CH 27

Indeed, it was the right decision to come to a higher-level dungeon.

I levelled up by two levels in a single go.

“Wow. I’ve gained three levels!”

“Me too!”

“Me too!”

The three of us, experiencing level-ups for the first time, were in the mood to break out into a dance.

I chuckled and pointed to the escape gate that appeared behind the queen ant’s corpse.

“Let’s get out of here first.”

No matter how drained we were, the smell of the fluid that came out with the roots vibrated in the boss room.

“I really didn’t think I could win.”

“Me neither.”

“I feel like a real hunter now.”

“Weren’t you already going to the dungeons?”

“No, I was only assisting.”

The three of us, who wouldn’t stop talking even while stepping onto the escape gate, continued to chatter non-stop after getting outside.

“Hunter Seo Go-woon.”

As we stepped out of the dungeon’s concrete wall, Seo Moon-no-eul ran up to us.

He then carefully examined the three of us.

“Guild master!”

“Hello, guild master!”

“Hello!”

They naturally called out to Seo Moon-no-eul as if greeting someone they hadn’t seen in a while.

I had heard it was a guild with a familial atmosphere, but wasn’t it supposed to be more ‘family’-like?

“We’ve cleared the dungeon!”

“I can handle my skills now.”

Min-hee, did you leave your conscience in the dungeon?

“I thought the boss would be scary, but it was no big deal.”

Ga-eul, you hesitated when the queen ant charged, you shouldn’t be the one to say that.

“I think I can use my skills better because I have a lot of hair.”

Hanjae, that’s just your illusion. It’s all in your head.

Although I had a lot to say, I approached Seo Moon-no-eul, who was nodding her head in agreement without killing the kids’ excitement.

“Hello, did you come to check our raid?”

“Well, two birds with one stone?”

Two birds with one stone? What’s she talking about?

“You’re going to report to the guild, right?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s go together. I have something to tell you.”

‘Is it because of the hair growth formula?’

I nodded my head.

Unlike when we first gathered at the dungeon, we rode in a minivan that Seo Moon-no-eul had prepared to go to the guild. The kids, still high on the successful raid, kept talking about the dungeon until we arrived at the guild.

“Hyung! We’re going to stay in the same party, right?”

As soon as we got out of the van, Hanjae, who got off first, rushed towards me.

“Hey, back off.” When I pushed Hanjae away, this time it was Ga-eul.

“Hyung! You’re not going to abandon us, right?”

“Hey! Don’t push!”

“Oppa, don’t tell me. No, right?”

I staggered, not from the cicada of the ginkgo tree, but from the two bulky men clinging to me.

How strong were they? They didn’t even move when I pushed.

“Alright. I get it!”

When my approval finally came out of my mouth, the two let go of me. I should have kept my distance like when we first met. I inadvertently used informal speech out of frustration, and it seemed to have made me more approachable to them.

‘I’m getting old, really old.’

The words that the deputy chief often said popped up in my mind.

“I’ll make the report, you guys can clock out now.”

Seo Moon-no-eul waved her hands at the three.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Once Seo Moon-no-eul gave permission, the three of them cheered and ran towards the subway station.

‘With that much energy, they should be able to run two dungeons a day.’

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

I followed Seo Moon-no-eul to the guildmaster’s office.

The guildmaster’s office was no different from the office of Taeju’s brat that I had entered before.

“Would you like something to drink?”

“No.”

As soon as I sat on the sofa, Seo Moon-no-eul sat opposite me. And then she stared at me intensely.

‘Why is she staring at me like that?’

Her gaze was strange. It wasn’t a look of contempt or disregard, it was more like ‘what is this’ kind of look.

I also looked at Seo Moon-no-eul.

Taeju’s senior was younger than I thought. She felt about my age.

“I thought the hunter Seo Go-woon wouldn’t participate in this raid.”

“Why?”

I was expecting her to talk about the hair loss remedy I brought up, but she didn’t say anything for a while. I frowned at her explanation, suspecting that she was saying she didn’t trust me.

“Because Jeongwoo is back.”

Jeongwoo? Oh, I remember. The annoying guy who refused to form a party.

“So, did you come here earlier to help?”

“Yes, according to Jeongwoo, there was no healer when your group got  assembled, but I checked the entry record and found that you all had entered the dungeon.”

I instantly grasped the situation.

A dungeon, in a way, is a mission assigned by the guild, and one can’t abandon it at will.

Though I did go because I was nagged to, from her point of view, I must have unilaterally abandoned the mission and returned to the guild, surely claiming that I couldn’t join the party because of the mess I’d caused.

“Jeongwoo will be warned for leaving on his own.”

Whether he received a warning or not didn’t bother me, so I just nodded.

“I have explained everything clearly, so in the next party….”

“No, I’ll pass.”

That guy already discontent with the party. It’s uncertain whether he will follow my leadership, and if he were to act out on his own, our lives could be at risk.

Why would I carry a bomb that could go off at any time?

“Having too few members-“

“There won’t be much difference in our power if we’re short of one member. But why didn’t the healer come?”

Seo Moon-no-eul sighed heavily. “Upon checking, it turns out Emily didn’t come for the same reason as Jeongwoo.”

Is it because it’s a company-like family, or is all guild life like this?

As someone who had been a powerful public servant, I couldn’t understand such actions, which should be criticized.

“Do you have any new healers?”

“Newbies? Well, we do have newbies, but I wouldn’t recommend them. No role is as critical as a healer. That’s why we usually send new healers to parties with experienced members who can survive even if the healer misses a timing.”

I know that.

But who is an experienced professional from birth? People become experienced professionals over time through learning.

“I don’t mind. Just send me someone docile, whether a newbie or a professional. But.”

“But?”

“Someone who can accept that I am the party leader.”

What if they refuse to go after hearing my reputation, protest, or simply don’t listen?

The strategies differ when there is a healer and when there isn’t. If anything goes wrong with a healer in the plan, no matter who made the mistake, I, with my rotten reputation, would bear the brunt. Hence, it’s better to meet someone who doesn’t mind having me as the leader of the party.

“I… understand.” Seo Moon-no-eul nodded with a nervous expression.

I was about to get up from my seat but sat back down.

“Why? Is there anything else you want to say?”

“Is it possible to adjust the dungeon raid schedule?”

“Adjust?”

“Yes.”

“Is the interval too short?” Seo Moon-no-eul pulled up my schedule on the electronic pad.

My dungeon schedule was one place every two days, mostly composed of C-rank and B-rank.

‘As the level increases, more experience will be needed, so it will be impossible to join the cradle party with this schedule.’

“No. I want to make it shorter.”

“Short…er?”

“Yes, please eliminate my rest days. And I heard before that each guild has a quota for state-owned D-rank dungeons that must be cycled through. Is that right?”

“Yes, that’s correct but…”

“We’ll also undertake those in our party.”

Seo Moon-no-eul, whose eyes were nearly invisible like a desert fox, widened her eyes.

I shrugged my shoulders.

“Clearing one a day is too little. It seems like the time would be right if I clear a B or C-class, and then a D-class after that. Is that possible?”

“It’s… possible.”

“Then, since the kids have a break tomorrow, please adjust it like that starting the day after.”

Seo Moon-no-eul made a strange face.

Did I say something weird? Why is her expression like that?

“Is there something you want to say?”

“…I heard you’ve changed, and you really have.”

“I’ve grown up.”

The truth is that my soul has changed, but if I tell her that, I’d be immediately taken to a mental hospital.

The most plausible excuse I have is that I’ve grown up.

“I… see.”

At her answer, which seemed somewhat flustered, I shrugged my shoulders. “There’s no problem with the hair growth formula, right?”

Seo Moon-no-eul’s expression changed in an instant. It was the same expression as the businessmen I occasionally met during my police life.

“Ah, yes. For now, the hair growth formula is awaiting approval from the Food and Drug Administration. We plan to start selling as soon as it gets approved.”

Hmm, there’s an FDA here too. Even when reading novels, despite being fantasy novels, there were parts that seemed strangely realistic.

“Is there anything else you want to say?”

“No, there isn’t. I’ll adjust the schedule and message you again.”

I nodded my head and stood up from my seat.

“Oh right, you know that Taeju went to the U.S, right?”

“Yes.”

This morning, while getting purified by Salt, Seo Taeju had grumbled about not wanting to go to America. He said he wouldn’t have said he was going if he knew it would be like this, and started a huge fight with me for no reason, blaming everything on me.

‘Isn’t it possible that Seo Go-woon’s twisted behavior is not because of a bad temperament, but because Taeju keeps bullying him?’

It was a very possible theory.

Ever since that day, the returned Seo Taeju had been doing his best to torment me. He made me eat a spicy tofu soup that tasted burnt in the morning, and suddenly decided to do the laundry, turning the laundry room into a sea of foam.

The successive memories made me scowl.

“Why? Is there something wrong?”

“Phew, no. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving.”

“If you need anything, the guild can support you, so please let us know.”

‘Magic stone?’

I shook my head.

There’s no way a big magic stone, which I couldn’t even purchase in the item shop, is in the guild, and even if it was, it feels wrong to ask for it under the name of ‘support’.

“Yes, I’ll be going then.”

Support, support…

Even as I moved, the word ‘support’ wouldn’t leave my mind. Detective Kim always told me to take everything I can from the government since they wouldn’t give me anything. When I was a detective, it was the government since I was a public official, but now I’m a guild member. I should naturally take from the guild.

“There’s nothing to take, really.”

The Sunset Guild I saw in the novel was big, but it wasn’t a rich guild since they focused on nurturing hunters. Because they didn’t receive external investments like other guilds, the items supported by the guild were described as not being cost-effective.

‘Ah, it would have been nice if I could’ve gone to the Shin Sooha Guild.’

The Taesan Guild, which Shin Sooha created, and has a world-class corporation as a mother company, had guild member support that was second to none.

“It feels like Taesan would have it.”

“What does Taesan have?”

Startled by the sudden voice, I looked up to find Shin Sooha looking down at me.