A Matter of Style
Zzzzz...
"Hunter-nim."
Snork... wheeze...
"Hunter Lee Taepyeong-nim."
"Gah!"
I woke up with a bizarre snort.
The first thing I saw was Do Sangjin standing over me.
"Uh, uh... Sangjin-ssi."
Slurp.
Ugh. I had been drooling in my sleep.
I hastily wiped the wetness from the corner of my mouth.
"How long was I out? An hour or two?"
"..."
Do Sangjin looked deeply troubled.
"W-What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"You have been asleep for two days."
"What?"
Two days?
What did he just say?
Two days?
As in, forty-eight hours?
"Me?"
I asked, utterly unable to believe it.
"Yes. If you had not woken up today, I was planning to file a formal report with the Administration Bureau."
"Oh, man..."
No way. I hadn't even been that tired. How could I sleep for two whole days?!
What was going on...
"Ah!"
Just then, my gaze fell upon my feet peeking out from under the slipped blanket.
Specifically, my feet wearing the Deep Sleep Socks!
Is it because of those?!
But still, isn't two days a bit much?!
No matter how deep the sleep is supposed to be!
"Ah, I think it's because of these. They're a new item I got..."
"Is it a cursed item with a debuff?"
"No, nothing like that. It's a recovery item that helps you sleep."
"However..."
Do Sangjin glanced down at the spot where I had been lying.
I followed his gaze.
"Huh?!"
The mattress where I had slept was completely soaked.
Drenched, in fact.
And the smell was absolutely atrocious.
"What in the world..."
It was a foul stench, bad enough to make me wonder if I had wet the bed.
"If there is something wrong with your body, you must get a medical examination."
But far from feeling sick...
I felt perfectly fine.
Actually, I felt better than perfect. I was practically bursting with energy.
Still, should I go to the hospital?
Sleeping for two days and sweating out a swamp is a bit...
Ding!
Right then, a system message popped up.
Danjeon activation in progress...
"...Huh?"
An activation of my Danjeon? What was this about all of a sudden?
Internal energy pathways are beginning to circulate.
Internal energy pathways?
I recalled the item description for the Deep Sleep Socks.
It definitely said: 'Aids in the recovery of internal energy.'
"If that's the case..."
Did the Deep Sleep Socks recover my internal energy and... open my Danjeon?
Something straight out of a Wuxia novel was happening to me?!
And while I was asleep, no less?!
"Holy crap!"
Come to think of it, doesn't training the Danjeon lead to a body reconstitution? A marrow-cleansing rebirth?
I recalled hearing stories about impurities being expelled and the body transforming.
Of course, that was also Wuxia novel logic.
Wow.
"This is insane."
So I didn't wet the bed.
It was just my body expelling impurities...
But wait.
Isn't Danjeon training supposed to be an incredibly grueling process?
"And I did it just by wearing a pair of socks?"
Ha. My luck is off the charts.
When the description said 'internal energy recovery,' I thought it just meant I'd feel refreshed. I had no idea it meant this.
"What a massive win..."
I was definitely going to wear these every time I slept.
If I could get stronger just by sleeping, there was no reason not to.
"Are you alright?"
Do Sangjin asked, his face etched with worry.
I nodded.
"I'm fine. It was just the effect of an item."
"I see."
I wondered if this would keep happening until my Danjeon was fully activated.
I might need to sleep on top of plastic sheets for a while.
"I'll clean this up."
"No, I will take care of it. You should take a bath first."
I sniffed myself. The smell coming off my body was indeed pretty severe.
"Then I'll leave it to you."
Leaving the cleanup to Do Sangjin, I headed into the bathroom.
After soaking in a hot bath and stepping out, I felt incredibly refreshed.
It wasn't just the usual post-bath freshness.
My body felt genuinely lighter.
"Is this the effect of the Danjeon activating?"
I tapped the area just below my navel. It felt quite solid.
Growl...
Never mind. It was completely empty.
Well, I did sleep for two days straight without eating anything.
It was only natural.
Tsk.
Once the hunger registered, my stomach began to ache with starvation.
I dragged my feet toward the kitchen.
"Oh?"
Do Sangjin, who was preparing a meal, looked up and gasped in surprise.
"What is it?"
"...You look somewhat different."
"Huh? How?"
"I cannot put my finger on it, but your overall impression has changed."
My impression?
That was vague. It wasn't like I had gained or lost weight.
"In what way?"
"Your complexion has improved significantly."
"Oh."
My complexion, huh?
It had to be the body reconstitution!
Growl!
Ugh. I didn't even have the mental capacity to check the mirror.
I was starving!
I quickly grabbed a spoon.
Today's menu was abalone porridge.
Normally, I would have been thrilled.
I took a big gulp.
The abalone porridge was delicious. And not just because I was hungry—it was genuinely superb.
The rich flavor of the abalone innards blended perfectly with the savory aroma of wild sesame oil. It was top-tier!
Plus, the chewy abalone felt like it was restoring my vitality with every bite.
But...
It felt like way too little!
At this rate, I might end up chewing on the table itself.
"I can't do this."
I stood up abruptly from my seat.
"Pardon?"
Do Sangjin looked at me, bewildered.
"I'll have to finish my meal at the cafeteria today."
Do Sangjin looked panicked and hurriedly tied his apron back on.
"I-If you wait just a moment, I will prepare more for you."
"No, it's fine."
Even if Do Sangjin kept cooking, he wouldn't be able to keep up with the speed at which I was eating.
Therefore, the only answer was the buffet.
"I'll be eating at the cafeteria for the time being, so consider this a vacation."
"H-Hunter-nim!"
Do Sangjin tried desperately to stop me, but I didn't have the luxury to look back.
GROOOOOWL!!!
A thunderous roar echoed from my stomach.
Ugh.
Yeah, considering the sheer volume of 'impurities' I had expelled while sleeping, it was only natural to be this hungry.
I rushed down to the cafeteria.
Fortunately, just like any other day, the cafeteria wasn't very crowded.
There were only two or three hunters who had already finished their meals and were getting up to leave.
"Oh, Hunter Lee Taepy—"
"Sorry. I'm in a rush."
Of all people, those two had to be Ban Haeyeong and Han Sion.
But even if it was them, I was in no state to be polite.
"Huh?"
Ban Haeyeong blinked.
"Well, look at that. Even you get ignored sometimes."
Han Sion chuckled softly.
Naturally, I ignored him too and charged straight for the food.
"Make me an omelet quickly, please. And grill as many steaks as you possibly can."
I had to stay calm, especially in times like this.
After placing my order with the chef as calmly as possible, I began piling all kinds of food onto my plate.
Damn it! Can't I just eat straight out of the serving trays?!
Sizzle!
At my order, the chefs hurriedly fired up the grills.
While waiting for the steaks to finish, I began shoveling the food from my plate into my mouth.
"I wanted to talk to you anyway. This is perfect."
Ban Haeyeong said, taking a seat in front of me alongside Han Sion.
I thought they were leaving?
"I heard you already cleared the 10th Floor?"
Ban Haeyeong grinned knowingly.
Chew. Chew.
I couldn't answer because my mouth was full.
"I knew Hunter Lee Taepyeong would be different."
Ban Haeyeong's eyes sparkled.
"So, what are you going to do now?"
Do what? What was she talking about?
I looked up at her, my face a mask of confusion.
"The guys who came here just to leech wouldn't even look at the 10th Floor. But you, Taepyeong-ssi, already cleared it in record time—"
Slap!
Han Sion suddenly covered Ban Haeyeong's mouth.
"You know that's classified information. Why are you blabbing about it so carelessly?"
At Han Sion's scolding, a cold sweat broke out on Ban Haeyeong's forehead.
Ah, so it was classified.
The fact that I had cleared the 10th Floor in record time.
Hmm. It was only the 10th Floor, though. Was that really worth classifying?
Chew. Chew. Chew.
I stuffed some Italian-style chicken drumstick thing into my mouth while watching the two of them.
With Ban Haeyeong's mouth still clamped shut, Han Sion took over the conversation.
"First of all, congratulations on successfully clearing the 10th Floor."
"Ah, thanks."
Man, when is that steak coming?
I was too busy glancing at the chefs to pay much attention to Han Sion.
"Actually, it would have been proper to contact you through the Talent Management Team, but..."
Why the Talent Management Team all of a sudden?
"Since we ran into each other like this, I thought it would be fine to tell you directly."
Han Sion looked slightly tense.
It was an uncharacteristic look for the cold-hearted mage.
"I would like to make a proposal."
A proposal? What kind of proposal all of a sudden?
"Please say yes!"
Ban Haeyeong pleaded, clasping her hands together with a loud smack.
She was so strong that the impact of her hands created a mini gust of wind.
"I can't say yes when I haven't even heard what it is..."
I muttered.
Obviously. You're supposed to listen to the end of a sentence before deciding.
As I stared at them in disbelief, Han Sion spoke up.
"We want to help you, Taepyeong-ssi."
"Pardon?"
Help me? What did that mean?
"We want to clear the tower together with you up to the 40th, or even the 50th Floor."
Clatter!
I dropped my spoon.
The 40th? No, the 50th Floor?
I literally just cleared the 10th Floor.
"We'll help you, Taepyeong-ssi!"
Ban Haeyeong's eyes sparkled.
"Of course, the thought of running the floors below the 40th again makes me want to die of boredom, but it might actually be fun if we think of it as power-leveling a newbie!"
"Be quiet,"
Han Sion snapped.
"Ignore Haeyeong. But it's true that we can help you."
"..."
"If you party up with us, you'll be able to clear up to the 50th Floor with ease. And once we reach the 60th Floor, we can continue clearing it together..."
So, this was basically a scouting offer.
They were inviting me to join their party.
I've only cleared the 10th Floor. What did they see in me to make this offer?
I scratched the back of my head, looking troubled.
"Well..."
"You won't regret it,"
Han Sion assured me.
"Isn't the two of you enough on your own?"
At my question, Ban Haeyeong and Han Sion exchanged glances.
"If the two of us were enough, we would have cleared the 70th Floor by now,"
Ban Haeyeong muttered, shrugging her shoulders.
"If even Choi Muryeong can't do it..."
"..."
"Then we need a different approach."
Choi Muryeong.
The undisputed number one hunter in South Korea.
Why was his name suddenly brought up here?
"So, what do you say, Taepyeong-ssi?"
Ban Haeyeong grinned. It was a smile that assumed I couldn't possibly refuse.
"Pardon?"
"Any interest in joining this ultra-luxurious party?"
"Hmm..."
However...
"Not really, no."
My answer was already decided.
"Y-You rejected them?!"
"Yes."
Upon hearing the whole story, Kang Mina swayed as if she were about to faint.
"Oh, my goodness."
"Was I not supposed to reject them?"
"N-No. Every decision is ultimately up to you, Hunter-nim, so it's not like you did anything wrong, but..."
Dizzy, Kang Mina collapsed into her chair.
I sliced into a perfectly grilled steak while watching her.
Yes, I was still eating.
Only after devouring almost everything at the buffet did I finally start to feel somewhat full.
"May I ask why you rejected them...?"
"Sure, go ahead."
I nodded at Kang Mina's question.
To be honest, it wasn't for some grand, complicated reason.
It was actually quite simple.
I gave Kang Mina a sheepish smile and replied,
"Getting carried ruins my vibe."