CH 29

“That’s how Kang Hara will be joining our team temporarily.”

Including Kwon Wook, Team K had twelve members, and everyone in the conference room looked at Hara at once, making her both awkward and shy. 

“Didn’t we gather today to raid the Sangam Dungeon?” 

The woman wearing a pink beanie raised her hand and asked. Kwon Wook grinned at that.

“As for that, we’ll be taking a break for a while. There’s plans to film a programme.”

“Ah, again?”

“Oh, my. Didn’t we just film a promotional video?”

“Gosh, enough. That’s great. We won’t have to go to Sangam then.”

There were a variety of strong reactions, but most of them liked it. It was understandable. Recently, Team K has been working hard during their raids in the Sangam Dungeon. 

In the past, when an S-class gate surfaced, it was deemed as a disaster. Everyone poured all their efforts into closing the gate as quickly as possible.

But recently it’s different. It’s because of the dungeon byproducts.

Dungeon byproducts were sold at high prices. It’s because things like mana stones had been included as a daily necessity, and items that were used as production materials for hunters. 

The higher the dungeon’s grade, there was a higher chance of byproducts dropping, and not to mention S-class dungeons.

As a result, the government was taking the initiative to target the dungeons slowly to collect as many by-products as possible.

Various types of new technologies have also played a part in this.

Originally, once you enter the dungeon’s Gate, it’s impossible to leave until the dungeon raid has ended. However, about a decade ago, technology that forcibly opens the dungeon’s gate appeared.

While it couldn’t be used frequently because it required mana stones of the same grade as the dungeon’s classification, the government allocated S-class mana stones to Sangam Dungeon, due to its unprecedented size, and left its gate open.

By the way, this technology was a brilliant achievement made by the Korean Hunter Agency. It was still being exported to foreign countries. To be exact, a team with this skill goes abroad on business trips. 

It became a running joke when the Hunter Agency’s special team’s secret, to clock in at 9am and clock out at 6pm, was exposed. After someone saw that technology, they claimed, “It’s clearly the work of aliens that the crazy civil servant society had abducted.”

However, rumours of alien abduction soon lost traction, since the technology’s development made the wish of clocking out at 6pm even more distant. 

Anyways, Team K seemed to welcome it. Even if the dungeon gate was opened, there’s no way they could go to work at 9am and leave at 6pm when they were in an S-class dungeon, so they had to suffer for two weeks once they entered.

“Kang Hara-ssi was drawn into the recent Yeouido dungeon. She’s the one that’ll appear in the programme.” 

“Did you experience a second awakening?”

The woman wearing the beanie asked again. Hara was quite familiar with her face. 

Lee Raeyoung, an A-class hunter that was popular like Kwon Wook in Team K. She was a hunter that awakened as an A-class at eighteen, and was thrust into actual combat before graduating from high school. Her unique name, cute face, and difficult past gave her great fame. 

“I can’t tell you any specifics because it’s a secret to the public. Everyone understands, right?”

“Oh, but it’ll be better to cover what can be covered beforehand.” 

Kwon Wook hummed and looked at Hara. Hara hesitated before opening her mouth.

“I’ve only got a few skills…”

“Only skills? How strange.”

“Hara-ssi possesses flying skills, so if she joins our team officially, she’ll really be a great team member, so I hope that everyone will take care of her.”

Kwon Wook finished the introduction with a smile. 

Although someone pointed out the strangeness of it, they didn’t seem interested in pursuing the root of the matter. After coming in and out of dungeons for a few years, they witnessed all kinds of strange things, so they accepted everything while saying, “I see.” 

Besides, it’s not their first or second time keeping their mouths shut throughout the duration of their public service. 

“First of all, as a test, we’ll enter the D-class dungeon in Eonyang. While we’re at it, we’re going to film the documentary that the broadcasting station has kept inviting us for.”

Kwon Wook laughed and called out the names of five people.

“Raeyoung, Bokhee, Mr. Seonju, Minho, and Mr. Hyeondeok, I hope that you can go on this business trip with me.”

Those that were called nodded their heads. Since they’d usually enter S-class dungeons, a D-class dungeon seemed like nothing much.

Those that weren’t called seemed elated at this long awaited vacation. 

“Gosh. My daughter keeps chanting about how she wants to go to Jeju Island, and thanks to you, I’ll be able to go to Jeju Island this weekend.”

There’s a man that immediately booked a plane ticket on his phone while speaking from his seat. 

“We’ll be going to Eonyang next week. Those that’ll be going to Eonyang, gather at the office next Monday at 6 am. Bokhee, come and see me, everyone else is dismissed.” 

“Ohh.”

The boy, who was sitting at the far end of the table in a swaggering posture, nodded. He was a rather tall and lanky boy.

This is also someone that Hara was also familiar with. 

An A-class hunter with item production skills and always wore sunglasses. His real name was so tacky that he usually used the nickname ‘Bokhee’.

Although people would teasingly say that the name ‘Bokhee’ was tacky, Bokhee was famous for appearing in the X-tube comment section each time to protest defensively, “But it’s a Chinese god?!”

“Hello.”

As soon as they entered Kwon Wook’s private office and sat down, Hara greeted Bokhee once again. She was actually acquainted with him. She met him before on the day she first went to Team K’s office.

Bokhee, who was shy after meeting Hara, had a huge change in attitude once Kwon Wook explained Hara’s skills.

“Wow, awesome. I’m so X-ing jealous. Noona, then do you use a lightsaber?”

“……uh uh, yes.”

“Can you show it to me once?”

Since he was called over to request him to make her an equipment, she had to demonstrate it once to him anyway.

However, Bokhee held her hands and requested eagerly. Then, he went to the warehouse and dug out his lightsabers, and there were five of them in total.

Kwon Wook looked fed up.

“Hey, did you cram five of that?”

“All five of them are all different. Try this, Noona.”

With an awkward smile, Hara showed off her skills with the lightsabers that Bokhee handed her. 

At the sight of the pillar of light that suddenly extended without any prior notice or sound, Bokhee gasped, “Oh my god, holy sh*t,” grasped Hara’s hands again like he was praying, and seemed as thrilled as someone that’s looking at a religious leader.

“I’ll definitely make you a lightsaber, Noona. Hah, it’s been a while since I’ve felt so excited.”

As he said that, Bokhee didn’t even take the production materials from Hara. Apparently, he had kept some A-class materials piled up.

Hara refused politely, saying that she couldn’t accept something so precious, but Bokhee firmly stated that he wasn’t just giving it to her for free.

“T—then?”

“Please cosplay a SXar Wars character with me during next year’s Halloween.” 

Kwon Wook shook his head, but there’s no reason why Hara couldn’t dress up in exchange for an A-class production item. As such, she nodded bewilderedly. 

“Noona! It turned out to be so cute. I think you’ll like it too.”

As he said that, Bokhee took out a white plastic handle.

It didn’t have a heavy and cool exterior as Hara had seen in the movies. It looked more like a flashlight.

“I heard that Noona’s skills are confidential to the general public. As such, I made it like this.”

“It’s like a toy.”

Bokhee became indignant when Kwon Wook commented.

“Hyung! Mid-century modern is popular these days though?!”

“What does this have to do with that…”

“Oh, look! It’s so neat and cute!”

She heard Bokhee tell her to test it out while he was bickering with Kwon Wook. Indeed, it was neat and light. When she tested it out by using her skill, a body of light extended from it and looked really nice. 

[Badass Sword (A) (Creator: Bokhee)]

……

“Erm, the name is……”

Hara asked carefully, Kwon Wook looked at the name of the item and said, “Just give up. That’s how he usually names it,” while showing his item.

After looking at the name of the guard that Kwon Wook always wore, Hara pressed her lips together in an effort to hold back her laughter. 

[Complete Prevention (A) (Creator: Bokhee)]

Additional effect: Stamina +3

“You can laugh.”

Of course, her tolerance was overshadowed by how her nostrils flared, and so she was eventually caught. Kwon Wook shrugged.

“I don’t really want to wear it when it has a name like that, but the additional effect is so ridiculous that I have no choice but to wear it.”

Additional effect… Come to think of it, Hara’s sword also had an additional effect. Agility +3. This is actually a huge added effect. 

A hunter’s stats was usually capped at 99. However, not many hunters have stats in their 90s, much less 99.

Ranong Utaitani, mankind’s very first hunter, was the only hunter with a strength of 99, and this situation was said to be almost like a god that’s beyond a human’s limits. 

Interestingly enough, the recent status of Ranong Utaitani, who was called god-like, was a pseudo-religious leader. Since then, people have refrained from carelessly using ‘god-like’ to describe hunters. 

Anyways, Kwon Wook, an S-class hunter, has an agility of 84 and a mana of 88. If he chooses to do so, he could be fast enough that he can’t even be caught on camera, so the value of an item that gives a +3 was indescribably valuable. 

“What’s wrong with the name? It’s simple and nice.” 

“The problem is that it’s too simple. Every time I have to write a report at the end of the year regarding Team K’s equipment list, I’m embarrassed to death.”

Even if it was made by Bokhee, all of those items went into the government warehouse. As it was an item made for Team K, it was in the form of permanent rental, but no matter what, it’s owned by the government.

After grumbling briefly, Bokhee pointed at the lightsaber.

“I made a fake report for it, so please keep that in mind.”

“Fake?”

“If it’s going to appear in the programme, it’ll be obvious that it’s made by me. I said that because I’ve reported it as a C-class.”

“Ah……”

Hara held the item awkwardly. I see. In any case, her existence, skill, and confidentiality were all rather cumbersome. 

“Then I’ll just see you in Eonyang next week?”

“What? How can that be?”

Kwon Wook’s eyes widened, like he was wondering what she was talking about. 

“Your special training will start from today onwards.”

Hara suddenly had an ominous feeling.

Bokhee butted in from the side.

“I had this thought while making the lightsaber. If I gave Noona a gun, can you shoot out laser bullets?”

“……I don’t know……”

“Oh, then we’ll find out after making it. I’ll make a laser gun, so can you cosplay OverXtch with me?”

As Bokhee rushed out of the office, he laughed, “I’m so excited.” 

Hara looked at Kwon Wook with a bewildered look, to which he replied with a shrug. 

“Even if he’s like that, as long as you follow along, he’ll make good equipment for you, so just go along with it.”

“……Did you, perhaps, dress up as a woman in last year’s Halloween video…”

Kwon Wook averted his gaze. Everyone has their own dark history. Hara shut her mouth without saying anything else.