The Shadow Behind You
[Regular Raid Team: Ace.]
It had come from Ye-seul. Ace was one of the better-known regular raid teams in Korea. As a temporary member, he could probably tag along for a dungeon raid or two. Of course, he had no intention of signing on anywhere officially just yet.
-Hello?
He called without hesitation. Not long after, a woman’s voice flowed out of the smartphone. Fortunately, it didn’t sound like she was inside a dungeon.
“Ms. Choi Ye-seul?”
-Could that be Kang Hyun-jun?
She said his name right away, without even a second of hesitation. That alone made it clear she had been waiting for his call.
Was I really this noteworthy?
A regular raid team waiting to hear from him. It felt as if his aptitude as a hunter had finally been recognized, and that gave him a pleasant little thrill.
“Yes. This is Kang Hyun-jun.”
-Ah! It’s nice to finally speak with you. I’d been waiting for your call.
“Do you happen to have any dungeon raid schedules within the next week? My C-rank dungeon matching has been delayed.”
-We do have one scheduled. It’s a B-rank elite dungeon, though. Would that be all right?
Ye-seul didn’t refuse him. Her older brother, Choi Han-seok, the team leader and an A-rank magic-type hunter, had already received a report about Hyun-jun from her and was taking an interest in him.
“That’s fine.”
A B-rank elite dungeon was on the difficult side, but with the protection of 990,000 past lives behind him, there was nothing to fear. His voice carried confidence as he answered.
-Good. Let’s meet first, then. Where are you right now?
“At the headquarters building of the Dungeon Management Bureau.”
-I’ll come to you. Could you wait for about thirty minutes?
“I’ll grab a coffee at a nearby cafe.”
-I’ll be there soon.
The call ended. As promised, he waited at a nearby cafe, sipping an Americano. About twenty minutes passed before an expensive-looking foreign car came to a stop right in front of the shop. For some reason, Hyun-jun had a feeling Ye-seul would be the one inside that car.
Just as I thought.
Ye-seul was getting out from the driver’s seat. A C-rank support hunter driving a foreign car that looked that expensive? The regular raid team’s income seemed better than he had expected.
Still, I did hear a few things. Roughly speaking, I get the picture.
Hyun-jun let out a faint snort and shook his head. The door opened, and Ye-seul walked in. Her eyes moved quickly behind her glasses as she scanned the cafe. Soon she spotted Hyun-jun, and with a bright smile, she came over and sat across from him.
“Good to see you, Kang Hyun-jun. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
“Yes. You’ve been well?”
Ye-seul greeted him first with a handshake, and Hyun-jun accepted it readily, smiling back. As Ace was a regular raid team with considerable influence in South Korea, he figured it would be advantageous to stay on good terms with an executive like Choi Ye-seul.
“You said you wanted to join our regular raid team?”
No, hold on. What was this woman thinking, trying to put chains on him right off the bat?
“No. I only said I wanted to be included if you had a dungeon raid scheduled within the next week.”
Let’s be precise here.
“Ah, I’m sorry. I must have mistaken you for someone else.”
“It happens.”
Hyun-jun didn’t let his smile fade. It had seemed like she was trying to slip him into the team as a formal member, but sorry to say, he had no intention of being taken that easily.
“We were actually looking for someone because we had an unexpected vacancy this time. I’ll speak to my brother separately, but there shouldn’t be any real issue with your joining.”
Han-seok was Ye-seul’s biological older brother.
“That’s a relief.”
“Still, if you’re going to be a temporary team member, we’ll need you to sign a contract. Please read it over.”
Hyun-jun took the contract she handed him and read it slowly. It was mostly about splitting the settlement funds, and there were no problematic clauses.
“I’ll sign it.”
“You’re quick to decide.”
“These things are better handled quickly.”
The signature was done.
“Good. When do we leave?”
“Tomorrow.”
That was sooner than expected.
*
The time had come. Hyun-jun slipped his sword and shield into his subspace pouch and pulled on his worn black leather coat. He didn’t need to worry about getting to the rendezvous point. Ye-seul was coming to pick him up. It might have seemed odd for her to go to such lengths for his convenience, but he wasn’t without a guess as to why.
They recognize my value.
In the era of dungeon raids, top hunters were power itself. Even if they weren’t kept directly under someone’s command, merely having them close could exert tremendous influence. That was why the powerful were always eager to keep top hunters at their side.
He left the studio apartment and waited about ten minutes before the foreign car from yesterday stopped in front of him.
“Good morning. Nice weather today.”
Ye-seul got out of the car and greeted him first.
“You’re earlier than I expected.”
“I’ve gotten used to being early.”
With a smile, Ye-seul opened the passenger-side door. Once Hyun-jun got in, the vehicle pulled away. It took about an hour to reach the meeting point. Thanks to Ye-seul’s constant conversation and all the little considerate touches, the ride wasn’t boring, and it wasn’t uncomfortable either.
“This way.”
A Dungeon Management Bureau employee stood there holding a chart, and beside him were four hunters. Three looked like combat types, carrying simple armor and melee weapons, but one wore a green robe and held a staff.
Choi Han-seok, Ace’s team leader and an A-rank magic-type hunter.
He’d done his homework. Probably because Ace was a famous raid team, most of the relevant information was openly available. In hunter communities, Han-seok was praised as a genius who had started at D-rank and reached A-rank in only one year.
“Kang Hyun-jun? Ye-seul told me quite a bit about you. I’m Choi Han-seok, team leader of Ace.”
Han-seok approached first. Judging from his expression, Ye-seul must have said good things about him. There was no downside to being highly regarded by the team leader of Ace. Hyun-jun gave a quiet laugh to himself.
“Likewise. I’m Kang Hyun-jun. C-rank hunter.”
“Come this way. I’ll explain the basic formation our raid team uses.”
For thirty minutes, he was trained on formation and team tactics.
Choi Ye-seul’s escort...
With an A-rank hunter like Choi Han-seok right beside him, it was probably the safest position in the entire formation. The rest of the team wasn’t first-string material, but they seemed to have brought a fairly elite group, so this felt like a stage meant to showcase the strengths of Ace as a regular raid team. Of course, the person they were trying to impress was.
Me.
The rumor that had been circulating only inside the Dungeon Management Bureau must have reached Han-seok’s ears. Otherwise, there was no way to explain Ace’s unusually aggressive courtship.
“I’m Lee Jin-seok.”
“Kang Hyun-jun.”
After the brief briefing, they were given about five minutes to introduce themselves. It didn’t drag on. Hyun-jun had no intention of staying with them for long, and the other members, aside from Han-seok and Ye-seul, didn’t seem particularly interested in him either. There were some looks that carried a bit of annoyance, but he didn’t care much.
“Kang Hyun-jun. Could you come here for a moment?”
While they were finalizing the formation, Ye-seul called him over. Curious, Hyun-jun walked toward her. She took a sword from the trunk of the car and handed it to him.
“This is...?”
It was a sword that looked expensive at a glance. When he sent her a look asking for an explanation, she answered with a bright smile.
“I’m lending it to you. The sword you’re using right now will break in no time inside a B-rank elite dungeon.”
“Then I won’t refuse.”
He appreciated the thoughtfulness.
“I’ll open the dungeon gate.”
Han-seok’s voice rang out. The tightly shut iron doors opened, and the party entered the dungeon.
“Mana reaction confirmed! Prepare for combat!”
The moment they stepped inside, a fierce welcome began. Han-seok cast his spell with a warning, and Lee Jin-seok, the tank in front, raised his shield.
Spirit-type, maybe...
Four clear flames were burning in the darkness. Judging by the dense mana, they were definitely a spirit-type monster.
“I’m going. Wind Cutter.”
Advanced magic, Wind Cutter. Blades of wind sliced through the air and flew forward. One flame went out in a single strike.
-Kruuuuaaa!
Realizing they’d been attacked, the monsters charged. Their forms gradually came into focus. There was no need for drones to illuminate them anymore.
Flame Guardians...
They were B-rank spirit-type monsters. Their entire bodies were burning, which made them especially troublesome for combat hunters.
“Wind Cutter.”
The blade of wind savagely tore one Flame Guardian apart. Two remained.
“Uoooo!”
Crash!
One Flame Guardian was smashed off balance by the shield Lee Jin-seok swung. In that instant, another hunter surged in and drove a dagger into its core. With its core destroyed, the Flame Guardian collapsed in on itself. The last one fell to another hunter’s sword.
The ease with which they dealt with B-rank monsters was more than enough to confirm that Ace’s reputation was no rumor.
“How is it?”
It was as if they were saying: join Ace, and you can do this too. Hyun-jun let a faint smile touch his lips before answering.
“Impressive. I didn’t expect you to be this good.”
“Every hunter who’s ever raided with us, even once, has said they wanted to join.”
Han-seok’s voice was full of confidence.
Sorry, but I’m still not interested.
Unless there was an overwhelming benefit, he had no intention of joining a regular raid team right now. Taking part in today’s dungeon raid was purely out of necessity.
“If you ever start thinking you’d like to work with us, just say the word, Kang Hyun-jun.”
“Yes. I’ll be sure to do that.”
Hyun-jun nodded with a smile.
Did they think I didn’t know what a second awakening is worth?
If not, they would have offered something better. Right now, Han-seok was trying to bring in a hunter likely to undergo a second awakening for cheap. He could understand the logic, but that didn’t mean he intended to play along.
I decide my own price.
He gave a cold laugh inwardly.
“We’ll keep moving.”
Han-seok spoke, and the party continued deeper into the dungeon. The farther they went, the more monsters began to appear.
“Boss room.”
There was a massive iron door ahead of them. Just as Han-seok had said, it was clearly the boss room. By this point, Hyun-jun hadn’t swung his sword even once. He had simply watched the rest of the party fight from the rear.
“Was the trip comfortable?”
While Han-seok and Ye-seul were checking the boss room entrance, someone came up and asked him that. The sarcasm in it was obvious. Hyun-jun’s gaze slid toward him. To be honest, he couldn’t even remember the man’s name.
“Yes. It was very comfortable.”
He decided to be shameless about it. He was perfectly capable of putting on a thick face.
“Open it!”
With Lee Jin-seok’s shout, the boss room door swung open.
Hashashin’s insidious laughter warns you of an ambush. A hidden blade is aiming for your heart.
It was time to raise his price.