Chapter 161

It was already dawn by the time I returned to my bedroom after planning with Alex.

Lying in bed, I opened my inventory.

[System: Would you like to play Memory Fragment (6/7)?]

[YES] / [NO]

“Yes.”

Only one left now.

* * *

Not long ago, five gates had opened simultaneously in Gyeonggi Province alone.

One S-rank gate, three A-rank gates, and one B-rank gate.

Entering the ninth year of the apocalypse, the frequency of gate appearances had sharply increased, but this was a first.

The government’s Gate Countermeasures Headquarters was in chaos, failing to provide accurate information to the hunters.

Given the urgency of the situation, each guild dispatched hunters, focusing on the S and A-rank gates.

But that was the problem.

The boss of the B-rank gate was a Queen Spider.

That day, a third of Gyeonggi Province was decimated.

The highest number of casualties in history occurred in a single day. It was the worst day since the apocalypse began.

After that day, I couldn’t take a single step outside my home.

The moment I did, reporters would swarm like hyenas, shoving microphones in my face.

“What do you believe was the cause of the failed raid? Was it the government’s complacent response? Or do you think it was the fault of hunters blinded by profit?”

“According to reports, the government asked Hunter Ryu to handle the B-rank gate, but you insisted on the S-rank gate. Is this true?”

“Did you refuse to raid the B-rank gate because of money?”

I had never refused. How could I refuse when I didn’t even know a B-rank gate had opened in the first place?

After signing a contract with the government to raid only A-rank gates and above, I only ever received information about those gates.

This time, too, the government had requested I take on one of the A-rank gates. They never even mentioned the B-rank gate.

It was only after receiving an emergency raid request that I found out. A B-rank gate had opened, and worse, its boss was a Queen Spider.

But by then, an entire town had already been wiped out.

I managed to clear it somehow, but there were too many casualties. It was because I had been dispatched too late.

The enraged public directed their resentment toward the government. Protests erupted, and the Gate Countermeasures Headquarters was targeted by terrorist attacks.

And before a day had passed, strange rumors began to spread online—rumors that I had intentionally refused to raid the B-rank gate.

The rumor claimed that I knew the Queen Spider, despite being B-rank, was more dangerous than most A-rank bosses, yet I pretended not to know. All because I was crazy for money.

The public’s resentment changed course and poured down on me.

Various psychiatrists and psychologists began analyzing me on television. They labeled me a psychopath.

The situation spiraled out of control. Public opinion raged, demanding I be excluded from raids.

A national petition was even started. It demanded that a psychopath hunter, even the number one ranker, was not needed and should be exiled.

The government belatedly released my contract stating I would only raid A-rank gates, but it was no use. They were only criticized for supposedly protecting me.

“Haaa…”

I pressed and held the power button on my phone. The screen, on for the first time in a week, flashed relentlessly.

I deleted the calls from unknown numbers, the texts requesting interviews, and the hate messages, then called Cha Dohwan.

—Hello? Saan? Is that you, Saan?

“Yes, it’s me, Cha Dohwan.”

—You have no idea how worried I was. Your phone was off, and you didn’t reply to my texts.

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t in a position to contact anyone.”

—…That’s why I told you to use me. I told you I’m crazy about you, that I’d do anything. Please, just use me, the one who keeps hovering around you even after being rejected every time.

Cha Dohwan had offered to help several times, but I always refused. I could clearly picture what would happen the moment I accepted his help.

He would be branded a psychopath’s supporter. His guild wouldn’t escape the criticism, either.

Just like the government, which had only earned scorn for helping me.

“The children… what happened to them?”

The agitated crowds had flocked not only to my house but also to where the children lived. I had asked Cha Dohwan for help, worried they might be in danger.

—I moved them somewhere else. It’s private property, so outsiders won’t be able to get in easily.

“Thank you. I’ll be sure to repay this debt.”

—You really haven’t changed. We’ve known each other for years, but you’re still so formal, and you never accept anything easily.

“…I’m sorry.”

—Maybe that’s why I can’t give up. There’s no one else around me as steadfast as you, Saan… It makes me greedy. I want you.

The last words were almost a mumble. His voice, after a brief pause, continued.

—Saan, remember what I said before? About raiding the dungeon with me. Think about it again.

“The dungeon…?”

Cha Dohwan had proposed it once before—that we form an alliance with his guild and conquer the dungeon.

—It’s been cleared up to the 115th floor. If you just clear the remaining five floors and end this apocalypse, public opinion will change. No, it’ll have to.

The underground dungeon was designed so that the difficulty increased the deeper you went, meaning the time required to clear it grew exponentially.

The last party to enter the dungeon gave up after about six months. They had poured half a year into it and still couldn’t clear the final five floors.

And that was two years ago. For all intents and purposes, the dungeon conquest had come to a halt.

That’s why I had to refuse. I couldn’t leave the children to raid a dungeon that could take who knows how long.

—It’s going to take a while anyway. Just think of it as laying low until people’s attention shifts to something else.

“But the children…”

—Don’t worry about the children. I can handle that problem for you. So please, Saan, just listen to me this once.

“…”

—There isn’t much time. You need to decide quickly so we can solve Shinwoo’s problem, too.

I squeezed my eyes shut, then opened them.

“Did something… happen to Shinwoo?”

—Oh… you didn’t know? Damn, I probably shouldn’t have said anything.

“What happened?”

—Hmm, it would be better for you to search for an article than to hear it from me. I’m on my way to the guild now, so look it up and call me back.

“Okay.”

I quickly ended the call and searched ‘Ye Shinwoo’ online. The latest articles popped up immediately.

There was a photo of Shinwoo, his face cold, grabbing some man by the throat. Beneath it was a short article.

[Photo]

Ye Shinwoo Assaults a Civilian. Victim Diagnosed with Injuries Requiring Four Weeks of Recovery, Lawsuit Planned.

[Comments]

— rsfe0987: I saw that happen. The guy got wrecked after calling Ryu S.A. a psycho.

— Head of the Ryu S.A. Exile Association: What else are you supposed to call a psycho but a psycho?

— pppooo111: Test subject from the pharma company, confirmed. His violence is insane, damn lol.

— ChaDohwansWife1580: ****Wasting that pretty face of his.

“Damn it…”

I ran a hand over my face and opened my chat with Shinwoo.

My Brother
Noona, are you okay?

My Brother
Your phone’s off again today. Call me when you see this.

My Brother
You’re eating, right?

My Brother
Noona, please pick up the phone.

My Brother
I’m going crazy with worry.

My Brother
If you don’t want to answer, just send a text, anything.

My Brother
If I don’t hear from you by the end of the day, I’m coming over.

Shinwoo had been talking to himself in the one-sided chat. There was no mention of what had happened to him.

He was about to get sued because of me, and all he cared about was whether I’d eaten? I felt like I was going to explode.

“This can’t go on…”

The dungeon was definitely the best way to escape this situation. And the only way.

Don’t come.

The moment I sent the text, the ‘read’ receipt appeared. A call came from Shinwoo immediately, but I didn’t answer.

I calmly changed my clothes and checked outside. It looked like more reporters had gathered.

After exchanging points in the shop for a scroll that would hide my appearance for a set time, I quietly slipped outside.

*Crunch.*

The area in front of my door was a mess of broken, raw eggs. I had just cleaned it up the other day, but people must have thrown more.

Money-grubbing bitch.

You call yourself a hunter?

Just go and die!

I closed the graffiti-covered door behind me and left the apartment building.

My destination was Cha Dohwan’s guild. Thanks to the scroll, I was able to arrive without being noticed.

I entered the guild master’s office quietly. It was empty. He’d said he was on his way, so he would be here soon.

I stood by the window, waiting for the scroll’s effect to wear off.

Just then, the door burst open, and Cha Dohwan entered with his secretary.

“Ye Shinwoo is her weak point. Put more pressure on him.”

They conversed, unaware of my invisible presence. I held my breath, deciding against revealing myself.

“Should we set up something similar to this recent incident?”

“Not too similar. Just enough to make her feel the pressure.”

“Understood, Guild Master. What about manipulating public opinion?”

“Did we get to the petition stage? See how things go, then move to the next phase. It would be a problem if this fizzles out already.”

Cha Dohwan took off his suit jacket, handed it to his secretary, and flopped down into his chair.

“Hah, all these years of effort for one woman… It’s exhausting.”

“Please bear with it a little longer. We need Hunter Ryu to complete the dungeon.”

“That’s why I’m putting in the effort. The company will only survive if this damn apocalypse ends.”