The Perks of First Section

"So, what exactly do you do?"

A First Section Helper.

It sounded grand.

But compared to the title, I had no idea what the job actually entailed.

They said he would manage 'every aspect of a hunter's life,' but...

To be honest.

Is this really necessary?

That was my honest impression.

I rarely went shopping anyway.

And I didn't have any paperwork to hand over to him yet.

They said he could help with security, too.

But right now, I didn't really need that...

Ah!

Of course, his cooking was absolutely delicious!

The Hunter Administration Office's cafeteria was great, too.

But it didn't quite have that 'home-cooked' feel.

So maybe he'd be good as a housekeeper...

"Ahem."

Did he read my mind?

Do Sangjin wore a troubled expression.

He began to explain what a helper's duties were.

But even after hearing the explanation, I still didn't really get it.

I didn't know what the standard for 'anything' was.

When I stared at him with a completely clueless face,

"In that case, let's approach this simply,"

Do Sangjin said, his face dead serious.

"What is it that you want to do right now, Hunter-nim?"

What did I want to do right now?

"Anything is fine."

Anything?

"Just think of anything short of murder and let me know."

Hmm.

I fell ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠into thought for a moment.

Then.

"Oh, right."

I remembered.

"I got scammed out of my housing deposit."

A housing deposit scam.

Do Sangjin nodded silently.

He probably already knew that I had ended up here because of that scam.

"I want to resolve that issue."

"By resolving it, you mean..."

"Catching the bastard who scammed me and getting my deposit back."

"Hmm..."

"Can you handle something like that too?"

At my words, Do Sangjin's eyebrow twitched.

Wait.

Did I bruise his pride?

"...Of course."

I definitely did.

Do Sangjin nodded with a serious face.

Actually, it went beyond serious—his expression was slightly terrifying.

"Really?"

Whoa.

He can actually do that?

"I will gather information first and report back to you."

"Th-thank you..."

Does a secretary usually do this kind of work?

Either way, this was sweet. Incredibly sweet.

"Is there anything else, Hunter-nim?"

"Uh, no. I think that's it for now."

"In that case..."

"Ah!"

I raised my hand slightly and spoke up hesitantly.

Was it okay to ask for this?

Well, he did say anything...

"Please, speak."

"Well..."

Ah, now that I was actually asking, it felt a bit embarrassing.

"On your way back..."

"Yes."

"Could you buy me a bag of green Pocachips?"

"..."

Do Sangjin was silent for a moment.

It was as if no one had ever asked him for such a thing before.

But.

"Yes. Of course."

He soon nodded.

"Thank you!"

Wow.

He's really going to do it!

From solving a housing scam to buying Pocachips.

Being a hunter is seriously the best!

Two days passed just like that.

I'm bored.

To be honest, I...

Wanted to enter the tower again.

However.

Our schedules didn't align.

It was only natural.

Usually, once you cleared a floor, you rested for at least a week.

Some rested for a month, or even two to three months.

In the case of leechers, they only climbed once a year.

It wasn't something I could blame my party members for.

But still.

"I'm so bored!!!"

I was dying of boredom.

"Did you call for me, Hunter-nim?"

The epitome of mismatch.

Do Sangjin, wearing an apron with a cute little chick drawn on it, dashed out of the kitchen.

"Ah, no. I was just talking to myself."

"I see."

Do Sangjin glanced over me.

"The kimchi stew is almost ready. Please come to the kitchen in five minutes."

"Ah, yes!"

After announcing the completion time of the kimchi stew, he returned to the kitchen.

Indeed.

Do Sangjin had practically become my housekeeper.

There wasn't much for me to order him to do anyway.

And catching the housing scammer wasn't something he could ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠work on twenty-four hours a day.

Besides, I really liked his cooking.

So for the past two days, I hadn't gone down to the administration office's cafeteria...

And ate the home-cooked meals Do Sangjin prepared instead.

Of course.

Since I had a conscience.

I made excuses about craving delivery food in the evenings.

And ordered chicken, pizza, or jajangmyeon.

"Wow, this is a feast."

Anyway.

The table was set with a mouth-watering spread of Korean food, centered around the kimchi stew.

From fluffy rolled omelets drizzled with ketchup,

To roasted seaweed savory with the scent of sesame oil,

To plump stir-fried sausages and vegetables!

And on top of that.

A spicy kimchi stew packed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠with two whole cans of tuna!

"This looks delicious."

I quickly took my seat.

First, a spoonful of the kimchi stew.

"Mmm."

It was heavenly.

As I began to shovel the food into my mouth,

Do Sangjin sat across from me and picked up his spoon.

"Thank you for the meal."

Actually, he had insisted that he didn't need to eat.

But with the person who cooked the meal sitting right there,

It felt weird to eat alone.

So I insisted we eat together.

"Man, this is so good."

"I am glad it is to your liking."

Since he whipped up whatever I wanted to eat in no time,

I barely thought about going down to the cafeteria anymore.

Did I prefer home-cooked meals?

Actually, I had never really had home-cooked meals before.

Since I never had a proper home...

"As for today's schedule..."

"Ah, about that. My party members are all busy, so I think I'll just rest."

"I see."

In other words.

I had nothing to do.

"Does everyone need a week to recover?"

"That is on the shorter side. Usually, they take a break of fifteen days to a month."

"Ah..."

"Should you not also take a sufficient rest, Hunter-nim?"

Hmm.

Is that so?

Actually, for me,

Rather than wanting to rest,

I was just bored.

"I suppose I should."

Did he catch the boredom in my voice?

Do Sangjin set down his utensils and looked at me.

"By any chance, do you wish to enter the tower?"

"Huh? Oh, no. I should rest too."

"You may speak honestly."

"...Yes. I'm bored."

"Bored..."

"And clearing the floors with a party was fun."

Chatting with others while doing it.

Solo play had its own charm,

but playing together had a different kind of fun.

"..."

Do Sangjin pondered for a moment.

"If you are truly bored, it might not be a bad idea to try a solo run."

"...!"

Oh.

Come to think of it, he was right.

Parties were parties.

Solo was solo.

I could do a solo run whenever I wanted!

"The number of floors you have cleared so far is three, Hunter-nim."

"Yes."

The Tutorial.

Hide-and-Seek.

And the Defense.

"Since you are still in the low-level range, it would be good to get some solo clears done."

"Oh!"

"Experiencing various types of maps will definitely help you in your future raids."

"That's true!"

"Normally, I would not recommend this method to others, but..."

Do Sangjin shrugged slightly.

"You possess outstanding skills, Hunter-nim, so you should be able to clear it without difficulty."

He said it so matter-of-factly that it didn't even feel like flattery.

It felt like ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠he was just stating a fact.

"Wow, you're right, Sangjin. I should just do a solo run."

Why didn't I think of that?

Was it because party play had been too much fun?

"I'll go for a solo run this afternoon."

"I will submit the application for you."

Do Sangjin submitted the application using his tablet right there at the table.

Having someone handle these minor details was incredibly convenient.

"Then, while you are clearing the floor, I will step out for a moment."

Step out?

Did he have somewhere to go?

"There are some things I need to look into regarding the housing scam."

Oh.

Reliable.

So reliable!

A helper.

I had wondered if I really needed one.

But living with one was extremely comfortable.

Man.

Kang Mina, who assigned me to the First Section.

Thank you!

Thank you so much!

After finishing the meal,

I went down to the administration office's cafeteria for a quick cup of coffee.

Then, just as Do Sangjin had arranged,

I headed to the gate station for my solo run!

"Welcome!"

It was already my fourth time.

Since I had visited so frequently, the familiar staff member greeted me warmly.

"Hello!"

"You're doing a solo run today?"

"Yes."

"I'll guide you right away!"

As I walked toward the solo gate room, the massage chair—no, the gate entry chair—was waiting for me as always.

Rather, the entry assistance chair.

I leaned back comfortably in the chair.

I'm excited.

Maybe because I had played in a party, but my confidence had grown quite a bit.

Well, it wasn't like I lacked confidence before.

But although I had heard praises about how good I was, those were just words from government officials.

It was different from being recognized by fellow hunters.

Oh, right.

The dagger I traded for the Elixir.

I was curious to see how the paralysis-attribute dagger would perform!

Since it came out of a gold chest, it wouldn't be garbage like the ratman, lizardman, or orc swords.

It had an 'attribute' attached to it.

If I used it and didn't like it?

I could just sell it then.

Since it was from a gold chest, it would fetch a decent price.

While I was lost in these thoughts, I had already entered the tower.

Chirp. Chirp. Chirp.

Buzzzt!

Hooo. Hooo.

Bird sounds?

I could hear the cries of unknown beasts.

And trees and grass filled my surroundings.

"Is this a jungle?"

I could hear the sound of flowing water from somewhere.

The weather was slightly humid.

It was definitely a jungle.

Like the Amazon?

Considering the beast cries, was it an annihilation match?

Or a chase?

It could be a survival match.

Rustle.

Just then.

A sound came from the bushes.

I immediately placed my hand on the dagger at my waist.

Upon entering the tower,

I hid my body behind the shadow of a massive tree.

Splash.

Splash.

It sounded like someone was wading upstream.

It was similar to the sound of flowing water, but subtly different.

Splash.

Splash.

Splash.

Three?

No.

Four.

Seeing how they deliberately walked through the water, they weren't monsters, but an intelligent alien race.

I quietly held my breath.

Rather than monsters that mindlessly charged, intelligent races that were just like humans—no, perhaps even smarter than humans—were far more dangerous.

That was emphasized in training, and by active hunters with countless real combat experiences. They always stressed this point.

...To think I'd encounter an intelligent race as soon as I entered.

This was unexpected.

Even in the Hide-and-Seek Map, I had met the other race much later.

The only saving grace was that I hadn't been spotted yet.

...

It was then.

Amidst the sound of flowing water, the wading sounds stopped.

"Someone is here."

A beautiful voice, hard to distinguish whether it belonged to a man or a woman.

An alien way of speaking.

I quietly inhaled and peeked toward the source of the sound through the shadows of the trees.

Tall figures with shimmering blonde and silver hair.

All of them carried bows and swords.

And.

Their ears are pointed...

There was only one answer.

Elves!