An A-Rank Hunter, Age Seven
Taejae had to enter a dungeon.
And not someday — tomorrow.
A faint flutter of anxiety made my question come out in a jumbled rush.
"Why does Taejae have to go into a dungeon? He's not even a Hunter. When did he ever join a Hunter company?"
It made no sense, didn't it? A seven-year-old joining a Hunter corporation and becoming a licensed Hunter already? If that were true, then my kid had supposedly graduated from the training academy at the ripe age of six, put on a crisp little suit, sat through a job interview, and waltzed into a Hunter company of his own accord?
...I had heard, now and then, about underage Hunters being active in the field. But those were always teens — at least fifteen, old enough to be called "youths" under the law.
My kid hadn't even started elementary school yet!
As if she'd read my mind, Yoo Jinchae folded her hands into a pair of fans and fluttered them, trying to cool me down.
"Whoa, whoa. Easy. Let me explain this one step at a time."
......
And when she'd finished her explanation, my reaction was this:
Sounds like something out of another world.
Apparently, Taejae had awakened as a high-grade healer at birth, and following in the footsteps of his healer grandparents, had been registered with BOND as a Hunter straight away.
"High-grade healers are precious anywhere you go. And Taejae's so young, you know. I heard they registered him unofficially — to keep outside Hunter companies from sniffing around, and in case anyone tried to kidnap him."
But... the trouble was the conditions for maintaining Hunter certification, which had been written with teens of at least fifteen in mind.
"They put off the training academy for later, sure, but once you're officially registered as a Hunter, there's no undoing it. To keep his certification, Taejae needs at least three recorded dungeon entries a year. And as long as his certification holds, the company has grounds to protect him."
Still — sending a kindergartener into a dungeon? How was that remotely acceptable?
"The law's the law, so there's nothing we can do. Besides, his assigned supervisor has looked after him on these trips for six years now, and the company only ever picks the safest dungeons they can find."
I went back to reading the paper Yoo Jinchae had handed me.
Noticing which section I'd reached, she perked up her voice a little and went on.
— In the case of a minor Hunter, dungeon entry is permitted with one supervising officer and one guardian in attendance.
"Last year, I went along as the guardian. The folks on Taejae's side weren't picking up their phones. One of the grandmothers did say she'd go, but..."
"......"
"It just seemed better for me to go in her place. But this year, he's got a teacher, doesn't he?"
When I looked up, Yoo Jinchae was wearing a sly little smile.
"The person in charge has to go. You'll want to, anyway."
"......"
"Don't you?"
Following the supervisor's guidance, I took Taejae by the hand and we arrived at the designated place. A thick steel door swung open, and we walked down a passage where I couldn't see an inch ahead of me — until I came across a digital pad set into the wall.
[Safe-Grade Dungeon E0815 — F-Rank]
An underground F-rank dungeon. I never dreamed I'd be returning to this place under the earth.
Well, at least they picked somewhere sensible for once.
The supervisor, who had been walking ahead with his eyes fixed squarely forward the entire time, turned around to look at us.
"......"
"......"
I could tell he was worried. What I couldn't tell was why he was looking at me, not Taejae.
I addressed the supervisor, who stood planted in front of the gate without entering, like a stone guardian.
"Um... Team Leader Lee Gyeon, sir? Aren't we going in?"
Yes — the supervisor who'd been in charge of Taejae for six years turned out to be Lee Gyeon, team leader of the field team. The moment I recognized his face I faltered for a heartbeat, but then a shameless thought settled in.
I did nothing wrong.
Stealing his taxi during my escape from that lunatic cult den? Pure coincidence. A simple twist of fate.
Perhaps sensing my air of utter shamelessness, Lee Gyeon hesitated a moment before forcing the words out.
"First, before we enter the dungeon, I will brief you on a few basic precautions."
Precautions?
"The dungeon we are entering has had all dangerous monsters removed in advance, so it is relatively safe. However, a fairy-type monster called the 'Elumis' does reside there—"
"They're nice. Not really scary at all."
Taejae suddenly cut in, steamrolling over Lee Gyeon's briefing. Judging by the look on Lee Gyeon's face, the kid wasn't wrong.
"Yes. As Taejae says, they are gentle-natured monsters and rarely get angry over trifles. Still, they are monsters, so please stay close to—"
"How close? It's summer, so it's hot. I'd like it if you stayed just a little bit close."
What was with this kid today?
I gave the hand I was holding a little shake and shot Taejae a look.
What's gotten into you, Taejae?
The answer came from Lee Gyeon, along with a shallow sigh.
"...Taejae, I told you back then too. You cannot take an Elumis out of the dungeon."
"I don't know what you mean."
Lee Gyeon looks at me.
Huh?
Ah. I get the picture now.
So Taejae had once tried to smuggle a fairy — or whatever it was — out of here, and Lee Gyeon had been the one to stop him.
I addressed Taejae with breezy indifference.
"Taejae, why don't we go in first and ask the fairies ourselves? They might not want to come out of the dungeon, you know."
"......Okay. I'll ask them once we're inside."
See that?
Tell a kid a flat no out of nowhere, and they get upset and never bother thinking about the reason. So you have to go around it, as tactfully as possible. And as a bonus, if you can offload the blame onto the fairies instead of yourself? Even better.
No idea whether we can actually talk to fairies, though.
Lee Gyeon, already looking exhausted, gestured toward the gate.
We passed through it one by one, into the F-rank dungeon.
F-rank dungeon: The Elumis Sanctuary.
A forest packed so densely with towering trees that the sky had all but vanished. Unearthly plants — nothing you'd see back in the real world — filled the woods and formed vistas of impossible beauty.
But the strangeness was every bit as striking. And that strangeness had a face. Right there — those, I supposed.
"Work in Zone B is finished."
"Starting work in Zone A-3. Mineral acquisition at about twenty percent."
"Zone C-2 — the Elumis are blocking the passage again, so we're looking at a delayed start."
People wearing watches on their wrists moved back and forth everywhere, and trailing behind them came what looked like miners. Like a band of laborers disturbing the sanctuary's peace.
As I watched the workers scurry about, Lee Gyeon set off.
"Taejae's duties are fixed."
"He has separate duties to perform here?"
"Yes. Under the regulations, even a dungeon visited solely to maintain Hunter certification requires the registrant to faithfully carry out assigned duties."
So they don't cut a little kid any slack, huh.
"They are nothing a child would find burdensome. He simply checks on the condition of the miners and researchers in the dungeon, and helps anyone who needs treatment."
"With his ability, I take it?"
"Yes. The regulations instruct that when carrying out duties, using one's own ability is the primary recommended method."
Lee Gyeon had been explaining all this the whole way, but Taejae himself seemed far too busy gawking at the surroundings and greeting everyone who passed by. In truth, Lee Gyeon appeared to be giving the briefing to me — the guardian — as a formality.
Our destination turned out to be something like a base camp, where the workers gathered to rest between shifts.
"A-rank Hunter Nam Taejae, your duties begin as of this moment. Failure to comply with your supervisor's instructions may result in a mandatory early dismissal."
"Okayyy~ So once I finish all my duties, can I go see the fairies?"
"...You may. But you are not to stuff them into your bag like last time."
"I don't know what you mean."
Is this always how conversations go between those two?
Lee Gyeon pressed hard at the bridge of his nose, then, with a weary face, gave Taejae a light push between the shoulders. The boy bolted off toward the base camp before anyone could hold him back.
I hurried after Taejae — and abruptly, Lee Gyeon stuck out an arm, blocking my path.
What now?
"...Teacher, you will observe from here, with me."
"Can't I watch from beside him?"
I was worried, all right?
"There will be nothing to worry about. Should any emergency arise, I am fully capable of handling it."
Granted, his was a face that inspired automatic confidence...
This is just occupational habit on my part. Can't help it.
But I'd come along in the role of guardian, so for now I resolved to follow the supervisor's instructions to the letter.
The sudden appearance of a small child threw the base camp into an uproar.
"Huh? It's a kid."
"A kid? What's a kid doing here?"
"Ohhh my gosh — who is that? It's Taejae, isn't it? Taejae! Ah~ it's your day to come today, isn't it!"
"Taejae? Taejae's here? Whaa~! It really is him??"
The confusion over the out-of-nowhere child melted away in an instant, the moment someone who'd seen Taejae at least once before showed up. And a short while after that...
"Taejae, try this one too."
"This one's tasty too. Here, have some from your big sis too. Say ahh~"
What an absolute free-for-all.
All my worry had been for nothing — Taejae barely had any work to do. Every now and then he'd tend to a miner's minor scrapes from chipping at ore, and that was the whole of it.
"Ta-da~"
"Th-thanks, kid. But what do I do, I don't have anything on me to give you right now..."
"That's okay. That ajusshi over there said if I work hard today, I get to take a fairy home."
From beside me came Lee Gyeon's mortified voice.
"I said no such thing..."
Meanwhile, things were almost suspiciously peaceful. Standing still for an hour straight turned out to be its own quiet kind of hard work, actually.
I snuck in a few short stretches here and there as I surveyed the tranquil woods.
They said there were nearly three base camps like this one, right?
Just as the time to move on to the next camp — as I'd been briefed — was drawing near, a thunderous roar rolled in from beyond the forest.
-BOOM!!!!
I tilted my head back toward the source of the sound. The ground trembled in fine ripples, and birds and things like them shot frantically overhead.
From far off, a colossal wall was advancing toward us.
"……!"
While Lee Gyeon shot off like a dart toward somewhere, I quickly worked out what the oncoming wall actually was.
...Dirt?
A mountain of earth was cascading toward us at a terrifying speed.