Ambush by the Little Cousin
"Uh, Eun-bi... Why are you here..."
Kim Seol-bi's pupils were trembling.
I couldn't make sense of it. Why were these two generating such a charged atmosphere just from locking eyes?
After a moment's thought, I pieced together their connection. I'd heard about it from Kim Seol-bi herself—her cousin had awakened recently and come to this dungeon for some practice.
This pretty little A-rank hunter had left a strong impression on me. The time I'd dealt with her directly wasn't long, but compared to the other hunters, she'd been far kinder, more approachable. It was an attitude you wouldn't see from anyone else here. A-rank hunters didn't bother with this dungeon anyway, and the lower ranks treated us regular awakened staff like insects. No exaggeration.
So she's the cousin.
Genetics really do make a difference, huh? Both the cousin and her sister were drop-dead gorgeous. Kim Seol-bi's cousin had that cute twin-braid look. Maybe 150cm tall? A far cry from her stylish, actress-proportioned cousin.
But these two actual relatives—why were they staring at each other in such flustered panic right now?
The standoff that felt like it could drag on forever shattered with one sudden move. Kim Seol-bi's cousin whipped around and bolted.
"Eun-bi!" Kim Seol-bi cried out in alarm.
She turned to me with an expression like she might burst into tears. "Sorry, Sung-gi. I have to go after her."
"Yeah..."
It was a bit ridiculous, but I figured I'd get the story later. Kim Seol-bi dashed off in pursuit of her cousin.
I doubted it'd take long to catch her. I'd seen just how blindingly fast Kim Seol-bi moved in the dungeon.
What a day.
Left alone, I remembered one last errand before heading home: settling the mana crystals from the dungeon.
Until now, I'd only ever been the guy handing out the payouts, never on the receiving end.
At the management office, one staffer sat at the desk—a former colleague of mine. One of the few who'd treated me halfway decently. At least better personality than my mentor. Not saying much.
"Sung-gi!"
He jumped at the sight of me. His demeanor screamed he knew all about the earlier drama.
"You heard? I quit that bullshit job."
"Yeah! Heard you went into the dungeon. You awaken as a hunter or something?"
Regular awakeners never set foot in dungeons unless it was unavoidable staff business.
"Yeah."
"Whoa, wild. Got some secret trick?"
His eyes sparkled with curiosity. Made sense—he'd wonder how a normie like me leveled up to hunter. Hell, I would've too.
But what could I say? "Grew alongside an S-rank thanks to my Unreasonable Favor trait"?
"No clue. Just happened outta nowhere."
"Huh. Well..."
His pupils wavered as he pivoted. "You really know Kim Seol-bi? It's true you raided with her?"
"Yeah."
Starting to grate on me. Sure, he'd be dying to know, but I wasn't tight with these coworkers. If anything, on bad terms.
"Damn..."
He looked like he had a thousand questions. Ignoring it, I steered the conversation. "Anyway, mind settling these mana crystals for me?"
"Mana crystals?"
He blinked, still adjusting to me—the guy who'd been in his shoes two days ago—talking like this.
But he knew what the director and the other staffer had gone through because of our scuffle.
"Oh! Right! Pull 'em out."
I started unloading from my inventory. His eyes grew wider with each casual count of size and quantity.
Because the crystals just kept pouring out.
I knew the drill from working here—no single hunt ever yielded this haul. Four-man party or six-man, didn't matter.
And why would it? Kim Seol-bi had obliterated every monster on spawn, zero escapes. Plus, every crystal got vacuumed straight to her hand—no drops missed.
I figured we'd bagged at least a hundred.
"Hold up—sorry, can you go slower?"
The staffer blurted it out. Couldn't keep pace with my extraction speed.
Pricing was a snap here—all crystals from this dungeon were standard. The sheer volume was what had him scrambling.
I hadn't even realized how many we'd taken. Way past a hundred, shy of two hundred maybe?
Finally, I pulled out the massive one from the dungeon's boss.
"This..."
He gawked. "You hit the bottom floor?"
He knew our entry time. Logically impossible. A full clear in under three hours?
"Hurry it up."
His shock was getting old. I just wanted out of this shithole with its bad vibes. Never come back.
"R-right! Sorry, on it."
His hands flew. After an eternity of tallying, he announced, "72,330,000 won."
"Huh?"
I jolted. From my settlement desk days, I'd never seen a payout this fat. Ever.
"Got your license?"
I handed over the one issued today at the Hunter Management Office. E-rank—nothing fancy—but to him, seeing a recent peer flash hunter creds? Different story.
"..."
He inputted the info. "Account number?"
I rattled it off. Payouts hit within the hour usually. Appraisals ran conservative, so overpayments got refunded rare as hell.
"H-hey, Sung-gi!"
Business done, he pounced. Obviously bursting with questions.
But I was over it.
"Gonna head out. Take care."
"Wait! Shift ends soon—lemme buy you a drink? Hang a sec?"
"Nah, beat. Stay healthy."
I walked without a backward glance.
72 million won...
Mind-blowing. Expected a good chunk, but this? Nowhere near covering the department store gear splurge, but at this rate, paying it back would be a breeze. Not that Kim Seol-bi would take my cash.
72 million...
First windfall ever, tough to wrap my head around. And in just three hours. D-rank paid this? C- or B-rank dungeons... A- or S-rank? No wonder hunters were loaded. Rank gaps explained the wealth chasm.
No need for the parking lot—Kim Seol-bi had dipped first. Taxi home it was.
#
Shower first...
Home sweet home, straight to the bathroom. Body barely dirtied despite the monster body count, but the dungeon funk clung.
What a day.
Under the spray, my mind replayed the dungeon weirdness. Word was, Kim Seol-bi and her cousin were thick as thieves. Hell, they'd chatted happily on the phone right before we entered.
No way I'd unravel the full drama solo. Have to ask her later.
Toweling my hair as I stepped out—
"Gah!"
Heart damn near stopped. A woman stood right there.
Kim Seol-bi's cousin. That cute, baby-faced girl yelled at me.
"Sorry!"
Something crack! against my skull. Lights out, crumpling right there in front of the bathroom.
Why the hell...
Is she doing here? Fading black, last sound her panicked voice.
"Oh god, what do I do..."