Chapter 96: Cutting Off the Tail

— Successive dungeon accidents.

— Urgent safety measures for Hunters needed.

These were the news headlines decorating today’s papers.

Since the terror attack on the Agency, Villain activity had become frequent. Recently, there had been incidents where Hunters conquering Dungeons were killed by Villains.

It had happened three times already.

As a result, mining by ordinary Hunters had shrunk. As mining decreased, the production of Magic Stones fell, leading directly to a drop in corporate profits and sales. Magic Stones as a raw material already held significant economic weight.

Under these circumstances, the authorities strengthened the procedures for entering Dungeons. Of course, that didn’t mean accidents stopped happening.

If you’re dead, money is useless.

Most people took a break from Dungeon mining, but those who valued money more than their lives continued to mine.

“People like us won’t be hired elsewhere anyway. It’s not like we’re suited for pushing pens at some desk,” a man with a rugged appearance muttered.

A large backpack was slung over his shoulders, decorated with various items that made it reminiscent of military combat gear.

“Still, the pay is better than other jobs. Sometimes you hit the jackpot. I followed the Shinwa Guild’s conquest team once, and they gave me ten million won in incentives because a good item dropped. If you’re lucky, you can make a fortune in a single day.”

The veteran, who was entering his seventh year as a Porter, spoke with conviction.

Accidents had been particularly frequent lately since the Wizard System disappeared. Consequently, many were resting, but the veteran Porter did not stop working. After all, natural disasters happen suddenly. As long as one was careful, dangerous situations could be avoided.

“Usually, Guilds in the top ten are well-known, so the payoffs are clean. However, the percentage is much lower. To increase the settlement ratio, you have to work for small Guilds, but there are a lot of scumbags there, and the accident rate is high.”

The veteran Porter was sharing his know-how with the Newbie Porter accompanying him.

It was simple advice, but if one abandoned greed, they could hunt safely and return home in one piece.

“The Venus Guild is ranked seventh, so they have recognition and solid financial power. There won’t be any accidents.”

Reliable Guilds generally didn’t just take any random person along.

“I see,” the Newbie Porter nodded at the veteran’s words.

“You have a good build. Did you exercise before your Awakening?”

The veteran hadn’t been visiting Dungeons for just a day or two. He had seen many Hunters. In his eyes, this young man’s physique looked exceptionally good.

When people first awaken, everyone dreams of being a Hero in a movie. Of course, reality is different. Even as Porters, some young men think that if they undergo combat training and learn Skills, something will change.

“People might look down on us because we’re Porters. But someone to carry the luggage is essential for a Dungeon conquest. Essential! Most ordinary Hunters only have two or three slots in their Inventory. Plenty of them can’t even carry their own equipment properly.”

“Porters are essential for conquests. It’s the same in actual war history. If you lead an army of 100,000, half are usually there to carry supplies or provide combat support.”

“Exactly. Rear support. This is important. So, don’t even try to copy that S-rank Porter fellow. Just stick to basic evacuation training. I’ve seen many kids die because they learned some half-baked combat techniques and tried to use them.”

Lately, because of the S-class Hunter known as the Delivery Man, quite a few Porters wanted to switch to combat. That person was an anomaly; it was impossible for an ordinary person to become like that.

The veteran was being a bit nosy, but the Newbie Porter listened intently with a faint smile. Liking that attitude, the veteran found himself talking even more.

“What have you been yapping about for so long? Hurry up and extract the Magic Stones over here!”

“Ah, yes! Just a moment!”

The veteran bowed and scraped at the team leader’s command, then pulled the Newbie along to extract Magic Stones from the Monster corpses.

Magic Stones were usually located just below the heart. Occasionally, some creatures had them elsewhere, but the majority were in the same spot. The Porter with him was quite good at extraction for a Newbie. His movements were awkward at first, but after a few repetitions, he seemed to get the hang of it quickly.

The hunting speed of The Venus Guild members was very fast. They swept through the Dungeon without difficulty, and the battle with the Boss guarding the area began.

The veteran Porter grabbed the Newbie, who was staring blankly, and pulled him into a safe corner.

“Don’t get caught in the crossfire. Just stay hidden. Got it?”

“Yes.”

“Be careful because the Boss might have multiple Magic Stones, not just one.”

“Yes.”

Looking at the submissive Newbie, the veteran thought it would be fine to keep working with him. He lacked experience as a Porter, but he seemed like he would do well if taught. His Stamina appeared to be quite good as well.

“Damn it, heal! Can’t you see the shield is failing? Are you trying to make me a cripple?”

“Do you think heals just work like pressing a button? It’s on cooldown, so back off if you can’t tank!”

Though voices were raised during the dangerous Boss battle, the hunt ended successfully. Seeing this, the veteran Porter let out a sigh of relief.

“Oh, a lot of Items dropped!”

The veteran Porter saw the System rewards being summoned from the fallen Boss. There were at least ten to fifteen red Items. Seeing that, the Party members also seemed to be in high spirits.

“Wow, you’re really lucky! You said today was your first day, right? You might get an incentive from day one!”

According to the Contract, if the rewards were high, the Porter would receive about 3% to 5%. Looking at the number of Items, the value seemed to be at least 500 million to 1 billion gold.

“Good work, everyone. We’ll extract the Magic Stones and organize the Items.”

The veteran Porter took the Newbie to extract the Magic Stones. Two solid Magic Stones were lodged below the heart. Perhaps because it was a Boss that had gathered a lot of Magic Power, the rewards were all generous.

“Aigo, congratulations. The Magic Stones are huge. They’ll fetch quite a price.”

“How much would those be worth at current market rates?”

“Since there are two of the same size… I think they’d be worth about 500 million.”

It was a literal jackpot. Even excluding the Items, the price of the Magic Stones alone exceeded 500 million.

While the veteran Porter was grinning, thinking about the incentive he would receive, he felt a chilling sensation. It was a sort of ‘gut feeling’ he had developed from working in this field for a long time.

‘Huh?’

The atmosphere among the Hunters who had finished the hunt was strange.

“The profits today are no joke.”

“Haha, it’s my first time seeing this much drop while working as a Porter.”

Was his intuition wrong? The atmosphere eased up quickly.

“By the way, what percentage does the Porter take according to the Contract?”

“Ah, I get 3%. This friend gets 1%, so 4% combined. That’s about 70 million in incentives — “

The veteran stopped talking mid-sentence.

“That’s a hell of a lot of money to lose.”

It was a cold, dry voice. The veteran Porter read the Party leader’s mood. The leader’s eyes looked at him as if he weren’t a person, but a Monster.

“We, we set it according to the standard Contract rates… “

“We’re the ones who fought to the death.”

Was it because they hit a jackpot of over 1.5 billion? Greed had birthed even greater greed. The veteran Porter felt his hands and feet trembling. However, he had to keep his wits about him.

He pressed down hard on the Newbie’s shoulder. It was a signal. If things went south, they had to run. They just had to get out of here somehow. Hunters in an excited state after a hunt were dangerous.

“Um, if you’re not happy with the incentive, I’m more than willing to lower it. The main raid team worked so hard today… “

“How about 0%?”

Seeing those playfully glinting eyes, the veteran Porter shouted.

“Run!”

He pulled a Smoke Bomb from his pocket. It was something he had prepared for just such an occasion. The members of The Venus Guild flinched as a sudden flash and smoke erupted.

The veteran ran without looking back. However, the Porter who was with him didn’t follow. He knew he should keep running, but he turned around anyway.

“Wow, damn. Use something like that sooner if you have it.”

“Were you going to leave your comrade and run away?”

The Newbie was already being held by the Hunters who had turned into thugs. Seeing this, the veteran’s pupils shook violently.

“Go ahead and leave. What, are you going to tell people we killed him? Do you have proof? We can just treat you like a crazy person.”

The veteran Porter couldn’t say a word to the snickering Hunter. He had to run, but his feet wouldn’t move. As the smoke slowly cleared, he heard the mocking voices of the murderers as they smirked.

“You would have lived if you had just kept running.”

As the Party leader said this, his face suddenly contorted.

*Crack.*

The sound of something breaking rang out, and the Party leader let out a pig-like squeal.

“Gwaaah! What — gwaaaah!”

The arm he had been using to hold the hostage was twisted in the opposite direction. The members of The Venus Guild couldn’t understand what had happened. It was the same for the veteran Porter standing right there.

The Newbie Porter put down his bag and removed his hoodie and mask.

“Gentlemen. Money is good, but shouldn’t people come first?”

“Wh-who the hell is this guy?”

“Huh? I think I’ve seen him somewhere… “

The first one to recognize him was the veteran Porter.

“Lee Hyunbin?”

The strongest Supporter. The Delivery Man. The S-rank Hunter with that nickname had appeared here. Identifying him, the members of The Venus Guild were thrown into a panic.

“W-wait a minute. You didn’t take our joke seriously, did you?”

“Ah, it was a joke?”

“Yes, that’s right!”

The members of The Venus Guild quickly exchanged glances. In the past, some people had ridiculed Lee Hyunbin as an S-rank Porter. But not anymore.

“Then I’ll try playing a little joke too.”

Lee Hyunbin grinned as he loosened up his hands.

“Is that okay?”

“Dammit, just kill him!”

Four people lunged at him all at once.

—

“If you come to the Agency later, you’ll be able to receive the incentive you were supposed to get today normally.”

“Yes, th-thank you.”

The Coach who had come as a Porter seemed a bit surprised as he stuttered and left the Dungeon. He was a man who had taught me a lot of things, though. Seeing how awkward things suddenly became made me feel a bit disappointed.

The number of Gate appearances was increasing, and the Military and Hunters were doing their best to stop them. Naturally, security around the Dungeons gradually weakened. Because of this, Hunters in Guilds sometimes showed their thug side.

The Hunters from The Venus Guild I had just suppressed and ‘arrested’ into my Inventory were already being watched as persons of interest. In the past, the Supporters who had gone with them had been wiped out, yet they were the only ones who returned unharmed. It had happened twice.

Since their profession involves hunting life, do they lose the sense of its value? Seeing Hunters who weren’t Villains but were becoming like them, there was only one thing I could do.

To act as a brake for those with power.

The number of murderers I had arrested this way had already surpassed two digits. There were dozens of Villains already.

I had not yet left the Dungeon, which was nearing its closure. Actually, the reason I came here was because of a tip-off. Someone told me that Hunters from The Venus Guild would be here.

I was waiting for that informant. Soon, the sound of footsteps echoed. A person dressed in a tracksuit with a hat pulled down low entered the Dungeon, a smile spreading across their lips.

“I believe this is the first time we’ve met face-to-face like this.”

I knew who it was even without them taking off the hat. A persistent connection.

“Hero.”

Ji-yeon Ryu of the Fighting God Guild appeared before me. This person seemed to have no intention of hiding themselves at all.

“You suddenly changed your gender?”

“I didn’t change it; this might be my original form.”

That sinister smile was physiologically unpleasant.

“Right. Do you like having so many friends in the Fighting God Guild?”

“Not particularly. Everyone has different ideologies. We’re just holding hands for now.”

As the figure smiled, they continued.

“I will give you information about the Villains, Hero.”

“You’re going to betray your friends?”

“Didn’t I tell you? We only joined forces because our goals aligned.”

“Hey, now. Friends shouldn’t fight like that. When you get older, you’ll miss your friends.”

This person was a total piece of work.

“What’s important to me right now is proving my value.”

Value? It was plenty. If I collected evidence that this person was a Villain and arrested them, the Fighting God Guild would crumble.

“Right. And the price for the information?”

Let’s hear it first. Why they were doing such a pathetic thing.

“The Demon King’s Summoning.”

The topic of the Demon King came up. Siegfried. The Demon King who had left that man in a state between life and death. The Demon King who was occupying that world.

“I want you to stop it.”