Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: How the Rank 1 Hero Saves the World
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When I pointed at myself with a bewildered expression, Baek Sa-hyeon nodded.
Ah, did he hear what I said earlier by any chance?
If so, that was unfortunate.
It wasn't that I actually thought Baek Sa-hyeon had celebrity syndrome myself—it was just that the most striking phrase I'd seen online popped into my head, and the words slipped out thoughtlessly.
...But that wouldn't be how it came across to the person who heard it. I looked at him with as much sincere apology as I could muster.
First things first, I should apologize.
"Um, sorry..."
"If it's okay, could I get your number...? Huh?"
Our words overlapped.
Baek Sa-hyeon and I stared at each other blankly, and after five seconds, we both realized how utterly awkward this situation was.
Baek Sa-hyeon's ears flushed slightly red as he forced a hearty laugh.
"Hahaha. I got shot down before I could even finish."
"Ah, uh..."
I trailed off.
I'd meant to apologize but ended up unintentionally rejecting him right from the start. Hearing him out wouldn't change the rejection anyway, so there was no point in correcting myself.
Instead, I apologized again.
"I'm sorry."
The unspoken part was, *for calling you out on your celebrity syndrome*.
Baek Sa-hyeon muttered an embarrassed "Yeah," then turned and headed back to his spot.
He probably hadn't expected to get turned down like that, so he seemed pretty mortified—his ears were bright red even as he walked away.
I could see people who'd turned their attention toward us when Baek Sa-hyeon approached from the main plaza now whispering among themselves.
Neither of us had spoken very loudly, and our voices had overlapped, so it wasn't a distance where ordinary people could clearly hear the conversation. But honestly, the situation was obvious enough.
*Baek Sa-hyeon got rejected, no way, if it were me I'd give him my number first...* Stuff like that was floating around.
This wasn't what I'd intended, but somehow I'd ended up looking like the bad guy...?
Still, what could I do? It wasn't like I could just hand over my number willy-nilly.
Feeling awkward all around, I decided to move spots quickly.
I ignored the prickling stares on my back. As long as nothing ended up on SNS, I'd call it a win.
I didn't relax until I passed through a patch of reeds that had all dried up in the winter, with no one around.
Sitting on an empty bench again, I let out a deep sigh.
At least it seemed like he hadn't heard my careless muttering from before. That was a relief. It could've gotten even more embarrassing otherwise.
But... something felt off.
I tilted my head.
No matter how you sliced it, he was a hunter who'd cleared enough dungeons to rank in the top 30, so his abilities should be top-notch. And he couldn't hear what I said?
It felt fishy.
Well, whatever. Even if that was the case, it wasn't my problem.
The System rankings wouldn't announce fake positions, after all. Whether his actual stats were impressive or not, what mattered was that Baek Sa-hyeon had contributed a ton to clearing Korea's 38th dungeon.
Cases like Ariadne or Ilias were similar—low physical abilities, but their skills made them frequent top contributors in clears.
This was normal... so why was I dwelling on it? Probably because my nerves were on edge.
"Hoo."
I looked up at the blue sky and exhaled.
My white breath scattered in all directions.
I'd deliberately come all the way back to where I used to live, but no useful memories were surfacing—just a bunch of pointless thoughts cluttering my head.
I hadn't expected it to be this blank.
How exactly had I ended up in Tartarus ten years ago?
It was like a chunk of my memory had been surgically removed—no trace of it came to mind.
"Does someone really have it out for me or something?"
Ever since returning to Earth, the System had been acting weird more than once or twice.
The fragments of the Knight Captain's memories it had shown me were the same.
I'd mulled over those scenes plenty since then, but I still couldn't figure out why the System had shown them to me.
There had been some intriguing snippets of conversation, sure.
But they'd only deepened my understanding of internal dungeon politics—nothing relevant to what I needed right now.
It couldn't have shown them just because I was curious about the intrigue... right?
"...Nah?"
Yeah, it wouldn't move for something that trivial.
I eyed the empty air suspiciously.
But unlike in the dungeon when it reacted to my mutterings, no message appeared.
So, no clues after all.
I sighed again.
I needed to find a way back to Tartarus somehow... but this wasn't helping me decide on a plan.
"...Nothing to do, so maybe I should clear the dungeon here before heading back?"
Yeah, since I'd come all the way to Ilsan, that seemed efficient.
I pulled myself together quickly.
If there's nothing to do, make something to do.
Plus, I did need to get used to my current stats.
The dungeon right ahead was a low-grade easy one—perfect for shaking off the rust.
Clear it as a workout, and this nagging feeling would probably vanish.
"Alright."
Strike while the iron's hot, as they say.
I called Choi Min-hyuk right away. Government-registered dungeons required entry permission.
The call connected before it even rang a few times.
Fast.
"Yes, Hunter Kang Ye-na. Choi Min-hyuk speaking."
"Sorry to call out of the blue. I need dungeon entry permission."
I explained, and after a brief silence, Choi Min-hyuk replied.
"No problem. It's business hours."
Meaning if I called outside hours, he'd have my head? Office workers' grudges are scary—note to self.
"Just tell me the dungeon name... or even the area is fine."
"Uh, the lake park here in Ilsan."
I could see the diamond-shaped dungeon marker bobbing in the middle of the lake, right above the artificial island.
Choi Min-hyuk sounded a bit puzzled.
"Ah, you mean Ta-01. But Ta-01 gets cleared regularly. May I ask why you want to enter?"
"Uh, does it need a reason? I just thought I'd clear it while I'm out."
Even if it was cleared regularly, lowering the saturation level more couldn't hurt. I'd assumed it'd be fine, but oddly, the line went quiet.
"Choi Min-hyuk-ssi?"
"Ah, yes."
His next words even sounded reluctant.
"...Clearing a dungeon... just because you're out?"
"...Yes?"
I trailed off without realizing.
Now that I thought about it, calling to enter a dungeon on a whim did seem a bit off. It wasn't like I was taking a walk after a meal to avoid indigestion.
That was the vibe, though.
"...If it's not possible, forget it. I'll head back."
"No, no! Don't hang up! It's a misunderstanding. I think your attitude as a hunter is admirable!"
His sudden outburst made me yank the phone away from my ear in surprise.
The sharp impression I'd gotten last time was gone—Choi Min-hyuk on the line was suddenly ranting.
"Volunteering for dungeon clears without government prompting! You're a role model for all hunters. I was just so moved that I froze up!"
"Ah... uh, really?"
"Of course, it'd be great if you focused on dungeons that aren't being cleared properly, but no worries. If Hunter Kang Ye-na wants into Ta-01, we can adjust the schedule anytime. I'll reassign the government hunters there to other dungeons."
"Am I causing too much trouble...?"
"No, just wait 20 minutes! I'll sort the schedule right now and contact the on-site team..."
And he kept going.
Didn't know he was such a chatterbox... Guess he was holding back last time because of Lee Woo-yeon.
Speaking of which.
He was getting this excited over one dungeon clear, and Lee Woo-yeon was the type obsessed with them. So why was he intimidated by Lee Woo-yeon? What the hell did that guy do...?
As I randomly started doubting Lee Woo-yeon's character, the excited chatter on the line suddenly cut off. I'd pulled the phone away briefly due to the noise, so I noticed the weird vibe a bit late.
"...Choi Min-hyuk-ssi?"
"Hunter Kang Ye-na."
His voice was completely stiff. Even through the mechanical tone, fear leaked out.
"We just got a report."
"What report?"
"Speak of the devil—the saturation level of Ta-01 that you mentioned... it's spiking dramatically."
...What?
There was only one thing that meant.
His tense voice hinted at it too.
"If this continues, a Dungeon Break will happen soon."
I stood from the bench and stared at the island in the middle of the lake. Even from here, I could check the saturation.
- Would you like to check the clear status of this dungeon?
- This dungeon's saturation level is in a 'Critically Dangerous' state.
The queried red gauge bar was filled almost to the brim.
The moment I saw the message, a stabbing headache pierced my skull.
At that saturation level, it was about to blow—clear conditions met or not.
"What the hell is going on...? This has never happened before..."
Choi Min-hyuk was panicking on the line. The commotion suggested the whole department was on alert.
"...Choi Min-hyuk-ssi."
"Y-Yes?"
"I have some questions."
But first, stay calm.
I equipped my sword and armor from my inventory while scanning the surroundings.
The incident had already happened—no turning back time—so I needed to focus on what I could do now.
I asked Choi Min-hyuk the most essential question.
"What's in Ta-01? I only know it's classified as low-grade."
"...Uh."
"Choi Min-hyuk-ssi, answer me."
"...Ah, yes. Contents."
He seemed to snap out of his daze at my voice.
"Contents... ah, you mean the monsters inside. Goblins. Clear condition is taking down 30 of them."
Tch, of all the annoying luck. Would've been better if it were slimes, even for a low-grade dungeon.
In a fixed dungeon break, the monsters spill out into reality.
Goblins are the most common low-grade monsters—manageable for any decently specced hunter one-on-one, but tricky since they travel in packs.
The silver lining: the dungeon was on an artificial island in the lake's center, so it'd take the goblins time to reach shore.
But goblin young could swim well, so it only bought a little time.
I quickly surveyed the area.
Good thing it was a weekday—few people in the lake park—but the main plaza had citizens filming broadcasts, and one street over was a commercial district.
If I couldn't contain it here, civilian casualties would pile up.
"How many hunters are nearby?"
"Currently, twenty government hunters on regular clear duty."
Twenty.
Not a small number, but for zero leaks, more would be better.
"I'll check right away if any hunters are out on police errands nearby and request backup."
"Yes, please hurry. Talk soon."
The call ended.
Now it all depended on how fast Choi Min-hyuk could muster more people.
"Ha..."
After hanging up, I looked up at the sky for a moment.
The bright sunlight stabbed at my eyes.
A hollow laugh escaped me.
This was definitely the System's doing. A strong premonition flashed through my mind.
"...This... can't be a coincidence."
Not once or twice—this was the third time.
First, the spontaneous Dungeon Break in Gangnam.
Second, the sudden error in the fixed dungeon in Sinchon.
And now. A well-managed dungeon's saturation skyrocketing.
Since returning to Korea, 'anomalies' like this had happened over three times.
Plus a bunch of minor glitches.
At this point, it couldn't be coincidence.
Was it a leap to think I was the cause?
No, not a leap. The System was clearly targeting *me* with this crap.
I glared into the empty air.
"What do you want? Spit it out."
For some bizarre reason, I was certain.
Just like in the dungeon, the System would respond this time.
My certainty hit the mark.
- Player: Noted the request from the Wandering Pilgrim.
- A quest has been generated. Will you accept the quest? Y/N
- Rewards will be given upon quest completion.