Civil Servant Hunter’s S-class Resignation Log

We kindly ask for your understanding regarding the inconsistency of character pronouns, particularly for the Entities (ex. The Greedy Predator). In Korean, pronouns are rarely used, making it challenging to ascertain a character's gender or identity until later narratives unfold. Update twice a week [SUN] & [THURS] starting August 2024! Also please check out our new Hunter series!

“Although I am eager to collaborate with Athena, the current absence of their leader leaves me unable to take any immediate action.”

While Ali may not be troubled by the situation with India, the concern lies in her entry into the Maze Dungeon. Song Hanna sighed, reflecting on the possibility that if Yun Jaeheon hadn’t been trapped there, they might not have sought Yun Seora’s assistance.

“If I had known it would turn out like this, I should have just sent her on my private plane.”

The image of the child, who had departed alone, rejecting all support to ease her aunt’s heart, flashed before Song Hanna’s eyes. She shouldn’t have allowed that; instead, she should have provided all the support. Why do humans repeat their regrets?

“I should negotiate with WDO. If Athena is not feasible, we need to extract something from there.”

As they investigate the dungeon with Athena, they can confirm Seora’s innocence if they agree. The challenge is to completely eliminate the seed of doubt planted by Lee Gilsang, and revealing the truth about the dungeon proves to be the most effective approach.

Will WDO truly publicize the uncertain truth for Seora’s sake?

Song Hanna couldn’t be certain about that part. However, as the head of the Korea Association, she could become ruthless for the sake of her country’s interests.

“Contact Seong Jarim. Instruct her to negotiate with WDO using the information she possesses.” Changes in the dungeon and information about the Labyrinth could serve as bait. WDO, committed to world peace, would have to cooperate with Korea.

“Lee Gilsang, you damn bastard. I won’t let you off.”

Song Hanna’s eyes gleamed fiercely. In the thirteen long years after the cataclysm, Song Hanna once again affirmed that they could never coexist.

Since they initiated the conflict, she will not back down. It’s now time for one of them to end.

And ultimately, it will be those bastards who will be torn apart and meet their demise.

***

Seora did not leave her spot until Jaeheon woke up. Though it was a windless place, she covered him with a blanket, fearing he might get cold, and stayed by his side the whole time.

Finding the exit and escaping would be the best option, but it requires a certain level of strength. Since it was not a good choice to wander around with him unconscious, she patiently waited.

“…Um.”

After some time passed, Jaeheon, who had been lying with his legs stretched out, finally tossed and turned.

“Brother?” Seora called him with a trembling voice. Jaeheon’s eyelashes, which had been motionless, trembled. Seora also let out a sigh at the sound of his breath bursting out beyond his parted lips.

“Brother.”

“… Huh?”

As he struggled to blink his eyes, Jaeheon suddenly woke up at Seora’s voice. Looking dazedly at his sister, he stammered, “… Seora?”

“Yes, it’s me.”

“Why are you here? When I… uh…”

Unable to move due to stiffness in his body, Yun Jaeheon rolled his eyes around. A hazy mist obstructed his vision, vegetation filled the surroundings that did not belong to Earth, and a giant nine-tailed fox was sitting beside Seora.

Belatedly realizing the situation, Yun Jaeheon widened his eyes. “You…!”

“Calm down. Your body hasn’t fully recovered yet.” Seora gently slapped Jaeheon’s forehead as he tried to sit up somehow, then took out a potion and brought it to his lips. “Drink this first. Talk while you drink. I did some first aid, but I was afraid your airway might be blocked, so I didn’t force you to eat anything.”

Looking at Seora with trembling eyes, he eventually sighed at her insistence and opened his mouth. The more he drank the potion, the more relaxed his stiff body became.

“… How long has it been outside?”

“More than two months.”

“You ran all the way here because you were worried about me.”

Not just one or two weeks, but more than two months. Jaeheon’s desire to reproach Seora melted away on its own. In the opposite situation, he would have gone to find her, even if it meant entering the Labyrinth.

“Who answered my phone?”

“Captain Ali did. I rushed here because she asked me for help.”

“Even if she hadn’t asked, you would have come somehow, right?”

“Of course.”

Who could break Seora’s stubbornness? The fact that she came here meant that even Song Hanna hadn’t been able to.

Jaeheon, who smiled like he was sighing, patted his trustworthy sister’s shoulder. “Thanks for coming, Seora.” If it weren’t for her, he might never have woken up. He’d almost followed his parents. “Were there others who came in besides you?”

“Captain Ali and eight Hunters with S-class or below. I focused on rescuing you, the captain on finding the exit and neutralizing the core, and the other Hunters on concentrating on rescuing survivors. Now that I’ve found you, I need to explore the exit and the core too.”

But before that, Seora asked Jaeheon about something she had been curious about since earlier, “I don’t know exactly how long it’s been since I entered, but it feels like at least two days, and I haven’t seen a single monster. But why were you lying there, bleeding?”

Jaeheon’s uniform still had dried bloodstains on it. It was black, so it didn’t stand out much, but if it had been a different color, it would have been quite gruesome to look at.

“Judging by the torn traces on your clothes, it seems like you were cut somewhere. Did you fight with someone?”

As soon as she found him, she gave him a potion without properly examining the wounds. There was no regret, but if those were wounds inflicted by a human, she would never let it slide. Seora’s eyes glowed ominously with a sense of revenge.

“It wasn’t a human, so calm down.”

Seora’s momentum quickly softened.

“I was attacked by a monster.”

“A monster?”

But isn’t this entire forest a monster? Seora frowned and looked at the fox next to her.

【Administrator: (✖_✖)】

He didn’t avoid eye contact, as if he never told lies. Naturally, Seora didn’t doubt him either. If she couldn’t trust the administrator, who could she trust?

But now, this forest felt even more ominous.

“What kind of monster was it, exactly? Well, did it have the sense to attack based on ranks? An intelligent creature?”

Or does it feel the administrator beside me? That’s why it hasn’t attacked me?

‘Oh, this is somewhat convincing.’

Indeed, unlike regular monsters, the demonic bosses she had encountered so far could recognize Seora’s uniqueness as the contractee of the administrator.

“No. From what I feel, this entire maze is a monster.”

Seora knew that, too.

“It looks like an ordinary forest, but when those who enter its body start to tire, it starts to hunt them down one by one. Just like a Venus trap catching flies.”

“Hunt?”

It was a way of thinking that she had never even considered.

Oh, I see. I just entered, so I haven’t been attacked yet, or maybe it’s avoiding attacking me because it truly feels the presence of the administrator.

“Have you met anyone since entering here?”

“I’ve met a few people. There were India Association employees, and my members were here too.”

But he was dying alone. Everyone else must have suffered. Perhaps that’s why his face sank sadly.

“Rest for a bit. I’ll keep watch. It’s better for you to get some more sleep.”

Even if he drank the potion, a body weakened for nearly two months doesn’t recover immediately. Seeing his exhausted appearance, Seora laid him down again and gently patted his chest.

“But how can I leave you alone in a place like this…”

“If I say that my current brother is a burden to me, will you sleep quietly?”

“… Seora, do you know your words are getting harsher the older you get?”

“If you noticed, just quietly close your eyes. Otherwise, you’re about to see your sister’s temper explode.”

Yun Jaeheon didn’t say anything more and quietly closed his eyes. The days of simply running without finding a place to rest were slowly fading away, thanks to the warmth by his side. The warmth of his sister’s touch on his chest and head, her summoned pet that blindly followed her but didn’t even glance at him…

Even though he was still in a dungeon, Jaeheon couldn’t help but let go of his worries. He was too exhausted to hold on firmly.

Eventually, not long after, a steady sound of breaths flowed from his lips again. The strength drained from his hand, which was on his belly, and gently slid to the side.

That’s when the attack occurred.

Ching! As soon as Seora covered Jaeheon’s ears, something sharp, reminiscent of a blade, collided with her cube. Fortunately, the sound wasn’t loud enough to wake Jaeheon.

“Just as my brother said.”

The grass surrounding them transformed into sharp blades, piercing through the cube with precision, targeting the peacefully sleeping Yun Jaeheon.

“Does it sense the administrator’s presence or is it simply because my brother is the only exhausted one?”

Even amid the assault, the low-lying fox lazily flicked its two tails.

“Is it the latter?” She voiced her thoughts. “So, it didn’t realize I’m stronger than my brother? I initially believed it to be an intelligent creature, but it seems to be a brute, devouring anything that crosses its path.”

【Administrator: ( •ᴗ—)ᓂ】

That makes sense. A maze of this magnitude, a dungeon that is a monster itself, should be at least Level 1, so why is it Level 2? Perhaps it’s merely a creature driven by instinct.

“More importantly, Administrator, do you know the location of the core? We need that information to destroy it.”

【Administrator: ｡ﾟ(ﾟ´Д`ﾟ)ﾟ｡】

Oh, the administrator is upset? Why? Could it be that the core doesn’t exist?

【The system administrator states that he cannot directly interfere with dungeon destruction.】

“You can’t even disclose that?”

【The system administrator states that it would be considered direct interference. However, he can provide information regarding the deductions made by the contractee.】

Answering deductions is considered indirect interference, huh? Well, Seong Jarim mentioned something similar. The administrators couldn’t act directly because they were under the designer’s control. Any direct intervention might lead to unfavorable consequences.

So, they influenced indirectly through the contractee.

“Then it’s acceptable if I request you to find the exit, similar to when you located my brother, because it’s unrelated to dungeon destruction?”

【Administrator: ◟(´∀`)◞】

“Alright. That’s sufficient. If that’s the case…”

In case of an emergency, he should be prepared to evacuate Yun Jaeheon.

Holding back the rest of her words, Seora glanced at the unconscious Jaeheon. The grass that had been piercing the cube seemed to acknowledge its inability to penetrate and reverted to its original state. However, if the relentless attacks on Jaeheon persisted, she would soon exhaust herself too.

‘So, I should keep this as the last line of defense.’

Seora continued to gently pat the oblivious Jaeheon, who was finally enjoying peaceful sleep after two months.

***

Until Jaeheon awoke, Seora didn’t get a wink of sleep. In that time, the forest launched a total of seven attacks. Fortunately, being only Level 2, it wasn’t strong enough to breach the cube.

“The actual strength is lower than Level 2. As you mentioned, the main issue is that it gradually saps the vitality of its prey before delivering the final blow, like a Venus trap. Even A-class Hunters can easily evade its attacks.”

“… I see.”

As she detailed the characteristics of the forest that she had observed for the past few hours, Seora noticed the somewhat somber mood surrounding Jaeheon. “What’s the matter?”

“… Because of me, you couldn’t sleep, and you’ve been fending off attacks all this time. I’m sorry for being incompetent.”

Oh. It wasn’t just somber; he was all the way depressed.