The secret space on B2 of the hideout building.
Lee Seon-hwa, who had entered the basement with Seong-jun’s party, looked around with a surprised expression.
“Since you said it was a basement, I expected something like a regular cellar, but this is much larger than I thought.”
She had anticipated a mediocre basement at best.
She figured it might be about 20 pyeong or, at most, 30 pyeong.
However, seeing it in person, the space was far more expansive than she had imagined.
It looked to be at least 100 pyeong, which accounted for her shocked expression.
“I don’t know how much space you’ll need to conduct your research, but this shouldn’t be lacking,” Seong-jun said.
“Even though it’s research I’ll be doing alone, I’ll need a fair amount of space for the necessary equipment. I think I’ll need at least 30 pyeong,” she replied.
When she mentioned needing at least 30 pyeong, Seong-jun smiled and nodded.
“Go ahead and do that. Most of the space was empty anyway since we don’t need much for ourselves.”
The only reason Seong-jun’s party used B2 was for summoning dungeons.
Besides that, the only other thing they did here was sit on the sofa and rest for a bit.
Therefore, the rest of the space was essentially sitting idle.
“I’ll need to acquire the necessary equipment, and it’s going to cost quite a bit of money.”
Since many of the machines required for her research were expensive, she expected a significant amount of funding would be needed.
Of course, to Seong-jun, that amount was hardly a burden.
“Don’t worry about the money. Let me know whenever you need something. If it’s something that can be bought with money, I’ll buy it for you. But one thing you must keep in mind is that we have no intention of opening this place to others. That means you’ll have to handle everything—from equipment installation to arrangement—with your own hands. We’ll help where we can, but since we don’t know much about the equipment, you’ll ultimately have to take charge of most of it.”
He was willing to buy whatever equipment she needed, but he had no intention of opening B2 to strangers.
In other words, the task of installing and arranging everything fell on Seon-hwa herself, although Seong-jun’s party would provide assistance.
“Yes, that’s more than enough. Then, for now, I’ll write down a list of things I need. It’s not an emergency, so you can just get them for me slowly whenever you have time.”
It would be difficult to conduct proper research until the right equipment was prepared anyway.
Furthermore, she needed Drake corpses and Mana Stones for her experiments.
“Well then, let’s leave it at that. Shall we see what you’re capable of, Seon-hwa?”
At the sudden suggestion, Seon-hwa looked puzzled.
“My capability?”
“Yes, your ability to handle monsters. We need to know how much help you’ll be in a B-rank Dungeon so we can adjust accordingly.”
She had clearly stated she couldn’t enter dungeons because she didn’t have a Hunter license, yet he was suddenly talking about one.
“I’m sure I told you? It will be difficult for me to enter a Dungeon without a license.”
“Haha, I know. Just wait a moment.”
As he spoke, Seong-jun pulled out the Dungeon Creation Device.
*Click!*
*Hummmm!*
As he activated the device, a translucent holographic window appeared.
Seong-jun began narrowing down the categories, quickly reducing the number of potential dungeons.
“Let’s filter out as much as possible first… Oh! This one looks appropriate.”
Eventually, he found a suitable dungeon.
“Shall I summon it then?”
The moment Seong-jun pressed the creation button:
[**Summoning B-rank General Dungeon: Demon Warrior’s Labyrinth**]
*Flash!*
A Dungeon Portal was instantly created.
The dungeon he chose featured Demon Warriors as the primary monsters—creatures he had faced before in a Privilege Dungeon.
Meanwhile, Seon-hwa recoiled in shock at the sudden appearance of the portal.
“Huh! T-That’s a Dungeon Portal? What on earth is…”
How could she not be surprised when a portal had appeared out of thin air in an empty, wide space?
“It’s a B-rank Dungeon called the Demon Warrior’s Labyrinth. As the name suggests, the main monsters are Demon Warriors of the dark attribute. They boast powerful attack power since they use greatswords, but in exchange, their attack speed isn’t that fast. And because their defense is relatively weak, they are very suitable targets for us to hunt.”
Seong-jun gave a brief explanation of the dungeon.
Having hunted them in a Privilege Dungeon already, he knew their defense was vulnerable and their attack speed was slow enough that they wouldn’t be a major burden to handle.
“Demon Warriors? Are they like a downgraded version of a Death Knight?”
Gwang-taek asked.
Seong-jun nodded.
“Exactly. You can think of it just like that. Let’s head in.”
With that, Seong-jun stepped into the Dungeon Portal first.
Gwang-taek, Yuseon, and Chang-su followed him in sequence.
“Ha! What exactly is this? He can summon a dungeon? Is this even possible?”
Left alone, Seon-hwa stared at the Dungeon Portal with an expression of disbelief.
Until now, it was widely known that dungeons were generated randomly across the world without any specific rules or laws.
But to summon such a dungeon at will?
How could this even be explained?
“Tsk, I suppose I’ll find out once I go in.”
In the end, she followed the others and stepped inside the portal.
*Flash!*
Upon entering the dungeon, a gloomy, pitch-black stone chamber that looked like it belonged in the Middle Ages came into view.
‘This is a Dungeon…!’
This was her first time entering a dungeon.
During her days as a mere researcher, she was a civilian and naturally couldn’t enter.
After becoming a chimera using Drake DNA, she had volunteered herself as a test subject and remained confined in a secret laboratory.
Thus, this was her very first dungeon entry.
“Is this your first time in a dungeon? If so, it might feel a bit unfamiliar. For today, we’ll focus on gauging your abilities rather than full-scale hunting, so there’s no need to overdo it. Oh! By the way, how long does your transformation last?”
The ability Seong-jun had seen through his Divine Eye was roughly A++ rank, making her far more powerful than a typical A-rank Hunter.
To compare, she was roughly on par with Yu Se-hyeon.
Of course, comparing a Tanker like Yu Se-hyeon and a close-range dealer like Seon-hwa was a bit of a stretch, but based on the A++ rank alone, she possessed roughly that much skill.
When asked about the duration of her transformation, Seon-hwa tilted her head.
“Hmm, I’ve never checked exactly how long it lasts. However, I did maintain the transformation for 48 hours once for an experiment. It might be possible to go even longer, but I’ll have to test it to be sure. Once the laboratory is properly set up, I’ll test that separately.”
Although nothing was certain yet, Seong-jun nodded at the fact that she could maintain it for at least 48 hours.
“48 hours. That’s more than enough. Unless we’re entering a Closed Dungeon, we’ll rarely be hunting for more than 10 hours at a time. Then, would you like to try transforming here?”
At the request to transform, Seon-hwa looked at the group.
“It might look a bit grotesque. Will you be okay?”
The researchers at the secret lab had reacted that way, and so did the survivors they saw on Jeju Island.
Anyone who saw Seon-hwa’s transformed state had been terrified by her monster-like appearance without exception.
That was why she gave a warning beforehand.
“Don’t worry about that. We’ve seen enough grotesque monsters in dungeons to be sick of them. It’ll take a lot to surprise us, so don’t worry.”
They were people who had spent years traveling through dungeons ranging from F-rank to A-rank, fighting all sorts of monsters.
Because of that, they wouldn’t be particularly shocked even if Seon-hwa turned into something bizarre.
“All right. Instead, Yuseon, was it? Please take this.”
Seon-hwa handed over a small handbag.
“Hm? What’s in here?”
“It’s nothing much, just some clothes. When I transform, my body gets larger, so my clothes always end up ripped. It’s a bit awkward to take them off before transforming here, so I brought a spare set.”
Once she transformed, she took on the form of a monster, so she didn’t feel particularly ashamed or embarrassed.
However, stripping while in her human form was a different story.
Therefore, she intended to transform while wearing her clothes this time.
“Ah! Is that so? Got it. I’ll hold onto it and give it back when the hunt is over.”
As soon as Yuseon took the handbag, Seon-hwa began her transformation.
“I’m starting then.”
*Crack! Crackle! Snap!*
The muscles throughout her body began to twist subtly, and her appearance changed rapidly.
As she grew to a massive size of over 2 meters tall, her clothes were torn to shreds.
Her slender arms transformed into a unique shape reminiscent of sharp blades, and her legs became incredibly muscular.
Her skin alone was enough to give off a rugged, sturdy impression, and amidst all that, only her dark brown eyes glowed brightly.
Furthermore, her mouth was torn all the way to her ears, giving her a grotesque appearance that resembled a ghost.
“Well, this is my transformed state. How is it? Hideous, right?”
At Seon-hwa’s words, Seong-jun smiled and shook his head.
“No, not at all. By the way, since you can’t change clothes every time you transform, I should look for a suitable artifact. I believe there is special equipment made for Hunters who undergo physical transformations.”
Among Hunters, there were those who displayed even more powerful abilities by changing their bodies like Seon-hwa.
Since many transformed into animal forms rather than humanoids, special equipment was manufactured specifically for them.
Seong-jun planned to look for something that would suit Seon-hwa among such equipment.
“Oh? There’s such gear? That would be great for me.”
“Now! Shall we start moving? Like I said earlier, today is a test of your abilities. So, unless there are more than four monsters at once, Yuseon and Chang-su should stay back and only be ready for emergencies.”
If four or more monsters swarmed them, it could place a burden on their main Tanker, Gwang-taek, necessitating Yuseon and Chang-su to step in and reduce the numbers.
However, Gwang-taek was more than capable of tanking two or three, so in those situations, they were told not to attack and just stay alert for any mishaps.
***
After receiving the All-in-One and Enchant buffs, Seon-hwa displayed truly incredible power.
*Whoosh! Slice! Slice! Boom! Boom! Boom!*
Even though their defense was lower compared to their attack power, they were still B-rank monsters.
Yet, Seon-hwa, empowered by Seong-jun’s buffs, dispatched those Demon Warriors in two or three hits.
“Groaaar…”
Seeing this, Seong-jun turned to Yuseon and asked, “Two or three hits. What about you, Yuseon? Do you think you could kill them in two or three hits with just basic attacks and no skills?”
Yuseon shook her head.
“With just basic attacks and no skills, I’d have to land at least four or five hits. But since I’d never have a reason to hunt without using skills, it doesn’t really matter.”
It was certainly encouraging that she could dispatch B-rank monsters in two or three hits without any notable skills.
However, they wouldn’t strictly use only basic attacks while clearing a dungeon—especially if they didn’t need to manage their Mana or Aura as strictly as Seong-jun’s party.
“True. Still, having that level of power will be quite helpful for future hunts.”
“I agree. With that kind of ability, our hunting speed will increase drastically. But what about the distribution? Should we lower everyone’s share to 15%?”
Since they had implicitly agreed not to touch Seong-jun’s share, the only way to accommodate Seon-hwa was to lower their own 20% shares to 15% each.
However, since Seong-jun had already reached an agreement with Seon-hwa, he shook his head.
“No, don’t worry about that. Seon-hwa will be excluded from the distribution. In exchange for participating in hunts without a share, I promised to actively support her research. That’s our contract, so you don’t need to worry about the distribution ratio.”
Yuseon looked puzzled at the news that Seon-hwa would be excluded.
“Huh? She’s staying out of the distribution? Is that okay?”
“Seon-hwa is in a situation where it’s hard for her to show her face in public anyway. Besides, all of her current interest is focused on completing her unfinished experiments. I don’t know how it will be after her research is successful, but for now, she doesn’t have the luxury to care about money. Well, even so, I’ll be providing for her basic needs myself.”
Currently, Seon-hwa’s entire focus was on resuming the experiments that had been suspended due to the project’s cancellation, and on making her incomplete body whole.
That was why she had accepted Seong-jun’s offer to be excluded from the distribution without a moment’s hesitation.
However, since there were basic expenses involved, Seong-jun planned to cover those out of his own pocket.
While he was talking with Yuseon, Seon-hwa approached them.
“Seong-jun, instead of just this general dealer role, could I test something else?”
At her question, Seong-jun asked with a curious expression, “What else do you mean?”
“If another small group of two or three appears next time, I want to try facing them alone without a Tanker.”
What Seon-hwa wanted to test was solo play—specifically, whether she could handle two or three B-rank monsters on her own.
“Hmm, your concept is entirely different from regular Hunters, so it might be possible… but will you be okay?”
In her transformed state, Seon-hwa was more like a bipedal monster than a human.
Because of that, he thought it might be possible, but he still had to be cautious.
A typical A-rank dealer facing two or three B-rank monsters alone was practically a suicidal act.
“I have a record of easily overpowering a B-rank monster, the Crimson Tiger, on my own in Jeju Island. I feel like it might be possible.”
At her words, Seong-jun nodded.
“Well, there’s no harm in testing it. We can step in if things go wrong anyway. Fine. If we run into another group like that, let’s try it.”
Seong-jun readily agreed.
They could just try it out, and if it seemed too much, they would intervene.
With that, Seong-jun’s party set off once more in search of new monsters.
***
The Speed Detective Agency operated by Choe Gyu-taek.
After successfully completing the first transaction with the Mirae Research Institute, Gyu-taek was focusing on his primary business at the detective agency until the second transaction.
“Boss, we’ve secured evidence of the affair.”
“Really? Tell them to send it over right now.”
“Boss! We’ve identified the hit-and-run driver! They say it’s 99% certain. What should we do?”
“What do you mean? Tell them to organize the materials and send them.”
Gyu-taek’s agency boasted highly accurate and rapid task execution, utilizing not only advanced equipment but also old-fashioned footwork.
As a result, the number of clients visiting the agency was increasing by the day.
“Sigh, Boss, we really need to add more personnel. And we need to divide the workload. If you’re planning on continuing the monster carcass and Mana Stone trade, it would be better to create a separate team just for that. The burden is too much for us to handle both simultaneously.”
At the words of Gang Pil-sang, Gyu-taek’s right-hand man and personnel manager, Gyu-taek nodded.
“I’m thinking the same. But if we hire someone too hastily, it could lead to problems. So, Pil-sang, look around for some suitable guys. Keep in mind that for those involved in the carcass and stone trade, their skills are important, but they must be tight-lipped above all else.”
Hiring just anyone because they were short-staffed could lead to disaster.
Especially in the case of carcass and Mana Stone trading, secrecy was the priority, so they had to be extremely careful when hiring.
“Understood. I’ll look for some suitable candidates.”
Looking at Gang Pil-sang, Gyu-taek spoke with a serious expression.
“As you know, from now on, our main business will be the monster carcass and Mana Stone trade. Of course, I don’t intend to close the detective agency, but it’s likely to be used more as a cover than as our primary focus. So, you should pay more attention to that side from now on as well.”
“Yes, don’t worry. I’ll make sure everything is handled properly.”
The detective agency and the carcass trade were incomparable in terms of profit.
That was why Gyu-taek intended to make the trade his main focus and use the agency as a front.
Just then.
*Ring ring ring!*
A call came through to Gyu-taek’s phone.
“Hm? Sang-cheol is calling? Did something happen over there?”
Gyu-taek answered immediately.
“Yeah, Sang-cheol.”
A young man’s voice came from the other side of the line.
—Boss.
A problem has occurred.
At the mention of a problem, Gyu-taek’s expression turned solemn.
“A problem?”
—It’s the loan sharks who took Park Yoon-su.
Their movements were suspicious, so I snatched one of them and interrogated him.
It seems Park Yoon-su mentioned Mr. Lee Seon-jae and Ms. Yu Mi-ran, saying he had a way to get money.
Park Yoon-su, who had vanished after receiving money from Seong-jun, had eventually set foot in a gambling den again.
After confirming this, Choe Gyu-taek had passed his information to the loan sharks as Seong-jun requested.
He had intended to wash his hands of it after confirming the loan sharks had secured Park Yoon-su.
However, he had felt an lingering sense of unease, so he had ordered his men to monitor the loan sharks’ movements until the situation was fully resolved.
It turned out his intuition was right, and things had finally blown up.
“Sigh, they looked like they’d cut his belly open as soon as they caught him, but things ended up going that way. For now, keep an eye on the loan sharks’ movements and contact me immediately if anything changes.”
—Yes, sir.
After ending the call, Gyu-taek looked at Gang Pil-sang.
“Pil-sang. Pick some capable guys and send them to Mr. Lee Seon-jae’s house. Tell them to watch over them secretly without being noticed. And I need to go see Seong-jun. It involves his uncle’s family, so he needs to know.”
Since the couple were essentially Seong-jun’s parents, Gyu-taek intended to go and explain the situation himself.
However, since something could happen before then, he sent men to the couple’s house beforehand to guard them secretly.