Chapter 100. I’ll Have To Decline

"Hunter Yeon Hong-Ah sent me!"

The female mage shouted in front of the Association building, causing a commotion among the reporters in an instant.

"So, she's really back in the country!"

"But why is she looking for him so urgently?"

"Did something happen?"

The reporters' eyes gleamed with excitement. The possibility of something serious involving the S-Rank Hunter, Yeon Hong-Ah, was more than enough to spark interest. They didn’t know exactly what was going on yet, but her frantic arrival made it clear that this was going to be front-page news. The atmosphere shifted immediately.

Of course, Baek Hwi-Soo was well aware of the change in mood around him.

"Come this way." Grabbing his throbbing head, he led the female mage inside the Association building.

"Wait a moment!"

"Mr. Baek Hwi-Soo!"

A few reporters tried to follow them inside, but were quickly stopped by the security guards at the entrance. The reporters were left standing there, staring helplessly at their retreating figures, unable to do anything more.

"What’s going on? And who are you?" Baek Hwi-Soo asked, turning his sharp gaze toward the woman.

"Oh, I... I’m Park Min-Hee. I was with Hunter Yeon Hong-Ah in the Sky Bridge dungeon today."

"Oh, in the dungeon?"

Baek Hwi-Soo already knew, because Yeon Hong-Ah had mentioned going hunting earlier that day. She usually went hunting solo, albeit she often took a number of external Hunters along. Since her hunting style didn’t allow for much personal growth for others, she only brought the bare minimum number of guild members.

Baek Hwi-Soo realized that this woman must be one of the Hunters she took with her this time.

Then, nodding, Baek Hwi-Soo asked again, "So, what do you mean by the guild master sent you?"

"Well, it’s... it’s..."

Park Min-Hee started to explain what had happened inside the dungeon. She stammered a bit, but her words were clear enough to understand.

As Baek Hwi-Soo listened to her account, his expression darkened.

“...”

“I-I’m so sorry...” Park Min-Hee lowered her head in shame.

Without saying anything, Baek Hwi-Soo pulled out his phone from his pocket and dialed a number. He was calling a member of Team 1, the same team he belonged to.

“It’s me. You know which dungeon the Guild Master went into today, right? Get everyone over there immediately. Yes, even those who aren’t on duty. It’s an emergency!”

His voice was raised slightly, given the gravity of the situation. After ending the call, Baek Hwi-Soo looked ahead and saw Park Min-Hee trembling, still lowering her head in guilt.

Baek Hwi-Soo spoke firmly to her.

"Our team is heading into that dungeon right now. And you're coming with us."

"M-Me?" Park Min-Hee replied.

"We need someone to help us find the Guild Master’s location. Why? You don’t want to?" Baek Hwi-Soo asked.

"N-no! Please, take me with you!" Park Min-Hee replied.

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

She nodded vigorously, accepting the offer without hesitation. The guilt weighing heavily on her drove her to agree to anything, if it meant to help. After all, she felt responsible for what had happened.

The next moment, Baek Hwi-Soo led her out of the building, and as expected, the reporters swarmed around them. However, this time was different. There was no time for bantering with reporters.

With a cold, determined expression, Baek Hwi-Soo got into the car, followed by Park Min-Hee. The reporters, puzzled, exchanged glances.

"What’s going on? A scandal?"

"No way. It looks like something serious happened."

"Let’s follow them!"

And with that, the reporters quickly rushed to follow.

***

When Kim Do-Joon lifted his head, he saw a creature similar to the Sky Beaks, but with distinct differences. It was much larger, with darker color, and its feathers glistened with a vivid brilliance. At a glance, he could tell this was the dungeon’s boss monster.

How?

Yeon Hong-Ah stared at Kim Do-Joon with apparent astonishment. Just how was he able to notice the boss before she did?

Yeon Hong-Ah had pride on her ability to sense and manipulate mana. Most of her skills were Mage-class, requiring intricate control over her mana. And yet, Kim Do-Joon had detected the boss before her.

Unbeknownst to her, having been personally trained by Karlish, Kim Do-Joon’s mana control was at a level even she couldn’t match. While Yeon Hong-Ah was still processing her surprise, Kim Do-Joon’s eyes were locked onto the boss.

Boom!

Sky Thunder exploded beneath his feet, launching Kim Do-Joon into the air once again. This time, he landed directly on the boss's back, sitting firmly atop it like he had with the lesser monsters earlier.

“

Gruuk

?”

The boss monster wriggled uncomfortably. It was clearly agitated, disturbed by the presence of a mere insect clinging to its back.

“

Kiiiieeee!

”

The monster began thrashing violently, trying to shake him off. But no matter how wildly It twisted its massive body, Kim Do-Joon held on effortlessly. This time, Kim Do-Joon didn’t use his thorns, but instead his spear.

Whoooosh―

A cold, icy wind swirled around the spear. The first place it aimed for was the monster’s wing joint.

“

Kiaaaaak!

”

A searing pain shot through the boss’s back, and it screamed in agony. The spear had severed one of its wings, causing it to fall. No matter how hard it tried, it couldn’t fly with just one wing.

As the massive beast spiraled downward, it thrashed and twisted. Meanwhile, Kim Do-Joon calmly pressed his foot onto the boss’s head.

Thud!

The boss crashed headfirst into the ground. Seeing the monster fall, the other Hunters instinctively rushed forward, ready to land the final blow, as they had done countless times before. However, before they could strike, Kim Do-Joon’s spear flashed.

The boss is mine.

Kim Do-Joon didn’t mind sharing the weaker monsters, but when it came to the boss, the experience points were too valuable to divide.

In the blink of an eye, Kim Do-Joon unleashed dozens of rapid thrusts, piercing the boss over and over. The shockwaves from his strikes made the nearby Hunters hesitate, stopping them in their tracks. While they were momentarily stunned, he finished the job, driving his spear deep into the boss’s skull.

[You have defeated a monster. You have gained Experience Points (EXP).]

[Your Compatibility has increased.]

Nice.

Kim Do-Joon smiled inwardly. His Compatibility, which had been stagnant for a while, had finally risen again. When Compatibility increased, all of his stats grew stronger.

To someone like Kim Do-Joon, who had the ability to copy-paste, only one stat mattered.

The perception stat...

This particular stat was hard to improve with items. After all, items with perception runes were incredibly rare.

Stat Rune

- Perception Level 65

Kim Do-Joon grinned as he looked at his improved stats. Below him, the boss monster lay dead, having barely put up a fight.

It wasn’t surprising. After all, Elena had once defeated the boss from an A-rank dungeon on her own, and even she was easily defeated by Kim Do-Joon in a one-on-one battle. There was no way this boss could pose a threat to him.

Hmm?

Suddenly, he noticed something within the boss’s body. There was a small glimmer of light showing the information window, indicating that there was an item inside.

Without hesitation, Kim Do-Joon dug into the monster’s corpse, retrieving the item and storing it in his inventory. Single-handedly defeating the boss earned him the right to the loot.

After finishing off the boss, Kim Do-Joon glanced upward. It was time to decide which monster he’d ride next. But then, something strange caught his attention. The remaining monsters were slowly backing away from him, as if they were afraid.

***

After the boss fell, everything else happened quickly. The once overwhelming number of Sky Beaks began to dwindle rapidly. In no time, the ground was littered with their corpses, piled high like mountains.

Eventually, the final monster was slain.

"This was the last one!"

Panting heavily, the Hunters surveyed the battlefield. Their breaths ragged as they took in the sight of the countless Sky Beaks’ carcasses. It was no surprise the corpses were so numerous, since every monster in the dungeon had gathered here for the battle.

Several Hunters collapsed to the ground out of extreme fatigue. Their sweat poured down like rain, but their faces were bright with relief. Initially, they had thought they could only hold out until reinforcements arrived, expecting that there’d be casualties.

But now, thanks to Kim Do-Joon’s efforts, they had all survived.

Kim Do-Joon, was it?

He used to be an E-rank, but was promoted through special promotion?

Now it makes sense that the Association President himself guaranteed him...

Slowly, the other Hunters began to gather around Kim Do-Joon. They tried to get closer, hoping to leave some impression. Despite already being part of the Rune Mage Guild, forging connections with a powerful Hunter like him couldn’t hurt.

Kim Do-Joon casually acknowledged their presence, chatting lightly as he took a moment to rest. Although he still had plenty of stamina left, his mana was nearly depleted after using his thorns at maximum range repeatedly.

Yeon Hong-Ah, too, sat silently with her eyes closed, likely recovering her own mana.

As the group recovered their stamina, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed in the distance, followed by a shout.

"Guild Master!"

Everyone’s attention shifted toward the source of the voice. Yeon Hong-Ah opened her eyes and turned to look as well.

Appearing before them were Baek Hwi-Soo, Park Min-Hee, and the rest of team one trailing behind them. They froze in shock upon seeing the massive pile of corpses strewn across the battlefield. Particularly the gigantic body of what was clearly the boss monster, mangled beyond recognition.

Amidst the carnage, they spotted the guild master and the others resting.

"You... all seems fine?" Baek Hwi-Soo muttered, still trying to process the scene before him.

Based on the support request, he had expected a much more dire situation. Park Min-Hee had told him about the swarm of A-rank monsters, numbering in the hundreds, all descending on them at once. Even with Yeon Hong-Ah present, he had assumed there would be casualties, yet there were none.

While there were minor injuries, no one was gravely hurt or incapacitated.

The awe in their eyes was noticeable. To the members of Team 1, this was just another testament to their exceptional guild master. Their admiring gazes lingered on Yeon Hong-Ah, filled with pride and reverence.

However, Yeon Hong-Ah, catching their looks, slowly shook her head.

"It wasn’t me."

"What? Then who...?"

Her eyes shifted toward someone else. Baek Hwi-Soo followed her gaze and found himself staring at Kim Do-Joon.

"Mr. Kim Do-Joon?"

The very Hunter he had been persistently recruiting, the one he still had not managed to bring into their guild, was sitting there. Moreover, he was basking in the quiet respect of both Yeon Hong-Ah and the other Hunters!

Feeling their eyes on him, Kim Do-Joon simply nodded slightly in Baek Hwi-Soo’s direction with a calm look.

***

"Leader, if it was going to be like this, why did you even call me? Today was my day off," one Hunter grumbled.

"Shut it. I'll give you another day off later, so stop complaining," the leader replied.

"Hehe, thanks," the Hunter chuckled, clearly satisfied.

As they headed back, everyone’s steps were light and full of relief. However, Kim Do-Joon, on the other hand, looked less pleased.

There was still no increase in my mana stat...

He was frustrated. Compatibility increase and valuable loot drop from the boss were just secondary rewards to him. His primary goal in the dungeon was to raise his mana stat. However, throughout the entire dungeon run, it hadn’t budged. No, wait, it’d increased by one due to his Compatibility having gone up by one level.

Maybe the mana stat only increases in that particular labyrinth...

There could have been other possibilities, but this seemed like the most plausible answer. As Kim Do-Joon was lost in thought, Baek Hwi-Soo approached him.

"Thank you, Mr. Kim Do-Joon."

"There’s no need to thank me," Kim Do-Joon replied, snapping out of his thoughts to acknowledge him.

Baek Hwi-Soo smiled slightly, then asked, "But how did you end up running a dungeon with our Guild Master?"

"It was just a coincidence," Kim Do-Joon replied nonchalantly.

He had signed up for a dungeon run, knowing the Rune Mage Guild would be handling it. What he didn’t expect was that the Guild Master, Yeon Hong-Ah, would show up, especially since she was supposed to be overseas.

"I see," Baek Hwi-Soo nodded.

Just then, a familiar figure approached cautiously. It was Park Min-Hee, the one who had initiated this entire ordeal.

"

Um

... Thank you," she said, bowing her head.

"Why are you thanking me?" Kim Do-Joon asked, tilting his head.

"I heard it was thanks to you that everyone made it out safely. This could have ended terribly because of my mistake," she said in a voice tinged with guilt.

If anyone had died or been seriously injured, she would’ve had to carry that burden for the rest of her life.

Kim Do-Joon, catching sight of someone behind her, let out a small chuckle. "You can thank me later, but don’t you think there's someone you should apologize to first?"

"Huh?

Ah!

" Park Min-Hee screamed, jumping in surprise as she turned to see Yeon Hong-Ah standing right behind her.

"Ms. Park Min-Hee," Yeon Hong-Ah said calmly.

"Y-yes! I-I’m so sorry for what happened!" Park Min-Hee stammered, trembling and bowing repeatedly.

Yeon Hong-Ah sighed softly, gazing at her with a mix of disappointment and understanding. Though things had ended well, as the master of a guild, she couldn’t simply overlook such a mistake.

However, she said, "We’ll talk about this later in the office. Right now, there’s something more important to handle."

"Y-yes, Ma’am..." Park Min-Hee replied, looking discouraged under Yeon Hong-Ah’s gaze.

Letting the issue go for now, Yeon Hong-Ah turned to Kim Do-Joon.

"

Um

... Mr. Do-Joon, right? Could I ask you a few questions?" Yeon Hong-Ah asked.

"Questions?" Kim Do-Joon responded with curiosity.

There was nothing much to her question. To be more precise, there weren’t many questions he could respond to.

Her questions revolved around his abilities and background as an A-rank Hunter who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Kim Do-Joon answered what he could, but many details he had to gloss over. Without revealing his copy-pasting skill, some things were difficult to explain.

As they conversed, the group soon reached the entrance of the dungeon, with Yeon Hong-Ah and Kim Do-Joon at the forefront.

"

Um

... May I offer you a proposal?" Yeon Hong-Ah suddenly asked, her tone shifting slightly.

Kim Do-Joon gestured toward the dungeon exit. "I don’t mind hearing it, but let’s step outside first."

"Of course," she nodded.

The moment they stepped out of the dungeon, they were met by a barrage of camera flashes. The reporters had been waiting for them at the dungeon entrance.

Click!

Click! Click! Click!

"It’s Yeon Hong-Ah!"

"Who’s the guy beside her?"

"I don’t know, but just take pictures!"

Momentarily blinded by the sudden light, Kim Do-Joon squinted, slightly irritated by the attention. Meanwhile, Yeon Hong-Ah, unfazed by the reporters, continued speaking as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Would you consider joining our guild? I’ll give you my full support," she said, dropping a bombshell that caused the nearby reporters to widen their eyes in shock.

Who was this man that an S-rank Hunter like Yeon Hong-Ah would personally scout, offering her full backing? However, the Rune Mage guild members following behind didn’t seem surprised at all. To them, this was a natural offer.

Kim Do-Joon, too, responded naturally, without a second of hesitation.

"I’ll have to decline."