Chapter 149: Who’s more manly!
Hina walked straight toward Kaizen, her hips swaying with icy precision.
Stopping right beside him.
"So..."
She gently, tightly hooked an arm around his, pressing herself flush against his side.
"Let’s explore the deep cave together."
Her smile remained elegant.
Refined.
Graceful.
Completely innocent.
Anyone listening would’ve thought she was talking about the dark dungeon pathways.
Only...
She and Sera knew she absolutely wasn’t.
The two girls locked eyes across the dark cavern.
Crackle.
An invisible bolt of high-voltage lightning snapped between them.
If looks could kill...
Leo would’ve been attending two expensive funerals by nightfall.
Kaizen looked down at Hina.
Then at Sera’s suddenly tense posture.
Then back at Hina’s sweet, terrifying grin.
[Time Remaining: 55 Minutes, 18 Seconds.]
"...?"
Sera suddenly felt a cold, violent chill run straight down her spine.
’...Why the hell are they both looking at me like that?’
Another look from Kaizen.
Another viciously sweet smile from Hina.
Sera’s left eyelid twitched uncontrollably.
’...And why does this "deep cave exploration" sounds very sus?!’
...
The group continued deeper into the dark, damp cave.
Cold, eerie air brushed against their skin.
The deeper they went...
The darker it became.
Then—
[Ding!]
A translucent blue screen suddenly materialized directly before everyone’s eyes.
[Dungeon Identified: Corrupted Monk’s Dungeon]
[Rank: A]
"..."
Absolute, dead silence.
"...A..."
"...Rank?"
Leo rubbed his eyes aggressively.
One look.
Two looks.
Three looks.
The golden, glowing words stubbornly refused to change.
"...We’re fucked."
"D-Did the system glitch?!" Leo shrieked, his voice cracking like a panicked teenager’s. "An A-Rank?!"
"No way!" Sera gasped, backing up a step. "We’re literally D-Rank Hunters! We’re basically aggressive civilians with fancy weapons!"
The entire group instantly erupted into complete chaos.
Panic.
Confusion.
Violent sweating.
An A-Rank dungeon meant spatial traps, high-tier boss monsters, and an brutal death rate. One wrong step usually ended with your obituary being published before your corpse even hit the ground.
Even Hina’s pristine expression stiffened.
Her playful, territorial smile completely vanished.
Sera’s face turned a ghostly pale shade.
"...This has to be a mistake," she whispered, her hands shaking. "We need to turn back right now!"
Meanwhile...
Kaizen couldn’t have cared less.
An A-Rank dungeon?
Scary.
Sure.
Very scary.
You know what was infinitely scarier?
The Femboy Penalty.
His body involuntarily shivered, a cold sweat breaking out across his neck.
’Nope.’
’Absolutely fucking not.’
’I’d rather fight the A-Rank final boss completely naked with my bare hands than put on a maid outfit and an anime wig.’
His dark eyes slowly drifted toward Sera.
Then around the cave.
Dark.
Very dark.
The only illumination came from flickering, fire from Kaito’s magic.
Barely enough light to see three feet ahead.
’Perfect.’
Sera was already visibly nervous, her focus completely shattered by the dungeon prompt.
Leo and Kaito were hyper-fixated on looking for incoming monsters.
Nobody was paying attention to him.
The holographic timer...
...continued to tick down with terrifying, lawless speed.
Kaizen clenched his fists until his knuckles popped.
’This is it.’
’If we get out of here alive, Leo will be glued to her twenty-four seven out of protective instinct.’
’In here, amidst the chaos... this is literally my only window of opportunity.’
The quest was not giving him another chance.
The System clearly had zero intention of negotiating.
Nor, apparently...
Did it have a single shred of respect for basic human rights or his dignity as a man.
Silence filled the cave.
Everyone stared at the glowing notification.
[Corrupted Monk’s Dungeon]
[Rank: A]
The atmosphere instantly became heavy enough to crush a weak man’s lungs.
Leo was the first to break the silence.
"...We should leave."
His voice was calm. Serious. Pure main-character energy.
"This isn’t something D-Ranks should mess with."
"We don’t even know what’s inside."
"One mistake and we’re dead."
Sera immediately nodded, her athletic stance faltering.
"I agree."
Her face was pale.
An A-Rank dungeon wasn’t an adventure.
It was a professionally organized suicide pact.
Even Hina quietly chimed in, her playful smile gone.
"...He’s right. This is way beyond our level."
Three votes. Three people begging to leave.
Kaizen suddenly raised a hand.
"I vote we keep going."
Everyone turned to stare at him like he had just suggested drinking dungeon puddle water.
"...What?"
Kaizen folded his arms with absurd, lawless confidence.
"Come on. We’re the strongest rookie party around."
He pointed at Leo.
"The prodigy among prodigies."
Then at Hina.
"The genius with Ghost Eyes."
Then at Kaito, who was standing in the dark corner edge-lord style.
"The guy who... exists."
Kaito blinked from the shadows.
"..."
"...Thanks."
Finally, Kaizen pointed at Sera.
"And Sera-chan. The beauty with the muscles and the medical skills."
Nobody said a word.
Kaizen coughed into his fist.
"Ahem. My point is... we’ve got an absolutely cracked lineup."
"If anyone can clear an A-Rank dungeon..."
He proudly pointed at the group.
"It’s us."
Leo frowned, stepping in like a proper party leader.
"This isn’t a game, Kaizen."
"It doesn’t matter how talented we are."
"Power gaps exist for a reason."
Kaizen shrugged.
"So?"
Leo pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a migraine coming on.
"So?! It’s an A-Rank dungeon! People die!"
Kaizen nodded thoughtfully.
"They do."
"..."
"..."
"...But we don’t have to."
Leo’s eye twitched violently.
Sera couldn’t help glancing at Kaizen.
The absolute idiot...
For some reason, he looked ridiculously confident.
Not fake, desperate confidence.
The genuinely reckless kind.
The kind that made zero sense, yet somehow made her wonder if he actually had a hidden trump card up his sleeve.
Kaizen suddenly turned his head straight toward her.
"Sera chan."
"Hm?"
"A real man doesn’t turn around just because things get scary."
He flashed a bright, shameless grin.
"...Right?"
Then... he winked.
Sera blinked, her face warming up ever so slightly.
"W-What are you looking at me for?!"
Leo noticed the interaction instantly.
His brows furrowed.
"Sera’s safety is exactly why we shouldn’t push deeper."
Leo insisted, stepping forward to block her view.
"If something happens inside, none of us will be able to cover each other."
His tone was firm.
Responsible.
Exactly what a heroic leader should sound like.
But at that suggestion, Hina raised her brows.
Kaizen simply waved a dismissive hand.
"Counterargument: That’s why we have Sera-chan."
"She works medical miracles, doesn’t she?"
Leo glared.
"I wasn’t finished—"
"I know."
Kaizen interrupted without an ounce of shame.
"But speeches are boring."
Clap!
"Voting time!"
Kaizen announced.
Leo stared at him, bewildered.
"...You interrupted me."
"I did."
"...You don’t feel guilty?"
"Not even a little bit."
A thick vein bulged on Leo’s forehead.
Meanwhile, Sera quietly watched the two of them.
One was cautious, reliable, and always thinking three steps ahead.
The other was an overconfident pervert charging straight at danger with a smile on his face.
She couldn’t decide which one was more exhausting.
Hina, however, wasn’t looking at either of the guys.
Her glowing Ghost Eyes were locked dead onto Sera.
A tiny, sweet smile appeared on her lips.
Sera noticed it immediately, and smiled right back.
Neither smile reached their eyes.
"Alright."
Kaizen looked around the group.
"Let’s vote."
"Those who want to explore..."
He casually raised his own hand.
Naturally.
He wasn’t about to vote against himself.
"..."
Silence.
Leo looked around.
Nobody moved.
"See? Everyone agrees we should—"
A hand slowly rose into the air.
It was Hina.
"..."
Kaizen’s lips curled into a tiny smirk.
Leo blinked.
"...Hina?"
"You too?"
Hina calmly nodded.
"I think he’s right."
"We have an extraordinary party."
"We should be able to clear it."
"..."
That, of course...
Was complete bullshit.
She couldn’t care less about clearing some stupid dungeon.
The real reason stood a few feet away.
Kaizen.
That shameless coward.
She had watched him long enough.
Whenever danger appeared...
He disappeared even faster.
He’d happily let someone else test whether the bridge collapsed.
If he looked this confident...
Then he definitely knew something.
Or...
He was planning something.
Her eyes quietly drifted toward Sera.
’Whatever he’s plotting...’
’It has something to do with her.’
On the opposite side...
Sera narrowed her eyes.
’...She changed her mind that quickly?’
She looked at Hina.
Then at Kaizen.
Then back at Hina.
"..."
A dangerous thought suddenly crossed her mind.
Without another second of hesitation...
She raised her hand.
"..."
Leo’s jaw nearly hit the floor.
"S-Sera-chan?!"
"What are you doing?!"
"Didn’t we just agree this place is too dangerous?!"
Sera merely shrugged.
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
"A real man doesn’t turn around just because something looks dangerous."
She glanced sideways.
Very intentionally.
"...Right?"
"..."
Leo froze.
That sentence...
Sounded strangely familiar.
His brain replayed the last thirty seconds.
"...A real man doesn’t turn around just because things get scary."
"..."
"..."
’God damn it...’
His masculine pride took a direct critical hit.
His eyes darted between Kaizen and Sera.
Then...
An even worse thought appeared.
’Does... does Sera-chan think that idiot is more manly than me?’
His heartbeat accelerated.
’No.’
’Impossible.’
’Absolutely not.’
Meanwhile...
Neither Sera nor Hina noticed.
Because the two of them were too busy staring at each other.
Smiling.
Like two saints.
Thinking like two supervillains.
Off to the side...
Kaito had already raised his hand.
Nobody noticed.
Not even the Ghost eyes picked it up at all.
Kaito didn’t seem to mind.
He was busy examining a weird-looking rock.
"...Interesting."
"..."
Back with Leo...
An intense battle raged inside his head.
’Calm down.’
’Think rationally.’
’It’s an A-Rank dungeon.’
’People die in these things.’
Then...
He looked at Sera.
’...But Sera-chan is watching.’
"..."
’Fuck.’
He slowly raised his hand.
"I..."
"...Actually wanted to explore from the beginning."
Everyone looked at him.
Leo coughed awkwardly.
"I just thought..."
"...the ladies might be frightened."
"So I suggested leaving first."
A heroic smile appeared on his face.
"I couldn’t very well drag everyone into danger without considering their feelings."
Silence.
Kaizen looked at him.
Then at Sera.
Then back at Leo.
"...Damn."
"I almost believed you."
Leo’s smile immediately stiffened.
Hina covered her mouth.
Sera looked away.
Her shoulders trembled slightly.
She was trying very, very hard not to laugh.