Chapter 53
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Alliance
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“...I’m losing my mind.”
Yoon Suhyeok felt like he was about to go crazy.
And the other members of the Pungbaek Guild were no different.
A week.
Choi Kangwoo and Kim Hanul had been gone for a whole week.
Dungeon clear times varied wildly, and sometimes, they could stretch on for months, as he himself had experienced in the Garden of the Abyss.
But this time was different.
“There’s no way this dungeon should take this long.”
The Ogre's Sanctuary was a simple dungeon.
Completing its objective shouldn't even take a full day.
Since it had been on the verge of a rampage, there might have been some variables upon entry.
Even so, seven days was an unimaginably long time.
“The pattern changed back to blue, though...”
At least the pattern had reverted from red, which signified a dungeon rampage, back to blue.
That was the only positive sign.
“Kangwoo-hyung, he’s okay, right? I’m starting to get seriously worried here.”
Yoon Suhyeok muttered, looking up at the night sky.
He had never had to fill in as the guild master before.
Because Choi Kangwoo was always there for Pungbaek.
Whenever he went to the penthouse office, the tiger-like Hunter was always there.
He’d gotten tired of that pathological sense of responsibility at times, but now, he was beginning to understand.
That was just what the Pungbaek Guild Master’s position entailed.
“Vice Master, we’re detecting movement from the ‘Today’s Hunter’ channel. There’s a limit to how long we can maintain this passive response.”
The head of the media relations team spoke up cautiously beside him.
“That YouTube channel that spreads gossip about Hunters?”
“Yes. They’re constantly churning out all sorts of theories using the Guild Master’s absence as fodder. There’s even a rumor spreading that he fled the country due to an affair.”
“Those crazy bastards. What kind of bullshit is that to say about a man so obsessed with work he’s practically sworn off women?”
“On top of that, they’re connecting the blockade of Hwaseong Station and our guild’s recent lack of activity. They’re speculating that we might be conducting some kind of secret experiment inside the dungeon...”
“They’re really spouting some bullshit, aren’t they.”
A week is a long time.
Even for a guild like Pungbaek, there was a limit to how much they could endure.
Several media outlets, sensing an opportunity, had bared their fangs and were already tearing chunks out of them.
“If Kangwoo-hyung comes back and reads these articles... Ha. He’ll lose his mind.”
Right, I should probably send Kangwoo-hyung on vacation as soon as he gets back.
He must have accumulated a ton of mental fatigue from slaughtering ogres in that dungeon.
Just then.
“V-Vice Master!”
A Hunter came running from behind the base camp, out of breath.
“A rift, a rift has appeared in front of the Ogre’s Sanctuary!”
“What color is it?”
“It’s blue! A normal dungeon return rift!”
“Ha, fuck.”
Yoon Suhyeok let out a smirk.
“That’s our Kangwoo-hyung for you. His timing is impeccable.”
* * *
Not long after the blue rift opened, a figure emerged from within.
It was Choi Kangwoo.
“Kangwoo-hyung, damn it! We’ve been waiting forever, why are you only coming out now?!”
Among the Pungbaek Guild Hunters surrounding the dungeon entrance, the first to rush to him was Yoon Suhyeok.
He charged at Choi Kangwoo like a young son welcoming his father home from work.
“Man, I was so worried, but you look fine. Those caterpillar eyebrows, those eyes with way too much intensity... Yup, that’s our Kangwoo-hyung, alright!”
“...”
Yoon Suhyeok deliberately acted flippant, patting him on the chest.
But Choi Kangwoo didn’t respond.
He just stood there blankly, as if in a daze.
“Kangwoo-hyung?”
“Oh... Ah, sorry.”
“?”
Yoon Suhyeok’s eyes widened.
Isn’t this usually the part where he scolds me, telling me to stop messing around and act like a vice master?
Yoon Sua, standing nearby, spoke with a reproachful look in her eyes.
“Vice Master. The Guild Master has just returned from the dungeon.”
“Ah, ah. Right.”
He had spent a week on a bloody battlefield and had just returned to his daily life.
It was understandable that this moment wouldn't feel real to him.
‘But something feels... strangely... not like that.’
It was a gut feeling.
Choi Kangwoo’s current state didn't seem like PTSD from battle.
‘He has a really wistful look on his face, doesn’t he?’
He was filled with a longing, as if he’d left a lover behind.
He wanted to tease him and ask, ‘Did you make friends with an ogre or something?’ but it wasn't the right time for jokes, so he kept his mouth shut.
Just then, a dull voice echoed in his mind, like a stone rolling downhill.
[The Divine Seat, 「Trampling Flame」, clutches its stomach and laughs.]
‘What’s so funny to this ball of fire now?’
As he furrowed his brow at the Divine Seat's voice, Yoon Sua, standing next to him, bowed her head to Choi Kangwoo.
“I’m so relieved you’ve returned safely, Guild Master.”
“Ah, hmm. Was everything alright?”
“Yes. A few media outlets persistently raised issues, but we responded quickly, so there were no major problems. We also reassigned personnel for other planned expeditions, and they were completed without issue.”
Yoon Sua answered as gently as possible, considering Choi Kangwoo’s current state.
Over the past week, Pungbaek had run much more smoothly than expected.
It was thanks to her unparalleled administrative skills, separate from her combat abilities.
In other words, Yoon Sua had effectively been acting as the guild master.
“You’ve worked hard, Operations Team 2 Leader.”
Knowing this, Choi Kangwoo nodded at Yoon Sua.
“...What about me?”
Yoon Suhyeok wore an aggrieved expression, but he was ignored.
“Thank you. However...”
Yoon Sua raised her head and hesitated for a moment.
She seemed to have something to say but was finding it difficult to bring up.
Noticing her hesitation, Choi Kangwoo spoke.
“Hunter Kim Hanul will be out shortly. The phoen... no, he said he wanted to check one more thing before coming.”
“What, he just sent our hyung-nim out alone? If he got carried by you, he should’ve respectfully escorted you out. What’s he...”
Yoon Sua silently wore a relieved expression while Yoon Suhyeok grumbled.
However.
“No.”
The moment they heard Choi Kangwoo’s next words.
“I was the one who got carried.”
“?”
Everyone present, including Yoon Suhyeok and Yoon Sua, froze in place.
“I did nothing in the dungeon. I may have contributed a little, but I took no initiative. Stopping the dungeon rampage was entirely thanks to Hunter Kim Hanul.”
“...”
Yoon Suhyeok seriously contemplated something.
Whether or not to ask, *Hyung, are you crazy?*
What on earth could have happened to make this man, overflowing with responsibility, say he "got carried"?
“No, what, what did he do to make you say something like that?”
But Choi Kangwoo didn't answer.
To begin with, revealing the details would be breaking the promise he’d made with Kim Hanul.
Besides, he had more important things to do right now.
“We’re pulling out, leaving only the minimum personnel required for the Management Bureau report. It’s late today, so everyone go home and get some rest. Schedule a meeting for 3 PM tomorrow. All team leaders must be present.”
The dungeon's ‘voice’ had been manipulated, pushing the dungeon to the brink of a rampage.
This was a much more serious issue than he had thought.
It required detailed analysis.
‘Finding the root of the problem will be far from easy. It’s possible a being far higher than we can imagine was involved.’
Right after discovering the manipulation of the voice, Kim Hanul had added those words.
A higher being.
That could mean something beyond human, perhaps even more.
Like, for example, the Divine Seats that had granted him so many abilities and blessings.
Divine Seats, dungeons, monsters, gates, status windows.
Until now, he hadn't questioned any of it.
Thirty years had passed since the Great Cataclysm.
It was more than enough time to get used to the new concepts.
It was time to question the things that had become commonplace.
“What, we basically lived here for a week and we have to come to work right away? No... I get it. You don’t have to glare at me like that... Huh?”
Yoon Suhyeok, who had been muttering his complaints quietly, suddenly spotted something and his eyes widened.
“Hyung? What’s this?! A ring? Did you get this from the Ogre’s Sanctuary?”
Oops.
Choi Kangwoo hid his right hand with a flustered expression.
“It’s nothing.”
But the puppy, having spotted its prey, snatched his hand like a bolt of lightning.
“Whoa, yeah. You’re right. What kind of tacky ring is this? It looks like a trash item, so why are you wearing it? You’re the guy who won’t even wear S-rank items because you don’t want to show off.”
“Because it’s an item that doesn’t show off.”
“This hyung-nim still doesn’t get how his female fans think. A ring on a finger is a huge deal.”
“Enough. Stop paying attention to useless things and go rest. You must be tired too.”
Yoon Suhyeok obediently let go of Choi Kangwoo, who awkwardly pulled his hand away.
He had already met the condition, after all.
‘It must be an item he got from slitting the chieftain’s throat. It’ll have some terrifying name like Ring of the Ogre Annihilator.’
Based on the image imprinted in his eyes, he secretly used his Divine Seat’s ability.
[Glimpse into the Origin]
Immediately after.
[Ogre Teacher’s Ring (C)]
[An item obtainable only through an Ogre’s Gift. Only a true friend of the ogres can wear this ring.]
[Strength Stat +1, acquire exclusive skill 「Our Teacher!」]
“...?”
[The Divine Seat, 「Trampling Flame」, laughs so hard it has trouble breathing.]
His Divine Seat was laughing its head off, and Yoon Suhyeok’s face went blank.
* * *
“Phew, that’s more like it. This air.”
After bidding farewell to the baby phoenix, I stepped out of the rift and was greeted by the cold night air.
The smell of the city, the air of the city!
This is what I missed.
The air in the Ogre’s Sanctuary was too clean. Almost overwhelmingly so for me.
Civilization is the best.
I felt this when I first came to the city, but I guess I’m just not cut out for a life of farming.
“Ah...”
Suddenly, I felt eyes on me.
I looked around and saw a few Pungbaek Hunters, who were dismantling the base camp, staring at me.
They all stood there with wide eyes, as if looking at something fascinating.
And the Hunter working at the very front of the group approached me in a single bound.
“Ah, um... Hunter Kim Hanul!”
“Hunter Yoon Sua. What a coincidence, seeing you here again.”
“Ah, yes. A c-coincidence...! You worked hard!”
Yoon Sua nodded, looking somewhat flustered.
Why has she been acting like this lately?
She was like an anxious puppy, and it was making me flustered too.
“I don’t see the Guild Master or the Vice Master.”
“No, they said you told them to go on ahead without waiting...”
Right.
I had no desire to squeeze into a celebration for the Guild Master’s return.
It seemed most of the Pungbaek Guild members had withdrawn, leaving only a minimal crew.
But isn’t this kind of overtime usually handled by lower-ranking Hunters?
“Ah, well, we still need someone in charge. And I’m usually the one who handles the cleanup and reports.”
Yoon Sua spoke first, as if she had read my mind.
“I see. You work very hard.”
“No, um. You’re the one who worked hard, Hunter Kim Hanul.”
She calmly bowed her head.
“Thank you. It seems I’m indebted to you once again. The Guild Master said so as well. That he owes you a great debt for what happened this time.”
Indeed, before leaving the dungeon, Choi Kangwoo had bowed his head in thanks several times.
He’d said that if I ever needed help, he would assist me at any time, either at the guild level or personally.
It wasn't what I was aiming for, but it was an indispensable gain.
“Not at all. I requested the expedition for my own purposes as well.”
I waved my hands and replied with false modesty.
But Yoon Sua smiled gently and said.
“The fact that we received your help doesn’t change. I’m just so glad you returned safely.”
I scratched my head awkwardly.
I glanced around and saw the other remaining Hunters were also bowing their heads.
Well, if that’s the case.
I smiled brightly and nodded.
“I’m just grateful for such a warm welcome.”
Maybe a modest welcome party like this wasn't so bad after all.
* * *
Even after returning home, the Sage and I had no time to rest.
For the Sage’s part.
[The Sage is analyzing the 「Fragment of Interference」 found in the Ogre’s Sanctuary.]
It had discovered the Fragment of Interference from the Ice Ear Turtle and begun its conceptual analysis.
As for me.
[You have connected to 「Monsters Are Blocked by Monsters」.]
I immediately checked my Lord's Castle.
In truth, everything that happened in the Ogre’s Sanctuary was just a step toward a single goal.
Defending the 703rd wave.
The most important battle was yet to come.
The dot-matrix window showing the ant-farm structure appeared before my eyes.
Then, several information windows popped up at once.
[The 703rd wave is approaching. Prepare your defenses.]
[The phoenix, 「Ru」, has been affiliated with the Lord's Castle. You can now deploy 「Ru」 as a defense unit. As divine beasts require time for training and adaptation, hiring is currently unavailable.]
Just as the Sage said, it seemed high-tier monsters couldn't be summoned immediately.
Well, that's fine.
What I need right now is the phoenix as a defensive unit.
I stared at the phoenix dot wandering around the Audience Chamber.
“Looks pretty slick.”
Man, the dot detail is seriously impressive.
And it wasn't the only newcomer wandering the Audience Chamber.
Next to Ru, a tiny blue turtle was walking slowly.
[Ice Ear Turtle]
[Type: Normal Monster]
[Rank: 2-star (MonMonMak standard)]
[Stats: Strength 10, Agility 5, Stamina 17, Intelligence 6]
[Skills: Freezing Wave Lv.1, Impregnable Fortress Lv.1]
[This is an Ice Ear Turtle freed from the influence of Interference. It is a small and cute friend. The Dream Lord will probably like it!]
This was the same monster that had fought on par with Ru.
But now, it was smaller than a goblin.
Its stats were pathetic.
Its ferocious appearance had been a result of the Interference.
Still... it's cute. The description says the Lord will like it, so I should keep it in the Audience Chamber.
In addition, a unit of dark elves was stationed in a corner of the Audience Chamber.
They would probably make a decent combination when deployed with the lizardmen.
“Alright, shall we start deploying?”
I was about to deploy the dark elves.
Suddenly, a yellow exclamation mark appeared over the Lord’s head.
[The Dream Lord wishes to speak with you!]
[This is an important agenda item. - Alliance Request from a New Faction]