Chapter 24: A Wise Way to Deal with an Illegal Guild

When we stepped outside, reporters swarmed and flashes went off. Without a word, I handed the hunters draped over my shoulders to the paramedics. Im Haekyung also passed along the hunter he had been supporting. The cameras, which had been rolling the whole time, carefully filmed it all before swinging toward me and Im Haekyung.

‘I’d really prefer if they didn’t ask me anything else.’

I raised both hands to signal that I knew nothing.

“Please ask the guild master. I was just sitting quietly and came out with the others.”

“What was the structure of the dungeon interior?”

“It took six hours to clear this dungeon—was that because of structural problems inside?”

“How likely did you think a dungeon break was?”

“Are you affiliated with Haeseong? Or with SH?”

Wow. I hadn’t had this kind of attention since I was ten. I smiled and, without answering, politely gestured toward Im Haekyung with both hands.

Ask him. If I try to answer now, I’ll just die from burning calories.

Seeing me like that, Haekyung stepped forward and began the interview himself. The fact that he could still stand tall after using his skills so extensively deserved applause.

Shaking off the crowd, I went over to the paramedics, had a quick check-up, and downed two bottles of the standard mana recovery potion. I’d been worried it might taste terrible, but it was like bland juice—drinkable enough.

Sitting down while they checked my blood pressure, I watched Haekyung’s interview. Our eyes met every so often. One thing was certain: we had spent a long time inside that dungeon. The sun was already rising behind him.

‘Well, at least I got to see the sunrise in Gangwon Province.’

“Your blood pressure is a little high, but otherwise you’re healthy.”

“Do you have any chocolate? Or candy?”

“Excuse me? Ah, yes. Here...”

The paramedic dug in his pocket and handed me glucose candy. I popped two into my mouth at once and chewed while watching the sun rise higher. The flames that had flared from my hand and the frozen walls of ice overlapped with the image of the sun.

I was hungry, but with a little sugar in me, I felt a lot better.

But clearing the dungeon hadn’t been my real goal today.

I stayed seated for quite a while before standing and walking toward a short-haired woman I’d seen in photos, who had just finished an interview.

Song Hwayoung, guild master of SH Guild.

Name: Song Hwayoung

Age: 35

Rank: A

Title: –

Main Skills: Shadow Step (A), Darkness Expansion (A)

Growth Limit: A

‘Quite a flashy status window, this one too.’

She had finished her interview and was now watching Haekyung’s. Since the dungeon had originally been a C-rank Gate before suddenly shifting, her arrival had been delayed.

“Hello, Guild Master.”

I /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ bowed my head politely to her.

Her hair wasn’t fully black—streaks of bleaching here and there only added to her aura. She looked at me with a smile and offered her hand.

“Hello. What’s your name?”

“Seo Jehyun.”

“I saw you bringing our people out of the dungeon. First of all, I need to thank you.”

So she saw me leaving the dungeon—good. Otherwise I’d look like some lunatic talking to her out of nowhere.

Yeah. All that blood, sweat, and bullshit inside the dungeon had been for this moment: getting into SH Guild.

With my kindest smile, I smoothly delivered the lines I’d prepared.

“No need to thank me. I only did appraisal. The real work was done by the Haeseong guild master.”

“...Are you an appraiser?”

“Yes. My rank is low, but my appraisal rank is high....”

Usually, a hunter’s overall rank and their skill rank were similar, with only a one- or two-step difference. But occasionally, among enchanters or appraisers, there were cases where skill rank far exceeded personal rank. Rarely, some healers too—like Do Yehyun.

At the mention of “appraisal,” her interest piqued, and she studied me more intently. Haekyung had misunderstood me earlier and given me this idea, but posing as an appraiser wasn’t bad at all. If both the status window and my skill results matched, who would doubt it?

‘I could easily become a top-class appraiser.’

The words flowed smoothly; I’d rehearsed them well.

“The truth is, I only awakened recently. I happened to be visiting near Sokcho with a friend when the Gate opened. I rushed in thinking I could at least help a little. But the dungeon was much harder than I expected. Honestly, I never thought....”

“...Really? What’s your rank?”

“F. Ah, but my appraisal skill is A-rank.”

“Appraisal... A-rank?”

One of her eyebrows twitched. Yes. Take the bait.

I lowered my eyes slightly and let my voice tremble.

“But through this dungeon, I realized I can’t do it alone. I don’t even have a guild. I was thinking maybe I should at least join the Hunter Association....”

“You have an A-rank appraisal skill, and you’re unaffiliated?”

“Y-yes....”

I quickly added,

“But I want to keep doing dungeons. It’s about saving lives, after all....”

I looked at her with desperate eyes. From the corner of my vision, I noticed Haekyung watching me with a baffled expression. What? I did save lives. Why that face? I hurriedly turned back to Song Hwayoung with my most earnest look.

She hesitated, then seemed to decide something and pulled out a card.

“...Jehyun. Would you consider joining our guild?”

That’s it.

Maybe chance played a role, but the outcome was perfect.

Feigning hesitation, I accepted her card. Haekyung still had plenty on his plate, so though he glanced over, he didn’t step in. I knew I’d acted suspicious as hell inside the dungeon, and when I recovered, Haekyung would pepper me with questions.

I reached a clear conclusion.

‘Time to bail!’

I couldn’t answer anything right now anyway. Without hesitation, I left the area and headed toward where Joo Seowon had parked. To my surprise, his car was still there.

He hadn’t been told to wait, yet he was. Suddenly, Seowon seemed almost admirable.

The dungeon must have taken long, because he was asleep in the driver’s seat, seat reclined, arms crossed. I tapped the window to wake him.

“Joo Seowon.”

“.......”

“Seowon.”

His brow twitched, then his eyes flicked open. And what a mess his hair was—like a bird’s nest.

“Unlock the door.”

“Uh... yeah....”

When the car unlocked, I opened the driver’s door. His neck shivered with goosebumps from the cold.

“Let’s go get breakfast. I’ll drive. Move to the passenger seat.”

I’d just slogged through a dungeon, but driving myself was safer than him dozing off at the wheel. Seowon sluggishly got up and shifted to the passenger side.

Still groggy, he blinked and asked in a hoarse voice,

“So... the dungeon. How’d it go?”

“Cleared.”

Not just cleared—I’d pulled off quite the feat. Chuckling low, I added,

“Ah, SH invited me to join.”

“How the hell did you manage that....”

Even half-asleep, he mumbled questions. Maybe it was the near-death experience, but I felt glad to see him. Of course, that didn’t mean I had the energy to explain. I was too hungry and drained.

We pulled into a random diner nearby, ate breakfast, and came back out.

When we got in again to head back to Seoul, Seowon suddenly offered to drive. Strange kid.

“You sure you won’t nod off?”

“Of course not.”

I doubted it. Ignoring him, I slid into the driver’s seat.

“Just sit there.”

“Hey, then switch halfway.”

“You’ll just fall asleep.”

“What? No way. I just slept like a rock—I’m not tired anymore.”

“Right. Whatever you say.”

“Seriously, switch later.”

And of course, after loudly insisting he wasn’t tired, he was out cold in ten minutes, head lolling.

‘Knew it. You trying to kill us both, you asshole?’

So much for not being tired. I cracked the window slightly, turned on the heater, and drove while listening to the news through one earbud.

The content was mostly the same. Reports on the unusual Sokcho dungeon, news that Haekyung had handled it, and occasional mentions of SH Guild.

‘Any expert radio?’

Flipping channels, I found one.

[Meanwhile, experts are calling the Sokcho dungeon a rare case. Dr. Ki Chuljun, how do you assess it?]

[Yes, it wasn’t typical. The dungeon’s mana wavelength had been between C and D. If you look at the graph, the 400–500 range was barely enough to register as C. Then suddenly the mana wavelength spiked sharply, surpassing A.]

[I see. Then what about the claims it could have caused a dungeon break?]

[It’s entirely possible. A dungeon break happens when a Gate exceeds its stability threshold. Looking at the graph, its pattern did resemble that of a dungeon break, yes. That’s how I would see it.]

So a C-rank dungeon suddenly became A-rank.... I’d wanted to ask SH’s hunters what it had been like inside, but circumstances hadn’t allowed it. Later, I’d have to gather testimonies.

Well, even if I didn’t, the articles would surface soon enough.