Chapter 15
Chapter 15
Civil Servant Hunter’s S-class Resignation Log – Chapter 15
A gift? And equipment at that.
Staring blankly at the message, Se-ra hurriedly opened her inventory. Right in the first slot, marked with NEW, sat a new item.
It was that very jacket she'd wanted so badly she could've cried rivers of tears and snot for it.
"...Huh."
She was so shocked that the tears sucked right back into her eyes.
She couldn't even bring herself to pull out the jacket, just gaping at it in a daze, when it popped out on its own and plopped onto her lap. The System Administrator must have meddled.
"...Jacket."
It was so light she could barely feel its weight. The feel against her hand was incredibly soft, yet it seemed tough enough not to rip under normal circumstances.
"Ah, for real... damn."
Tears that had paused for a moment streamed down Se-ra's cheeks again.
"This thing's insanely expensive. Even grinding as an S-rank, I might barely afford it... And you're just giving it to me? Even after I trashed you, calling you all sorts of nasty things?"
"What do I do? I love it too much."
Se-ra slipped the jacket on right away. As expected of L-rank gear, it auto-adjusted to fit her perfectly the moment she put it on. Wrapped in its cozy embrace, she burst into fresh tears.
"Waaah. Thank you. I'll wear it well. I'll treasure it."
The Administrator had said he cherished her, right?
Trust and affection for him welled up in her chest, squeezing it tight. It wasn't just because of the pricey item.
She was overjoyed by his feelingshow much he valued her.
"Ah, I love it so much!"
Se-ra hugged her arms tight around herself in the jacket. If the Administrator were in front of her, she'd pull him into a bear hug like this.
"Thank you, Administrator."
Tears streaked down her face as she beamed at the empty air.
No reply came back, but Se-ra didn't mind. For the first time in ages, the constant emptiness in her heart felt properly filled.
Maybe that's why.
That night, after staring at the jacket she'd hung on the wall instead of stashing in her inventory, she finally drifted off.
Se-ra dreamed of someone gently stroking her hair.
It was surely just a dream, but that touch was so tender and loving it nearly brought tears again.
* * *
Se-ra was happy.
Not because she'd scored an 80-billion-coin jacket, but because someone who valued her that much was by her side. Yeah.
She went around with her inventory open, grinning ear to earit had become routine. It felt like getting a Christmas present.
"This is so weird. What great thing happened to put her in such high spirits?"
Mid-bite, she peeked at her inventory and grinned like an idiot again. Gong Hae-yeon, eating with her, clicked her tongue.
"Do you know anything, Section Chief?"
"How would I? Se-ra's happy on her own, but share the joy with us too!"
"Hear, hear!"
Not just Gong Hae-yeonJung Tae-seok joined in, glaring and demanding she spill. But with an L-rank, 80-billion-coin jacket in hand, Se-ra was unfazed by their stares.
"Hmph. Nope. It's my secret. I'll be happy all by myself. Ah, it feels so good."
Ugh. She was even shimmying her shoulders.
Gong Hae-yeon and Jung Tae-seok's gazes turned icy in unison. They huddled, whispering.
"Section Chief, Se-ra wasn't always this moody. Isn't it weird?"
"Great minds. I was starting to worry myself."
"She looks like her head hurts no matter how you slice it. Maybe force her into the hospital..."
"Should I mention it to Director Do? He was already fretting if Se-ra needs a full checkup."
"Our Director Do gets it. Section Chief, you could casually bring it up to him..."
"Get her admitted without her knowing..."
I can hear you.
'Yeah, I might've overdone it a bit.'
Se-ra shrugged and finally closed the inventory window she'd kept open all day. But what could she do? An 80-billion-coin jacket was right there in her grasp!
'Is this the true thrill of a black card?'
Recalling the moment 80 billion coins dropped onto her lap made her shiver all over.
Ah, that electric thrill.
Of course, she had no intention of mooching off the Administrator forevershe needed to earn her own keep. Se-ra wasn't that shameless.
Awake her to S-rank, hand over EX-grade weapons and L-rank gear, even bestow blessings. She'd already received more than enough. What more could she want?
Relationships built on one-sided freeloading snap quick without any give.
She'd grown so fond of the Administrator; she wanted to keep their bond going as long as possible.
'I can't even imagine the Administrator getting sick of me and leaving. No way.'
Se-ra's face froze at the flurry of Administrator emoticons.
'Agh! Don't read my mind without permission!'
It was embarrassing. Mortifying.
Se-ra bit her lip hard and buried her face in her palms. Her ears and cheeks burned hot.
"Section Chief, look. Se-ra's seriously off. We need to tell the director now."
"Same here. This is bad."
Even their grave stares didn't faze her right now.
"...?"
But that lasted only a moment. She snapped her head up at the new messages.
'Another gift? And with happy feelings, no less!'
The word "gift" was starting to scare her. Hesitantly, Se-ra opened her inventory. Next to the neatly stored L-rank gear was a new addition...
'Gloves?'
Black gloves.
As a sniper, she didn't have any to protect her hands. Back as F-rank, her mana was too weak to waste on guns anyway.
'Right. Now that I'm S-rank, a good pair of gloves wouldn't hurt.'
She'd forgotten about them since she never used any, but the Administrator had noticed. Her lips threatened to grin again, so she bit the inside of her cheek.
'I'll sneak a peek when I'm alone.'
Suppressing her pounding excitement, she shoveled the rest of her rice into her mouth. Was it her imagination? The food tasted sweeter than before.
But sadly, the good mood didn't last.
Suddenly, the cafeteria lights flashed red, and an ominous alarm blared. Every civil servant's face hardened.
-Emergency! Dungeon outbreak in Seoul Forest! Color: blue! Standard dungeon detected!
Blue meant no Dungeon Break with monsters spilling out, no spatial rift swallowing the area whole.
Still, no one relaxed. A plain dungeon wouldn't trigger red alerts.
-Confirmed as Grade 2 dungeon! Dungeon Management Team and National Response Team nearby: converge on Seoul Forest immediately!
"Grade 2?!"
A Grade 2 dungeon! Faces drained to ghostly pale with terror.
Grade 2 was top-tier even A-ranks and S-ranks risked their lives! And the odds of one popping were slim, so why now?
"Let's move."
"Yes, sir."
Jung Tae-seok stood, face stiff as if the jokes never happenedno time to clear trays. The three rushed to the office.
'Administrator, this'll be okay, right?'
Trailing Tae-seok, Se-ra looked anxious as she called out to the Administrator.
Grade 2 dungeon. Bad memories bubbled up unbidden, making her lips quiver.
No, don't think weird stuff. I'm not the same as back then.
She didn't know her full power yet, but at least she wouldn't curl up shaking like before.
Still, tension was inevitable, laced with faint fear.
But the Administrator's emoticon reply felt off.
What was that ambiguous face? Not worried, not reassuring...
'Something's gonna happen, but it's not super dangerous... maybe?'
'Nailed it.'
Reading the Administrator's mood from one emoticon. She'd adapted quick these past few days.
Anyway, his words calmed her trembling a bit. He wouldn't lie about something like this.
But only Se-ra knew that.
The moment they hit the office, heavy tension from her colleagues crashed over her. Do Jun-young, face rigid, was taking charge.
"We're heading to Seoul Forest now. Dispatch: me, Section Chief Jung Tae-seok, and Section Chief Shin Jae-min. Everyone else, stay here and handle comms."
Do Jun-young's gaze skipped Hae-yeon and landed on Se-ra. A Grade 2 dungeonrealistically, neither she nor Hae-yeon should go...
'I really wanted to see a Grade 2 up close.'
Se-ra yearned to witness it firsthand.
How horrific it was. How terrifying.
How well she could hold up there now.
But listed as F-rank still, she decided not to push it and stay put obediently.