An emergency was declared in an instant.
Because if poaching occurred in succession, no one knew when another disaster like the Eungwangcho Disturbance might happen.
No one disputed the need to stop it, but problems abounded.
Anyone capable of illegally hunting an A-rank boss was undoubtedly a formidable expert.
To catch the culprit, an undercover investigation was necessary, but high-ranking hunters of A-rank and above all had well-known faces, and in fact, it wasn’t easy to enlist their cooperation.
An undercover investigation with no telling how long it would take? They would obviously all refuse.
High-ranking hunters earned money proportionate to their movements.
In the end, it meant giving up enormous profits for the sake of that undercover investigation.
Therefore, the Special Investigation Unit for Awakened requested cooperation from the Management Bureau.
Of course, the Management Bureau had S-rank Jin Siwon, but there was no way he could cover every dungeon by himself…….
In the end.
“Given the circumstances, I was wondering if we could receive help from Hyunak.”
Jin Siwon, together with the Special Investigation Division team members, sat huddled in the guild master’s office and explained the whole story.
The team members were peeking at Jurim like meerkats, seeming curious to see the real person.
The moment Jin Siwon said he would ask Hyunak for help, they had all rushed over, huddling together lest they miss this opportunity.
Jurim spoke flatly to Jin Siwon’s troubled-looking face.
“That’s how it is, Sereuhi.”
Sereuhi, summoned by Jurim, was standing as far away from Jin Siwon as possible, fiddling with his phone, and only raised his eyes upward.
“I was wondering what you called me for.”
When Jin Siwon smiled awkwardly, Sereuhi lowered his eyes again.
“If you don’t want to, you can refuse.”
The moment Jurim finished speaking, Sereuhi replied as if tossing the words out.
“License.”
“What?”
When Siwon asked back, Sereuhi spoke while turning his head to the side.
“They say a hunter needs that. Give me that. Then I’ll do it.”
Sereuhi currently did not have a Hunter License.
His rank was innately high, so the moment he received a Hunter License, it was obvious he would attract all sorts of attention.
Because he was still young, and his history being what it was, his two guardians—Jurim and Siwon—had judged it best to delay as much as possible.
But if only he had a license, he could show Team Leader Seol Yeojin that he could manage perfectly well on his own.
*School, my ass.*
He obediently studied as told and lived with Gidan, but that was only because there was no other way.
From what he had looked up, if he had a Hunter License, he could get loans and find a house.
He had briefly been affiliated with Hyunak, but had no intention of fully depending on them.
Because he knew from experience that he couldn’t trust others carelessly.
Seol Yeojin’s words were mostly correct. If he was in a situation where he couldn’t live on his own, he needed a way out.
Obtaining a Hunter License would be that first step.
*
That was why he had decided to lend a hand in this matter.
However.
*Nobody said I had to use something like this!*
Wearing a stupid mascot costume had been the Special Investigation Division’s idea.
They had said that since they didn’t know how many dungeons they’d have to run until catching the suspect, it would be better to hide their appearance even if their face wasn’t known, and had procured the mascot costumes used for children’s education.
*To think they’d use these crazy-looking eyes for children’s education.*
Just as Sereuhi was swallowing a curse, one of the men leading the gathered people spoke.
“Is that Meow-eyes the last one? There are fewer people today.”
Meow-eyes…….
Wearing the mascot costume might actually be fine. His cheeks and ears were probably already burning bright red.
“Uh…… I’m the last……”
It was the moment Sereuhi answered, clenching his teeth.
“Let us in too.”
“……?”
It was the voice he least wanted to hear in the world.
“Hello!”
But contrary to his wish, a boy holding a baseball bat waved energetically.
He seemed to be using a disguise patch, but in every way, that was Gidan.
And that wasn’t all.
*Why did Geuru come too?*
That bear doll held in one arm was undoubtedly Geuru.
The round bear ears of Geuru, who had spotted Sereuhi wearing the mascot costume, were twitching incessantly.
He was snorting puffs of air, and though it was hard to tell, he seemed very pleased.
……What exactly are you happy about.
Somehow, he had a bad feeling about this.
Meanwhile, Gidan spun the baseball bat around and around, then rested it on his shoulder and spoke playfully.
“Meow-eyes? Then~ should I be Batman~”
Is he really crazy?
—What’s going on?
Then, a voice flowed through the earset. It was Yun Arin, a team member of the Management Bureau’s Special Investigation Division.
A device detecting Sereuhi’s brainwaves had sent a message to Yun Arin.
He wore it because he couldn’t afford to be seen conversing freely among hunters.
—It’s Gidan.
—Uh…… Did you request help from Hunter Gidan?
—No, he doesn’t know anything. That bastard just came to get in my way.
—Ah…….
*I can’t just leave it like that.*
He didn’t really get this whole boss poaching thing; to Sereuhi, this was a matter tied to his Hunter License.
Sereuhi glanced at the man he had been watching for several days.
Today, he had managed to enter the party of the prime suspect, “An Sanghoe,” making it an all the more priceless opportunity.
He couldn’t be hindered by that lunatic and the kindergartener.
“Does this team take just anyone? They look suspicious at a glance. If you take just anyone to an A-rank dungeon and something big happens—”
Just as Sereuhi was trying hard to dissuade them, Gidan cut in.
“Well, you look suspicious too, but you’re going.”
“……!”
Damn it.
—See, I told you wearing a mascot costume was weird.
—Mmm, you’d better just ignore Hunter Gidan and proceed. Let’s not arouse unnecessary suspicion.
Sereuhi exhaled in annoyance.
At that moment, the bear doll flailed its arms and legs to land on the ground, then waddled over to him.
—Imitating a great hunter is nothing to be ashamed of.
“……?”
The crudely made bear doll snorted loudly.
*Me?*
Sereuhi pointed at himself, then turned the direction toward Geuru.
*You?*
*Yes!*
*Don’t tell me that’s why you liked it?*
The ugly cat gaped in a daze.
*
A-rank dungeon, the Bloody Werewolf’s Nest.
In the case of beast-type monsters, as long as one knew the raid strategy, the difficulty wasn’t very high, so even though it was an A-rank dungeon, many people weren’t needed.
The current members were five B-ranks and one A-rank.
And three S-ranks hiding their strength!
There shouldn’t be any big problems. No, there shouldn’t have been, but…….
“They’re coming! Everyone, get ready!”
When the sound of rustling was heard from beyond the bushes, An Sanghoe gestured.
While the hunters held their weapons and quietly waited to attack.
*Crack! Thud!*
Sereuhi stepped forward first and cleanly struck the temple of the charging werewolf.
At the movement without an ounce of wasted motion, an exclamation burst from one of the A-rank hunters.
Sereuhi spun the dagger in his grip and lightly pulled out the magic stone.
There would be annoying tagalongs, and Geuru was watching too; he intended to take the lead as much as possible until the boss room.
“Ooh…….”
An Sanghoe raised his eyebrows at Sereuhi’s clean strike.
“Meow-eyes. You’re better than I thought. But if you swing more like this, I think it would cut better? Li-ke this—”
He stretched his waist back and demonstrated sword-swinging motions, giving unsolicited advice.
“Ah, yes. Well…….”
An S-rank receiving unsolicited advice from a B-rank.
Though Sereuhi was of the magic class, considering the insurmountable weight-class difference, it was truly a rare sight.
At that, Gidan let out a small snort of laughter while subduing another werewolf.
The ugly cat keenly noticed his sneer and trembled its shoulders in anger.
“You too, Mr. Batman. Keep your shoulders straighter.”
An Sanghoe began giving unsolicited advice even to Gidan, who was biting his lip to hold back laughter.
*Ha!*
Geuru, toddling along beside them, rolled his eyes.
He had been worried that Gidan might say something unnecessary, but contrary to his worries, Gidan seemed simply delighted.
“Mmm, shoulders straight? Like this?”
Following An Sanghoe’s instruction, Gidan straightened his posture and whooshed the baseball bat.
“Yes, like that. You’ve got talent.”
“Wow, I hear that a lot. How did you know?”
The two laughed together like that.
From behind An Sanghoe, Sereuhi made a gesture telling him to go out and die right now.
In response, Gidan conveyed *Nope, nope* with all kinds of cutesy gestures.
Geuru detected beyond the mascot costume that Sereuhi was boiling with rage.
The eyes of the cat mask Sereuhi wore looked like they would pop.
*This is bad.*
*Far from getting closer, they’re going to grow even more distant.*
*……At this rate, the friend-friend project is over.*
Though acquiring filial piety points was also a problem, a cold war breaking out among minors was a bigger issue.
Geuru clenched his tiny fists tightly.
He had no choice but to quickly take Sereuhi out of the dungeon and proceed with the friend-friend project.
*Let’s find him quickly!*
*The swindler deceiving a naive foreigner!*