The Perks of the First Section
“There was a boss?”
“Yes. I think it was called the 'Plague King'?”
The recorder stared at me with a flustered expression.
“We've never heard of such a thing either.”
“Oh...”
“Could you tell me more about it in detail?”
I scratched the back of my head.
“I was too focused on killing it to notice much else...”
“One hundred zombies in the first wave, two hundred in the second, three hundred in the third, four hundred in the fourth. And in the final wave...”
“A thousand in the final wave.”
“That number makes no sense.”
By now, the recorder's glasses were fogging up.
“And on top of that, the obelisk sustained absolutely no damage... is that correct?”
“Yes.”
“And the time it took to clear was about half of the usual average...”
“Yes.”
“Whew, even if I wanted to organize this report...”
The recorder shook his head in disbelief.
“For now, I'll record the information, but...”
He wiped the beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
“I wonder if another team will ever come along to break this record...”
He continued to mutter something under his breath.
But it was all gibberish to me.
“Can I leave now?”
“Ah, yes. Yes. Thank you for your hard work.”
I bowed.
I politely bowed my head and stood up from my seat.
As I stepped out of the records room...
“Taepyeong-ssi!”
Kang Dagyeong, Yoo Inseok, and Cha Yerin were waiting for me.
“Oh, you guys haven't left yet.”
“How could we leave without you?”
Yoo Inseok nudged my side with his elbow.
“Aren't we comrades-in-arms? Comrades.”
Comrades-in-arms?
That sounded a bit grand.
“You remember me healing you, right?”
At Yoo Inseok's words, Kang Dagyeong quickly chimed in.
“Geez. Hey, are you really taking credit for healing a scraped palm?”
“What, is that not an injury? I still healed it!”
“Let's be honest. Taepyeong-ssi carried us single-handedly. We just tagged along.”
“Ah, but we were still in the same party anyway.”
The two bickered back and forth.
“Hunter Yoo is right.”
I chimed in with an awkward smile.
“If it weren't for the three of you, I couldn't have done it alone.”
I wasn't just being humble.
I truly meant it.
Especially at the very end, if it hadn't been for Cha Yerin's hammer.
I wasn't sure if I could have held out with just that flimsy Orc sword.
“Whoa. What a class act!”
Yoo Inseok gave me a thumbs-up.
“So, I was thinking, why don't we all go grab a bite to eat?”
“Food? Sounds great. Should we head upstairs right now?”
I was getting hungry anyway.
“No, no, no!”
Kang Dagyeong hurriedly grabbed me.
“Not the Bureau cafeteria.”
“Huh?”
If not there, where else would we eat?
I looked at Kang Dagyeong with a puzzled expression.
She grinned widely.
“That place is fine, but on a day like today, there's a specific place we should go.”
I had never considered any option other than the Bureau cafeteria.
But then again, there was no reason to be stubborn about it.
“Ah, is that so?”
“Just trust your big sis and follow me.”
And so, for the first time in a while, I stepped outside the Bureau.
Sssssss...
Thick slices of pork belly were laid onto the hot grill.
Glug, glug, glug...
And ice-cold soju was poured into the glasses.
“Ahhh, now this is what I'm talking about!”
Kang Dagyeong downed her shot of soju with gusto.
“Unni, please drink slowly.”
Cha Yerin looked at her with concern.
“Whoa, the meat is burning. Taepyeong-ssi, eat up quickly.”
Yoo Inseok sweated as he diligently grilled the meat.
“Ah, yes. Thank you.”
I wrapped a well-grilled piece of pork belly into a tight wrap.
Gulp.
Juices exploded from the golden-brown, thick pork belly.
Salty ssamjang, pungent garlic, and sweet-and-sour seasoned scallions.
Plus a refreshing drink to wash it down!
Everything came together to wash away the day's fatigue.
Mmm.
Not bad at all.
Sure, the Bureau cafeteria had all kinds of food.
But they couldn't replicate this atmosphere.
“You should eat too, Hunter Yoo.”
“Hunter? Forget that! Just call me Hyung.”
“Oh, is that okay?”
“Of course it is!”
Haha.
I had suddenly gained an older brother.
“Yeah, and call me Noona too!”
Well, look at that.
Now I had an older sister too.
“Alright. Noona!”
With Yoo Inseok and Kang Dagyeong leading the charge, we drank round after round.
We talked about our lives up to this point.
We cursed out the scammers.
And through that, I learned their stories.
Yoo Inseok had dreamed of buying his own home, only to get scammed by a Tower-themed crypto pump-and-dump scheme.
Kang Dagyeong's parents had fallen victim to voice phishing. To pay off their debt, she had joined an illegal private climbing company and lost her arm.
And Cha Yerin had also been scammed while looking for Tower items to cure her younger sister's incurable disease. That was why she had started climbing the Tower herself.
Everyone has such a tragic story...
In a way, my situation might actually be the best.
Since I came straight to the Bureau.
“Drink! Drink up!”
Following Dagyeong's lead, Inseok shouted, “Bottoms up! Bottoms up!”
I pretended to drink and quietly set my glass down.
I was never one for drinking anyway.
“Excuse me, could we get a bottle of cider here?”
Instead, I ordered a bottle of lemon-lime soda and started drinking that.
Ah.
Normally, I would have just ordered fried chicken at my dorm and gone to sleep.
But this lively atmosphere wasn't half bad.
Being in a party.
Maybe it wasn't so bad after all.
Leaving Yoo Inseok and Kang Dagyeong to their drinking, Cha Yerin, who had been quietly smiling, spoke to me.
“Um, Taepyeong-ssi. Thank you.”
“For what?”
Why was she thanking me all of a sudden? I looked at her, utterly confused.
“The Elixir.”
Ah.
Right.
“Thanks to you, my sister...”
“Look, Yerin-ssi.”
I cut her off.
“You don't need to be that grateful.”
“Pardon?”
“It was just a trade.”
That's right. A trade. A simple exchange of goods.
“I needed a weapon, and you needed the Elixir, right?”
“Well, yes...”
“It was a win-win transaction for both of us.”
“But the Elixir is worth so much more...”
She was right. The Elixir was far more valuable.
After all, the paralysis dagger came from a Gold Chest, while the Elixir came from a Diamond Chest. The value of the latter was overwhelmingly higher.
However...
“I didn't know when I'd ever get a weapon otherwise.”
“Ah...”
“And to be honest, I don't think I have any use for an Elixir right now.”
Actually, to be even more honest, I doubted I would ever need an Elixir in the future.
I hadn't taken a single scratch this time either.
In a way, it was a useless item to me. So trading it was obviously a gain. And it was better off going to someone who actually needed it.
“Heh...”
Cha Yerin smiled.
“Someday, I will definitely repay this debt of gratitude!”
“It's not really a debt...”
“To do that, I'll have to train even harder.”
Wait.
“Your sister is doing better now, so aren't you going to stop climbing the Tower?”
Cha Yerin shook her head.
“There are still overdue hospital bills, and I need money for us to live together in the future.”
Ah.
I see.
Life really isn't easy for anyone.
“So, I look forward to working with you in the future.”
Cha Yerin bowed her head politely.
“Likewise. I look forward to working with you too.”
I bowed my head in return.
“Huh? What about us? I look forward to working with you too!”
“Me too! Me too!”
Yoo Inseok and Kang Dagyeong belatedly bowed their heads as well.
It turned into a rather comical scene.
“Alright! Shall we have another drink then?!”
Kang Dagyeong raised her empty soju glass high.
And I...
“Sorry, gotta run!”
fled the scene faster than my Killing Time skill could ever carry me.
The next day.
“Ughhh...”
My head felt like it was splitting open.
My body felt heavy as lead.
Ugh.
It seemed even the Heavenly Slaughter Star trait couldn't do anything about a hangover.
Stamina recovery, health recovery... they were all based on 'slaughter' after all...
Ah, should I just enter the Tower right now...
Go in, kill something, anything, and cure this hangover...
Just as I was thinking that...
Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang.
What was that?
No one should be visiting at this hour.
I had finished the interview yesterday, and I hadn't submitted any applications for today.
Wait.
Could it be Kang Mina-ssi?
I dragged my heavy body out of bed.
If they could get up to the First Section, they had to be someone from the Bureau.
“Coming...”
I called out in a dying voice.
Click.
I opened the door.
“Hello.”
Huh?
Who is this?
“My name is Do Sangjin.”
Do Sangjin.
But who are you?
As I stood there blinking in confusion, the man immediately continued his explanation.
“Starting today, I am your First Section Helper, assigned to assist with all aspects of your daily life, Hunter Taepyeong.”
First Section Helper?
“Ah...”
Was this the 'secretary' Kang Mina-ssi had mentioned before?
Unlike the Third and Second Sections, hunters in the First Section were assigned a sort of 'secretary' to manage their daily lives.
From simple things like shopping and running minor errands, to more complex tasks like handling government paperwork.
Back then, I had just brushed it off when she mentioned a secretary.
“Ah, hello.”
But this guy...
He didn't look like a secretary. He looked like a hunter.
A tank-class, at that.
The man was built like a brick wall. A literal door.
“Would you... like to come in?”
“Thank you.”
Thud, thud.
Do Sangjin walked inside.
“Normally, we are assigned on the day you move in.”
“Yes...”
“However, in your case, Hunter Taepyeong, since it was your first time, the process was delayed.”
Ah.
So that's why he only arrived now.
Honestly, it wasn't like I particularly needed a secretary.
“Have you experienced any inconveniences in the meantime?”
“Well...”
I'm inconvenienced right now. Right now.
While I hesitated to answer, Do Sangjin's eyes scanned the room quickly.
“It seems you haven't had a meal yet.”
“Huh? Yes. Yes...”
Since I had just woken up. More than that, I didn't really feel like eating anything because of the hangover.
Just as I was about to tell him I'd eat at the cafeteria later...
“May I prepare some honey water for you?”
Honey water...?
“Since you seem to be in no condition to eat a proper meal, I will prepare something to help soothe your hangover, if that is alright with you.”
W-Wow.
Do secretaries normally do this kind of thing?
“Yes, please...”
The moment I gave a dazed reply, Do Sangjin swiftly headed to the kitchen.
He tied on an apron I didn't even know was there, and suddenly began preparing something.
No, seriously. For real.
Do secretaries really do this?!
As I waited in a daze, breakfast was set before me in no time.
“Please drink the honey water first.”
The honey water, which looked similar to barley tea, was warm and sweet, with a hint of pear aroma.
“Th-This is delicious...”
This was on a completely different level from the honey water sold at convenience stores!
And then...
“This is dried pollack soup. Please take your time.”
A milky-white bowl of dried pollack soup.
The whisked eggs and tofu looked incredibly appetizing.
First, a spoonful of the broth.
“Ahhh...”
A taste that naturally elicited an exclamation of awe!!!
The cafeteria food was good, but this was... how should I put it...
“...It's amazing.”
Yes. It was absolutely amazing.
Gulp, gulp.
I greedily devoured the dried pollack soup.
I hadn't even realized I was hungry.
This was seriously killer.
The moment I emptied the bowl in an instant, Do Sangjin asked.
“Is it to your liking?”
I had no choice but to nod vigorously.
He wasn't just a secretary; he was a chef-level cook.
“It is absolutely delicious!”
Wow.
Being a hunter.
Is it really allowed to be this sweet?!