Already Promoted? (2)
Do-hyun had thought the matter over and dismissed it without much concern. It was the sort of thing that should have been handled before the party even formed, things like clarifying roles and titles.
Role clarification was necessary, of course. Still, with Do-hyun as leader by natural instinct, rough points could be glossed over. The real issue was the goals, and Hana Rin was the one who would stake her claim on that. Ji Yu-chan nodded along thoughtfully, seeing the importance himself.
For his part, Do-hyun still felt the need for it but had no choice but to agree since the party members wanted it. Thus the first party meeting began.
The first to speak was surprisingly Ji Yu-chan, the quiet one.
“First, I want to know our party’s goal. Just wandering together and growing stronger… I’m fine with that. But it would be better to have a more specific purpose.”
“I think the same.”
Hana Rin nodded in agreement with Yu-chan’s words, and Do-hyun trailed off awkwardly.
“Hmm… a goal.”
Honestly, Do-hyun had none. He had gained the fraudulent ability of Analysis and thought it was stupid not to use it as a hunter, yet he still lacked any clear purpose.
Thinking it over,
“The strongest hunter?”
“……”
“……”
Both stared at him in stunned silence.
Too vague a goal, but perhaps that was why it fit him so well. No other objective seemed suitable.
Both nodded seriously, knowing Do-hyun’s lack of detail.
“There’s room to think about what the strongest hunter even is.”
“If we look at it that way, should we aim for a short-term goal of clearing an A-rank zone?”
“Higher. The first S-rank in the world?”
“That works too.”
They refined the details while Do-hyun nodded obediently, feigning understanding.
With the rough plan in place, the short-term party goal was set.
The first S-rank in the world had been pushed back since the United States was close to promotion, so they dropped the “first” and settled on the quickest clear of an A-rank zone.
Once the target was set, Do-hyun suddenly tilted his head.
“Wait, then what are your goals?”
“Eh?”
“Hm?”
Both looked confused at him, then glanced at each other.
They suddenly froze, unable to speak.
“It’s similar to the strongest hunter.”
“Same for me.”
They hadn’t said it aloud, but it was clear both aimed to be second in the party. Do-hyun didn’t notice and simply accepted it.
It wasn’t that important anyway.
What mattered was that they were together.
Then, a thought struck them.
They had set a goal, but it still felt incomplete. The party now had three members, but the full roster was five.
Others were understandable, but a buffer was essential, so they were left pondering.
“We’ll have to fill the remaining spots.”
“We can’t just pull some random person off the street.”
“Hmm. If someone suitable is around right now, we can add them.”
“It’s not like it can be solved by worrying about it anyway.”
“True.”
With that settled, they moved on to title clarification.
It wasn’t difficult. Do-hyun and Ji Yu-chan had been classmates and the same age, so their titles had been settled long ago. They were already friends who called each other by name without formality.
Hana Rin was the odd one out.
In a way, she held the same position as the training center instructor, yet she was the youngest at twenty-one. The most delicate position of all, yet she handled it gracefully.
“You two can just call me oppa.”
“Alright.”
“We were already doing that anyway. Good.”
After titles were settled, they discussed whether anything else needed refining. Nothing came to mind. They turned to what they would do after promotion.
At that moment the dorm door burst open, and the escort party rushed in.
Gasping for breath, Cheon Sung-min stared at the three of them in shock.
“H-had you gone to the stone slabs today!?”
Do-hyun and the others nodded casually.
Cheon Sung-min stared at them in bewilderment.
By now everyone knew that hunters were living safely in the safe zone, so it was no surprise he knew.
When rumors spread that a human party of three possessed monstrous points and were about to promote, he had casually asked upon returning.
“H-heh, it’s already promotion time?”
“Yes. All three of us received E-rank evaluations, so we’ll probably promote before sunrise.”
“Ah……”
Cheon Sung-min could only accept it, recalling their previous hunt.
But then something odd occurred.
“Then… where did all those massive points come from?”
“Ah, while you were gone, villains started targeting us, so we handled it.”
“H-heh-heh-heh!!!”
A dizzying sound escaped him. Cheon Sung-min nearly collapsed and dropped into a chair. Do-hyun, Hana Rin, and Ji Yu-chan stared at one another in blank confusion.
“Is it really that surprising?”
Cheon Sung-min looked at them as if his heart had dropped.
When they simply accepted it and said they had fought off villains, he was utterly stunned.
If they had just explained, the three of them could have joined the fight. The expression on their faces, even in the face of such danger, made his stomach boil. He could say nothing.
‘Yeah, they were always like that.’
Strong enough that he couldn’t even guess their thoughts. Cheon Sung-min bowed his head.
Then, as if explaining what he hadn’t been able to before, he began.
“……I’ll tell you about promotion.”
“Oho?”
All three of them looked at Cheon Sung-min with interest. He explained the promotion process.
* * *
The Seoul branch of the Hunter Association had designated seats for hunters entering the Black Gates. Staff members checked the schedule, knowing hunters would return after one week, and waited.
Some returned safely. Others who survived over a week in the gates often faced disasters, so especially for parties without a healer as buffer, they prepared for any situation upon return.
Kim Jun-hee, a staff member at the Seoul branch, was on duty.
“Ugh, this shift is really exhausting.”
Lee Min-ju, his subordinate, clicked his tongue with an incredulous expression.
“Tsk tsk. One thing I know and two things I don’t? Compared to other civil servants, we have it easy, right?”
“……”
“Yeah. Ah, it’s almost time for the E-rank zone party to return. Go check.”
“……Yes.”
Kim Jun-hee sighed, but Lee Min-ju simply sat at the desk, obedient.
Kim Jun-hee wandered the empty designated seats, checking, when suddenly a bright light began to emanate from one seat. He tilted his head.
He checked the seat number on the status board and tilted his head again.
‘Huh? That one……’
It was supposed to be the F-rank party that entered today, yet the markings were unusual.
Moreover, the note requested immediate notification to the upper echelon if the party returned. He could not help but panic.
A party important enough to warrant upper-echelon attention had been gone less than a week.
No, a week was nothing. It had entered today, so why the light? He felt uneasy.
‘Less than a week…… what, what!?’
At that moment three people appeared at the seat. They looked around in wonder.
“So it really is possible to promote.”
“I thought you’d return immediately, but that’s surprising too.”
“Yeah.”
Kim Jun-hee scratched his head and checked the status board.
If promotion was possible, they could have returned earlier, yet nothing was listed. He stared blankly at them.
Especially.
‘They entered today, and this is their first time in the Black Gates!?’
Reading the board, his eyes widened. This required immediate contact with the upper echelon.
He stammered.
“S-stay here a moment, please.”
“Ah, of course.”
“I’ve heard there’s a procedure, but of course we have to report.”
“Hmm.”
Do-hyun, Hana Rin, and Ji Yu-chan remained silent as Kim Jun-hee frantically contacted the emergency network on his work tablet.
It was the natural procedure, and necessary, so he had done well up to this point.
But Kim Jun-hee made one mistake.
He contacted every number saved on the work tablet.
Soon after, the call reached even the president.
“Hmm? What’s happening at this hour?”
It reached Han Mu-yeol, the president, and he called Kim Jun-hee back. Kim Jun-hee, unaware, stammered.
“U-uh, hello. I-I’m Kim Jun-hee, the duty staff.”
“……”
“T-that’s the Do-hyun party. They… they came out.”
“……Where is the on-duty supervisor?”
That sounded like nonsense. Han Mu-yeol was stunned for a moment before asking Kim Jun-hee.
“Huh? The chief?”
“N-no, I’ll be there soon.”
“Yes, sir!”
Kim Jun-hee, on his first shift today, answered in a fluster.
Soon Lee Min-ju, who had been goofing off at the desk, looked up from his scary-faced appearance and collapsed. It took no time.