Even after living together for a lifetime, family can sometimes be unpredictable. My sister, who wore the happiest expression in the world when I gave her ten million won, didn't welcome the sight of a bag with seven hundred and fifty million, but was filled with fear instead.
“Hae-seon… Where did you get this money?”
My sister trusts me completely, but she's not naive about the ways of the world. Cheon Hae-seon, still a minor and not yet a Hunter. It was an amount unbelievable for a greenhorn like him to have earned.
I handed the money bag to my sister and explained in detail everything that had happened. Of course, I never intended to keep it a secret forever. The reason I kept it from her for a while was because I was worried she would be overly concerned.
Her body had suffered from addiction her whole life, so it was only natural for her to be anxious even after she was fully cured. But now, taking care of myself is no problem at all. Am I not an S-rank Hunter officially recognized by the country?
“... So that’s what happened.”
I wonder if this is what it feels like to be a teacher telling fairy tales to young children. My sister showed all sorts of reactions as she listened to my story. She gasped with her hand over her mouth, her gentle eyes narrowed sharply, and she sniffled.
“I’m sorry for keeping it a secret. Honestly, I wasn't confident I could persuade you.”
“My dear Hae-seon. You know your sister so well, don't you? If I’d known you were going into a Poison Dungeon, I would’ve grabbed you by the hair and never let go. Good job. A very good job.”
“Don’t glare at me like that. It might be dangerous for others, but for me, it’s a gold mine. Still, I’m sorry I lied.”
“Hmph. After you’ve already done everything?”
My sister pouted, but she didn't seem truly angry. There’s a limit to how much I can prove my strength on my own. But since the Hunter Association officially acknowledged it, it seemed my sister had decided to respect my choice.
A golden badge with an ‘S’ rank on it. My sister was still stroking the badge in her hand.
“My little brother became such an amazing Hunter. I still can't believe it.”
“It’s thanks to you taking such good care of me.”
“This is wonderful. Our parents in heaven will be happy too.”
Parents.
I’m grateful for them giving birth to me, but since I’ve never even seen their faces, it doesn’t really resonate with me.
“I don’t really know about our parents.”
“Huh?”
“You’ve been playing the role of our parents all this time. So, I want you to be happy enough for them too.”
“……”
I pushed the money bag sitting next to me toward my sister.
“Sister. They say that any woman who goes to an engineering school becomes a goddess there.”
“What’s that all of a sudden?”
“Since so few female students enroll in engineering, I guess they become incredibly popular. I’m already worried.”
Seeing my sister tilt her head in confusion, a smile automatically formed on my lips.
“I’ll earn the money from now on. You wanted to go to engineering school, didn’t you? I want you to quit the factory and go to college.”
“Hae-seon…”
I'm sorry to say this, but in front of her was more money than my sister could save even if she worked for decades. In other words, it meant she no longer had to work so hard in the factory.
“You’ve worked so hard all this time, so now I want you to follow your dream too.”
“... My brain’s gotten rusty, I don’t know if I can do it.”
That was my sister’s reply, spoken hesitantly after a long pause.
“Let’s see…”
The next day. A package arrived from the Hunter Association. Its official name was a Multi-Information something-or-other device, but in reality, it was just a smartphone.
It didn't seem much different from a regular phone, other than having Hunter-only apps, yet they slapped all sorts of names on it. If this were my first time encountering a Hunter-related device, I might have been fascinated. But I had already experienced three items a dimension higher than the device in my hand.
After experiencing the cornea-installed V1 that could read my thoughts and respond, looking at this smartphone was enough to make me yawn.
“Do all Hunters use this equipment?”
I nodded instinctively at V1’s explanation. Yeah, if it were me, I wouldn’t be able to use this clunky thing either, if only because it’s so inconvenient. Most of the Knight Hunters I saw on TV roamed the battlefield wearing devices that looked like scouters.
Those scouters must have the Hunter app’s functions built in. Devices are one of the reasons Hunters want to join major guilds. The quality of the modified devices varies drastically depending on the size of the guild.
There's even a joke that goes, ‘You can tell to steer clear of a Hunter if you see them searching for information on a stock device.’
“This just adds another reason not to bother joining a guild.”
I have something far better than a major guild’s modified device installed in my body, so I have nothing to be disappointed about. I fiddled with the Hunter phone as a test before tossing it onto the bed and giving a command.
“Show me a list of new dungeons in this area.”
Right.
This is what you call ‘cutting-edge.’ I bowed low in my mind to Dr. Jin.
“Sujin District… Changsin District… another one in Imae District?”
There were more new dungeons than I thought. No. This was enough to be called a record-breaking number. I had seen articles about the number of Gates and dungeons increasing exponentially recently, but I never thought it would be this many.
Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise, but the ranks of the dungeons that had appeared were not very high.
Good.
Then shall I start getting ready to move out?
“Can you access the Union too?”
“Hmm. I think I know what you mean.”
The Union.
To put it simply, it’s like a ‘small group.’ It's a collective where Hunters who don't belong to a guild gather people to clear dungeons. For a solo Hunter to enter a dungeon with a party size limit, they have no choice but to find companions in the Union.
I wanted to enter a dungeon alone and face the boss Monster like before, but I couldn't do that ‘right away.’ This was because all Hunters, regardless of their rank, have a ‘probationary period.’ According to the Hunter Association’s regulations, new Hunters must clear a ‘dungeon requiring five or more people’ five times.
The difficulty must be 3-star (★★★) or lower. It’s to prevent them from dying because they’re clueless on their first dungeon entry, and it’s also meant to encourage guilds to train their newcomers. In short, it’s a system that’s completely useless to me right now.
[Recruiting Knights for Sinsa-ro 528 2-star (★★) dungeon. One spot left!]
[Looking for a healer for a 1-star (★) dungeon in Chungam District, Daejeon. E-rankers welcome!!]
[Recruiting a healer again for a canceled party in Yeosu, South Jeolla. If you can come tomorrow, we'll pay double!!]
It was no different from recruiting for a party in a game. If there was one distinguishing feature, it was that the demand for healers was overwhelmingly high compared to other types. Not only were there few Awakened who applied as Healer-types, but because they weren’t Knight-types, they often lost their lives on the battlefield.
A profession where you are exposed to danger while healing others. That's why healers are treated well wherever they go. Looking at it this way, choosing to be a Hunter instead of a Knight at the beginning turned out to be an excellent choice.
“Since it’s the first time, to warm up… shall I go here?”
[New Hunters welcome! Recruiting for a 1-star (★) dungeon in Noryangjin 2-dong, Seoul. Recruiting Espers and healers!]
I accessed the Union with my Hunter phone and submitted my intention to participate. I could have left a post with V1, but as it said, it seemed cleaner this way than to post through a hacking system.
[Request to participate submitted] [Location: 1-star (★) dungeon in Noryangjin 2-dong, Seoul] [Name: Cheon Hae-seon] [New Hunter of this quarter] [Type: Healer] [Association Registered Rank: ‘S’]
“Hello!”
“He… llo.”
It seemed you could tell a new Hunter from a veteran just by the sound of their voice. The two men who greeted me cheerfully looked as old as their careers, while the young man and woman standing next to me with youthful faces were visibly tense. I wonder what my expression looks like right now.
To be honest, I find it a bit strange too. The place we were about to enter was a ‘normal one,’ not a Poison Dungeon, and unlike before, I didn't have to spare the boss Monster. I was truly about to go on a formal dungeon raid.
Though, since I registered as a healer, I wouldn't be seeing any blood myself. The two veteran men were both Knight-types. The muscular man with long hair was Park Hyo-sang.
The tanned man with bleached blond hair was Kim Chu-ho. Park Hyo-sang recognized me at a glance and grabbed my hand.
“Oh! Mr. Cheon Hae-seon! It’s truly an honor to meet you!”
“Ch-Cheon Hae-seon??”
Unlike Park Hyo-sang and Kim Chu-ho, the two new Hunters seemed not to have heard about me. The two new Hunters looked like their eyes were about to pop out.
“Wow, it’s really Mr. Cheon Hae-seon! I can’t believe it…”
“Uh… excuse me, would it be okay to get a picture with you later??”
Their faces looked familiar from the Hunter test. Anyway, both new Hunters were Esper-types. Their eyes were brimming with bright energy, but I couldn't tell if it was because they were Espers or because they met me.
Like most Espers, their bodies didn't look very strong. The probationary period probably exists for these types. Both veteran and new Hunters alike showered me with attention.
It was a relief that this was an unpopular dungeon with few people coming and going.
“Now, now, everyone. There’s something we need to confirm before we go in.”
Before entering the dungeon, Park Hyo-sang clapped his hands and addressed the three of us.
“The underground dungeon we’re about to enter is only 1-star (★), but it's quite dangerous. Usually, these dungeons have huge Nutrias. You could be in big trouble if one suddenly bites you from the bottom of a sewer.”
“Ugh…”
The female Esper let out a short groan, as if disgusted. To have such a reaction to a Nutria. She would probably faint if she saw the Venomous Centipede I faced before.
“To ensure your safety in the dungeon, my friend and I will provide you with assistance. The cost is one million won per person.”
“What?”
“Y-you didn't say anything like that before!”
The two new Hunters asked back in surprise. To demand an additional fee when they were supposed to clear the dungeon together. Weren't they recruiting Hunters to combine their strength?
‘No. Not for them.’
I slowly nodded to myself. Something had felt strange. Those new Hunters might need help, but Park Hyo-sang and Kim Chu-ho were D-rank Knights.
They were people who could clear a 1-star dungeon by themselves. This dungeon offered no merit to guilds, let alone D-rankers. The reason those guys came to a meritless dungeon.
They planned to do ‘business.’ If you join a guild, your fellow guild members will carry you, so to speak, but the Espers here haven't joined a guild yet. To be precise, their Awakened Value was too low to be accepted anywhere.
If they don't meet the required number of dungeon clears, they'll never shed their trainee status. For that reason, an illegal business was being conducted, targeting weak Hunters with no other choice.
‘Good grief…’
They say the person you have to be most careful of when you go abroad is someone from your own country. This was exactly that situation. It seemed the Association had deliberately set the party size condition for training purposes, but these guys were exploiting it to make money.
“Well, you can just go in without it. We have S-rank Healer Cheon Hae-seon here, after all. But if you don't sign the training contract, we won't block the Nutrias' attacks for you.”
“!!!!”
“You know how vicious a Nutria's teeth are, don't you? Even if the wound heals, a scar will remain on that fine skin forever. If you’re unlucky, you might find yourself in a situation where you’re perpetually attacked and perpetually healed. Hahaha.”
“How could you…!!”
The two new Hunters wore long faces. They were already tense as it was their first time in a dungeon, and the fear of what harm might befall them if the Knights didn't protect them was overwhelming.
“Let's be blunt. You applied through the Union because no guild would take you, right? Everyone just doesn't say it out loud, but if you go to other dungeons, they all charge a training fee like this. We're actually being conscientious and doing it cheap.”
Has your conscience frozen over and died? The Espers agonized over it for quite some time, but in the end, they signed the contract. How much money could they make by extracting the core from a 1-star dungeon?
The tail was wagging the dog in this situation.
“What about our Mr. Cheon Hae-seon…?”
The blond, tanned Kim Chu-ho approached me, licking his lips. In their eyes, whether S-rank or not, a healer was just a healer. It seemed they saw all beings without close-combat abilities as their prey.
That must have been why they deliberately chose an underground dungeon where Nutrias roamed.
‘This is annoying.’
If I just ignored them and entered the dungeon, the matter would be over. But to encounter this situation right when I was about to start my first dungeon in good spirits was quite irritating.
Protection.
So they get paid if they provide protection. I opened my mouth towards the blond, tanned Kim Chu-ho.
“Let’s do that.”
“Excellent! A superb choice!”
The faces of the two veterans lit up. They exchanged sly smiles as if thinking, ‘Healers are all the same.’
“But there’s something.”
“Yes?”
“Let’s add one more line to the contract.”
“Add what, you ask?”
I’ve decided.
Inside that dungeon, I would protect them. Forcibly, of course.
“If you two request my protection, I'll charge two million won per person.”