Chapter 339

After a relaxed weekend, most office workers faced what is commonly called the “Monday blues.” The fatigue and sluggishness made their expressions appear dull. However, the researchers at the Central Research Center in the Hunter’s Bureau annex, often called “the Lab,” were different.

This was not because they were full of energy. Instead, for these researchers, working late nights and weekends was routine, so “Monday blues” was meaningless. They simply wore their usual exhausted expressions.

Among them was a man in his late thirties, his face unshaven for days and his eyes sunken with fatigue. This was Ho-Cheol, head of the Artifact and Monster Research Division at the Central Research Center. A former professor at the University of Pennsylvania, he had been working at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton until five years ago, when Young-Chul personally flew to New Jersey to ask him to take a position at the Hunter’s Bureau.

“I should’ve said no back then,” Ho-Cheol muttered to himself.

“Oh, come on. At least you don’t have to be far away from your family now,” someone responded to his rant.

“What does it matter? When I get home, my kids are already asleep. I haven’t seen them in days.”

“Still, seeing them in person is better than nothing.”

“I guess. Back in the States, all I had were video calls—eeek! Sir?!” Thinking he was chatting with a fellow researcher, Ho-Cheol nearly fell out of his chair when he realized who he was talking to.

He finally lost his balance and tumbled off his seat, landing on his backside. Young-Chul smirked as he casually took a seat, surveying the cluttered desk in front of him. It was full of experimental data scattered everywhere and a towering stack of coffee cups, at least six high.

“How long have you been sleeping on that cot?” Young-Chul asked him.

“Since Friday, sir. Ah, no, I think it was Thursday. So about four days.”

Ho-Cheol dusted off his lab coat and let out a resigned sigh. His thoughts wandered to the exploration of the eighth floor, which had been announced by the Hunter’s Bureau a few days earlier.

“Sir, honestly, it would’ve been nice to get a heads-up before you announced it to the press. I am the main center head, after all. My staff have been asking me if the Lab has lost its influence, and I didn’t even know what to tell them.”

“Sorry about that. How about I make it up to you with a surprise task? Could you review these documents? The deadline is this Sunday.”

“Are... are you sure you’re sorry?” Sighing, Ho-Cheol took the documents.

They contained classified data on the Hidden Pieces currently in Behemoth’s possession. Each one of them had monstrous stats. His task was to analyze how they work together in harmony and determine the most effective combination.

As always, the Hidden Pieces that the three “First Hunters” of Behemoth Guild would use for exploring the eighth floor had already been selected.

[Shadow Horn]

[Etighan’s Bone Necklace]

[Twilight Walker]

Ho-Cheol had been joking with Young-Chul just moments ago, but now, his face turned serious as he reviewed the documents.

“Sir, you once mentioned that there’s a specific researcher who prepares these strategies. Who is it? Isn’t it time you told me?” he asked.

“Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?”

“I’m just curious. Actually, very curious. My researchers spend days and nights working on solutions, yet the answers you give us always match. How could I not be interested? Where are they from? Je-Il? Hyun-Sung?”

Je-Il and Hyun-Sung were the second and third-largest research institutions, following the Hunter’s Bureau. Determined to get an answer, Ho-Cheol’s gaze sharpened. The intensity made Young-Chul subtly lean back.

He said, “Why are you so persistent today? Anyway, I have to go.”

“Come on, sir, just a hint. At least give me their initials.”

Instead of replying, Young-Chul simply gestured with his chin. On the shelf sat a binder, a research proposal submitted by an intern last year. Brightly colored sticky notes poked out from its pages. It was the highest-evaluated proposal at the time.

“Understanding and Practical Management of Fissures”

“Well then, I’ll be off.”

The automatic doors closed behind Young-Chul, and Ho-Cheol was left alone in the research center. He reached for the binder and checked the name on it.

“Lee Do-Jun...”

He had seen this name before. A year ago, he had invited him to the Lab to discuss artifact-related monster activity. A year had flown by since then.

***

Meanwhile, in an office that now felt more like his own, Yong-Yong was sprawled on his designated cushion in the corner of Do-Jun’s desk. Yeon-Ji from Administration had recently bought a dog bed for him, worried that he might catch a cold if he continued to leave his belly exposed to the cold desk. Yong-Yong had taken quite a liking to it, to the point of making the commute to City Hall every other day.

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Yawning, he lazily rolled across the cushion. The staff had been leaving snacks next to him, and Yong-Yong had been nibbling on them whenever he got bored. As a result, he was definitely getting chubbier by the day; it was no illusion.

“Oh my gosh, he’s adorable,” Yeon-Ji gushed.

After returning from the restroom, she headed toward her desk but noticed that Do-Jun wasn’t there. Giggling, she tiptoed over to Yong-Yong and patted his back. She wanted to rub his belly too, but she knew he’d get grumpy, so she resisted.

“Senior Kwon,” she called out to Hyuk-Soo.

“Hm?”

“Doesn’t Yong-Yong... kind of look like a dragon?”

Hyuk-Soo stiffened for a moment without even realizing it. “Uh... I-I wouldn’t know.”

“I mean, he looks like a mini dragon,” she elaborated. “The number on his forehead, the horns... Everything about him just screams...

dragon

.”

At that moment, Do-Jun returned from a meeting with another department. After reporting to Cheol-Soo, he returned to his seat. Yong-Yong barely opened his eyes before rolling off his cushion and climbing onto Do-Jun’s lap. Curling up, he bobbed his head a few times before dozing off.

Yeon-Ji chuckled and commented, “I guess his master’s lap is the best place for him.”

Do-Jun thought about moving him but decided against it. He wasn’t heavy, and at least this way, he wouldn’t be running around causing distractions.

Then, his office phone rang, prompting Do-Jun to answer. “Seoul City Hall, Fissure Management Division, this is Lee Do-Jun speaking.”

A male voice came through the receiver.

—Hello. This is Choi Ho-Cheol, Director of the Hunter’s Bureau Central Research Center. I hope you remember me, Supervisor Lee.

***

The Central Research Center was divided into different research fields across floors two through eleven—Status Windows, Awakening Skills, Monsters, Fissures, Artifacts, and more. Do-Jun stepped off the elevator on the seventh floor and followed Ho-Cheol down the hallway of the research institute. Yong-Yong trotted alongside Do-Jun, matching his pace. His eyes sparkled with curiosity as he scanned his surroundings, fascinated by the research facility's interior.

“I know you must be busy with your official duties. Thank you for taking the time to come,” Ho-Cheol expressed his gratitude to Do-Jun.

“It’s no problem. This is nothing compared to all the help you gave me back when I was an intern.”

“Oh, no. I was the one who received help. I should’ve recognized you back then. When I saw the details in the project appendix, I was shocked. Do you know how many Fissures the Hunter’s Bureau manages? Yet, you listed every type of monster found in them...”

Ho-Cheol remembered the experiments he and his colleagues were conducting on undocumented monster traits at the time. They were investigating how the temperature of an orc’s heart influenced its properties. Since Hunter-related research often involved highly scientific phenomena, hands-on experiments were necessary. However, the project appendix that Do-Jun had submitted contained the exact findings they had been trying to prove.

There’s no way he conducted experiments on this himself... so, how?

Ho-Cheol wondered.

For example, the document explained how an orc’s heart, when heated to sixty degrees Celsius, released lycopene and citric acid, which could be used to temporarily dissolve rust from Artifacts. Conversely, if frozen, it would undergo an ionization process caused by sulfuric and nitric acid, leading to rapid corrosion.

At the end of the hallway, they reached the Artifact Research Division, located across from the Director’s Office. If not for the sign on the door, the room could easily be mistaken for a cramped studio apartment, cluttered with various items scattered about.

“Sorry for the mess... I’ve been meaning to clean up, but work keeps piling up.” Ho-Cheol apologized.

“That’s understandable.”

Yong-Yong, clearly lacking the social awareness, muttered, “Wow, yeah, it really is nast—"

Do-Jun snapped his fingers, creating a ripple in the air that silenced Yong-Yong. It took about three seconds before Yong-Yong was freed. Immediately afterward, Do-Jun pulled a piece of candy from his pocket and popped it into Yong-Yong’s mouth.

“Do you remember last year? You helped answer a bunch of my questions here. Thanks to you, all we had to do was verify everything through experimentation. By the way, have you given it any more thought since then? The offer still stands,” Ho-Cheol said, mentioning an invitation to join the Lab, which Do-Jun had declined before and had no intention of accepting now.

He simply smiled in response, and Ho-Cheol chuckled knowingly.

“I know I left it around here somewhere...” Ho-Cheol rummaged through the piles of documents stacked on his desk.

It was the Hidden Piece List and the artifact synthesis report he received from Young-Chul that morning. Before discussing anything, he planned to show Do-Jun the document first.

Just then, a message popped up on the monitor with a ding. It was from Team Leader Park Dae-Woo at the Monster Research Division.

Park Dae-Woo: Sir, I’ve sent you the ogre tendon composition analysis. Also... I’m seriously heading home now.

Do-Jun glanced at the screen. It was a simple exchange, but even from that short message, he could tell how exhausted Park Dae-Woo must have been.

“I heard you’re also overseeing the Monster Research Division. That must be exhausting,” he commented.

“It’s just part of the routine now. It was worse before, but things have calmed down a bit since a major project was put on hold. That was our main focus, but last year, the Chief suddenly ordered us to suspend it.”

“I see.”

That particular case had made headlines at the time.

With an audible

crunch

, Yong-Yong began chewing on his candy.

“To be honest, we were all drained. Dragons are elusive creatures. Capturing one is impossible, and even obtaining an intact corpse is rare. The only samples we have are two claws from the Masalis Raid four years ago... Since then, two more dragons have appeared, but we have no idea where they are now. And they keep asking us why they only appear in Korea. As if we’d know.” Ho-Cheol paused.

Even now, Masalis’ fate remained uncertain.

Sighing deeply, Ho-Cheol continued, “Anyway, dragon—”

Crunch.

“Research is—”

Crunch.

Finally, Yong-Yong and Ho-Cheol locked eyes. Ho-Cheol had already met Yong-Yong once last year and knew he was an F-rank monster that Do-Jun had tamed.

After a long pause, Ho-Cheol said, “Yong-Yong, how about I give you a thousand won? You can grab a drink from the vending machine while we talk.”

“Ooooh, okay! Sounds good!” Taking the bill, Yong-Yong excitedly ran toward the vending machine.

“Anyway, that’s why dragon research has been temporarily suspended. They’re just too mysterious,” Ho-Cheol concluded.

Just then, the door creaked open with Yong-Yong standing there, looking flustered. “Uh... Mister! The machine ate my money!”

“Again? That thing does this at least once a day...” Ho-Cheol scratched his head and stepped into the hallway to assist Yong-Yong.