Chapter 320 – Part 2 – Lunch Appointment

The dungeon manager who had been yawning lazily at the guard post looked at his watch.

“It’s been almost 2 hours since they went in.”

Considering that conquest usually takes about 4 hours, there was still a long wait ahead.

“I just hope no one dies.”

If casualties occurred, he’d have to record the detailed circumstances and report them, which would be troublesome.

‘Well, a C-rank supervisor went in with them, so there shouldn’t be any problems.’

Supervisors had no obligation to protect team members, but they would still help if things got dangerous, wouldn’t they?

‘If they received bribes, they’d definitely protect them.’

Since most supervisors accepted bribes, there probably wouldn’t be any deaths.

‘Besides, it’s not a dungeon where many people die anyway.’

He was sitting in his chair, resting and feeling relieved, but only briefly.

The manager jumped up in surprise when he spotted human figures on the CCTV monitoring the dungeon entrance.

“Th-they’re out already?”

That meant they had killed 200 Giant Wasps in just 2 hours.

‘They were stronger than they looked?’

With that thought, he headed to the entrance, and sure enough, he could see the supervisor and team member who had entered the dungeon.

“Huh?”

The problem was that there were only two of them.

“S-Supervisor. What happened? Where are the other team members?”

“Well… everyone except us died.”

“……”

Since there had been casualties a few times before, it wasn’t particularly shocking, but this was the first time three people had died.

“Could you go inside and explain the detailed situation? I need to write up a report.”

“Sure.”

Choi Seong-min, who entered the guard post alone with the manager, explained what had happened in the dungeon.

Not that there was much to say at length.

“So you’re saying a boss appeared right from the entrance?”

“That’s right. Three people died because they let their guard down, and I barely saved one woman. I finished off the boss myself. That’s all.”

“Hmm… I see.”

Originally he should have gone into more detailed aspects, but the manager glossed over it.

If he asked too many questions, supervisors would get angry asking if he was suspecting them.

‘The other party is a supervisor. Let’s just gloss over it.’

The manager, who had been severely dealt with before, didn’t make the same mistake again.

“That’s fine. I’ll fill in the detailed parts myself.”

“Yes. Well then.”

Choi Seong-min, who had wrapped things up quite simply, smiled inwardly as he left the guard post.

‘The position of supervisor is convenient at times like this. I don’t have to make all sorts of excuses.’

He had killed people but wasn’t suspected or questioned.

‘Ah, there is one person who suspects me.’

When he turned his head, Han Sae-bom was staring at him intently.

Still with a suspicious expression.

“Do you have something to say?”

“Ah… no.”

Han Sae-bom probably knew too.

That her suspicions had no basis.

‘Suspicions without evidence are bound to waver.’

That’s why Choi Seong-min decided not to worry about it anymore.

Han Sae-bom’s suspicions wouldn’t cause him any losses.

“If you have no business, go on your way.”

“…Yes. Thank you for protecting me, Supervisor.”

Leaving behind Han Sae-bom who was bowing, Choi Seong-min got into his sports car.

‘She said she was an orphan…?’

He felt a moment of sympathy since he had also lost his parents in his previous life, but that was all.

‘Well, she’s not a child, so she’ll manage fine on her own.’

He stepped on the accelerator and left without lingering.

A thank-you was sufficient reward for saving her.

He had already obtained everything he needed – traits and items.

* * *

[Heo Solji: Ah, hello. I’m Heo Solji from the same class as A-yeon. You must be surprised by my sudden text? It’s just that I received help from you but couldn’t properly thank you. Thank you so much for helping.]

[Choi Seong-min: Not at all. I didn’t really do much. Please continue getting along well with A-yeon like now.]

[Heo Solji: I will! We’re desk partners with a lot in common, so we get along really well. You don’t need to worry about that!]

“Sigh…”

Heo Solji, who had been looking at the text exchange from a week ago, let out a deep sigh.

‘What should I say?’

She had something she wanted to ask Choi Seong-min but didn’t know how to bring it up.

‘It might be rude to suddenly ask him to spare some time…’

While she was holding her phone and pondering.

“Unnie, what are you doing?”

“Ah, you startled me!”

Choi A-yeon suddenly appeared.

“Oh, A-yeon came?”

“What have you been doing since morning that you’re so absorbed in your phone?”

“Ah… it’s nothing.”

“You were texting, weren’t you? Are you having a fling with some guy?”

“Fl-fling, what are you talking about…”

Feeling flustered, Heo Solji touched her face once, then looked at Choi A-yeon who had sat down next to her.

“Hey, A-yeon.”

“Yeah?”

“About your brother… is he very busy these days?”

“My brother? He seems busy lately, often not coming home some days… why?”

“Well… I was wondering if he could spare some time…”

Choi A-yeon’s eyes widened.

“U-unnie. Don’t tell me you’re trying to ask my brother on a date?”

Startled by the word “date,” Heo Solji hurriedly waved her hands.

“N-no, that’s not it. It’s a misunderstanding. It’s not me, but my sister who wants to meet him.”

“Your sister’s sister means… that B-rank hunter?”

“Yeah. I wasn’t going to say anything, but somehow she found out about what happened at school and asked me about it. That’s how it came up. She said she wants to treat your brother to a meal as thanks.”

“That hunter sister wants to meet him…?”

“Yeah. But when I was about to text your brother, I wondered if I might be bothering him, so…”

“Okay. I understand, unnie. I’ll go home and ask my brother if he has time.”

“Really? Thank you!”

“It’s not difficult. If he’s busy, he’ll just say no.”

She said that, but Choi A-yeon thought her brother wouldn’t refuse.

It was just one meal after all.

* * *

“I’m back.”

Choi A-yeon, who had returned home, looked around the living room and asked her mother who was in the kitchen.

“Where’s oppa?”

“He’s probably in his room.”

Choi A-yeon looked slightly surprised at those words.

Because he was always out when she came home from school.

“Oppa.”

When she opened the door, Choi Seong-min, who had been lying on the bed, sat up.

“You’re back?”

“What’s the occasion? You’re home at this time?”

“My schedule ended early today.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Did you just come back from school?”

“Yeah. I always come back at this time.”

“After that incident last time, no one else is bothering you?”

Choi A-yeon made a disgusted expression as if to say don’t even mention it.

“Not at all. Rather, everyone around is making a fuss trying to get close to me.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Word spread throughout the school that oppa is a direct subordinate of the Great Hero.”

“Ah…”

Even without saying more, Choi Seong-min understood.

‘After seeing me expel the daughters of prominent companies with just one word, they’d want to get close.’

Having seen the Great Hero’s power, they couldn’t carelessly mess with him.

“Did I make too big a deal of it?”

“No, oppa. I made up with unnie again, no one bothers me, and it’s better than before!”

“By unnie, you mean that kid Heo Solji?”

“Huh? You even know her name?”

“She texted me last week. Saying thank you.”

“Ah, speaking of which…”

Choi A-yeon finally brought up the main topic.

“That unnie’s real sister wants to treat oppa to a meal as thanks, so do you have time…”

“Forget it. What meal?”

Choi Seong-min immediately refused as if he didn’t need to hear more.

When he was already ignoring Do Eun-jeong’s texts, he had no leisure to have meals with other women.

“Are you uncomfortable? It’s just eating…”

“It’s bothersome. I don’t have time for that either.”

“Oppa has to eat anyway.”

“It’s more comfortable eating alone than making appointments and eating face to face. I didn’t help to hear thanks.”

Not expecting such a firm refusal, Choi A-yeon looked troubled.

“You really won’t meet her?”

“Yeah. What would we talk about?”

“Still, since you’re both hunters, wouldn’t you have something in common?”

“A hunter?”

“Ah, didn’t I mention? That sister person is a B-rank hunter. She works at the Association like oppa.”

“Really?”

Choi Seong-min’s eyes changed.

‘Who is it? If she’s a B-rank hunter working at the Association, she must be at least team leader level.’

At least among the people he knew, there were no B-rank hunters.

‘It wouldn’t be bad to build connections with Association personnel.’

Having changed his mind, Choi Seong-min casually said.

“Well… meeting once might not be bad.”

“Really? You’ll meet her?”

“Yeah. I’m busy, but I’ll make some time. Set up a meeting.”

“Okay! Got it!”

“When does she want to meet?”

“She said anytime is fine, so oppa can decide conveniently.”

“Then tell her let’s meet tomorrow right away.”

“Okay okay! I’ll tell her that.”

Thus, the meeting with Heo Solji’s sister was arranged.

* * *

When lunchtime came the next day, Choi Seong-min stopped his work and headed to the meeting place.

‘We agreed to meet in front of the Association main gate, right?’

Since they worked at the same place, they decided to meet at a nearby location.

‘A B-rank hunter working at the Association…’

He hadn’t met her yet, but Choi Seong-min had already figured out who she was.

Heo wasn’t a common surname among Association staff.

‘Her name is Heo Yoon-ji. A B-rank hunter with 100,000 combat power and team leader of the Investigation Department.’

She was 33 years old, having achieved B-rank 10 years ago and worked as a pillar of the Association.

‘Whether she’s ally or enemy, I’ll have to meet her to know.’

For now, since it was a meeting with good intentions, it would be better to consider her an ally.

‘If the Investigation Department team leader becomes an ally, it might be beneficial in various ways.’

Given the nature of the Investigation Department, she would know all sorts of information.

For Choi Seong-min, whose goal was to bring down the Association, the importance of information couldn’t be overstated.

‘Of course, when it comes to information about Great Heroes, no one can match me…’

Eventually arriving in front of the Association’s main gate, Choi Seong-min looked around.

‘Hasn’t she come yet?’

That’s when it happened.

“Ah, you arrived first.”

Choi Seong-min’s eyes widened at the appearance of a familiar person.