Meeting the Party Members (3)

As their group finally completed, Joo-Hee felt a knot of worry tighten in her stomach. While Da-Sol appeared to be the only one he could slightly trust, the rest of the team left her with lingering doubts.

She tried not to form judgments based on first impressions, but she couldn't ignore the feeling that some of them had their own issues. This left her with an unsettling sense that this first dungeon dive might not be as simple as she had hoped.

Jae-Sung, with his overconfidence and smug demeanor, was a type of person Jake had never encountered in either of his lives. Great, just what I need—a show-off in our group, Jake thought, rolling his eyes inwardly. He couldn't help but wonder how Jae-Sung would react when things got tough—if he would remain arrogant or crumble under pressure.

Then there was Yoon-Ji. Quiet and nonchalant, she seemed like she could be a strong archer, but her aloofness made it difficult for the team to gauge her skills.

Her gaze shifted to Choi Eun-Bi, who seemed meek and introverted, stirring a wave of sympathy in Joo-Hee. As an E-plus Rank, it was clear her mana pool was limited compared to the others. Joo-Hee could only hope that Eun-Bi's spells wouldn't consume too much mana during the dive.

With uncertainty weighing heavily on her mind, Joo-Hee couldn't help but think, 'Sigh... this is really going to be a challenge. I can only hope we can work together and have each other's backs out there.'

Just as Joo-Hee was about to take a breath and calm her nerves, Yoon-Ji, who had been silently analyzing everyone, finally spoke up. "Ms. Lee, right? If it's not a bother, could you tell us your rank? You're the only one who hasn't mentioned it yet."

Joo-Hee flinched, a rush of anxiety coursing through him. 'Should I just lie and say I am C-Rank?' But before she could decide, Da-Sol jumped in, a proud grin plastered on his face as he placed his hands on his hips. "Unnie is a B-Rank hunter. I can assure you of that!"

Her head snapped toward Da-Sol, disbelief flooding her thoughts. 'Are you kidding me? How could he reveal that information so easily?' She felt her veins threaten to pop as she clenched her fists behind her back. 'This man... is really a pure menace, a blabbermouth at that!'

Maintaining a humble facade, Joo-Hee forced a laugh and bowed slightly. "Hahaha, Da-Sol 'seems' a bit overly excited for today. I might be a B-rank, but I specialize in support. So, I can't really contribute that much in fighting." She bowed slightly again, a gesture of humility and camaraderie. "So, please take care of me when we go inside the dungeon."

She could feel the weight of their gazes, the mixture of respect and scrutiny from her team. 'Great. Just great. Now everyone expects me to be some sort of hero when all I want is to make it through this dive without any drama.'

Jake smiled as he wrapped up his introduction. The revelation left everyone in his group taken aback, especially Jae-Sung, who had been strutting around with an air of arrogance earlier. Being a B-rank hunter was no small feat; not many could achieve that level in their lifetime.

Jae-Sung let out a nervous laugh, his demeanor shifting as he scratched the back of his head. "I, uh, apologize for earlier. Guess I was in the wrong." The change in his tone was visible, and even the porter seemed delighted by the news, his posture more relaxed now that he was part of a group with a higher-ranked member.

Eun-Bi's eyes sparkled with admiration. "I didn't realize I was in the presence of a high-ranked hunter! Please take care of us, Ms. Lee," she exclaimed, her meekness momentarily forgotten.

But Joo-Hee's smile didn't reach her eyes. 'This would be my first time seeing a monster up close for goodness's sake! And what's next? Are they going to ask me to be the leader of this team?'

Her mind raced while forcing light laugh to keep the mood up. "Well, let's not get too ahead of ourselves. I'm still figuring things out, just like all of you. We'll do our best together!"

However, unbeknownst to her and her team, whispers started rippling through the crowd after eavesdropping on Joo-Hee's rank revelation. The nearby hunters had overheard that their group had a B-Rank healer. Jealousy and curiosity spread like wildfire.

"Did you hear? There's a B-rank healer in that group," one hunter muttered, eyeing Jake's team with envy.

"Pfft, so what? She's a healer," another scoffed. "No offense, but all they do is stand at the back and cast healing spells. No big deal."

Despite the dismissive tone, some couldn't hide their envy, especially knowing how rare high-rank healers were.

A good healer could be the difference between life and death in a dangerous dungeon.

But the guy from Team 7, the one with the competitive spirit, had also caught wind of the chatter.

He crossed his arms, his sharp gaze locked onto Jake.

"So, she's a B-rank, huh? And a healer on top of that... Wait, a healer? But how does she have such precise control over mana...?"

His eyes shifted to the glowing number four floating above Joo-Hee's head, eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

...

As the clock struck 9, Kang Ho's voice boomed across the room, "Alright, everyone, get ready now! The transport gate will be created shortly by the mage sent by the Association. Stay steady and prepare your gear."

Joo-Hee's heart gave a small leap at the announcement.

'Here we go... no turning back now,' she thought, glancing at her teammates, each of them doing their final checks.

Even the usually smug Jae-Sung was tightening the straps of his sword with a more serious expression.

Meanwhile, across the room, Han Ji-Hoon, the B-plus Rank space mage responsible for creating the transport gate, was preparing himself for the task.

As he began the ritual, his mind wandered back to the strange sight he had seen earlier.

The stable, perfectly formed number four that floated above Joo-Hee's head during group formation had left Han Ji-Hoon puzzled.

'That level of precision in manipulating barrier magic should only be possible for a mage at least C-plus Rank or higher... and someone with years of mana control training. Yet Kang Ho said she's a healer?' Ji-Hoon mused, suspicion gnawed at him.

Han Ji-Hoon was no stranger to false rankers, and now, here he was, witnessing what might be a case of someone concealing their true abilities.

His gut told him something wasn't right, and he decided to keep a closer watch on her.

'This is getting interesting. Could she be one of those false rankers?' his expression darkened slightly, a malicious grin creeping across his face.