episode_0023

The next morning, after that encounter.

When I opened my eyes, Alia, who had been sleeping next to me until yesterday, was nowhere to be found.

“Sigh….”

Even though we stayed up late together last night, it felt a bit lonely to wake up without her. As I left the motel, a message from the Association came just in time.

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– Hunter Soo-hyun, due to the unfortunate incident that occurred last Wednesday…

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The message contained some business regarding the incident in the dungeon last time, asking me to visit the Association.

“Should I go right away?”

Since the motel where I stayed was near the Han River, the distance was very close. And with plenty of time until the next match, I had nothing else to do, so I decided to visit the Association right away.

Arriving at the Association, I saw a bustling crowd that reminded me of a market.

“Oh, why are they not allowing entry into the gate?”

“I’m truly sorry. There’s a notice that E-rank and below hunters are prohibited from entering the gate…”

“Ridiculous! They’re underestimating us!”

With the feeling that something big was happening again today, I looked for the counter where I was told to inquire.

“Counter 32, where is counter 32…”

Heading towards the most secluded counter, a female employee with a professional attitude greeted me.

“I’m not handling any business at our counter today. If you have something to do at the Association, please use another counter…”

“Oh, that’s… I was called by the Association.”

“Ah! Are you the hunter from Hound Gate?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

Immediately, she guided me and led me to a desk beyond the reception area.

As she walked down a long corridor, she spoke to me.

“Haha. The Association is quite chaotic today.”

“Yes, what’s going on?”

“Well… you’ll probably find out soon, but the incident you experienced has caused quite a stir nationwide…”

“…Another incident?”

“Yes, it’s likely to be in the news soon… and because of that, the dungeon access for E-rank and below hunters has been temporarily blocked…”

…So that’s why there’s chaos outside.

After being guided by the female employee, we turned a corner and arrived at a door.

She knocked on the door and called out to the person inside.

“I’ve brought the hunter as requested.”

“Ah, please let them in.”

“Yes, you can go inside.”

As the female employee opened the door, a man in a suit greeted me.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Lee Eun-woo from the Association’s Hunter Surveillance Department.”

Shaking my hand, he smiled and said, “I didn’t expect you to come so soon… Hunter Soo-hyun, right?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

“Well, please have a seat.”

As I sat across from the Association staff member, he continued speaking.

“Let me start by telling you about our investigation into the recent incident… We refer to the dungeon you and your team entered as a so-called Growth Dungeon.”

“A Growth Dungeon?”

He explained that starting from the day before yesterday, monsters that didn’t match the dungeon’s rank began appearing in the so-called Growth Dungeons that had started appearing all over the country.

“…As a result of our investigation, out of the 68 E-rank dungeons that were cleared the day before yesterday, there were a total of five Growth Dungeons… and so far, we have confirmed that aside from your team, there are no survivors among the hunters who entered the Growth Dungeons. It’s fortunate that this hasn’t happened in D-rank or higher gates…”

“…But why are you telling me all these details so openly?”

Surprised to hear such detailed information from the Association, I asked, and he shrugged his shoulders before answering.

“Well, the contents that will soon be revealed in the news anyway. And as you know, the hunter society values strength the most. Suhyun has awakened, with a D-rank awakening ability.”

“….”

In the end, it was a story of acknowledging my efforts in this incident and giving me appropriate treatment based on my abilities.

“And our association needs Suhyun’s cooperation for future actions. After all, what’s the point of hiding it? Suhyun and his group are the only survivors of a growth-type dungeon. So, can we hear in detail what happened inside?”

“Yes. So, what happened inside was….”

So, excluding the details about the app, he briefly explained what happened inside, jotting down a few things as he finished the investigation.

“Thank you for your cooperation. And please accept this. It’s a D-rank hunter awakening certificate. Hunter Suhyun will receive treatment from the association as a D-rank hunter from now on. If you return like this, the accident costs, along with the value of the Black Hound you caught, will be doubled and deposited.”

“Well, aren’t there any D-rank ability verification tests?”

The employee smiled warmly as he spoke.

“The fact that Suhyun caught the Black Hound has been verified through cross-validation. Moreover, D-rank monsters are not monsters that can be caught by chance. And since you have already become a D-rank hunter, I must tell you that the number of people who can catch D-rank monsters is not large compared to the 1 million awakened individuals. So, this level of treatment is only natural.”

“How much is it roughly….”

“We’ll have to estimate the exact number, but the number of awakened individuals with the ability and experience to catch D-rank monsters is extremely low. In other words, the number of awakened individuals who can grow enough to catch D-rank monsters in a stable manner, even in a safe environment where E-rank hunters can accumulate experience, is small. So, Hunter Suhyun is more than qualified to have a D-rank hunter certificate.”

“Then what does that mean….”

So, he received the D-rank hunter certificate and immediately made a heartfelt request.

“Um…. Hunter Suhyun, I know it’s impolite to make such a request, but could you take charge of the growth-type dungeon team?”

“The growth-type dungeon team?”

“Yes, in the future, our association plans to present a team consisting of some people who have just reached D-rank and E-rank hunters as a standard.”

“Are you scouting for the association?”

The association employee asked immediately.

“No, no. It would be nice if you could come, but that’s not what I meant. However, if the number of growth-type dungeons continues to increase, one top hunter and lower-ranked hunters supporting them will become a new standard. And….”

“….Are you asking me to be the benchmark for that standard? Was the reason I was given a D-rank certificate for that purpose?”

“Ahaha.”

The association employee forced a smile as he spoke.

“Anyway, it won’t be a bad thing for you, Hunter. You still lack experience to enter a D-rank gate, don’t you?”

To be honest, he wasn’t wrong.

It was true that I had awakened to D-rank abilities, but I was still lacking in skill and my stats were still in the early stages of D-rank.

In many ways, I still had a lot to learn.

“Well…. I understand.”

“Then can I assume that you have accepted the proposal? Thank you very much. Even if E-rank hunters come looking for you, we will make sure they don’t bother you. We will contact you again soon.”

Leaving the room and walking through the noisy association, an alert came through the banking app.

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[Deposit: Hunter Association: 20,000,000 won]

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….They certainly handle things quickly.

“Hmm.”

Suddenly having this large sum of money, I don’t know how to spend it.

* * *

“Husband, what are you doing?”

Two more days passed.

The world was briefly in turmoil due to the appearance of a gate that completely deviated from the existing rules of growth-type gates, but anyway, I was racking my brain over my own problem.

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– expresses (★★★★☆) satisfaction with meeting you.

– 100 points credited to app user Lee Soo-hyun.

– The interdimensional blind date app is ultimately supporting users in establishing perfect ideal types with all matching partners.

Please have good relationships with more opposite sexes.

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I had expected it, but Alia’s satisfaction did not increase any further in the previous match.

Perhaps to achieve a higher level of affinity, I need to unlock the second level of liking.

“….Husband, why are you looking at me like that?”

However, I still couldn’t figure out what more I could do to increase her liking towards me, as she still had a face that seemed to say she liked me to death. This meant that I might have to try a new match soon.

Hiding my frustration, I asked her.

“Sigh…. Alia.”

“Why are you like that, husband?”

“Do you still have something you’re hiding from me?”

“Huh? Hiding something? I have nothing to hide from my husband.”

Yes, that’s right.

If anything, it might be the other way around…

I might have to do something that I’ll soon regret to her.