Chapter 171
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 171
Inside a luxurious hotel event hall in Samcheok, Gangwon Province.
"..."
"..."
A strange silence fell over the bustling crowd. Gio was the first to break it.
He spoke in a flat, matter-of-fact tone, as if stating the obvious.
"I will be preparing the meals, so there is no need to worry about the food tasting bad."
"...Ah, so the young master is going to cook?"
"My cooking skills are excellent, as is my constitution. Therefore, I am confident in preparing delicious meals, even inside a dungeon."
"Well, that’s a novel answer."
"I appreciate your concern, but you’re standing a bit too close. Could you please take a step back?"
"Ah, my bad."
The hunter, whose striking black eyes curved like crescent moons, grinned and raised both hands. It was a classic gesture of surrender, yet it was also a classic display of mockery. He took a small step back from Seo Gio.
"I’ve heard so much about Hunter Seo Gio that I suppose I felt like we were already close friends."
"Ah, so that was an attempt at socializing. I see."
"Our young master is quite broad-minded, isn’t he? A great sense of humor, too. I’m truly glad to have met you."
Though they pretended otherwise, many of the surrounding hunters were secretly listening in on their conversation. However, Hunter Seo Gio seemed entirely unconcerned, as did the blond hunter who had initiated the "conversation."
"I have a habit of speaking without thinking. You’ll understand, right?"
With long, straight blond hair and a well-proportioned physique, the man’s face resembled that of an honest knight from a fairy tale. Gio smiled and replied to the blatant provocation.
"You are incredibly humble."
"Oh, do I seem humble? That’s a first. I’m a little surprised."
"This has been a pleasant conversation."
"No desire to talk more with such a pleasant conversational partner?"
"I only planned to show my face briefly before returning to my room. I hope you’ll understand."
"Hmm..."
Letting out a long hum, his expression unreadable, the hunter named Sa Na-rae grinned and backed away. It was as pointless a retreat as his approach had been in the first place.
"Let’s have another pleasant chat later."
"I look forward to it."
Seeing this, Curator Garasani, who had been observing the situation, approached.
"Hunter Seo Gio."
Just as he had been targeted out of nowhere, it seemed quite a few people viewed Seo Gio as a sheltered greenhouse flower, likely due to his association with the Collector Guild for this raid.
The Collector’s employees, well aware of this possibility, had kept their distance to avoid giving the impression that they were excessively "monitoring" or "catering to" him. This, however, was an exception.
"Is there anything I can help you with?"
"An explanation of the situation, perhaps?"
"Yes, you must have been surprised by that sudden confrontation."
Garasani continued, his expression sympathetic.
"To think something like this would happen the moment you arrived."
Indeed, Gio had been accosted the very instant he stepped into the room.
To explain the current situation, one had to turn back the clock.
* * *
"A hotel?"
Ju-hyeon nodded at Gio’s question.
"Yes. Since the Sun Cult is hosting, they seem to have spared no expense."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I figured you might not be familiar with hunter customs, Mr. Gio, so I put together some information for you."
Ju-hyeon, visiting the Collector’s gallery for the first time in a while, sat with Gio in a small meeting room.
"Ideally, a target dungeon would be near the managing guild’s headquarters. But in most cases, they’re located in completely different regions."
"That makes sense."
"This time, for instance, the dungeon is in Samcheok, Gangwon Province. So, when possible, large groups—especially those concerned with saving face—don’t send their hunters straight to the dungeon."
"Then...?"
"They establish a base near the dungeon entrance where the hunters can rest. You can think of it as a temporary outpost. It’s something of a hunter custom."
Unfamiliar with the workings of modern Earth, Seo Gio asked, "They don’t go straight to clearing it?"
"They want to ensure the hunters are in peak condition before entering."
"Because traveling to the region drains their stamina?"
"That’s the biggest reason," Ju-hyeon nodded. "While individual teleportation is possible using a hunter’s skills or equipment, it usually only transports one person at a time. Even then, it consumes stamina, mana, or an item’s durability."
Even with the help of a specialized teleportation hunter—one who focuses solely on transport, not raiding—the result was the same. Above all, being teleported still took a toll on the passenger’s stamina.
"Besides, the number of hunters who specialize in transport is extremely small. They are high-value personnel, and because they’re in high demand everywhere, booking them is difficult."
"So it’s not a common method."
"Of course, I know large guilds like the Collector Guild have a few hunters with such skills... but even if we can travel conveniently, most other guilds cannot."
"Are there no public teleportation facilities? Thinking back to a man named Cha Eun-hyeok, who used to sell bungeoppang, I recall hearing that such things exist."
"Those only exist where they’ve been installed, and the locations are highly limited. This Cha Eun-hyeok must live in a region with relatively well-developed infrastructure. In Gangwon Province, for example, there are no terminals at all."
"...What do you mean there are no terminals in Gangwon Province?" Seo Gio asked, shocked.
Ju-hyeon elaborated.
"It means there are no transit facilities installed by the city or government. No teleportation terminals, which are considered a luxury. No railways. There aren’t even proper roads for cars or buses."
Consequently, most hunters traveling to Gangwon Province had to use these "improper roads," making its dungeons notorious as raid locations that required a grueling march just to reach.
"The infrastructure gap between the major cities and the provinces is vast. Gangwon Province is a region where the aftermath of the Great Catastrophe still lingers. Samcheok is the only place properly established for human habitation... It’s quite a barren area."
"I understand."
"So, for this raid, providing lodging for the hunters to rest is all the more necessary. But even if it weren’t a distant province like Gangwon, rest is required before most dungeon raids."
Ju-hyeon wore his characteristic smile.
"It’s so the hunters can tackle the raid in peak condition."
"Hearing you say that, I suspect there’s another reason."
"You’re right, Mr. Gio. As I mentioned earlier, it’s a matter of saving face."
At the unexpected answer, Gio looked up at him.
"Saving face?"
"Especially for the Seoul guilds."
"Do Seoul guilds value that so highly?"
"Well, it’s a characteristic of South Korea..." Ju-hyeon explained with an awkward look. "Korea is famous for having the world’s highest concentration of talented personnel, but its landmass is quite small. And within this narrow country, only Seoul and Busan are highly developed, drawing all the talent."
At those words, Gio thought, 'How is this any different from before the Great Catastrophe? Has only the difficulty of survival changed?'
Ignoring the old-world Korean’s musings, Ju-hyeon continued.
"And in a city like Seoul, public opinion is incredibly important. Social media is pervasive, the citizenry is highly engaged, and many guilds thrive solely on public support."
"So it’s an image business?"
"You understand perfectly. To the citizens of Seoul, a guild or cult’s image is paramount. The stronger and more flawless they appear, the more secure the citizens feel. It’s also a point of pride for them."
"I don’t understand what kind of pride that is."
"It’s a common human instinct to take pride in things that aren’t one’s own. People with little else to their name latch onto famous guilds, acting as if they’re part of the team. Not everyone is as indifferent to their surroundings as you are, Mr. Gio."
"Oh..."
For a moment, the human Seo Gio almost felt a bit hurt. No matter how indifferent his personality was, was it right for him to be treated this way? Actually, it probably was. He welcomed being treated like a precious portrait.
Having rationalized it as naturally as flowing water, Gio nodded.
"I understand now."
"Is that so? You’re very smart, Mr. Gio," Ju-hyeon smiled as if teaching a younger sibling.
"In that sense, large groups in Seoul absolutely must save face. And a large-scale raid like this, with the customs it entails, is the perfect stage for it."
"The custom of booking lodging near the dungeon?"
"Yes. Even for guilds with no money, adhering to this is the bare minimum. A guild that doesn’t... well, they get branded as a 'guild that doesn’t care what happens to its members.'"
In reality, that wasn’t entirely wrong.
"Indeed, a hunter’s survival rate depends heavily on their condition. Unless a guild wants to openly advertise that they’re sending their members to their deaths, they tend to book lodging near the dungeon."
Of course, there were exceptions.
"The exceptions are illegal guilds. They don’t need to worry about public opinion, so they don’t care and will drive their hunters straight into the jaws of death. Illegal guilds rarely follow customs."
"Are all illegal guilds like that?"
"There might be exceptions, but all the ones I know of are. Customs are only kept by groups that need to maintain a minimum level of decency. For the illegal guilds... well, it’s to be expected."
"I heard the number of illegal guilds isn’t small."
"Since the world is overflowing with people, illegal guilds are highly active. There’s an abundance of labor in the slums, and they can easily employ 3rd-Grade Citizens from the provinces or even 5th-Grade Citizens who are criminals."
"Overflowing with people..."
Thinking back to a South Korea that once worried about collapsing from population decline, this was a shocking transformation. The direction of that change was so horrific that Seo Gio was left speechless, almost intimidated.
Unaware of Gio’s inner thoughts, Ju-hyeon continued.
"The Sun Cult, as well as the guilds participating in this raid—including your Collector Guild, Mr. Gio—all have strong reputations. Since this will draw a lot of public attention, it seems they plan to hold a small party to wish for the raid’s success."
What was this now? Gio asked, "A party to wish for the success of a raid?"
"Well... it’s not exactly a custom, but it’s not an uncommon event. It happens depending on the circumstances."
Ju-hyeon continued, as if explaining the human world to an ignorant cat.
"It’s literally an event to wish for a successful raid. They hold a small, brief, and lively festival to boost morale without wasting the hunters' precious stamina. Experiencing ample rest and a celebration in a nice place like this leaves a person feeling fulfilled, both mentally and physically."
"A festival doesn’t sound very appealing."
"I know you don’t particularly like noisy atmospheres, Mr. Gio. There will be plenty of reporters and media, so the crowd won’t be small. I wouldn’t recommend skipping it entirely, as that could cause controversy... but in a situation like this, it’s perfectly fine to just show your face briefly and return to your room."
"Is that really alright?"
"Not all hunters enjoy these events. Some are shy, and others find them pathetic. When so many people gather in one place, you’re bound to run into people you don’t get along with."
Nevertheless, such events generally had a positive reputation.
"The most prominent purpose of these parties is socializing. They’re often held when multiple groups gather for a raid like this one. Since everyone is unfamiliar with each other’s combat styles, it’s meant to give them a chance to get a feel for one another."
"I see it has good intentions."
"Of course, friction might arise with incompatible people in the process, but that’s also one of the event’s purposes. It helps identify which hunters work well together and which don’t before actually entering the dungeon. The composition of a raid team is crucial, after all."
"...I have one question."
The introverted human, Seo Gio, asked, "You mentioned 'composition.' Do they not keep members of the same guild together?"
"Ah... indeed, you might find that uncomfortable as well, Mr. Gio."
It was such obvious common sense that he hadn’t thought to explain it. Ju-hyeon nodded apologetically.
"While the goal is to keep members of the same guild together as much as possible, the most important factor when forming raid teams is each hunter’s role. For example, if a guild sends only healers, those healers will have no choice but to be scattered among different teams."
It was an incredibly logical point.
"..."
Gio’s spirit completely deflated.
'I feel like I’ll spend the entire raid just being awkward around strangers.'
If so, what was the point of pouring his soul into being social with the Collector’s employees?
Ju-hyeon spoke as if to comfort him.
"Reporters will probably be allowed into the venue, but don’t worry. There will be at least one member of the Collector Guild by your side, Mr. Gio... and if the event is truly too burdensome, you can just show your face briefly and leave, as I said."
"Wouldn’t that be rude?"
"Plenty of hunters dislike these events. If you leave early, the organizers will likely remember you as a 'hunter who dislikes noisy environments' and arrange a suitable team composition for you. It’s not the rude act you’re worried about."
"That’s a relief, then."
Gio was reassured by Ju-hyeon’s kind encouragement.
"If it’s just showing my face, I think I can manage."
Thus, accompanied by members of the Collector Guild, Gio headed to the only hotel in Samcheok, Gangwon Province.
And the moment he came down from his assigned room and entered the event hall, he was immediately accosted.
* * *
Back in the hotel’s event hall.
"If you wish, I can file a formal protest with Haeryeong," Curator Garasani offered.
At his words, Gio asked, "Is the person who just spoke to me from the Haeryeong Guild?"
"Yes. Were you highly offended?"
"No, it wasn’t as unpleasant as you might think, Curator."
"That is a relief."
"...Haeryeong..."
It was a guild he had heard about from Ju-hyeon.
"..."
Gio’s gaze followed the man he had just been speaking with.
Seeing the man wave lightly as their eyes met, Gio pulled his hood down a little further.
"...What a pity."
There was no malice.