“The Commander’s here! What’s everyone doing? Let’s fill up their glasses and welcome them!”
“Wooohoo!”
“Kyah, I knew you’d come. Now that the Commander’s here, I’ll drink properly. Hahaha!”
As the restaurant door swung open, a a loud noise hit his eardrums. After the long stretch of meetings, hunger had descended, and Jong-sik wondered if there would be anything left to eat.
‘They all seem pretty drunk.’
Jong-sik shook his head lightly and waved his hand. Looking around, he couldn’t spot any of his Healing Guild members.
‘Seo Sunhwa said she was going to train, and the others might be resting.’
With that thought in mind, he was about to casually take a seat at an empty table when someone approached him.
“Come to our table. Everyone’s gathered there.”
Someone led Jong-sik away. It was Kang Changsu, known as the master of Gungsul (a type of Korean traditional archery).
True to his words, several familiar faces were gathered around the table where he sat. They included Geomje Gong Se-hee and other team leaders. Oh, there was even Min-meori, who had rushed up to him on the first day.
“Ahaha, Commander’s here. Let me pour you a drink.”
Min-meori glanced at Jong-sik and swiftly lifted a bottle. If there were any lingering feelings, this was the time to resolve them over a drink. Jong-sik accepted the glass in response.
“Commander, first shot is a one-shot!”
“Mmm, delicious.”
“Hehehe, seems like the Commander can handle a drink. can I pour you a proper one?”
“Sure.”
If the first drink was straight soju, the second was a cocktail of various liquors. The creator, Min-meori, skillfully mixed the drinks with a raucous flair.
“Introducing the Whirlwind Colonel!”
“Enjoy your drink.”
“…And Commander.”
“?”
“It’s about a very small and trivial embarrassing incident that happened during our first meeting.”
“Ah. That day when you said, ‘Shall we start with a dance for the initiation ceremony?'”
Min-meori laughed awkwardly at that remark.
“Ah. Ha. Ha. Did I really say that? Anyway…”
“And you said something like, ‘Arrogant juniors need to be taught a lesson,’ right?”
He reprimanded his past self, thinking, ‘I really said whatever came to mind.’
“Commander! I absolutely didn’t harbor any ill feelings when I said that. You, you know that, right?”
Instead of responding, Jong-sik raised his glass. He then savored the cocktail that flowed down his throat like a bomb.
Was it because it had been a while since he drank? It was strong. He drank as much as he wanted.
Perhaps that’s why Jong-sik responded so dryly, “Well, I’m not sure.”
For a moment, the mood at the table sank heavily. But it was only for a moment.
“After one more drink, maybe you’ll know.”
With Jong-sik’s follow-up remark, the atmosphere lightened up again.
“Pfft.”
“Wow, seriously! Commander, you surprised me.”
“Commander, I didn’t know you could crack a joke.”
“Hahaha. Jun-yeop, what’s up? Didn’t the Commander just say that after one more drink, they might know? Hurry up and pour.”
And so, the drinking session began. Stories bloomed in the back and forth of glasses of alcohol. Some shared tales of dungeon conquests, while others posed personal questions.
‘How much time passed like this?’
The light conversation suddenly turned heavy.
It was because of a question Kang Changsu asked.
“But Commander, how did the meeting go?”
At that moment, everyone around them turned their gaze to Jong-sik. They all seemed curious.
After all, it wouldn’t matter if they heard about it tomorrow. There wouldn’t be much difference in knowing a few hours earlier.
“Well, that’s a timely question. I had something to tell Hunter Kang Changsu anyway.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. It’s about what Hunter Kang Changsu and Gong Se-hee Hunter said.”
Finally, Jong-sik brought up the decisions made during the meeting. Starting from the alliance with the United States to the nature of the Ashen Rune and who would obtain it.
“Wait a minute!”
“Commander, is this your first mission with us?”
Upon hearing this, Gong Se-hee and Kang Changsu, who would become the owners of the Ashen Rune, stood up with surprised expressions. They hadn’t imagined they would obtain the Ashen Rune.
“You may not know, but that’s the Commander’s privilege. How could I possibly receive it when you undoubtedly have exclusive ownership? Did you receive pressure from someone else? If not, then…”
“What a preposterous assumption! Let’s go over it again.”
Jong-sik waved his hand at their reaction. Maybe he wasn’t grasping the situation well due to drinking too much. Pressure from someone else? Such a thing couldn’t possibly happen.
“I know roughly what you’re thinking, but it’s not like that. I said it myself.”
“So, are you saying you truly gave up ownership? Why on earth…”
Their unexpected response left them bewildered. The others listening didn’t know how to react either.
Should they congratulate the two for winning the lottery, or console Jong-sik for giving up a rune of astronomical value without external pressure?
“….”
Whether or not to say anything, Jong-sik continued.
“It’s about the dungeon we conquered today. The prophet said that dungeons like that will be popping up frequently in the future. So, there should be people who can handle such enemies, right? That’s why I gave you the runes. I judged that you were suitable candidates.”
Considering their skills, character, and participation in missions, they were perfect candidates. So, they should take those runes, train hard, and help suppress the spreading magical anomalies.
“That’s how the world will be protected by you, and my family can be protected by me.”
“Oh, and the remaining two runes will be searched for and reported from above. I have a rough idea who they might be, but it’s not exact… Anyway, that’s it.”
Meanwhile, Kang Changsu and Gong Se-hee were dumbfounded.
“So, Gong Se-hee and I are being strongly recommended by the Commander… I’ve done something I could never do. We have no connection whatsoever, yet we’re being favored.”
“Suitable candidates? Does this mean he really thinks of me that way?”
With that, even for a moment.
Kang Changsu clenched his fists tightly and bowed his head. Gong Se-hee of the Guard was no different.
“…I will accept it gratefully. Thank you.”
“You won’t regret that decision. I’ll prove it myself.”
With those words, the team members began to cheer.
“Hey, congratulations.”
“Commander Jong-sik is really…”
“Dok Jong-sik! Dok Jong-sik! Dok Jong-sik!”
And so, they continued their drinking spree until dawn.
That night.
Inside the dark F-grade dungeon, a man stood. He looked down at the ground in a state of dismay. In his line of sight, someone lay fallen.
“Ugh. This is completely insane… How dare you hit me? You… idiot. You’re dead.”
The fallen individual coughed up blood, opening his mouth. It was a wound inflicted by a sudden attack, unable to defend against it after defeating a monster.
To be ambushed by an ordinary laborer. How absurd. The fallen man blinked rapidly, grasping the ground.
“Damn it. W-what should I do? What should I do?”
Meanwhile, the man standing there was anxious, due to the fallen man trying to get up. After all, he was the one who caused this situation. Now, all that remained was taking responsibility for it. But it was truly terrifying and unpleasant.
As his mind stalled…
Suddenly, a voice echoed from within him.
[What can you do? Just kill him. If you kill him, it’s over. Kill him before he gets up! Right now, you can kill him. Kill him, kill him, kill him!]
It was clearly a hallucination. Strangely, he found himself listening to those words.
[If you just stay there, he’ll kill you first. Do you want to die? Like a weak insect? Do you want to be trampled like that?]
“…No. Why should I, why should I die!”
As he thought about it, he realized he hadn’t done anything wrong. He demanded fair compensation for his labor, and it was that bastard who ignored him. So, he couldn’t just stand there and take it.
Eventually, the man moved. He swung the slaughter knife he was holding. The first strike was difficult, but the second and third were easy.
‘This is just monster meat.’
The rough swings of the slaughter knife severed the man’s cervical vertebrae as he tried to get up. Blood sprayed like a fountain, staining the man’s face and the ground. At that moment, fear crept into the F-grade hunter’s eyes.
It was the realization that something was wrong. But it was already too late. Wiping the blood obscuring his vision, the man screamed.
“W-who dares to take my money? Scumbags like you deserve to die. Just die. Die!”
The man mercilessly swung the slaughter knife.
Some time passed.
Suddenly, a hologram window appeared before him.
“This…!”
Right, it was the status window.
Timing couldn’t be worse. If only he had awakened a day earlier, no, a few hours earlier, this wouldn’t have happened. Regret flooded in unexpectedly. When he regained his composure, he found the surroundings covered in blood, and the man was dead.
“This was self-defense. I should go out…”
But such thoughts quickly disappeared at the sound of the voice.
[Don’t you want to become stronger? I can make you like that. Keke.]
“…Is this a hallucination?”
[Hehehe. Follow me, and you’ll find out if it’s a hallucination or not. Come here. I’ll make sure no one ever ignores you again.]
As if possessed by a ghost, he walked.
In a corner of the dungeon where he arrived, there stood a withered tree. It was clearly a tree he hadn’t seen just a moment ago. But that didn’t matter now.
Following the voice’s instructions, the man began to draw something. Before long, a black aura emanated from the tree, entering his body.
“Aaargh!”
It was agonizing. At the same time, he felt exhilaration. It was an indescribable ecstasy.
[Kekeke. How does it feel? Isn’t it exhilarating? Well, let’s go back to that bastard now.]
A moment later.
The man found himself back in the same spot. The body of the F-grade hunter was writhing on the ground. He instinctively raised his hand to his body.
“Ah-ah-ah-ah.”
The man groaned, and the body of the F-grade hunter began to shrink. The man’s eyes, gazing at it, were filled with black magic. And so, the man exited the dungeon.
And the next day, and the day after that.
The man’s killings didn’t stop.
“With this alone, I can succeed.”
It was because of the skill he obtained, ‘Absorption Law.’
So, this time, he killed someone without a moment’s hesitation. It was a prey he could easily hunt down. However, the energy he absorbed from the deceased was somewhat unsatisfactory.
“…The black aura isn’t coming in. I need that.”
Eventually, the man began to devise another plan. As an awakened, he started looking for individuals he could easily subdue.
‘Where should I look… Ah!’
In an instant, his eyes lit up with an idea.
Two days passed.
During that time, President Kwon Hyuk-bong declared a state of national emergency through a nationwide address, stating, “A great upheaval has come again.” It wasn’t just South Korea.
Starting with Korea, many countries around the world, including the United States, Japan, and China, began preparing for the impending disaster.
Except for some highly classified matters, Korea and the United States disclosed all the issues. As a result, the price of healers skyrocketed, and monsters that couldn’t die could be newly classified as ‘undead monsters.’
But that wasn’t all.
People’s attention focused on the five hunters who had consumed the ashen rune.
As a result, Jong-sik’s name couldn’t be found in the mass media. That’s what he wanted. After being in the spotlight a few times, he understood how annoying fame could be. Such excessive attention was a nuisance.
Anyway, after all the ups and downs, Jong-sik was able to return home.
“Have you all been doing well during my absence?”
