Chapter 166: The Next Day (3)
— Kyaooong!
With a series of low whines, Peace flattened himself against the floor, refusing to enter the bathtub. Despite his protests, I picked him up.
“You have to take a bath whether you like it or not. Be good, Peace.”
— Grrrrr.
“Want me to help?”
Yuhyun offered, but I shook my head.
“If he actually resisted, do you think I’d stand a chance? He’s just being dramatic to humor me.”
Even in his fluid form, a single swipe of his paw could send me flying. Carrying the squirming Peace, I headed toward the private bath.
After the dungeon raid, Yerim and Peace had gone straight to Haeyeon Guild’s communal bathhouse instead of home. Why a bathhouse and not the comfort of home? It was simple—returning home in the messy state most Hunters found themselves in post-dungeon raid wasn’t ideal.
It wasn’t uncommon to go days without proper washing, often with monster fluids and bits of flesh stuck to various places. Coming home like that was unpleasant. The best thing to do was head directly to a communal bath, soak in the warm water already prepared, and then throw on some provided clothes or a robe before heading home to sleep.
Of course, this kind of convenience was only available in well-equipped facilities, where guild transportation was provided. Lower-ranking Hunters typically had to make do with spare clothes and wet wipes prepared near the gate. Showing up in such a state often led to taxis refusing them service.
‘I remember how exhausting it was to clean up quickly and change clothes back in those days.’
When I had a car or carpooled, I’d just change my shoes and wear a raincoat. But even that didn’t completely mask the smell. On particularly bad days, I’d change clothes and seal the dirty ones in a tightly knotted plastic bag. Even in these small details, the gap between high-ranking and low-ranking Hunters was significant.
I took Peace into a private bath space separated from the rest of the facility and placed him in the water. I hesitated briefly at the thought of putting a monster in a bath meant for humans, but this wasn’t an ordinary bathhouse—it was for Hunters. A mount like Peace deserved to be treated like an equal team member.
“How is it? Not bad, right? The water’s pretty nice here.”
— Kuuuung.
Peace narrowed his round eyes in displeasure. He grumbled under his breath before suddenly leaping into the air. I thought he was trying to escape, but—
Splash!
He transformed into his adolescent form mid-air and landed directly into the bathtub, sending water flying everywhere. I got completely drenched as if I’d been caught in a downpour.
“…Having fun?”
— Grrrr.
Peace purred contentedly, clearly satisfied. He even licked my cheek apologetically before curling himself up in the circular tub, calming down. Well, as long as he’s in a good mood now. I patted Peace’s flank and told him to revert to his fluid form. Once he did, I gave him a thorough cleaning.
Seeing my soaked state, Yuhyun brought over some clothes provided by the bathhouse. They were simple lounge clothes, similar to sauna attire.
“You don’t need to go through all that effort cleaning him. You could just burn the grime off with fire.”
“Yeah, but that’s not the same as giving him a proper wash. Besides, it’s not easy to control fire resistance with that level of precision.”
“Peace doesn’t wear clothes, so it’d be simple for him. He could dry himself instantly right now if he wanted to, but he’s just sitting there on purpose.”
Yuhyun watched Peace, who was now wrapped in a towel. At his words, Peace rolled onto his back, staring at Yuhyun.
— Kyaaang.
“Alright, alright. I’ll dry you off now.”
There was no point in making him use his energy for something so minor when he was probably already tired. I finished drying him with a hairdryer and then headed to the lounge.
Yerim, who had come out earlier, was already seated at a table in the spacious lounge area equipped with various facilities. When she spotted me, she shook a bottle of sikhye (sweet rice drink) and gestured for me to come over. Beside her were some hard-boiled eggs. A sauna snack set? Did they actually provide things like this here?
“Normally, I’d soak for half a day before coming out.”
“You must come here often.”
Her movements as she poured the sikhye were practiced. Yerim placed the bottle down with a soft thud and spoke.
“I come here after dungeon raids since it’s too much trouble to go far. On regular days, I visit Hyunah unnie’s place. The seaweed soup there is good, but their tteok-mandu ramen is amazing. There’s even a rumor that their kitchen staff has a cooking-related skill.”
Of course, she didn’t forget to flatter Yu Myungwoo, saying his side dishes were equally impressive.
“Yerim, don’t be too surprised by what I’m about to say.”
I began peeling one of the boiled eggs.
“The MKC guild leader has died. It happened last night.”
“Oh, so he’s dead now.”
“…Huh?”
“The Guild Leader said it, didn’t he? That he’d keep it a secret.”
Yerim poured a cup of sikhye and slid it toward Yuhyun. The cup skidded across the table and stopped perfectly in front of him.
“That guy tried to hurt you, Mister, didn’t he? Sounds justified to me. I get it, I totally get it.”
“…No, Yuhyun didn’t kill him.”
“Sure, sure. If you say so. The Guild Leader was in the dungeon with me, after all. I know.”
The way Yerim spoke made me feel exasperated. Yuhyun took a sip of his sikhye and opened his mouth to speak.
“Unfortunately, I didn’t get to kill him.”
“What? Really? Disappointing, Han Yuhyun.”
“What do you mean ‘disappointing’? Don’t talk about things like that so lightly. No matter the reason, you shouldn’t hurt people unless absolutely necessary. Follow the law.”
I handed the peeled eggs to both Yuhyun and Yerim as I spoke.
“The world’s changed, sure, but don’t make violence your first response. That goes for both of you. If someone attacks first, then don’t hold back, but always try to follow the rules. Especially you, Yerim. Instead of handling things yourself, report it to me or the guild first.”
Even if someone was S-rank or anything else, there were adults around, so there was no need for a kid like Yerim to dirty her hands. I offered an egg to Peace, who was sitting on my lap, but he only sniffed it and didn’t eat it.
“With the MKC guild leader gone, there are going to be plenty of A-rank Hunters looking to leave. Some of them will probably want to join your team, Yerim. Especially now that you’ve proven you can handle an S-rank dungeon.”
A-rank Hunters who wanted to stay in an S-rank raid team wouldn’t want to miss the chance. If we played our cards right, we could contract them under favorable terms.
“Seok Gimyung will prepare a list of decent A-rank Hunters and set up a space for interviews. You’ll need to review and choose them.”
“Me, personally?”
“Of course, you have to do it yourself. It’s your team. For now, just cover the basics. Focus on three types: defense, support, and healing. For healers, since it’s rare to find ones with stats high enough for S-rank dungeons, take what you can get as long as they’re decent. For support Hunters, match their attributes to your own. And for defenders, don’t pick ones with halfway skills or stats—they need to be fully specialized in defense. Only then can an A-rank defender withstand attacks from S-rank monsters.”
If it were a dungeon of their rank, versatility might work, but for higher-ranked dungeons, mediocre defense wouldn’t cut it. However, with a healer to back them up, an A-rank defender specialized in defense could hold their own against even top-tier S-rank threats.
“But I don’t really need protection.”
“Of course, you don’t need it. The ones needing protection are the healers and support Hunters. S-rank dungeons are typically structured for S-rank Hunters to take the lead while their team supports them.”
In some cases, well-prepared A-rank Hunters could tackle lower S-rank dungeons as a team, but that was an exception.
“You got a taste of that during this dungeon raid, didn’t you?”
“Not really. Peace and I cleared everything ahead of us. I didn’t even need support or healing skills.”
“Don’t act like a one-person army. If you can’t get help when you need it, or if your team gets wiped out while you’re distracted, it’ll be a disaster. Never stray too far from your team.”
Safety always comes first. I gave her other advice she might need. Yuhyun, though not particularly enthusiastic, chimed in with a few words of his own. Yerim grumbled, saying something about not wanting any more tricks pulled on her.
“Since this was effectively your first S-rank dungeon raid as the leader… I should get you a celebratory gift. What do you want?”
“Forget the gift! Let’s just have dinner and hang out together! I’ll even let the Guild Leader join us.”
“Fine by me. Yuhyun, do you have time?”
“I need to report the raid details to the Association, but it won’t take long.”
“Good work, Guild Leader.”
“Park Yerim, you’re coming too.”
“What? Why me?”
“You’re the main point of interest in this raid. Every time there’s something unusual about an S-rank raid, we have to provide detailed reports. And in this case, you’re the unusual factor. Plus, as the team leader, you’ll need to learn how to do these reports.”
“Oh, I just want to stay as a regular team member~”
Yerim groaned and sprawled across the table. I made a mental note to handle some pending matters before dinner.
“Is it finally over?”
A young man, looking slightly gaunt from days without sunlight, smiled brightly as he spoke. Seeing his clueless expression, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt.
Kim Minui, who had had his identity temporarily stolen by Yuhyun, had been confined to a secure room in Haeyeon Guild the entire time. While Yuhyun was at home, Kim Minui was allowed to be awake, but he wasn’t allowed to leave the building or communicate with anyone outside. This was to prevent any information from leaking.
‘Because of that, he doesn’t know anything about what’s been happening.’
He could watch TV, but since he was awake mostly at night, he hadn’t seen any news about himself. The rumors online questioning whether he was an S-rank Hunter hadn’t yet been confirmed and were still just speculation, so they hadn’t made it to the TV news.
“I was getting bored of playing games anyway. I was about to start reading books! Oh, is that cat you’re holding Peace? He’s even cuter in person!”
Despite being suddenly confined, his cheerful attitude only made me feel sorrier for him. He really seemed like a good guy.
“Hunter Kim Minui.”
When I called his name seriously, his expression stiffened, and he spoke nervously.
“Uh… Do I have to stay here even longer? I think I could handle a few more days, though. I still have some games I haven’t finished.”
“No, you’re free to leave now. However… during this time, you’ve become a quasi-S-rank Hunter.”
“…What? But I’m a B-rank Hunter. My stats are only C-rank.”
He looked utterly baffled, as though I’d just told him something completely absurd. I calmly began explaining.
“Hunter Kim Minui deflected a speeding truck and rescued people.”
“Wait, what…?”
“You also restrained an S-rank Hunter in a rampage, immobilizing them.”
“W-what are you even talking about…?”
“And at Sesung Guild, you easily subdued A-rank Hunters and collaborated with other S-rank Hunters to stop an SS-rank Hunter from going berserk.”
He stared at me, completely dumbfounded, his face frozen in shock. I offered him my most apologetic expression. My younger brother had achieved a lot in a short time using his face. Next to me, Seok Gimyung stepped forward and handed him a contract.
“This is a new confidentiality agreement regarding recent events. The conditions are a bit stricter, but the compensation will be more than sufficient.”
“Of course, I’ll keep my mouth shut, but…”
Seeing his lost and helpless expression, I answered him kindly.
“First, I’d like to offer my sympathies and apologies for the unexpected situation you’ve found yourself in. Now, there are roughly three options available to you.”
“Three options?”
“Yes. The first is to insist that everyone’s mistaken, and firmly maintain that you’re a B-rank Hunter. While you’ll be doubted because there are numerous witnesses and evidence, the rumors will eventually fade.”
However, I added that there would be many people who wouldn’t believe him, and he’d have to endure a lot of trouble for quite some time. Hearing this, Kim Minui’s face crumpled into a distressed frown.
“In particular, higher-ranking Hunters who feel deceived might confront you about it, so we’ll arrange bodyguards for your protection.”
“Confront me…?”
“Since you’re a support-type Hunter, there’s an even higher likelihood that they’d hold a grudge. The second option is to completely erase your current identity and disappear. You could spend a few years overseas.”
This was a drastic but the safest solution. If rumors were spread that he had been scouted abroad in secret, people would quickly lose interest.
“Ah, that’s a bit much… I’d have to cut off contact with everyone I know. And I have this female friend I’m kind of seeing…”
“It’s not ideal, is it? The last option is to simply accept the role and officially become an S-rank Hunter.”
When I mentioned that this was the option I recommended the most, Kim Minui’s jaw practically hit the floor.
“No, but I’m a B-rank! How could I possibly be an S-rank Hunter?”
“You’re already a quasi-S-rank Hunter. When three people agree on something, even a cat can become a tiger.”
Despite my assurance that we’d handle everything smoothly and securely, Kim Minui still looked hesitant.
“I’m not good at lying. Can I think about it a little more?”
“It’s better to start quickly, so please give us your answer by tomorrow.”
Kim Minui nodded and accepted his confiscated phone back from Seok Gimyung. As he checked the messages that had piled up, a grin spread across his face.
“Ah, crap, everyone’s congratulating me for becoming an S-rank Hunter. They’re telling me to treat them… Wait, what the—why are you two dating?!”
Kim Minui suddenly let out a shriek. Oh dear, it seems the girl he thought he was seeing has started a relationship with someone else in the meantime.
–TL Notes–
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