He decided to obtain the strategy guide for the Storm Hill Dungeon.
Applying for the guide as soon as possible was advisable, so he completed the application immediately through Lee Ye-rin.
The approval arrived 12 hours later.
Although he was disappointed to enter at 9 PM, he accepted the time since he couldn’t change it to his preference.
“Our mercenary group controls the dungeon, and we always station guards at the entrance.”
“At least that way, we’ll be alerted to any intruders.”
“Exactly. We can’t stop external forces from meddling deliberately, but being aware of potential ambushes is within our power.”
“That’s good enough for me.”
Kang-hoo nodded in agreement.
It was common for others to infiltrate a dungeon that was under exploration and attempt a surprise attack, only to be killed themselves.
“Shall we discuss your next request?”
“Please, go ahead.”
“The first request was more like a screening process. Usually, half fail to make it past the initial cut-off…”
Her implication that I had survived a request with a 50% rate of survival struck me as rather odd.
Certainly, the risk of death was always present in mercenary requests.
But to casually consider a potentially fatal request as just a screening seemed callous.
Perhaps this cold and calculating approach contributed to the high success rate of Lee Ye-rin’s mercenary group in ‘advanced requests.’
“Anyway, it sounds like you’re saying I did well. Let’s move on to the main issue.”
“You were looking for a bounty hunter request with a significant reward, weren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve put together a list of potential targets. They should be manageable. The hard part might be locating them.”
“Show me the list.”
I glanced over the compiled names.
Among those listed for the bounty request, one name stood out to me.
‘Heo Jeong-tae.’
A character from the end of the original story.
As the narrative headed towards a grim conclusion, it was revealed that Heo Jeong-tae had been a covert assassin working for Jang Si-hwan.
The connection was only revealed at the end.
Until then, Heo Jeong-tae had killed several hunters considered ‘righteous.’
He was a murderer.
Until the end, the protagonist, Jang Si-hwan, only knew of Heo Jeong-tae’s existence.
The actual murder orders were handled by Jang Si-hwan’s close friend and accomplice, Chae Gwan-hyeong.
However, the current bounty on Heo Jeong-tae was not for murder.
It was for stealing the ‘Dungeon Stability Detection Device’ from the Gapyeong Hunter Public Safety Bureau.
He was not quite a major criminal, but the theft was too significant to be considered petty due to the national property theft charges.
It seemed like individual mercenary groups had their own bounty requests for this reason.
Thus, the Hunter Public Safety Bureau was the one offering the reward.
It was essentially a bounty guaranteed by the state.
[Heo Jeong-tae’s base, which was never found, was shockingly near Yangpyeong Station.
Just 500 meters from the Hunter Public Safety Bureau at Yangpyeong Station, he lived in Moonseong Villa.
It was a case of darkness under the lamp. The incompetent hunters of the Public Safety Bureau never caught him until the end.]
[Heo Jeong-tae's base, which was never found, was shockingly near Yangpyeong Station. Just 500 meters from the Hunter Public Safety Bureau at Yangpyeong Station, he lived in Moonseong Villa. It was a case of darkness under the lamp. The incompetent hunters of the Public Safety Bureau never caught him until the end.]
As this was something that was written towards the end of the original story, I remembered the details about Heo Jeong-tae without a single mistake.
Given my memory of the buildings and scenery around his residence, locating him seemed straightforward.
“Are you interested in Heo Jeong-tae?”
“Yes. The part about him favoring a spear is also intriguing. It’s easy to target someone who needs a wide and long attack range.”
Kang-hoo attached a plausible reason.
In truth, knowing his whereabouts made up over 90% of the reason for my choice.
“The reward is a bounty of 300 million won and a one-month lease for dungeons below level 100. However, there is a condition.”
“Alive?”
“That’s right.”
“Since the Public Safety Bureau officially issued the bounty, private punishment is out of the question, I suppose.”
“Especially since it’s not a murder charge.”
The reward was quite tempting.
Of course, to capture the target alive, I’d need to buy handcuffs in advance, just in case.
This wasn’t about dragging some clumsy local thug.
The target was a hunter who could counterattack at any moment.
“Let’s take this request.”
“Are you sure? The hardest part with this guy is figuring out his whereabouts…”
“That’s for me to handle.”
Kang-hoo spoke with conviction.
He decided to go after Heo Jeong-tae only after he had completed the Storm Hill Dungeon.
If he planned his route well, he might reach level 30 within the dungeon.
Reaching that level would grant him the assassin’s basic skill, ‘Acceleration.’
Although it was a mere speed enhancement, it was essential.
‘Taking down Heo Jeong-tae will also yield a significant butterfly effect.’
It was an opportunity to achieve multiple goals at once.
His level was estimated to be around 100.
That seemed like a feasible target. I had the strength for it.
After accepting the request, Kang-hoo sold all his unnecessary 9th-grade items to Lee Ye-rin.
The transaction was swift and at a fixed price, netting him a total of 250 million won.
Then, he reached out to Master K, the sole seller of Solakium in the country.
Since traveling to ‘Ground Zero,’ where Master K was located, was too far, he arranged for a quick delivery at Gapyeong Station.
He bought a total of 10 units for 50 million won—a steep price, but a necessary investment.
It was somewhat cheaper because Master K had recently harvested a crop, reducing the price.
Once more than half the stock was sold, prices would skyrocket by at least 50%.
That left him with a balance of 200 million won.
Before heading to Gapyeong Station, Kang-hoo planned to stop by the black market to buy a dagger with his remaining money.
The practice dagger he currently owned was too weak for hunting and lacked strength.
Especially since he could afford a 5th-grade dagger, not purchasing a primary weapon would be a loss.
After the transaction,
Before leaving Daejeon Station, Kang-hoo exchanged brief farewells with Yun Sang-mi.
He doubted they would meet again, but she seemed to think otherwise.
“If you have skills like yours, you’ll be in demand. We’ll meet again soon, I think.”
“I hope it’s not as an enemy.”
“Ho ho. That won’t happen. Anyway, I’d like to share useful information if I come across any. Can I have your phone number?”
“Give me yours. I’ll contact you if needed.”
“That sounds annoyingly cool, you know?”
“It’s meant to be annoying.”
At Kang-hoo’s remark, Yun Sang-mi handed him a business card.
She looked at Kang-hoo with a hopeful expression, but he did not give her his contact information.
“Make sure to contact me! Even just for a casual chat, anytime!”
As before at dawn,
Kang-hoo, without responding to Yun Sang-mi’s words, turned around and waved his hand, signaling all farewells.
Arriving at Daejeon Station, Kang-hoo first bought a ticket to Yongsan Station. From there, he would need to transfer to the ITX.
He had thought that the situation with Eclipse would have caused serious issues at the station, but it seemed to have been quickly resolved.
Of course, a quick resolution didn’t mean a happy ending.
It meant that the situation was swiftly concluded, and many hunters inside Club Hades were taken away.
It was likely that they were either sent to the nearby Cheongmyeong Detention Center or loaded onto a human trafficking cargo ship bound for overseas.
Either outcome was terrible, but the former was somewhat better since there was at least a chance of survival through communication.
And unlike Cheongmyeong Detention Center, which at least met the minimum nutritional requirements, overseas conditions were entirely different.
Then,
a little child waiting for the train to Yongsan with Kang-hoo jumped up and down excitedly, shouting,
“I’m so excited! So excited······!”
Next to the child stood a couple who appeared to be a year or two older than Kang-hoo, who was twenty-nine.
“Are you that excited, Si-yun?”
“Yes, Mom! When we go to Seoul, can we go eat chicken at night?”
“Of course! In Seoul, Si-yun can do anything he wants!”
“Wow! I’m really excited!”
The child’s cheerfulness was understandable.
Seoul, where all the manpower of the Hunter Public Safety Bureau was concentrated, boasted a near ‘zero crime rate.’
Ironically, this came at the cost of virtually abandoning regions outside the capital area.
“······.”
Observing the happy family of three, Kang-hoo wore a curious expression.
He wondered if they were truly happy. For Kang-hoo, who had neither feelings nor memories associated with the word ‘family,’ this was a natural reaction.
Anyway, this family heading to Seoul wouldn’t have to worry about walking the streets at night anymore.
It seemed like the parents had made a big decision for their child, which also seemed a bit pitiful.
“In Seoul, the Hunter Public Safety Bureau, and even Hunter Jang Si-hwan will protect us if anything happens.”
Then, a name Kang-hoo didn’t want to hear slipped out of the child’s father’s mouth.
A belief in Jang Si-hwan that went beyond simple faith to blind faith among civilians.
That was how the world viewed Jang Si-hwan.
If he ever stood against him, that perception would flip 180 degrees against him.
[The train bound for Yongsan will be arriving soon. Passengers, please······.]
The train was coming.
For the first time since waking up in Cheongmyeong Detention Center, Kang-hoo had a chance to pass through Seoul and go elsewhere.
At that time.
A woman was visiting Cheongmyeong Detention Center, enjoying a one-on-one meeting with the warden, Lee Taek-geun.
Lee Taek-geun, the person responsible for the entire detention center, maintained a completely submissive posture in front of the woman.
“Warden Lee, don’t you find this whole situation extremely strange?”
The woman, with black hair styled in a C-curl bob, looked disdainfully at Lee Taek-geun, her arms crossed.
Cha So-hee.
She was the third in command of Eclipse and a confidant sent by Kang Dong-hyun to oversee the investigation of Kang-hoo. Her level was 250, which was high enough to join the upper echelons of any organization.
“It’s very strange.”
“Right? Hunter Shin Kang-hoo was confirmed to be level 10 before admission. He never went near a dungeon, except for mining magic stones.”
“······.”
“Two guards of rank 2, three of rank 3, and even a ‘Tracker’ constellation holder were killed by him.”
“Yes, post-mortem investigations suggest they were taken out without putting up much of a fight.”
“No matter how I think about it, the information doesn’t add up. Are we missing something about Shin Kang-hoo?”
Cha So-hee’s suspicions were not directed at Kang-hoo, but at Lee Taek-geun.
It didn’t make sense that the victims, given their profiles, were killed by someone with a level of just 10.
Such incidents had always occurred, and Cha So-hee had been diligently filling in the data by investigating the scenes.
However, this case seemed fundamentally flawed.
A Level 10 couldn’t possibly exert such power, not even if they were resurrected.