Chapter 56
Chapter 56
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: How the Rank 1 Hero Saves the World
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“Why’d you make a house your condition?”
As Lee Woo-yeon handed me a spoon and asked, I shrugged and tucked Choi Min-hyuk’s business card away.
“I’ve got my reasons.”
I brushed off the question vaguely.
Even if I admitted I’d been hospitalized for five years straight with no place of my own, it’d just tank my credibility.
Before diving into the dungeon, I’d been bouncing between hotels anyway. But if I had no way back to Tartarus right now, having a fixed place to crash was obviously more convenient.
So I’d asked the government for a place to stay as my condition.
“Hey, getting a free house isn’t bad, right?”
From the government’s perspective, an S-Rank Hunter cooperating for just a single house wouldn’t be a bad deal.
No, it was an easy one.
I’d been hiding my identity and playing hard to get until now, so demanding this little would put them at ease—that was my calculation.
Sure enough, it was way easier than Choi Min-hyuk expected, and he greenlit it on the spot.
He’d have to run it up the chain for approval on exact properties, but he said screening decent candidates wouldn’t take long.
They’d given me a week.
Factoring in three more days of rest here at the hospital, that left three days—I could always hole up in a hotel again.
But Lee Woo-yeon didn’t seem thrilled with my condition.
“Any guild would roll out that kind of treatment for the Rank 1, not just the government. Why are you so modest?”
No, asking for a house didn’t feel that modest.
Internet said Seoul house prices had dipped after three SSS-Rank Dungeons popped up post-dungeon era, but they were still no bargain.
That just proved the capital region’s dungeon saturation management was stable.
Of course, I got what Lee Woo-yeon meant.
Hunter guilds, mostly private ventures formed by hunters themselves, would likely offer way better terms than the government.
“But keeping my info under wraps would be tough in a guild.”
Still, I had a pretty good idea how Korean guilds operated, even without insider knowledge.
If I revealed I was Rank 1 and joined one, they’d milk my name for all it was worth—like Lee Woo-yeon, the Eternal Guild’s billboard.
That’d cramp my style for sure.
Better to snag decent treatment, meet the government’s bare-minimum asks, and keep my freedom to pursue my goals.
I had zero interest in Earth’s money or fame.
My purpose was something else.
“But why avoid the spotlight so much? Just go public.”
Since I hadn’t shared my circumstances, Lee Woo-yeon couldn’t wrap his head around my choice.
This guy’s persistent.
I answered half-heartedly.
“You think I’m nuts?”
“Sure, your face would sell, but it’d make life comfier in all sorts of ways.”
He flashed a sly grin as he said it.
“You’d get popular too if you went public.”
Blatant flattery. The way he grinned made him look like a total sycophant.
“What’s the point of popularity? Doesn’t it just make going out a hassle?”
When he’d come to greet me at Gwanghwamun, he’d had a scarf and sunglasses on—looked like a pain to move around. No clue what’s so great about it.
“Don’t knock it. We’d have to brainstorm ways, but going public smartly can actually help a ton.”
Might as well hear him out. Knowing this guy’s personality, it’s not like he enjoys street cheers or whatever.
“...How so?”
“Like in emergencies, everyone follows my lead without thinking? Super convenient.”
Ah, that clicked. I recalled how people obeyed him during that sudden Dungeon Break. Sure, the angelic descent from the sky helped with the theatrics.
I pondered it.
Yeah, that’s a solid perk.
I couldn’t solo every dungeon anyway. Hunter teamwork would be essential sometimes. If I was outed as Rank 1, my calls would carry weight... handy in lots of ways.
I got why Lee Woo-yeon recommended it.
But he didn’t know I couldn’t access my full stats yet—that’s why he said it. He figured I wouldn’t feel threatened by other rankers.
Of course, I had no plans to tell him, so I fudged an excuse.
“Thinking about people chewing over my info nonstop... meh.”
It wasn’t entirely untrue. Internet speculation on Rank 1’s identity already gave me the creeps. Going full public? The world would lose its mind.
Imagine searching for food spots and stumbling on ‘=3’ sightings. Shudder.
No thanks.
Seeing how uneasy I was, Lee Woo-yeon dropped the persuasion.
“Eh, mull it over. No rush. Anyway, snagging housing makes you basically government-affiliated. Cool with that?”
“S-Rank Hunters get drafted by the state anyway. What’s the difference?”
That was one of Choi Min-hyuk’s explanations.
As long as you held Korean citizenship, hunters had to answer national emergency summons.
Massive Dungeon Breaks or S-Rank saturation hitting limits triggered mandatory conscription.
“There’s a big difference. Honestly, state call-ups are unpaid labor. Things are stable now, but early dungeon days? Constant drafts. Guild membership shields you from the random ones.”
Lee Woo-yeon seemed to have bad memories of those indiscriminate summons.
“So? Join your Eternal Guild?”
“Nah... wouldn’t recommend it.”
That surprised me. Figured his type would plug his own guild.
Something wrong with Eternal Guild?
But even as I eyed him questioningly, he didn’t elaborate.
He changed the subject instead.
“Truth is, as long as we don’t fall out, I don’t care where you land.”
“Not exactly government-bound... but sounds like guilds and the gov don’t get along?”
“Hard to. Businesses chasing hunter profits versus government seeing them as public resources? No way they mesh.”
Headache-inducing stuff.
I wanted to smash Tartarus’s class system, but capitalism looked tricky too.
I was ready to cut the chat short if it dragged, but Lee Woo-yeon grinned first.
“And if housing’s the issue right now, my place has plenty of rooms.”
That was kinda funny. Lame joke, though.
I laughed it off, but he doubled down.
“It’d be convenient for getting around, right?”
...Wait, is this guy serious?
I eyed Lee Woo-yeon suspiciously.
His clear black eyes, unchanged from our first meeting, were still hard to read.
I wouldn’t deny he’d been a huge help clearing this dungeon.
Impressive, even.
And fighting side-by-side on a life-or-death battlefield makes it hard to dislike someone.
Honestly, I kinda liked him right now.
Korea had no ‘final dungeon’ goal yet, and their real-world firepower was solid—hunters weren’t even essential for a decent life.
Yet Lee Woo-yeon had pushed himself to develop killer skills, rivaling Tartarus heavies.
And when a Dungeon Break hit, he felt responsible for lives at risk from his call and charged the front lines.
No one required it.
That mindset... reminded me of friends I left in Tartarus.
Lucas and Ariadne, specifically.
Hard to hate a guy like that for no reason.
‘But he’s got motives.’
Obviously buttering me up for some goal.
For one, he was obsessed with dungeon clears. I was his ideal partner, so he welcomed my arrival.
But ‘why’ the obsession? No clue.
Tartarus had thrill-seekers risking it all on dungeons... but Lee Woo-yeon wasn’t a hedonist. Too calculating.
So, fondness yes—but trust him with my secrets? Nah.
That’s where Lee Woo-yeon stood with me.
As I stared without responding, he blinked, scrunched his nose, and grinned.
“No answer? Did I piss you off? Too forward? Don’t be mad, okay?”
The playful eye-smile, scanning my reaction—it was almost cute how obvious it was.
Must be his habit. When someone doesn’t play along, he defuses with a grin.
“...Not mad. I’ll think about it.”
His place was near Gwanghwamun, central Seoul—easy dungeon access. Looked well-kept from my last visit.
If no better options, why not.
He widened his eyes once, then laughed.
“Good, not mad. Anyway, I’ll be swamped awhile. Tons of backlog. Gotta write up this dungeon report solo~.”
From his glance, he’d handled all my post-clear stuff too.
“Ah, cool. See ya~.”
If he’s offering, I’ll take the freebie.
No thanks to the hassle.
Helpful as he was, him hovering limited my moves.
A tail wasn’t useful.
Still, ending on that felt cold, so I added,
“I’ll enjoy the beef seaweed soup you brought.”
He’d stuck by me since I woke, gone home once, and returned with a thermos of it.
Doc okayed it, so I tried some—pretty good. Birthday-level treat, and it wasn’t even my birthday.
Guy cooks well but butchers apple peels?
“No biggie.”
He looked a tad embarrassed—uncharacteristic—then snapped back.
“Still, that’s a quick thanks? You’re breaking my heart. What if I sulk?”
What do you want, a parade?
I stared blankly, and he sighed dramatically.
“Fine, what was I expecting. Keep in touch, at least. I’ve got items—if anything, hit me up anytime.”
“Will do.”
“Oh. By the way, post-discharge plans?”
This much I could share.
I answered readily.
“Yeah, some checking around. Gonna visit my old place.”
“Old place?”
Yeah, old place.
But before that, one thing left.
Claiming my dungeon clear rewards, of course.