A Two-Person Exploration Party
"You're telling me to start from Sindorim Station, Exit 3?"
"Yes! There's a dungeon around there I think you'd find worthwhile, Jisu. I'll send a map to your phone. Oh, and on the way there, there's a place where you can recruit an exploration party, actually…"
"An exploration party?"
The voice came back the instant he asked. Even though she wasn't in front of him, he could picture Seyeon nodding as she answered.
"Yes. For dungeon exploration, it's pretty common to bring along several lower-ranked Hunters. Going in alone tends to cut down on the rewards you can carry back, too. Well — someone at your level would be fine going solo, of course."
"Hmm. So I don't really need to bring anyone, then?"
"No, you can take people if you want. If you just reveal your rank, wouldn't everyone jump at the chance to follow you? Even A-rank Hunters barely set foot in dungeons these days, never mind S-ranks — and you're SS-rank!"
"Understood. Then please send me a map for the recruitment spot as well."
"Will do! Once you arrive, I'll help you with whatever you need, so turn on your camera and give me a call!"
After receiving the map from Seyeon, Jisu adjusted his route slightly. She'd said he'd be fine going alone, but this was still uncharted territory — his first dungeon. Even if their ranks were low, having someone along to guide him would be a significant help. That was his reasoning.
This way?
It was his first time in the neighborhood, and even with the map in hand he kept losing the path. The buildings dated back decades, the streets a tangled warren, the hills rising and falling steeply enough to make navigation a chore. Jisu had never thought of himself as someone who got lost — and yet even he was starting to feel it.
That aside… a dungeon, right in the middle of the city.
It wasn't as if he'd never heard of such things. Back when he wasn't a Hunter, he'd caught similar stories on the news. But in those days, all of it had been someone else's problem. Not knowing the details had been only natural.
This way?
After a fair amount of wandering, he finally arrived at his destination. A signboard loomed overhead, the lettering oversized and crude:
HUNTER
EXPLORATION PARTY
The exterior looked cheap and slapdash at a glance. A sense of déjà vu washed over him.
No matter how I look at this… it's a carbon copy of a day labor office.
A day labor office! As if Jisu wouldn't recognize one of those. Before becoming a Hunter, hadn't that been exactly where he went whenever he had nothing else lined up? He'd heard that becoming a Hunter meant you'd made it in life — that you were set. If places like this existed, apparently that wasn't quite the case. Jisu knew better than almost anyone what kind of lives the people at day labor offices led.
…Let's go in.
The painfully familiar building pulled him briefly into memories of those mornings when the dawn wind had slapped his cheeks raw. He shook his head and stepped inside.
The interior resembled a day labor office even more than he'd expected. A single water cooler, a handful of sofas, and one desk that looked like it belonged to whoever was in charge. A glance around told him everyone had already gone.
"…Did I come too late?"
Well, if you wanted to pick up workers at a day labor office, you had to move early. People without affiliations just tagged along after a few minutes of waiting. If there was no one left, there was nothing to be done about it — or so he was thinking, when—
"?"
He looked around again and spotted someone sitting on a sofa after all — a woman with long brown hair and large, striking eyes. She was sitting there all alone, and he was just wondering if she might be the manager when she spoke first.
"Um, excuse me."
"Me?"
She nodded at his response.
"Yes. Haven't we met somewhere before?"
"Have we? When?"
Have I ever seen someone like her? He wasn't great at remembering faces, but this really did feel like the first time. As Jisu tilted his head, she continued.
"Didn't we run into each other in front of the Hunter Association plaza last time?"
"The Hunter Association plaza… Ah!"
Recognition dawned, and Jisu nodded. That's right. She looked exactly like the woman who'd asked him for directions back then. Long brown hair, one side pulled back in a cute little half-up. She wasn't quite on Seyeon's level, but she had a nicely balanced figure — curves in all the right places — and it was rather pleasant to look at.
"Are you the one who manages this place?"
"No, that's not it. I just haven't been able to find an exploration party yet, so I'm still here. Everyone else already left."
Ah. So he really had come too late. Jisu thought for a moment, then spoke without much hesitation.
"Then would you like to come with me?"
"What? You came here looking to put together an exploration party?"
The moment the words left his mouth, Gaeul found herself thinking back to their first meeting. Come to think of it, it had all started when she'd gone to a place that only S-rank and above Hunters were allowed to enter. Even after she'd told him that, the man in front of her had walked right in anyway. Which meant…
He really is an S-rank or higher Hunter, even if he doesn't look it.
Gaeul stared at Jisu, her expression one of frank disbelief. No matter how she looked at him, he didn't seem strong. But if he really was S-rank or higher, another question inevitably followed.
Why would someone that high-ranking come looking to run a dungeon?
The highest-ranked Hunter she'd ever seen at this place had been around B-plus.
"I did come looking to recruit, yes. The dungeon's completely new territory for me. Have you been there before?"
"Ah, yes. I have, actually."
It wasn't as if she had no exploration experience at all.
"Then let's go together. As for compensation… I'm not entirely sure, but I'll make sure you get as much as possible."
"Ah, understood. Would it be all right if I asked a few questions first?"
She was deeply grateful that he was taking her along, but there were things she needed to ask beforehand.
"Sure, go ahead."
"Which dungeon are you heading to? Is it a raid, or a scouting run? And I should figure out whether it's a place where I can actually be of help."
"Uh… well? I was just planning to go somewhere nearby… If you could just show me the way, I'll handle the rest myself."
Handle the rest himself?
Treasure hunting, monster hunting, essence collection and distribution — he was going to take care of all of it alone? If the man in front of her really was S-rank or higher, it might actually be possible.
"Understood. Then I'll come along. I'm reasonably decent at treasure hunting, at least…"
"Ah, yes! Thank you. This way, then."
Jisu smiled brightly and headed out of the building. Gaeul found herself trailing after him in a bit of a daze.
"This is…"
"You know this place?"
The dungeon Operator Seyeon had recommended sat among the abandoned houses of one of Seoul's many old downtown districts, and it ran deep enough that exploration parties of thirty to forty people typically came through. Of course, it was a fairly high-difficulty dungeon — the kind where every member of those parties was a hardened veteran.
"Are you sure you're all right going in with just us? We could recruit more people somewhere else."
"It's fine. I have someone helping me, and they said there wouldn't be any problems."
That was true enough. Seyeon had clearly said he'd be fine going into any dungeon alone.
"Well, if you say so."
Gaeul couldn't quite hide her unease, but she was the one who'd chosen to follow this man. She didn't want to take back a decision she'd made herself.
"Let's go in."
"What? Don't you have any food, or exploration tools, or anything like that?"
"I need those too?"
Gaeul was stunned by Jisu's words, but what could she do? She gripped the rope of faith a little tighter — he was S-rank or higher, so it would be fine — and spoke.
"Never mind. I'll just follow from behind."
"Understood."
With that, Jisu took the lead and started into the dark tunnel. It was the moment a two-person exploration party set out.
"Are you inside the dungeon now?"
"Yes. We got in just fine."
Jisu was speaking with Seyeon in a voice too quiet for Gaeul, following behind, to hear.
"Since this isn't a raid field, there aren't any cameras installed, so I'm not sure how much help I can be. But the dungeon's monsters shouldn't be a problem for someone with your abilities, Jisu. Oh — more importantly, how should I keep you updated on the coin prices?"
"This time, just let me know the Bitcoin price."
Before entering the dungeon, Jisu had opened Bitstorm and used every last stat point to go all-in on Bitcoin. Based on what Seyeon had told him, if he could maintain his current stats, running a dungeon shouldn't be an issue.
Bitcoin's famous for not moving much. Nothing should happen.
His hunch proved correct. Bitcoin was still chopping sideways in the twenty-million-won range. There was a slight chance his stats might shift a little, but it was fair to treat them as locked in.
"Got it. I'll keep an eye on it. And as you go in, a message should pop up saying you've entered, similar to a raid field — that means you've entered the dungeon. That's when the exploration officially starts."
No sooner had she finished speaking than a message appeared before Jisu's eyes.
You have entered Dungeon Field: K-SEL-23-Y.
Status abilities are now in effect.
"Yep, I'm in. I have a companion with me, so I'll call if I need anything. Just watch the prices and let me know if there's any major movement."