Chapter 122 – The Year 2021

Min Do-jun greeted Park Dong-yoon, who had come to pick him up in front of his house.  

“Hello, Manager.”  

“Hello, Hunter. Please get in.”  

Sitting in the back seat, Min Do-jun smiled.  

“Happy New Year.”  

“Ah, I was about to say that first! Happy New Year to you too, Hunter. May everything go well for you in 2021!”  

“Haha, thank you.”  

The warm atmosphere didn’t last long.  

With the pleasantries over, it was time to get to the point.  

“What did you mean earlier on the phone? Is there a problem?”  

“Ah… well.”  

Hesitant, Park Dong-yoon licked his lips before continuing.  

“Since the year changed, the priority passes reset, right?”  

“Yes.”  

“But our center director decided to reset the number of passes too.”  

“The number?”  

“Yes… Originally, we had five, including allocations from other centers, but now it’s back to just one.”  

“Why the sudden change?”  

“I’m not entirely sure…”  

The priority passes had been reduced from five to one—intentionally.  

‘What’s he thinking?’

Something felt off, but he’d have to hear it directly from the director.  

“Is the director at the center now?”  

“Yes, he should be there.”  

“I’ll need to meet him.”  

“Understood.”  

Park Dong-yoon turned the car toward the center.  

—  

Before the regression, Min Do-jun had never met the center director.  

So when he first saw him, he had some expectations.  

Honestly, he even felt a bit of goodwill—after all, this was the person who had secured five priority passes for him.  

But the reality was the worst possible.  

“I’ll make you the second Lee Se-yoon.” 

Those words had been nothing short of an insult to Min Do-jun.  

Now, meeting him for the second time, he hoped to see a different side of the man.  

But people don’t change easily.  

“Hunter, reducing the priority passes was unavoidable. Other branches demanded them back.”  

Director No Dae-woong repeatedly insisted it wasn’t his decision.  

“I don’t have the authority to keep them every year. If they ask, I have to give them back. However…”  

The director glanced at Min Do-jun.  

“If you agree to appear in an advertisement to elevate our branch’s status, things could change. We’d have a reason to push back.”  

“…”  

“What do you say? If you sign on as our flagship star, five passes would be trivial. We could even increase them. You’d get to solo as you wish, and our branch’s reputation would rise. A win-win.”  

“I didn’t expect this level of audacity.”  

“Huh?”  

“Using a Hunter to line your own pockets? Even if you’re blinded by money, you should’ve drawn the line somewhere.”  

“W-what are you—”  

“I heard your plan loud and clear—using priority passes to turn me into an ad model. But do you even realize who holds the leverage here?”  

“Leverage? I told you, I had no choice—”  

‘Crash!’  

Min Do-jun split the table in the director’s office in half.  

A speed invisible to ordinary eyes.  

Sweat beaded on the director’s forehead.  

“My apologies. I can’t help but lose my temper when I hear lies.”  

“…”  

“I’ll pay for the table.”  

“N-no need, Hunter. It’s understandable if you’re upset, haha…”  

As a civilian, the director couldn’t handle the pressure of an A-rank Hunter.  

He just wanted Min Do-jun out of the center as soon as possible.  

“Anyway, I understand your stance. I assume you understand mine too. I’ll take my leave now. Oh—I can still use one priority pass, right?”  

“O-of course! Absolutely!”  

“Remember this. When dealing with people, knowing your place comes first. At your age, you should know that… tsk.”  

Leaving the messy office behind, Park Dong-yoon approached him outside.  

“Did the talk go well?”  

“Yes. It ended favorably.”  

“Ah, that’s a relief!”  

By Min Do-jun’s standards, it was “favorable,” but Park Dong-yoon, unaware, cheerfully led the way.  

“Let’s go! I’ll take you to the dungeon.”  

As he followed, Min Do-jun glanced back at the director’s office and shook his head.  

‘I’ll have to leave the center as planned.’  

Without the priority pass benefits, there was no reason to stay.  

Being affiliated with an organization was more trouble than it was worth.  

—  

The year 2020 had been full of news that journalists loved.  

The hero who stopped a dungeon break in Gongju.  

The death of Kang Cheol-gyu, the rising star of the Wanted Guild.  

The Hunter assault case in an alley near a columbarium.  

The dungeon break involvement of civil servant Hunter Yang Seung-hyun.  

The kidnapping and confinement of women led by cult leader Kim Peter.  

The truth about Lee Se-yoon of the Blue Dragon Guild and his death.  

It had been a year of many incidents.  

But amid the dark news, there was hope.  

Shin Kyung-min, Korea’s top-ranked Hunter, had reached S-rank.  

This made Korea an official S-rank Hunter nation.  

An S-rank dungeon had also appeared, but it wasn’t a national crisis.  

If conquered, it would be like discovering a high-grade mine.  

Moreover, unlike other dungeons, S-rank dungeons had a 480-hour break timer, providing ample time.  

If necessary, they could request international support.  

With Korea’s first S-rank Hunter now available, there was little to worry about.  

The number of S-ranks was slowly growing, led by Shin Kyung-min.  

[Emperor Guild Leader Kang Hyuk-soo Achieves S-rank!]  

[Next in line: Rank 3 Jung Hye-won, expected to reach S-rank this week…]  

Hunter Department reporter Go Doo-sik gritted his teeth as he scanned the flood of New Year’s articles.  

‘Just wait. I’ll get my own scoop.’  

Earlier, he’d been scolded for copying other reporters’ work and sent out to find something original.  

‘I’m sick of being humiliated.’  

Determined to land a shocking scoop, he stepped out boldly—only to hesitate on the sidewalk.  

‘Damn, where do I go?’  

He had no leads, no idea what to write about.  

‘Should I speculate on the location of the second S-rank dungeon? Or stalk A-rank Hunters to expose their nightlife?’  

Nothing concrete came to mind.  

‘For now, I’ll just look at the sky and hope for inspiration…’  

He wandered aimlessly.  

—  

A reservoir in Namyangju’s Geumgok-dong.  

An SUV pulled up.  

Min Do-jun had arrived.  

‘This is where I’ll get the Tough Tree Sap.’  

No other Hunters were around—he had used his sole priority pass to reserve the dungeon for the day.  

‘I should use the pass before leaving.’  

After the clash with the director, Min Do-jun had decided to form his own guild.  

This might be his last solo dungeon run of the year.  

[Geumgok Reservoir Swamp Crocodile Dungeon]  

-Difficulty: A  

-Party Limit: 6  

-Level Requirement: 2,000+  

-Objective: Collect 800 Crocodile Hides  

-Failure Penalty: All stats -5  

-Time Limit: 18 hours  

-Dungeon Break Timer: 113:06:21  

Success meant collecting 800 dungeon-exclusive Crocodile Hides within 18 hours.  

A full party could gather them faster, but—  

‘I can do it alone.’  

With his Ghost Wolves herding the crocodiles, gathering the hides wouldn’t be hard.  

“I’ll head in now.”  

“Hunter, safety first! Come back safely!”  

Unaware their partnership would soon end, Park Dong-yoon cheered enthusiastically.  

‘Sigh.’  

As Min Do-jun vanished into the portal, Park Dong-yoon lowered his fists and returned to the SUV.  

Now, he had free time.  

A few tasks on his tablet would take less than 30 minutes.  

‘Managing Hunter Min has made my job easier.’  

Though he had to travel often due to Min Do-jun’s fast hunting pace, it was nothing compared to his previous workload with three Hunters.  

‘Meeting him was pure luck.’  

Thanks to Min Do-jun, he’d been promoted to manager while his peers were still stuck as assistants.  

“What now?”  

A less experienced manager might have waited anxiously by the portal, worrying about the Hunter’s safety.  

‘Worrying about Hunter Min is the most pointless thing in the world.’  

Experience had taught Park Dong-yoon that napping was more productive.  

“I’ll take a nap.”  

Just as he reclined his seat, someone knocked on the window.  

‘Tap tap.’  

“Ah, damn! You scared me.”  

Startled, Park Dong-yoon rolled down the window to see a scruffy-looking man staring at him.  

“Who are you?”  

“Hello. I’m Go Doo-sik, a reporter for the Daemun Daily’s Hunter Division.”  

‘A reporter?’  

Park Dong-yoon frowned.  

The man must have been hiding nearby—no one had been around earlier.  

“And?”  

Park Dong-yoon responded coldly.  

He knew reporters would go to any lengths for a scoop.  

This one had clearly been lying in wait.  

“That Hunter who just went in—is he yours?”  

“…”  

“Ah, never mind. If he’s not a Hunter, he wouldn’t be entering a dungeon. Anyway, he went in alone, right? What’s his level? Can you tell me his name?”  

“No.”  

‘Whirr.’  

As Park Dong-yoon rolled up the window, the reporter knocked frantically.  

“Wait! At least tell me his guild!”  

“Not happening.”  

The reporter grew desperate.  

“I took a photo of his face! I could publish it—‘Mysterious Hunter Attempts Suicide in 6-Man Dungeon!’”  

He was outright threatening to run a sensational story.  

“This guy…”  

Park Dong-yoon stepped out of the car.  

“What do you think you’re doing?”  

“Just give me his name and guild. I’ll write a flattering piece—‘A-rank Hunter Solos 6-Man Dungeon!’”  

“No. My Hunter doesn’t want that.”  

“Really? Everyone wants fame.”  

“Then ask him yourself when he comes out.”  

“Just a name and guild—fine. I’ll wait.”  

Go Doo-sik resigned himself to an 18-hour stakeout.  

For a scoop, he could endure it.  

‘This is huge! A real exclusive!’  

He’d come to this high-level dungeon on a whim, never expecting to stumble upon an S-rank Hunter.  

‘He must be S-rank or close to it!’  

No sane Hunter would solo a level 2,000 six-man dungeon otherwise.  

Especially not with a priority pass blocking others.  

‘I only saw his back, but he’s definitely famous!’  

The photo claim was a lie—he’d only glimpsed a blurry figure from afar.  

But Go Doo-sik’s instincts screamed this was a top-tier Hunter.  

Why else hide his name and guild?  

‘Shin Kyung-min? Kang Hyuk-soo? Whoever he is, he’s top 10.’  

A celebrity Hunter secretly farming here?  

Something smelled.  

The smell of a scoop.