A Ragtag Bunch of Misfits

“A ragtag bunch of misfits. Excellent.”

“Ms. Lee Jiyoo. Would you be able to enter an S-class dungeon?”

“An S-class dungeon?” Lee Jiyoo’s eyes widened. Her long eyelashes fluttered, looking like falling snow. “Yes. Um… first, let me explain the situation regarding the dungeon.”

I proceeded to explain the circumstances of the GN-493688 dungeon.

“Ah… it sounds like a very dangerous place.”

“Yes, that’s correct. The most dangerous part is that we have no idea what kind of threats are waiting inside the boss room.”

In terms of rank, Lee Jiyoo had only just become an A-class hunter. However, the potential of an Unbound awakener was S-class or higher. Hunter ranks were, metaphorically speaking, like levels in a game. When people first awaken, they usually start at E or D rank. As they clear dungeons, the dungeon’s mana accumulates within them, making them stronger. As they grow stronger and their traits develop, their rank increases accordingly.

Of course, not everyone could reach S-class. It was an established academic theory that one’s upper limit was determined by their awakening ability (unique trait) and their innate stat limits. That limit was primarily influenced by the awakening ability—which was basically a matter of luck—and the stats, which, in human terms, were like height or having double eyelids. Some studies suggested it was genetic, while others claimed it was determined at the moment of awakening. That was why Shin Chi-hyun remained stuck at A-class.

Regardless, an Unbound awakener was a being that didn’t fit into that standard system. They were, quite literally, Unbound. They didn’t follow the criteria of a typical hunter. Their very ability possessed a strength that transcended those standards. Therefore, even if Lee Jiyoo was currently A-class, it simply meant she lacked experience. In terms of raw power, she had to be considered on par with an S-class.

“Are you asking me to clear that dungeon?”

“I’m not saying you absolutely have to go in. In fact, you’d essentially be going there to die. However, I thought that perhaps with your abilities, you might be able to escape even from such a dungeon.”

The escape skill Lee Jiyoo used was different from ordinary ones. It wasn’t so much a skill as it was a way of manipulating mana itself. Unlike a skill, it didn’t have a fixed form. If that were the case, she might be able to escape even if there were interference. Since she could read mana, she would be able to find the source of that interference, too.

“Certainly… I think that might be possible. Actually, I can see everything. How these things are constructed. What kind of mana they carry. And it’s not just mana, either. People might look similar, but the elements that compose their existence are all different.”

Lee Jiyoo looked into the empty air with a faint smile. She looked like a young child chasing after floating soap bubbles. Surely, there were bubbles in her vision that I couldn’t see.

“I think I can do it. Above all, if it’s a request from you, Jiwoo, I’ll do anything! Even if I die!”

“No, no. Dying is definitely not allowed. I’ll send you the dungeon information later. You can gauge the possibilities once you see it, and then you can decide.”

“Yes!”

I exchanged contact information with Lee Jiyoo and we parted ways. If Lee Jiyoo was there, a result where the raid failed but they only managed to escape was possible. I returned to the office and sent the dungeon information to her. Not long after, I received a call from her.

“Do you think it’s possible?”

Sometimes, there were monsters in dungeons that inflicted status ailments. For instance, sealing skills. It was written that Lee Jiyoo had the ability to instantly dispel even those. Surely, with Lee Jiyoo, they would be able to break through the interference and escape from inside.

“Good. Then I’ll leave it to you. However…”

Good. If I did this, I could quit without having to kill my mother and younger sister. But for that resignation to happen, one condition was absolutely necessary.

“Ms. Lee Jiyoo. In return, you must make one promise to me. And you must not tell anyone about this.”

I went up to the empty rooftop and spoke secretly over the phone.

“This dungeon must not be cleared.”

“There is a reason for that. I will make preparations for the dungeon break. Please, I’m asking you.”

I could feel Lee Jiyoo hesitating on the other side of the smartphone. It was an absurd request. Asking her to enter a dungeon and then telling her not to clear it, but only to escape. Of course, I intended to form a party that couldn’t clear it anyway, but I needed to make it clear to Lee Jiyoo. Since Lee Jiyoo seemed very grateful to me, I thought she would listen.

“Yes, that’s right. And above all, absolutely, absolutely do not clear the boss. Please. You must only escape.”

Done. I laughed lightheartedly and ended the call with Lee Jiyoo. With Lee Jiyoo’s abilities, an escape would definitely be possible. Now, if I just appropriately messed up the party composition, everything would be perfect. Why did my mother and sister have to do such things and annoy me? If they had just stayed still, I could have resigned safely.

“Hehehe. Hehehehehe.”

I laughed and returned to the office. My team members looked at me like I was a lunatic, but I didn’t care.

“Well then, shall we start working again~”

Humming, I scouted for hunters to join the raid party. It was unlikely the guild would provide support. That meant I had to contact each hunter individually to find volunteers. It was a bit of a tedious task, but thinking about quitting soon made it feel rather pleasant. And when I announced that my mother, sister, and Lee Jiyoo were in the party, unexpectedly, many hunters responded positively.

There were even hunters who wanted to join the party just because I reached out. They seemed to think I saw some potential in this dungeon, but that was a huge misunderstanding. I didn’t know anything about the previous dungeons either, to begin with.

“Uhh, the budget is tight~ Hehehe. Even better.”

As I went along, I realized the remaining budget was quite small. That was because I had already formed parties twice before. It was even better. I wasn’t planning on forming a party that would succeed in the raid anyway.

“F-rank? Just put them in.”

Because of the budget shortage, I just filled the empty positions with F-rank hunters. An F-rank was the lowest grade, even lower than E-rank. If they were F-rank, you had to consider them effectively useless in a dungeon. Since the lowest dungeon grade was E, they were basically just baggage carriers at best. F-rank hunters were rare, but they did appear occasionally. In reality, they couldn’t make a living as hunters, so they usually lived like ordinary people. Still, out of conscience, I put F-rank hunters in the support roles. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Since there wasn’t a single support-type hunter in the party anyway. I didn’t need to worry about support skills because Lee Jiyoo was there. Escape skills wouldn’t work anyway, so why spend a lot of money on utility?

I filled the rest of the party with hunters who were ambiguously lacking and unsuitable for an S-class raid. To anyone looking, it was a party composition that was going there to die. But there were parts I couldn’t help. With my mother and sister, whose market value was at the highest level, and the hunters who followed them, most of the budget was already consumed. It was hard to hire top-tier hunters for the rest of the spots. Of course, Shin Chi-hyun must have handed this dungeon over to me while considering even this budget shortage. He probably wanted to see my various abilities, not just raid clearing, but also budget and party management. In a normal case, it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was a very good idea. It would prove if I was a truly capable employee. But me? None of that mattered. I was planning to crash this hard and quit, so why bother with the budget? I’d just waste it.

“Jiwoo, aren’t you leaving?”

“I think I need to work overtime today.”

Before I knew it, it was 6 PM, and the employees were leaving one by one. I remained alone to finish the work. Thinking that I would be quitting soon, I didn’t even mind the overtime! That was a lie, and I did want to go home.

“Still, overtime can’t be good, no matter what.”

I managed to finish before the last train. I looked at the completed party and smiled contentedly.

“A ragtag bunch of misfits. Excellent.”

It was a party with power levels quite ambiguous for an S-class dungeon raid. It was exactly the level needed to reach just in front of the boss room. I liked it very much.

“Hahahahahaha!”

My laughter echoed through the midnight office.