The Nonsan Dispatch
The village hall doors, shut tight all night, swung open as the morning sun spilled across the ground. One by one, the elders and other evacuees stepped outside, with Nureongi and Bbi-Bbi weaving among them. The officers who had guarded the village through the night and the villagers who had lain awake in fear showed no outward relief or joy. It was as if nothing had happened at all. They simply dispersed in silence, heading back to their homes and workplaces like any other ordinary morning.
Nureongi and Bbi-Bbi trotted over to me, but I couldn't take them home right away. The county office's environmental department was sending people over because of the giant horned goral I'd taken down yesterday. In the end, the two dogs caught a ride with another officer who was about to start his patrol and headed home first. Their waving paws quickly disappeared beyond the car window.
Once everyone had scattered, a single car approached from a distance. It was an old, beat-up secondhand model—the kind the county office would issue, the kind that suited someone like me. No doubt about it. Our environmental department officials were here.
The two men who climbed out of the car let out heavy sighs the moment they saw the giant horned goral's corpse laid out in front of the police outpost. Their faces were etched with exhaustion, the clear message being, "Great, another headache."
"How about it? Pretty impressive catch, right?" I said playfully.
They only managed weary smiles. Without another word, they pulled out measuring tapes and calipers, recording the creature's length and the thickness of its maseok. The longer they worked, the more their shoulders slumped. Especially when measuring the maseok, both of them let out deep sighs at the same time.
Finally, the older of the two looked straight at me and asked, "Your firearm permit is all in order, I assume? And you've already filled out the ammunition ledger…?"
They'd clearly realized this was bigger than they could handle and were fishing to see if I'd hunted it illegally. If it turned out to be poaching, they could just confiscate the troublesome maseok and wash their hands of the whole mess. After years in this line of work, did they really think I'd fall for such a transparent trick?
Just then, Park Gyeong-wi, who had been smoking at the outpost entrance, strolled over with his usual sly grin and spoke to the officials in that irritatingly cheerful tone of his.
"Aigoo, you two worry too much. The bodycam caught the whole hunt from start to finish. And our Jang Yeopsa here? She filled out the ammunition ledger so meticulously I was honestly moved."
The officials shot him sharp looks, but he just shrugged with that same easy smile. One of the younger men finally pulled out his smartphone and made a hurried call—obviously an S.O.S. to his superior.
A short while later, he handed the phone to me with a tense expression. I accepted it with the same grin Park Gyeong-wi had worn.
A familiar voice came through the speaker.
[Congratulations, Jang Yeopsa. You really caught a proper one this time.]
It was the Ministry of Environment official. Though technically a D-class Hunter, he had the round belly and three kids of an ordinary neighborhood uncle, so he came across more like a friendly neighbor than any kind of imposing hunter.
"Yeah, looks that way. At this rate I might finally quit this rural life and move to the city. What do you think?"
Realizing I wasn't about to back down even an inch, he let out a long sigh and launched into a lengthy explanation.
[Look, this dimension deviation was bigger than expected. All sorts of nasty things came crawling out. If we pay out the full maseok compensation on top of everything else, our department will be completely broke. You know that.]
"Then take it up with the provincial office."
[The provincial office will just shake us down first if we try to get more funding. How are we supposed to scrape together extra money?]
"So what are you saying?"
[Ah, seriously… Sajeong, help me out here….]
As expected. The compensation amount far exceeded their budget. If they paid out properly, their own necks would be on the line, so even a D-class Hunter had to grovel. What choice did they have?
"All right, so how much are we talking for the giant horned goral?"
[More than the mudskipper, obviously. And… I'll throw in something extra. How about two thousand kilos of rice? Top grade.]
So they wanted to settle the expensive maseok with a few sacks of rice? Not a chance.
"Hmm, my kids are growing fast. They'd rather have meat than rice."
[Ah… really? Then how about Hoengseong! Premium Hoengseong beef! You know how hard it is to get local specialties from Gangwon Province, right? I'll pull some strings and set it aside for you.]
Gangwon Province was famous for producing high-quality specialties that couldn't be found elsewhere, thanks to the heavy mutations. Still, it was nowhere near the actual value of the maseok.
"You know my kids have aptitude tests coming up soon, right?"
[Huh? Oh, yeah, I know! That's exactly why I'm offering this—so they can build up their strength. Come on, between us, what's the big deal?]
That was enough. I didn't need to push any further. The environmental department had done me plenty of favors before, so it was only fair to return the courtesy when I could. If I were living alone, I'd have taken the full cash payout and moved somewhere else, but with two mouths to feed, I had to be practical.
"Fine. But that giant horned goral is bigger than expected, so bring a truck to haul it away."
[Hey, thanks! I'll get it to you as soon as possible!]
Once the call ended, I handed the phone back to the official.
"Negotiation's over. You can take it now."
When I smiled brightly, relief finally bloomed on their faces. That was how the world worked—people helping each other out.
Before heading back to my truck, I tossed one last remark at the still-sighing officials.
"Oh, and make sure you tell your department head. I recorded that call, so he'd better keep his promise."
As I turned away, Park Gyeong-wi's stifled laughter followed me. Grinning, I climbed into the truck with a light step. The village was safe, and I'd even scored a nice bonus on top of it. Despite staying up all night, my mind was clear and my mood refreshingly bright.
A few days later, a massive Styrofoam box from the environmental official arrived right in front of our house. Inside, just as promised, was a premium Hoengseong beef set—enough to nearly fill an entire refrigerator. Sorting through it was a chore, but at least we'd be eating meat every day until autumn.
The official wasn't the type to skim maseok for himself, so maybe I'd actually saved someone's life after all. Either way, the fridge was full, and a few days later the bank account was too. Everything was fine.
…
After that, Dohoang-ri enjoyed a stretch of peaceful days. The monsters that dominated the news remained someone else's problem, and mutated creatures like mudskippers or horned gorals stopped appearing. Peace in the village meant less work for me. But villages were small, and the world was wide. When there was no work, people found ways to make some—whether monsters were running rampant or times were peaceful, the principle stayed the same.
One afternoon, while Nureongi and Bbi-Bbi were out for a walk, the environmental official showed up unannounced. The D-class Hunter physique was long gone; now he had a watermelon-sized belly and a receding hairline that made him look every bit the middle-aged uncle. Still, the awakened strength hidden beneath that body hadn't changed. That meant the potbellied man could easily take down a wild boar with his bare hands.
I brewed instant coffee for my unexpected guest and asked, "Did you come to thank me for the maseok? Looks like I saved someone's life after all."
"That… that saved five people in our department. But I'm here on business today."
When the official came in person, it usually meant a dispatch request. I hoped it wouldn't be too far away.
I handed him the steaming cup. He stared down at the coffee and continued, "Looks like the mutated creatures still aren't fully cleared out. We're trying to recruit yeopsas and a few hunters who want to stretch their legs to handle the rest, but people aren't exactly lining up."
"Then why not raise the reward money?"
"That's… you know that's not possible. The dimension deviation wiped out most of the reward budget. At this rate we'll have to start paying in goods instead."
"Then just pay in goods."
"You think that works? Most of the reasonable people like you already retired. The ones left now are all about contracts and guilds and getting as picky as possible."
He blew on the hot coffee, then launched into a full complaint. In short: no people, no money, so could I please step up and help out?
This was a much bigger favor than the beef I'd received last time.
"So where exactly would I be going?"
At my question, he set down his cup and gave an awkward smile.
"Well… Boryeong, Nonsan, Gyeryong… plenty of places. All over South Chungcheong."
"No thanks."
My answer was firm. Boryeong might be manageable, but Nonsan? Just thinking about transporting firearms that far and sorting out permits gave me a headache.
"How are we supposed to move the guns? How do we get the permits? And aren't the soldiers and hunters in that area all just lounging around?"
When I flatly refused, he pulled three tickets from his pocket as if he'd expected this and held them out. They were passes for various hunter-only facilities in the area—discounted entry to weapon shops and equipment stores, plus shelter lodging vouchers. He'd clearly pulled some strings.
"These are… pretty valuable."
"Right? Other hunters are backing out because the pay's too low, and the soldiers are busy defending the country. In the end, it's up to veterans like you to step in. I'll even register Nureongi and Bbi-Bbi for family accompaniment. Just treat it like a trip."
"And what if monsters show up around our village while I'm gone?"
"I'll handle that somehow. My wife keeps nagging me to exercise now that she's pregnant anyway."
I wanted to say, "Then you go to Nonsan yourself," but held my tongue. He must have been desperate to come all the way out here. Normally he was the type to jump in when things got tough, but being stuck in his assigned district must have been driving him crazy.
I tucked the tickets into my pocket and sipped the now-cold coffee.
"When do I need to leave?"
His face lit up at my answer.
"The sooner the better. Next week that whole area opens up as a hunting zone, so getting there early will make things easier for you too."
"Then I'll aim to arrive at least a day early. I need to get the kids' permission first."
"Great. I'm counting on you. Really, thank you."
Downing the rest of his coffee, the official repeated his thanks as he headed outside. Listening to his rattling car fade into the distance, I slowly looked down at the tickets in my hand. Hunter-exclusive weapon shops, equipment stores, and shelter access. Even if they were one-time use, they were places a freelance quasi-awakened like me could never normally reach.
This dispatch would be a hassle, but maybe I'd come back with something even better. I needed to make the most of this opportunity. Folding the tickets neatly, I slipped them deep into my pocket. Now the real problem was figuring out how to explain all this to Nureongi and Bbi-Bbi.