BRH 9
by Emerlyn“Shut your mouth, or get out. You’re disturbing my work.”
“…”
To think I’m hearing ‘shut up and get lost’ now, something I never heard in my past life. What’s wrong with these Hunters these days? Back in my day, Hunters were…!
“…Yes.”
If they tell me to do it, I have to do it. Ha Do-heon shrunk back, squatting in a corner, and sullenly shut his mouth. The backs of the people diligently swinging their pickaxes were lined up in a row. Everyone was working hard, dripping with sweat.
His breath fogged up the inside of the gas mask he wore. Inevitably, his mind wandered back to the past.
In the past, or rather, before his regression, ‘Weirdness Hunters’ were treated differently from ordinary Hunters. As their existence became known to the world, citizens began to tremble with anxiety.
It was only natural. Because no one could know when a Hunter infected with Weird Cell would suddenly turn and kill people, such anxiety was constantly raised through the media.
But the reality was different. Even if they were infected with Weird Cell, their essence remained unchanged. They cherished their country, loved their families, and risked their lives every moment to protect this land.
In that respect, the Hunter Management Bureau could be seen as having managed the measures and treatment of Weirdness Hunters carelessly. They used Weirdness Hunters as shields, dispatched them preferentially to high-risk Dungeons, and shifted the blame directed at the Hunter Management Bureau onto the Weirdness Hunters.
Whether it was to differentiate them from ordinary Hunters or to solidify the image of the unit, the government managed Weirdness Hunters with unique distinctions.
When exposed to the media or dispatched, they were made to wear animal masks.
The 1st Battalion, where Ha Do-heon was, wore masks modeled after foxes. With snouts that stretched out like wolves and sharply honed teeth, like a gag that pressed against the nose and mouth, it made the appearance of the Weirdness Hunters even more bizarre.
Children would burst into tears whenever they saw the Weird Unit. But they couldn’t take them off. It was the government’s order.
So, is that why?
Are masks so comfortable?
Ha Do-heon rubbed the gas mask. Even when others complained about being suffocated, hot, and uncomfortable, Do-heon was satisfied, thinking this was relatively comfortable.
“Huff, huff… Ah, damn it, it’s hard to breathe, why are they making us wear this?”
“They say the things living here spew poisonous gas. Stop complaining and finish quickly.”
Why is it hard to breathe when the oxygen tank is connected securely? Ha Do-heon stared strangely at the Hunter with the pickaxe, who was sweating profusely and grumbling, but quickly turned his head and pretended to dig at the wall when the other person looked at him.
“Hurry up! We’re moving to the next area soon!”
The Hunters of the attack team suddenly shouted from afar. The miners scraped up the ore, put it in baskets, and hurriedly carried it on their shoulders. The young man with the hat, in particular, was more diligent, so his basket was fuller than others.
The inside of the Dungeon was an underground cave, and the monsters that appeared were large bats. The size of each individual was close to 2 meters, but the rank was not high, so B-rank Hunters could handle them well enough.
“Okay, let’s move!”
The resting attack Hunters folded their mats and stood up. The workers carried their baskets and moved. Ha Do-heon counted the number of miners and followed from the rear. The young man with the hat, carrying a basket, happened to be walking right in front of him.
He was wearing the hat so low that he hadn’t even seen the guy’s eyes yet. But his body was sturdy, and he was quite tall. Since they’re moving now… it would be okay to talk to him, right?
Do-heon cleared his throat a few times, then cautiously approached and spoke to the young man with the hat.
“Um, excuse me…”
“Aren’t you working?”
He was cut off with a cold reply!
Do-heon was dumbfounded by the attitude of the young man with the hat, who treated him like a lazy grasshopper who wasn’t working and slacking off. In the meantime, the guy quickened his pace, avoided Ha Do-heon, went to the front of the line, and eventually disappeared completely from his sight.
So that means, don’t talk to him? Watching the guy with Usain Bolt-level speed, Do-heon frowned slightly. Did I do something wrong? I just greeted him, cautiously approached, and said a few words. Geez, these Hunters these days… Hah!
23 years old, Ha Do-heon. He inwardly overlooked the fact that he was also a Hunter belonging to the ‘modern era’ and suppressed his old-fashioned feelings. After a while, a loud voice was heard from the front.
“Boss Room!”
The deepest room in the ant cave. When Do-heon raised his eyes, a whitish iron door was visible beyond the round heads.
‘Is it the Boss Room already?’
Even before his regression, Do-heon had attacked the bat Dungeon. In his memory, opening the iron door led to a huge Boss Room. The cave was generally wide and the ceiling was high, and when the door was opened, a giant 5-meter bat crouching on the ceiling would come down and engage in a fierce battle with the Hunters.
Because the rank was not high, the Boss could be killed after about 20 minutes of fighting. After that, they would mine minerals for about an hour, receive their pay, and call it a day. Then the attack was over.
‘Before that, I have to somehow introduce myself and become acquainted.’
Considering that the work would be finished in about 2 hours, it would only be noon even after leaving the Dungeon. With plenty of time, he might be able to introduce himself if he was lucky.
Yes, let’s do it. Ha Do-heon clenched his fist tightly, shouting ‘fighting’ inwardly.
“Workers, please wait outside, and come in after we finish the attack. It’s the Boss, so it’ll be dangerous.”
“Yes, yes. Of course. That’s what we should do.”
“You’re telling us to stay outside because this is cumbersome, right? It’s only one rank difference, what’s the big deal…”
Someone next to Ha Do-heon grumbled in a disgruntled voice. I’m trying to safely escort you directly, what’s wrong with these kids these days? Back in my day, there were no guys like this?
While Ha Do-heon was contemplating the difference between his past life and his current life, the attack team opened the iron door and went inside. The workers took this opportunity to sit down in the hallway and take a breather. But in the middle, people had no choice but to stop awkwardly.
“What… what is it?”
“That’s not cheering…”
Do-heon quickly turned his head and looked at the iron door. What is that? Something bizarre caught his eye. The lens in his eye flickered faintly with a golden light. It was an abnormal signal sent by Lime.
Do-heon blinked his eyes sullenly. Before he knew it, the workers had also fallen silent. Their faces were all white and they were frozen like stones.
What was coming from inside was not cheering. It was screaming.
***
Dawn on June 13th, a 4-rank Dungeon appeared near Gangnam.
As soon as the Hunter Management Bureau learned that the Dungeon was 4-rank, they contacted the Taerang Guild. Since a 4-rank Dungeon required the dispatch of at least one S-rank Hunter to be attacked, the cooperation of the Taerang Guild was essential.
Moon Tae-yi, the No. 1 Hunter in Korea.
Taerang was the guild he belonged to. According to the Hunter Management Bureau’s cooperation request, the Taerang Guild dispatched Moon Tae-yi to the 4-rank Dungeon. The standard date for attacking a 4-rank Dungeon was about fifteen days. And today was just two days into it.
As the sun set, the attack team pitched tents and lit a fire. Nearby, crushed monsters were piled up like a tower. The stench of blood was intense, but no one complained. For Hunters who frequented Dungeons, this kind of thing was part of everyday life.
Those who were picky about cleanliness couldn’t do the Hunter’s job in the first place. You had to be able to cut off the head of a monster and sleep even in a place teeming with corpses to be able to say, ‘Ah, I went to a 4-rank Dungeon with Moon Tae-yi!’ and brag with your chest puffed out.
Why? Moon Tae-yi tears monsters apart disgustingly!
In that sense, the stomachs of the attack team that entered this 4-rank Dungeon were very strong.
“Alright, alright, let’s have a drink. You’ve all worked hard today. Let’s drink until we die!”
The team leader of the work team, who was sitting on a crushed monster head, laughed gruffly and took out soju. When he hit the bottle to create a swirl and drank straight from the bottle, applause and whistles erupted from all over.