Chapter 31: The Weight of Expectations

“It’s open.”

“Everyone, prepare to enter!”

The mages of the Red Magic Tower shouted as they withdrew their ongoing spells.

In response, the people who had come along as guards formed a formation and moved to the side.

Research mages were not specialized in combat magic, so the guards had to handle the heavy lifting.

While some research mages did know combat magic, they needed to conserve their mana for the upcoming investigation.

Lee Tae-sung blended into the middle of the group.

‘I shouldn’t show off.’

He hadn’t forgotten—he cleared missions easily in the real world, but he was still weak in Dream World.

If he forgot that and started acting out, he was bound to end up dead in an instant.

Lee Tae-sung was a man who knew his own limits.

“Is there anyone here who is first-class or higher?” one of the guards asked.

Baek Woon-ho raised his hand slightly.

“I am.”

“Can you stand at the vanguard?”

“I’ll do that.”

“Thank you. I like your straightforwardness.”

No matter how strong someone was, being asked to clear the path at the very front was never pleasant.

It was the most dangerous position, after all.

However, this was exactly what Baek Woon-ho had been hoping for.

He wanted to find traces of the Flame Emperor before anyone else, and now they were practically handing him the opportunity.

He stepped forward, still gripping Lee Tae-sung’s forearm.

“You, come with me.”

“…Excuse me? No, my position isn’t here…”

“Quiet down and follow me.”

“……Fine.”

Lee Tae-sung had intended to stay buried in the middle of the line, but Baek Woon-ho had no intention of letting him go.

Tae-sung let out a soft, internal sigh.

‘So this is the sorrow of the powerless.’

Once the guards seemed ready, one of the research mages shouted loudly.

“Advance!”

The investigation team began to enter the interior of the ruins.

***

The ruins were structured in a way that tunneled deep underground.

Magic circles made of light flashed at the fingertips of the research mages.

They were casting spells incessantly to identify traps inside the ruins.

‘It looks like a trap-specific version of Hidden Detect.’

While Hidden Detect gathered various clues based on the skill level, that magic seemed to focus solely on finding traps.

“It’s a trap.”

“Don’t move. If you take even one wrong step, magma will erupt.”

“Just a moment… done. You may proceed now.”

The research mages discovered and disarmed traps almost every few steps.

The guards watched them with looks of awe.

It was clear that if they had come in here alone without the research mages, they would have been annihilated.

The traps were terrifying enough to make one shudder, and there were many of them.

Lee Tae-sung watched them intently from the side.

And for good reason…

*Ding!*

**[You have witnessed a difficult trap-disarming process.]**

**[The proficiency of the skill Detect has slightly increased.]**

Just by observing with Hidden Detect, he could gain a small amount of skill experience like this!

And a short while later, the time for the guards to shine finally arrived.

*Creak!*

*Clank! Clank!*

“It’s a golem!”

“Everyone, prepare for battle!”

Golems made of a mix of rock and iron filled the wide cavern.

Seeing the golems appearing before them, the guards drew their respective weapons.

Lee Tae-sung frowned.

‘Golems again?’

Just a few hours ago, he had been tangling with tough golems in the real-world Ninth Mission, and now he was facing them again.

Furthermore, they even looked similar.

They weren’t identical, but they shared enough similarities that anyone would think they were brothers.

‘Is it because the creator of Dream World is a Hunter?’

Either way, that wasn’t what was important right now.

Lee Tae-sung racked his brain, trying to figure out how to fight while managing his mana levels.

However, this time, there was no need for that.

*Sizzle!*

“Ha!”

Baek Woon-ho leaped into the air and unleashed a palm strike directly at a golem.

It was the same Heavenly Net Flame Hand that Lee Tae-sung used, but it was far redder, and the heat radiating from it was overwhelming.

When the strike landed, the golem’s head and chest were shattered instantly.

The area around the break even began to melt into molten rock and iron.

‘…Incredible.’

Lee Tae-sung was amazed.

He thought his own technique was strong, but it was incomparable to Baek Woon-ho’s.

He wondered what level Baek Woon-ho’s Heavenly Net Flame Hand was.

It looked to be at least Level 6, which was considered the later stages.

From Level 6 onward, one could imbue that condensed heat into daggers or swords.

If one were to use sword techniques or knife throwing techniques with that blazing heat, how strong would they be?

‘I need to work harder on leveling up my skills.’

Baek Woon-ho had told the other guards he was first-class, but he was clearly above that.

Even though he was a Hybrider, he was likely stronger than a peak-class master.

Despite hiding his strength to some extent, his skills were overwhelming.

*Sizzle!*

*Boom! Boom!*

Golems collapsed one after another every time he struck with his palm.

“They are slow! If you can’t face them head-on, aim for the openings!”

The other guards weren’t pushovers, either.

They were people hired by the Red Magic Tower, after all.

Naturally, they were all individuals who had proven their skills in the great city of Elleun.

As they performed coordinated attacks, the golems were quickly taken down one by one.

Lee Tae-sung also moved diligently.

Using the Dragon Shadow Wind Body Method, he moved across as wide an area as possible, using the Heavenly Net Flame Hand to strike the golems’ openings.

He didn’t intend to finish them off in one go. Instead…

*Ding!*

**[You have contributed to defeating a powerful enemy.]**

**[Level Up!]**

‘Yes!’

Lee Tae-sung grinned.

The golems were strong enough that it would have been difficult for the current Lee Tae-sung to win easily in a one-on-one fight.

These ruins weren’t made by one of the era’s top mages for nothing.

Because of that, he could level up just by building contribution points while using the Heavenly Net Flame Hand!

And one more thing.

‘So that’s how it’s done…!’

Even though he was a player who learned skills automatically, there were things to be learned by watching Baek Woon-ho perform.

The way he extended his palm, his posture and the angle of force at that moment, the sequence and intensity of his breathing…

Just by using these as a reference, Lee Tae-sung’s Heavenly Net Flame Hand grew slightly.

*Ding!*

**[The proficiency of Heavenly Net Flame Hand has increased.]**

**[The skill level of Heavenly Net Flame Hand has risen.]**

**[Heavenly Net Flame Hand (Level 1) —> Heavenly Net Flame Hand (Level 2)]**

On top of that, combined with the contribution from hunting golems, his skill level soared.

‘Hehe. This feels good.’

Real-world missions were all well and good, but they were too easy, so skill levels didn’t rise much.

And since it wasn’t a game, there was no leveling up.

That didn’t mean he wanted difficult missions to appear, though.

He only had one life in the real world; he wasn’t crazy enough to wish for that.

‘I’m going to milk this level-up and Heavenly Net Flame Hand for all they’re worth today!’

Lee Tae-sung moved around even more diligently.

Even if he gained nothing else from these ruins, he would be satisfied just with his skill level increasing!

***

Early the next morning.

“Then, I’ll be going now.”

“Right. Work hard. Come straight home when you’re done.”

“Understood.”

Section Chief Song Sang-yeop greeted Department Head Han and left for his business trip.

His destination was Lee Tae-sung’s house.

The meeting regarding what the National Hunter Association would provide to Lee Tae-sung had concluded.

It had been quite a struggle.

Articles about Lee Tae-sung had suddenly exploded, and Lee Tae-sung himself had out of the blue sent a text saying he had completed the Ninth Mission.

In the end, the Association President in the United States had given direct orders: give him every bit of support possible for a rookie-class Hunter.

Furthermore, he was told to meet Lee Tae-sung in person, listen to what he wanted, and help him do as he pleased.

Section Chief Song moved to convey that to Lee Tae-sung and have a conversation.

*Vroom!*

The road was familiar since he had been there a few times.

As his car arrived in front of Lee Tae-sung’s house, Song Sang-yeop flinched.

‘…Huh?’

A small tent was pitched in front of the villa where Lee Tae-sung lived.

There was even a mat in front of it.

Since when did a homeless person start staying here?

No, even if it wasn’t exactly a high-end neighborhood, was it okay to just pitch a tent and live in front of a building?

As he approached with those thoughts, a head popped out of the tent, and words spilled out in a rapid-fire manner.

“I’m not homeless. I’m just staying here for a bit. I’ll take the tent down as soon as the person I’m waiting for comes out. So please, let it slide just this once.”

“…Blue Dragon Guild Leader?”

“……? Oh, Section Chief Song? You’re Section Chief Song from the Association, right?”

“Yes. What are you doing here?”

Song Sang-yeop was bewildered.

What was a man who was the leader of a major guild doing here?

It wasn’t like he had nowhere else to stay…

“Ha, haha…”

Lee Jung-woo laughed awkwardly.

Passersby had been asking him the same thing over and over, so he had started answering like an automated machine, but he hadn’t expected to meet someone he knew here.

“Well… I’m here to apologize to Hunter Lee Tae-sung.”

“An apology?”

“Yes. I don’t know if you saw the news this time, but…”

“Ah, that! Was that you, Guild Leader?”

“…It was my mistake.”

Lee Jung-woo lowered his head.

Song Sang-yeop had wondered how the news about Lee Tae-sung had leaked, and here was the culprit.

Thinking about it, it made sense.

Association employees were resistant to such things because they had been targeted by reporters many times.

They also received regular training, so they wouldn’t leak information about Hunters even by mistake.

“So I’ve been waiting here to apologize.”

“Then why are you out here instead of ringing the doorbell and going inside?”

“He might be busy. I couldn’t bear to disturb him, so… I’m just waiting for him to come out.”

Additionally, it was because he thought showing this kind of performance would make Lee Tae-sung appreciate his sincerity more.

“Hmm. I see. I have something to tell Hunter Lee Tae-sung, so I’m going to head inside.”

“Yes. Don’t mind me, please go in.”

“Aren’t you coming with me?”

“I’m prepared to wait for up to three days. Hahat. I have to show my sincerity.”

It was at that moment.

“…Huh?”

Lee Tae-sung flinched as he stepped out of his studio apartment building.

His eyes widened…

“W-Wait! Don’t go back!”

“Hunter Lee Tae-sung! We’re not door-to-door salesmen!”

The two men caught Lee Tae-sung, who was instinctively stepping back.

***

‘What on earth is going on?’

Lee Tae-sung blinked in confusion.

The ruins quest had reached a temporary standstill.

He had hit a dead end, and it looked like it would take some time to clear a path.

So, in the meantime, he had stepped out of the house to get some food and fresh air, but he had run into two people he never expected to see outside his home.

And what was with this tent?

Hiding his confusion for now, he led the two men to a cafe.

It was too strange to talk on the street, and his house wasn’t large enough to invite two people over, so they went elsewhere.

“Hello.”

Lee Ye-ji joined them by the time they entered the cafe.

She hadn’t stayed in the tent with her brother; she had been at a nearby lodging and had rushed over after receiving a text from him.

Lee Tae-sung took a sip of his iced americano.

The infusion of caffeine helped calm his mind.

“Everyone, I never imagined seeing you all together like this… What brings you to the front of my house?”

At Lee Tae-sung’s question, Lee Jung-woo and Song Sang-yeop exchanged glances.

Who would speak first?

Lee Jung-woo was the one who stepped up.

“First… would you mind taking a look at this?”

Lee Jung-woo pulled out a tablet PC and handed it over.

‘An article.’

Even though he had only read a few lines, Lee Tae-sung realized the article was about him.

He checked the comments as well.

People were calling him a promising rookie, asking if a proper Hunter had finally appeared in Korea after a long time.

There were some malicious comments, but they were almost non-existent compared to the positive ones.

The few that existed were either saying he needed to prove his skills more or questioning the reliability of the article.

‘This is good.’

Everyone wants to be famous at least once.

Lee Tae-sung had never had such an experience, but now that the opportunity had arrived, he felt like he wanted to experience the life of a celebrity or a social media star.

Lee Tae-sung had wanted something like this ever since he awakened.

When he worked at a small company, he lived as an insignificant cog in society, but hadn’t a different possibility arisen now?

He thought it would be possible after he built up more achievements and proved himself… but an article like this was already out?

Lee Tae-sung looked up at Lee Jung-woo.

It seemed Lee Jung-woo had come to tell him that this article was thanks to him.

“Thank you so mu—”

“I am truly sorry.”

“?”

Lee Jung-woo bowed his head deeply.

“I don’t know how to apologize or what to say to ask for your forgiveness for what happened due to my slip of the tongue. I’ve prepared several things. I’m thinking of getting you a car or a house, but I’d like to discuss that step by step.”

“???”

Lee Tae-sung’s eyes shook with confusion.

Was this some kind of hidden camera prank?