GM Ch57

Five years had passed since the Poison Jar Dungeon appeared beneath the Capital Defense Command. Due to this, four hunters who could resist poison had to continuously participate in the Poison Jar Dungeon raids for those five years.

The National Security Agency’s recruitment fees, relying on the patriotism and conscience of the hunters, were not substantial. However, since the dungeon was located beneath the Capital Defense Command, it provided them with opportunities to access various benefits.

Over the past five years, the guild that included Joo Myunghwan and three other hunters had taken over most of the business of installing and managing defense shields for military-related buildings. It could be said that a sort of cartel had formed. Among them, Joo Myunghwan reaped the greatest benefits. Even the hunters participating in the Poison Jar Dungeon raids were under his influence.

In short, it meant that Minjun, who belonged to the June Guild, was not in a favorable position to be welcomed.

“I can’t send our chick into such a hellhole alone.”

Soohyuk said with a playful smile. Realizing the complexity of the situation, Minjun did not insist on participating in the raid alone.

And that was a very wise choice.

“You have no idea how surprised I was to hear that Hunter Yoon Soohyuk was coming. It’s quite unusual for an S-rank hunter to enter a C-class dungeon, isn’t it?”

The briefing for the dungeon raid was held in a seminar room at the National Safety Agency Annex. Upon arrival, they were greeted by Joo Myunghwan with a smiling face.

Among the hunters who regularly raided the Poison Jar Dungeon, Joo Myunghwan was the highest-ranked. The man, who had a robust build and a hearty appearance, made a fuss while giving a simple greeting.

Minjun was quick-witted but not very adept at political maneuvering. Therefore, he couldn’t tell if Joo Myunghwan was mocking him by questioning why an S-rank hunter was wandering into a C-class dungeon. The man’s expression and tone were friendly, but something felt off.

In fact, Minjun was somewhat acquainted with Joo Myunghwan. They had been classmates in elementary, middle, and high school and had become hunters around the same time. However, aside from being in the same class once in the second year of middle school, they had no significant interactions. This remained true even after becoming hunters.

However, Minjun had heard rumors during their school days that Joo Myunghwan was notoriously called a “legendary bastard” in the baseball team. He had heard that he had beaten up juniors but had gotten away with it due to his family’s influence.

Becoming a hunter suggested he wasn’t entirely a bad person. However, due to his poor reputation, it felt like Joo Myunghwan was picking a fight.

“I’m just concerned about our Kim Minjun. He’s the shining star of our guild.”

“Isn’t he a C-class hunter?”

“It seems you aren’t aware, Hunter Joo Myunghwan. The time for the Grassland Dungeon raid was cut in half recently, all thanks to Hunter Kim Minjun’s efforts. I couldn’t let such a valuable asset go to a dangerous place alone, so I came along. As you said, our Kim Minjun is indeed a C-class hunter.”

Yoon Soohyuk spoke with a gentle voice and a friendly smile, embodying the responsibility of a guild leader.

Minjun could sense the underlying barbs in Soohyuk’s words. Soohyuk was subtly criticizing Joo Myunghwan for being slow with information and questioning his crisis management skills by bringing up the incident where a hunter had died during a Poison Jar Dungeon raid.

Realizing that Joo Myunghwan had picked a fight and Soohyuk had cleverly countered, Minjun couldn’t help but smile bitterly to himself. The man with the sharp eyes sometimes acted like he had swallowed a snake.

It was an interesting way to engage in a power struggle. In this round, Soohyuk had clearly won. But Joo Myunghwan wasn’t one to back down easily. Despite taking a significant hit, he continued to speak with a smiling face.

“I didn’t realize Hunter Kim Minjun was so impressive. Cutting the dungeon raid time in half, that’s quite a skill. Does that mean we can also benefit from it?”

“I suppose the National Security Agency didn’t say anything? Hunter Kim Minjun is only here to detoxify. Oh dear, my apologies. It’s not unusual for the National Security Agency to be slow with their work, is it?”

Joo Myunghwan’s face stiffened slightly, as if he really hadn’t heard anything from the National Security Agency.

“Miscommunications often happen when working.”

“Just to clarify, I’m entering the dungeon as Hunter Kim Minjun’s bodyguard. Neither of us will be directly involved in combat. Of course, if our party members are in danger, I’ll step in. This has all been agreed upon with the National Security Agency. My services don’t come cheap, you know.”

Soohyuk, who had been speaking calmly and smiling throughout, had won the exchange. Surprisingly, instead of getting angry, Joo Myunghwan maintained his polite demeanor and introduced the waiting hunters.

Soohyuk, with his excellent communication skills, easily mingled with the hunters he was meeting for the first time. Even the hunters known for their territorial behavior acted meekly in front of one of the few S-rank hunters in Korea.

Before long, a National Security Agency employee appeared, and the dungeon raid briefing began. Including Minjun and Soohyuk, there were four hunters entering the Poison Jar Dungeon this time.

The briefing covered the dungeon’s terrain, the monsters that appeared, and points to be cautious about. They also confirmed Minjun’s detoxification ability.

As previously agreed, Minjun had a poisoned hunter swallow a water droplet created by a water spirit. The hunter was detoxified, and at the same time, gained poison resistance for 99 minutes. When it was revealed that Minjun could grant poison resistance to all the hunters participating in the raid, the atmosphere instantly improved.

Thus, the dungeon briefing concluded without any particular incidents.

“He’s even worse in person.”

On the way back, Soohyuk gave a cold assessment of Joo Myunghwan. He sharply criticized the leader for inciting discord when he should be leading the dungeon raid.

“Never associate with someone like him. Got it?”

“Yes.”

Like a guardian looking after a child who had just started wading through the waters, Soohyuk kindly warned Minjun. Minjun, who also found Joo Myunghwan unpleasant, agreed without a second thought.

***

― That’s how it is, Hunter Joo Myunghwan. The June Guild strongly requested it. But with a skill that can both detoxify and grant poison resistance, isn’t that enough? I’m sorry I couldn’t inform you earlier. I’ve been so busy with work that it slipped my mind.”

Joo Myunghwan couldn’t get angry at the National Security Agency deputy’s flimsy excuse. Apologizing for forgetting to inform him due to being busy with work was something he couldn’t nitpick without straining their relationship.

After ending the call, Joo Myunghwan couldn’t hide his discomfort and frowned.

“He’s a tough bastard.”

He had felt uneasy ever since he heard that a hunter with a skill to grant poison resistance to others was part of the June Guild. Still, he thought he could somehow manipulate the twenty-year-old rookie with no memories. But he hadn’t expected the rookie to bring along the guild leader of the June Guild. Due to a major blunder by the National Security Agency, Yoon Soohyuk had managed to get involved with the Capital Defense Command.

Instead of manipulating a C-class rookie, he now had to cater to an S-class guild leader. Among the only six S-rank hunters in Korea, this man was openly called a lunatic.

During his time as a hunter, Joo Myunghwan had never directly interacted with Yoon Soohyuk, so he didn’t know his raid tendencies. From what he heard, the man was insanely strong and did whatever he pleased. The thought of losing authority to Yoon Soohyuk made his stomach churn.

When he tried to provoke him slightly, Yoon Soohyuk responded with a smiling face and sharp words. It quickly became clear that this wasn’t someone he could handle with mere flattery.

Joo Myunghwan was a calculating person who bullied the weak and feared the strong. He found Yoon Soohyuk annoying, but he judged that it would be more beneficial to get along with him rather than oppose him. Besides, Yoon Soohyuk was only acting as a bodyguard, which was somewhat reassuring.

The one who really bothered Joo Myunghwan was Kim Minjun. He stood quietly beside Yoon Soohyuk without saying much, looking like the clueless rookie he had imagined.

Despite being a C-class, he had not only joined the June Guild but also had the guild leader, Yoon Soohyuk, looking after him, which meant he definitely had an impressive skill. But that wasn’t what mattered most.

What really bothered Joo Myunghwan was the rookie’s appearance. He looked strikingly similar to Hunter Kim Minjun, who had died eight years ago.

“Fuck. His name is even Kim Minjun.”

Joo Myunghwan’s brow furrowed deeply. Just hearing that name threatened to bring back old traumas.

He had been compared to Kim Minjun ever since they were the same age and attended the same high school. While he couldn’t even get into college and worked at a small company, Kim Minjun became an S-rank hunter and basked in the spotlight, which had been infuriating.

He had felt relieved when Kim Minjun died miserably, but now, seeing someone with the same name and a similar face made him uncomfortable.

“Should I just get rid of him?”

The skill to grant poison resistance was a double-edged sword. While it would make the Poison Jar Dungeon raid easier, it also meant he would lose some of his share. If his relationship with Yoon Soohyuk didn’t improve, it might be better to just eliminate Kim Minjun.

Getting rid of a C-class hunter was no big deal. Even with Yoon Soohyuk watching over him, there would be limits.

Thinking about Minjun’s death put Joo Myunghwan in a good mood, and he smiled, curling one side of his lips upward.