class healer at the Freya Guild… M–my name is Guseul…”

“Nice to meet you, Hunter Guseul1…”

It’s a unique but beautiful name. With that thought in mind, I looked at her with an awkward smile.

“I’m so exhausted right now. Can I get some heal?”

“Yes, of–of course.”

“…”

But why is she so nervous? Han Yi Jin’s face didn’t look that scary. Feeling uneasy, I gently touched my face with my hand, and she squeezed her hands as if she had made a decision and reached out to me.

“Um, excuse me…!”

“Yes?”

“Pl–please hold my hand just once…”

“…?”

I blinked, unable to understand what she was saying. Why was she reaching out her hand? It couldn’t be that she is asking me to cast an auxiliary skill, right?

“Oh, can I not…”

“No, it’s nothing. It’s just your hand…”

I was flustered, but it wasn’t a request I could refuse, so I gently extended my hand. I didn’t take off my gloves because I didn’t think she was asking for my skill. We just shook hands and she quickly withdrew her hand, and her face turned bright red.

“T–thank you!”

“It’s my pleasure.”

I’ll count on her healing skill. I smiled helplessly at that thought. Then she raised the staff with an excited expression on her face.

“Get energized, yap!”

“…”

Is that a skill name? But did she have to call out the skill’s name to activate it? That’s weird.

Anyway, after a brief and somewhat awkward shout, a bright white aura enveloped me. And gradually my body began to change.

Footnotes

Her name means marble or bead.