The Dungeon Cleaning Life of a Once Genius Hunter

It has been three days since the unexpected storm of blood swept through Operation Team 1.

The news of firing two active hunters on the same day was quite a shock to me as well.

‘And that Lee Soo-yong, of all people…’

Of course, Team Leader Lee Soo-yong didn’t personally issue the firing orders. He doesn’t have the authority over personnel matters.

He must have reported the incident of them messing around in the dungeon after the hunt to the department head.

Anyway, for a few days, I was worried that the fallout might land on us as well, but…

Fortunately, nothing like that happened.

Moon So-yeon returned with a much-improved face, and we went about our usual routine, working the same as always.

It was as if nothing had ever happened, and everything was just the same.

However, one thing had changed from before…

“Good work!”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Thank you!”

“Please take care of the finishing touches!”

The fact that Operation Team 1 started greeting us was the only noticeable change.

“Ah, yes… Good work, Operation Team.”

“Thank you! We’ll be on our way now!”

A young hunter answered loudly.

At the same time, I smiled awkwardly.

Their behavior, which seemed out of place, wasn’t a one-time occurrence but was repeated after every hunt.

If the hunt ended earlier than planned, they would wait and greet us before leaving.

It wasn’t just the greetings.

After a hunt, they sometimes even gathered the monsters in one place or tidied up the boss room, even if it was done sloppily.

“It’s… still hard to get used to.”

Moon So-yeon spoke up as we watched the Operation Team leave. Team Leader Park nodded.

“I never thought the infamous Operation Team would start looking over at us like this. Even after ten years of cleaning, this is a first for me.”

“At this rate, are we going to take over the Operation Team? Based on the atmosphere, it doesn’t even seem impossible.”

“Don’t get cocky, you brat. And what do you mean ‘we’? What have we done? It’s all thanks to Jun-woo’s efforts!”

“I’m just saying, it’s a figure of speech. Of course, I’m thankful. I really appreciate it.”

Han Sang-hyuk half-jokingly expressed his complaints.

But Moon So-yeon seemed more anxious about their teasing than anything.

“I’m really grateful that Jun-woo is on our side, but… that’s why I’m even more worried.”

“…? I never took his side.”

“I’m just worried that by helping us, the fallout might end up on Jun-woo…”

“Me?”

“Yes. The rumors are already spreading in the headquarters. There’s talk of a janitor who cuts off the heads of two hunters with a single word.”

“…I’ve heard some rumors like that, I suppose.”

Though the story’s been completely distorted.

In reality, the sudden change in the attitude of Operation Team 1 is probably because of those rumors.

After all, it’s true that Team Leader Lee Soo-yong has been siding with the cleaning team.

They must be worried that if they get on the cleaning team’s bad side, their own necks might be on the line.

“Right now, they’re looking over at us, but who knows? There might be some hunters with bad intentions just waiting for the right moment…”

“Well, even if there are some who are plotting, they wouldn’t act on it. Not unless they’re completely out of their minds.”

“That’s true, I guess? After all, Jun-woo hasn’t done anything wrong.”

Moon So-yeon seemed to relax a bit, giving a small smile.

“Still, I just can’t understand it.”

At that moment, Han Sang-hyeok, who had been quietly listening to our conversation, turned to me.

“You’ve gone and argued with the department head to increase the budget, cut off two hunters with a word, and now even Operation Team 1 is watching the cleaning team… Isn’t it time you told us what’s going on?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Exactly what kind of things are you up to?”

“…”

I was at a loss for words in the face of Han Sang-hyeok’s sharp question. It wasn’t something I could easily answer.

I didn’t understand either.

Why had things turned out this way?

“You’re not… doing something like that, are you?”

As I remained silent, unsure of how to respond, Han Sang-hyeok spoke again, frustration evident in his voice.

“What now?”

“You’re not involved with some powerful big-shot line that even the higher-ups can’t touch, right?”

“…Really?”

A small, automatic laugh escaped me.

What nonsense was that?

Seoul Headquarters.

Operation Team 1’s office.

Though everyone else had already gone home, Team Leader Lee Soo-yong remained in his office.

In the dim light, only the sound of his sighs occasionally broke the silence.

He had been pulling his hair out over various issues when, unexpectedly…

“Wow, working hard, huh~? Been doing well?”

An unwelcome visitor arrived.

Team Leader Lee Soo-yong’s expression darkened even further.

“…What is it?”

“Hey, hey, what’s with the cold response to an old colleague?”

“It’s a bit of a surprise to suddenly see someone who usually doesn’t show their face around here.”

“Well, come on, there’s no one else who’d come to check up on you like this.”

“Right…”

Team Leader Lee Soo-yong muttered under his breath.

It was Im Dong-bin, the Team Leader of Operation Team 2.

Although he was one year ahead of Lee Soo-yong, he was the type to only show up when there was trouble, offering unsolicited advice and causing more trouble.

Now that he’d come, it was clear why…

“Hey, but I hear your team is looking over at the cleaning team these days?”

Sigh…

Just as expected.

It had clearly reached his ears too.

“Man, Soo-yong, you’ve really gone downhill~ Here you are, the Team Leader of Operation Team 1, looking over at the cleaning crew. The organization’s upside down, huh?”

“Seriously… if you don’t know what you’re talking about, maybe it’s better to just stay quiet. Do you even know who’s on the cleaning team right now?”

“Of course I know. They say it’s someone connected to some big-shot line, right? The rumors are all over.”

Im Dong-bin sat on Team Leader Lee Soo-yong’s desk and said with a grin.

“This is why parachuting into a position doesn’t work. Look at me. I made it up the ranks with my own effort. The moment you rely on some big-shot line, you end up in this mess.”

“…You’re making things worse. If you’re going to stir up trouble, just leave.”

“You’ve got a temper, huh? Anyway… that’s not the point.”

He glanced around, as if checking the surroundings.

Im Dong-bin spoke in a low voice, as if offering something.

“I’ll take care of it for you.”

“…What are you talking about?”

“The cleaning team. You can’t just let them keep climbing up the ranks relying on that big-shot line. I’ll help you out. A senior like me should step in here.”

Help? Team Leader Lee Soo-yong chuckled bitterly.

“How exactly are you going to help? I’m warning you, if you meddle in this, even you won’t come out unscathed.”

“Hey… what do you think of me?”

Im Dong-bin shrugged his shoulders, his expression brimming with strange confidence.

“Honestly, it’s nothing too grand. I’ll just do things by the book. No matter how connected they are to the association president, there’s no reason to cover up for mistakes made by their team members.”

“…What mistakes has the cleaning team even made?”

“Not yet. But… I’ll make it happen eventually.”

Im Dong-bin’s lips curled into a sly grin.

That crazy bastard.

Team Leader Lee Soo-yong muttered to himself, but his gaze remained fixed on Im Dong-bin.

As soon as his junior sensed something was off, Im Dong-bin didn’t miss the opportunity.

“You better watch your step. You don’t want to spend the rest of your life watching the cleaning team’s every move, do you? You’re the so-called elite team leader of Operation Team 1, after all.”

“…Fine. Just tell me what the conditions are.”

“Ah, you catch on quickly.”

Team Leader Lee Soo-yong let out a bitter laugh.

It wasn’t like Im Dong-bin genuinely wanted to help him.

He knew very well that Im Dong-bin wasn’t being sincere.

“It’s not hard. Your team has a large-scale hunt scheduled for next week, right? A multi-zone dungeon in Yeongdeungpo.”

“…And?”

A multi-zone dungeon.

It’s a special dungeon where you have to defeat the boss in one zone before you can move to the next zone. Usually, it’s a ‘normal’ green-grade dungeon, but because you can’t exit midway, the operation requires several hours of non-stop action until all the bosses are cleared.

Preparation takes a month.

Planning takes another month.

This large-scale hunt, involving significant personnel and time, was the most important project for Operation Team 1 at the moment.

But…

“Give it to us.”

This was beyond unreasonable.

‘…Have I ever seen such a brazen bastard?’

Team Leader Lee Soo-yong gritted his teeth.

“Well, if you don’t want to, forget it. By the way, the department head already approved it. He said we should work things out amongst ourselves.”

Team Leader Lee Soo-yong brushed his hair out of frustration.

Im Dong-bin had taken credit for over 100 dungeons so far. Most of them were stolen results from situations like this.

‘That opportunistic bastard. If he wasn’t a senior, I’d…’

Naturally, Team Leader Lee Soo-yong was furious, but there was no way he could keep bowing to the cleaning team.

And he couldn’t directly offend the association president’s line either. If someone else handled it, he’d welcome the offer.

‘Fine, damn it… It’s not like this large-scale hunt is the only one.’

With a resolute expression, Team Leader Lee Soo-yong made up his mind.

“…Alright.”

“Hahaha! You’re a big-hearted guy after all!”

“Just make sure you handle it properly. Don’t let any trouble come back to me.”

“Of course.”

Im Dong-bin gave a brief reply and turned to leave the office.

As he was about to exit, he paused.

“Oh, and I hear your team’s got a rising star. Someone named… Kim Min-ju, right?”

“…Why her?”

“That’s the thing, too. Let me borrow her.”

That son of a bitch. Where did he hear about her…?

Now he’s trying to take everything.

“Ugh… Just do whatever you want.”

Team Leader Lee Soo-yong waved his hand, half giving up.

***

On the bus home.

Sitting in the back corner, I was going over the unlocking conditions for skills.

“Hmm, this seems pretty… promising.”

After browsing through a few items, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

The situation had changed a bit since the time when I didn’t even know where to start.

Of course, the main skills still had tough requirements, but now some of them seemed feasible.

[Low-level Summon – Unlocking Condition: Dungeon Cleaning Team, 1 New Hire] It seemed easy but was actually a tough requirement.

I heard there hadn’t been any applications for months… Well, regular people probably don’t even know what the cleaning team does, so that was a no-go.

[Over-Immersion – Unlocking Condition: Joint Project with Another Department] In the past, this would’ve been impossible, but… given the atmosphere in the operation team lately, it might not be such a long shot.

I’ll put this one on hold for now.

[Time Overrun – Unlocking Condition: Dungeon Cleaning Team Salary Increase] This one still seems too difficult, so I’ll pass.

[Polymorph – Unlocking Condition: Increased Public Interest in Dungeon Cleaning Teams] An advanced version of the skill that increases internal association attention.

‘This one seems the most feasible right now…’

I nodded to myself when my phone buzzed in my pocket. It was a call from Kim Min-ju.

She’d been busy lately, so I hadn’t heard from her in a while. I wondered what this was about.

“Hello?”

“Se-Sir…”

The shaky voice on the other end immediately gave me a bad feeling.

“What’s going on? What happened?”

“We… We’ve got a large-scale hunt coming up. It’s a multi-zone dungeon that the whole team is participating in… and I’ve been selected as the leader of the hunt this time.”

“Multi-zone dungeon?”

Was it already that time?

I scratched my head, having completely forgotten about it.

So, she was rising in status if she was selected as the leader.

“But that’s not the important part…”

A brief pause.

Then Kim Min-ju spoke slowly.

“They’ve asked the cleaning team to participate in the hunt.”

“…What?”