Prologue

I knew Kim Se-hyun was a pervert, but I didn’t realize he was this crazy.

“Ha-neul hyung, are you okay?”

“Ghet yhur hnds ohf… (Get your hands off.)”

“It’s hard to clean it off by yourself.”

“I thold yhu thoo ghon… (I told you to go away.)”

If the punk hadn’t insisted on ‘helping,’ I would have finished cleaning up this slime fluid ages ago.

Actually, if he hadn’t ‘pretended’ to miss the white slime, ‘driven’ it over here, and ‘burst’ it, I wouldn’t have been in this mess in the first place.

“If I’d known you were here, Hyung, I wouldn’t have burst it.”

“…….”

“At this rate, even your underwear must be soaked, absolutely drenched, right?”

Contrary to his worried tone, the slight curve of his lips was infuriating.

Not to mention his hands, which were slyly smearing the fluid over me.

“Hyung. Huff! You’re being way too erotic.”

“…….”

“How can a person be this pretty? …It makes me want to keep you tucked inside me always.”

I had no idea what he was thinking to make him pant like that.

What’s more, the way his eyes had gone all hazy and unfocused was incredibly unsettling.

I tried my best to ignore him and focused on cleaning the fluid off.

“Huff!”

The breath pouring over my head grew increasingly ragged.

It was a clear signal for me to look at him, but I had no intention of responding.

After all, the reason I was in this state was entirely because of what this guy, Kim Se-hyun, had done.

“It’s no use wiping it like this here. It would be much better to just go to my house and wash up properly so you don’t feel gross, right?”

Since the heavy breathing didn’t work, it seemed he had shifted tactics to persuasion.

I wanted to keep ignoring this too, but Kim Se-hyun was actually somewhat tolerable when he spoke in that voice.

I nonchalantly brushed off the fluid and stole a glance at him.

“You won’t be able to catch a taxi in this state anyway. Even if you managed to get in one, you’d have to pay for the seat cleaning.”

“…….”

“Would you even have anything left if you paid for seat cleaning with that measly salary of yours?”

As if he’d been waiting for me to look, the moment our eyes met, he poured out words like rapid-fire.

Furthermore, his hands—which had paused briefly while he spoke—were now busy splattering more fluid on me.

I felt a surge of desire to refute every single thing he said, but his last point gave me pause.

It was true that if I had to pay for a taxi’s seat cleaning, I’d have to tighten my belt for months.

Since I couldn’t use the subway either, it was safe to say my only remaining option was walking.

I wiped away the fluid dripping from my head and assessed the situation more closely.

“…….”

Walking is out of the question, too. Completely out.

My dress shirt, which had become translucent as the fluid soaked in, had already lost its function.

My skin was clearly visible, and since the fluid I was covered in was white of all colors, it was a guaranteed trip to the police station for public indecency if I stepped out like this.

I irritably wiped the fluid and flung it to the floor, but no answer presented itself.

My shoulders slumped.

“Hyung, you’re coming to my house, right?”

My mood was in the gutter, so why was that guy in such a good mood?

His voice, dripping with more joy than ever, was obnoxious.

I thought about it one more time, but there was no clever alternative to his suggestion.

I let out a deep sigh and spoke grumpily.

“I’m just going to wash up and leave immediately.”

The longer I stayed, the higher the chance I’d fall for his sweet talk.

My past—where I always gave in despite vowing not to—was proof enough.

This time, I’m really just going to do my business and get out!

“Hyung, you worked hard today, so when we get home, I’ll feed you something really delicious.”

“…Feed?”

I had expressed my intention to just wash up and return, but it seemed my words hadn’t reached Kim Se-hyun’s ears.

At his nonsensical statement, I reflexively repeated his last word, then scrutinized him closely as the nuance felt strange.

His eyes were shinier than before, his shoulders were moving violently up and down, his breath was panting, and his red tongue was licking his lower lip.

“Huff.”

I wondered if I had ever encountered a more ragged breath in my entire life.

Right now, regardless of whether I was going to Kim Se-hyun’s house or not, securing a safe distance was the priority.

As I stepped back to widen the gap, his panting shoulders caught my eye first.

I slowly lifted my head, and the moment my gaze met those shimmering blue eyes, goosebumps broke out all over my body.

“Ha-neul hyung.”

The voice was so thick with moisture that I dreaded the words that might follow.

It wasn’t a welcome sight to see the guy, who had been standing there stiffly, start to move.

The movement of his hand reaching downward couldn’t have been more suspicious.

I kept my guard up, tracking his hand with my eyes, but the moment his hand stopped over the zipper of his pants, a siren blared in my head.

“My milk would be tastier than a slime’s….”

“Oh, come on!”

I stand corrected.

He wasn’t just a crazy pervert.

To the point where the title of ‘World’s Greatest Hunter’ felt like a waste, this guy was a total pervert!

1. Do Not Be Kind to Guests

‘The Law of Dungeon Generation.’

This law refers to the phenomenon where, when a Rank A or higher dungeon is generated and cleared in a specific area, the aftermath remains in that region for a certain period.

To put it simply, when a Rank A or higher dungeon is destroyed, low-rank dungeons are generated in that area for a set time, or none are generated at all.

This law is known to have never failed once since the first dungeon in the world appeared in 1986.

The high-ranking dungeon that appeared in the Seoul Metropolitan area for the first time in a year and three months spat out the largest number of monsters since the country’s founding.

At one point, a state of emergency was nearly declared for the entire city of Seoul, but now, two weeks later, daily life continued as usual.

It was as if the world had returned to the era before dungeons ever appeared.

All this peace was the result of many people’s efforts, but it was also something that would have been impossible without one person: the S-Class Hunter, Kim Se-hyun.

Yes, exactly, Kim Se-hyun.

“…….”

Looking at the list of Association cooperation fee recipients, I couldn’t stop my lips from curling upward.

I thought a day like this might come eventually, but I didn’t expect it to arrive so soon.

When I was first assigned to the Hunter Department, I wondered if such a day would ever come, but here it was.

Furthermore, to be the one processing Kim Se-hyun’s cooperation fee with my own hands.

I couldn’t tell if this was a dream or reality.

My hands danced busily over the keyboard.

It was as if they were representing my heart.

But that was only for a moment.

I stopped my hands and vowed to be kind to Kim Se-hyun’s people who were expected to visit the Hunter Department soon.

It would be wonderful if Kim Se-hyun himself came, but his close associates visiting wasn’t bad either.

Though all I had to offer were some snacks on the display shelf and tea, I figured I could express my gratitude indirectly by handing out even one more thing.

“But you know, out of all the lands available, why did our ancestors choose this place as the capital?”

It was a completely out-of-the-blue remark.

I looked at Officer Park as the word ‘ancestors’ echoed through the quiet office.

“…Why the ancestors all of a sudden?”

“Were our ancestors just completely blind when it came to real estate? No, they must have been.”

Officer Park’s expression was quite serious as he rambled about the ancestors’ eyes without any context.

I continued to listen to the conversation.

“What about the ancestors, and what’s this about real estate?”

“Don’t you agree? If they had any foresight, they wouldn’t have made a land where dungeons pop up every two weeks the capital.”

I wondered what he was talking about, but it turned out to be a conspiracy theory.

It was something I heard often, yet it couldn’t sound more plausible.

I leaned in further.

“Tsk! You know one thing, but you don’t know the other! There were no dungeons back then.”

“Ah, I didn’t think of that.”

Right, that was true.

Dungeons appearing was a relatively recent phenomenon.

I was tempted by the theory, but pretending I wasn’t, I picked up the cup on my desk and emptied it in one gulp.

“Setting the ancestors aside. Now that I hear it, it is strange. Is there a water vein that attracts dungeons or something?”

“Wow, Team Leader, you’re feeling it too, right? Seoul is world-class when it comes to the dungeon generation cycle, yet no politician talks about moving the capital. Other countries move their capitals to avoid dungeons. There’s definitely a secret hidden in the land of Seoul that we don’t know about!”

Officer Park spoke with such heat that his face turned red.

This time, it was quite convincing.

I immediately searched for ‘Seoul City conspiracy theories.’

“…….”

I wondered what kind of conspiracy theories there were, but all that came up were things related to politicians or celebrities.

Disappointed, I closed the search window immediately.

“We’ll find out naturally as time passes.”

“As long as the dungeons can stay quiet like they are now, I can accept whether there’s a water vein or any other secret.”

“That’s right, Deputy Team Leader. If the dungeons are quiet, it’s good for us, and the damage to citizens will be minimized, so it’s a win-win.”

“It’s a win-win-win. We won’t have to beg the Association for help and can handle things on our own.”

It seemed I wasn’t the only one listening to the conspiracy theories.

Before I knew it, everyone was participating in the conversation, so I cautiously added my voice.

“I really hope a day like that comes.”

“The youngest thinks so too?”

“Yes. If the Association’s presence weakens, they won’t be able to act as arrogant as they do now.”

A decrease in the number of dungeons meant, in other words, a decrease in the Association’s means of making money.

If that happened, the money-obsessed Association would surely collect even more activity fees from its affiliated hunters, and it was only natural for dissatisfied hunters to leave.

Since one had to belong to either the Association or the state to act as a hunter, the only place for those who left to go was here.

Furthermore, if their arrogance faded, they wouldn’t have the nerve to demand that the Hunter Department hand-write cooperation requests.

Yes, if that happened, the sorrow of living in a rented building right next to the Association despite having our own government building would finally end.

“…The youngest seems to have quite a lot built up?”

“It’s almost lunchtime, so let’s order food first. You’ll feel much better once there’s food in you.”

Ah.

I was just thinking it, but it seemed my resentment toward the Association had accidentally leaked onto my face.

When they suggested ordering food because it was lunchtime to change the atmosphere, I hurriedly waved my hands. Or rather, I tried to.

“Alright, today let’s eat what our youngest wants! Order to your heart’s content, this card is paying!”

…Did I really need to correct everyone’s misunderstanding?

Looking at the red card that appeared before my eyes, my reason began to fade.

In the end, I chose instinct.

“I want to eat Chinese food!”

Usually, I ate with the Deputy Team Leader, who had a weak stomach, so I matched his taste, but not today.

With this card in my hand, the lunch menu was entirely my prerogative.

“Good! Choose the menus as you like. And add two large orders of sweet and sour pork and one extra-large omelet rice.”

“Yes!”

Once the Team Leader finished his picks, the other team members chose their menus one after another.

After noting down the details and checking the specific food for the Deputy Team Leader, I immediately called the Chinese restaurant and the porridge shop.

“The Chinese food will be here in 30 minutes, and the porridge is expected around the same time.”

“Ha-neul, did you want black bean noodles that badly?”

“…Yes.”

I heard some areas have Chinese restaurants that deliver even a single serving, but unfortunately, there was no such place in my neighborhood.

Even so, my wallet was too thin to order extra food just to meet the delivery minimum.

“Our little chick has a chick’s appetite.”

“Since he likes it so much, we should eat Chinese food more often.”

I nodded vigorously.

“Good! Then let’s take a break until lunch. Well, we were already resting, but you know.”

“Yes!”

Thirty minutes went by in a flash.

I was checking the time with a fluttering heart when I turned at Officer Kim’s call.

“Oh, right, Ha-neul.”

“Yes, Officer Kim.”

“Still no word from the ‘Surplus’ side?”

“Sur—, there’s been no contact from Hunter Kim Se-hyun’s side yet.”

I almost made a huge mistake against my savior by getting caught up in the atmosphere.

Relieved, I watched him stroke his chin.

“What’s up with that money-grubber?”

“A money-grubber?”

I didn’t know why the word ‘money-grubber’ was coming up here.

I sent him a look asking for more explanation.

“Come to think of it, you wouldn’t know. About Kim Se-hyun. Around here, the rumors are everywhere that he’s a guy obsessed with money.”

“Kim… Se-hyun is… obsessed with money?”

“Hunters affiliated with the Association call him that too.”

“Couldn’t the information be wrong?”

If he were a person who cared only for money, he wouldn’t have acted like that eight years ago.

Recalling Kim Se-hyun, who had destroyed a newly forming dungeon with a single gesture before nonchalantly leaving the scene, the talk of him being money-hungry was surely just a groundless rumor.

“…Well, you’ll find out once you deal with him.”

Officer Kim blinked and wore a faint smile.

I wondered if I had ever seen such a thin yet pitiable smile.

At the sight of him giving me a look filled with pity, I shut my mouth.

“In any case, the media and the Association are the problem. They glorify hunters every chance they get to raise their value or get views, so innocent citizens like our little chick end up getting fooled, don’t they?”

“Calling Kim Se-hyun a ‘Black Gentleman’ of all things! I get goosebumps every time I see it!”

“If they have money to blow on the media, they should donate! It would be so much better if they trained more hunters. Then the Association wouldn’t be this hated—”

Rrrr— Rrrr—

It was then.

The phone rang so loudly it felt like the office would shake.

I had hoped things would stay quiet for a while, but it seemed that was merely a wish.

I held my breath at the peace that had shattered after two weeks.