Civil Servant Hunter's S-class Resignation Log

Chapter 128:

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!

After the Labyrinth raid, the image of a man with striking green eyes continuously lingered in Seora’s mind. It never left her thoughts for even a single moment. More precisely, it was the scene of him with her mother in a dream she had seen. The moment when Kang Sejun and Seong Jarim had left, leaving her alone in the room. Seora once again visualized the sight she had witnessed back then.

“I don’t particularly hold any resentment towards you. It’s not your fault that the world has turned out this way.”

At first, Seora was angry that the man in her dream had deceived her. However, after a fierce fight and passing out, her mind calmed down, allowing her to view the situation more objectively.

Her mother’s gaze towards the man had been gentle. If he were a bad person, she wouldn’t have looked at him with such eyes. Seora’s mother was as kind as someone who would sacrifice herself, but she also held contempt for those who caused harm to others. She would never smile warmly at a strange person.

Then who could he be? Who was this person that could have a conversation with her mother and appear in her dreams? ‘The problem is that the words ‘world destruction’ came out of my mother’s mouth.’

Looking at her mother’s face, the other party didn’t seem bad, but hearing her say that the world’s destruction wouldn’t matter raised suspicions. Moreover, the fact that the mysterious person, the one the Dragon of Revelation desperately sought as an ally, was somehow connected to all this bothered her even more.

If he appeared in her dreams one more time, she could find out even if she had to threaten him, but unfortunately, her encounters with him weren’t something that she could make happen just because she wanted them to.

“He said… Mom won the bet.”

The man who didn’t care whether the world was destroyed or not made a bet with Hyeon Jaehui. She had believed that no matter what, the man’s heart would eventually lean one way.

And the man admitted that her mother won. In other words, he had made his choice.

“…Could he have decided in favor of destruction?”

That’s why he helped the owner of the Labyrinth, stole the Key, and opened the Cheorwon Dungeon?

Oh, the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. Her mind, which wavered momentarily when she saw her mother’s smile, calmed down. “A platinum-haired beauty with green eyes… and he even owns a mansion adorned with jewels. Wow, the more I think about it, the more suspiciously intriguing it gets. I can’t believe I fell for him so easily.”

Whine. The fox beside her tilted his head, asking what she was talking about. Seora hugged the fox and gave him a serious look as she advised, “Listen well, Elizabeth. If you ever encounter a very handsome man with platinum hair and green eyes, bite him immediately.”

K-kaing!?

“If he met with Mom, he definitely exists, so we can’t let him slip away. Even if one of your legs gets hurt, it’s okay, right? So, ensure you bite him hard so he can’t run away!”

Whine…

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of the rest. Platinum hair and green eyes… Suddenly, it gives me the creeps.”

【Administrator: .?????( ????????? )?????.】

“What’s wrong? Why are you suddenly crying?”

【Administrator: o(?????????o )?3??】

The sorrowful administrator ran over to the other side and buried his face in the corner, sobbing. Seora, taken aback, approached and patted his back, but the fox didn’t stop crying.

What on earth could it be? The administrator’s actions were usually unpredictable, but seeing him run and cry like this was something she had never witnessed before, leaving her clueless about the reason. Seora tried her best to console him since he was upset, but the administrator remained melancholic throughout the night.

For reasons unknown, he truly seemed heartbroken.

***

The president of the America Association, Joe Milan, came to see Seora during lunchtime.

“Good afternoon, Hunter Yun Seora.”

Seora looked up from her meal with the swollen-eyed fox in the hotel lounge. Joe Milan stood there with a somewhat tense expression.

“Good afternoon, President Milan. It’s been a while.”

“I apologize for interrupting your meal, but I wanted a brief conversation. Would you mind sparing some time, even if it’s just for a moment?”

“Sure, of course. Please have a seat.”

As Seora pointed to the seat opposite her, Joe Milan seemed visibly surprised. It appeared he had been prepared to be turned away, perhaps because he hadn’t made a prior appointment.

“Would you like some coffee?”

“Oh, yes. A warm one, please.”

“I’ll have some black tea, please.”

The hotel staff placed coffee and black tea on the table before leaving. Seora savored the fragrant aroma of the tea and took a sip.

“Thank you for not kicking me out.”

Seora smiled in response to Milan’s words. “Why would I kick the association’s president out? We have something to discuss.”

Although she smiled kindly, her words had a subtle edge. Milan bowed his head first. “I’m sorry. I should have apologized earlier for my previous behavior. I couldn’t reach you, so let me apologize now.”

Joe Milan was the leader of the nation’s association, and just like Song Hanna, he was not incompetent. It was hard to tell, but perhaps his past mistake was driven by a desire to connect with an L-class, just like when he faced the two L-rankers in the United States and witnessed their power.

“Yes, I accept your apology. Thank you for apologizing first. So please lift your head now.”

Milan’s face showed signs of bewilderment. Having witnessed two L-classes who did not give a care in the world from America, he must have been astonished, thinking, “I can get through an L-class this easily!?”

“I’m not lying; I’m sincere. I’m saying this now, and I promise I won’t betray you or retaliate from behind. I swear as an official of the Korea Association.” Milan looked a bit flustered and quickly composed himself. His face, which Seora had meticulously scrutinized, showed embarrassment. “I also have faults for not revealing the truth and concealing things. I’m sorry for deceiving you.”

“It’s okay. I understand your situation, miss.”

“Well, thanks to that, I gained such a wonderful summoned creature. As expected of the America Association. It’s amazing to have such a precious item like this.” Seora lifted the fox, who was eating in the chair next to her. Milan’s gaze met the green eyes, and he awkwardly smiled.

“Oh, this fox is…”

“It’s a fantasy species, the nine-tailed fox. It can copy one of my skills, and you have no idea how convenient that is. Thanks to it, my combat power has become much stronger. Thank you.”

Milan’s eyes lost their focus and wavered. With this, he should no longer underestimate Seora as a mentally weak F-class.

“Since we both made mistakes, let’s end this with mutual apologies, okay? Is that fine with you?”

“Of course.”

Of course, it wasn’t fine. The America Association had lost two L-class items. However, Milan was the one who first offered to give her two pieces of equipment in exchange for his mistake, so he couldn’t really criticize her. With tears held back inside, he nodded. “I apologize for interrupting your meal. I’ll be going now.”

“Oh, can I ask you one favor?”

“Please tell me.”

“In the future, please treat F-class Hunters better.” Milan’s eyes widened at the unexpected words. “Who could have known that something like this would happen again?”

As the words laced with thorns continued, his expression became subtle. After assuring that he would do that, he stumbled out of the lounge.

“Yes, F-class Hunters also risk their lives in battles, so they should be treated well.”

Seora, who was now alone, took her last sip of her black tea. Though she had become an L-class, she hadn’t forgotten her time as an F-class. Because of that time, she could grow to where she is now.

She didn’t expect F-classes to receive the same treatment as high-rankers. She simply hoped that no one else would be treated with disdain, thrown into dungeons recklessly, and die in vain, like she once was.

***

After careful consideration, President Alexander Rodrick decided not to reveal that Seong Jarim was a dungeon survivor.

Assuming the dungeon was one, the probability of surviving on another planet was extremely slim. To prevent people who had lost their families from entering the dungeon with baseless hope, a special order was issued regarding this matter: the truth about the gates and the planets would be disclosed worldwide after further investigation by WDO. With this, the strategy for conquering the 8th floor of the Labyrinth was completely concluded.

Now, it was time for everyone to return to their respective places. Until the 9th floor of the Labyrinth opened, they would not gather in one place again.

Seora was also scheduled to return to Korea today, boarding the private jet specially sent by Song Hanna.

“It would have been nice to go back together, but unfortunately, you must go alone.” Yun Jaeheon came to the airport to see off his younger sister. “I’m sorry I couldn’t take care of this occasion for you as well.”

Three days later, December 31st, was the anniversary of Seora and Jaeheon’s parents passing away, the last day of the year. Whenever he had time, Jaeheon would visit Korea to commemorate this day, but there were more days when he couldn’t do so as dungeons opened regardless of year-end holidays.

“You received a request from WDO, right?”

WDO had requested dungeon investigation collaboration from Athena. As an organization that knew the true nature of the dungeons and gates and could freely traverse any country, their investigation would greatly help.

And as the head of the Asia branch, Jaeheon had a duty to fulfill the mission.

“Yeah, I was surprised when I heard about it. I had unknowingly been on a space journey.” Jaeheon grinned, finding it quite fascinating.

Technically, if you considered the dungeons as being on a different planet, it wasn’t entirely wrong to call it a space journey… It’s just that using that term felt a bit odd.

“Don’t overdo it. Is your body fully recovered?”

“That’s exactly what I want to say to you.”

The situation had turned around without them realizing it. Seora gently poked him in the side. “I don’t plan on overdoing it either for a while. If anything comes up, I’ll just toss it to Kang Sejun or Seong Jarim and stay quietly at the association.”

“Sounds good. Promise me. Or I’ll ask Junyeong and the president.”

“I knew Director Do was a spy, after all. So thorough. Okay, okay, I got it.”

Jaeheon seemed satisfied, even going as far as asking her to swear an oath with her fingers, just like when they were younger.

At that moment, the private jet’s captain announced they were ready for takeoff. Seora said she would leave shortly and bid farewell to her brother, not knowing when she would see him again.

“Will you attend the December 31st commemoration event?”

Before she turned around, Jaeheon asked her.