[Ding]
[Bonus Reward]
[Reward 1-Status Recovery]
[Reward 2- 10 Ability points]
[Reward 3- Bloodlust]
-------------
Name: Sung Jin-Woo
Level: 21
Job: None
Fatigue: 80
Title: Wolf Assassin
HP: 1000/ 3000
MP: 2500 / 3000
Strength: 53
Health: 30
Agility: 42
Intelligence: 30
Sense: 30
Available Ability Points: 13
-----------------------
A low rumble echoed throughout the cavern.
The walls began to shake, and small pieces of stone fell from the ceiling.
"The boss has been slain," I said, glancing around. "The dungeon is starting to collapse. Let's get out of here."
Jinho nodded vigorously.
"R-Right!"
Without wasting another second, we gathered what we could and hurried toward the exit as the dungeon slowly began to close behind us.
Washington, U.S.A.
"What a beautiful morning."
A tall man stood by the window, gazing at the clear sky outside.
"I wonder what time it is in Korea..."
He let out a quiet chuckle.
"Hmm... Maybe I just had a strange dream."
For some reason, his eyes felt slightly moist.
-------
"Mr. Woo Jinchul."
"Yes?"
A man stepped into the office and placed a report on the desk.
"You should take a look at this."
Jinchul picked up the file and began reading.
"Recently, eight hunters were killed during a C-Rank dungeon raid. The only survivors were a D-Rank hunter and an E-Rank hunter."
Jinchul shrugged.
"They must have fled. It happens quite often."
"Normally, yes. But according to the investigation, they didn't run away. They actually cleared the dungeon."
That caused Jinchul's expression to change slightly.
"The D-Rank survivor was Yoo Jinho. He was wearing extremely expensive equipment, so it's possible he managed to defeat a C-Rank boss. However, the boss belonged to the Giant Arachnid species. It shouldn't have posed much of a threat to a party composed of experienced hunters. It's strange that eight of them died."
Jinchul closed the file.
"Stop beating around the bush and get to the point. You wouldn't have brought this to me if you hadn't found something suspicious. Otherwise, you would have handled it yourself."
The employee hesitated.
"Well... the other survivor was Sung Jinwoo."
Jinchul's eyes narrowed.
"The hunter from the Double Dungeon incident?"
"Yes."
For a moment, the room fell silent.
"There's certainly something suspicious about all of this," Jinchul admitted. "However, there's no need to jump to conclusions. The mana meter used during his reevaluation contained an Essence Stone of exceptionally high quality—the kind obtained from A-Rank magical beasts. Besides, reawakenings are incredibly rare. We've already investigated him once. That should be enough."
"I'd like to believe it's just a coincidence as well," the employee replied. "But there's one detail I can't ignore."
Jinchul raised an eyebrow.
"And what's that?"
"One of the deceased hunters was Hwang Dongsuk."
The atmosphere instantly changed.
"Hwang Dongsuk?"
Jinchul slowly leaned back in his chair.
"Are you referring to the older brother of Hunter Hwang Dongsoo?"
"Yes, sir."
Jinchul crossed his arms and frowned.
"Now that's definitely not something we can overlook."
Hwang Dongsoo was not an ordinary hunter. Any incident involving his family had the potential to become a major issue.
After a moment of thought, Jinchul stood up from his seat.
"Hmm."
He picked up the report and began walking toward the door.
"I'll bring this directly to the Chairman."
His gaze drifted toward another file resting on his desk.
There was a photograph attached to it.
A strange dagger embedded deep within the corpse of a boss monster that had gone on a rampage several days earlier.
The image had bothered him ever since he first saw it.
At the time, he had dismissed it as a coincidence.
Now, he wasn't so sure.
"Sung Jinwoo..."
For the first time in a long while, Woo Jinchul felt a sense of curiosity.
Perhaps it was time to take another look at the E-Rank hunter.
Because if his suspicions were correct, then Sung Jinwoo might be hiding something far more dangerous than anyone had imagined.
---
"Ooh, fried chicken?" Jinah's eyes lit up as she stared at the boxes on the table. "Did something good happen?"
"Well..." I shrugged. "Only time will tell whether it's a good thing or a bad thing."
"Wow, what's the occasion? You're usually so stingy."
"Hey."
Jinah giggled before grabbing a piece of chicken.
"Jinwoo, aren't you going to eat? If you're not, I'm going to finish everything by myself, okay?"
"If you want to gain weight, go right ahead."
"W-What?!"
Ignoring her protest, I stood up.
"I'm going to take a shower."
As Jinwoo disappeared into the bathroom, Jinah watched him leave.
I can't get used to him lately...
Ever since he had started working out, something about him had changed.
He used to be easygoing and somewhat carefree, but now he carried himself differently.
His gaze felt sharper.
His posture straighter.
Even his face seemed more defined than before.
Maybe it's because of all the exercise?
Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that it was more than that.
Did something happen in another dungeon?
The sound of running water soon echoed through the apartment.
Swoooosh—
Jinah absentmindedly munched on her chicken while staring toward the bathroom door.
Then—
"Hm?"
A few moments later, she picked up the ringing phone.
"Hello?"
After a brief conversation, she blinked several times.
"Uh... okay."
The call ended.
Jinah immediately walked toward the bathroom.
Knock. Knock.
"What is it?" Jinwoo's voice called out from inside.
"Jinwoo."
"What?"
"Do you know someone named Yoo Jinho?"
Inside the bathroom, Jinwoo paused.
Yoo Jinho?
The image of a nervous young man carrying mana crystals and offering him water flashed through his mind.
"Why?"
"He's asking for you."
--
"Hmm..."
Chairman Go Gunhee leaned back in his chair and folded his hands.
"Considering the situation, we may soon find ourselves in conflict with Hunter Hwang Dongsoo. From what we know of his disposition, he won't simply let his brother's death go unanswered."
After a brief pause, he added,
"Especially considering that he's under Thomas Andre."
Woo Jinchul nodded.
"I've already made some preparations, Chairman."
"Good."
Go Gunhee gazed out the window for a moment before speaking again.
"Still no progress regarding that incident?"
Jinchul shook his head.
"So far, none."
His expression darkened slightly.
"At this rate, I believe it may become one of the Association's ghost cases."
A ghost case.
An incident whose truth remained buried despite countless investigations.
Cases that eventually faded into obscurity because there simply wasn't enough evidence to reach a conclusion.
Go Gunhee let out a long sigh.
"If only that hunter had managed to identify the individual responsible."
His eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
"We could have recruited them."
A faint smile appeared on the Chairman's face.
"And admittedly, I'm curious as well."
"Curious, Chairman?"
"Why they're hiding."
Jinchul nodded.
"That remains a mystery."
He opened a nearby file and glanced at the attached photographs.
"According to the witness testimony, the dagger pierced the boss monster's skull in a single strike."
His gaze hardened.
"The amount of strength required to accomplish such a feat is extraordinary."
He placed the file on the desk.
"If the hunter's account is accurate, that hunter may already be on par with an S-Rank hunter—or at the very least standing on the threshold of becoming one."
The room fell silent.
An unknown hunter.
Possibly S-Rank.
Operating completely outside the Association's knowledge.
It was not something either of them could ignore.
"Hmm..."
Go Gunhee slowly nodded.
"We need more young people these days."
His gaze drifted downward.
Toward his hands.
Hands marked by age.
Years of battles and responsibilities had left their mark on his body.
I've grown old.
For a brief moment, his thoughts wandered.
The Association was stable now, but he knew better than anyone that his time would not last forever.
I need to find a successor soon.
Someone capable of protecting Korea after he was gone.
Someone strong enough to bear the weight of that responsibility.
His eyes shifted toward Woo Jinchul.
The younger man stood straight and composed as always.
A faint smile crossed the Chairman's face.
This one wouldn't be a bad choice either.
Of course, there was still time to decide.
For now, a far more pressing issue demanded their attention.
An unknown hunter had appeared.
Hwang Dongsoo would soon return to Korea.
And somehow, Go Gunhee had a feeling that the two events were connected.
The coming months were unlikely to be peaceful.
-------
this story will be dropped, all my stories that is in hiatus are all dropped
i will be focusing on HOTD: HB