I entered the 8th floor of the Guild to meet Im Jaejoon.
Just in time, I saw a group coming out of the president’s office.
“Hey, Team Leader 3.”
“Hello.”
I greeted them, but their faces didn’t look so welcoming.
They were Team Leader 1 and Team Leader 2, key figures in Director Beom Jeonghun’s faction, which was different from Im Jaejoon’s side.
I’d met Team Leader 1 once before when he talked about coffee, but it was my first time seeing the others in person.
“You’ve been quite impressive lately.”
“Busy showing off these days, huh?”
The tone of Team Leaders 1 and 2 was very different. Team Leader 1 was similar to Kim Kimon. The only difference was that Kim Kimon had no real power, whereas Team Leader 1 did.
Team Leader 2 had the image of a street punk.
He was famous for tarnishing Hanul Guild’s image with all kinds of incidents.
To Hanul’s Legal Team, he was practically a Blacklist-level figure.
But he was also Hanul Guild’s top dealer.
“I’m not as bad as you.”
“What did you say, you punk?”
“You must be really out of line for the paparazzi to follow you around. You must have your hands full keeping those reporters fed.”
It was true—wherever Team Leader 2, Kim Changsu, went, there was always a story for the news.
Watching his face turn red from the open insult was quite a sight.
“Hahaha, Team Leader 2. I’ve never seen anyone talk like that in front of Changsu before. Entertaining, really entertaining.”
“Do you avoid crap because you’re afraid of it? No, you avoid it because it’s dirty. I just can’t stand filth. If I see it, I have to clean it up.”
“What, crap?”
Kim Changsu seemed ready to hit me right then. Honestly, I’d provoked him on purpose, but I didn’t expect him to take the bait so easily.
“Oh my, you kids. Youthful energy, huh? All right, that’s enough. Team Leader 3, I think I told you to watch your mouth before.”
“If you speak kindly, you’ll get kindness in return, right?”
“That’s enough. Team Leader 3, this time, Team 1 and Team 2 are going out to tackle a Gate on an agency request. Can you bring Seohyeonji with you?”
“Hunter Seohyeonji?”
“Yes. Normally, teams are divided up for smooth raids, but we’re all in the same Guild, aren’t we? For important events, teams need to cooperate.”
Director Beom Jeonghun’s side kept eyeing Seohyeonji. Of course, it was natural—she was an S-rank.
Even if she was still inexperienced, that title carried enormous weight.
“This time, the Wizard System put out a new forecast. It predicts over twenty Gates will open in Seoul and the Capital Area, so all the Guilds’ S-rank and A Grade members are being mobilized.”
“I see.”
“We also have S-ranks in our Guild, and it wouldn’t make sense not to send them out just because they’re in different teams. If you’re not comfortable sending Seohyeonji Hunter alone, you can go with her, Team Leader 3.”
He said it like he was being considerate. But I could see right through what they were really thinking.
They just wanted to parade Seohyeonji around in public, get her noticed, and eventually swallow her up for themselves.
At first, I’d considered sending Seohyeonji to another team.
But seeing how much they wanted her made me not want to send her at all.
More than anything, Seohyeonji had been working harder than I’d expected.
In other words, she was worth training.
If I polished her properly, she’d become a brilliant jewel—it would be a waste to leave her buried in this trash heap.
“Hunter Seohyeonji isn’t ready to run Gates yet. How well do you think someone who’s only danced until now will do in a hunt? And another thing.”
Let’s make it clear so they never look at my team again.
“Stop worrying about someone else’s bowl—mind your own, so you don’t end up like Kim Kimon.”
At my words, Team Leader 1’s smiling face hardened. Team Leader 2, Kim Changsu, moved first.
“You crazy bastard!”
He threw a punch at me. He was pretty fast.
Rumor had it he was always drunk and causing trouble, but he was a top B-Rank.
‘He’s coming in too honestly.’
It was obvious he hadn’t received proper training.
He was the type who just trusted his own talent and the power he got from his Awakening.
If you connect to the System, raise your Stats, Level up, and get good gear, you can manage hunting somehow.
I took half a step aside and swept his legs out.
“Wh-what!”
As he lost his balance, I finished it by giving him a light push on the back.
Kim Changsu fell flat to the floor.
It probably hurt his pride more than his body.
“You punk! Do you even know who I am?”
“If you want a fight, do it in the ring, not on the Royal Floor. If you cause a scene where everyone can see, it’ll just look like we don’t get along.”
I mimed holding a phone to my ear as if waiting for a call.
I’d provoked them enough—they’d probably come after me soon.
The look Team Leader 2 gave me was like he wanted to eat me alive, and Team Leader 1’s glare was deadly.
The combination was quite something.
There was no way I’d ever get along with these two.
So I’d draw the line and warn them—cross over or don’t.
“You punk, you could end up dead. Seriously.”
Oh, I see. The mighty B-Rank Hunter is really angry.
I just smiled.
A lot of guys had threatened to kill me before. But none of them ever did.
Even the Demon King himself couldn’t, so I wasn’t scared of some thug snarling at me.
“Smiling, are you?”
This time, he wasn’t talking to me.
Glancing to the side, I saw the security team trying to keep a straight face.
“You little punks!”
“Let’s go.”
“Boss! These punks—!”
Team Leader 1 frowned and told the raging Team Leader 2,
“Let’s go.”
The former gangster’s firm tone left the thug with no choice.
“We made quite a scene, didn’t we.”
“Not at all. Actually, that was refreshing.”
I heard a quiet chuckle from the desk staff at the Royal Floor Security Team’s words.
I guess no one likes troublemakers, wherever you go.
Guided inside, I entered the president’s office.
“Can’t you do something about those idiots?”
“Sooner or later, they’ll all be dealt with. Thanks to you, we can pull Director Beom Jeonghun down.”
Im Jaejoon sat with his legs crossed, savoring expensive tea. So relaxed.
Once this is over, I’ll sweep away all the eyesores like Kim Kimon.
Whatever you do, cleaning comes first. Make it neat.
“By the way, do you really have to find the Office Worker?”
“It’s good, isn’t it? Catching a wanted criminal and all.”
Im Jaejoon snorted and took another sip of tea.
“This time, the Wizard System has predicted a large-scale Gate outbreak.”
“I know.”
The Wizard System.
It predicts where Gates will appear, analyzes Dungeon data using Algorithms, and quantifies it all.
Its accuracy is so high that our country’s prediction rate is among the top three.
This time, Wizard predicted over twenty Gates opening at once.
And three of those were said to be A Grade or higher.
That’s why all the S-rank and top Hunters in the country were called up.
Except for Seohyeonji, of course.
“Growing fast. Making a lot of money, getting famous. This Gate is a bit disappointing, though.”
“It’s not going to make much of a splash anyway, overshadowed by the S-ranks. More importantly, where can I find the Office Worker?”
“I’ll send you the location.”
A shared location popped up in my phone chat.
The Office Worker’s current location was a village covered by a Magical Field.
If a Gate forms and isn’t stopped in time, it becomes a Dungeon.
When that happens, a strong Magical Field turns everything into Death’s Land.
With no people around, it’s the perfect place for Villains to hide.
“Olivier told you, right?”
“Yeah. She told me why you’re so eager to find the Office Worker.”
Im Jaejoon finished his tea.
His eyes gave nothing away.
He knew already, but didn’t tell me in advance.
“As you guessed, what you caught was a resident of another world. The Office Worker is probably from another world, too.”
“Yeah, I thought so.”
Some people are reincarnated, but there are also Awakeners like you and the young lady who returned after crossing dimensions.
Like me.
Of course, you’re not the only ones crossing dimensions.
Maybe the Gate is an entrance to another dimension.
But that’s not what’s bothering me.
The Office Worker.
That guy tried to offer a sacrifice and summon something.
“But do you really need to get involved?”
He’s right.
Like Im Jaejoon said, I’m neither a cop nor a guard.
There’s no reason for me to go hunting Villains.
But a doubt had arisen in my mind, a thorn stuck in my mouth.
Above all, the Villain recognized that I was a Hero.
In other words, he was from my world.
Karin and her vassals crossed into the modern world to help me.
But for them to truly be happy, to live their original lives, they need to return to their own world.
“I’m just after the bounty again.”
“You’ll get even more famous. Good for the Guild, too.”
Im Jaejoon smiled wryly.
“What? Where is he?”
Seohyeonji had cleared her schedule to come to the Guild for the first time in a while.
But the person who always lived in the training room was nowhere to be seen.
“Team Leader took a day off today.”
“Day off? That guy? Seriously?”
At Kim Inho’s words, as he dutifully trained, Seohyeonji’s delicate brow furrowed slightly.
She’d made time to come, only to find him gone.
“Unni, you’re always looking for Team Leader. Is it love or what?”
“What? Why? I came to complain about the weird training he’s been making me do.”
“Let’s say that’s true.”
At Kim Taeyang’s teasing, Seohyeonji snorted.
For once, Kim Taeyang was running hard on the treadmill, his clothes soaked with sweat.
“Such a clown.”
“Why not? Our Team Leader said he wants to Awaken as a Hunter, make a ton of money, get famous, and marry a celebrity wife.”
“Him?”
“He said that back when he was a trainer.”
Seohyeonji looked surprised at Kim Taeyang’s words.
“What does that have to do with me?”
“Everything. You’d better hold on to our Team Leader tight or someone else will snatch him up.”
“Funny. I’m Seohyeonji. Just ask anyone on the street if they don’t know me.”
She said it arrogantly, but she wasn’t wrong.
The drama she just filmed was such a massive hit she barely had time to breathe.
“Even if Team Leader isn’t famous yet, you never know what’ll happen.”
Kim Inho wiped his sweat after working out and said. Kim Taeyang grinned and nodded.
“I’ll admit that. If you ask me, he’ll reach S-rank soon. Actually, isn’t he already stronger than most S-ranks?”
There was a reason Kim Inho and Kim Taeyang thought so.
Lee Hyunbin had something special.
Normally, getting punched wouldn’t hurt this much.
Hunters have the HP System, so some of the shock is absorbed.
But getting hit by Lee Hyunbin was different.
Above all, the fact that he could solo a Boss only a month after Awakening was monstrous.
“Even the Villain he caught—the Office Worker—has been evaluated as S-rank at times.”
Seohyeonji muttered softly.
The reason she’d chosen Hanul Guild over others was Lee Hyunbin’s overwhelming potential.
While the three of them were gossiping about their Team Leader, the man himself had arrived in the wastelands.
Seoul Station Dungeon.
What was once known as the first Gate had descended here and swept everything away.
A place that was once the hub of all transportation, always packed with people, was now Death’s Land, where not a blade of grass grew.
“I want to ask you something.”
Hyunbin easily found the person he’d wanted to see.
“If I catch a wanted criminal I already caught once, do I get the bounty again?”
To Hyunbin’s question, the man in a suit—a White Collar—gave a faint smile.
“We meet again, Hero.”
Facing the Office Worker, Hyunbin calmly put on his open-finger gloves.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.