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Translator: penny
Chapter: 138
Chapter Title: The Value of Human Life (3)
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When raiding dungeons, a lot of unexpected accidents occur.
Whether it's a B-rank dungeon, an S-rank dungeon, or an SS-rank dungeon.
Accidents can happen anywhere, and the only difference is that the higher the rank, the more dangerous and powerful variables appear.
Hunters must always keep in mind that they could die at any moment.
The perfect example was Gyu Yeon-su, now lying there as a cold corpse.
"Please, I beg you. Save Yeon-su."
Hong Si-jun's figure, bowing to Im Hyeji with bloodshot eyes, was utterly desperate.
Before the death of a fellow SSS-rank hunter, the loss of his beloved wife had turned the berserker into an enraged berserker.
The atmosphere was grim.
It had to be.
The news of an SSS-rank hunter dying mid-dungeon raid wasn't just like tripping and falling dead on the street—it meant a 'variable' powerful enough to kill an SSS-rank had appeared.
Especially the death of Gyu Yeon-su, a ranged hunter who was typically the top priority for protection, meant they had no choice but to see it as something extremely hard to handle.
That's why Hong Si-jun had brought her out himself.
And naturally, the dungeon raid had been halted.
"How long has it been since she died?"
At my question, Hong Si-jun glanced at the person next to him.
Whether guild member or staff, they held up the running timer watch.
1 : 17 : 34
Looking at the thoroughly chilled corpse, I let out a sigh of relief.
It hadn't been that long.
Two hours was the limit, so there was still plenty of time left.
Seeing how her neck was cleanly severed and tightly wrapped with cloth, it was understandable why Hong Si-jun was so frantic.
Well, the remaining time didn't really matter.
Using Resurrection wouldn't even take ten seconds.
I could revive Gyu Yeon-su right now.
There was no reason she couldn't be saved unless they had pressed the timer watch about 34 minutes late or something.
But Im Hyeji didn't use her skill.
Because I hadn't given the signal.
"...Why.."
Seeing that, Hong Si-jun—whose rage had somewhat subsided after Im Hyeji's arrival and who was catching his breath—asked.
He alternated glances between me and Im Hyeji, his eyes conveying the message.
Why not use the skill right away?
"Of course we'll get our compensation. As long as you save her, any amount.."
"No. That's already settled with the Hunter Association. One S-rank magic stone. The price for personal Resurrection requests outside of dungeon commissions is fixed by regulation, so don't worry too much. Hyeji will use Resurrection as soon as the magic stone arrives. Whether we revive her now or at 1 hour 59 minutes, it's the same as long as it's within two hours."
"...."
The stares from around us stung.
This was near the gate where Hong Si-jun's guild was tackling an SS-rank dungeon.
All the hunters here were either from his guild or dispatched for this raid.
Insisting on payment before saving lives wouldn't look good to people already emotionally charged.
But we had to hold firm.
If we caved on-site after throwing a fit over the phone and failed to follow through on what I said, nothing could be more idiotic.
From then on, the Hunter Association might always demand skills first in requests, then delay payments or back out.
We had to set the precedent right from the start.
It was tough that the first case involved a close-range SSS-rank hunter whose legs gave out just standing in front.
"Seems like there's something else we need to discuss besides personal compensation?"
And sure enough.
Team Leader Kim Gap-su had something else he hadn't mentioned.
"The request was for reviving Hunter Gyu Yeon-su, so why are there so many corpses here?"
Near the lying Gyu Yeon-su, there were at least thirty more bodies neatly arranged.
Each had died differently—some bisected at the torso, some decapitated, and so on.
But most seemed to have been killed by a single entity.
"What, it's not like buying pork belly comes with free kimchi side dish. You're not trying to sneak in reviving these thirty-plus people while saving one life, are you?"
"Anyway.."
Hong Si-jun was a calm and rational person.
I'd seen it during the Hwaseong incident too—despite his battle style of charging into enemy lines with body over brain thanks to his abilities and skills, his orders and dungeon runs were always safety-first, never gambling on risks.
So, he swallowed back the words rising from his cooled instincts, avoiding a slip-up.
Saying 'Resurrection is group revival anyway' wasn't great with Im Hyeji right there.
He knew because he was an SSS-rank hunter.
SSS-rank hunters get paid just for breathing.
Hunters have different tendencies—Hong Si-jun and Gyu Yeon-su were proactive in dungeons—but that didn't mean their pay decreased.
They just worked as hard as they were paid.
So he couldn't criticize or call Im Hyeji cold.
In a world where payment is natural, especially for begging the one unique ability, the price couldn't be small.
"...How much do you want?"
I grinned at Hong Si-jun's question.
"No exceptions. One S-rank magic stone per person."
"We can't get thirty S-rank magic stones."
"Then there's nothing we can do. We only work as much as requested."
"No other way?"
"Do you really need to save everyone?"
People die in dungeons.
Accidents happen, and failing to handle them leads to more deaths than you'd think.
Especially since Hong Si-jun had told Im Hyeji in Hwaseong to save the SSS-rank hunter's Resurrection.
Of course, he'd shifted blame by saying to save Kang Hana anyway, but that was just passing responsibility.
A man who'd made that choice.
Now facing the same with his wife and guild members, was he acting differently?
Naturally, you'd want to save as many as you could at once.
"There is a way."
Time flies.
Thirty-four minutes wasn't short, but the remaining time on the watch felt like it was draining away fast.
Hong Si-jun looked ready to do anything.
He wasn't the guild master, but his affection for the guild explained his desperation.
The apparent guild master was watching intently from the side.
So I offered an alternative.
"Even now, hire Hyeji for your guild..."
"Hanlim, bro."
"...as a mercenary for Hanlim Guild's SS-rank dungeon raid."
"....That would work?"
"Well, if Hyeji uses Resurrection for an accident during a guild dungeon raid, we don't need one S-rank magic stone per person. Our guild rules require using abilities for accidents during requests."
It could be seen as covering eyes to eat rice cake.
Or overly Korean-style rules.
But I'd use these thoroughly prepared rules to control skill usage.
That way, people would request accordingly.
The upside was setting compensation as I saw fit within those rules.
"We'll do that."
"Request fee: one S-rank magic stone, plus 25% stake."
"...."
An SS-rank dungeon, if cleared, was a money-printing machine.
Hwaseong was a variant, but monster levels were SS-rank equivalent, and the profits spoke for themselves.
One SS-rank magic stone alone made it worth attempting.
So the Hanlim Guild Master couldn't answer hastily.
Even seeing his thirty dying guild members.
The decision wasn't Hong Si-jun's alone.
After one S-rank stone and 25% stake, there'd be much to consider.
"25% is..."
So the guild master stepped forward to appeal to me.
Or tried to.
As I watched, waiting for his words, Hong Si-jun grabbed the guild master's shoulder and stopped him.
He shook his head at the guild master, who turned.
The guild master's gaze fell on the remaining guild members outside the gate.
The staff.
They were exhausted.
Hunters are human too.
Surviving while many die brings joy, but also mental fatigue.
I could have died too.
Luckily, I didn't.
The SS-rank dungeon raid wasn't over yet.
Though it looked done at this rate.
I spoke to reignite the spark.
"Too expensive? Compared to withdrawing now, think of it as the cost to get Resurrection, full condition revenge, and finish the dungeon. Not expensive at all."
Resurrection was a revival skill and a buff.
It restored all revived hunters to 100% condition and boosted their stats to SS-rank for a mere five minutes.
Hunters who'd experienced that miracle in Hwaseong knew.
What could be achieved in those miraculous five minutes.
"...Does it include the skill and stat buffs too?"
Hong Si-jun's voice held a strange anticipation as he asked me.
No more temptation needed.
The one who'd tasted the miracle most deliciously had reacted.
I glanced at Im Hyeji.
Pretending to exchange signals with eye contact, then said with a troubled expression.
"That's an option, adds one A-rank magic stone. If you pay, we'll cleanly revive all the corpses right at the combat site."
Just then, the Hunter Association car arrived.
Kim Gap-su got out, saw us still standing before Gyu Yeon-su's cooling corpse, paled, pulled out an S-rank magic stone, and ran over.
"Here.. here it is."
The timer watch showed 1 hour 35 minutes.
25 minutes left.
Taking the S-rank magic stone, I gave no more time to think.
"Or we can just handle the request and go. Hyeji."
"Yes, bro. I'll designate only Hunter Gyu Yeon-su as ally and revive her."
Woooong
I realized anew how well Im Hyeji had blended in with me.
Heavenly Light's mana clearly glowed from her hand.
"Waaaait!!"
At the same time, the Hanlim Guild Master shouted desperately.
"We'll make the request!! We're hiring Hunter Im Hyeji as a mercenary for our guild dungeon raid!"
Flash!
Heavenly Light spread like ripples, warmly thawing the grim atmosphere.
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