Chapter 9: Where Do You Belong?

The next morning, Kim Do-Joon’s eyes snapped open at his usual waking hour. Despite his tensions and struggles over the past week, his daily routine seemed to persist.

He would normally rise, clean up, and open the store in short order. However, considering all the things that had transpired, he felt that he would have to keep the store closed for a spell.

I’ll take a day off.

Kim Do-Joon went back to sleep. Three hours later, he finally got up.

***

Following a late breakfast, Kim Do-Joon left the store a couple of minutes past ten.

His first agenda was to stop by the Association to verify whether or not he was registered as a dungeon refugee. If he was, that needed to be fixed.

Afterward, of course, was the matter of tracking down his phone.

A smiling employee greeted him upon entry to the Association building. "Welcome. How may I help you?"

"Is Ms. Lee Ji-Ah here? She's the agent assigned to me..." Kim Do-Joon inquired.

"Just a moment, please," the employee said, maintaining a professional smile.

The employee took their leave and Lee Ji-Ah made her appearance shortly after. Upon spotting her guest, the cold and somewhat dark expression ever-present on her face melted. She froze on the spot.

"Hi, long time no see. I was wondering if you had my phone—" Kim Do-Joon started.

"Mr. Do-Joon!"

Her voice rang so loudly that everyone in the building turned to stare at them. The staff were surprised to see the normally calm woman causing such a ruckus.

Their attention shifted from Lee Ji-Ah to the cause of the commotion—Kim Do-Joon. Neither party paid their audience any mind—the former’s attention compromised and the latter caring little for public scrutiny.

Looking as if she had seen a ghost, Lee Ji-Ah mumbled, "But how...? Is it really you, Mr. Do-Joon...?"

"Yes, it's me," Kim Do-Joon answered with an awkward smile. He had come fully expecting her bafflement. Disappearances weren’t out of the ordinary—the dungeon depths devoured a startling number of Hunters and Gatherers every year. What was rare, however, was for a dungeon refugee to return alive.

"I thought you were dead, Mr. Do-Joon..."

"I don't know what you mean,

haha

. I was a dungeon refugee, that's all."

"It's all the same. You know just as well as I do how seldom people return in one piece," Lee Ji-Ah rambled.

"I suppose you can include me in the success stories.

Haha

!"

Lee Ji-Ah could not help but sigh at his nonchalance. Yet, it assured her that Kim Do-Joon had truly made it back alive.

Suddenly, she came to the sobering awareness of the numerous eyes on them. Lee Ji-Ah was the type to be conscious of people’s stares; face flushed, she grabbed Kim Do-Joon by the arm.

"Mr. Do-Joon, come this way," said Lee Ji-Ah.

"Huh?" Kim Do-Joon replied.

"You're here for administrative matters, right?"

"Yeah. My phone, too."

Lee Ji-Ah guided Kim Do-Joon toward a well-decorated reception room. She handed him his phone and stepped out. Thirty minutes later, Lee Ji-Ah returned with a man in somewhat disheveled formal wear and tousled hair.

"Hello. I'm Park Han-Su, the head of the support team," the man said, offering a handshake.

"Hello, sir. I'm Kim Do-Joon."

The moment they clasped hands, Park Han-Su flinched.

I thought he was a Gatherer...

Kim Do-Joon’s firm grip, though polite, was more reminiscent of a Hunter’s.

"Mr. Park?" Kim Do-Joon called out.

At the address, Park Han-Su was startled back into reality. He coughed a nervous thing.

"Yes? Oh, my apologies. I’m glad that you were able to return safely." Then, he handed Kim Do-Joon some documents. "First, here's the list of compensation you'll receive for this incident. It was supposed to be granted to your family, but..."

Dungeons were unpredictable places that were full of dangers. Hence, the Association offered all sorts of compensatory policies for the families of Hunters and Gatherers exploring their depths.

Kim Do Joon received the dense bundle of documents and promptly skimmed through it—the contents were abundant in a variety of numbers and tables, as well as citations to relevant laws. By the end, he discovered that he was entitled to a significant sum of money.

The total made it just past seven digits—it was, perhaps, paltry in return for human life, but it was as good a deal as Kim Do-Joon could hope to score. Though Hunters were in demand as draftees in times of emergency, Gatherers—with fewer responsibilities—had far less administrative support.

Still, I can rest easier for the time being.

With the possibility of a prolonged closure of his store in mind, any financial assistance was a welcome fortune.

"Ms. Lee Ji-Ah spent the last several nights handling everything. She even made direct calls to her superiors," Mr. Park Han-Su explained.

"Oh, is that so?" Kim Do-Joon glanced at Lee Ji-Ah, who stood behind Park Han-Su. Upon closer inspection, he found dark circles under her eyes. "Thank you, Ms. Ji-Ah."

"... It was for the sake of your family," she replied modestly.

Kim Do-Joon was all the more appreciative—it seemed that Lee Ji-Ah had extended her courtesy far past him and to his daughter.

Following their brief exchange, Park Han-Su chimed in with another topic.

"We should correct your status as a dungeon refugee next, Mr. Kim Do-Joon. You’ll need to follow a simple verification process for that."

𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"Verification process?" Kim Do-Joon asked in surprise.

"You can expect things like fingerprinting or blood tests. Oh, and DNA testing."

The verification process was a regulated procedure to ascertain an individual's identity. Park Han-Su explained the necessary tests and provided Kim Do-Joon with the schedules and locations needed.

Kim Do-Joon listened attentively; it did not seem too complicated. Amid their conversation, Lee Ji-Ah had gone ahead and prepared two cups of tea. By the time Kim Do-Joon reached the bottom of his cup, explanations were done and over with.

"That's all," Park Han-Su concluded. Kim Do-Joon took a final sip from his cup and placed it down.

Clank.

The sound of the teacup clicking resonated in the quiet reception room.

"May I ask you one more thing?" Kim Do-Joon said.

"Yes, feel free to ask me anything," Park Han-Su replied.

"The Hunters who were assigned to the dungeon in Seorim-dong, which guild do they belong to?"

Park Han-Su's eyes widened. He wondered what compelled Kim Do-Joon to ask. He briefly hesitated, feeling a tad uneasy. "Well, that's..."

Park Han-Su recalled their encounter with the lawyer representing Karma, the man’s meddling and abrupt departure. It would be unwise for Kim Do-Joon to go to the guild’s headquarters and pick a fight, as Karma would inevitably try to dismiss the issue as a simple mistake. The media was likely bought out and primed to come to their defense.

Well, it’s not like I can hide it from him forever by simply keeping my mouth shut...

Park Han-Su thought that the other man was bound to find out on his own sooner than later. Seeing no point in hiding things, Park Han-Su gave Kim Do-Joon a modified account of the encounter. He omitted details about the lawyer’s attitude and threats, focusing only on how the guild refused to offer them compensation.

"I see," Kim Do-Joon said with a nod.

Although Park Han-Su exclusively spoke on the administrative details, Kim Do-Joon could more or less intuit the rest. He may have not been a Hunter, but Kim Do-Joon had spent six years in and out of the dungeon.

Park Han-Su cautiously observed Kim Do-Joon’s expression. He prided himself on his ability to read people, a skill honed through dealing with a variety of Hunters.

Unexpectedly, Kim Do-Joon appeared perfectly calm. There was no hint of him harboring ill feelings.

"Well then, I'll get going," Kim Do-Joon said.

"Huh? Oh, alright," Park Han-Su replied.

"Ah, I’ll walk you out," Lee Ji-Ah offered.

Kim Do-Joon left with Lee Ji-Ah at his heels. Park Han-Su watched them go with a puzzled expression on his face. He let out a long sigh, feeling a sudden sense of unease. He worried that he said something unnecessary.

No, what could possibly happen? He's not even a Hunter. He’s a Gatherer, simple as.

Park Han-Su dismissed his anxiety and reassured himself before returning to his seat.

***

Hmm... Karma...

Kim Do-Joon’s ears and eyes attuned to the whispers circulating about the major guilds.

I heard that Karma has been aggressively expanding their influence lately.

South Korea was home to four major guilds, and Karma ranked fifth directly below them. Rumor had it that they were gearing up for a showdown, aiming to surpass the fourth-ranked guild and seize its prestige.

That, however, was far from Kim Do-Joon’s main concern. It was Karma's response to his disappearance which troubled him.

I wasn’t expecting any compensation to begin with, but... Considering their attitude, I can only assume they’ve been going around threatening people into keeping mum for a while now.

Kim Do-Joon suspected that Karma kept in contact with the Association. To that extent, the guild might come knocking at his door—he was, after all, the center of a scandal they desperately tried to sweep under the rug come back to life.

For his part, Kim Do-Joon had no intention of making a scene in public. Of course, whether or not the other parties involved would believe him was another matter altogether.

Still, it might do me good to remember their name. Karma.

Kim Do-Joon made a mental note.

"...I'm glad you're safe," Lee Ji-Ah said as they left the association building.

"Were you worried?" Kim Do-Joon asked.

"Yes, of course."

Expecting her usual curt response, Kim Do-Joon shrugged and changed the subject. "Actually, I have something to discuss with you."

Lee Ji-Ah recognized the seriousness in his tone; what the man had to say was important. Perhaps, she thought, he would announce his reluctance to continue exploring dungeons—it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for Kim Do-Joon to have developed trauma from his experience.

It might be

for the best that he quit.

To enter a dungeon, no matter how glamorized a deed, was to lay your life on the line. Kim Do-Joon wasn’t suited for the life of dungeon diving—even less with his daughter considered.

Lee Ji-Ah’s eyes flickered, though her stoic expression hardly betrayed them.

Then, Kim Do-Joon spoke up, asking, "When is the next Hunter exam scheduled f—"

At that moment, the ground began to shake.

Buzz—

The vibrations beneath their feet grew stronger.

Buildings and asphalt swayed and cracked with the unexpected earthquake. The people nearby were startled but began evacuating with relative calm.

"Hey, we need to get out of here quick!"

"Is this an earthquake?"

"I don't know. Could it be a dungeon?"

"Just shut up and run!"

Kim Do-Joon and Lee Ji-Ah exchanged looks. They both knew that this was not a natural earthquake.

Thud—!

The vibrations signaled the growth of the World Tree's roots upward.

"Damn it! It’s a dungeon!"

"That’s why I told you to run first!"

Thanks to the public’s rigorous evacuation drills, panic did not overtake the crowd immediately. However, the commotion was quick to expand with the passing seconds.

Watching tree roots pierce through the asphalt a close distance away, Lee Ji-Ah said, "Mr. Do-Joon, we should also hurry and flee."

However, Kim Do-Joon did not move.

Confused as to why he froze, Lee Ji-Ah urgently called out to him. "Mr. Do-Joon?"

However, Kim Do-Joon's gaze was fixed on the roots of the World Tree.

A monster abruptly sprouted from them: a green dwarf mounted atop a raptor-like creature, though lacking a saddle.

"

Kikagagak!

kika!

" the monster shouted. A status window was displayed over its head.

[Goblin Rider]

Compatibility

- 17%

Confirming the monster's Compatibility, Kim Do-Joon pulled out the Young Kujika Tribesmen's Broadaxe from his inventory.

"...Mr. Do-Joon? Are you trying to fight it, or something?" Lee Ji-Ah asked.

He did not respond, only raising his axe. As if it sensed his hostility, the Goblin Rider suddenly looked in their direction. Seeing Kim Do-Joon wielding a weapon, it grew crazed.

"

Kakakuguka! Kakaku!

"

The monster rushed towards them with its filthy tongue lolling out. The raptor came charging with an incredible speed; Lee Ji-Ah's face turned pale at the sight.

She cried out, "Mr. Do-Joon! Don't—"

From behind, Kim Do-Joon wrapped his arms around Lee Ji-Ah and pulled her to the side.

As the Goblin Rider and its mount made to race past them, Kim Do-Joon shot out and seized the raptor’s head with a bare, sturdy hand. On his left hand was his gauntlet, while he held his axe in his right.

Thwack!

He brought his axe down on the raptor’s neck, decapitating the mount with a single blow. Its movements disrupted, the raptor skidded across the asphalt, and the Goblin Rider was launched off its back in a ridiculous manner.

Kim Do-Joon held the raptor’s profusely bleeding, detached head in his left hand. He tossed it aside and called out to Lee Ji-Ah.

"Ms. Ji-Ah."

"Y-yes?" Lee Ji-Ah, who had yet to grasp the situation presented before her, responded with an unusually flustered voice.

Sounding as if nothing was out of the ordinary, Kim Do-Joon calmly picked up their interrupted conversation. He repeated, "When is the next Hunter exam?"