Ch.125. First Business Trip of the Internship Program (1)

I answered Soso.

“Please speak, Team Leader Yeon Soso.”

Soso is my friend, but at Flame, she’s my superior with a higher position. So I turned away from the monitor and spoke politely.

In that moment, our eyes met. Soso looked extremely flustered, but she didn’t turn away.

After hesitating briefly, she said to me:

“Minsu, if we stop at a rest area, would you prefer snacks or a proper meal?”

“Pardon?”

I was momentarily taken aback by the unexpected question. But I answered calmly.

“Since it’s almost lunchtime, I think a proper meal would be better.”

“I… I see. So you prefer a meal.”

Then, pretending nothing had happened, she turned around and asked Arini in the back seat.

“Arini, which would you prefer?”

“I’d like a meal too, Team Leader Yeon!”

Hearing this, Team Leader Seo Duho spoke up.

“Well, Team Leader Yeon must be hungry. It’s about that time. Donghyuk, let’s stop at the second rest area ahead. As hunters, we can eat separately in the VIP restaurant on the second floor.”

“Understood.”

The car fell silent again. Soso glanced at me briefly, then remained quiet. That’s when I finally realized her intention in suddenly speaking to me.

‘Ah, so that’s what it was.’

Considering we hadn’t spoken since I joined the company, it seemed Soso just wanted to talk with me about anything at all.

‘That’s so like her.’

Although her current appearance and way of speaking were completely different from the gloomy loner Yeon Soso I knew, her inner self seemed largely unchanged from our Ains days.

‘Is that why her limit line has dropped like this?’

I looked again at the limit line graph I had been examining earlier. The mission records Team Leader Seo had given me about Soso.

Surprisingly, when Soso first joined Flame, her limit line was quite high. Unlike the fragile-minded Soso I knew, her limit line was as high as 85.

‘She must have had a clear goal back then.’

Flame Guild had united with the common goal of annihilating the Red Lake. Though Soso probably wasn’t comfortable with Yuri, she must have had strong determination at that time.

‘At least until the point when I lost consciousness.’

For Soso, who had awakened the Blood Demon while I was unconscious with no certainty of when I’d return, the only way to wash away her guilt was to participate in Yuri’s plan.

But the problematic period began right after I regained consciousness. When I saw Yuri and Soso visiting my hospital room, I fell into extreme panic.

Seeing that shocking, almost seizure-like reaction must have deeply affected Soso too.

Proving this, her limit line had been steadily declining since that point. This wasn’t just any record—it was Flame’s data using Dr. Sung Chaerin’s latest theory, so its reliability was high.

‘That’s so like Soso. She’s probably blaming herself.’

In the end, though the responsibility for awakening the Blood Demon lies with me, she’s blaming herself instead. If that’s the case, I have a duty to restore her limit line.

‘Yes, only I can do it.’

Dr. Sung Chaerin’s latest theory focuses on the key factor of “relationships.” If Soso herself believes that her relationship with me has already ended in catastrophe…

I just need to restore it. No, I had to.

Of course, it felt hypocritical to the point of self-loathing, but if Soso needed the friend I once was, then that’s what I had to be.

‘Friend. Yes… a friend and colleague at Flame. A subordinate.’

But I know—no, I’ve resolved—that anything beyond that is impossible.

Not just with Soso, but with Yuri and Arini too. I won’t cross the line beyond being their friend and senior.

‘I’m going to disappear from this world anyway.’

With my limited time, I shouldn’t form deeper relationships with those who will continue living after everything is resolved.

The van soon arrived at the rest area.

***

The group settled on the second floor of the rest area. As Team Leader Seo had mentioned, the second floor was a space exclusively for hunters.

Perhaps because of this, there were many people who appeared to be hunters in the restaurant. It wasn’t particularly strange. This rest area was on the route to the Southeastern Contaminated Zone, our destination.

During the meal, Uncle Donghyuk and Team Leader Seo spoke.

“Fortunately, I’m familiar with the Southeastern Contaminated Zone since I’ve been there often. There’s no better place for freelancers to tackle dungeons, if you choose them carefully.”

“Yes, as Donghyuk said, dungeons of dangerous levels rarely appear there. It’s a contaminated zone well-managed by the Association. Perfect for the first field experience of the intern program.”

The Southeastern Contaminated Zone. A contaminated zone is a special area that forms when a high-risk gate expands into a dungeon and contaminates the surrounding area.

The Southeastern Contaminated Zone is located near Ulsan. It once contained an S-class dungeon, but that has already been cleared.

However, residual magical energy remains, and the area where the dungeon once existed still contains quite a few small dungeons. Flame’s interns were scheduled to have their first field mission there.

“Ugh… senior, aren’t there too many thuggish people here? It’s disgustingly noisy.”

Arini was right. In truth, most hunters were little better than gangsters.

Though the Hunter Association did exercise control, hunters weren’t like soldiers who could be controlled by the powerful authority of the state.

They were simply rogues who moved according to their own self-interest.

Unless they were from top-tier guilds or Association-affiliated guilds that cared about social perception, many hunters were no better than local thugs.

“Fuck yeah! Let me tell you, I’ve even been in an AA-class dungeon before! Made a proper killing there, so now I’m just casually working this contaminated zone for pocket money.”

“Limit your bullshit. If you’ve cleared an AA-class dungeon, then I must be an A-class hunter already. What nonsense.”

“Damn it, why is this soup so bland? Hey! Part-timer! Bring me another one!”

The place was as noisy as a local market with hunters shouting like that. Of course, there were some hunters eating quietly, but even their eyes had the fierce look of predators.

‘This is how this world was.’

Of course, I used to secretly work part-time jobs in the Southeastern Contaminated Zone during my Ains days, but I’d been away from this industry for nearly a year since regaining consciousness. It was somewhat nostalgic to see this scene again.

‘Though Arini is right about it being noisy.’

So I unconsciously responded to Arini.

“It really is disgustingly noisy. Can’t they eat quietly…”

At that moment, Soso looked at me. She put down her spoon with a clack and said to me:

“Is it noisy?”

“What? Well, not so much that we can’t eat…”

“I asked if it’s noisy.”

Soso’s expression was serious, so I answered affirmatively.

“Yes. It seems too noisy for a restaurant…”

After a moment of silence, Soso suddenly stood up. Then she shouted:

“GAL!”

In an instant, her voice, filled with mana, filled the restaurant.

It was a shout powerful enough to make all the dishes on the tables shake. The aftershocks of that exclamation lingered for a while. The restaurant suddenly fell silent.

After that silence, hunters who belatedly noticed Soso began to murmur. They said:

“W-what? What’s with that woman? Why is she suddenly acting like that?”

“Has this young bitch lost her mind already?”

“Who does she think she is, shouting like that…”

At that moment, several rather fierce-looking hunters walked toward our table.

They weren’t the thuggish hunters making noise in the back, but hunters who seemed quite skilled.

‘Are they coming to pick a fight?’

No, Soso was the one who acted impulsively first. Many hunters wouldn’t tolerate provocation.

Still, I was about to stand up to talk with them when suddenly the hunters formed fists and bowed deeply toward Soso.

“We pay our respects to the Young Sect Leader!”

It was a very respectful greeting. But Soso seemed accustomed to this, quietly raising her hand and speaking as if it were natural:

“Good. I understand. Be quiet. I dislike noise while eating.”

“Understood. Please enjoy your meal.”

And they retreated. They must have been well-known hunters in this region, because as soon as they glared around, the restaurant quickly quieted down.

“This should be quiet enough to eat in peace.”

Soso said calmly. Of course, she did glance at me nervously, and only then did I realize her impulsive action was because of me.

‘Did she do that because I said it was noisy?’

Belatedly, Team Leader Seo explained to the interns:

“Well, this happens often. As you know, Team Leader Yeon’s family has a strong standing among hunters, especially those focused on close-range damage. People who recognize her often come to pay respects like that.”

Soso is the Young Sect Leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect. And as Team Leader Seo said, the various martial arts sects in the Martial Nation hold significant influence.

They maintain large hunter guilds called Clans, based on blood and regional ties, and they also pass down special combat techniques known as martial arts.

‘Especially among hunters, the Evil Path Clans are more popular than the Righteous Path Clans.’

The Righteous Path Clans have already adapted well to Earth’s modern capitalism. Their cartel is solid.

Without considerable money or social status, one cannot learn their martial arts.

“But as you know, according to the doctrine of the Heavenly Demon Sect, they offer opportunities to learn their martial arts to anyone who seeks power.”

The Heavenly Demon Sect. Their ultimate goal is absolute power that reigns above all, and their doctrine states that everyone has the right to pursue this power.

When awakened individuals couldn’t afford expensive academies, they often joined the more affordable Heavenly Demon Sect dojos instead.

Anyway, Soso is the Young Sect Leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect. This means she will one day lead that clan.

‘So even if I’m gone someday, Soso…’

She has that future ahead of her. As a Heavenly Demon, she can soar anytime.

But Soso herself glanced at me nervously, and I noticed the corners of her mouth slightly turning upward.

***

The group finally arrived at the contaminated zone.

Before entering the actual zone, there were various offices and facilities set up at the entrance.

We headed to the Hunter Association’s branch office. People from various guilds participating in the Association’s intern program had gathered there.

“What? Is this really the only dungeon we can enter?”

But Team Leader Seo’s expression wasn’t good as he spoke with the office representative. The conversation continued.

“Even for an intern program, these low-level dungeons are ones that academy students would tackle. It’s actually a loss for a guild to run such places.”

“Well, about that…”

The representative explained to Team Leader Seo.

The Association’s office had already completed risk assessments of the dungeons in this contaminated zone through reconnaissance.

Among them, dungeons that would provide good experience for interns and help easily raise the guild’s evaluation score…

“It seems the corporate guilds have already taken them all.”

Uncle Donghyuk said. He was right. It seemed no good dungeons remained for Flame.

“This happens often when working in contaminated zones. Thanks to their good connections with high-ranking Association officials, they get first pick of all the useful dungeons.”

This applied even to their interns. And Uncle Donghyuk continued:

“But this puts us in a difficult position. Flame’s recent circumstances don’t seem that great.”

Soso’s expression hardened at his words. As Uncle Donghyuk said, Flame’s raid team was currently missing its main dealer, Soso.

They couldn’t take Soso on missions with her limit line so extremely low.

No matter how skilled Yuri and the other members were, they couldn’t match the performance of corporate guilds that operated multiple raid teams simultaneously.

Uncle Donghyuk whispered in my ear:

“From what I hear from Flame’s operations team, the guild’s rating might drop to A-class next quarter. That’s why this intern program is more important than expected. Since it’s a system introduced by the Association, good performance from the interns can raise the guild’s rating.”

The first field mission of this intern program. The evaluation record would be announced immediately after the three-day trip ended. So the guild’s pride was at stake.

Currently, Flame’s guild rating is S-class. But dropping to A-class wouldn’t be good. Of course, A-class is still a high rating and not bad for regular missions.

‘But it restricts freedom, especially for overseas operations.’

This is particularly damaging for Flame, which focuses more on villain elimination than other guilds. The Red Lake consists of international terrorists, so they don’t operate only in Korea.

Arini said:

“Tch. Something’s not right. Flame does a lot of villain elimination that corporate guilds don’t like. Shouldn’t they be given more authority instead?”

“Well, the hunter industry involves not just political and economic interests but also international relations. That’s probably why they impose such restrictions.”

Team Leader Seo, having finished his conversation with the office representative, approached us scratching his head vigorously.

“I knew this would happen and told the operations team, but regular business tactics aren’t enough. Those damn corporate sales teams must have wined and dined the high-ranking Association officials quite well. Damn it.”

The three-day trip made this particularly troublesome.

“It’s too late to call the information team to find new dungeons… we don’t have enough time. And even if we find good dungeons, other guilds’ interns will have cleared three or four in the meantime.”

Soso’s expression grew more complex at his words.

Though she seemed to be holding back in front of the interns, the old Soso from Ains days would have been crying by now.

Anyway, the current situation was problematic. The Hong-ok that was substituting for my mana heart.

Although I couldn’t use mana now, I needed a dungeon that could provide stimulation to accurately check the condition of the Hong-ok.

‘The remaining dungeons probably won’t be much help.’

And at that moment, a good idea occurred to me.

“Team Leader Seo, why don’t we find a dungeon ourselves, just our guild members? That would solve the problem, wouldn’t it?”

At those words, everyone turned their attention to me.