Chapter 551: Integrated Management of the Abandoned Village (1)

Amidst various events, the date for the ‘Abandoned Village Integrated Management Day’ had suddenly drawn near.

It was the morning when the exam day, which would be the catalyst for my promotion to A-rank, had finally arrived.

“…Hoo.”

If I just properly carry out my healer activities in the Abandoned Village today, does that mean I’ll be an A-rank Hunter starting tomorrow?

Comparing myself to the Hunter hopeful I was around this time last year, it was truly unbelievable growth.

Of course, I wasn’t officially an A-rank Hunter yet, but unlike the typical promotion exams that require demonstrating specific achievements, they said today I could get promoted just by properly carrying out my activities.

It’s understandable that I’m excited just by the prospect of potentially reaching A-rank Hunter status in less than a year after gaining my awakened abilities.

Of course, just because promotion is the goal, I don’t intend to just show up for work and half-heartedly slack off on my healer duties.

I’ll run around the field as much as possible, treating injured Hunters, and if necessary, I’ll rescue patients using not only recovery spells but also my sword or magic.

And to avoid unnecessarily becoming a troublesome topic, it seems best to operate wearing a mysterious mask until today.

How about officially revealing my face and identity after becoming an A-rank Hunter?

‘Once I become an A-rank Hunter, I’ll reveal my identity to the Association first, ah, and before that, to Areum too….’

While getting ready for work all morning thinking about ‘things to do after becoming an A-rank Hunter’ in that manner, the time for work also drew near.

Han Min-ah and I, on this morning as well, stepped out the front door together, receiving a send-off from Eunbyul.

“I’m leaving, Eunbyul.”

“I’m leaving, Eunbyul-ssi.”

“Yes, please be careful and have a safe trip, both of you.”

About two weeks have passed since Eunbyul started staying at our house, and her morning send-offs to me had become quite a commonplace sight.

Of course, the fact that it was still a commoner’s house with a maid attached felt quite far from ordinary.

As I was reflecting on this newly surfaced feeling, Min-ah, who was about to open the front door and leave, turned back to Eunbyul and asked.

“Ah, Eunbyul-ssi. I’ll prepare dinner tonight. I feel like showing off my skills for the first time in a while today.”

“Understood. Since Han Min-ah-nim has said so, I shall look forward to it as well.”

“See you tonight!”

Even Min-ah, who was so awkward at first, seemed to be conversing very naturally with Eunbyul these days.

It was a moment where I felt quite relieved, as the homeowner and the sexual desire manager for both of them.

It seems like the women must have had some opportunity to get closer while I was away.

“You and Eunbyul don’t seem awkward with each other lately. The other day, I saw you two talking often without me.”

“We’re living under the same roof, isn’t it strange to remain awkward forever? And the reason we were awkward at first was because Sung Taekyung, you introduced me weirdly!”

“…I apologize for that.”

…Well, making Eunbyul’s first impression on Min-ah’s sisters as a naked apron maid was entirely my mistake.

Considering they’ve grown close despite that first impression, perhaps I should praise Han Min-ah’s sociability instead.

With that thought, I left through the gate and waited in front of the door for Hye-eun, and before long, the gate to the right of our house opened, revealing the party leader.

“Good morning, Taekyung~! And Min-ah too~!”

Hye-eun approached me and Min-ah with a bright greeting, seeming particularly cheerful today.

My commute these days felt almost like this. Meeting in front of the house where the three of us stay and then heading to work.

If previously Hye-eun, Min-ah, and I used to meet at the intersection and walk to the company together, these days it feels like the meeting spot has become right in front of the house.

Originally, Hye-eun and I always met in front of the house and left together when our workdays coincided, and these days, Min-ah is just included in that.

“Good morning, Hye-eun.”

“…You seem really happy today? Did something good happen?”

“Huh? Of course, it’s good news, isn’t it? Once the expedition ends today, Taekyung will finally become an A-rank Hunter too! Just like our Sky Blue Shield!”

So that’s why she was in such a good mood. I thought something else special must have happened.

Of course, for me too, the fact of being promoted to A-rank Hunter was inherently exciting, so I had trouble falling asleep for several days.

However, separately from that, I didn’t realize Hye-eun would be so overjoyed about my promotion, which isn’t even her own.

“Anyone would think Hye-eun, you’re the one getting promoted.”

“Huh? I’m happier about Taekyung getting promoted than myself getting promoted! Taekyung is destined to become the world’s greatest Hunter, so naturally, you should get promoted faster than me and surge ahead!”

“…Yes, thank you for saying that.”

Whenever I see Hye-eun showing such pure consideration just for me, I can’t help but feel my face heat up strangely.

Is she saying it deliberately to provoke this reaction from me, or is she genuinely happy about my promotion and saying it purely?

If it were the latter, I felt I would be even happier, so I decided to think in the way that would make me happier.

Thus, with Hye-eun on my right and Min-ah on my left, the three of us walked side-by-side, continuing our commute to the company.

During our walk, a question suddenly arose regarding the event I was scheduled to participate in today, so I asked the two of them about the group activity.

“By the way, this is my first time participating in the Abandoned Village Integrated Management Day event, can you tell me a bit about how it works? You two must have experience.”

“There’s not much to explain… Once we enter the Abandoned Village dungeon, the guides will tell us where to go. There’s nothing specific I can tell you. This is my third time, and it’s always been similar.”

“Usually, the types of monsters that appear differ by zone, so Hunters efficiently gather those suited to counter the monsters in that area before starting combat. Zone A has many poisonous monsters, so it’s mainly for Hunters capable of long-range attacks. Zone B has many large and tough monsters, so it’s for Hunters with powerful single-target attacks.”

“Based on last year, Yuri Unnie was assigned to Zone A. Hye-eun and Jihee Unnie received Zone B. And I was assigned to Zone C.”

“What’s the recruitment criteria for Zone C?”

“Most Hunters with good mobility go to Zone C. Zone C was originally a residential area, so tracking is crucial because many monsters flee through alleys. Hunters with slightly lower combat power also tend to gather here. Anyway, Zone C monsters are dangerous when they act in groups, but individually, they are rather weak.”

As the name ‘Integrated Management Day’ suggests, they certainly move systematically.

Considering the unique nature of the Abandoned Village dungeon, hunting systematically like this was indeed the most efficient approach.

Fundamentally, the Abandoned Village isn’t a formal dungeon accessed through a natural gate; it became a dungeonized area due to a monster wave that occurred in a previously inhabited zone.

Zone A, where a factory for processing monster materials was located, and Zone C, which should have been a residential area.

And Zone B, which used to be an amusement park frequently visited by families.

Since the environments of the three habitat zones were distinct, the distribution of monsters naturally varied accordingly.

More precisely, it’s reasonable to assume that the monsters that rushed out from the gate during the monster wave hid in habitats suited to their respective environments.

Monsters with toxic abilities settled and bred in the factory district of Zone A, similar to their original environment, while large monsters like Treralodons claimed the vast Zone B as their territory.

Thanks to this, those tasked with subjugation could form ranks to efficiently deal with the monsters and engage in battle. Although complete eradication was currently impossible due to various issues.

“If Taekyung participated as a swordsman, he probably would have been assigned to Zone B. That might be a little disappointing~.”

“We always hunt together during party expeditions anyway, so it doesn’t matter.”

“That’s true~. But still, I want to be with you even on days like this~.”

“Speaking of which, I don’t know how healers are assigned. As far as I know, they treat injured people who return to several safe zones, and if the injured can’t move, they escort them to where the injured are.”

Perhaps because healers are a rare resource, there seem to be safe zones established for their protection.

Of course, I’ll have to see for myself how effective these safe zones created within the dungeon actually are.

Honestly, my personal preference would be to roam the battlefield and provide treatment rather than waiting for injured Hunters to come to the safe zone.

It wasn’t for the reason of maximizing my achievements. Anyway, just participating in this large-scale subjugation operation was enough to guarantee my promotion.

If I, as a healer, could save more lives by moving around busily, that alone would be worth the effort.

As it was a large-scale subjugation operation, even if situations where individual Hunters’ lives were at risk were fewer, strictly speaking, that probability was still not 0%.

My dream of ensuring no one dies by the hands of monsters remained valid, just as it was before.

And this goal is unlikely to change in the future either.

…At the very least, I never wanted to see anyone die by a monster’s hand right before my eyes again.

“…Taekyung-ah.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m just asking in case, but you’re not having any strange thoughts, are you?”

“…What strange thoughts?”

“Like thinking about leaving the safe zone to treat people by roaming around the dungeon, that kind of dangerous thought.”

…As expected, she’s not my childhood friend for nothing. I didn’t expect her to grasp my intentions so accurately.

If I say yes, she’ll definitely get angry. But I’m also not entirely comfortable outright lying.

After pondering for a moment, I gave an appropriately ambiguous answer so I could make excuses later.

“If my presence isn’t needed, I’ll wait in the safe zone. However, if I deem it necessary, I will move around. Does that work?”

“That’s basically saying you’ll move around dangerously!”

“Later you’ll just brush it off with excuses like ‘it was unavoidable,’ won’t you? Sung Taekyung, your thoughts are predictable.”

…It seems the years I’ve spent living with these women have been too long.

I never expected my words wouldn’t even be believed to this extent.