BRH 28

Besides, if I keep hiding like this, too many people will get caught up in it.

What about Song Woo-yeop? I have to keep a close eye on that guy so he doesn’t become a Weirdness Hunter no matter what. And that’s not all.

“What if a dungeon suddenly Upgrades like last time…”

There are currently no hunters who can handle dungeons. The number of S-rank hunters is woefully inadequate, and the abilities of A-rank and lower hunters are practically useless for dungeons of rank 4 or higher. That means the only solutions are for the hunters to re-Awaken, hone their skills, or somehow increase their power.

“But Ren messed up the Hunter Management Bureau disguised as an intruder. Won’t they leave Master alone now that he’s just a B-rank?”

“I wish that were the case… that guy’s intuition is extraordinary. Insanely extraordinary.”

Hui-seong is suspiciously quick-witted!

Who knows if he’s desperately trying to find an excuse to catch Ha Do-heon right now? Since it happened while Ha Do-heon was being questioned, he might suspect him of being an accomplice, at the very least.

“But, Master…”

“What?”

“I swear, I really, really didn’t mean to, but… I was organizing clothes and my hand just went down there, you know? And something felt squishy, so I touched it. But Master… why is it so tiny? Even your balls are smal—”

Ha Do-heon’s head shot up. Immediately after, he approached Ren, who was kneeling, and stretched the Imae’s cheeks like glutinous rice cakes.

“What do you know! You little—! This mouth of yours…!”

“Ow! Ugh, Ren’s dying! Ouch! But Mut and I have things that are thick and huge like this.”

These guys… Ha Do-heon suppressed his rising anger. Ha Do-heon is taller than the average adult male in Korea, and his package is at least big enough not to be ashamed of. These guys don’t even realize they’re superior. Do-heon couldn’t say a word and just shut his mouth.

Why did I take these guys in?

Was it a mistake from the moment they followed me because they liked me and took a corner of the Boss Castle, or was it a mistake to let them peek outside because they were curious about the world?

Ha Do-heon was just giving them freedom out of kindness. If that’s wrong, then there’s nothing he can say.

“Master, can I get a tablet then…?”

“Okay. I’ll buy you one… okay? Just don’t cause any more trouble… please. And stop with Taylor Sun. You’re not going to show everyone, are you?”

“Really? You’ll really buy me a tablet? Then Ren will be as loyal as a dog to Master!”

“…Don’t say things like that.”

Ah, suddenly tears again… While Ha Do-heon raised his arm to wipe his eyes, Ren slyly lowered its arm and clenched its fist to estimate the size, then pressed it tightly. It was clearly two eggs.

“But I don’t think you need to worry. Master’s Darling is as big as we are.”

“…How do you know that?”

“I scanned the building when I was looking for Master. I took a peek then, and oh my!”

Then Ren smacked its forehead.

“There was a smooth sweet potato hanging there. A huge sweet potato!”

“What, really? Is it bigger than mine?”

“……”

Just how hard did it look… Seeing Ren smiling brightly while holding out its fist and Mut comparing it to his own crotch, Ha Do-heon suddenly felt a pang in his stomach. Is this the stress gastritis I’ve only heard about? Can dinosaurs suffer from stomachaches too?

Ha Do-heon, with a gaunt face, let out a tired sigh. He trudged over to the chair and sat down, his whole body feeling weary. Leaving the guys talking about forearms and sweet potatoes behind, Ha Do-heon rested his head and fell into thought.

It was time to sort things out.

According to the information Ha Do-heon had gathered and the information provided by the Hunter Management Bureau-.

“…Dungeons have been Upgrading recently, and the government is in a frenzy. They’re trying to find talent, so they’re digging up re-Awakeners… and I happened to be among them.”

The government was conducting snap inspections throughout Seoul, requesting citizens’ personal information under the guise of identifying unregistered beings and conducting on-the-spot rank assessments.

[Inspection result: Confirmed as B-rank.]

Fortunately, Ha Do-heon was measured as B-rank in the rank assessment. That meant the Hunter Management Bureau had no reason to keep bothering him.

‘Re-Awakeners… they must all be hunters infected with Weird Cells.’

The Hunter Management Bureau made excuses about re-Awakeners, but in reality, they were probably looking for those infected with Weird Cells.

Because… as far as Ha Do-heon knew, there was no such thing as pure re-Awakening.

That’s why there was constant friction between Weirdness Hunters and ordinary hunters in the previous life. Ordinary hunters had a deep-seated sense of being deprived of their rights and argued about the unfairness of the increased power of the higher-ranked Weirdness Hunters.

It would have been good if there had been a mediator to reconcile their positions, but at that time, public opinion was sharply divided between those who supported and those who rejected Weirdness Hunters.

“Those guys fought like crazy back then.”

They would bicker over who glared first, as if they had met their worst enemy, and then grab each other by the collar and fight. It was a complete mess.

Since the time for hunters infected with Weird Cells to appear was approaching, the government needed to solidify its position to minimize future problems. That always started with criticism.

‘What’s important now. What’s needed in the future. And… what’s lacking right now.’

Yes, Ha Do-heon needed information.

Since the Hunter Management Bureau had identified Ha Do-heon as a person of interest, there was a high possibility that they would be watching his every move. Considering that there were other suspected re-Awakened individuals, they were all likely to be of the same kind, infected with Weird Cells.

‘Infection is inevitable for humanity.’

This was something Ha Do-heon couldn’t stop, nor would stopping it solve the problem. Humanity’s growth was essential for the disasters that would come in the future. Instead, what Do-heon could do was change perceptions.

To do that-.

“Should I find the Goblin?”

The mysterious being known as the information hunter ‘Imae’.

What Ha Do-heon needed now was information on whether the government viewed Weirdness Hunters favorably, and the status of Upgraded Dungeons and Gates.

“Goblin? Master, should Ren put in a request to the Goblin? I heard they take requests through social media.”

“What?”

Social media? Is the Goblin… an MZ generation? These days, kids take requests through social media? They don’t open their numbers? They don’t even have an office while working for money?

Ha Do-heon clicked his tongue, took out his phone, searched, and then put it back down after finding only a few elusive pieces of information.

“Let’s just stay quiet for a while for now.”

“How?”

“What do you mean how? Just don’t do anything that stands out. Take a break from dungeons, go to Hoehyeon-dong and eavesdrop on information, that’s all.”

‘I’ll give up on dungeons for the time being.’

And the Yakum Dungeon.

Right now, it’s possible to ‘revive’ even if you die in the Yakum Dungeon, but before the Third Great Disaster, something would happen to the dungeon for some reason. That time was probably… February.

The elite squad that went to conquer the 7th floor as usual never returned.

A special team was dispatched, and soon they found the bodies of the elite squad inside the dungeon. All dead. That day, Korea was plunged into immeasurable grief.

Ha Do-heon didn’t know the reason why they couldn’t return. There were many questionable points at the time, and he was too busy taking care of his own business to pay attention.

‘But if I start looking into it now, I might find something.’

Okay, Do-heon clenched his fist secretly and vowed. I’ll cut off the bud before the tragedy is repeated!

If I recruit an information hunter and dig around, I’ll find something. Whether it’s a state secret held by the government or some kind of information that the higher-ups don’t know about.

“Should I look for a job in Hoehyeon-dong while I’m at it?”

“Master, me too! I want to get a job in Hoehyeon-dong too. As a part-timer at the Morning Star Cafe. I need something. I want to buy something for experiments!”

“Ah, then should I raid a dungeon? I saw some valuable minerals last time. It would be good to refine them and strengthen my sword.”

As if they had been waiting for it, the two guys who had been standing as punishment simultaneously crawled towards Ha Do-heon. Do-heon warned them not to pull too hard as they grabbed and shook his pant legs.

“You guys… won’t let go? Search the warehouse. There should be a lot of those minerals in the warehouse.”

“Warehouse?”

“Master told us not to use the warehouse?”

“When did I?”

I voluntarily said I wouldn’t use it, but I never said not to use it. Ren and Mut gaped blankly, then asked again as if to confirm.

“Master said we have to earn money ourselves… you said that. But we can use it?”

“Then I’m going to use the minerals? Huh? If there’s a better sword, I might throw away my sword and use that. Is that okay?”

Ha Do-heon was in a position to take over, so he said that because he hadn’t contributed to the treasure vault, but the guys who had been Gatekeepers for a long time were different… right?

“…No, you’ve been working as Gatekeepers without getting paid all this time. So, think of it as… what was it? The former Boss gave it to you as severance pay when he died and use it.”

“Really?!”

“You’re really going to use it as you please? Huh?”

“I said use it.”

Having received confirmation, the two guys ran out of the conference room without looking back. Lime, who had been watching the two guys disappear, wobbled. Ha Do-heon patted its squishy body and gestured for it to go too.