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Chapter 53
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Jang Han-soo, the section chief of the Hunter Management Bureau, was wrestling with the monitor again today.
He constantly monitored the results of a large-scale C-rank dungeon.
As the time to leave work approached,
The section chief checked the monitor again, clenched his fists, and leaned forward.
In an instant, his face lit up with delight, and he nodded.
“Yes, as expected!”
The dungeon had been cleared!
It was, of course, Si-hyun!
Large-scale dungeons were inherently avoided by hunters due to their difficulty.
Moreover, this dungeon had developed a bad reputation, adding to its infamy.
It had been a headache to recruit hunters for it.
But Si-hyun was truly exceptional.
She accepted the request on the very day it was made.
And today, just two days later, the dungeon had been cleared in half a day.
What a dependable and reliable hunter she was!
The section chief even thought to himself that others could learn from her example.
‘Come to think of it, she’s now a professor at the Academy.’
She was literally the perfect role model for her students.
He decided to maintain a good relationship with her in the future.
The section chief leaned back against his chair and basked in his satisfaction.
At that moment, his smartphone vibrated in his pants pocket.
“Yes, this is Jang Han-soo from the Management Bureau.”
The call was from none other than Si-hyun, the very person he had been thinking about.
The section chief smiled brightly and listened carefully to what she had to say.
And then—
“…Understood. I’ll handle it properly, so please don’t worry too much.”
After hearing an explanation of what had happened in the dungeon, he ended the call.
“Haaah…”
The section chief let out a deep sigh, his brow furrowed.
The good mood he’d been enjoying moments ago had completely disappeared.
It was because of the story about those despicable rogues.
It could have been dismissed as accidental deaths caused by monsters.
But the ever-diligent Si-hyun had honestly reported the full details of the incident.
The misconduct and crimes committed by the rogue party, followed by the battle.
Stressed by the sudden influx of information, the section chief massaged his temples with his fingers.
Not all rogues were criminals.
In fact, a capable rogue could greatly improve a party’s survival rate in high-ranking dungeons.
However, in places where crimes among hunters occurred,
There was a high likelihood that rogues were involved.
It was an open secret within the community.
‘I’ll need to add new regulations regarding rogues to the safety guidelines.’
Such incidents must not happen again.
What if Si-hyun had been harmed by those rogues this time?
‘Of course, that wouldn’t have happened, but…’
The section chief shook his head vigorously, dispelling such thoughts, and clenched his teeth.
He pondered deeply, planning the tasks he needed to tackle moving forward.
Every safety rule was written with blood, after all.
***
The next day, during lunchtime.
I lay sprawled on the sofa, resting my legs on the armrest.
Swinging my feet lightly, I sorted out my schedule in my head.
The request with the Wings Guild was done, so all that was left was to wait for the items.
There was still plenty of time until the next lecture at the Academy.
That meant the most pressing issue right now was—
‘What should I eat for lunch…?’
The question of what to have for lunch today.
Si-yoon had gone out to meet an old friend.
Since I was eating alone, I thought about keeping it simple.
But nothing struck me as the perfect choice.
“Ah, right.”
I remembered seeing a lunch menu decision chart on the internet before.
Manipulating my phone, I typed the search terms into the internet.
Quickly, I scanned the categorized food options—Korean, Japanese, convenience food, and more.
“Hmm…”
Convenience store lunchboxes, sandwiches, ramen….
Ramen.
Yes, you’re the one!
I’d been thinking of challenging a new spicy flavour, and this was the perfect opportunity.
It was about time I graduated from things like tempura udon.
Still lying down, I nodded and entered a new search term.
There had to be a community about ramen out there.
And sure enough, there was.
I searched within the community using the term “how spicy.”
Surely, there would be others like me, people with a low tolerance for spice. Their choices would be perfect for me to follow.
Unfortunately, there weren’t many posts, so I couldn’t gather enough information.
Should I try a different search term?
Oh, I don’t need to stick to community searches exclusively.
Combining various keywords, I continued my research.
Eventually, I found something that caught my interest.
[Title: But why do people even eat mild flavors?]
[Anonymous]
What’s the point of eating that?
– It’s cheap
– Older folks eat it
– If you add things like garlic, it becomes mild and flavourful
└ Arrested
– If it’s tasty, you eat it. What’s the issue? Not that I eat it, though
└ LOL
……I shouldn’t have looked this up.
Suddenly, it started feeling unappealing.
Now that I think about it, choosing mild Flavors feels like admitting defeat from the start, doesn’t it?
This is a new challenge, so I need to cast away weak thoughts. Yes, yes.
Time to find a new target.
[Title: The first bite of chicken ramen is heavenly]
[Anonymous]
The first bite—sweet and spicy—is absolutely amazing.
Once you taste it, just thinking about it makes your mouth water.
– Agreed, agreed
– You know your stuff, LOL
– How spicy is it? I’m a spice weakling—do you think I can try it?
└ Less spicy than “Tear” ramen
└ I thought it was spicier than “Tear”
└ ???
– I tried it because the model was Yeo Do-hyung, and it was delicious, LOL
└ Yeo Do-hyung from the Dawn Guild, the S-rank hunter?
└ Yes, yes, that one.
Due to the differing opinions of others, the trailblazer seemed momentarily flustered.
However, there were no additional comments.
Hmm, a first bite so good it feels heavenly…
Indeed, only this level of appeal could make me feel like taking on the challenge.
Memorizing the appearance and name of the cup ramen, I began preparing to go out.
It should be easy to find at a convenience store or mart, right?
If not, I could just settle for the first one I saw earlier.
…It’s definitely not because I’m scared.
If it’s unavailable, it’s just the backup option. Yeah.
***
…I bought it.
I ended up buying it.
It was hard to ignore its presence, prominently displayed as if it were a sponsored product.
At this point, it felt like destiny, so I grabbed the chicken ramen.
I also picked up a banana-flavoured milk, making me feel invincible.
The lid of the cup ramen featured the clear smile of a handsome man.
I recalled seeing a comment in the community saying he was an S-rank hunter.
Skilled and good-looking—so this is what they call an alpha male or something, right?
Pushing aside these trivial thoughts, I looked at the cooking instructions for the ramen.
Nothing special stood out, so I figured I could just prepare it as usual.
I filled the kettle with water and turned it on.
As I stared absentmindedly at the ramen while waiting for the water to boil,
I suddenly imagined myself as the model in a ramen commercial.
“Pfft…”
Me, a commercial model? Impossible with my personality.
Bored, I couldn’t help but let my thoughts wander.
Chuckling to myself, I picked up my phone and opened the messenger app.
Scrolling through the message list, I entered the chatroom of someone that caught my eye.
– I’m cooking this to eat. Have you tried it? How spicy is it?
I attached a photo of the cup ramen lid.
Since no reply came immediately, I continued cooking the ramen.
I drained the boiling water from the noodles.
Next, I calmly split a pair of wooden chopsticks.
“Hoo.”
A good start. They split perfectly in two.
There were no jagged edges, just smooth perfection. Impeccable.
Satisfied, I nodded and mixed in the sauce, finishing the stir-fried noodles.
The spicy aroma rising from the red noodles tickled my nose.
Alright, time to eat!
Slurp—
“Wow… so this is why people eat it.”
I get it now!
The words of those great pioneers!
Spicy, yet followed by a sweet aftertaste.
To think such a divine flavour existed in the world!
I realized I had been missing out on half of life until now.
Holding back tears, I took another bite.
…It’s a bit spicy, though.
I felt my brow furrow slightly as I took another bite.
“Sniff…”
Huh, that’s strange?
One more bite.
“Sniff, sniff…”
…Why are tears streaming down my face?
Right, these are tears of joy. It’s just so delicious.
Slurp—
Timidly, I took another bite.
“Cough, cough!”
I don’t think I can take much more.
What the hell is this?
The first bite was like tasting heaven itself!
But why does hell come with every additional bite?
I quickly tore open the banana-flavoured milk with my teeth and gulped it down.
This wasn’t the time for a straw.
“Huff, huff… What is this…”
The spiciness wouldn’t go away.
It lingered on my tongue, tormenting me incessantly.
Mocking my arrogance, it persistently stung my tongue.
I could feel beads of sweat forming on my scalp and forehead.
In desperation, I wiped the sweat off my forehead with the back of my hand and drank more milk.
“Oh, please…”
I was only halfway through.
Why wouldn’t the pain go away?
Please stop… It’s too spicy…
“……”
I debated whether it would be cowardly to use divine power.
At that moment, the smiling model on the cup ramen lid caught my eye.
He was smiling brightly.
How dare he smile like that when his product was assassinating me?
That smug hero-like bastard.
Hiding sinister intent behind that smile…!
If I ever meet you in person, I’ll make sure to get my revenge.
This pain on my tongue—I’ll make sure you feel it too.
I memorized your face and name.
“Sniff…”
The spiciness refused to fade.
I had stopped eating, but the pain lingered on my tongue.
Amidst this torturous ordeal,
I suddenly heard the ping of an incoming message.
It was a reply to the message I sent Ji-a earlier.
– Si-hyun, that’s really spicy. Are you okay?
– Did you already eat it?
With trembling fingers, I painstakingly typed out a response.
– Yeah… Never eating it again…
I glared at the assassin on the cup ramen lid once more.
Yeo Do-hyung, I’ll remember this.
***
At the entrance to a gate leading to an A-rank dungeon in Korea,
A young man holding a long spear was conversing with others.
This was Yoo Byung-joon, an S-rank spearman hunter in Korea.
“An undead dungeon?”
“Yes! And according to reports from the advance team, the mana levels inside are unusual.”
“Hmm, that works out. It won’t take more than half a day, so prepare for the interview.”
“Yes, sir!”
Nodding at the subordinate’s energetic reply, he grinned.
“Half a day, huh? I’ll clear it in less than that.”
With his chin raised high, Yoo Byung-joon strode confidently into the gate.
After he entered the dungeon alone,
Some of the onlookers began whispering among themselves.
“It’s an A-rank dungeon. Don’t unusual mana levels usually mean something special is going on?”
“Right? There’s a high chance it could be a special dungeon.”
“He insisted he’d be fine, so permission was granted, but still…”
The two glanced at the gate entrance.
“Well, he’s an S-rank hunter, so it should be fine, right?”
“Yeah, nothing bad should happen to an S-rank.”
After exchanging these thoughts, they returned to their duties.
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