The Assassin Hunter Stops Time
Thud.
You have acquired 529 experience points.
You have acquired 529 experience points.
You have acquired 529 experience points.
That was the last of them.
Dojin turned his head to look at the message floating before his eyes.
Brown Goblin Cave
Clear Conditions:
— Brown Goblin (180/180)
— Brown Goblin Warrior (30/30)
This was already the sixth unclaimed dungeon.
Dojin looked down at the goblins collapsed across the floor. There had been quite a number of them this time as well, but it had not been particularly difficult for him.
“With this… have I finished all the unclaimed dungeons in southern Gyeonggi?”
The region was large enough that he had managed to clear five of them. The results had been considerable. Though the pace had slowed a little, he had still raised his level to 42 while clearing those five dungeons.
Normally, even reaching level 50 within the first year of becoming a hunter was considered impressive. Yet here he was at level 42 after a mere two weeks. At this rate, he would likely hit level 50 in another two weeks.
But…
There are no more unclaimed dungeons worth going to…
Unclaimed dungeons were hardly common. Having dozens of dungeons on the verge of a dungeon break was a problem in its own right. Moreover…
There still aren’t many dungeons I can enter at my current level.
He had been lucky enough to clear six of them. There was no guarantee that kind of luck would continue.
The best option would be to join the Hunter Association, enter a guild, or receive the Association’s benefits. But…
Until I completely crush those bastards, it’s best to hide my identity as much as possible.
He had no idea how long that would take. Still, hadn’t he thrown out bait precisely for situations like this?
Emerging from the dungeon, Dojin expanded his senses and surveyed the people gathered nearby.
Still only four…?
He had moved so quickly that word had not yet spread. Even so, four people meant four guilds were showing interest.
Not bad.
Meeting all of them was one approach, but he had no time to deal with each one individually. In moments like this, there was a more decisive method.
Whoosh!
“C-Chase him!”
“We won’t lose him today!”
The moment Dojin broke into a full sprint, they scrambled after him.
Whoosh whoosh!
Having instantly widened the gap, Dojin glanced back. They were clearly people dispatched by guilds, yet if they could not even keep up with this…
It means they don’t consider it that important.
It was better to filter out the ones that needed filtering from the start.
But then—
“W-Wait a minuteeeee!”
At the sudden shout from behind, Dojin turned his head.
He chased me this far?
When Dojin eased his pace slightly, the man pursuing him cried out in desperation.
“Hey, wait a minute! Just a second, really! I feel like I’m going to die—please stop for a moment!”
At the man’s frantic plea, Dojin slowed and came to a halt.
Then—
“Ugh!”
As if he might vomit at any second, the man retched a few times before finally drawing a deep breath and speaking.
“Haa… haa… Hey, just a moment. Really… just a moment. Hoo… hoo…”
“What is it?”
“Are… are you Mr. Kim Cheolsu? If I come up empty-handed this time too, I’ll get fired! Pleaseeeee!”
The man looked ready to burst into tears, his desperation genuine. Dojin answered with deliberate nonchalance.
“I’m Kim Cheolsu. What do you want?”
“Th-Thank you! For not running away!”
The man bowed deeply at the waist. Dojin pressed him again.
“I asked what the matter was.”
“Do you have an affiliation, by any chance? A guild affiliation.”
“No. As you know, I haven’t even joined the Association.”
“I-Is that so? Then perhaps…”
With trembling hands, the man held out a business card.
Firebird Guild — Yoo Seonghyun.
For a moment, Dojin’s expression hardened slightly.
He knew the Firebird Guild well. It was not a major guild, but it was a hunter guild with a solid reputation. And…
…A guild I wiped out with my own hands.
Centered in southern Gyeonggi, the Firebird Guild was a fairly sturdy organization that exerted a great deal of positive influence—a “good” hunter guild. That alone made it a thorn in the side of the Red Circle.
Seonghyun spoke to Dojin.
“If you have no affiliation, how about our Firebird Guild? No—you don’t even have to join. Could we just talk somewhere quiet? Ah, if you’d rather not, we can do it right here!”
His expression was tightly disciplined. Moreover, the tenacity of continuing to stick to him even after two weeks of empty-handed failures was impressive.
Dojin turned the business card over between his fingers.
If it’s the Firebird Guild…
It might be acceptable.
“Mr. Yoo Seonghyun.”
“Yes?”
“Then would you like to make a deal with me?”
As long as it was a relationship in which they could exchange what each needed, it would be fine.
Ding.
A quiet café on the outskirts of Suwon.
Having received the call, Seonggwang hurried inside and scanned the room.
“T-Team Leader! Over here!”
The voice came from a secluded corner. Seonggwang spotted Yoo Seonghyun and quickly straightened his clothes as he approached.
Then he saw the man seated across from Seonghyun.
Dark sunglasses and a black mask. The intention to thoroughly conceal his face was unmistakable.
With a calm expression, Seonggwang took out a business card and offered it.
“I’m Park Seonggwang, head of the scout team at Firebird Guild. A pleasure to meet you.”
“I’m Kim Cheolsu.”
Dojin inclined his head lightly in greeting. Seonggwang sat beside Seonghyun and spoke.
“Would you care for another cup of coffee?”
“Let’s get straight to the point.”
At Dojin’s words, Seonggwang nodded. He produced a card, told Seonghyun to order “one iced americano,” then turned back to Dojin.
“I heard from my employee that you want dungeon subjugation rights.”
“For low-rank dungeons as the standard, I’ll handle the subjugation alone. I want the loot split five to five.”
Dojin’s plan was to securely lock down dungeons he could continue hunting. A mid-tier hunter guild like Firebird would manage a fair number of low-rank dungeons. From Firebird’s perspective, they could obtain loot without taking any risk themselves.
Seonghyun had no decision-making authority over a discussion of this scale, which was why he had urgently summoned his superior. He had never expected the team leader himself to appear.
“Hmm… splitting the loot five to five…”
From Firebird Guild’s standpoint, there was little reason to accept. They possessed more than enough strength to clear the dungeons themselves; there was no need to outsource the work and halve the profits.
But…
“If it’s not too rude, may I ask what your level is? We need to know your level to determine what grade of dungeon we can offer.”
“No. Low-rank standard is enough.”
Dojin shook his head. The refusal made it clear he had no intention of revealing any information. From that single answer, Seonggwang roughly grasped the man’s disposition.
He’s the type who will walk out the moment the conversation drags on.
He would have to carefully balance what the man wanted against what the guild needed.
Seonggwang nodded.
“We will provide as many low-rank dungeon clear rights as you require. Loot five to five as well… fine. However, there is one condition.”
“If that condition is joining the Firebird Guild, then there is no deal.”
“……!”
For a moment Seonggwang’s words caught in his throat. Dojin rose from his seat.
“Let’s pretend this conversation never happened.”
“W-Wait a minute! If you join the guild, the benefits we can offer are far greater. If you don’t wish to reveal your identity, you don’t have to. We can even arrange for you to receive every Association-related benefit without registering as a hunter.”
“I don’t need those things.”
Seonggwang’s eyes flickered. Biting his lip hard, he spoke again.
“Then would you please tell us, Mr. Cheolsu? If simply splitting the loot five to five is the end of it, there is nothing we can offer you.”
Seonggwang had reached his own decision. If the man insisted on terms that were excessively one-sided, then this side had no reason to deal either.
“…Would you sit back down for a moment and talk?”
Seonggwang spoke carefully. He could not simply walk away; the performance Dojin had displayed over the past two weeks had been far too impressive.
Among the dungeons he cleared, the highest condition was level 40. That would put him around level 40 at most…
Yet the last dungeon he had cleared carried a level-40 requirement and a party limit of ten. He had solo-cleared a dungeon that ten level-40 hunters had failed to conquer.
—You must bring him in. Absolutely do not let him go!
…If it weren’t for the Master’s orders.
If he returned empty-handed, he already felt dizzy imagining the scolding that would follow. Still, Seonggwang kept his face as expressionless as possible while watching Dojin. He could not afford to show that this side was the anxious one.
Swoosh.
When Dojin sat back down, Seonggwang inwardly exhaled in relief.
Dojin spoke.
“Then let’s structure it this way. While this deal continues, I, Kim Cheolsu, and the Firebird Guild will form an alliance.”
“An alliance?”
Nod.
Seonggwang’s brow furrowed slightly. Not membership, but an alliance…
But.
It was not a bad situation—if he could confirm just one thing.
“Then let me ask only one question. The fact that you refuse to join our guild… is it because the Firebird Guild is lacking, or simply because you do not wish to belong to any guild at all?”
“The latter.”
At Dojin’s answer, Seonggwang clenched his fist tightly beneath the table.
Yes. From the beginning, the man simply hated belonging anywhere.
Then…
For now he won’t go elsewhere…
Forming an alliance, building a friendly relationship, and recommending membership again later would be far wiser.
If I rush, I’ll lose him. Better to approach slowly over time.
He had already dealt with this type of person more than once. Having regained his composure, Seonggwang glanced at Dojin.
“Ahem… Fine. Then… let’s form an alliance and proceed with the deal. However… when we receive dungeon assignments, a considerable amount of money is involved, so a five-to-five split is difficult. That… seven… no, how about six to four? Of course, we take the six.”
Seonggwang swallowed hard. He was trying not to show it, yet his palms felt damp. He was ready to shout “five to five” at any moment.
“Fine. Let’s go with six to four.”
“…What?”
At Dojin’s too-easy acceptance, Seonggwang looked at him with a faintly dejected expression. If he had known it would be this simple, he should have proposed seven to three.
But from the start, Dojin had not particularly cared about the loot. Having more money was always welcome, yet he did not truly need it right now. Moreover…
Even forty percent is enormous.
Unlike a guild that had countless places for money to go, Dojin was an individual.
When Dojin accepted, Seonggwang nodded.
“Mr. Seonghyun, you have the contract, right?”
“Yes? Ah, just a moment.”
Seonghyun, who had been standing awkwardly to the side holding the coffee, hurriedly reached for the bag left on the seat. But Dojin shook his head.
“What meaning would a contract have? And from now on, I’ll communicate through this person.”
Dojin indicated Seonghyun standing beside them. Seonghyun, mid-motion of pulling out documents, froze and looked at Dojin.
“…Me?”
“Yes. Once things are ready, we’ll contact you through Mr. Yoo Seonghyun.”
He had finished assessing Dojin’s disposition. When Seonggwang answered, Dojin rose from his seat.
Seonggwang extended his hand.
“I look forward to working with you, Mr. Kim Cheolsu.”
Dojin took Seonggwang’s hand.