54
The call from Heo Sangmin came a little past noon the next day.
"Baek Woojin speaking."
- Haha, it's me. Have you had lunch?
Heo Sangmin's voice through the speaker was more energetic than yesterday.
"I had homemade food for the first time in a while. Have you eaten, Manager?"
- Had a nice bowl of kalguksu. The broth here is absolutely amazing.
With small talk about treating each other to a meal when he comes down, the two shared a light conversation before getting to the main point.
- Shall I speak first?
"No. I feel like the topic you've brought is much heavier, so I'll go first."
Having received prior permission from Hong Yeonha, he told the story of how the dungeon he observed as a spectator was actually a linked dungeon, and what he experienced there, with some editing.
- I don't believe in gods, but heaven truly helped you.
"Wouldn't you say it's the opposite? If they were going to help, they should have prevented such an experience from happening in the first place."
- Haha, that's exactly why I said I don't believe in gods. I just said it. And if anyone helped, it wasn't a god but Alchemist Geum Nahee who provided you with potions.
"I actually went to thank her yesterday."
- Oh my, you visited at the absolute busiest time.
"She was lamenting that the order quantity had doubled."
He had a feeling the increase in orders was also related to yesterday's meeting.
- Haha, more importantly, I'm truly glad you're safe once again. My decision to invest in you was definitely not wrong.
Heo Sangmin laughed heartily, but Baek Woojin couldn't do the same.
Indeed, without the potions Geum Nahee had provided, there was no telling how the situation would have turned out.
"About the linked dungeon."
- Yes. Please go ahead.
"For now, I received what appears to be a key leading to the next story, but I have absolutely no idea how to use it."
A silver medal engraved with six pairs of wings.
Furthermore, he wasn't the only one who received it—Hong Yeonha and Lee Dayoung also received one each.
- Certainly, linked dungeons themselves are so rare that the information available is limited. But who am I?
"Someone who lives buried in work."
- Sadly, that's also the correct answer. Anyway, while the Association is pushed back by guilds domestically, the situation overseas is somewhat different. So we have more information than you'd expect.
"Oh."
- The reaction is a bit underwhelming, but to get straight to the point, the key obtained from conquering a linked dungeon is a simple metaphor and actually serves as a pass.
"A pass."
- Yes. When the next linked dungeon opens, it not only reveals its location but also supposedly prevents entry for anyone who doesn't have that pass.
'Insane.'
Linked dungeons possessed danger levels that transcended ranks. Yet the subsequent dungeon even had entry restrictions.
Without considerable confidence in one's abilities, challenging the subsequent dungeon would be close to suicide. At least, that was what Baek Woojin thought.
"I'll keep that in mind for now."
- I'll contact you if a dungeon with entry restrictions appears on our end.
"Yes."
Of course, just because they contacted him didn't mean he planned to enter. Not unless all his stats reached the late B-rank range, at minimum.
"Now it's your turn to speak, Manager."
- You're at home, right?
"Yes. There are no listening ears around."
- I apologize. It's a sensitive topic, after all.
Baek Ahyeon was watching TV in the living room, but even if she heard, it wouldn't be a big problem, so he didn't take any particular action.
"Please go ahead."
- This is also information I learned while attending yesterday's meeting. Within the past month, the number of hunters who have gone missing or died inside low-rank dungeons has surged. Calculated numerically, it's roughly an 8-fold increase.
Not 2 or 3 times, but a full 8 times.
This was at a level where, due to the numbers alone, it couldn't be dismissed as mere coincidence.
- According to the investigation, when there were records of certain specific individuals entering a dungeon, casualties occurred, and accordingly, an investigator was dispatched to look into those individuals.
A small sigh heard through the speaker.
- But when they visited the homes of those specific individuals, every single one of them was no longer a person of this world.
"Were they murdered?"
- That's what our side believes, but based on the revealed circumstances, it's initially ruled as suicide.
"That doesn't make sense."
- Yes. It doesn't make sense.
Why would a hunter who can openly enter dungeons and hunt monsters commit suicide? Of course, exceptions exist everywhere.
If they lost someone precious in a dungeon, or if their human relationships outside the dungeon—in society—had completely broken down, they could certainly make such an extreme choice.
However, if the Association had determined that they were murdered by someone, it meant they had already completed all such background investigations and confirmed there were no particular issues with their personal relationships before making that judgment.
- The increasing frequency of dungeon outbreaks recently, and this incident as well. Something is not right.
"We need to be careful."
- I know you prefer soloing. But until some clue is found regarding this incident, I recommend forming a party if possible.
"I'll consider it positively."
After that, they exchanged a few more words, but it wasn't a particularly substantial conversation.
"Then, keep up the good work."
- Sob...
Ending the call with Heo Sangmin's tearful voice, Baek Woojin set his smartphone down on the desk and tapped it lightly with his index finger.
'No matter how I look at it, it seems like the work of those guys who were seducing that woman at the Tower.'
After pondering for a moment, Baek Woojin shook his head.
Since Heo Sangmin hadn't personally investigated, he judged there was no need to tell him about the incident he hadn't mentioned earlier.
Additionally, he considered sharing the information he just heard from Heo Sangmin with Hong Yeonha's grandfather, Hong Ikhyeon, but decided against that as well.
Given the Hongyeon Guild's resources, it wouldn't be strange at all if they already had allies within the Association.
"Ah."
As Baek Woojin was about to search for useful skill types on the internet, a good idea flashed through his mind.
"If it's Hongyeon, they must have more than enough magic stones, right?"
Having saved his precious granddaughter's life twice, demanding a few magic stones wouldn't be a problem at all. Rather, considering Hong Ikhyeon's generosity, he might even offer mana stones instead of magic stones.
Strike while the iron is hot.
Baek Woojin immediately found Hong Ikhyeon's number in his contacts and composed a message.
He could have just demanded it outright, but since he had an image to maintain, he first wrote a brief summary of the information he heard from Heo Sangmin as a pretext.
Bzzzt.
Not long after sending the message, Hong Ikhyeon called.
"Baek Woojin speaking."
- Hehe, yes. You sent something quite entertaining.
"You have a unique taste."
- Puhahahat!!
"..."
Even though they weren't face to face, the volume was loud enough to make his ears hurt slightly, and Baek Woojin unconsciously frowned and placed the smartphone on the desk instead of against his ear.
- I just received a report with the same content you sent me.
Fortunately, his default volume was so loud that there was no need to turn on speaker mode.
- It must be the work of those damn bastards who targeted Yeonha.
"I think so too."
- I heard his name was Heo Sangmin? I heard you're quite close with him.
It was just a feeling, but he had a baseless hunch that the source of that information had nothing to do with Hong Yeonha.
"It's a mutually cooperative contractual relationship."
- Are you still keeping the story about Yeonha a secret?
"Yes."
- Keep it that way.
From the weight that had changed in his voice, Baek Woojin could tell that those words were not a simple warning but close to an order.
"I'm sorry, but I'll judge that for myself depending on the situation."
"What?"
"You heard me correctly. I'm being careful because it concerns Yeonha-ssi, but I'm not even a member of the Hongyeon Guild, so don't dictate to me about that."
- How bold.
"If that's how you feel, I apologize.
With those words, a slightly uncomfortable silence fell.
- You pass.
"...?"
- Hahat!! Of course, absolutely. A man should have at least that much guts.
He had even considered ending his relationship with Hong Ikhyeon right there, but fortunately, it seemed his sincerity was well received.
- Alright. Is that all you wanted?
"Actually, I contacted you because there's something I want."
- Hehe, the message was a pretext, wasn't it.
"I won't deny it."
- Right. What do you want? You saved Yeonha twice—what couldn't I give you?
As expected, Hong Ikhyeon was a man with a bold and straightforward personality, just like his initial impression.
"I need magic stones."
- Magic stones? Not mana stones?
"Mana stones would be fine too, but those are precious, aren't they?"
- That's true.
"I need about 20 of a reasonable size."
- Is 20 enough?
To that question, Baek Woojin answered readily.
"The more, the better."
- I like your honesty. Wait a moment.
There was a sound of him operating something, followed by a somewhat prolonged sound of Hong Ikhyeon conversing with someone else.
- I've told the person in charge, so come pick them up when you have time.
Naturally, he didn't make the mistake of asking about the quantity like a novice.
"Thank you."
- If there's nothing else, I'll hang up. I'm a bit busy.
"Of course."
Whether he was truly busy or not, Hong Ikhyeon immediately ended the call.
Baek Woojin picked up his smartphone again, tapped the screen a few times, then got up, changed his clothes, and left his room.
"Where are you going?"
"Yep."
"Where are you going?"
"To pick up a delivery."
"...?"
His sister's gaze was quite insolent, but Baek Woojin paid it no mind as he left the house, caught a taxi, and headed straight for the station.