Rumors spread in an instant that every member of Team 3 was about to be kicked out.
It was impossible not to hear them.
They whispered wherever I went.
“Looks like it’s the first time we’re meeting, right?”
At that moment, someone openly approached me.
A man wearing sunglasses, with a solid build.
“You’re the Team 3 Leader who’s been causing all the recent noise, right?”
“Ah, yes.”
“I’m Yang Cheonsu, Team 1 Leader. I’ve been busy running high-grade Dungeons, so we never got to greet each other.”
“Nice to meet you.”
We shook hands. I could feel the rough calluses on his palm.
“Drinking vending machine coffee, huh? If you go down to the Guild’s first floor, they brew fresh coffee daily with new beans.”
“I should check that out sometime.”
“Go now. You’ve got to enjoy it leisurely.”
Yang Cheonsu actively showed a friendly demeanor. He seemed like a genuinely good-natured person.
An insider? That’s the vibe he gave off.
“I have to attend the Dungeon briefing soon.”
“Oh, so you’re the Team 3 Leader heading to the mid-rank Dungeon we just won the bid for. Man, I might as well get some vending machine coffee myself after all this time.”
Yang Cheonsu grabbed a paper cup of vending machine coffee, sat beside me, and smiled without erasing the grin from his face.
“Tastes good after a long time. Not healthy at all, though.”
“Instant food is always like that.”
“I’ve heard some things about your Team Leader lately. Must be tough when people don’t listen, huh?”
I heard the slurp of coffee.
“All hunters are like that. Stubborn, inflexible, and stubborn about their own opinions. That’s why they sometimes talk back to their Team Leader. I know because I’m a Team Leader too.”
As a junior hunter passed by and greeted him, he caught my eyes and smiled.
“But you can’t just cut off your own people. It ruins your reputation. Even if the young ones act rashly, if you treat them like your own, they’ll eventually become family.”
I had a pretty good idea who he was talking about. I smiled lightly.
“Is that so?”
“Of course. That guy Kim Kimon. Not as bad as people say. It’s like with Liu Bei—there are fighters like Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, and strategists like Jeonggalyang. Team management works the same way.”
“Kim Kimon as Jeonggalyang?”
“No, not that much. Since you’re going to a mid-rank Dungeon, it’s hard to handle alone. I’ll handle the middle ground, so let’s grab a drink. From what I hear, those guys were giving the new Team Leader a hard time.”
Unnecessary kindness.
A smile that seemed genuinely pleasant.
Did he think I was someone who understood hints well? His arm was already patting my shoulder.
“No, that’s not necessary.”
“Alright, I’ll talk to them later… What?”
“No need for useless actions.”
I showed him my cranky nature.
Still, he laughed heartily with a smiling face. Was this the virtue of an elder and Team Leader?
If so, I’m unfit to be a Team Leader. I’m bad at putting on such pretenses.
“This guy’s really stubborn. Young people need to be flexible. Alright, alright. Let’s take it slow. When do you head out for the mid-rank Dungeon raid? We’ve got some people on our schedule who could support you.”
“No, I’m fine on my own.”
I drew a clear line. Only then did Yang Cheonsu’s face become one I liked.
“Team 3 Leader, it’s fine if you treat me like this, but don’t treat Changsu that way. He’s got a temper.”
That was Kim Changsu, Team 2 Leader—nicknamed the King of Settlements.
Known for turning into a mess when drunk, he’d been in the news several times for assaulting civilians.
Because of that, the Hanul Group’s Legal Team had a blacklist against him.
They said he became Team Leader because he couldn’t stand having anyone above him and drove them all away.
And the Team 1 Leader in front of me—once a gangster, he entered this field after awakening as a Hunter.
He was a direct disciple of Im Jaejoong, the former Hanul Guild Master. He was practically the real power here.
“I’m curious who’s got the worse temper.”
I said as I took the last sip of coffee and stood up.
“Well then, I’ll be going.”
I heard the sound of the crumpled paper cup behind me.
After the rough briefing, I entered the mid-rank Dungeon alone.
“We will open the mid-rank Dungeon soon. Please stand by!”
“Safety checks! Equipment checks!”
Hunters gathered at the entrance of the mid-rank Dungeon.
There were about fifty people.
They were divided into six parties of five each, all participating in the mid-rank Dungeon run.
“-Transmitting Dungeon data.”
Olivier, who officially started as an Operator today, sent a transmission.
Grade: Mid-Rank
- Name: Insect Dungeon
- Boss: Devil Flower Mantis
- Rewards
Unique: Rachios’ Chain Sword, Rachios’ Shield, Spear of Advance
Rare: Insect Summon, Flame Explosion, Recovery Boost, Cure
“-You’re only wearing the Power Suit today?”
Olivier’s sudden, out-of-the-blue question earned my indifferent reply.
“I’m wearing the Power Suit. What else would I wear?”
“-Justice Armor looked good on you.”
“Of course, I look good in anything. But I won’t wear those tight spandex suits. No, never.”
I felt my cheeks flush instantly. Did she really witness that back then?
“-I am the Enforcement of Justice. Justice Man!”
“…”
“-En-for-ce-ment of Jus-tice!!!!”
Ah, geez.
“-Heh heh, can I upload this to YouTube? Honestly, you looked great. I’m streaming these days but have so few subscribers…”
I quickly cut the transmission.
Dungeon or no dungeon, I wanted to go home.
How could this be help? They said they’d support the Dungeon run, right? Help me? Is this helping?
My condition was at its worst.
At that moment, I heard complaining from elsewhere.
“Damn, Fighting God Guild is here too.”
“They’ll probably take this boss too. Why is the second-ranked Guild running mid-rank Dungeons anyway?”
“Don’t you get it? They’re probably letting their juniors gain experience.”
As expected, Fighting God Guild was expanding their tentacles everywhere.
There were many reasons for running Dungeon raids.
For Hunter growth, for acquiring high-quality Mana Stones, and occasionally for the items that dropped.
Especially bosses with high drop rates were coveted hunting targets for everyone.
The highest-grade monsters required raids, but mid-rank bosses could be hunted by small groups.
Therefore, competition for mid-rank Dungeon bosses was fierce.
As I looked around, I spotted a familiar face.
We weren’t close. I tried to ignore him, but he came over.
“Hello.”
Kim Inho from Fighting God Guild—an up-and-coming Hunter.
He was the one I met at the place where I awakened and caught that Office Worker.
He still had a very neat appearance. Only a month had passed, but he already gave off a veteran vibe.
“Good to see you here.”
“I heard you joined Hanul.”
I thought he wouldn’t care where I went.
Kim Inho’s trainer was Kang Seonsu, with whom I had a rather bad relationship.
He must have heard bad things about me from Kang Seonsu, so I expected some animosity.
“You’d have been better off joining Fighting God.”
“I had acquaintances in Hanul. I heard you’re doing great lately.”
“No, I still have a lot to improve.”
This wasn’t just polite talk.
Kim Inho’s growth was no joke. Rumors even said he’d be the Rookie Hunter of the Year.
It was a bit disappointing that Kim Taeyang, whom I trained, hadn’t made much noise.
Strange. I thought Taeyang had more potential than Kim Inho.
“Hunter Kim Taeyang should be pushing forward like Kim Inho.”
“Didn’t you… hear the news?”
“News?”
“Yes.”
What news? Did he cause some trouble?
“Taeyang is under disciplinary action.”
“Disciplinary?”
No wonder Taeyang was quieter than Kim Inho.
“I heard he assaulted a teammate. It seems his standing in Hwarang Guild isn’t good. Since the new Team Leader took over, Taeyang’s been having a rough time.”
That stung a little.
After all, we had a mentor-disciple relationship. I thought he’d at least come to me for advice.
By the way, since when did Kim Inho and Kim Taeyang become so close? At first, they growled and tried to keep each other at bay.
“He said he’s too embarrassed to tell the Team Leader. There’s even talk of him being kicked out of the Guild…”
“That’s just great. Looks like my heartfelt training for Kim Taeyang hasn’t been enough. I’ll have to check on him sometime.”
Hearing about potential Guild expulsion instantly caught my attention.
Kim Taeyang had talent comparable to Kim Inho.
I felt sorry for the former Hwarang Guild Team Leader who scouted Kim Taeyang, but if he was going to be expelled, it’d be better to bring him into my team.
“Hey, isn’t that that person?”
While I was calculating all this mentally, someone’s voice reached me.
One of Kim Inho’s Fighting God Guild party members pointed at me.
I didn’t recognize the face at all.
“Looks like it.”
“Wow, no way. That person became a Hunter too?”
Who was that? Those party members seemed to recognize me.
It wasn’t my imagination.
“Wow, nice to see you. You’re the one who failed the interview before, right?”
“I know who you are. The hero?”
Now I remembered bit by bit.
The guy who openly laughed calling me ‘the hero’ was supposedly from the Special Task Force.
The woman who greeted me warmly seemed to be someone I met during the interview too.
“Oh, you joined the Guild? You awakened?”
“Ah, yes.”
“No way. Where did you go?”
“I’m with Hanul.”
“Hanul? Where’s that?”
The woman seemed unsure, and a tall man pretended to punch her on the head, saying:
“It’s the Guild ranked 21st right now.”
“Ah…”
Hanul’s rank dropped further after the Guild Master changed to Im Jaejoon.
Rumors even spread that Hanul Group was unstable and the Guild would disband.
In reality, it was because Im Jaejoon and I started cleaning up the trash.
“No one really knows beyond the top 10.”
“Not really necessary to know either.”
Still, since we’d been hired the same day, they seemed friendly.
“This one caught the notorious Office Worker who had a ruthless reputation.”
“Oh? That Office Worker?”
Before I could say anything, Kim Inho spoke.
His usually calm voice sounded a little heated.
“Didn’t the Office Worker escape?”
“That’s right.”
What did the Office Worker’s escape have to do with me?
“And now I’m the Team Leader of Hanul Guild.”
“EITH?”
“Wow, seriously? You became a Team Leader already even though you became a Hunter later than us? No matter how small the Guild, that’s crazy!”
I wasn’t exactly happy to be reminded we’d gone through the same interview.
What surprised me was Kim Inho’s reaction. When his colleagues snubbed me, his expression hardened.
“But you came alone without a party?”
“Yes.”
“Got it. Must be tough.”
“Let’s get going. Good seeing you.”
The man from the Special Task Force said this, but he didn’t look particularly glad.
The woman waved, wishing me luck without any malice.
“Sorry.”
“No, it was good to see how I look through your eyes.”
I was slightly annoyed, but I understood why Team 3’s members were so hypersensitive.
The Hunter world’s judgment on someone without any proof was harsh.
Fighting God Guild entered the mid-rank Dungeon soon after, and I followed not long after.
I wondered how their expressions would contort.
As soon as I entered the Dungeon, Olivier’s voice came through.
Her support started today.
“That’s right.”
I licked my dry lips. After a long time, my fighting spirit was finally ignited.