It was the Portal.

A new ball of light floated above a stone slab.

The surrounding plants glowed strangely, reflecting the light.

“Let’s go.”

The 25A team members quickly approached the Portal.

It had been 15 hours since they entered the Dungeon.

Leaving now was a bit early, but considering the injured person, they couldn’t delay any longer.

Seo Gangjin gently laid the German down on the stone slab right in front of the Portal.

Being carried all this time must have been a significant burden.

His breathing had become very weak.

Rip!

Seo Gangjin quickly peeled off the Taegeukgi flag attached to his right forearm and placed it on the German’s chest.

Below the Taegeukgi, the words ‘Special Tactical Training Institute’ were embroidered.

Attaching the national flag is a mark that we saved this Hunter.

Although the rescue of Earth’s Hunters became mandatory by international agreement, the corresponding rewards also became mandatory.

When this Hunter returns, Germany will have to repay Korea with Points.

“You’ll be able to receive treatment right away.”

Seo Gangjin comforted him with words he couldn’t hear, then gently pushed the German into the Portal.

The ball of light swallowed the German from his head, eventually encompassing his toes.

Then, as if nothing had happened, it emitted a blue light again.

The escape Portal sends a Hunter to where they entered.

He was probably transported to wherever the German Dungeon Stone Slab was, though they didn’t know where that was.

“Haa… Should we go back too?”

Kim Songcheol said, gasping for breath.

The team members nodded with tired expressions.

The 25A team members stood in a circle, with the Portal in the center.

This was because entering simultaneously was the rule.

“Team 25A personnel confirmed. We will escape.”

With Moon Gijeong’s declaration, the four people entered the Portal simultaneously.

Kim Songcheol felt dizzy for a moment. His vision turned completely white.

But that was only for a moment.

He felt a solid floor, and suddenly his surroundings came into view.

The first thing he saw was the medical staff.

There were four doctors in white coats and four nurses.

When Hunters enter a Dungeon, medical staff are always on standby.

This is in case they return injured.

They immediately stood up when Team 25A returned.

“No injured personnel. All 4 members have escaped.”

After Moon Gijeong gave a brief report, the medical staff smiled as if relieved.

“You worked hard.”

The medical staff bowed to Team 25A and exited the room.

Only Kim Myeongju remained.

He gave a slight bow and waited silently.

This was because the post-processing was not yet complete.

Team 25A had not yet descended from the Stone Slab.

Kim Songcheol stood panting and wiping away sweat. He was still experiencing the aftereffects of the arduous climb.

Moon Gijeong was not much different, but he had something to do.

Moon Gijeong tapped the hologram floating in the air a few times and then spoke.

“Points transfer ready. Recipient set. You can transfer them now.”

Points collected in the Dungeon accumulate individually. However, legally, all Points are the property of the Nation.

Once a Hunter becomes somewhat strong, there’s a little leeway, but for now, it was generally better to just transfer everything.

After all, there was nothing to buy with a few measly Points.

‘How many have you collected, Mr. Kim Songcheol?’

Kim Myeongju waited with a faint smile.

All the Points earned at the Training Institute went to Kim Myeongju. Kim Myeongju was also a Hunter who had entered and exited a Dungeon once, so he had the authority to receive Points and the data on the Points Hunters had earned so far.

Kim Myeongju was also a Hunter who had entered and exited a Dungeon once, so he had the authority to receive Points and the data on the Points Hunters had earned so far.

‘The average is 600 Points. I hope you’ve earned at least 900 Points. That would put you in the rankings for first Dungeon collection Points.’

[Hunter Moon Gijeong has transferred 642 Points.]

A message appeared before Kim Myeongju’s eyes.

He nodded slightly.

Because it was a reasonable amount of Points.

[Hunter Oh Songhui has transferred 1256 Points.]

‘…?’

Kim Myeongju frowned.

1256 Points.

Something was wrong.

Team 25A hadn’t even stayed in the Dungeon for very long.

Yet, they had earned Points that couldn’t be achieved by simply clearing an F-rank Dungeon.

[Hunter Seo Gangjin has transferred 1321 Points.]

“What in the world…?”

Just as Kim Myeongju couldn’t hold back and spoke.

[Hunter Kim Songcheol has transferred 2365 Points.]

Kim Songcheol’s Points appeared before his eyes.

Kim Myeongju’s eyes widened.

“Two thousand three hundred…? Wh-what is this?”

This was beyond simply being fortunate to have earned a lot.

These were Points that couldn’t be earned without getting involved in some kind of incident.

That incident must have been a life-threatening crisis.

Since four people returned alive, it meant things had ended well, but as the Education Director, it was unavoidable to feel a chill down his spine.

However, the stream of Points didn’t end there.

Even bigger Points remained.

[Hunter Johann Müller sent 10000 Points.]

Points also flew in from Germany.

Kim Myeongju pressed his forehead and sat on the desk.

His head was spinning.

“What on earth happened?”

Now it was time to hear the real explanation.

“Ha… I climbed the mountain too much.”

Only then did Kim Songcheol get down from the Stone Slab and begin to speak.

It was not at all what Kim Myeongju had expected.

“Huh? The mountain…?”

Kim Myeongju frowned as much as he could. You don’t get Points by climbing a mountain.

He couldn’t even guess what Kim Songcheol was talking about.

***

Kim Myeongju returned to the Director’s Office.

This was after he had heard everything that happened in the Dungeon.

He had a lot to say, but for now, he had sent the Hunters back for their rest.

From the first word, he said he had climbed a lot of mountains. He could say his stamina had almost reached its limit.

He slowly closed the door and walked deliberately towards the desk, lost in thought.

‘…He noticed the Ambush? What kind of world is he living in?’

He could understand him facing a powerful Quesha alone.

He had already heard about Fast Casting. If he didn’t give up distance, it would be a very advantageous battle.

Even if that Quesha was a warrior who had been bestowed a greatsword.

What Kim Myeongju was truly curious about was the ‘sense’ that noticed the Ambush.

Not a separate Magic, but just Mana Sense.

With just that, he read the presence.

Was there ever a Mage who could do that?

At least as far as Kim Myeongju knew, there wasn’t one on Earth.

Buzz.

A vibration rang from Kim Myeongju’s right inner pocket.

His personal Mobile Phone was in his left pocket.

This was for work.

Kim Myeongju took out his Mobile Phone and checked the caller.

It was an unknown number.

But the caller was somewhat predictable.

Kim Myeongju answered the phone.

“Hello?”

“This is Johann Müller. We met once a few years ago, do you remember?”

An English accent full of German inflection was heard.

Kim Myeongju and Johann Müller had met before.

Johann Müller was also the head of an institution similar to a special tactical Training Institute in Germany.

They had exchanged greetings once at an official conference.

“I remember. Ah, I received the Points well.”

“That’s a relief. Thanks to the Hunter from Korea, we were able to avoid annihilation. On behalf of Germany, I express my gratitude.”

“We just did what we had to do. Wasn’t it part of the agreement to save Hunters in danger?”

“Haha…”

Johann Müller let out an awkward laugh.

Although an agreement was made, what happens in a private Dungeon is unknown and cannot be interfered with.

It’s a rule to abandon even teammates if they’re in danger, so it was safe to assume no one would risk their life for a Hunter from another country.

“Rescuing an unconscious Hunter is not a normal task. Is the Korean Hunter safe?”

“They escaped without major problems.”

“Ah… that’s a relief.”

Johann Müller muttered somewhat strangely, then continued.

“By the way, did you hear what happened inside the Dungeon? Based on the form of the wounds, I judged it to be a Quesha’s weapon. Is that correct?”

“Yes, they said they fought with Queshas.”

“Can you explain the nature of the battle?”

Kim Myeongju paused for a moment.

He had to consider everything from Johann Müller’s intention behind the question to the scope of information he could disclose.

Germany and Korea were not in a hostile relationship, nor was there any reason for them to be.

However, from Kim Myeongju’s perspective, he had an obligation to protect the information of his country’s Hunter.

Especially for an ‘exceptional’ Hunter like Kim Songcheol.

“…They said there was an Ambush using the rescued Hunter as bait.”

Kim Myeongju had no choice but to mention the Ambush. Even if the rescued German Hunter was unconscious now, he would say something once he woke up.

That testimony and Kim Myeongju’s current testimony could not be different.

“A Quesha’s Ambush, you say? It’s hard to believe that after fighting against a Quesha’s Ambush, there was enough leeway to rescue our Hunter… Ah, don’t misunderstand. I just want to hear the situation accurately. I have no other intentions.”

Johann Müller spoke quickly. His tone felt sincere.

It was indeed something anyone would doubt. If even a head-on fight with a Quesha was difficult, and then there was an Ambush, it was strange that the Korean Hunters returned unscathed.

‘I’ll have to obscure this. That Hunter was vague from the beginning, so he won’t remember the battle.’

“Fortunately, the Quesha side had a weakness, they said. I heard they noticed the Ambush.”

“Ah, I see. Even so, the battle couldn’t have been easy… The Korean team’s strength seems quite outstanding.”

Johann Müller seemed to genuinely believe Kim Myeongju’s words.

Kim Myeongju felt a slight sense of relief.

The Hunter Transfer Market was truly a silent battlefield.

Even if Germany and Korea had no major problems, they had to be considered unconditional adversaries when it came to the Transfer Market.

He couldn’t ignite that war now.

At least until he graduated from the Training Institute, Kim Songcheol’s existence had to remain a secret.

“Finally, I express my gratitude once again, haha.”

“Not at all. Perhaps there will be a time when Korea needs help.”

“If it’s Korea, I will issue an order to unconditionally save them.”

Johann Müller and Kim Myeongju exchanged a barrage of seemingly friendly empty promises, then hung up the phone.

“Phew.”

Kim Myeongju let out a short breath, then immediately turned on his computer and began writing a proposal.

The purpose of the proposal was ‘Item Acquisition Recommendation’.

He intended to acquire an item suitable for Kim Songcheol.

There was no precedent for providing items to trainees.

It was normal to receive a decent item along with a normal graduation, like a graduation gift.

But Kim Songcheol could not be treated in such an old-fashioned way.

When a Hunter’s abilities far exceeded the average, what did tradition and rules matter?

Moreover, there was a ‘reason’ why he needed to be given something.

“Hmm… but what stats should I raise?”

Kim Myeongju, who was writing the proposal, at some point took his hands off the keyboard and stroked his chin.

Since he was buying it anyway, he had to buy something perfectly suited for Kim Songcheol right now.

After all, the Points he could use were limited.