Chapter 12
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: The Tower's Master (4)
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As I feigned trembling, the man spoke sternly.
“Enough. Calm yourself. And as for your companions… it’s unfortunate, but you must forget them. That’s just part of this line of work.”
I lowered my hands below my knees and bowed my head like a man utterly defeated.
The young man in the back whispered to the one interrogating me.
“Senior, I really don’t think he knows anything. He didn’t even know it was a Double Dungeon.”
The place I had appeared after leaving the Tower of Trials was, of all things, another dungeon.
A Double Dungeon, or a Fake Dungeon.
It referred to a rare type of special dungeon where two dungeons were generated overlapping one another.
A normal dungeon would produce an exit gate upon being cleared, but in the case of a Double Dungeon, one was immediately sent to the next dungeon instead.
And that’s where the problem arose.
The reason a Double Dungeon was called a Fake Dungeon was simple.
The second dungeon was always a higher rank than the first one visible from the outside.
It became known as a Fake Dungeon because it deceived hunters about its rank.
If the hunters who entered managed to clear the Fake Dungeon safely, it wasn't an issue, but if not, it led to accidents like this one.
On top of that, Double Dungeons had one more problem.
‘Stragglers.’
Since one didn't enter the dungeon through the normal route, stragglers were inevitable.
The term ‘straggler’ referred to hunters who went missing or died, unable to escape a dungeon. In the case of Double Dungeons, the proportion seemed to be quite high.
‘How lucky.’
The first dungeon I entered was D-rank. After leaving the Tower of Trials, I came to my senses in the second one.
It was the C+-rank ‘Harpy’s Gorge,’ a dungeon effectively treated as B-rank due to its hellish terrain and flying monsters.
Normally, a dungeon would be sealed off from the outside once it reached its capacity or an hour after someone entered, regardless of the number of people inside.
However, there were rare hunters, called Keys, who possessed a ‘Dungeon Open’ skill that could open these sealed dungeons.
This incident involved Association trainees in an Association-owned dungeon, so it needed to be resolved quickly, if only for the sake of dealing with the aftermath.
The Double Dungeon aside, the Association currently suspected that I, the sole survivor, might have killed everyone else inside.
Quickly grasping the situation, I was brazenly playing dumb.
I didn’t forget to include a bit of exaggerated acting.
Seeing me, pale-faced and trembling, another official continued to persuade his senior.
The guy in front of me was the senior, and the one in the back was his junior. For some reason, the senior hunter seemed to be watching the junior’s reactions. There must have been some story between them.
The junior official continued to defend me.
“How could a powerless guy possibly kill his teammates?”
“It bothers me that he suddenly gained an affiliation after entering the dungeon.”
“It’s some nobody god, isn’t it? It’s rare, but there are cases where people gain an affiliation after entering a dungeon.”
Wow, a nobody I've never even heard of. That's harsh.
The man questioning me crossed his arms and let out a sigh.
“Hmph, alright. We’ll stop the investigation here.”
“Um… will I still be able to work as a hunter normally?”
“Ah, don’t worry about that. There won’t be any issues with your hunter activities, Mr. Kang Han-gyeol. It wouldn’t make sense to prevent you from being a hunter because of an unfortunate accident.”
“Thank you.”
After the interrogator left, I walked out of the room. There was no further investigation.
Leaving the Association building, I sat on a nearby bench and turned on my phone.
I’d been under investigation since morning, and now it was already afternoon.
My phone had been off for a long time, but it wasn't like there was anyone who would have contacted me. Or so I thought.
“What’s this?”
A single text from an unknown number read, [Call when you’re done.]
‘This tone… it has to be Choi Soo-hyun.’
Choi Soo-hyun was a Key hunter with the Dungeon Open skill. The one who had opened the gate to the second dungeon, Harpy’s Gorge, was none other than Choi Soo-hyun.
‘So Choi Soo-hyun was a Key.’
Hunters with the skill to open dungeons were exceedingly rare.
The youngest Awakened One, an S-rank hunter, and a Key on top of that.
At this point, I was certain that being a public servant was just a hobby for the guy.
Having practically confirmed the unfamiliar number belonged to Choi Soo-hyun, I made the call.
He answered before the third ring.
— Hello…
— Haesung Building, basement parking, B3, 21-2.
— Excuse me?
— Come.
Choi Soo-hyun stated his business and hung up without another word.
I searched for the Haesung Building he mentioned on my phone.
It was right across the street.
Standing at the crosswalk, I looked at the building and muttered.
“This guy is a real piece of work.”
Even if he wasn't unaffiliated, he must have been known as an oddball.
The underground garage of the building, a mix of guild and corporate headquarters, was packed with cars.
A McLaren 920S Spider.
It was the latest model, released less than a year ago.
I’d read online that the fields that benefited most from the advent of the hunter era were supercars and luxury goods.
It was a kind of psychological reward for surviving a life where you could die at any moment.
Seeing Choi Soo-hyun’s car, I muttered with conviction.
“See, I told you being a public servant was just a hobby for him.”
“I can hear you, you damn brat.”
Choi Soo-hyun, window rolled down, glared at me.
“Get in.”
The moment I fastened my seatbelt, Choi Soo-hyun sped off.
As we ascended to ground level, Choi Soo-hyun popped a handmade candy from a tin into his mouth.
“So you got an affiliation?”
“Something like that.”
“Congratulations. It doesn’t matter where, but when you’ve just awakened, it’s better to have somewhere to belong than not.”
“So, where are we going?”
Choi Soo-hyun was driving somewhere with the navigation off.
“My place.”
“I’m not really into dating men.”
“You got a death wish?”
Choi Soo-hyun’s expression turned serious as he crunched the candy in his mouth.
“Can’t a guy even make a joke? How do you get through life being so serious all the time?”
“Listen to you. Anyone would think you’ve lived longer than me.”
Ignoring him, I leaned back against the plush seat and popped a candy from the glass jar into my mouth.
Fortunately, Choi Soo-hyun didn’t seem to mind my actions.
“So why are we going to your place?”
I waited for his answer while savoring the grape-flavored candy.
“There’s something.”
He refused to tell me the reason.
I didn’t think much of his attitude.
‘He’ll tell me eventually.’
There was no need to rush.
Having been interrogated since morning, I felt unusually tired.
The warm air from the car’s heater must have helped, as I started to doze off.
I woke up again about thirty minutes later.
It seemed we had arrived, as a private garage was visible through the windshield.
Choi Soo-hyun, who had gotten out first, tapped on the passenger-side door, signaling for me to get out.
I opened the door, got out, and rubbed my eyes.
“It would’ve been nice if you’d opened it for me.”
“You can open a door yourself.”
Choi Soo-hyun beckoned for me to follow.
The private garage displayed the latest models from brands you’d only heard of, from the McLaren we arrived in to Chevrolet, Porsche, Ferrari, and Bugatti.
“Whoa, this is insane.”
I think that says it all, considering it was enough to wake me up completely. The door to an elevator connected to the garage opened.
“What are you doing? Not getting in?”
I scurried after Choi Soo-hyun into the elevator.
I regretted dozing off and missing the view of the house.
“You live in a ridiculously nice place.”
“If you think it’s a nice place, just say it’s a nice place. What’s with the ‘ridiculously’?”
“Would you prefer ‘fucking’?”
“Do you want to die?”
As the elevator doors opened, I bolted out as if escaping.
I could see Choi Soo-hyun’s exasperated expression behind me.
When I turned my back, he clenched his fist.
Getting hit by an S-rank hunter, in my current state, would probably break a rib or two without much effort.
Choi Soo-hyun put his hands in his suit pockets and stepped out of the elevator.
I was worried he might actually hit me, but he didn't.
Directly ahead, the view of a garden was visible through a refreshing, massive glass wall.
For a moment, I thought of my own situation, living in a semi-basement apartment.
The bathroom in this house was probably bigger than my entire place.
Damn it.
“You were interrogated all day. Did you eat?”
“What do you think?”
“What do you want? Pizza? Chicken? Burgers are fine too.”
“Don’t say such commoner things when you live in a place like this.”
“So I’m supposed to eat some non-GMO, organic meal instead?”
“Ugh, don’t say such horrifying things. Anything is fine, chicken or a burger.”
“Pizza, then.”
I have no idea why he even bothered to ask if he was just going to choose whatever he wanted in the end.
“I’ll order the food, so just sit tight on the couch.”
Choi Soo-hyun waved and went upstairs.
I plopped down on the massive U-shaped sofa nearby.
It was so plush I sank right in; I would have believed it if someone told me it was a bed.
Woof.
“Woof?”
Woof, woof.
“Ah, you scared me. It’s a dog.”
A fluffy little dog was sitting on the sofa.
A Bichon, maybe?
The Bichon, which seemed to be barking at me, turned its head and coolly jumped off the sofa.
“Syong-syong. Time to eat. Food.”
Turning around, I peeked over the back of the sofa.
Choi Soo-hyun, having changed from his suit into comfortable sweats, held the dog in his arms.
“What’s with that naming sense?”
“What? It’s a Bichon, so Syong-syong. It’s great.”
“Don’t tell me its full name is Choi Syong-syong, after you.”
Choi Soo-hyun looked at me as if to ask what was wrong with that.
“Wow, amazing. I’ll just save my breath.”
I sighed and shut my mouth.
Well, it wasn't my dog.
A dog’s name didn't matter to me.
“So, what’s the reason you invited me to your home?”
“Before that, you know you should be grateful to me, right?”
Syong-syong, having quickly finished its meal, climbed onto Choi Soo-hyun’s feet.
Choi Soo-hyun bent down slightly and scooped Syong-syong into his arms.
Even for a small dog, it must have had some weight, but when Choi Soo-hyun lifted it, it seemed to float into his arms like a ball of cotton.
I stood up from the sofa, mulling over Choi Soo-hyun’s words and recalling the day’s events.
All that had happened was being summoned to the Association in the morning, getting interrogated all day, and then being abducted to Choi Soo-hyun’s house.
It was hardly anything worth calling an ‘event.’
‘Something to be grateful for.’
I was the sole survivor of an accident that occurred during an official Association dungeon practical.
Yesterday wasn't the first time I'd been called to the Association.
I had been there so many times before that I was sick of it.
At first, they suspected I had murdered my teammates, but at some point, their attitude changed.
For me, it was much better for the incident to be treated as a simple accident rather than starting my hunter career branded as a murderer.
“Was this your doing?”