GM Ch59

Everyone chose to get wet in the rain rather than endure the horrible taste. Joo Myunghwan was no exception.

“It’s going to rain now.”

Minjun summoned a water spirit to make a fine rain fall over the hunters’ heads. Ha Sungwook was delighted, saying the poison was gone and the jerky tasted good. The other hunters also thanked him and drank the water.

“You’ve got quite the talent.”

“I just tweaked it a bit.”

“How much mana does it use?”

“I can hold it for about 15 minutes.”

Minjun collected some rainwater in his canteen and drank it. The detoxified water no longer tasted bitter. He ate some jerky along with the water and even enjoyed an apple, but then he paused.

Intruders?

Out of habit, Minjun had stationed spirits at the dungeon entrance as guards. Since the wind spirit was with Choi Euiseong, he summoned the earth spirit. Thanks to this, Minjun realized in real-time that two hunters using stealth skills had entered the dungeon.

They didn’t seem like thieves. He couldn’t see what the hunters using stealth skills looked like, but the spirits conveyed that the two hunters were moving swiftly and nimbly.

To enter a dungeon, one needed permission from the hunter or guild that had won the management rights. However, thieves targeting dungeons for magic stones and various items had always been a problem. Dungeon entry quotas were generally generous, and the system didn’t notify anyone if new people entered the dungeon late. Many thieves exploited this loophole.

Usually, thieves targeted lower-level dungeons with lax surveillance. Although National Security Agency staff or guild members guarded the gates, it wasn’t foolproof. They couldn’t prevent someone from sneaking into the dungeon using stealth skills.

Most thieves harvested herbs or minerals inside the dungeon. Some dealt with remaining monsters and collected magic stones. And although they were a small minority, there were also malicious people who target hunters. These scoundrels aimed for the items and magic stones hunters carried. Or sometimes, the hunters themselves were the target.

The intruders who had just entered the dungeon gave off a bad vibe. If they had infiltrated all the way to the Capital Defense Command headquarters, it was clear they weren’t just here to steal items. They moved swiftly and in perfect coordination, as if they had a specific goal. The earth spirit’s reactions indicated that their ranks were quite high.

B-class? Or maybe A-class?

If the intruders were targeting this place, preparations were necessary. Minjun gauged the distance between them and the intruders and stood next to Soohyuk.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

Minjun held out his hand in front of Soohyuk, who gave him a questioning look. Minjun gestured for him to look at his hand.

Using the water spirit’s help, Minjun quickly wrote on his palm.

[There are intruders]

[I stationed the earth spirit as a guard at the entrance]

[They’re coming this way quickly]

[They seem to have stealth and detection skills]

[What should we do?]

Minjun quickly conveyed the necessary information and stared intently at Soohyuk. Soohyuk was the only one capable of subduing the intruders, so his opinion was crucial.

“It’s okay.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. But come to think of it, I almost never call you by your name.”

“What?”

“I usually call you ‘chick’ or just ‘you.’ Or sometimes ‘hunter Kim Minjun.'”

“Why does that matter?”

Minjun tilted his head in confusion. It was true that Soohyuk rarely called him by his name, but he was curious why it was being brought up now. On the other hand, Soohyuk was mulling over a realization he had just come to. Ha Sungwook calling him “Minjun-ah” had been bothering him. He then realized he almost never called Minjun by his name properly.

The reason was clear. It felt disrespectful to casually call hunter Kim Minjun by his name. But the more he thought about it, the more he felt it was unfair that Ha Sungwook could do it and he couldn’t.

“Minjun? Minjun-ah? Kim Minjun? Minjun Hunter? Mr. Kim Minjun? Hmm, none of these feel quite right. Minjun-ah. Can I call you that?”

“Sure.”

“What about ‘baby chick’?”

“Ugh, why a chick again?”

“You’re a newbie.”

“Yes.”

Minjun answered grumpily and took a big bite of his jerky. Soohyuk found his earnest reaction adorable and laughed.

The rain created by the spirit was so fine it was almost like a mist. Raindrops clung to Minjun’s hair and nose as he stood there without an umbrella or raincoat. His pale face and light-colored eyes formed a harmonious look, still retaining a soft, downy appearance.

The nickname “baby chick” oddly suited him.

“What is it?”

Minjun noticed the gaze and asked with his eyes.

“You don’t like ‘baby chick,’ right?”

“Yes.”

“And you probably don’t like ‘baby bird’ either.”

“Do whatever you want.”

Minjun’s response was lukewarm. Soohyuk had never seen Minjun get really angry. Even when forced into a situation where he had to have sex because of a bound item, he remained calm.

Still, he had likes and dislikes. Right now, he was silently expressing his dislike for the nickname “baby chick” with his whole body. Ironically, that made him even cuter.

“My bad.”

“For what?”

“Because you’re cute.”

Minjun looked bewildered at the nonsense, then his expression turned cold. His attitude of not caring what Soohyuk said made him laugh again. This was why he found him cute.

“Minjun-ah. Instead of jerky, try this.”

Soohyuk took out a magic box from his inventory and handed Minjun a packaged sandwich and a cup of coffee. Minjun’s eyes widened.

“A sandwich?”

“Yeah. I bought it just before coming here. Since the raid will end within 48 hours, I thought it would be nice to have something fresh on the first day.”

Most hunters carried high-calorie, easy-to-store snacks. Jerky was the most popular choice. Diligent hunters brought light meals for the first day. Even now, half the hunters were eating kimbap, bread, or packed lunches.

“What about you, guild leader?”

“Of course I brought it. Here, take it, Minjun.”

“Thank you.”

Minjun hesitated for a moment before accepting the sandwich and coffee, then smiled, causing Soohyuk to smile as well. Food always worked.

Soohyuk sipped the coffee he had taken out from the magic box and turned his gaze toward the dungeon entrance. There were reportedly two intruders.

∥Using skill ‘Eye of Balance’.

Soohyuk also had a detection skill. Rather than finding a specific target, it located all monsters and humans within the dungeon, almost like a map hack.

The problem was that this skill was too powerful. The sheer amount of information it provided could cause an overload, so Soohyuk avoided using it whenever possible. But with intruders, the situation was different.

Just as Minjun had said, two intruders were rapidly approaching their location. Both were A-class. As expected, their ranks were quite high, and Soohyuk clicked his tongue. Intruders entering a dungeon beneath the Capital Defense Command weren’t just after some loot.

A contract job?

Soohyuk had quite a few enemies. From journalists who had filed lawsuits to politicians who had made slanderous remarks, the list was diverse. While they couldn’t enter the dungeon themselves, they could easily hire someone to do it. Hunters were no different.

Unlike Korea, where most hunters were registered with the government, in lawless foreign lands, hunters who killed for money operated openly. With enough money, even S-rank hunters could be hired.

It made sense why they would come all the way to the dungeon beneath the Capital Defense Command. Aside from A-class hunter Joo Myunghwan, the rest were all B-class and C-class. If a hostage situation arose, it would be a headache.

As Soohyuk pondered how to capture the intruders, he glanced at Joo Myunghwan, who was chatting with the other hunters. According to Seongwon’s investigation, Joo Myunghwan had also made plenty of enemies. It was possible the intruders were targeting him.

“They’re not far.”

Minjun turned his gaze toward Soohyuk at his muttered words.

“I used a detection skill.”

“Really?”

Soohyuk diverted the conversation to confuse Joo Myunghwan, who was likely eavesdropping. He figured Minjun would understand if he mentioned the detection skill.

[Aren’t you going to inform the other hunters?]

Minjun, who had eaten half of his rain-soaked sandwich, wrote with water on his palm again. His writing was more mature than his speech.

“Eat slowly. We still have time.”

“Yes, guild leader.”

Their coded conversation was mundane, and Minjun nodded nonchalantly. He confirmed Soohyuk’s intentions once more, feeling anxious. Unlike his own worries, the other man seemed completely at ease. If S-rank hunter Soohyuk set his mind to it, two intruders would be no problem. Of course, killing them would be easier than capturing them.

“Oh, have this too.”

This time, Soohyuk took out a chocolate bar from the magic box and handed it to Minjun.

“I have snacks too.”

“It’s a hassle to take them out. This one’s good.”

Minjun absentmindedly accepted the chocolate bar Soohyuk handed him. His own magic box was also filled with food, mostly instant meals and cooking ingredients. Up until now, they had only tackled dungeons that could be cleared within an hour, so he hadn’t had much use for his magic box.

He hesitated for a moment, considering whether to take out the dried persimmons inside his magic box, but in the end, he broke the chocolate bar in half and offered a piece to Soohyuk.

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