[ Dungeon Entry ㅅ 6 Confirmed ]
[Grade: 2]
The first thing I managed to win at the Blood Fragrance auction for the break was a Gate of Grade 0^.
Including myself and Yeon Ha-yeon, there were six members of the raid party.
Most of them were Grade 8 Awakened.
I was grateful that the guild member who offered a kiss for ten thousand won last time wasn’t here.
If I had to raid a dungeon with someone like that—so full of novel clichés—right from the first run, I’d be constantly distracted wondering who I might have to kiss next.
“Alright, let’s finish quickly and get out of here.”
At Yeon Ha-yeon’s words, we all took a step further inside the dungeon.
Yeon Ha-yeon didn’t actually need to come this far in, but since it was my first time participating in a dungeon raid, she joined me.
“If you leave me behind, what am I supposed to do, boss!”
Yeon Hyeonggwang came running in after us, huffing and puffing.
His hair was a mess, probably because he rushed in, afraid we’d leave him behind and head deep into the dungeon.
With Yeon Ha-yeon, Yeon Hyeonggwang, and me—the core members—together, the guild members looked as confident as ever.
Their expressions made it clear how much they cared for the Yeon siblings.
Honestly, to put it nicely, it felt like a religious cult; to put it bluntly, like a group of fanatic followers.
***
‘It’s been a while. Maybe I should check my status window.’
Before properly starting my first guild activity, I decided to check my status window again and grasp my current stats.
[Name: Lee Dana
Grade: ^+(5) (Grade temporarily reduced due to skill lock)
Class: Necromancer
Rank: 0 (Based on original grade)
Titles: Possessor from Another Dimension, The Hero Behind the Hood, Villain Who Can Destroy Earth.
Skills: Shackles of Darkness, Shadow Painting, Black Cloud Rain, Shield, Black Mist, Locked …….
Summoned Spirits: Shahin, Bishap, Stone, Red, Tebeo, and others …….]
‘Huh?’
The ‘+’ next to my grade caught my eye.
I’d never seen a grade with a ‘+’ or ‘-’ attached before.
Maybe it was because my grade was temporarily lowered, or maybe it was something else.
It seemed like I was the only one with this kind of mark.
My surprise lasted only a moment.
Honestly, I was just happy that my grade had risen a bit.
It looked like the day I’d get my original grade back wasn’t far off.
“If I run a few more dungeons during break, I’ll be back to Grade 5 in no time.”
If that happened, I’d regain all my original skills and stats as an official Grade 5 and could start the new semester of senior year with confidence and peace of mind.
I’d been frustrated for so long, unable to use my full strength, but finally, that day was coming.
I couldn’t help but smile as my mood soared.
“Happy to be with me, right?” )/
Yeon Ha-yeon asked in a teasing voice, as if she misunderstood my smile.
Of course, I felt reassured raiding my first official Gate with her, and it was my first time entering a Gate with a friend, so it felt like a field trip.
I just answered vaguely.
While I and the guild members were busy beating down monsters, the Yeon siblings stood behind us, arms crossed, watching over us.
There was no need to summon my spirits, so I just used my skills to take down the monsters.
“Dana! Let’s give your friends a grand debut today!”
Yeon Ha-yeon cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted.
At her words, Yeon Hyeonggwang and the other guild members, who had never seen my spirits before, stared at me with puzzled expressions.
“Friends? What do you mean, a debut?”
Yeon Hyeonggwang asked, his voice full of curiosity, as if there was something he didn’t know.
Sensing that Yeon Ha-yeon wouldn’t give in easily, he started whining at her in a cutesy tone, begging her to explain.
Watching the two of them, I realized I was the only one here struggling to keep a straight face.
‘I’ve seen them act like this at school, but I didn’t think they’d do it in front of the guild too.’
The image of a charismatic guild master and vice-master I had in mind was nowhere to be found.
‘Honestly, they’re kind of a mess…’
All that was left was Yeon Hyeonggwang clinging to Yeon Ha-yeon and Yeon Ha-yeon ignoring him, giving me a thumbs-up gesture to cheer me on.
At some point, I noticed the camera had been handed over to Yeon Hyeonggwang, who was now aiming it at me.
He must be trying to record the moment I summon my spirits.
What would people say when they saw the footage?
Would they just find me scary, like before my possession, or would they treat me like a witch for wielding the power of darkness?
But thinking back to how people here had reacted to my spirits so far, I didn’t think things would get that bad.
Was I just being hopeful?
Even though I was anxious, I was also excited, caught between those two emotions, and kept hesitating to summon my spirits.
Still, maybe it was because of the ‘+’ on my grade, but my skills were stronger than before, and it was enough to take care of the monsters.
***
“Shahin! Stone! Bishap! Red!”
My spirits made their official debut at the moment we found the boss monster.
Since there was no need to summon too many, I only called Shahin and Stone, the two dragons.
Honestly, I didn’t even need both dragons, but since the camera was rolling, I thought it’d be nice to capture their cute appearances together.
[ Huh? Why are there so many people? ]
[ My lord, is it okay for us to come out? ]
“They’re people you’ll be seeing often from now on. These are our guild members, so get to know their faces.”
Since they usually only came out when I was alone, the two dragons looked flustered.
Bishap, perhaps remembering the wary looks from before my possession, even asked if it was okay to appear.
[We’ll finish quickly and be back.]
[I’ll go first.]
Vroom, boom—
With a swift, nimble body, Shahin rushed toward the boss monster, with Stone lumbering after him.
The Blood Fragrance guild members and Yeon Hyeonggwang watched the whole scene in a daze.
Their eyes darted from Bishap and Red, flying at my sides, to Stone crushing monsters with brute force, then finally settled on Shahin, attacking the boss with spectacular skill.
“What, what is this?”
“Ghosts? Are those ghosts attacking?”
“Wait, do monsters have spirits too? I’ve never seen a monster ghost before.”
“Well, they move, so I guess they do have souls…”
“But, um, those spirits are on our side, right…?”
Everyone was clearly bewildered.
I was relieved that their reactions weren’t as bad as I’d feared.
At least, no one was running away from me in fear or trying to attack me and my spirits, calling it the power of darkness.
It was better than I’d thought.
If anything, their eyes just got brighter and brighter as they watched Shahin and Stone attack the boss.
“Wow, Dana, you control those monster spirits yourself?”
“How do you even get a skill like that? That looks so convenient. I want it too.”
True to form, the guild members, who usually praised Yeon Ha-yeon rather than feared her, now looked at me with envy, wishing they had spirit summoning too.
I didn’t know if they were fearless or just innocent, but I was simply happy with this reaction.
Smiling, I turned my head and spotted one guild member staring at my spirits, completely stiff.
He was a boy a year younger than me.
I remembered hearing he’d recently Awakened and joined Blood Fragrance.
***
‘He’s probably not used to dungeons at all, so it’s natural he’d react like that to monsters or spirits.’
As I approached, his pupils started to shake violently.
I just wanted to tell him that my spirits weren’t dangerous and there was nothing to be afraid of, but he seemed truly scared.
The closer I got, the more he backed away, step by step.
“H-Hey, are your skills dark magic…?”
“Or maybe a voodoo priest…? Can you turn people into those too?”
“I’ve never tried, but I guess it’s possible?”
The others, after staring at my spirits in fascination, joined in attacking the boss monster, but seeing this boy trembling alone made me want to tease him.
Before my possession, I never would’ve dreamed of making such a joke, but as soon as I did, the boy’s face went pale.
[Are you going to make him one of us?]
[Hey! People can’t be made like us!]
At first, Red had spoken formally, but at some point he started dropping honorifics, blurting out scary things without a care.
Bishap, hearing this, crashed into him with a headbutt, shouting as if to tell him not to say weird things.
“Let’s not fight here, you two.”
Before it escalated, I grabbed Bishap and Red with both hands and pulled them apart.
Watching the cute-looking dragons bicker, the boy seemed to realize it was a joke and, though still tense, started watching my spirits with curiosity.
In the meantime, the boss monster was defeated, and Yeon Hyeonggwang, who had been filming the whole time, flashed me a <V sign> with his index finger and thumb.
It seemed to mean he’d gotten a great shot.
***
“Wow, noona, when did you get a skill like that?”
After we closed the Gate and came out, Yeon Hyeonggwang, who hadn’t been able to speak much while filming, finally let out all his reactions.
“At this rate, isn’t there no monster in the world that could beat you? If you keep running dungeons, you’ll be able to take on an army of a hundred thousand someday.”
He couldn’t stop praising my spirit summoning and their combat abilities.
Apparently it wasn’t enough to just tell me—he even mentioned my necromancy in the group chat.
[ Bbo Da + Pretty Boy (6): Has anyone else seen Dana noona’s spirit summoning? Only me and the boss, right?
>( Ttu Euddeung (8): What skill? What is that?
Bbo Da 1 Pretty Boy (6): Sigh… This is a skill the whole world should know about. Why can’t I upload videos in the chat ㅡ ㅡ
# Kiyomi #(9): If it’s Dana’s spirit summoning, we’ve all seen it! >0<
Rumors (@40705..※)(10): What are you talking about? What is that? 0_0??]
He was acting like he wanted to brag about being the first to see my necromancy.
Yeon Hyeonggwang’s smile faded at a single chat from Han Ji-bin.
When James and Baek Ji-woo kept pestering him to explain, Yeon Hyeonggwang quickly gave a brief rundown of my necromancy.
He was quick, as if he didn’t want to lose his spot as the first to explain.
[ Wanso (7): My skill totally sucks, this is so unfair – ㅡ -……. Is it okay for one person to get all the good abilities]
Focus (1): The black flame dragon on my left arm is kinda lame though
Wanso (7): It’s my right arm!
Ocean (5): Nah, the Milky Way skill is cool too ^]
Just watching the chat was starting to give me a headache.
I was about to say goodbye to the guild members and head home.