Chapter 26 – Conquering Rakios Dungeon (1)

Rumors that everyone in Team 3 was getting fired spread like wildfire.

There was no way I couldn’t know.

Because people were whispering everywhere I went.

“I don’t think we’ve met before?”

Just then, someone approached me directly.

He was a man in sunglasses with a solid build.

“You’re the Team 3 Leader everyone’s been talking about, right?”

“Ah, yes.”

“I’m Yang Cheon-soo, the Team 1 Leader. I’ve been out conquering high-level dungeons, so we haven’t had a chance to introduce ourselves.”

“Yes, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

We shook hands. I could feel the rough calluses on his palm.

“Drinking vending machine coffee, I see. If you go down to the first floor of the guild, they brew coffee with fresh beans every day.”

“I’ll have to check it out sometime.”

“Go now. You should take it easy.”

Yang Cheon-soo, who was actively displaying his friendliness, seemed to have a good personality.

A social butterfly? That was the vibe he gave off.

“I have to go to a dungeon briefing in a little bit.”

“Ah, so the Team 3 Leader is tackling the mid-level dungeon we just won the bid for. Well, in that case, I guess I’ll just have some vending machine coffee for a change.”

Yang Cheon-soo grabbed a paper cup of vending machine coffee and sat down next to me. He spoke without letting the smile leave his face.

“It’s been a while, but this vending machine coffee is pretty good. The kind of taste that’s bad for your health, though.”

“That’s how all instant foods are.”

“I’ve heard the stories about you lately, Team Leader. It’s a headache when people don’t listen, isn’t it?”

*Slurp.* The sound of him sipping his coffee could be heard.

“That’s just how Hunters are. Stubborn. Not very flexible, and set in their own ways. That’s why they talk back to their team leaders. I know because I’m a team leader too.”

He accepted a greeting from a junior Hunter passing by, then met my gaze and smiled.

“But you can’t just go and fire all your people. It’ll give you a bad reputation. Even if you get angry because you’re young, if you just think of them as your own and manage them, they’ll all become your family eventually.”

I had a good idea who he was doing this for. I raised the corners of my mouth into a smile.

“Is that so?”

“Of course. That guy, Kim Gi-mun. He’s not as bad as you might think. Liu Bei had fighters like Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, and a strategist like Zhuge Liang. Managing a team is the same.”

“Are you saying Deputy Team Leader Kim Gi-mun is my Zhuge Liang?”

“No, not to that extent. You said you’re going to a mid-level dungeon. It’s tough to do it alone. I’ll act as a bridge, so how about you guys grab a drink together? From what I heard, those guys were in the wrong too. Hazing the new team leader.”

Unnecessary kindness.

A smile like that of a good-natured person.

Did he think I was someone who’d get the hint? His hand was already patting my shoulder.

“No, that won’t be necessary.”

“Alright, I’ll talk to them later… What?”

“You don’t need to do anything pointless.”

I showed him just how abrasive my personality was.

Still, the man just laughed heartily with a smile. Is this the virtue of an elder, of a team leader?

If so, I’m probably unfit to be a team leader. I find it difficult to put on such a false front.

“This guy’s really stubborn. A young man needs to be flexible. Alright, alright. Let’s take it slow. When are you going to conquer that mid-level dungeon? Some of my guys have free schedules. Should I send them for support?”

“No, I’m fine on my own.”

I drew the line. Only then did the smile finally drop from Team 1 Leader Yang Cheon-soo’s face.

“Team 3 Leader. You can act like this with me, but don’t do it with Chang-soo. That guy has quite a temper.”

Team 2 Leader, Kim Chang-soo. Nickname: the Settlement King.

He was famous for becoming a beast when he drinks, and he’d been in the news several times for assaulting civilians.

Thanks to him, he was said to be on the Hanul legal team’s blacklist.

The story goes that he only became a team leader because he couldn’t stand having anyone above him, so he drove them all out.

And the Team 1 Leader in front of me.

He used to be a gangster, but apparently entered this line of work after awakening as a Hunter.

He was part of the former Hanul Guild Master Im Jae-joon’s faction. A man who was effectively called the real power here.

“I’m curious to see who has the worse temper.”

With that, I downed the last sip of my coffee and stood up.

“Well then, I’ll be on my way.”

I heard the sound of a paper cup being crushed behind me.

* * *

After receiving a general briefing, I entered the mid-level dungeon alone.

“The mid-level dungeon will open shortly. Please stand by!”

“Safety check! Equipment check!”

Hunters were gathered to enter the mid-level dungeon.

There were about fifty people in total.

They were formed into five-person parties, and a total of six parties were participating in this mid-level dungeon.

-Transmitting dungeon data.

Olivier, who was officially starting as my operator today, sent a communication.

-Grade: Mid-level
-Name: Insect Dungeon
-Boss: Demon Flower Mantis
-Rewards
Unique: Rakios’s Chain Sword, Rakios’s Shield, Lance of Advancement
Rare: Insect Summon, Flame Burst, Recovery Boost, Cure

-You’re just wearing the power suit today?

I replied curtly to Olivier’s sudden, out-of-the-blue comment.

“What else would I wear besides the power suit?”

-The Justice Armor looked good on you.

“Of course, I look good in anything. But I can’t wear that damn spandex. No, I *won’t* wear it.”

I could feel my jaw flushing red. No way, was she there at the time?

-I am the executor of justice. I am Justice Man!

“…”

-Jus. Tice. Exe. Cu. Tion!!!!!

*Ugh.*

-*Kheheheh.* Ah, can I upload the video to YouToob? *Heheh.* You liked it, didn’t you, honestly? I’ve been streaming lately, but I don’t have many subscribers…

I quickly cut the communication.

Forget the dungeon; I just wanted to go home. How on earth did she find out?

Wait, didn’t she say she’d support my dungeon conquest? That she’d help me? That she was going to help? Is this what she calls helping?

My mood hit rock bottom.

Just then, I heard grumbling from somewhere else.

“Ah, damn, the Tushin Guild is here too.”

“They’ll probably take the boss this time, too. Seriously, why is the number two guild even running a mid-level dungeon?”

“Can’t you tell? They’re probably here to get their newbies some experience.”

As expected, I suppose.

It was just like Tushin, conquering dungeons left and right like an octopus spreading its tentacles.

There are many reasons to conquer a dungeon.

For a Hunter’s growth. To obtain high-quality mana stones. To get the items that occasionally drop.

Bosses that dropped items with a high probability were prey that everyone desired.

The highest-level monsters required a raid, but mid-level bosses could be hunted even with a small number of people. That’s why the competition for mid-level dungeon bosses was so fierce.

As I was looking around, I spotted a familiar face over there.

We weren’t particularly close. I was just going to ignore him, but he approached me.

“Hello.”

The rising star of the Tushin Guild.

It was Kim In-ho of the Tushin Guild, whom I’d met where I first awakened, where we caught the Company Man.

He still had a very composed air about him. Only a month had passed, but he was already giving off the vibe of a veteran.

“I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“I heard the news. That you joined Hanul.”

I thought he wouldn’t have much interest in where I ended up.

The trainer who raised Kim In-ho was Kang Seon-su. The one I didn’t get along with.

He must have heard bad things about me from that guy, so I thought he’d hold some animosity.

“It would have been great if you had come to Tushin.”

“I knew someone at Hanul. I’ve heard you’ve been doing amazing things lately.”

“Not at all. I still have much to learn.”

This wasn’t just him being polite.

Kim In-ho’s growth was extraordinary. Recent rumors even suggested he’d be chosen as this year’s best rookie Hunter. What was a bit disappointing was that I hadn’t heard any particular rumors about Kim Tae-yang, the one I taught.

Strange. I was sure he had the potential to do even better than Kim In-ho.

“Hunter Kim Tae-yang should be shooting up the ranks just like Hunter Kim In-ho.”

“By any chance… have you not heard?”

“Heard what?”

“Yes.”

What story? Did that kid get into some kind of trouble?

“Tae-yang is currently being disciplined.”

“Disciplined?”

No wonder Kim Tae-yang had been so quiet compared to Kim In-ho.

“I heard he assaulted a colleague. It seems his position within the Hwarang Guild is not good for various reasons. Since a new team leader was appointed, it looks like Tae-yang is being harassed quite a bit.”

This was a little disappointing.

We had something of a master-student relationship, so I thought he would at least come to me for advice.

By the way, since when did Kim In-ho and Kim Tae-yang get so close? At first, they were growling at each other, keeping one another in check.

“He said he probably couldn’t tell you because he’s too embarrassed. There’s even talk of him being kicked out of the guild…”

“Well, I’ll be. It seems Hunter Kim Tae-yang still needs more of my loving education. I’ll have to see him later.”

Hearing the talk of him being kicked out of the guild made my ears perk up.

In terms of talent, Kim Tae-yang was no less than Kim In-ho.

I felt bad for the former team leader of the Hwarang Guild who scouted Kim Tae-yang, but if he was going to be kicked out, it would be best to bring him to my team.

“Hey, isn’t that him?”

As I was running the calculations in my head, I heard someone’s voice.

One of Kim In-ho’s party members from the Tushin Guild pointed a finger at me.

A face I didn’t recognize at all.

“I think so.”

“Whoa, no way. That guy became a Hunter too?”

Who were they again? The party members over there seemed to recognize me.

It wasn’t my imagination.

“Wow, good to see you. You’re the one who failed the interview before, right?”

“…”

“I know who he is. That ‘Hero’?”

Now I was starting to remember.

The guy who was openly laughing while saying “Hero” seemed to be from some special forces unit.

The woman who was talking to me, pretending to be happy to see me, also looked familiar from the interview.

“Oh, you joined a guild? Did you awaken?”

“Ah, yes.”

“Awesome. Where’d you go?”

“I’m with Hanul.”

“Hanul? Where’s that?”

When the woman said she didn’t know, the tall man pretended to smack her on the head and said.

“It’s the guild that’s ranked 21st right now.”

“Ah.”

Hanul’s guild ranking had dropped even further after Im Jae-joon became the guild master.

Thanks to that, baseless rumors spread that the Hanul Guild was disbanding and that the company was unstable.

When in fact, it was because Im Jae-joon and I had started cleaning up the trash.

“I don’t really know any guilds outside the top 10.”

“No need to know them anyway.”

Still, as interview peers, they seemed to get along well.

“This is the man who caught the notoriously vicious Company Man.”

“Huh? *That* Company Man?”

I hadn’t said a word, but Kim In-ho spoke up.

It felt like his usually monotone voice carried a hint of heat.

“Didn’t the Company Man break out of prison anyway?”

“Yeah.”

What does the Company Man’s escape have to do with me?

“And he’s currently a team leader at the Hanul Guild.”

“A team leader?”

“Whoa, no way. You became a Hunter later than us but you’re already a team leader? Even if it’s a small guild, that’s crazy!”

I wasn’t exactly happy to see them just because we had interviewed together in the past.

What was surprising was Kim In-ho’s reaction. When his colleagues disrespected me, his expression hardened.

“But did you come alone, without a party?”

“Yes.”

“I see. You must have your work cut out for you.”

“Let’s go in now. It was nice meeting you.”

The man from the special forces unit said it was nice to meet me, but his face said otherwise.

The woman waved and told me to work hard, but she didn’t seem to have any ill intent.

“I apologize.”

“No. It was good to see how I’m perceived.”

I was a little annoyed, but I could now understand why the guys from Team 3 had overreacted so much.

The Hunter world’s assessment of someone with nothing to prove their worth was harsh.

The Tushin Guild soon entered the mid-level dungeon, and I entered not long after.

-I’m curious to see how their faces will contort.

Olivier’s voice came through as soon as I entered the dungeon.

Her support was starting today.

“I know, right?”

I licked my dry lips. It’s been a while since my fighting spirit was this fired up.