15
It was some time after consuming the leaf.
"Found him. Yes, understood."
A man wearing light armor over a black suit approached Baek Woojin, removing his hand from the earpiece in his right ear.
"Are you Hunter Baek Woojin?"
"Yes. I'm Baek Woojin."
"I'm with the rescue team for now. I'll guide you to the exit."
"Thank you."
His mana was nearly depleted and his condition was quite poor, so Baek Woojin quickly dusted himself off and stood up.
"You don't appear to have any major external injuries."
"A simple statement is possible."
"Thank you for your cooperation."
The government-affiliated hunter must have cleared the path while approaching, as the trees and bushes that should have been growing along the way to the exit had vanished cleanly, as if swept away by a massive typhoon.
'Easy to walk, at least.'
Noises large and small could be heard from some distance away. It was noise that indicated the number of hunters deployed into the dungeon was larger than expected. Walking along with the unnamed government hunter, Baek Woojin safely exited the dungeon.
"Hunter Baek Woojin!"
"You came out first."
Once outside, Jang Hyena, who had disappeared chasing after her younger sibling's group, approached with joy evident on her fatigued face.
"That kid... My sibling and their friends have quite the set of lungs, you know? The rescue team heard them from far away, so thanks to them, they got rescued quickly."
"I suppose that helped."
"Puhaha! I guess so."
Was there really something worth laughing about?
As Baek Woojin had that thought, Jang Hyena, who had burst into a silly laugh, lightly patted Baek Woojin's right arm with the same hand that had been swinging her hammer.
Flinch.
"Puhaha, hmm?"
Jang Hyena, who had momentarily failed to control her emotions due to the relief of surviving and feeling more goodwill toward Baek Woojin than necessary out of gratitude, tilted her head in confusion.
"If you've finished your greetings, please come this way."
"Yes. I'll be right there. Excuse me for a moment."
Before Jang Hyena could register her confusion, Baek Woojin quickly turned around at the official's summons.
'How is a woman that strong...'
As Baek Woojin headed toward the official, he glanced at his right arm that Jang Hyena had patted moments ago.
After consuming the Elder Tree's leaf, the physical changes that appeared with a slight time delay caused him to lose his balance and fall downward. Fortunately, since he still held the dagger he had been gripping, he managed to plunge it into the body of the fallen Elder Tree, barely avoiding a full-on collision with the ground.
The problem was that his unstable posture, combined with the accumulated fatigue from having poured nearly all his mana into excessively strengthening his body on his first attempt, had triggered everything to burst at once.
His bones weren't damaged, but the ligaments around his shoulder and wrist seemed to have stretched, making movement considerably uncomfortable.
"Hunter Baek Woojin?"
"Yes."
When he sat at the prepared seat in the management office, the bespectacled official immediately fired off various questions.
"You said you heard a loud noise during the hunt?"
"Yes."
"And upon seeing the marker tied in the safe zone, you immediately moved to find the other party."
"That's correct."
"According to Hunter Jang Hyena's testimony, you saved her younger sibling and their group."
"It just happened to turn out that way."
Having long given up on the re-evaluation matter, Baek Woojin answered the official's questions quite diligently. Since Baek Woojin was ultimately a victim himself, he had no knowledge whatsoever about how the boss, the Elder Tree, had awakened.
"Uh, um. Yes. Thank you for your cooperation."
"Not at all. May I get up now?"
"Just a moment."
The official stopped Baek Woojin, who was about to stand after finishing his statement.
"This is a rather presumptuous question, but... you are F-rank, correct?"
"For now."
"Um, your registration date?"
"A little over a month."
"The measurement was...?"
"By device measurement."
"I, see..."
The official alternated between looking at the tablet in his hand and Baek Woojin before carefully opening his mouth.
"As you're likely aware, Hunter Baek Woojin, device measurements occasionally—very, very rarely!—show excessive deviation in values. Th-that, it seems you fall under this category as well, Hunter Baek Woojin."
"So you're telling me to get a re-evaluation."
"That's correct. Of course, the examination fee is entirely free, so please don't feel burdened, and be sure to visit our Busan branch by tomorrow or the day after for a re-evaluation."
Baek Woojin, who was about to agree, paused and closed his mouth.
"Hunter Baek Woojin?"
"To be honest, my physical condition isn't very good. So I was planning to take a train back to Seoul by early morning today. Must I receive the re-evaluation in Busan?"
"Pardon? Ah, well..."
Ripples of bewilderment appeared in the official's eyes behind his glasses. But only for a moment.
"Given the nature of the incident. There may be cases where additional statements are needed... Of course! We will cover all your accommodation and expenses during your stay. And what exactly is wrong with your body?"
The noticeably faster pace of his speech compared to when he was taking the statement was a change that clearly showed anyone that he had ulterior motives.
"I used mana recklessly, and the situation was urgent so I had to move my body rather roughly."
"Yes, I'm sure you did. How flustered you must have been. Would you wait just a moment?"
Since he was planning to wash up and go straight to sleep once he returned anyway, Baek Woojin readily nodded. The official quickly rose from his seat and went outside, returning shortly after to sit back down.
"If your condition is truly poor, we can bring a healer affiliated with our branch. However."
The official, who had left empty-handed and returned with two test tubes, brought forward two potions containing a very clear and transparent sky-blue liquid.
"If it's too burdensome, please accept these. They're recovery potions issued to government-affiliated hunters. Their efficacy is lower than the premium potions sold on the market, but their safety is guaranteed."
Without hesitation, Baek Woojin pocketed the potions the official offered.
"I won't decline."
He was going to get a re-evaluation anyway; he was merely changing the location from Seoul to Busan, and if he could obtain two precious potions in the process, it was more than a profitable deal.
If he pushed his luck a bit more here, he could certainly get something additional, but Baek Woojin didn't do that. If he had any intention of becoming a government-affiliated hunter it might be different, but with no such thoughts at all, playing it safe and leaving was the best card he could play.
"Then I'll visit to receive my re-evaluation by tomorrow afternoon."
"Tomorrow, yes. Understood."
"May I go back now?"
"Of course. If you tell me where you're staying, I'll give you a ride."
"I won't decline that either. But first, a quick word."
"Ah, sure. My work is done anyway. I'll be having a smoke downstairs."
He thought they'd arrange a separate driver, but it seemed the official would drive him personally.
Baek Woojin approached Jang Hyena, who was chewing on a chocolate bar of unknown origin.
"Hunter Jang Hyena."
"Urk, cough!"
"No way."
He had simply spoken to her in an ordinary manner, but Jang Hyena, who had been standing with her back turned, suddenly flinched and started pounding her chest. As he was wondering how to help, fortunately Jang Hyena held out her hand to stop him.
"Whew!"
Having successfully dealt with her own surprise and recovery, Jang Hyena let out a long breath and turned to face Baek Woojin.
"You startled me."
"Yeah, well. Sorry. More importantly, your sibling and their friends?"
"They were getting in the way, and they seemed pretty shocked, so I sent them back first."
"I see. Thank you very much for today."
"I should be the one thanking you. Even though we're enemies, I guess they're still my sibling at heart."
Since he knew very well what that feeling was like, Baek Woojin simply nodded once without a word.
"Then—"
"Wait a minute."
Jang Hyena stopped Baek Woojin, who was about to turn around, planning to go back and rest now that everything was done.
"Let's exchange contact info. Us."
"Sure."
Once he received his re-evaluation, his rank would be updated, so he probably wouldn't have much reason to come back to Busan, but you never know with people.
"I'll contact you later. And when I do, just call me Hyena-ssi~"
"Well—"
"Get home safely!"
She had seemed perfectly normal up until they exchanged numbers, but the moment the exchange was complete, belated embarrassment washed over her and she fled the scene as if running away.
Left standing alone, Baek Woojin blinked as he looked at Jang Hyena's newly added name.
'I should be a year younger than her sibling.'
She must have said that because she didn't know that fact, but thinking it wasn't something he needed to reveal, Baek Woojin decided to just let Jang Hyena think whatever she wanted.