I gathered the three S-rank Hunters into the office: Lee Soo-ah, Cha I-seul, and Yoo Hana.

“Hmm? What’s going on? Why did you call us?” Lee Soo-ah asked, curiosity evident in her voice.

“Didn't you just mention that you met with the President of the Hunter Association?” Yoo Hana added, her expression reflecting the shared confusion of the group.

The three of them waited, puzzled, for me to explain.

“I’ve been thinking,” I began, “what if we take on an S-rank dungeon?”

“What? An S-rank dungeon? Why all of a sudden? We’re currently focused on A-rank dungeons,” Cha I-seul responded, surprised.

“That’s exactly why I’m suggesting we tackle an S-rank dungeon. Don’t you think doing something too easy would be boring?”

“Oh... I guess so...” Yoo Hana quickly agreed, catching on to my reasoning.

“I think it’s time for Blue Guild to show that we’re ahead of the curve. We’ve already got four S-rank Hunters, after all,” I said, laying out my case.

“Hm. So, you want to solidify the guild’s image?” Lee Soo-ah surmised.

“Exactly. And besides, the Hunter Association...” I trailed off, glancing at them meaningfully.

“Hasn’t the Hunter Association been pushing S-rank Hunters to take on S-rank dungeons?” I asked.

“Oh... yes, they have. They keep telling us to clear S-rank dungeons... I don’t get why they’re nagging us about it all the time. If it’s so important, they should do it themselves, instead of giving us no support,” Lee Soo-ah grumbled.

“But there’s something I’ve been wondering,” I said, leaning in slightly. “Why don’t S-rank Hunters clear S-rank dungeons? Shouldn’t they be tackling dungeons of their own rank?”

That was the question that had been on my mind. There had to be a reason why they were sticking to lower-rank dungeons.

“That’s... it’s because of the status effects...” Lee Soo-ah answered hesitantly.

“Status effects?” I echoed.

“Yeah, every time we clear an S-rank dungeon, the status effects get really bad,” she explained, her voice quiet.

“Ah... I see. But what about the points you earn from an S-rank dungeon? Are they higher than from lower-rank dungeons?” I inquired.

“Yes, much higher. But because of the status effects, nobody really wants to do it. It would be great if we could just deal with that issue,” Yoo Hana chimed in.

“So that’s the main problem—status effects,” I thought, ideas rapidly forming in my mind.

“How about we try it once?” I suggested, confidence in my voice.

And so, I led the S-rank Hunters into the dungeon.

“Status effects, huh...”

For me, it was hardly a problem. I could just use points to get rid of them.

From what I’d heard earlier, S-rank dungeons gave about twice the points of A-rank dungeons.

“If I can just alleviate their status effects, we can clear S-rank dungeons and make a ton of profit,” I mused.

S-rank dungeons weren’t just more challenging; they also contained rare items, including the highly valuable purple mana stones.

“If I can get my hands on those, I’d be set for life,” I thought, briefly recalling my small apartment in Sinlim-dong. Sure, being an S-rank Hunter meant I could make money easily, but clearing S-rank dungeons would bring in wealth at an unprecedented speed.

“Maybe I’ll end up as a tycoon?” I chuckled to myself, letting my thoughts wander.

“Uh... Ji-hoon, about these status effects... we’re worried. I mean, we trust you, but what if they come back?” Cha I-seul asked, concern clear in her voice.

“Just trust me and follow my lead. Everything will be fine,” I reassured them.

Though I had mentioned my unique abilities to them before, I hadn’t gone into detail about how I could deal with status effects. I figured it was better to show them firsthand.

“Alright... we’ll trust you, Ji-hoon,” Lee Soo-ah said, taking the lead, followed by Yoo Hana.

Lee Soo-ah was clearly keeping an eye on Cha I-seul, making it obvious that she was trying to gauge her reaction.

“Ji-hoon, are we really okay to tackle an S-rank dungeon like this? Have you done it before? It’s been a while for me, and I remember getting terrible headaches and all kinds of weird pains whenever I entered one,” Cha I-seul expressed her anxiety.

“It’s fine. Just trust me, okay?” I reassured her.

“Okay...” she replied, albeit with some hesitation.

With a slight sense of anticipation, we began the dungeon raid.

From behind, I kept an eye on their status windows.

“As expected...”

The status effects were rapidly intensifying, the red indicators multiplying across their status screens.

“It seems like it’s going to take around 500 points to deal with these... but the scenario in this dungeon is...”

I checked the scenario window.

[Defeat 50 Beast Spiders.] [Reward: 5 Purple Mana Stones, 800 points.]

“Looks like it’s better to just push through this scenario, even if it causes them some discomfort. The rewards are definitely worth it.”

“Ugh...”

I heard Lee Soo-ah groan in pain.

“Soo-ah, are you alright?” I asked.

“Ugh... it’s a bit tough, but I’m okay. I trust you, Ji-hoon,” she said, surprisingly resolute.

I wondered if she had taken something to bolster her courage; she seemed different, more determined than I’d expected.

“Hana, are you holding up?” I asked Yoo Hana.

“Huff... huff... I’m okay... I think I can manage,” she replied, though her expression was starting to show signs of strain.

It was clear that neither of them was backing down, despite the growing discomfort.

“Good, they’re more resilient than I thought,” I noted as Lee Soo-ah and Yoo Hana began fiercely attacking the Beast Spiders.

[Beast Spider] [S-rank Beast] [Its shell is so tough that A-rank and below can’t even scratch it.] [Specialty: Slow Technique. Beware of its poison attacks.] [HP 2150, MP 320, ATK 540, DFE 230, DEX 600]

“High agility, huh? I might need to help out a bit.”

[Crushing Bubble]

I decided to use the skill that Yoo Hana had suggested earlier.

The Beast Spiders were fast, and Lee Soo-ah and Yoo Hana seemed to be slowed down by the web effects.

“Ugh... Ji-hoon, are we overdoing this?” Cha I-seul asked, her face full of concern as she passed by.

“I’ll help out a bit,” I replied.

Bubbles floated gently toward the webs that the Beast Spiders had spread everywhere.

Boom! Boom!! Boom!!!

The seemingly harmless bubbles exploded with a deafening roar as they touched the webs, tearing them apart.

Thud, thud.

“Huh? Ji-hoon?” Lee Soo-ah looked back at me, surprised by the destruction the bubbles had caused.

“Now’s your chance! Finish them off!” I urged.

“Right away!” she responded, eagerly stepping up her game.

With the webs gone, the Beast Spiders were little more than walking slimes, easy prey for Lee Soo-ah’s sword.

Slice. Slice.

Ding!

[Scenario Complete] [Defeat 50 Beast Spiders]

The whole process seemed simple enough, but it wasn’t something just anyone could pull off.

“Wow. Ji-hoon, when did you level up that skill?” Lee Soo-ah asked, her curiosity piqued.

“Yoo Hana suggested it. Don’t other S-rank Hunters level it up?” I asked.

“I didn’t. Did you, Yoo Hana?” Lee Soo-ah looked over.

“Oh, no. I didn’t either... I just knew Ji-hoon had a lot of points, so I suggested he try leveling it up,” Yoo Hana explained.

“Ah, I see...”

“Well, you used it perfectly! I’ve never heard of anyone dealing with these spiders using that skill. Where did you learn that strategy?” Lee Soo-ah inquired, clearly impressed.

“It wasn’t a guide or anything. I just figured that getting rid of the webs would make them easier to deal with, so I thought this might work,” I replied.

“You’re pretty sharp, Ji-hoon. You handled that like a pro,” Yoo Hana added, visibly pleased with the outcome.

Everyone looked satisfied with our success.

“Now, about those status effects...”

Since the fight was over, I decided to fully heal their status conditions. There was no point in doing it earlier since the red tags would just keep reappearing during the battle.

“Huh?”

Lee Soo-ah’s expression brightened as I removed the status effects.

“Normally, I’d be in a lot of pain after clearing an S-rank dungeon... but Ji-hoon must have...” her voice trailed off, as a look of realization dawned on her face.

It wasn’t just Lee Soo-ah; Yoo Hana and Cha I-seul also noticed the change.

“Huh? I feel it too,” Yoo Hana said, examining herself.

“Yeah, is it because we finished the raid?” Cha I-seul speculated, still puzzled.

The three women exchanged confused glances, then turned their eyes toward me, suspicion creeping into their looks.

[Lee Soo-ah’s Affection Level ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♡♡♡] [Yoo Hana’s Affection Level ♥♥♥♥♥♡♡♡♡♡] [Cha I-seul’s Affection Level ♥♥♥♥♥♥♡♡♡♡]

“What’s this?” I wondered as I noticed a new page in my interface. It had appeared while I was healing their status effects.

“Affection? Could this be related to my Incubus trait?”

The thought made me nervous.

“Wait... is a perfect score 10? Was I-seul already at max affection for me?”

It had only been a day since she joined, and we’d only just reconnected after so long.

“Ji-hoon...” Lee Soo-ah’s voice pulled me back to the present.

“Yes?”

“Thank you for today,” she said, bowing her head slightly in a way that felt different from before.

“Huff... huff... What’s happening to me?”

Lee Soo-ah, who had just returned from the S-rank dungeon raid, leaned against the wall, her hand clutching her chest.

Thump, thump.

It had been a long time since she felt her heart race like this. The sensation was strange—almost exciting, yet unsettling.

“I can’t stop thinking about Ji-hoon...” her eyes trembled as she tried to make sense of the new, inexplicable turmoil within her.

“What’s happening to me...?” Lee Soo-ah whispered, confused by the unfamiliar and overwhelming emotions.