These Lunatics are Obsessed With Me

"Here is it!"

"…!"

With childlike excitement, Lee Chae-jin pointed his finger at the detected location. Me and Eden’s gazes also turned in that direction. The cave ground was surrounded by seawater around our calves, and numerous coral reefs are scattered on the ground, sparkling in various colours.

"Oh, but…”

“…?”

Lee Chae-jin made a puzzled face, and when I asked why, only the area where Lee Chae-jin pointed at was black.

"Look, don't you think there's a hole in it?"

"Uh…”

Upon closer look, there was indeed a hole. There was a hole at the bottom of the cave, barely big enough for a human forearm to fit through. Because Lee Chae-jin's item was shining and pointed towards there. Lee Chae-jin brought his item closer to the hole, and the light started to shine more intensely.

“…”

“…”

We said nothing for a while. The pitch black hole was so deep that we couldn't even see what was beyond it.

"Should we… look somewhere else…?"

"Umm…”

Even though we were hunters, we couldn't retrieve the materials inside that small hole. So, I subtly asked, and Lee Chae-jin let out a troubled groan while looking at the item.

"I think there's probably more than just a couple of Mermaid’s Tears in there."

"What?"

"Well, if you look here, the flashing red light indicates the coordinates, and the blue light indicates the number. But now, it's a very… dark colour."

"…"

There were that many rare materials in there? It would be a jackpot if I could collect them, but unfortunately, there is no way to retrieve them now.

“Kkyau!"

“…Yong-sik?"

Yong-sik, who I've been hugging to keep him away from the water, shouted out. Surprised, I loosened my grip. After escaping from my arms, Yong-sik let out another long shout, and plunged into the water.

"Kkyaau!"

"Yong-sik-a!"

I called Yong-sik in surprise. But, Yong-sik went straight into the hole at the bottom. The next moment, Yong-sik's figure had completely disappeared.

"W–what should I do?"

"Calm down, Yi Jin-ah."

"…"

Water bubbles rise from the hole. I stared at the hole anxiously. Does Yong-sik know how to swim? He's not a water dragon, can he swim? Is he okay? If he doesn't come out, how do I save him…

While I was struggling with all the negative thoughts, something jumped out of the hole at high speed.

Spray!

"Yong-sik!"

Yong-sik, who shook off his wet body in the air, immediately came over to me and spat what was in his mouth into my hand.

"This is…!"

As the name suggests, it was a coral reef that shined colourfully in a rainbow, and a golden starfish. Lee Chae-jin and I opened our eyes wide.

"Kkyaa!"

"Aigoo, my baby…"

Impressed, I patted Yong-sik's head. Yong-sik raised his chin with a proud face. With Yong-sik's efforts, we have collected a lot of materials with fairy wing powder. After hastily gathering the materials, I finally realised that a lot of time had passed.

"Should we head back now? The tide seems to have risen quite a bit."

"Sounds good."

Lee Chae-jin nodded and approached me with a satisfied look on his face. His gathering of materials must have been so satisfying that he didn't show any harsh personality throughout the day. He probably didn't even notice it himself.

Since we've collected so many golden starfish, why don't I use this as an excuse to talk about potions? That was when I thought about it—

"Kugh!"

"Hunter Lee Chae-jin!"

Suddenly, Lee Chae-jin let out a groan and fell into the water. A small splash formed around Lee Chae-jin. I looked at him in surprise. However, Lee Chae-jin held a jackknife with a nonchalant expression on his face, as if he was accustomed to such things.

"It's okay. My foot just got stuck in between the rocks."

Then, he deftly plunged the jackknife into the water and jabbed it near his foot. I watched and moved closer to him. Something didn't feel right.

"Would you like some help?"

"I'm fine."

Lee Chae-jin said bluntly, raised the jackknife higher and stabbed his foot. And that was the moment—

"Ugh…!”

"Hunter Lee Chae-jin!"

The water rattled under my feet. When I realised something was strange, I unknowingly pushed Lee Chae-jin. At the same time, a long thing sticking out of the water squeezed my body.

"Yi-jin-ah!"

"Kkyau!"

"Kugh…”

Panicking, I stared at the thing that squeezed my body. A long dark rope-like thing was wrapped around me. Its tentacle-like appearance was very unsettling. Fortunately, the tentacle thing didn't seem to be poisonous. If it had shot poison at me, my weak B-rank body would have suffered helplessly.

"Ugh, shit…"

However, the problem was that the thin tentacles were too cumbersome. It clung tightly to my body that neither Eden nor Yong-sik could attack the tentacles. What's more, its main body remained hidden in the water, making it difficult to attack the tentacle core. To make matters worse, my body was slowly being dragged downwards. I tried to fight back, but it wasn't easy.

Damn it, what would happen if I continued to be dragged down like this? Am I going to be devoured by a monster? But was there a monster like this in the collection area?

"Kugh…”

I forced my immobilised hand to twist and try to open my inventory. I might as well bomb my way out of here and heal up later.

It was the moment when I had quite a self-destructive thought, I heard an unearthly blasting sound.

Boom.

"…Yong-sik?"

Yong-sik, who had flown up to the cave ceiling, dived down towards the area where the tentacle had extended. With a splash, seawater sprayed my face.

"Yong-sik, it's dangerous…!”

I knew that Yong-sik could dive because he had been deep underwater, digging for coral reefs and starfish. However, a loud noise came out of surprise at the moment.

Water bubbles rose from below my feet. Gradually, more bubbles accumulated, and then the water splashed out. Simultaneously, the squeezing tentacles around me twitched.

"Whoa!

"Yi-jin-ah!"

The twitching tentacles suddenly loosened. As I was being dragged around by the tentacles, I held out with my strength, and the tentacles that had been loosened for a moment stretched out in all directions.

"Yi Jin-ah, head down!"

"Ugh…"

Eden didn't miss the opportunity and used his ability. An invisible wind blade flew over my head and cut the tentacles.

"Are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah."

Eden caught me as I stumbled backwards. As we were moving away from the tentacle area, I heard a strange sound coming from underwater.

"Kuooo!"

The voice sounded like it was coming from deep underground. The tentacles drooped at the end with an eerie and ominous sound.

"Yong-sik…”

It was almost time for Yong-sik to resurface, but the calm surface of the water remained calm. As I watched anxiously, all sorts of thoughts ran through my mind.

Still, Yong-sik could transform into his adult form, so he wouldn't be as weak as he looked. Moreover, he was an S-class dragon. I'm worried even though I know the tentacle monster was an easy opponent for Yong-sik.

“…Kkyu?"

"Yong-sik-a!"

Amidst the tranquil surface, Yong-sik's small head appeared. When I saw Yong-sik and felt relieved, I smiled broadly. His little body quickly rose up and flew in the air.

"Yong-sik-a, Dad was worried about you. Are you hurt?”

"Kkyaau."

Yong-sik, shaking off his body again in the air, flapped his wings and approached me. At the same time, a system window appeared next to him.

[Your summoned beast ‘Yong-sik’ has defeated the monster ‘Hydra’. The item is claimed.]

"Hydra?"

The monster that just stretched out its tentacles just now was a Hydra? The monsters from Area 5? When I blinked in surprise, Lee Chae-jin spoke with a serious expression.

"It seems that this place has turned into a Hydra's habitat due to the rating abnormality."

"Oh no, then what about the others…?"

"Well. It might be because we ventured far away. Let's go back quickly for now."

"Yeah, let’s go."

I nodded and activated the item. It was an item provided by the Freya Guild to help us move faster in the deep water. The transportation item, which looked like a wide plank, wasn't particularly impressive in appearance, but the ride was relatively smooth. It was a bit cramped for the three of us, so we just hopped on together. I didn't want to provoke the Hydras by summoning another one.

"It's dangerous, Yi-jin-ah, you ride in the middle."

"Uh…"

I'd appreciate it, but can I do that?

I looked at Lee Chae-jin, and he spoke up.

"I know the way well, so I'll ride in the front."

"Oh, okay. Thank you."

"…"

Lee Chae-jin looked at me strangely for a moment, activating the item at the front. The item instantly took us out of the collection area.

"Phew, I'm alive…”

It was quite a hard experience. I almost got killed by a hydra's tentacles. Usually, those kinds of malevolent episodes were reserved for heroines' events. Why did it happen to me…

Somehow, I felt like the original story was gradually getting messed up. Is this going to be okay? I kept feeling that something was off.

"Yi Jin-ah, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"

"I'm not hurt, so stop asking."

I turned my head away from Eden, who was pestering me. Then, Lee Chae-jin, who had a serious look on his face, approached me.

"…Hunter Han Yi-jin."

"Yes?"

Looking at me with an unreadable expression, Lee Chae-jin slowly opened his mouth.

T/N: Sorry forgot to update ytd 🙏 also check out my new smut project, released one chapter! Thank you! ❤️