One Hunter, unable to contain his curiosity, paid immediately and watched the video.
The voice was modulated, likely to hide the uploader’s identity, and the face was entirely obscured.
Normally, it was the kind of video one would turn off in annoyance.
[Let’s lure the Slime into attacking. Don’t be afraid. Their outer skin isn’t acidic, so you can just grab them like this with hands coated in mana.]
The sight of him easily catching the Slime was astonishing.
Slimes are so slippery they are hard to catch with bare hands, and they secrete a unique mucus that makes it difficult to hold them for long without mana coating.
It often causes a reaction similar to hives.
[Slippery, isn’t it? When that happens, just grab this tip at the crown and give it a turn. Easy, right?]
‘No. It’s not easy.’
The Hunter watched with an incredulous expression as the figure caught the Slime with a skill bordering on a circus act.
Had he never tried to catch a Slime himself?
Every Hunter had likely tried at least once.
This was because Slimes were the only creatures that brought in decent money in the lower-floor sections.
However, everyone had failed.
[Now! The important part here is peeling the outer skin. Make a fine crack in the surface and drain the protective mucus. This also sells for money, so it’s better to bottle it separately once you get the hang of it.]
As he spoke, he began skillfully peeling the skin from the point where he held it, using a knife issued for beginners.
[It’s not as hard as you think. You know how to peel an onion? If you practice with that, you’ll master peeling Slime skin faster than you’d expect. Now! That concludes the guide for regular Slimes, and I’ll explain how to deal with Giant Slimes in the second video.]
The video wasn’t very long.
However, it left a stronger impression than expected.
“It really looks easy, doesn’t it?”
He felt that if he could follow those instructions, even he might be able to obtain 1st-floor Slime skins.
Unfortunately, he was already a 23rd-floor user, so it was a dream that could only come true in his sleep.
While he was dazing out for a moment, he noticed a “train” of replies from people waiting for the “advance party” to report back.
– This is the advance party. He’s definitely the Hunter who got the flawless clear. This Slime strategy is insane, so you have to watch it. If you want to make money on the 1st floor, this video is a must. –
The Hunter who wrote the comment clicked the video again as if he felt a sense of regret.
What if this video had come out when he was below the 10th floor?
A deep sense of disappointment remained.
However, he didn’t want to go back.
He made much more money now that he had reached the 20th floor.
“The rookie Hunters are lucky.”
Hunters who had just awakened would no longer need to struggle desperately to break through the 10th floor while starving.
They could make a fortune just by selling torches and hunting 1st-floor Slimes periodically.
Perhaps they might even try to delay tackling the 10th floor as long as possible.
“…I’m jealous. With that skill, he’ll probably reach the 20th floor in no time….”
Could he perhaps see some of that money himself when that time came?
With these thoughts, he hoped Unnamed would break through the 20th floor quickly.
To the Hunter who had volunteered as the advance party, the person in the video had naturally become a master who would break through to the high floors.
Was it because the advance party had verified it?
From then on, the number of people watching the video began to surge.
– I wonder if this applies to other Slimes too?
– It looked easy in the video, but it’s hard when I actually try it. Seems like I need practice. –
– It really works. If I practice consistently, this will definitely be a money-maker. –
The atmosphere was already shifting toward confirming the protagonist of the strategy video as the one who achieved the flawless clear.
The next day, another video was uploaded.
[Shall we try a Giant Slime strategy this time? It looks difficult, but it’s actually easier.]
As he said this, he used a simple method of pushing against the Giant Slime’s body.
The key was to shave off the outer skin while dodging with minimal movement.
[You all know that Giant Slime skin is useless, right? But if you cut too deep, the acid comes out.]
To most Hunters, Giant Slimes were trickier than regular Slimes.
However, the Hunter now being called the ‘1st Floor Teacher’ carved through the flesh with ease.
[Sensory awareness is important here. You see this folded part? The mucus is thicker here than you’d think. So, carve out the skin and just dig out the mucus part appropriately.]
Before long, holes were scattered all over the Giant Slime’s body.
[If you keep digging out the mucus like this, it’ll eventually shrink on its own. Oh! Don’t worry about the mucus spilling onto the ground. It’ll clump together by itself, so just leave it.]
Looking at the clumps of mucus rolling on the ground, the teacher, who told everyone not to worry, moved to finish off the Giant Slime.
[Now! All that’s left is the acid, so just split it open all at once and… pop! If you push it out, you can safely extract the Core as well. Easy, right?]
It took more time than with the regular Slime, but it was incredibly fast for a Giant Slime strategy, which was usually considered impossible for extracting by-products.
But what was even more surprising came next.
Saying he would show it through repetitive motion, he quickly took down a swarm of Giant Slimes using the exact method he had just demonstrated.
[As you can see, they’re quite easy.]
Just as viewers were hoping for the next video as the second one was winding down, he spoke.
[Shouldn’t the government be researching things like this and teaching Hunters? To think I have to research every single one of these myself…. Good grief.]
“Tell me about it.”
The watching Hunter found himself agreeing with the grumbling voice.
[I see there are many paid strategy videos and they’re expensive, but where would newly awakened Hunters get that kind of money… sigh… they only know how to collect taxes and do nothing.]
“Exactly. What do these bastards even do?”
[Besides, looking at the Monster Management Office videos, the yield is pathetic. If your yield is worse than this Slime full of acid, what’s the point?]
Indeed.
The man calling out the Monster Management Office for having poor yields even with Slimes from other floors, which were easier than 1st-floor Slimes, was justified.
Even if they had picked only the best parts for their promotional videos, the fact that it was at that level meant it must have looked truly pathetic to the man who posted the strategy video.
[Anyway, the second video ends here. I’ll try to upload strategy videos for the remaining two entities as quickly as possible. Thank you.]
The man who finished watching the video immediately looked at the comments.
– Wow! That’s so refreshing. –
– Honestly, is it right for us to pay taxes and then have to pay extra for strategy videos? –
– Fine, let’s say we pay for some specialized know-how. But there aren’t even any basic videos. –
– Shouldn’t the government at least provide basic strategy videos? –
– Have you seen the garbage the government puts out as Hunter strategy videos? It’s absurd…. –
The sparks Unnamed had scattered began to burn fiercely.
It was the rookie Hunters who poured oil on the fire.
– These two videos are more useful than the Hunter Management Bureau’s training videos. –
– I even watched a paid video from a giant guild. That video was trash too. –
– These Monster Management Office bastards only have videos where they brag about themselves. –
– It would be fine if they were actually good. Is someone whose level is lower than a Level 1 an expert? Look at this. –
As a link to a Monster Management Office promotional video was posted, everyone flocked there to take a look.
It was a video of securing mucus from the same kind of Slime.
The difficulty was even lower than the 1st floor, yet anyone could see the difference in knife skill compared to the Level 1 Unnamed.
Consequently, the comments on that video were instantly filled with hate.
– A guy who’s a Team Leader does it that poorly? Can you even secure mucus from a 1st-floor Slime? –
– Probably not. Honestly, except for the person who used to be a Non-awakener and the certified masters, their skills are mediocre. –
– For sure. When it comes to Slimes, that Unnamed person is probably better than the monster management masters. –
– That Non-awakener got fired. –
– For real? –
– Yeah. Because of Mana Sickness. But he can’t do field work; can’t he still teach? –
– Right. Did those crazy bastards discriminate against a Non-awakener just because they’re “Awakeners”? –
– Probably. They have no skill but their pride is sky-high. –
– Just because they got into the Republic of Korea’s top institution. –
The Monster Management Office video was filled with malicious comments.
Word had spread even to the general public, who began adding fuel to the fire, asking if their taxes were being spent on this kind of garbage.
“Yes. This is it.”
Min-hyeok watched, feeling a sense of satisfaction.
However, this wasn’t enough.
It wasn’t enough to expose the discrimination they had faced for being Non-awakeners.
“I have to keep adding firewood.”
There were many who were dissatisfied with the abnormal system of the Monster Management Office.
They were all permanent employees.
They did the same work, yet discrimination between Awakeners and Non-awakeners was rampant.
Even if a Non-awakener did more work, if a Team Leader from an Awakener background assigned a mid-grade Monster dismantling to an Awakener team member just once a month, the rankings would flip instantly.
Then, the rest of the dismantling work would once again be left entirely to the Non-awakeners.
Bonuses were monopolized by Awakeners based on performance scores, and as this became common, the overall skill of the Monster Management Office began to deteriorate.
They ended up with skills unbecoming of an institution that once vied for being the best in the world.
But why was it still one of the top Monster Management Offices in the world?
Corruption wasn’t a problem unique to this country; other places were likely in similar situations.
‘Minimum respect.’
He wasn’t complaining about being fired.
Even if they were letting him go, shouldn’t there have been at least a minimum level of respect?
After all he had done for ten years?
If it was like this for him, the discrimination other Non-awakeners faced must have been even worse.
“Now it’s time to pay the price.”
Min-hyeok, recalling the faces of those who had succeeded through connections just because they were Awakeners despite having no skill, let out a deep smile.
Just thinking about it felt like a rush of dopamine.
“Now! Shall I go make another strategy video?”
He opened the door to the 1st floor to make another strategy video today.
“This… is harder than it looks.”
For him, he could just finish it quickly as long as he could see the lines.
However, because he had the sense of someone who had shown skill surpassing the masters of the Monster Management Office despite being a Non-awakener, he
found himself worrying about how simply he should explain things.
“I wonder if even this will be difficult.”
Min-hyeok pondered how to explain it as easily as possible, so that even a child could do it.
While he was preparing the third video, the Monster Management Office was in an uproar.
This was because reporters, sensitive to trending issues, had finally published articles to tear the Monster Management Office apart.
[1st-floor Slime strategy possible for a Level 1 Hunter? What was the Monster Management Office doing?]
[Slime dismantling worse than a Level 1 Hunter? Is such a person a Team Leader?]
[The best in the Republic of Korea? Is the Monster Management Office truly the best in the country?]
Articles filled with various questions began to pour out.
The problem was that this was bad enough, but the Monster Management Office itself was currently facing internal issues.
“Why do I keep hearing that things are being delayed?”
“…I’m sorry.”
A man answered, clenching his teeth at the Director’s question.
Other managers looked at him with disdain.
[Special]-[High]-[Mid]-[Low]
There were departments specialized in dismantling for each grade, and the Low-grade Monster Processing Department, which handled the largest volume, was massive, consisting of seven different teams.
That place had been creaking lately.
When the support team, which used to handle problems quickly whenever they arose, failed to resolve them, delays kept occurring. Those delays piled up until the problem finally exploded.
“You said there would be no problem even if we kicked Choi Min-hyuk out!”
“…I’m sorry.”
“Fix the problem. If you can’t, bring Choi Min-hyuk back and put him in his place! Do you understand!”
“Yes.”
“Get out!”
At the Director’s roar, everyone grimaced and walked out.
When the other managers, who had been lectured just for being there, glared at him, the Low-grade manager hurried to his office.
Behind him, the Mid-grade manager was also seen running hurriedly.
“I told you, why did they let him go….”
“Is that manager the problem? It’s the Director who’s the problem. If we didn’t have the ‘Master’ title, we would’ve been pushed out by the ‘parachutes’ the Director appointed too.”
“True… After the Director changed, those managers were all dropped in as parachute appointments, weren’t they?”
At the Special-grade manager’s words, the High-grade manager nodded.
“It was better when Director Park Min-hye was here.”
“Tell me about it. I’m going to hold on a bit longer, and if it really doesn’t work out, I’m going to look into other countries.”
“True… Even now, there are many places asking me to come with conditions several times better. If this continues, I’ll really have to look elsewhere.”
As the two were sighing and reminiscing about the past, they received a text message.
It said that as the Monster Management Office’s problems were coming to light, the Hunter Management Bureau was planning to conduct an audit.
If they weren’t careful, they might end up taking the fall for the current issues.
“This… I really think it’s time to plan my resignation.”
At the Special-grade manager’s words, the High-grade manager nodded sincerely, already drawing up plans in his head to escape to another country with his close colleagues.