“Zombies, you say?”
“Yes, zombies! Apparently, all their eyes were glazed over. Some were even drooling, and it was like they were possessed or something? Their movements were bizarre, as if they were being controlled. Stories like this are spreading quietly here and there. It seems like there’s some problem inside the guild.”
“That does sound suspicious.”
“The Blake Guild seems to be trying to expand, but the rumors aren’t good. They’re even called the Dark Guild. Anyway, be careful, Asha.”
Even though it was just Asha, the employee, and Hyejin in the elevator, the employee glanced around nervously and added in a very small voice.
“There are more and more hunters saying they’ve been threatened by Blake Guild members.”
“You’re saying Blake Guild members are threatening hunters?”
“Yes. That’s the rumor going around. So, behind the scenes, a lot of people call them the ‘Murder Preparation Group.’ Sigh… Just hearing about it is so scary.”
“I don’t understand. What could be the purpose of these threats? The enemies are the monsters inside the dungeons.”
“Exactly. I don’t know if it’s true yet, but if these rumors keep circulating, I’m worried that eventually hunters will start fighting and killing each other internally—it’s a ridiculous concern, but still.”
“That could happen.”
When Asha calmly agreed, Hyejin, who had been listening quietly, suddenly poked her head in.
“How could that even be possible? What good does fighting among hunters do?”
“It’s not an impossible story.”
“Really?”
“Think about it. If there wasn’t even a possibility, no one would have thought of it, but now that rumors are spreading and the idea of eliminating fellow hunters has come up, people who want to exploit that will appear. Korea has already become a hunter powerhouse to the point where it’s no exaggeration to say the country runs on hunters, so there could be people who want to eliminate other hunters to create benefits for themselves.”
“That’s…!”
“It could happen, or it might not—that’s all I’m saying.”
As soon as Asha finished speaking, the elevator doors opened, and the employee stepped out first to guide them.
“Anyway, that’s the situation. Right now, the Hunter Management Headquarters is recruiting undercover hunters to search dungeons everywhere, so I’m hoping they’ll find the stolen gun soon.”
“I really hope so.”
Hyejin nodded, though a corner of her heart felt uneasy.
The story the employee had told was quite worrisome, but no victims had emerged yet, and the Hunter Management Headquarters was quick with their work, so she wanted to believe that whoever the culprit was, they’d be caught soon.
What Hyejin wished for most deeply in her heart was that no victims would appear at all—that was it.
“Understood. I’ll keep an eye on the situation inside the dungeon as well.”
“Oh, hearing you say that puts me at ease, Asha. You have incredible power, after all.”
The employee smiled as she replied and led the way, so Hyejin and Asha followed her.
The employee talked nonstop, but most of it was praise for Asha, so Hyejin listened with one ear and let it flow out the other while looking around.
“Oh, right, you probably already heard, but you’ll have to go through inspection not just when entering but also when leaving. It might be a hassle, but it’s a measure to prevent thefts like this from happening again, so please cooperate.”
If they’d had a system like that in place from the start, the theft wouldn’t have happened.
Hyejin felt a pang of regret but didn’t voice it.
They probably already knew that.
The employee guided Hyejin and Asha up to the corridor leading to the workshop and pulled a walkie-talkie from her pocket.
“Right now, I’m guiding Asha and the hunter who came with her to the commission room.”
– Understood.
Hearing the response over the walkie-talkie, Hyejin tensed up a bit, and Asha said,
“Don’t be too nervous. It’ll be fine.”
“No, it’s just that seeing the workshop makes me jittery for some reason.”
The reception employee’s role ended here. She kindly opened the door for them and bowed at a perfect angle.
“We’ve arrived. I hope you have a pleasant time.”
With that, the employee disappeared, and Asha said to the hesitating Hyejin,
“This is it.”
Before Hyejin’s eyes unfolded a new sight she had never seen before.
Hyejin couldn’t help but be amazed upon seeing the workshop.
***
The place was lined with desks like a library, but the sounds of hammering and metal trimming echoed incessantly.
Blueprints and screws were scattered messily on the desks, and objects were continuously emerging from machines that resembled 3D printers.
All the SS-rank crafters were wearing work aprons, and some hunters had sticky liquids like woodworking glue smeared on theirs.
“Wow, this is so fascinating.”
“It’s where the country’s top crafters work, after all.”
In the workshop, there were various people: a crafter making pottery from specially prepared clay, one sewing defensive suits on a sewing machine several times larger than normal, and a gem designer crafter embedding jewels into artifacts.
What was most fascinating was the invisible walls. From the entrance, it looked like an open space without any doors or walls, but as she stepped in further, she could tell there were transparent walls above each crafter’s desk.
Some walls were opaque, others semi-transparent, suggesting they could be adjusted internally.
As Hyejin entered, the crafters all turned to look at her at once, and she gasped, reading wariness in their glances.
It was probably because nerves were on edge due to the gun theft incident.
However, they soon lost interest in Hyejin and focused back on their work.
Having passed through the tightened security, they might be suspicious, but it also meant they could be trusted.
More than anything, being wary wouldn’t help. They were able to continue their work thanks to hunters who commissioned or bought items, and they didn’t want those visitors to stop coming entirely.
“What brings you here?”
As Asha and Hyejin looked around, a crafter who appeared to be in his seventies addressed them.
He was an elderly man with a stylish mustache, standing tall and straight despite his age, and Hyejin tensed up again upon seeing him.
“We came because we have an item to commission.”
The man’s gaze, which had been on Hyejin, shifted to her feet—to Asha. A smile appeared on his previously impassive face.
“Ah, isn’t that Asha? I heard you came by last time, but it’s been a while.”
At his words, Hyejin tilted her head.
It was strange. An elderly man was using honorifics with Asha and calling her “Asha.”
Why “Asha” with the honorific?
Come to think of it, the information employee had called her “Asha” too.
Asha was a spirit, but due to the influence of games and anime, Hyejin subconsciously thought spirits were cute and adorable but not particularly grand beings.
That’s why she had always treated Asha casually.
Is being a spirit actually something where you have to treat them with utmost respect or something?
Asha hadn’t shown any dislike when Hyejin spoke casually, but maybe that wasn’t the case. Hyejin was starting to overthink it.
While Hyejin was lost in thought, her eyes met the crafter’s, who was staring at her from mid-air. Flustered, Hyejin hurriedly greeted him.
“Hello, I’m Hyejin, the manager of the convenience store inside the dungeon.”
“I see. Nice to meet you. Since you’re by Asha’s side, I can tell you’re trustworthy. But don’t wander around the building alone. The timing isn’t great, so you might end up misunderstood if you’re not careful.”
“M-misunderstood?”
The crafter was about to explain further but closed his mouth when he noticed the other crafters’ gazes on him.
Considering how the reception employee had been cautious even when no one was around, it seemed like the theft incident itself was being hushed up internally.
If rumors spread that an SS-rank crafting company had a specially made gun stolen, not only would trust in the SS-rank crafting company drop, but hunters might see the security as lax and try to steal items more often.
And if things got more complicated, the thief who stole the gun might prepare countermeasures and hide away completely.
The elderly crafter pondered for a moment while looking at Asha.
Asha was trustworthy, but he couldn’t easily discuss the theft. The headquarters wouldn’t allow it.
Then Asha said,
“I heard the rough story downstairs. I’ll make sure it doesn’t leak outside.”
“Ah, so you already know. Then let’s set that aside… What brings you here today? Do you need more of the artifacts or vests you had made last time?”
“No. We came because we need a more complex item.”
“Hmm, I see. Then instead of standing at the entrance, let’s go to my workspace.”