TL: SHW
19 years later.
3rd floor, 2nd Conference Room, Ability Managent Agency, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea.
On the screen that filled an entire wall, a map of Seoul was displayed. A man in an impeccable suit stood before it and spoke.
“Yeongdeungpo 2nd Dungeon and Inwangsan 1st Dungeon have each risen to Danger Level 2 at 9:42 AM and 10:17 AM this morning, respectively.”
His voice was monotonous but low.
The Hunters, who had already been briefed on the dungeon raids, listened to the man’s explanation in a laid-back manner.
The man frowned.
“Aren’t you listening properly? Even if they are Grade B and C dungeons, the interior becos unstable once the danger level increases. Get your act together. Don’t flounder around once you’re inside.”
Only then did the Hunters straighten their postures. The man, dissatisfied, continued to explain.
“Team 2 will go to the B2-level Yeongdeungpo Dungeon. Team 2, any changes?”
“Nope.”
A woman sitting at the very back of the conference room answered indifferently. The man paid no attention to her attitude.
“Team 1 went to the Taean Dungeon, and Teams 3 and 4 are resting as they just returned from dungeons. The Inwangsan Dungeon is assigned to an external guild.”
This information had already been conveyed.
“Supplies are ready. Team 2 Leader, check once more to ensure nothing is missing. The dungeon entry ti is 2 PM.”
The man checked the ti briefly. It was just about lunchti.
The man, still dissatisfied, looked at the Hunters and spoke.
“Any questions?”
“…….”
“I thought so. Then have your als, and Team 2, review the dungeon information and stand by. The situation room will cover for while I’m gone. Dismissed.”
The man unilaterally ended the eting. Since it was just a dungeon raid briefing, no one raised any objections.
After the Hunters exited in a rush, only the man and the woman sitting at the back remained in the conference room.
The man frowned at the woman but soon smiled warmly.
“What is it, Hunter Yoo Ji-eun?”
“The dungeon I ntioned?”
“Dungeon?”
The man tilted his head sideways, then slowly went “Ah”, as if he rembered.
“You an the Bangi-dong Dungeon? I checked it, and it’s only a D-level dungeon.”
Yoo Ji-eun frowned.
“Dungeon grade and danger level are separate. I told you it needs to be raided.”
“The danger level is Grade 6, though. Dungeon raids start from Danger Level 2 and above. Rember? With your experience as Hunter, you should rember that.”
“I have a bad feeling about it.”
The man sighed openly.
“If we raid every D6-level dungeon just because of a bad feeling, it would be a problem. Do you know what resources co from the Bangi-dong Dungeon? Mana Stones. If we close it recklessly, who knows what strange rumors will spread in the news.”
“Hey.”
“No matter how much of an S-grade Hunter you are, you can’t ignore the procedures. Do you know what they call that in public? Abuse of power.”
“That’s what you’re doing, Nepo-baby.”
The man’s eyes widened.
“Have you ever seen such a competent parachute?”
“If you weren’t competent, I would have stabbed you a long ti ago.”
“If a Hunter attacks a civil servant, it won’t just end as a simple assault.”
The man gathered the briefing materials and walked past the woman, signaling he wouldn’t listen anymore.
The woman hesitated and then spoke.
“…I really have a bad feeling about it.”
“If you want to raid it, bring proper evidence. Nothing is less trustworthy than a Hunter’s intuition.”
“You have a Hunter license too, you know?”
“That’s why I don’t trust it.”
The man looked at the woman and then smiled gently.
“If I were you, I’d spend this ti preparing for the raid instead of making unnecessary suggestions. Ah, well….”
However, that smile soon turned into a sly expression with one corner of his mouth slightly raised.
“Since it’s Hunter Yoo Ji-eun, I’m sure you’ll manage well. Feel free to waste the support supplies as much as you like since I’m not around.”
“What? Are you really leaving before a raid? Aren’t you working?”
“I’ve already worked so much that I’m sick of it.”
The man turned his back to the woman again and headed for the door.
“Coincidentally, I’m on leave starting at 2 PM. Don’t contact .”
“Hey! Woo Hwijae!”
Then he added in an annoying voice.
“You won’t be able to contact once I’m inside the dungeon anyway? How convenient.”
The woman frowned deeply.
* * *
Two days later, at night.
Busan, South Korea. A high-end bar overlooking the sea.
There was a commotion at a window-side table as soft jazz played in the background.
“Oh my, so this is what I saw on the news?”
A man in a high-end suit rolled up his sleeve. He was wearing a watch with a rugged design that didn’t match his suit.
The man responded with an embarrassed smile.
“It’s an ambitious project by the governnt and the Korea Mana Research Institute. It’s still in the testing phase, so there are only two of these in South Korea.”
It was a very humble statent. At least that’s what I thought.
Why?
Because there were only two prototypes in the entire world, not just South Korea!
“Wow….”
I looked at the won with pride.
Normally, I would be drinking alone, looking at the night view from a high-rise hotel, but today was my day off. Talking to civilians instead of the annoying Hunters I see at work every day wasn’t so bad. It was also an opportunity to gauge the image of the Ability Managent Agency.
…Oh. Maybe I shouldn’t say I work for the Agency.
“Then it must be really amazing, right?”
It is really amazing.
The hardships I went through to develop this flash before my eyes.
“You must be an incredible hunter then!”
After hearing the Hunters’ thoughtless comnts all the ti, listening to the civilians’ genuine admiration was soothing.
“I do have a license, but I’m not a Hunter.”
“Then…?”
“Didn’t you say you work for the Ability Managent Agency?”
They seed confused by the fact that I had a Hunter license but wasn’t a Hunter. Was it hard for civilians to understand the internal workings of the Agency? Well, if they’re not interested, they wouldn’t know.
I smiled kindly.
“Yes. But the Ability Managent Agency doesn’t only have Hunters.”
The Ability Managent Agency manages all Hunters and dungeons in South Korea. Modern society wouldn’t function properly without Hunters and dungeons, so the Agency tends to concentrate a fair amount of power.
Because of that, we can’t leave such an important job entirely to Hunters, who lack broader knowledge. While Hunters are the main force in dungeon raids, there are others who handle all other tasks. I’m one of those people.
No, I’m the manager of those people. That’s .
Would an ordinary employee possess one of the two prototypes in the entire country?
“My role is to support Hunters so they can raid dungeons comfortably. I’m directly under the Director.”
“The Director of the Agency? The greatest Hunter in our country!”
Because he was so famous, their previously indifferent reactions suddenly changed. It’s convenient to use his na at tis like this.
I nodded with a smile. I still had more convenient stories to use at tis like these.
“Yes. Embarrassingly, he’s also my father.”
“Your father?”
“Technically, he’s my foster father.”
“Ah….”
The won reacted chanically.
“I lost my parents in an accident when I was young. The Director saved , adopted , and raised .”
It’s not a lie. Really.
It was true that he saved and true that he adopted .
“To repay that kindness, I studied hard and now work under my father. Ah, and don’t misunderstand, it’s definitely not nepotism.”
That part was a lie. It was actually nepotism.
But then again, it’s not entirely nepotism. I just used the existing system to beco a civil servant. Like the additional points for having a Hunter license, that sort of thing.
I didn’t make up a system to get in; I just used what was available, so it’s not nepotism. Not at all.
Except for soone stubborn like Yoo Ji-eun, it passed the director’s confirmation hearing without any issues.
The won in front of thought the sa way.
“Of course. He’s famous for being fair and just, isn’t he?”
“Rather, it’s cool that a father and son work together.”
When people hear the tearful success story of an orphan who lost both parents in an accident and was adopted, they usually react like that.
“So, why did you co to Busan, Hwijae? Business trip?”
“A vacation to celebrate my promotion. I didn’t plan to co, but they kicked out because I hadn’t taken a single day off since last year.”
This was a half-lie.
Still, my smooth words made the won burst into laughter.
“Haha, being too focused on work isn’t good. You need to relax when it’s ti to relax.”
“So, are you all on vacation…?”
“Yes, we’re on vacation too.”
“Ah, I hope I’m not interrupting your break….”
Just like the won had said to , I also threw out so insincere, flattering words. This give-and-take is exactly how trust is built in modern society.
This is how we help each other live.
“Thanks to you, we’re seeing sothing amazing. Can you show it to us one more ti?”
One of the won pointed at the device on my wrist.
“What was its na again? I heard it earlier, but it was too long….”
“It’s the Miniature Multifunctional Communication Device for Hunters. But we just call it the Mana Watch for convenience. It has more functions than a regular watch, though.”
It was developed under the governnt and will be distributed first to Hunters affiliated with the Ability Managent Agency. It will take at least ten more years before it’s available to the public.
This watch will beco central to dungeon raids in the future….
“It just looks like a regular watch.”
“And a rather ugly watch at that.”
“We’re not saying that Hwijae wears an ugly watch.”
The won chatted among themselves and giggled.
“I need to brag about this at work. Hwijae, is it okay if I take a picture of it?”
I shook my head.
After dealing with air-headed Hunters who didn’t appreciate the value of this watch, I just wanted to hear so pure admiration. I wasn’t so out of it that I would reveal confidential information to civilians.
“Sorry. It’s still confidential.”
“Wow, confidential….”
“Even though it will be publicly released soon, I can’t get caught up in any unnecessary rumors.”
“Of course. We understand.”
This is sothing a public servant must always be cautious about.
There’s an old saying that the pen is mightier than the sword.
It’s a good saying.
An invisible power is often more fearso than the physical power right in front of your eyes.
“But it just looks like a watch; it’s not really a watch, right? How do you use it?”
“It registers the mana pattern, so no one but the owner can use it. Just a mont. I’ll set it so others can see.”
I adjusted the settings on the Mana Watch. Since there were only two of these, not all functions were fully activated, but the basic ones worked fine.
It was helpful in my work too… while I could show it to civilians without issue, I needed sothing impressive.
Yes, this would do.
A holographic window appeared above the watch. The window, which was previously patterned to be visible only to , was now adjusted to be readable by people with no mana at all with just a simple manipulation.
“Wow….”
“What is this? A list of dungeon… danger levels?”
Glancing at the window, I explained.
“It’s the status of all dungeons nationwide. It’s linked to the Mana ters, so it can check the dungeon status in real-ti.”
Seoul Yeongdeungpo 2nd Dungeon (B) – Danger Level 2
Seoul Inwangsan 1st Dungeon (C) – Danger Level 2
Chungnam Taean 3rd Dungeon (A) – Danger Level 3
…
“They’re sorted by danger level… From Level 2, they are imdiate raid targets… These three dungeons are all currently being raided.”
“Oh… you’re right. I saw it on the news.”
“They went in the day before yesterday, so they should be coming out soon. It’ll probably be on the news as ‘raid complete’ by tomorrow.”
The won looked at the holographic window in fascination. I leisurely sipped my cocktail.
It’s nice to enjoy a vacation once in a while, isn’t it?
“Huh?”
“Uh… um, Hwijae?”
“Yes?”
“This dungeon’s grade is suddenly rising sharply, is that okay?”
“What?”
I hurriedly checked the information window. A dungeon with a rapidly changing danger level appears at the top.
A dungeon was blinking and changing numbers.
Seoul Bangi-dong 1st Dungeon (D) – Danger Level 5
Seoul Bangi-dong 1st Dungeon (D) – Danger Level 3
Seoul Bangi-dong 1st Dungeon (D) – Danger Level 1
“…!”
I jumped up from my seat.
!! Seoul Bangi-dong 1st Dungeon (D) – 00000000000
The dungeon broke out.
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