Jong-sik looked at Min-soo with satisfaction.
The way the fourteen-year-old handled the situation was quite skilled.
“Hello. You called about the bounty of Choo Tae-sik, right? Is this a prank call?”
“If you caught him, that’s enough. I didn’t ask you to bring him here. You can’t go further.”
“He’s at the Gaewoong Police Station right now. If you don’t believe me, call them.”
“Oh, do we receive the bounty immediately? Can we pay in cash? Then I’ll take 20% in cash. I’ll be waiting.”
Sitting quietly at the police station, waiting for the guild representative, was also the result of his actions.
Thanks to him, the Gaewoong Police Station was more bustling than ever.
And at the center of it all were a few police officers.
They looked at the collapsed Choo Tae-sik with a mix of pity and annoyance.
“This guy was caught so easily. It makes us look like we could’ve caught him too. Damn, what a waste.”
“Where’s the youngest? We need to catch him properly today. This guy, really. Did he trip over the tip?”
“Ah, just leave him alone. Even if we knew, could we have caught him?”
“If not, we could’ve sold the information!”
Ignoring them, Jong-sik called Min-soo.
“Hey, kid.”
“Yes?”
“I’m just curious, why me of all people? You could’ve told anyone else. That’s been bothering me.”
“You saved my life, Hunter. I wanted to repay you.”
“Hmm, sounds fishy, doesn’t it?”
Jong-sik chuckled, and Min-soo, glancing at the police officers, spoke up.
“I’ve actually been to this police station before. I wanted to report Choo Tae-sik. But I couldn’t bring myself to say it and got kicked out. Well, I thought about reporting it directly to a Great Guild, but I had a feeling I wouldn’t get the bounty.”
“I see.”
“And then I saw you in front of the association.”
“So that’s why you came all the way here—to stick it to the police officers.”
Now Jong-sik understands the regretful behavior of the police officers. Setting that aside, he liked Min-soo’s attitude. It reminded him of himself in the past.
“So you came all the way back to me? Hmm. Aren’t you worried that I’ll take all the bounty?”
“I might be. But I still have to try. I think of it as repaying a debt for saving my life. And Hunter, you wouldn’t do that, right? You’re just and cool and smart… You wouldn’t break a promise with a powerless, penniless kid.”
“Stop flattering me and just say it.”
“Hehe.”
As they exchanged meaningless conversation, the guild representative finally arrived at the police station.
***
“Money makes the world go round.”
Ah, that doesn’t quite fit, does it?
Excited about the bounty he would soon receive, Min-soo quickly greeted the guild representative.
“The guy lying there is Choo Tae-sik!”
Two men and a woman.
“So, you’re the one who made the call. Kim Tae-oh, verify if it’s Choo Tae-sik.”
Seems like the man was the highest-ranking one among them.
The man naturally instructed his subordinates.
“Sir, I’m sure.”
“Take confirmation photos and bring that guy in first. I’ll finish the paperwork and follow. Oh, and don’t let his collapsed body fool you. Conduct a thorough search and equip restraining items properly. We know what kind of rat he is, right?”
“Yes, understood. We’ll be careful.”
“Well then, Director, we’ll head in first. We’ll see you at the guild!”
Shortly after, the eager subordinates took Choo Tae-sik and left the police station with determination.
The items were given, and now all that remained was receiving the payment.
After waiting for the right moment, Jong-sik finally spoke up.
“Is it all done now?”
The guild representative then offered formal thanks.
“I apologize for the delay in greeting. I’m Seo Seok-hoon, Head of Operations Support at Daehan Guild.”
“Oh, I see.”
“Catching that guy was usually a hassle, but thanks to you, it was less of a headache.”
“It was a bit of a hassle.”
Jong-sik exaggerated, as was his habit. There was no ulterior motive behind it; it was just an old habit from his mercenary days. It was common practice to exaggerate a bit when taking someone else’s money, so the payer wouldn’t feel too regretful.
“Thank you once again. Shall we proceed with the paperwork for the bounty?”
“Yes.”
Jong-sik replied bluntly.
“It’s nothing special, really. You just need to sign here to acknowledge receiving the bounty, provide your account number, and show your Hunter ID for verification.”
Seo Seok-hoon took out the necessary documents and began the standard procedure for bounty payment. However, the response he received was anything but standard.
“I haven’t set up a bank account yet. Just a moment, please. I’ll make a quick phone call.”
“Sure, take your time.”
At first, Seo Seok-hoon thought he had encountered a quirky individual.
“So there are some hunters who doesn’t have a bank account.”
But Jong-sik’s subsequent words made Seo Seok-hoon doubt his own ears.
“I’ll have the money sent here. I’ve signed… But do I really need the Hunter ID?”
“If you’ve lost it, it’s okay. Just write down your name and date of birth. We can verify it from our end.”
“No, that’s not it. It’s just that it hasn’t been issued yet. They said it would be issued in three days. But it’s not like I can come back to collect the money in three days, right? That would be quite inconvenient.”
“Three days? Just a moment.”
“…?”
“So, are you saying you’ll take the Awakening Test in three days? Are you still in the civilian status right now?”
Jong-sik furrowed his brow at Seo Seok-hoon’s bewildered reaction.
“The Awakening Test ended today, and the Awakening License will be issued in three days. Anyway, what about the money?”
“Are you joking right now?”
“…?”
“…You’re serious. I’m sorry. This is the first time encountering such a situation.”
It was indeed perplexing.
According to him, a Grade F Hunter, who had just undergone the Awakening Test today—no, not even taking the Awakening Examination—captured a fledgling Grade C Hunter?
It didn’t make sense.
But in life, there were plenty of occurrences that defied common sense.
And this was one of those cases.
Seo Seok-hoon’s mind began to race more vigorously than before.
“I need to report this to the higher-ups.”
And with a more courteous demeanor than before, he began to address Jong-sik.
“There should be no issue with the reward payment. Since you don’t have your Hunter ID at the moment, we’ll process you as a civilian for now. Could you please wait for a moment?”
Jong-sik nodded. Seo Seok-hoon promptly transferred 80% of the bounty to the account provided by Jong-sik.
“I’ve transferred 80 million won as the reward to the account under the name ‘Dok Yeona.’ And this is the remaining 20%, 20 million won, as you mentioned over the phone. Would you like to confirm?”
A yellow envelope placed on the desk.
This time, it was Jong-sik’s turn to be surprised.
“80 million? Isn’t it supposed to be 20 million?”
“Huh? Hunter-nim, the bounty for capturing Chu Tae-sik is 100 million.”
Min-soo, who had been listening quietly, whispered to Jong-sik, “It was clearly written as 20 million in the flyer…”
“It seems you might have seen the wanted poster posted a while ago. The bounty for Chu Tae-sik has been increased to 100 million since two days ago.”
“Anyway, it’s good for me.”
From 20 million to 100 million in just a week.
That was truly hitting the jackpot.
Jong-sik’s shoulders shook with excitement.
At that moment, Jong-sik’s phone began ringing incessantly. It was Yeona.
“Hey, Yeona. That money wasn’t mistakenly transferred, right? I’ll go home and explain everything to you. Don’t worry. I’ll be there soon.”
After ending the call, Jong-sik looked at Seo Seok-hoon.
“The money has come in. I guess I’m done here. Can I leave now?”
“Yes. Oh, and as an additional reward, there’s a guild recruitment recommendation letter. The relevant department will contact you again sometime next week.”
“Got it.”
He had intended to take it easy for a while.
But he would decide what to do when the time came.
“Oh, kid. We need to settle the bill.”
“Yes!”
With that, Jong-sik concluded his transaction with Min-soo and hurriedly left the police station.
***
On the other hand, Seo Seok-hoon immediately called his superior, Director Oh.
Director Oh’s voice came through the receiver.
“Oh, Manager Seo. I was just about to call you. Is everything finished there?”
“Yes. Well, sort of. Director.”
“Then there’s nothing to worry about. I’ll take care of Choo Tae-sik, so you can leave right away.”
Seo Seok-hoon had a gut feeling.
Director Oh would soon retract those words.
“…Yes. But Director, I have something to report.”
“If it’s not urgent, we can discuss it tomorrow.”
“I think it’s something that needs to be addressed now.”
“Is that so? Go ahead, then.”
And shortly after, Seok-hoon briefed Director Oh on what had happened at the police station.
“Well, well, well. This is quite a surprise. So, an F-rank rookie showed up. Ha-ha.”
“We need to confirm things first.”
“Of course. Contact the Association, gather information on Dok Jong-sik’s profile, conduct interviews with the staff responsible for awakening, and prepare the necessary documents. Oh, and keep this strictly confidential, understood?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Oh, and about leaving work… consider it canceled. Return to the guild immediately.”
As always, his intuition was right.
Seok-hoon ended up returning to the guild, his mind swirling with thoughts.
At that moment,
Jong-sik was outside with Yeona.
Why?
Well, with 80 million deposited into his account, it only made sense to spend it.
And they already knew where to spend it.
On the 7th day since their return,
They had eaten everything they wanted, except for one thing.
[24-hour Awakening Grandma’s Pork Soup]
“Finally.”
That’s right.
Jong-sik had come with Yeona to eat pork soup.
Yeona had brought him to a place, saying it was hard to find regular pork soup restaurants anymore.
The restaurant was famous for its pork soup, but I didn’t really have high expectations. It’s not like I’ve only had meat from a fire boar a couple of times before. But when I saw the steaming hot pot in front of me, my thoughts changed.
“Surely it will taste the same as the pork soup you had before, if not better. Try it.”
Yeona said as she watched Jong-sik with a delighted expression. Jong-sik couldn’t help but agree. He hadn’t tasted it yet, but just the smell alone was tantalizing.
‘Yes, this aroma.’
The contrast between the black pot and the white broth, along with the savory scent of the pork soup emanating from within, stimulated his nostrils.
Slurp.
Jong-sik raised his spoon again, and soon, thick pieces of meat hidden in the white broth revealed themselves. Just looking at it was dizzying.
Slurp.
The rich flavor of the boiled meat spread through his mouth, followed by the tender meat of the fire boar sliding down his throat without a moment’s hesitation.
‘How can mainlanders make something so delicious like this? What have I been eating all this time?’
For a moment, Jong-sik almost burst into tears.
Even a max-level returnee was just a mere mortal in front of pork soup.
He swallowed the emotions rising in his throat along with another spoonful of soup.
As he savored the soup, a small dish of pickled radish was placed in front of Jong-sik.
“Don’t just eat the pork soup, have some pickled radish too. It’s a delicacy.”
Yeona said with a bright smile.
Indeed, that’s how Jong-sik’s granddaughter should be.
“Of course, pork soup isn’t complete without pickled radish. Oh, and Auntie, one more bowl of fire boar pork soup! What about you, Yeona?”
“I’m fine with just this.”
“Really? Eat up. As I said, Koreans find comfort in rice.”
“Hehe. But Uncle, you said you’d tell us a story. About catching Choo Tae-sik!”
“…Oh, that? Let’s eat first before we talk about that. It’s not polite to let the soup get cold.”
At his words, Yeona puffed up her cheeks slightly.
That’s when it happened.
Zzzz-!
Yeona’s phone vibrated in her pocket.
Seeing the name on the screen, Yeona furrowed her brows.
“I don’t recognize this number. Who could it be at this hour?”
