Chapter 28

Of course, contracting that B-class Hunter wasn’t successful.

Kwon Hyuk-soo walked up to Kang Chul-soo’s seat and told him that the contract signing wasn’t successful due to complicated circumstances.

 

“I have no face to present to you, Chief.”

 

Surely, the Chief would be disappointed.

Signing a contract with a B-class Hunter has never been heard in history in the Rift Management Department.

And the Chief had no doubts that he’d be the first to make a big break in history.

But now that the contract signing has failed, he thought that it would make the Chief be depressed.

 

Tap. Tap.

 

Kang Chul-soo, who was playing Go on the internet, did not take his eyes off the monitor screen.

[T/n: Go is an abstract strategy board game for two players in which the aim is to surround more territory than the opponent.]

 

“I thought you guys were friends. That wasn’t the case, was it?”

 

Tap.

 

Kang Chul-soo muttered as he clicked on the mouse.

 

“…Yes.”

“I really hate those kinds of Hunters. I’m rather worried about you… ”

 

[Victory]

 

Kang Chul-soo smiled as the message appeared.

He got up from his seat.

And looked at Do-jun, who was working hard.

He then shouted at him.

 

“Do-jun!”

 

Do-jun jerked at the sound and turned towards him.

The sudden shout made the other employees of the office slightly raise their heads and looked in their direction.

Kang Chul-soo said, looking at Kwon Hyuk-soo and Do-jun, not paying attention to the other employees’ gaze.

 

“You two, follow me.”

 

After that statement,

Kang Chul-soo walked steadily towards the door and exited his office.

Do-jun and Kwon Hyuk-soo looked at each other.

 

“…Let’s go.”

“Yes, sir.”

 

＊ ＊ ＊

 

After leaving City Hall, Kang Chul-soo guided them towards a certain place.

 

“Chief, this is…”

 

Kwon Hyuk-soo raised his head and checked the sign.

Jewelry Sauna.

Open 24 Hours.

Do-jun checked his watch.

It was still 9:40 AM.

It was still working hours.

 

“Let’s go.”

 

Kang Chul-soo enters the sauna without hesitation.

 

“…Isn’t this a breach of duty?”

 

Do-jun asked.

Kwon Hyuk-soo sighed and nodded his head.

 

“But what can we do? You know how the Chief is. If he suddenly feels like doing something, he would just do it right then and there. I guess he’s hooked on the sauna today.”

 

Do-jun and Kwon Hyuk-soo soon followed Kang Chul-soo.

 

＊ ＊ ＊

 

Shwaaaaa!

 

Kang Chul-soo and Kwon Hyuk-soo were washing themselves in a shower booth installed in the bathhouse.

It was a weekday morning, so there weren’t that many people.

Kang Chul-soo wasn’t speaking so the atmosphere felt even tenser.

 

‘What the hell is the chief thinking?’

 

Kwon Hyuk-soo glanced at Kang Chul-soo as he bathed himself.

 

“HAHAHAHAHA!”

 

Suddenly, Kang Chul-soo laughed out loud.

And then he stopped laughing.

The people in the bathhouse looked at Kang Chul-soo strangely.

 

‘Why am I so embarrassed for him?’

 

Kwon Hyuk-soo hurriedly rinsed himself.

At that moment, the door opened.

Do-jun had arrived.

 

“…Whoa.”

 

Kwon Hyuk-soo was surprised.

It seemed like something one would only see in movies.

Toned muscles and a fit body.

Every male office worker would inevitably have belly fat. However, in contrast to that, Do-jun had a six-pack.

Do-jun entered the shower booth next to Kwon Hyuk-soo and turned on the shower.

 

Shwaaaa.

 

“D-Do-jun, you’ve got a great body.”

“Is that so? Thank you for the compliment.”

“What? What’s with Do-jun’s body…?”

 

Seeing Do-jun’s muscles, Kang Chul-soo took a deep breath.

And then he looked at his protruding belly fat.

It was a typical middle-aged man’s belly.

 

“…Ya bastard.”

“Yes?”

“Nah, it’s nothing. Come on, let me scrub your backs.”

 

Kang Chul-soo laid out three shower stools side by side.

After a quick shower, Do-jun and Kwon Hyuk-soo sat on the chairs.

They used a scrubbing towel and began scrubbing each others’ backs.

 

Shwick. Shwick.

 

As Kang Chul-soo scrubbed Kwon Hyuk-soo’s back…

 

Slap! 

 

He then slapped it hard.

 

“A-ack! W-What are you doing, Chief?!”

“A man with such a wide back is so depressed about such a thing.”

“What?”

“If you think about it, it was rather a good thing. How could we even manage a B-class Great Rift? If those loach-like guys come in, they’d just muddy the waters.”

“……”

“And if you have any difficulties, just tell me right away, okay? I’ll figure it out somehow. You too, Do-jun. Got it?”

 

Do-jun smiled at those words.

 

“Yes.”

“The three of us will die if we split up, but we’ll live together if we unite! Let’s not be selfish especially in our society today. You guys understand?”

 

Kang Chul-soo said in a stern tone, accentuating every word.

That’s why Kwon Hyuk-soo was so grateful for Kang Chul-soo.

Because when he said he might be able to sign a B-class Hunter, the Chief was happier than anyone else.

Watching his colleagues climb up a ladder from a distance,

Kang Chul-soo also hoped to be promoted one day, and Kwon Hyuk-soo could also feel his desire.

 

“…I’ll work hard, Chief.”

“You’ve done enough, man.”

 

Kang Chul-soo laughed.

 

＊ ＊ ＊

 

Friday, 9 PM.

Despite it being a Friday night, Do-jun remained alone in the office, looking at his computer screen.

He was scrolling through the Hunter Management Agency’s website, searching for information.

Then, Do-jun’s hand stopped scrolling the mouse wheel.

 

– Looking for people to hunt with us in the new B-class Great Rift! (Saturday)

 

He clicked the new post on the <Party Job> tab.

 

– Greetings! This is Hunter Choi Gyu-shik from Solomon Guild. We are looking for someone to join us in our expedition on the newly announced B-class Great Rift. The appearing monsters are ‘Merfolk’ which are not known to many yet, that is why it would be a great opportunity to acquire ample rewards. Two healers and a tanker are already on standby. Beginners are also welcome to join us! For inquiries, contact us at:  010-1234-5678.

 

Beginners are also welcome.

 

‘Does that mean they would also accept a C-class Hunter?’

 

“Merfolk, huh.”

 

Merfolk are generally known to be shunned by Hunters.

They are difficult to attack since they had a sticky liquid on their body, and above all, it was poisonous which made it especially more difficult to deal with.

Do-jun glanced at the printouts on his desk.

 

[Special Promotion Terms and Conditions]

 

There are two ways for Hunters to get a class promotion.

The first is the annual Hunter Rating Assessment.

And the second way is a special promotion that can be granted whenever particular conditions are met.

However, for the latter case, the conditions were more difficult than the ones during Hunter Rating Assessment, so many people opt to raise their stats before the evaluation.

 

‘She has the skills, but she still doesn’t meet the conditions.’

 

For Cha Yeji to be promoted to a B-class Hunter,

These were the conditions required by the Hunter Management Agency.

She had to be at least level 80, and have a combined stat of at least 130 or higher.

However, it was difficult to raise her level since the Rift Management Department only handles C-class Rift or below which only gives relatively little experience compared to Great Rifts.

Do-jun called the number on the post.

 

Riiing Riiing.

 

– Yes, hello?

“I called after seeing your post on the Hunter Management Agency’s website. Do you accept C-class Hunters?”

– Yes! We welcome low-ranked Hunters as well. The tanker is an A-class Hunter, so it’ll be easy to deal damage. Besides, there are also two healers including me, so it’s perfectly safe.

 

Something seems strange…

In this field, offensive Hunters are plenty.

While in contrast, healers and tankers are far fewer.

That’s why it’s a bit unusual that an A-class tanker and two healers welcomed a C-class Hunter to hunt with them in a B-class Great Rift.

Do-jun decided to keep an eye on them first.

 

“I’ll be there. Where should I meet you and what time?”

– Can you come to the Seobinggo Station at 10 AM?

“Yes, I can.”

– I’ll see you then.

 

Beep.

 

Everything went smoothly without the usual ‘interview’ process, which is common when looking for party members.

Hunting in Rifts in itself was quite dangerous.

And it wouldn’t be strange if a Hunter were to die inside the Rift.

Therefore, it was common for people to gauge the other person’s skill, attitude, and etc. through an interview since they will have to hunt together.

 

‘So why didn’t they ask me anything?’

 

Do-jun touched his chin and searched for ‘Solomon Guild’ on the guild search tab of the Hunter Management Agency’s website.

It was a D-class Guild.

And there were only a total of three guild members in it.

Due to the Data Privacy Act, the photos and real names of the members were not disclosed.

 

“Surely, something’s suspicious about them.”

 

For now, Do-jun decided to call Cha Yeji.

To which she answered in less than two seconds upon the first ring.

 

– He-hello!?

“Miss Yeji, I’m sorry to call you this late at night. May I speak with you for a moment?”

– No, it’s alright! Go ahead, manager. I’m comple~tely free right now!

 

Somehow, she sounded very excited.

Do-jun tilted his head as he continued speaking.

 

“Can you come to Seobinggo Station by 9:30 AM tomorrow?”

– Eh? T-T-That means… I’ll go! I’ll go even if there’s a natural disaster!

“…Well, in any case, thank you for coming. Then, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

– Yes, manager!

 

Do-jun hung up the phone.

And directed his attention back to his computer.

He clicked on the <Rift Announcement> tab and searched for Rifts near Seobinggo Station.

Do-jun was able to find one B-class Great Rift.

He printed out a map of the Rift and some rough information about it.

 

‘Just in case, I’ll check this out in advance.’

 

＊ ＊ ＊

 

Meanwhile,

Cha Yeji hugged the teddy bear as she was rolling around in her bed

She was smiling from ear to ear.

 

“He asked me out on a date! I can’t believe the manager would ask me out…”

 

Do-jun rarely contacted her outside of work.

He wouldn’t text or call, especially on weekends.

And he was treating her as a regular co-worker.

But she got a call on a Friday night.

Naturally, Cha Yeji thought they would go on a date.

 

“So the manager cares about me too. Hehe.”

 

She unlocked her smartphone and clicked on the web browser.

 

“But where is Seobinggo Station?”

 

Cha Yeji tilted her head as she checked the location.

No matter how much you think about it, it wasn’t a busy street.

Even if she tried searching for a good restaurant or a date course in Seobinggo Station, there was no special place for entertainment or for dining.

 

“Maybe it’s because the Han River is nearby… it’d be nice to take a walk there.”

 

Cha Yeji blushed as she lowered her head.

She was imagining taking a walk while holding hands with Do-jun.

 

Creak.

 

Cha Yeji opened her closet and took out all the clothes on the hangers and placed them on her bed.

And searched again on the web browser.

 

[Women’s Spring Date Outfit Ideas]

 

＊ ＊ ＊

 

Late night, at 10 PM.

Upon arriving at Seobinggo Station, Do-jun examined the map he had brought with him.

A few days ago, the Hunter Management Agency announced that there is a new B-class Great Rift in the area.

Following the Han River, there is a volleyball court and a tennis court there.

Further down and follow the trail along the Han River, there you will find the Great Rift 15 meters high in the sky.

 

‘There it is.’

 

The B-class Great Rift where Merfolks appear.

Do-jun took out his government ID from his pocket and placed it at the terminal which controlled access to the Rift.

 

[Rift Management Department, Mr. Lee Do-jun. Confirmed.]

 

Then, the fence door opens.

And Do-jun entered the Rift.