Chapter 157 – Shin Kyung-min’s Gratitude

“Hunter Min Do-jun…?”

At Shin Kyung-min’s murmur, Shin Hye-ri asked with surprised eyes.

“Do you know him?”

“Of course I do. He’s incredibly popular right now.”

“Popular?”

“You know about the dungeon break that happened in Hongdae Street, right? The person who stopped it is that hunter right there.”

On the TV, Min Do-jun was massacring rock lizards with overwhelming force.

Shin Hye-ri, who had been staring blankly at the scene, murmured softly.

“So he was the one who stopped the dungeon break…”

Even though she didn’t watch the news much, she knew what had happened in Hongdae Street.

But she didn’t know exactly who had stopped it or how.

This was her first time seeing the actual footage from the scene.

“His name is Min Do-jun… Hunter Min Do-jun?”

After belatedly learning the name of her benefactor, she asked her brother.

“Have you met him before?”

“Yes. We’ve even had a meal together personally.”

“Even had a meal…?”

“Well, it was just once.”

Shin Hye-ri couldn’t hide her surprise at the fact that her brother had a connection with him.

“How strong is that hunter? As strong as you, oppa?”

Since he had shared a meal with her brother, who was ranked 1st, he must be an elite hunter.

That was the thought behind her question, but the answer was unexpected.

“Hmm, I’m not sure?”

Shin Hye-ri was quite surprised by that ambiguous answer.

‘Not sure? Did oppa really say he’s not sure?’

He didn’t give a definitive no, but said he wasn’t sure…

For such words to come from the mouth of the country’s top-ranked hunter.

‘Does that mean he might be stronger than oppa…?’

Looking at Shin Kyung-min with eyes demanding an explanation, he said:

“Honestly, I don’t know myself. He seems both stronger and not stronger than me.”

Even Shin Kyung-min couldn’t gauge Min Do-jun’s true abilities.

“What’s certain is that his skills are on par with S-rank.”

“On par with S-rank? Does that mean he’s not S-rank?”

“That’s right. Hunter Min Do-jun is still A-rank. He’s 1,200 levels below me.”

“……”

There’s a significant gap between A-rank and S-rank.

Even as an ordinary person, she knew that much.

‘Yet oppa views him as being at a similar level…?’

If he already acknowledged Min Do-jun, who was 1,200 levels lower, as his equal.

‘That means he’d be stronger than our oppa if they were at the same level, right?’

A hunter who might be stronger than her brother if they were at the same level, even if not currently.

That’s how Shin Hye-ri perceived Hunter Min Do-jun.

At the same time, she realized he matched her ideal type.

Of course, recognizing how absurd that thought was, she quickly blushed.

‘What, what am I thinking…’

He had saved her life and seemed reliable, but they hadn’t even had a proper conversation yet.

‘I, I’d need to meet him a few times to know if he’s my ideal type…’

As she was wondering when she might see him again, Shin Kyung-min called out to her.

“Hye-ri.”

“Yes?”

“Why are you so surprised?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. Nothing at all.”

“Are you sure the person who saved you is that hunter in the video?”

“Yes, I’m certain. I saw his face clearly.”

At those words, Shin Kyung-min quietly fell into thought.

‘To think the hunter who saved my sister would be Hunter Min Do-jun…’

He wondered if such a coincidence could happen again, but decided not to dwell on it too deeply.

‘I can’t doubt the benefactor who saved my sister.’

Though he had a few questions, those could be answered when they met.

“I should at least call to thank him.”

As Shin Kyung-min picked up his phone, Shin Hye-ri stopped him.

“It’s too late now, oppa. Do it next time.”

“Ah, should I?”

Shin Kyung-min, who would do anything for his sister, obediently put down his phone.

Little did they know that someone was watching them.

* * *

At the same time as Shin Kyung-min and Shin Hye-ri were watching TV.

Min Do-jun, who had returned home, was comfortably lying on the sofa watching the two siblings.

The Parasite he had planted in Shin Hye-ri made this possible.

‘As planned, they’ve realized I was the one who saved her.’

After saving Shin Hye-ri, Min Do-jun had left the scene without revealing his name, almost as if escaping.

If the fact that he had saved her life didn’t reach Shin Kyung-min’s ears, all the staged drama would have been for nothing.

But Min Do-jun wasn’t worried.

‘She knows my face, after all.’

Min Do-jun’s face had become nationally recognized after stopping the recent dungeon break.

No matter how little interest Shin Hye-ri had in the news, she would eventually find out.

‘Once Shin Hye-ri knows, Shin Kyung-min will know too.’

That’s why there was no need to reveal his name.

He also couldn’t give the impression that he wanted something in return for saving her.

‘I can’t let them think I approached them with a plan. The rescue must seem purely coincidental.’

He didn’t know what Shin Kyung-min was thinking, but outwardly, he should be grateful to Min Do-jun for saving his sister.

Fortunately, Shin Kyung-min didn’t pretend not to know Min Do-jun.

‘Seeing that he was about to call to thank me, he seems to have basic decency.’

Not only could he observe the situation through Shin Hye-ri’s perspective, but he could also eavesdrop on their conversations.

Min Do-jun marveled at the Parasite ability once again.

‘There’s nothing better for surveillance.’

Moreover, by inflicting pain, he could use Shin Hye-ri as a tool for threats if necessary.

‘I hope it doesn’t come to that.’

Honestly, he preferred not to involve ordinary people if possible.

‘By the way, I wonder what characteristic I got.’

Min Do-jun checked the characteristic he had stolen from Na Han-gyu.

[Characteristic – Courage]

-Grade: D

-Description: When faced with a situation where confidence is low, courage emerges.

Min Do-jun chuckled at the simple description.

‘Does this mean I’ll have courage in any situation?’

It might be better than having no confidence, but it wasn’t particularly helpful for Min Do-jun.

‘Because I never lack confidence.’

Min Do-jun hadn’t yet encountered a situation where he hit a wall.

There was no need for courage.

‘Anyway, this characteristic must have played a role in Na Han-gyu’s courageous decision to detonate the Magic Bullet.’

He had obtained a characteristic and taken a hostage with the Parasite.

Though not yet, he was also set to gain Shin Kyung-min’s trust as a life-saving benefactor.

As everything was going according to plan, Min Do-jun smiled with satisfaction.

‘Now all that’s left is to wait for Shin Kyung-min’s contact while running dungeons.’

The next plan was to quickly reach level 2,250 and enter the hidden dungeon called the Tower of Infinity.

‘Then I can level up several times faster than usual.’

After making his plans, Min Do-jun ended his surveillance and looked forward to tomorrow.

* * *

As soon as day broke, Min Do-jun was about to run dungeons.

But Shin Kyung-min’s call forced him to postpone it.

-Hunter Min Do-jun? This is Shin Kyung-min.

“Yes, I know.”

-Haha, it seems you’ve saved my number. Good. We’ll probably be in touch frequently from now on.

“Is that so? But why are you calling so early in the morning…?”

-Ah, I have something urgent to tell you, Hunter. Are you on your way to a dungeon?

“Not yet.”

-That’s good. Could you spare a moment? It’s important.

“Alright.”

-Thank you. May I know where you are now? I’ll come to you right away.

“Ah, then could you come to our guild? There’s no one there, so it would be a good place to talk.”

-The Guardian Guild, right? Understood. I’ll see you soon.

After ending the call, Min Do-jun leisurely waited at the guild office, sipping coffee.

‘He’s leaving now.’

Seeing Shin Kyung-min through Shin Hye-ri’s perspective, it seemed he was coming with his sister.

‘I’m waiting. Come quickly.’

When Min Do-jun activated the tracking skill, he could see the distance decreasing in real-time.

Even without the Parasite, he could check Shin Kyung-min’s location anytime since he remembered his scent.

‘They’ve arrived.’

As expected, Shin Kyung-min and Shin Hye-ri entered the office.

“You’ve come…”

Min Do-jun, who had been looking out the window and pretended to notice them belatedly, acted surprised upon seeing Shin Hye-ri.

‘How did this woman get here?’

He looked back and forth between Shin Kyung-min and her with such an expression.

“Hello, Do-jun. I’m sorry for coming so early in the morning. There’s something urgent I need to ask.”

“What…”

“Do you recognize this woman?”

When Shin Kyung-min pointed to Shin Hye-ri, Min Do-jun nodded.

“Yes. But how do you know her, Kyung-min?”

“I told you before, didn’t I? That I have a younger sister. This is my sister.”

Hearing that, Min Do-jun put on an expression as if he had no idea.

Indeed, currently, he was supposed to be unaware of their relationship.

“She was your sister…?”

“Yes. I’ve heard what happened. You saved my sister.”

“Ah… yes. It was nothing.”

“It’s not nothing. You saved her life.”

Then Shin Kyung-min bowed deeply.

Shin Hye-ri followed suit.

“Thank you so much for saving my sister.”

“Thank you for saving me.”

Min Do-jun showed discomfort at the siblings’ gratitude.

“I just happened to save her. This isn’t necessary.”

“Still, you saved a life, so we must express our gratitude. But I heard you left as if escaping…”

“Ah, people were gathering, and I wanted to avoid a troublesome situation.”

“I see. But could you tell me in detail what happened? My sister’s perspective is limited, and there are some parts I don’t understand.”

“Ah, that makes sense.”

Min Do-jun willingly explained the situation at that time.

“I was on my way back after clearing an A-rank dungeon nearby when I saw a suspicious man following your sister. There was another man with her at that time…”

Listening to the story, Shin Kyung-min nodded.

‘Right. There was an A-rank dungeon nearby.’

He shouldn’t be thinking this, but Shin Kyung-min was honestly suspicious of Min Do-jun.

The probability of a hunter he knew coincidentally saving his sister at the perfect timing was not high.

But hearing Min Do-jun’s explanation, it made some sense.

‘So it was just a coincidence.’

If he had just been passing by and saved her, it would have been suspicious, but since he was coming out after clearing an A-rank dungeon, it could simply be a coincidence.

‘I guess I was suspicious for nothing.’

Shin Kyung-min’s neck reddened at the fact that he had momentarily doubted the pure intentions of the life-saving benefactor.

“…and that’s what happened.”

Min Do-jun’s explanation of the situation ended.

The subsequent events matched what he had heard from his sister.

“Hye-ri.”

“Yes?”

“I have something to discuss with the hunter alone. Could you step out for a moment?”

“Ah, alright.”

Shin Hye-ri glanced at Min Do-jun before leaving the office.

“Hunter.”

“Yes, Kyung-min.”

“My only blood relative is my younger sister. Thank you once again for protecting my only family.”

“It’s nothing.”

“So, if there’s anything you want, please tell me. I must repay you.”

At the mention of repayment, Min Do-jun waved his hands.

“You don’t need to do that. I didn’t do it for compensation.”

“I thought so. If that wasn’t the case, you wouldn’t have left the scene as if escaping. Still, I must repay you. The debt I owe you is too great.”

Shin Kyung-min was sincere.

There was no trace of doubt left.

“Small gifts wouldn’t satisfy me… How much should I give you? No, you probably have plenty of money too…”

After pondering for a moment, Shin Kyung-min continued.

“This is a secret… but I have a personal dungeon?”

“What?”

“I’d like to share it with you… What do you think?”