A Stroll Through the Sewers

After dropping Grandfather off at my sister’s house, I returned to the hospital and immediately discharged Uncle, who had been admitted there.

When we got home and I healed him with Radiance of Healing, the sight of his own body completely restored left him stunned.

“You really do have a healing skill? But didn’t you say you were clearing the Tower with just the porter?”

“That’s right.”

“So a healer and a porter clearing the Tower together? Is that even possible?”

“Well… explaining the circumstances would get a bit complicated. Haha…”

I laughed it off.

“Anyway, you know this has to stay a secret, right? If word gets out, it’ll just cause a bunch of annoying headaches.”

“Yeah, I understand. In return, keep the fact that I got hurt a secret from Grandfather too. And tell him to keep it from Somin as well.”

“Because he’d worry?”

“Not just worry—he’d blame himself one hundred percent. He’d think it was his fault his grandson got hurt. The media made a huge fuss about this incident, so there’s no hiding that part. But only a few people know I actually got injured. As long as you kids keep your mouths shut, we can keep it under wraps.”

“Got it, Uncle.”

And just like that, my uncle and I ended up sharing one secret each.

That evening.

A welcome guest arrived at my sister’s house, where Grandfather had returned after so long.

“Uncle!”

“Young-kwang! You came. Good to see you.”

The two men embraced the moment they saw each other. Though they shared no blood, they greeted and worried over one another like father and son.

“Are you really okay now? You’re fully healed, right?”

“Of course! As you can see, I’m not just fine—I’m bursting with energy. Hahaha! More importantly, Young-kwang, I heard you went ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠through a lot because of me. I’m sorry. A godfather who can’t even look after his own child, only causing trouble instead…”

“Aigoo, don’t say that. Trouble? If we’re talking about who owes who, how could my mother and I ever repay what we owe you? If we’re keeping score, I’d be too ashamed to even show my face. So unless you want me to stop coming around entirely, please don’t say things like that.”

“If you put it that way, I’m grateful.”

Grandfather gently patted Young-kwang’s hand with a warm smile.

Thanks to that, the family gathered for the first time in a while that evening, grilling meat and freely unloading all the feelings they had bottled up.

“I’m sorry, Uncle. I only called occasionally and didn’t visit properly.”

“It’s fine. Really. You’ve been busy. I hear your current work is much busier than when you were a detective?”

“Actually, now that I’m out here, I realize it’s cold, hot, exhausting—I’m basically dying. I want to go back, but I can’t. Sigh…”

“Hehehe~! Still, seeing how steadily and diligently you’re working, it looks like things are going well.”

“It’s the only skill I’ve got. If I can’t make a living with it, I might as well drop dead. At least in this field, I’m pretty decent. Hahaha!”

When Uncle straightened his shoulders with a bit of pride, I chimed in.

“Auntie must be happy, though.”

“Why would she be?”

“You’re home even less than before, but you’re earning more, right?”

“This kid… sharp as ever, huh?”

My sister, who was cutting the meat, gave Uncle a sharp jab.

“Don’t end up getting divorced. Take good care of Auntie and Hye-won too. Work is important, but once you lose family, it’s really hard to get them back.”

“Yes ma’am! I’ll take your words to heart, Niece Somin! By the way, where’s Jang? Hasn’t he come home from work yet?”

“Haa……”

When a shadow fell across my sister’s face as she sighed, Uncle quietly asked me.

“Humin, did something happen with your brother-in-law?”

“Well, he says work has gotten really busy lately. He’s on a week-long stakeout this time, so he can’t even come home.”

“Ah, so that’s why she’s been so sensitive. That comment just now was probably…”

“It’s for you, Uncle, but it’s also meant for my brother-in-law. Please understand.”

“You two. What are you whispering about?”

“Huh? Oh, nothing!”

At my sister’s cat-like stare, my uncle and I jumped and frantically shook our heads.

After spending the night in the living room with Grandfather and my sister for the first time in ages, I ate the warm breakfast ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠she prepared early in the morning and got ready to head to the Tower.

“Always be careful. If it feels dangerous, you know what to do, right?”

“Yeah. I’m off, Grandfather!”

“Go on, and be safe.”

With their farewells behind me, I left the house when…

Hm? A call? Unknown number.

The moment I stepped outside, a call came in. Curious, I answered, and an unfamiliar woman’s voice flowed from the speaker.

“Hello?”

“Good morning. Is this Hunter Ahn Humin?”

“Yes, this is Ahn Humin. May I ask who’s calling?”

“This is Kwon Si-young, secretary to Director Lee Won-hyung of the Awakening Management Bureau. Our director would like to meet with you. If you have time, could you spare some for us? We’re available whenever is convenient for you.”

“……”

If I had received this call with no prior warning, I probably would have assumed it was a voice phishing scam.

But I had been expecting a call from the Bureau sooner or later.

For one thing, the Bureau managed Tower entry and exit records, and the idea of an E-class hunter and a porter clearing the tenth floor was far too abnormal.

Plus, Sowon had mentioned the Bureau was asking about me through her, which also meant they were keeping an eye on me.

Of course, I had told her she could share anything except details about my abilities.

And finally, I now knew very well that I was no ordinary E-class hunter.

EX-class.

It was a rank I had arbitrarily given myself, meaning I surpassed even SSS-class, but it wasn’t baseless confidence.

After all, the official record of clearing the tenth floor alone—well, with a porter, but essentially solo—couldn’t be found in any country.

The Bureau must have their feet to the fire as well.

Even though I knew it was rude, I threw out some bait to gauge exactly how strong my position was.

“I’m planning to clear the Tower from this morning. I should finish sometime in the afternoon, but I’m not sure exactly when. Should I contact you when I’m done? Or would you prefer to set a specific date?”

“We’re available anytime, so could you please contact us as soon as you finish your run?”

The Bureau is more desperate than I thought.

“Understood. Let’s do that.”

“What? The director of the Bureau called you? Personally?!”

“Not personally—the secretary did.”

“That’s basically the same thing! It means the director has business with you, so he had his secretary reach out, right?”

“Well… I guess so?”

Sowon and I were currently clearing the eleventh floor.

From the eleventh to the twentieth floors, the difficulty was disproportionately high compared to the floor number, so many hunters avoided them.

Even hunters who cleared the twenty-first floor easily tended to avoid returning to the previous ones if they could help it.

The reason was that while the monsters that appeared were relatively weak, the terrain was irritating enough to overwhelm that advantage.

Floors eleven through twenty were sewers.

The problem was that these sewers were a tangled maze, just like the ancient Roman sewer system.

The only light came from above at regular intervals through sewer grates. Anything else—even torches—could barely illuminate a few steps ahead.

“Why did the director call? Another scouting offer?”

“I don’t know yet. We agreed to meet and talk.”

“Of course! With your abilities, it makes perfect sense. Actually, I’m surprised it took them this long. Haven’t any other guilds contacted you? Someone with your level of skill should have guild masters coming in person, not just scouts.”

“I’m not sure. Nothing yet. I haven’t been promoting myself, and now there’s no reason to.”

The sewer’s maze-like layout, pitch-black darkness, and nauseating stench that could make your head spin were terrible, but the real danger was the monsters lurking in the shadows.

Squeak!

Suddenly, countless glowing eyes appeared from the darkness and surged toward us like a flood.

Those lights belonged to the Tyrant Rats and Ratmen.

Tyrant Rats were vicious sewer rats the size of large dogs, equipped with sharp fangs, claws, and deadly venom.

Ratmen were human-sized bipedal rats with high intelligence, capable of using most standard weapons.

The problem was that there were simply too many of them.

But!

“Gob-baba.”

“Kuaaaaaargh!!”

“All goblin swordsmen under Goblex, engage the Ratmen from the front line. Poison dart soldiers and archers, hunt down the Tyrant Rats that emerge!”

Goblius and the goblin minions appeared from the black mist and took the lead against the Tyrant Rats and Ratmen.

Once Gob-baba’s wide-area taunt took effect, all the monsters’ aggression that had been pouring toward us like a flood shifted entirely to him and his warriors.

While Gob-baba and the warriors held the front line, the goblin swordsmen under Goblex charged in like wolves and mercilessly slaughtered the rats.

From the rear, the archers and poison dart soldiers provided steady covering fire…

All of it was carried out under Goblius’s precise command. I didn’t need to give separate orders or even hunt myself, and Goblius rarely had to step in personally.

Sowon and I simply followed the path the goblins created and collected the mana stones.

In fact, Sowon, who was using her bonus looting skill, seemed even busier than I was.

“Sorry. There’s nothing I can help with here.”

“Ugh, I only have this one job. Were you planning to take even that away from me? No way. Besides, I leveled up recently and picked a trait for my bonus looting.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Now I can do bonus looting on three monsters at once. Ahem!”

Maybe that was why—the bonus looting speed had increased dramatically.

Before, the time spent casting bonus looting had been much longer than the actual hunting. Now we could finish much faster and move on to the next area.

“Or should I film you while you hunt? Just uploading that to YouTube would bring love calls pouring in from all over the world.”

“If this were before, I might have done that. But it’s not necessary now.”

“Why not?”

“Do I look like I need a guild’s support to you, Sowon?”

“Hmm……”

Sowon thought for a moment before answering.

“Can I be completely honest?”

“Of course.”

“Not at all. If anything, I’d say the settlement fees and taxes you’d have to share with a guild would be the real waste… Even if you joined a major guild and received their support, I honestly can’t imagine you getting any stronger than you already are. You’re already way beyond what anyone could imagine.”

Of course, joining a major guild and receiving support would make me stronger than I am now.

But when you factored in the settlement money that would have to be shared with the guild, plus the taxes that came with joining… well.

It might be beneficial now, but the higher I climbed in the Tower, the greater the losses would become.

When weighing the support of a major guild against the future losses, the scale inevitably tipped toward the latter.

If I were just a normal S-class or SS-class hunter—or even SSS-class—I would have chosen a major guild without hesitation. Even SSS-class hunters struggle to grow without major guild support. Of course, there would be a price to pay.

But the current me? I could hunt perfectly fine without a major guild’s support. The floors would only get harder and more dangerous, but I would grow far stronger than I was now.

That was why I didn’t feel any urgent need for a major guild right now.

Even as we talked, the assaults from the Tyrant Rats and Ratmen continued without pause.

The moment we moved from one section to the next, just as many monsters as we had killed would swarm out again. Every corner we turned brought another wave.

“Then you’ll obviously reject the Bureau’s offer too. Their support couldn’t possibly be better than what a major guild offers.”

“I’m thinking the same thing… but I should at least hear what they have to say first. There’s no rush to refuse.”

Here I was, casually clearing a place that even experienced high-level hunters avoided, strolling through it with Sowon.

This was the extent of my current ability.

And I wasn’t even using my full power. I hadn’t used Night Crow here yet, and I still hadn’t properly tested my new stat, Chaos Energy.

Kikik!

“Oh? There’s the exit already.”

The poison dart soldier who had found the exit pointed it out and reported to me.

This was exactly why I had turned the poison dart soldiers into my minions despite their weaker attack power compared to the archers.

Aside from their poison darts, they possessed scouting and detection skills. At champion rank, their detection and scouting abilities already surpassed most A-class hunters.

And when those abilities were enhanced by my skills and traits?

Finding an exit in a sewer like this was easier than drinking cold water on a hot day.

“This was too fast. We still have plenty of room in our bags.”

“Shall we take a detour before leaving then?”

“Yes! I’m all for it.”

With the exit right in front of us, Sowon and I turned around and headed toward ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠an unexplored ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠section.

I was kicked out of the guild without them knowing I was EX-class.