Chapter 29
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Delivery into the Dungeon
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'No one's taken care of my breakfast since I came up to the city...'
It was commonplace to skip meals when things got hectic. She'd never really thought of it as a problem before, but now with Mimi and Manager Sol-chan insisting she eat, Moon Chae-ryeon's eyes were stinging red.
"Thanks so much, you two. Just like we promised—as soon as I handle this leave of absence, we'll gear up and hit the dungeons!"
"Understood!"
"Of course!"
Yeah. Everything had gone smoothly up to that point—riding the subway in style all the way to school.
But once she arrived, yesterday's Twitter takeover was nagging at her fiercely.
Hold on... Isn't this kind of dangerous?
Truth be told, she'd felt a subtle unease ever since boarding the subway.
It came from overhearing some students who looked about her age chatting as they sat in their seats.
"Hey, did you see that Twitter thread yesterday?"
"What thread?"
"You know, the one with Yi Seo-ro! Apparently, she showed up at Hunter Market and totally dominated the trends."
"What? Yi Seo-ro?"
"No way. Hunter Market's not even that far from my place!"
"Ugh, such a bummer. They say Yi Seo-ro looks better than most idols in person... Should've gone to see her."
Phew. It's all just Yi Seo-ro talk. Dodged a bullet there.
She was just starting to relax when—
"Hey, but why was Yi Seo-ro even there? Isn't she a total homebody? She barely shows her face in public—people swear her MBTI starts with an I."
"True, true. That thread said something about... what was it? Monster meat or whatever."
Eek!
The moment "monster meat" hit the air, cold sweat drenched Chae-ryeon's back.
She hadn't done anything wrong, but she wasn't ready for her identity to be exposed. She yanked her baseball cap down low and slapped on the mask she'd brought just in case.
Whether she liked it or not, the oblivious group kept chattering away.
"Monster meat? That's insane. Who'd use that trash for anything? Blech."
"Nah, this monster meat was different. They were mocking the seller—some guy who hates monster meat like you—and even snapped pics without permission. But Yi Seo-ro tried it and said it was pretty good. Word spread, people started buying, and by the end, it was auction frenzy—sold out completely."
That's me.
Chae-ryeon pressed her face against the subway door, praying for her stop to arrive soon.
"No way~ That's gotta be fake."
"It trended on Twitter, I swear. My sister's cousin's friend barely snagged some and blew her budget doing it."
"Your sister's cousin's friend? That's basically a stranger."
"Anyway!"
"If it's real, there should be pics. Who was the seller? If Yi Seo-ro went straight to them, they must be close. I'm curious now."
"Huh. Yeah."
"Hang on. That tweet I saw yesterday..."
Eeeek!
It was pure torture. She desperately wished that rude photographer had dropped their phone on the way home, shattering the screen. Chae-ryeon clung to that curse-like hope.
Even if they figure it out, as long as our eyes don't meet, it'll be fine.
No unnecessary fuss that way. She stomped her feet inwardly, waiting for her station.
Then, voices laced with surprise pierced her ears.
"...Huh? That's weird."
"What is?"
"That tweet from yesterday—it's gone. Everything about the monster meat."
"What about Yi Seo-ro?"
"Her stuff's still there. But all the pics and sightings of that hunter selling the meat? Wiped clean."
"What? So the hunter's guild master pressured them to take the photos down?"
"Looks like it."
Huh? I didn't do that.
Chae-ryeon blinked in confusion as the announcement for her stop chimed overhead.
...What's going on here?
Who, and why, had scrubbed her photo and the eyewitness accounts from social media?
Grateful to the nameless stranger yet feeling an odd unease, she scratched the back of her head.
Maybe Yi Seo-ro...?
Yi Seo-ro's business card was still crisp in her bag.
[Yi Seo-ro's Alchemy Workshop]
[Contact: 010-####-####]
[Call if you need anything.]
[I'll be waiting anytime.]
[From Yi Seo-ro.]
Maybe Yi Seo-ro did this for me out of consideration...
To confirm, she'd have to reach out.
Even as she headed to the professor's lab for her pre-arranged meeting, Chae-ryeon's mind was a whirlwind.
...But why?
Were my sandworm meat dumplings that good?
She tilted her head quizzically.
Contrary to Chae-ryeon's suspicions, it was Shin Ha-rang who'd ordered all traces of her photo and sightings erased.
"Delete every Twitter post from yesterday about that monster meat. Especially anything that could expose the person selling it directly. Oh, leave Yi Seo-ro's stuff alone."
[Understood. But if I may ask, Guild Master, what does this have to do with our guild...?]
Ha-rang gave a curt reply to the diligent staffer amid their confusion.
"It does. A very important connection."
Ha-rang smirked in satisfaction as the delivery hunter's online footprints vanished cleanly.
Ring-a-ding. His phone buzzed. It was Park Ha-young, the one he'd tasked with digging into the delivery hunter.
Oh, right—this guy.
"Hello?"
He answered halfheartedly, and Ha-young's sharp voice stabbed through like a needle.
[Hello, Shin Ha-rang?]
"Yeah, Park Ha-young. What's up?"
[What's up? You asked me to find that 'delivery hunter' last time, remember?]
"...Yeah, I did."
Shin Ha-rang, who'd been quietly holing up at home after the SS-Rank Dungeon [Mirage Quest] incident, had completely forgotten the request. The shock of encountering the delivery hunter like a miracle when his life hung by a thread was to blame.
He rubbed his forehead and muttered lowly.
"About that... I'm thinking of canceling now."
[Found them.]
"What?"
[Not A- or S-Rank, but B-Rank, so I'm not a hundred percent sure it's who you're after... But this seems the most likely.]
B-Rank? The one I saw was definitely S-Rank.
Intrigued, Ha-rang decided to hear her out.
"Evidence?"
[I focused on female hunters who registered recently because of your request. This one matches best. Since you said they were hiding their identity, I filtered for those with vague classes or abilities.]
"And?"
[The clincher... When I checked Hunter Market access badges, this one sold something weird. Sending you the file via chat—check it out.]
Ha-rang opened the chat and downloaded the file as Ha-young spoke.
Several candidates from her investigation. Scrolling down, he froze at one woman's profile.
This is...
There, prominently displayed, was Moon Chae-ryeon's ID photo and basic info.
One of many candidates, but Ha-rang instantly knew: Moon Chae-ryeon was the delivery hunter.
→ Name: Moon Chae-ryeon. Awakening Rank: B. Seems like a support hunter, but exact class undetermined.
→ Notably obtained Hunter Market access to sell dungeon monster meat. Awakener Management Bureau is watching closely in case of shady sales.
...Dungeon monster meat!
That's when Ha-rang pieced it all together.
The mad delivery person on the red bike with the red helmet, swooping in like a prince to save him—that was Moon Chae-ryeon.
No one else would try selling meat from dungeon monsters!
He didn't know how she'd turned it into delicious ingredients—ranting about pollock roe and pink sausages—but no one else fit but that delivery hunter.
Rank could be fudged somehow. All the other details match this Moon Chae-ryeon perfectly.
Young woman. Height matching what he'd gauged. Ponytail peeking from the helmet—identical.
And above all, those sweet, caramel eyes visible through the visor.
As Ha-rang sat rigid, speechless, Ha-young prodded from the phone speaker.
[Well? Does it match? Why aren't you saying anything?]
"Uh... um."
[Is your hunter in there?]
Ha-rang recalled the delivery hunter who'd never removed her helmet, desperately hiding her identity.
She wants to stay hidden.
Hunters lived like public figures. He'd borne that burden himself and understood.
So he couldn't say she was the one.
"...No. Doesn't look like my person's here."
[What? Really?]