'Using mana to discover hidden dungeons...'

If, as Seo Yu-ju suggested, a dungeon only revealed its location when mana was used, it made sense that no one had discovered its existence or whereabouts until now.

The others, who were unaware that Seo Yu-ju was a regressor, seemed impressed by her deduction.

Ahn Tae-woo, his face flushed with excitement, began speaking.

"Indeed... If what Yu-ju said is true, then using mana might be the only way to reveal a hidden dungeon! Yu-ju, you are truly amazing. How did you even come up with this idea... Hahaha!"

"It's not certain yet, it's just a theory."

No, since it was Seo Yu-ju's statement, it wasn't a theory—it was a fact.

If she was revealing information about the dungeon now, it meant that she had determined that the people here were capable of clearing the tutorial. However, just in case, I needed to gauge her intentions.

"Yu-ju, if the dungeon is indeed in the center... can we clear it with our current group? Isn't there a chance it might be too dangerous?"

Feigning concern, I spoke while adjusting my expression. Others also appeared worried, perhaps thinking about the possibility of losing someone.

"I'm not completely certain, but I believe it's possible."

If Seo Yu-ju was saying this, then the likelihood of success was high. Hearing her response reassured me.

I had already considered a contingency plan for the worst-case scenario, but honestly, it was unlikely to be implemented with this group’s competency.

If we found that clearing it on our own was impossible, we could force other camp members or even outsiders into the dungeon as meat shields. If the dungeon contained monsters, we could use them to divert attention.

Of course, this would be an absolute last resort, and there was no way this group would approve of such a tactic, so I kept it to myself.

For now, setting that aside, I had to consider another issue since the chances of success were high.

There were other people outside the camp, and there was no guarantee that they were good.

There was a real possibility of being ambushed on the way to the dungeon. We had food supplies, and our group included women.

'Could there be people using mana to locate the dungeon and then lying in wait inside...'

No, that was overthinking. The paranoia and suspicion I had developed on Earth seemed to be flaring up again now that we were approaching the end of the tutorial.

"...So, the nine of us here will be entering the dungeon?"

"Yes, that seems to be the case."

'Hmm... The number does seem a little small...'

Even if Seo Yu-ju was confident, the limited number of people made me uneasy.

"When do we depart?"

"If everyone is okay with it, I was thinking we could leave first thing in the morning."

"Yu-rim, Yu-hyun. Are you both ready?"

"Yes, oppa."

"Yes, hyung!"

"Alright... Let's go."

After breakfast, I led the siblings to the camp entrance. Everyone except for the three newcomers was already there.

"Oppa... will this really be okay? Going to the dungeon today..."

Yu-rim, glancing at Yu-hyun as if worried about him, spoke to me.

"It should be fine. Honestly, if even this group can't clear it... then there’s no hope for anyone else either."

"....."

I patted Yu-rim's head.

"Don't worry too much, you saw how strong Yu-ju is. And this is just a tutorial. No way it'd be so difficult that we can't clear it, right?"

Her tension eased slightly, and she smiled faintly.

"When you say it like that, oppa, I feel reassured."

"Noona, don't worry! Yu-ju noona is super strong!"

'Geez... The older sibling is worried about the younger one, and the younger one doesn't seem concerned at all...'

After some time, Ho-won, Kang Iseo, and Hyun-jin arrived.

Kang Iseo immediately spoke to me with a playful expression.

"Oh, you’re already here. So? Since today might be your last day, how about we have one last round?"

She made a circle with her left thumb and index finger and moved her right index finger in and out.

“W-What kind of crazy talk is that?!”

Before I could say anything, Seo Yu-ju, hearing Kang Iseo’s words, turned bright red and shouted.

I quickly covered my ears—she was loud enough to rupture my eardrums. Yu-rim had already blocked Yu-hyun's ears and covered his eyes when Kang Iseo started talking.

"Geez... It was just a joke. He's my type, after all."

"P-Please refrain from making such jokes in the future! It's uncomfortable for others!"

"Huh? But he didn’t say anything. Why are you getting upset, Yu-ju?"

Hearing Kang Iseo’s words, Seo Yu-ju narrowed her eyes and looked at me.

"Yun-seong... could it be..."

Kang Iseo glanced at Seo Yu-ju’s reaction with a smirk before turning back to me.

"So, really, you’re not interested? If you are, I could—"

Before she could continue, I cut her off. Leaving her unchecked would only cause more headaches.

"Enough with the jokes, Iseo. And please don’t jinx us by saying today might be our last."

Kang Iseo sighed and clicked her tongue.

"Tch, no fun. Why are you such a bore?"

"By your standards, what kind of person is fun? They’re certainly not normal, that’s for sure."

She burst into laughter.

"Hehe... Yeah, that's true~"

Suddenly, Ho-won sighed, grabbed Kang Iseo’s head, and made her bow before apologizing on her behalf.

"Ahem... I apologize. She’s been like this since forever..."

"Ah! Let go, old man! Can’t I joke around a little?!"

Just dealing with this one person made me exhausted. I rubbed my temples to ease the headache she was giving me.

"Ahem... Anyway, let’s get going now."

And so, we left the camp we had relied on until now.

After some time had passed while traveling, we were about halfway to the center when Seo Yu-ju suddenly stopped us—she must have spotted something.

"There are five monsters ahead. Yun-seong and Ha-eun, save your mana for the dungeon. Iseo, take down one with your bow to start the fight. Get ready."

"Hehe, finally, it’s my turn~"

Kang Iseo listened to Seo Yu-ju's words, then aimed at a monster's head and drew her bowstring.

Whoosh—

Thud—

"Keuk..."

It was clean and precise. As an arrow pierced the monster's head, the other monsters realized our presence and began to charge while screeching.

Kim Ho-won was the first to rush forward, slamming his shield down onto a monster's head.

Crunch!

As another monster beside it tried to attack him, Hyun-jin swung his sword, severing the creature's arm.

"Kieeeeeeek!"

Immediately after, Kim Ho-won bashed the wounded monster with his shield, sending it flying. As it crashed into the ground, writhing in pain, an arrow struck it, putting it down cleanly.

'These three have good coordination.'

Just watching them fight made it clear they were accustomed to working together. It felt like they would manage well even after the tutorial ended.

Two monsters remained. Ahn Tae-woo and Yu-rim were in the process of finishing off one. The last one had its head severed with a single swing of our regressor's spear.

As the situation settled, Seo Yu-ju spoke.

"Good work, everyone. Ha-eun and Yun-seong, conserve your mana for now."

"Yes."

"Understood, Yu-ju."

I turned to Hyun-jin, feeling surprised at his combat prowess. His stats were average, yet he fought impressively.

"Hyun-jin, you're pretty good at fighting."

"Really? Hearing that from you makes me happy. Hehe..."

I wasn't just saying it. Back when we were with Jo Chan-ho, I had seen Hyun-jin's status screen and hadn't thought much of it.

As we traveled a considerable distance, Seo Yu-ju's expression gradually hardened. She continued walking but spoke quietly so that only we could hear.

"...Don't respond loudly, and stay calm. We're being followed."

Hearing this, I let out a sigh internally. This was exactly what I had been worried about before we even left the camp.

While most people remained composed, Song Ha-eun and Yu-hyun's unease was evident on their faces.

Kim Ho-won, who seemed familiar with such situations, calmly asked Seo Yu-ju, "Do you have an estimate of how many?"

"I can't say for sure... but at least six trailing behind us. I suspect there may be more to our sides or ahead. But... you're quite unfazed?"

"I've been in similar situations while traveling with Hyun-jin and Iseo. We've fought before as well."

'No wonder those three seemed so battle-hardened from the start. They had prior experience.'

"In any case... I think we should fight before we get completely surrounded. If we keep moving forward, we might be giving them the advantage in positioning."

Song Ha-eun and Ahn Tae-woo seemed extremely tense at the thought of fighting humans for the first time.

"Then, what should we do?"

"For now, we give up clearing the tutorial today. I have a general idea of where those trailing us are, so I'll take the initiative and strike them from behind. However, I can't handle the front while I'm dealing with them, so Kim Ho-won, please use your shield to block any incoming attacks. The rest of you, focus on the front and sides. Don't worry about me. Also... Yun-seong and Ha-eun, don't hold back on using your mana."