“Fuck.”

F-class porter Cha Ara couldn’t hold back her curses for even a moment.

“How can life be like this, it really sucks… In my next life, I should be born as the youngest of a harmonious rich family….”

In a vast and complex ant-hole-shaped dungeon, Cha Ara was left alone, squirming.

“You fucking bastards, leaving me behind. I’ll fucking curse you.”

The place she was abandoned was a dark cave filled with luminous gems.

You might wonder how it could be dark when it was filled with luminous gems, but this place was inhabited by dust-like creatures that ate light.

You could faintly see the background right next to the brightly shining gems, but nothing else could be seen.

“…….”

Cha Ara was abandoned in such a dark dungeon.

“Fuck.”

It was just like a dog.

“…I hit my toenail on the doorstep and my fingernails were torn and bleeding. I tripped and fell on the street and got beaten up because it was crowded. I got drunk on my emotions at dawn and wrote something on the internet, and then woke up the next day and did some self-reflection….”

The reason I was abandoned was obvious.

It was good that I entered the dungeon with courage the size of an ant’s tears, but I couldn’t find a way out, my food was running out without any results, my mood was in a slump, and I ended up using a return stone to escape the dungeon.

I understood that much.

‘It’s frustrating to waste money and time, but it’s better to escape alive than to die.’

They say that even rolling in a field of shit is better than living in this world. Even if it’s a C-class dungeon, a dungeon is still a dungeon. You never know when someone might die, and in a dark dungeon like this, your mental power is noticeably weaker.

Since I had already seen enough blood, it was wise to leave if there was a way out.

“…….”

But I was missing one of the return stones.

“Fuck…!!”

The return stone itself was an expensive item, so even if I had enough, I might have given it to Cha Ara, who was an F-class porter. Maybe the fact that I didn’t have a return stone was a lie.

“Oh, this is really shit!! I got dumped the day before my wedding and cried so much that I’m going to live the rest of my life as a freeloader, you fucking bastards!!”

Cha Ara sniffed, clinging to the jewel that was as big as her body.

This wasn’t common. No matter how cold-hearted the world is these days, they wouldn’t abandon their porters so openly. But still, they were all colleagues.

“…….”

However, it wasn’t well-known because the hunters kept quiet, but it was also an incident that was secretly happening.

‘… It’s more problematic because it’s not something that didn’t happen at all.’

This wasn’t the first time Cha Ara had been treated like this.

‘The biggest problem is that there are very few visitors to this dungeon.’

In the past, even if you were left alone, you could escape together by bowing to the hunters who came in after you.

‘Hunters have to be careful about their image management since long ago.’

Hunters are a kind of celebrity, so they pay attention to personality controversies, so unless they were a really bad hunter, they would take in at least one poor porter who was left alone.

However.

“Oh really, no, what are you going to do with me this time….”

This was the ‘Jewel Vein.’

It was a C-class dungeon with unusually few monsters and poor rewards, so it was a place that hunters rarely visited.

“They say that if one team comes in a week, there are a lot of people.”

The paths were complicatedly tangled, and because of the tiny creatures that absorbed all the light, whether it was a lantern or something else, you could easily get trapped in this dark maze and die. Finding the exit was no easy task.

The reason why the Hunter occasionally visits this place is because of a monster that lives in this dungeon.

“…….”

A small monster with a jewel body that glows softly like a mood light.

Also known as ‘Anti-Cat.’

“… You idiots, when you said you were after that guy, I thought I was strong….”

The Anti-Cat was a cat-shaped monster the size of an adult male’s palm or slightly larger.

Despite its cute appearance that would attack anyone regardless of gender or age, it would hate people approaching it and would run away. It also absorbed light like cave creatures, darkening its surroundings, which added to its rarity.

‘Even if you catch it like that, you shouldn’t raise an Anti-Cat.’

Not only is raising monsters strictly controlled by the country, but the Anti-Cat is a terrifying monster that burns everything in its path with a blue light when it gets angry.

‘Well, since it’s a monster like that, there are a lot of guys who secretly want to buy more.’

Anyway, I shouldn’t have joined this team. I should have jumped out when I said I was going to the ‘Jewel’s Vein’.

If only I hadn’t been short on money.

“…What should I really do….”

It hadn’t even been 24 hours since I was locked in the dungeon alone, but maybe because of the darkness around me and the silence where even sound could be heard, my mind was shaken greatly. Even though I was clearly in a large cave, it felt like I was locked in a place where all sides were blocked off.

I heard that some prisons deliberately lock in small, dark rooms to torment the inmates, and that was exactly what it felt like. It wasn’t as physically uncomfortable as a small prison, but I was mentally exhausted.

“Ugh….”

I was starting to feel hungry.

‘But I’m not strong enough to clear this dungeon alone. They said the exit here appears in a certain situation. It seems like they needed several people… .’

If we just wait for rescue, that’s a situation where there’s no answer.

“…….”

Cha Ara, who had her eyes tightly shut, soon got up from her seat.

“…Let’s see if we can move something.”

It’s easier said than done, but it was a long time when I was sober.

I was tired of just sitting still to extend my lifeline. If I kept going like this, I’d go crazy before rescue came, so I thought it would be better to move my body to avoid going crazy.

“Still, there are few monsters in the Jewel’s vein. I don’t have enough food, stamina, or ability, so I can’t even dream of clearing it alone, but if I just watch out for the ghost-like monsters that suddenly appear… I’ll be fine.”

The Jewel’s vein isn’t about fighting monsters.

The only way to clear it is to ‘find an escape route,’ but this place was as complicated and dark as an ant hole. Since it was a dungeon where mental power was more important than attack power, Cha Ara could escape without dying if she just kept her wits about her.

“…….”

But after about 3 hours, I felt like I was going crazy.

“Ah, I’m going crazy.”

I was hungry, thirsty, sleepy, and my arms and legs were aching. The leg I had injured in the last raid hadn’t recovered yet and I was limping.

At this rate, I definitely wouldn’t be able to escape when a dangerous situation came.

‘But it’s stupid to sleep peacefully in a place full of monsters that suck your life out.’

I didn’t learn anything separately, so I only heard about it and saw it myself, so I don’t know much, but I did know that all the monsters living in the ‘Jewel Vein’ had a ghost-like appearance.

In the same vein, the monsters here attack by sucking the life out of the hunters, and although their physical attack power wasn’t high, if you let your guard down, your lifespan could be cut in half.

‘You can only come to your senses and chase them away when you’re awake… .’

While she was walking like that, trudging along.

“…….”

In the distance, something faintly glowing was visible. It was a very faint light.

“…Jewel pillar….”

It didn’t seem to be.

Chaara squinted her eyes. Her eyesight wasn’t bad, but she couldn’t see how small the opponent was.

‘What is it?’

She knew it as soon as she saw it. It wasn’t a luminous jewel lying in a cave.

It was much smaller than that, had a round shape that caught her eye, and above all, it had four paws that moved quickly and smoothly like a young lady from a wealthy family.

“Uh.”

Pointed ears and a tail with a lot of fur.

“Uh….”

It was a cute jewel-haired cat, Anticat, that was as small as a kitten, but had fur that was as good as any long-haired cat, and fit in one hand.

“…Crazy, I got to see this.”

If the hunters who went out first find out, they’ll hit the ground and regret it.

‘Just thinking about it fills my tired body and mind. Everyone, eat shit together.’

Cha Ara gained a little energy and looked at Anticat.

‘… There’s no way I can catch Anticat, and I don’t want that.’

Even if it’s a world where you can just keep quiet, it’s still illegal to begin with. If you don’t get caught, it’s fine, but if you do, Cha Ara, a F-class porter with no one to look after you, is likely to be severely punished.

That’s why what Cha Ara wanted wasn’t to capture Anticat.

‘There was talk that those guys were moving in the direction of the exit. It’s not certain information, but still… .’

Anticat also seemed to notice Cha Ara’s presence and turned around.

“Ah.”

“…….”

“…….”

It is said that when an Anticat detects a presence, it turns off its own fire and slowly escapes by absorbing all the surrounding light, but fortunately, the one in front of it did not do that.

Cha Ara inwardly sighed in relief.

‘… I, I survived.’

It was the first time Cha Ara had seen an Anticat emitting such a soft light. No, it was the first time she had heard of it. She had learned that Anticats usually hide in the darkness while absorbing all the surrounding light to avoid humans.

The Anticat that had been wagging its tail soon started to move its body quickly. It was a light and elegant gesture, like a soft balloon popping up or flower petals fluttering.

“…….”

Could I follow it?

‘… It’s probably not that it’s turning on its fire with the intention of helping humans, but it doesn’t seem like it’s going to attack me. They say that it’s a monster that has a lot of cat-like habits, so if I just keep a reasonable distance, I won’t be attacked suddenly… .’

Chaara, who was following Anticat so carefully, noticed something strange.

“…….”

“…….”

“……?”

Anticat seemed to be checking if I was following her.

‘… What is it.’

You could ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) say it was a miracle of the monster’s favor, but no matter how low her rank, Chaara was a hunter. She knew very well that monsters wouldn’t show proper favor to humans because they liked them.

Anticat, in particular, was a monster that was rumored to hate humans.

‘But that appearance definitely seems to be luring me… .’

Wait a minute.

“…….”

Luring?

It was when Chaara hesitated and tried to run away.

“Hello.”

“Huh, Hwaaaaaaaaaaaaaah…!!”

Cheol-pdeok-!

Cha-ara’s legs gave out and she collapsed.

“What, what what what, what what what….”

“…….”

“…Who, who are you….”

It took some time for her to figure out the situation.

Cha-ara, panting and catching her breath, realized that someone other than herself was in the darkness.

In a dungeon where nothing could be seen except within a stone’s throw of the glowing jewel, she had no idea that there would be anyone beyond where Anticat was heading.

‘Monsters, aren’t… right?’

Where in the world would a monster talk?

“Who, who are you….”

Cha-ara stammered and stood up from her seat, mustering up the courage to ask.

In the case of porters, even if the other party was human, there were times when they would get killed for fun in the dungeon. It was better to be careful about anything.

‘Please calm down, my kid.’

In the meantime, Anticat approached ‘someone’. It was shining a little brighter than before, and the affection Anticat held could be seen in the blue but gentle light and the much softer gestures.

As the small body approached, only black suit pants and pale bare feet were visible, and Anticat was rubbing her body against those ankles and acting cute.

“…….”

It was an absurd scene.

“…Anticat….”

Isn’t Anticat famous for hating people?

“Oh, by the way, are you… a trainer? Uh….”

“…….”

“Which guild are you a hunter from….”

I asked, certain that someone as good as a trainer wouldn’t work as a freelancer, but the other person still didn’t answer.

A strange silence continued.

‘… Why are you so silent?’

No, in the first place.

Why didn’t I sense any presence?

‘Even if I’m an incompetent hunter, it’s not like I wouldn’t notice someone at this distance…’

Cold sweat ran down Cha Ara’s cheeks.

She instinctively sensed something was wrong. At this point, the pitch-black suit pants and the pale bare feet underneath felt eerie.

Yeah, that’s right.

“…….”

There’s no way a crazy kid would come to this rough cave barefoot.

“…….”

… Let’s think about it.

Anti-cats hate people.

‘They said that even trainers wouldn’t be any different.’

If it was a problem that could be solved by a trainer, Anti-cats would have been sold out more openly.

However, Anti-cats extremely hated human contact, and the same goes for trainers who can make contracts with monsters. There’s a reason why the word ‘anti’ is in the name.

‘That anti-cat is acting so cute…’

At that moment, the stranger bent down and hugged the anti-cat.

Cha-ara could see the anti-cat’s small body fit into her large hands. It didn’t resist and completely surrendered itself.

“…….”

“Hello.”

“…Yes, yes.”

Oh, really?

I was so out of it that I just let it go, but Cha-ara remembered that she hadn’t responded to the other person’s greeting.

‘I just screamed.’

Cha-ara awkwardly nodded her head in a strange mood.

“Oh, ah, hello….”

In this situation, she was repeating the same thing all of a sudden. Maybe she was asking again because she hadn’t responded to the greeting earlier.

It was definitely not a normal reaction.

‘Are you obsessed with manners?’

As she thought that, Cha-Ara hesitated and stepped back.

Her cautious movements, hoping not to provoke the other person, showed that she had already defined the man in front of her as a dangerous being.

‘… Something is strange.’

The anti-cat, who hated people, was rubbing her cheek in the man’s pale hand.

No matter how well the man trained her, it was strange. Just because a monster has made a contract doesn’t mean it naturally feels affection for its master. Most of their relationships were very dry, or even connected by hatred.

‘Besides, I’ve never heard of an anti-cat emitting a soft light like that in a person’s arms. It’s so rare that it’s never even been photographed.’

The light was like a lanternfish luring prey in the deep sea.

“…….”

Although the anti-cat didn’t like people, it often happened that monsters would offer tribute to monsters stronger than them.

“…Uh….”

Now that I think about it, there were talking monsters in the world. They were so rare and uncommon that I couldn’t even think of them, but they definitely existed.

Humanoid monsters.

“My name is Sergio.”

“…….”

“What is your name?”

A face that was locked in the darkness and had nothing to see.

The hand holding the Anticat and its chest were faintly visible.

A pitch-black shirt, a pitch-black suit, and an even blacker cloak. Even the large, thick fingers that were as pale as a corpse…

“…….”

Cha Ara quietly took it in.

Even though it was just hidden in the darkness and invisible, it felt like a faceless human.

“…….”

And of course.

There are no faceless humans in the world.

“…I, I….”

“You’re nervous.”

“…….”

“Are you scared of me?”

“…….”

“I promise I won’t cause you any harm.”

The voice was overly polite.

‘… What is this?’

It was a voice that was so good that it gave me goosebumps.

It was neat and clear, like an announcer reporting the weather, and soft and firm, like a teacher teaching a student. Cha Ara suddenly felt that the voice was so perfect that it felt strange.

It must have taken quite a while to sort out the confusion, because ‘it’ spoke to me again, as if it wasn’t satisfied with the flowing silence.

“Don’t be scared.”

Cha Ara realized.

“…….”

Ah.

That.

“I wonder what your name is.”

It’s not human.

“…….”

“…….”

“Cha, Cha Ara… It’s Cha Ara.”

“Nice to meet you, Cha Ara.”

In the darkness.

I saw darker eyes.

“Would you like to talk to me?”