Honestly, the whole idea of photographing monsters was pretty stupid to begin with.
It wasn't like monsters would just stand still while you snapped away.
Walk up to a dungeon monster and shove a camera in its face, and you'd probably get your head chomped off along with it.
There'd even been a news story about a journalist who tried to photograph monsters and ended up becoming a hearty meal instead.
After that incident, journalists were legally banned from entering Dungeons, if she remembered right.
*Well, not really my problem.*
For Hunters, monsters were enemies to be eliminated — and vice versa.
The idea of the two sides throwing an arm around each other and snapping a perfect life-shot together was simply unthinkable.
That was how history had always gone.
Until today.
Today, that long-standing history would be changed by a single person.
Namely, me!
By the man (former man, technically) who had just awakened as Korea's newest S-rank Hunter and was about to shake the entire world to its core….
—Click.
—Click.
"……Child. Did I not say one photo was enough?"
"Ah, r-right. It's just — every time I take a picture of you, Fenrion, it comes out so cool. Just one more, I promise, and then I'll stop."
Click. Fenrion's mildly disgruntled expression was now saved to my phone's gallery.
It was an old model, but at least the photos came out crisp. Small mercies.
Anyway, being able to take close-up photos of a dungeon monster like this was a clear advantage.
No other Hunter in the world could pull off a monster close-up shot.
If a Hunter tried to get a selfie with a monster, their teammates would immediately grab them by the collar and go, *are you out of your mind?*
Sure, you could always kill a monster first and photograph the corpse.
But a monster alive and kicking, like this? Absolutely impossible for anyone else. She was certain of it.
This was something only she could do.
"I'm, like, ridiculously capable."
Imagining the Gallery losing its collective mind over her photos, she felt the corners of her mouth curl upward.
Maybe later, some famous guild would show up with a briefcase full of cash and try to scout her.
Monster photos were, on their own, an incredibly valuable source of information.
She had no idea how exactly they'd be useful, but still.
And on top of that — what if they found out she'd awakened not one but *two* S-rank skills?
"Hehehe…."
—Mutter.
"Now, inside my body I have bullets — no wait, two S-rank skills. And one more that's *destined* to become S-rank."
Once people learned about her skills, every guild out there would be falling over themselves to recruit her.
Then she'd be living it up in a penthouse atop some skyscraper instead of a cramped rooftop room.
First thing after getting scouted — sell all her stocks. For real.
It stung a little to take the losses she'd been sitting on, but the insane salary she'd be pulling in would more than cover that gap.
Oh yeah.
Life was looking up.
—Lick.
"Wh— ugh……?"
Fenrion, who had been watching her mutter to herself with apparent curiosity, suddenly licked the top of her head.
Did licking not count as an attack?
She looked up at Fenrion with puzzled eyes, and once again, that voice resonated inside her head.
"……Still. It is all right to hold onto hope. It has been such a very long wait."
"Uh…. Pardon?"
Fenrion said those cryptic words, then slowly folded her legs and lay down on the ground.
Like a perfectly ordinary neighbor's dog named Ppoppi.
Ji-woo almost reached out to pet her head without thinking.
"Child, will you come with me? There are things I wish to show you."
"Oh, um…. Well, I…."
What would happen if she said no?
Right now Fenrion was being friendly, but the moment she caused offense, there was no telling how that might change.
No matter how invincible her S-rank skill was, without any offensive skills it was ultimately meaningless.
She'd just spend the whole day getting beaten on while invincible.
And the moment that invincibility dropped, even for a split second — it'd be game over, bon appétit.
"…What is it you want to show me?"
She didn't even know how to get out of this Dungeon anyway, so wasn't following along the right call for now?
She could always find a moment to casually ask about the exit later.
And at least for right now, Fenrion seemed to be on her side…?
"Heh. You'll understand once we arrive."
In the end, Ji-woo decided to follow Fenrion.
The red warning windows that had been flashing in her mind all along were, in their roundabout way, telling her she'd regret it if she didn't.
【 [ ! ] WARNING: Hidden Boss Detected 】
【 [ ! ] WARNING: Hidden Boss Detected 】
【 [ ! ] The true ruler of this Dungeon has its eyes on you……… 】
She was already scared enough as it was — if another boss showed up on top of this, she wouldn't be able to handle it.
Not just any boss, either. A *Hidden* Boss.
Even Fenrion had terrified her when they first met. If a Hidden Boss appeared, she might actually lose it…….
That, above all else, could not happen.
"Get on."
"Huh?"
And so, she fled somewhere with Fenrion.
Riding atop Fenrion's broad, surprisingly soft back.
—THOOM─────────!
"WAAAAAAAAAH────!"
Incredible speed.
Her body, barely clinging to Fenrion's mane, bounced and flailed wildly.
The wind was so fierce she couldn't even keep her eyes open.
She held on with everything she had until Fenrion finally stopped.
If she fell off……the rest goes without saying.
"Child. Open your eyes now."
"…Ugh…."
Fenrion's sprint had come to a stop, but Ji-woo's head was still spinning.
She'd been shaken up and down, and then side to side on top of that, like a deflated balloon figure with no stuffing.
She was pretty sure no roller coaster in the world could be scarier than riding on Fenrion's back.
Anyone who wanted to argue was welcome to try it themselves.
Though they'd probably get eaten before they got the chance.
"Child."
"Y-yes…?"
"Lift your head. What I wished to show you is over there."
Only then did Ji-woo manage to raise her head.
And for the first time, she saw them.
People — not monsters — people like herself.
—Murmur.
—Murmur.
"Wh— huh…? People?"
Out on the plains beyond, people who looked like Hunters were fighting hard.
Against a pack of wolf monsters that looked somewhat different from Fenrion.
—Perk.
—Perk, perk.
Maybe it was thanks to the two extra ears that had sprouted on top of her head.
Even from this distance, their voices reached her as clearly as if they were right in front of her.
"Hold the front line! If we get surrounded, it's over!"
"Damn it, the left! I said the left flank was open!!"
"Hah, hah……. Ngh…."
"Jo Cheol-woo!! Get it together, you idiot!!"
Urgent voices.
Groans of pain.
The sharp clash of swords, double-headed axes, and shields against fangs and claws.
"…That's not good."
Those Hunters were her only lifeline.
The lifeline that would get her out of this Dungeon.
She'd been sucked in through a sinkhole and didn't even know where the Gate was.
But Hunters who had entered properly equipped would definitely know the way out.
Of course, that only mattered if at least one of them was still alive.
If all the Hunters died, rescue was out of the question — escape was impossible, full stop.
"Um, excuse me — Fenrion!"
"Yes, child. Speak."
That was why Ji-woo had been about to ask Fenrion to help the Hunters.
Because right now, the Hunters were the ones in danger.
The wolf monsters seemed stronger than expected, and the situation looked like it was turning critical fast.
There were even a few Hunters at the rear of their formation who appeared to be injured.
Still, Fenrion was clearly far stronger than those wolf monsters — if Fenrion stepped in, the Hunters could be saved.
She couldn't afford to lose the only lifeline she'd managed to find in this vast Dungeon.
"P-please help them!"
But Fenrion asked her a question.
"Which side?"
"Well, obviously——!"
—Flinch.
"Obvi…ously……."
Because Fenrion had been so consistently kind to her, she'd forgotten.
That Fenrion was a monster too.
The wolf monsters brutally pressing the Hunters in that battle beyond — they were Fenrion's kin.
There was no reason Fenrion would help Hunters who were killing her own kind.
The moment that realization hit, the words died in her throat.
Why had she assumed Fenrion would help as a matter of course?
Even if Fenrion had feelings of goodwill toward her, that goodwill surely wasn't strong enough to justify harming her own kin.
*…What do I do.*
The reason Fenrion had been kind to her all this time was purely the effect of her skill.
Not because she liked Hunters. Not because she liked humans.
There was no reason to let her leave this Dungeon alive.
If she were allowed to walk free, she might come back as one of those Hunters out there — a creature that hunted Fenrion's kin.
And as if sensing the direction of her thoughts —
"Child."
Fenrion asked her once more.
"You."
The reason her life should not be taken.
"What makes you different from those humans over there?"
Goodwill and choosing not to kill were two separate things.
Even without any personal feelings toward someone, that didn't necessarily mean you couldn't kill them.
If something more important than personal feelings existed, you could kill for the sake of that something without hesitation.
For instance — the lives of your own kin.
【 [ ! ] WARNING: Hidden Boss Detected 】
【 [ ! ] WARNING: Hidden Boss Detected 】
【 [ ! ] The true ruler of this Dungeon has its eyes on you……… 】
The red warning windows flashing once more revealed Fenrion's true nature.
Fenrion had turned to face her directly, and those eyes flared a vivid, burning red.
"Answer me."
The Hidden Boss's overwhelming pressure bore down on everything around her.
Only now did she realize she'd been in no position to worry about anyone else.
…Emergency.