Logically, it should be nothing more than an absurd rumor—but for so reason, today it sounded surprisingly plausible.
“Th-... regarding that Hunter...”
Kang Changho moved the phone to his other hand. Since he wasn’t facing anyone in person anyway, he continued his response without showing any expression.
“Presumably, it’s a misunderstanding. The whole reputation he’s had since the [Inevitable Malice] incident was certainly suspicious, but up close, he doesn’t exactly give off the vibe of soone working for the governnt, does he?”
As their conversation went on, the scenery outside the taxi window had quietly changed.
“The story you heard is probably just so nonsense that got distorted sowhere along the way.”
“I guess so.”
“Let’s not take it too seriously.”
Perhaps because it had been so long since he last rode one, the backseat of an ordinary taxi felt even more cramped than usual. With that mundane thought, Kang Changho shifted his posture slightly.
“Even if that Hunter turned out to be so spy from another country, it’s not really sothing I need to concern myself with.”
At that remark, the person on the other end of the line grew visibly uneasy as well.
“Mr. Kang Changho, with that kind of personality, how did you even manage to take on the [Sloth Castle] raid?”
In other words, the remark just made by the man in the back seat of the taxi could be interpreted like this. As Korea’s t-hed S-rank, he boasted that even if a major incident broke out in the country, he wouldn’t get involved if he simply didn’t feel like it.
“I’m not interested in manpower that can’t be controlled with money.”
Kang Changho didn’t stop there and went on to assert his stance multiple tis.
“After all, he’s a superhuman I can’t use as I please. In that case, even if I bother paying attention to him, I’d just be the one losing out.”
Kang Changho rolled his [Dragon’s Eye] and pictured the face of an awakened one. At present, Korea’s last S-rank—a water-attribute superhuman. That blond man had recently displayed terrifying power, and, moreover, the more one got entangled with him, the more strangely exhausting it beca. Either way, he was an irregular existence Kang would rather keep at a distance.
“By the way, who would have thought a whole new gate would appear, admonishing lazy people with the words, ‘Don’t live a life of sin?’”
Therefore, Kang Changho gradually shifted the topic elsewhere, aiming to wrap up the conversation.
“That dungeon’s phrase is funny, now that I think about it.”
“Really?”
“How could doing nothing be such a grave sin? Still—selling your country’s secrets for a few bucks, that kind of traitorous act would at least make you feel like you’d actually committed a sin.”
“Is that remark perhaps ant for to hear?”
From the circumstances, it looked like a relationship where one side had been unilaterally buying information. But Kang Changho didn’t seem particularly attached to the current connection, as he ended the call quickly. A person who craves money is, as he had just ntioned, always useful in one way or another. Still, once you start manipulating people to a certain degree, the situation inevitably becos dull. And then everything feels boring and tedious again...
“That’s exactly the kind of situation where the phrase ‘contrary for the sake of being contrary’ fits perfectly.”
It was truly a paradox of abundance. The blue-haired man finally switched his phone off completely and sat in silence, waiting only for the taxi to reach its destination. Outside the window, the cityscape still stretched on, painted in shades of gray.
Seoul. If this place were really to collapse one day, then that would truly be the ti to move away.
“...”
Not yet. There was no need for that yet. It wasn’t the ti when he wanted to, either.
***
The first conclusion of the Sin Classification incident. How many hours had passed since then?
“Hello, viewers. Live on YTV, bringing you today’s morning news.”
Over the blue seas of South Korea, a new sun had already risen. Yet, even though the date had changed, there was still no sign of the next fortress dungeon appearing.
“After all, the boss that Kang Changho defeated didn’t give out a notice for the next fortress, either.”
The trap that had been testing humanity’s very nature had finally vanished without a trace. As a result, the world’s broadcasting stations delivered news of victory to everyone. Of course, there were always those who complained—asking why an ergency alert ssage had been sent if it was going to be resolved so quickly, or why people had been needlessly forced to evacuate. But such unsightly grievances were never sothing hunters were expected to deal with in the first place.
“Being in a profession that feeds on the nation’s salary is certainly not easy, I guess...”
Since we had managed to overco at least one crisis for the first ti in a while, I thought it was only right. After days of energy alert ssages spent on all-night research, business trips to the Castle of Pride, and so on—I sank into a hot bath, letting the steaming water wash away the fatigue I had accumulated.
Back in my Alphauri days, this sort of act—boiling myself alive in hot water—was sothing I had never even imagined. But after living as an Earthling, I was slowly starting to understand. Playing in the cold water of a swimming pool and bathing in water heated to around 40°C were entirely different cultural experiences.
‘Primitive as it is, it does feel nice. Could this be why humanity never bothered to develop a bathing machine?’
At this point, I could hardly go around mocking them as inferiors just because they didn’t know the ‘Clean’ spell. And since I’d managed stress relief in the Earthling way as well, I had planned to muster my strength and get started on the remaining tasks today.
“Hmm?”
It was around this point that my plans went sowhat astray. I had finally completed a spell for the Gisimche. Since an incantation doesn’t wear out no matter how many tis it’s used, my original plan had been to keep this magical redy at hand and make a circuit of the remaining dungeons. More precisely, I had intended to attack the still-unsealed [Sin Classification] in reverse order.
‘I didn’t see this coming.’
But when I reached out to set up my departure schedule, an unexpected reply ca back at this point.
‘I’ve been turned down by everyone.’
Entry for foreigners had been denied across all Sin Classification dungeons, including the one thed around Wrath. There was no need to pry into the details. With the other side showing such transparent intent, it wasn’t hard to predict how they would act from here on.
‘They’ll have their own hunters take care of clearing it.’
Well.
Co to think of it, the South Korean team’s victory broadcast would have tipped them off to the speedrun’s secret. They already knew the strategy. If a country had the right people, there was no need to hire foreign rcenaries.
‘Besides, it was who turned down Britain’s request in the first place. Throwing a fit now that they won’t accept would only make look ridiculous.’
A sowhat anticlimactic conclusion. In the end, every Sin Classification dungeon was cleared independently by each nation’s governing authority.
‘Still, if sothing were to go wrong after sending all the S-ranks in, it would be the end. Everyone’s got strong nerves. Or are they perhaps actually counting on the “stabbing a vital point” thod...?’
After that fleeting, absurd thought, I turned my head and looked out the window.
‘It looks cold outside.’
I had been certain I could monopolize the rewards from the other [Sin Classification] dungeons, but that hope had completely slipped away. Yet even after losing the number of epic items I had set aside for the future, I wasn’t shaken. It was fine. After all, riding in a 180-ton hunk of scrap—a plane—was already tireso, and I had already cleared at least one Sin Classification dungeon on my own anyway.
‘My good teammates even promised a 33.3% share of the dungeon rewards!’
To be honest, all I did during the raid was drain the seawater, yet the rewards were dazzling. Just thinking about the hunter’s paynt that would soon co in after taxes made my mouth water, and my brain flooded with happiness hormones.
‘Heh heh.’
Of course, it was a bit disappointing that I couldn’t administer any more of the potion for the Gisimche.
‘There’s nothing I can do.’
For now, I decided to calmly observe the outco of at least the one Castle of Pride dungeon. With that conclusion, I wrapped up the adjustnts to my plan.
“Hmm.”
The overseas jobs I had earmarked were gone... but on the other hand, the incoming pay had been fully booked. So, what should I do from here?
‘Oh, co to think of it, the weekend’s coming up, soon, isn’t it?’
Recently, I discovered a way to spend money like a Korean. I’m not sure if the sa applies to primitive people in other regions, though. In the country where Kim Giryeo was born, it seed that whenever sothing good happened, people had a culture of sharing delicious food with each other.
‘By the way, if you’re wondering how I figured this out, it was by thoroughly analyzing the new term ‘promotion treat’ that I found on the internet...’
No wonder I’ve always instinctively wanted to do that whenever I earned money.
‘Of course, the little fragnts of mory left in my brain played a part as well.’
Anyway, I decided to follow the local custom to celebrate my share of the epic items. But since my stingy tendencies just wouldn’t die, I was careful in choosing whom to treat in the first place.
.
.
.
Ding-dong, ding-dong.
“Oh, here we co.”
“Seonwoo Yeon-ssi!”
It happened 24 hours later. A familiar figure arrived at the quiet winter beach. Jet-black hair like ebony, a low-cost padded jacket that looked at least three years out of fashion, and so on. This Earth creature, appearing in such simple attire, instantly greeted .
“Hello.”
She had helped a great deal so far, and would likely be of imnse help in setting on this planet going forward. If I were to show any rcy, surely choosing soone like her would be the obvious choice, wouldn’t it?
“Nice to see you. It’s nothing special—I just thought I’d invite you today to treat you to a al, Seonwoo Yeon.”
“al?”
“Yes. al.”
“Excuse , but may I ask exactly what kind of restaurant we’re going to?”
It was at that mont, Seonwoo Yeon suddenly started focusing on the most trivial details. So I answered without giving it much thought.
“A Korean beef restaurant!”
“Ah.”
“There’s really no nu better than this when you want to give soone a proper treat.”
But I never explained the conversation to take this turn.
“Oh, I’m sorry, but you really shouldn’t be buying such expensive food for .”
“Why?”
“There’s sothing in this world called the Anti-Graft Act, you know.”
“Oh, right. Damn it.”
“I’m a public official affiliated with the Hunter Association, and I’m not allowed to accept gifts worth more than 60,000 won from hunters or petitioners with a high degree of relevance to my duties...”
“My body just rembered it now.”
By the way, the restaurant I had chosen today had a staggering price of 170,000 won per person. I quietly glanced at her, then spoke up.
“Then... perhaps we could quietly eat the Korean beef and keep it just between us...?”
“Would that be alright?”
But, as expected, Seonwoo Yeon was still Seonwoo Yeon.
“Oh my, I’m too scared even to make a joke.”
A principled rule-follower who imdiately shows discomfort at even the slightest hint of wrongdoing. She lightly insisted that we could just pay for our own als. But if things went that way, it would create a small problem for .
“Ah, this just makes feel like such trash.”
“Trash?”
“Actually, I had a personal favor I wanted to ask today. That’s why I deliberately chose an expensive restaurant, mixing it with the feeling of bribery.”
“That’s corruption itself.”
Seonwoo Yeon spoke up with a completely nonchalant attitude.
“But as expected, it’s fine.”
“What?”
“Even if you don’t buy anything, I’ll still help Kim Giryeo-ssi.”
“Why?”
“Well...”
What followed was a completely unexpected line.
“Anyway, I’m bored, so...”
“What did you say?”
Seeing that I was visibly shocked, Seonwoo Yeon looked a bit embarrassed and explained with so difficulty. The planet they had on had gone through the Dungeon Shock, leaving many people as wanderers who had lost their families and they t. Because she didn’t have many friends to hang out with, she spent her weekends volunteering and doing things like that.
“So, eting these strange beings called aliens in the midst of all this, aside from being creepy, is honestly quite interesting!”
Tuk.
I interjected at this point while listening to what she was saying.
“Wait a minute—what did you an by the part where you said it was creepy?”
At this, the Earth mammal broke out in a slight cold sweat.
“Well... suddenly finding out that there’s an intelligent life form in the universe similar to humanity, it gives off a sowhat negative feeling...”
“I was the one who was really shocked when I first saw an Earthling. Because you were creepy.”
In many ways, it was absurd. And yet, as we traded these frivolous remarks, I finally began to feel as though I’d truly returned to everyday life.
“They said that even the hunters whose ntal health had deteriorated due to the [Sin Classification] had fully recovered without any issues.”
So that’s it. I quickly collected my thoughts, recalling the legal limits Seonwoo Yeon had ntioned.
“Anyway, shall we start with a al?”
“Ah.”
“I can take the Korean beef I reserved earlier to go and eat it myself, and then treat you, Seonwoo Yeon, to a different nu.”
A primitive mage trembling with anxiety at soone’s insistence on buying food. But to be honest, upfront, there was absolutely no reason to be afraid of the schedule ahead.
“Kim Giryeo-ssi, just what is that you’ve been going through all this elaborate groundwork for, trying to ask ?”
Eventually, a voice ca from her Earth-style vocal cords, speaking in the sa tone as usual.
“Writing a script for my retirent press conference.”
“Yes?”
“To be precise, I’d like an ordinary person by my side to revise it, so that no strange expressions slip in.”
Author's Thoughts
Hi, from now on, I will update this novel 3 chapters/week. Thank you for all your support so far:)
User Comments
0 comments from readers