Chapter 53

At the Hunter Management Agency, Section Chief Jang Han-soo spent another day wrestling with his monitor.

He was constantly monitoring the results of a large C-rank Dungeon.

Just as quitting time was approaching…

The section chief clenched his fists and leaned forward after checking the monitor again.

In an instant, he nodded with a look of pure joy.

“Kuh, as expected!”

The dungeon had been cleared!

Of course, it was Ms. Si-hyun who did it!

Large dungeons are inherently feared by hunters and often avoided.

This particular one even had some nasty rumors swirling around.

It was a headache trying to gather a party for such a place…

But Ms. Si-hyun was different.

She accepted the request on the same day I asked, and just two days later, she finished it in less than a day.

Such reliability and trustworthiness!

I wish others could learn from her example.

‘Oh yeah, she’s an Academy professor now.’

Truly, a fine role model for students.

We should continue building this good relationship.

Leaning back in his chair, the section chief basked in satisfaction.

Then, his smartphone in his pocket vibrated.

“Yes, this is Section Chief Jang.”

It was a call from none other than Ms. Si-hyun, whom he’d just been thinking about.

With a broad smile, the section chief listened intently.

And then…

“Understood. I’ll handle it properly, so please don’t worry too much.”

After hearing the explanation of what happened in the dungeon, he ended the call.

“Hmph…”

Furrowing his brow deeply, the section chief sighed heavily.

All that good mood from before had vanished.

Because he’d heard stories about those dirty thief bastards.

Even though it could have been passed off as an accident caused by monsters…

Conscientious Ms. Si-hyun honestly reported everything that happened.

The antics and battle against a rogue thief party.

Stress levels skyrocketing, the section chief began massaging his temples.

Not all thieves are criminals.

In fact, having skilled thieves in high-rank dungeon parties greatly improves survival rates.

However, whenever there’s criminal activity among hunters, there’s a high probability thieves are involved.

An unspoken truth.

‘Safety guidelines need an update regarding thieves.’

We can’t let something like this happen again.

If Ms. Si-hyun had fallen victim to those thieves this time…

‘Of course, that wouldn’t have happened…’

Shaking his head violently to dispel the thought, the section chief gritted his teeth.

Deep in thought, he planned his next moves.

All safety rules are written in blood.

* * *

The next day, during lunchtime…

I was lying on the sofa, my legs resting on the armrest.

Swinging my toes idly, I organized my schedule mentally.

Since the Wings Guild commission is done, I just need to wait for the item.

There’s still plenty of time until my next lecture at the Academy.

So the most important thing right now is…

‘Lunch? What should I eat…?’

Deciding today’s lunch.

Si-yoon went out to meet an old friend, so I’m eating alone.

Though I’m thinking of keeping it simple, nothing particularly appealing comes to mind.

“Oh, that’s right.”

I remember seeing some kind of lunch menu decision chart online before.

Pulling out my phone, I quickly searched the internet.

Skimming through lists of Korean food, Japanese food, easy meals…

“Hmm…”

Convenience store bento, sandwiches, ramen…

Ramen.

Alright, you’re the one!

I was thinking of challenging a new level of spiciness anyway; perfect timing.

Time to graduate from deep-fried noodles, right?

Still lying down, I nodded and entered a new search term.

Surely there must be ramen communities out there.

And indeed, there were.

Using the community search function, I typed “how spicy”.

Certainly, people like me who aren’t fond of spice exist, so following their choices would be perfect, right?

Unfortunately, there weren’t many posts, so I couldn’t gather enough information.

Should I try different search terms?

Ah, I don’t necessarily need to limit myself to community searches.

Combining various keywords, I gathered the necessary information.

Finding a suitable candidate…

[Title: Why do people eat mild flavors?]

[User]

What flavor are you eating?

– Because it’s cheap

– Elderly people eat it

– If you add lots of garlic, it’s bland but tasty

└ Investigation

– You eat it because it’s delicious. Of course, I don’t.

└ lol

Hmm… Maybe I shouldn’t have looked.

Suddenly, it doesn’t appeal anymore.

Thinking about it again, choosing “mild” feels like starting off weak.

Time to cast away weakness for a new challenge. Hmm, hmm.

Let’s find a new target.

[Title: The first bite of chicken ramen is truly heavenly]

[User]

The first bite is sweet yet spicy, really irl.

Once you taste it, just thinking about it makes your mouth water.

– Agreed

– Flavor expert, huh lol

– How spicy is it? I don’t like spice, should I try?

└ Not as spicy as Gapsari

└ I found it spicier than Gapsari

└ ???

– Tried it because the commercial model was Ye Do-hyeong, turned out to be yummy lol

└ Ye Do-hyeong from the Midnight Guild S-rank hunter?

└ Yup

The pioneer seems confused by the differing opinions, but there’s no further info.

Hmm, that first bite being heavenly…

That level of appeal is what inspires challenges.

Memorizing the appearance and name of the cup ramen, I prepared to go out.

Surely any convenience store or mart will have it, right?

If not, I’ll just pick the one I saw first.

…Absolutely not because I’m scared.

It’s just a backup plan. Yep.

* * *

…

Ended up buying it.

Who said it wasn’t an ad product?

Its presence stood out so much in the most visible spot, it felt like destiny to grab the chicken ramen.

Banana milk also in hand, I’m invincible.

The handsome face of the cup ramen lid smiled brightly at me.

Seems like I saw a comment about him being an S-rank hunter somewhere in the community.

Being capable and good-looking, is this what they mean by alpha male or whatever?

Putting aside these brief thoughts, I checked the cooking instructions.

Nothing special, so it should be straightforward.

I filled the coffee pot with water and turned it on.

While waiting for it to boil, I absentmindedly stared at the ramen.

For a moment, I imagined myself as its commercial model.

“Puhh…”

Me as a commercial model? What nonsense.

Must be boredom making me think weird things.

Chuckling, I picked up my phone and opened a chat.

– I’m cooking this now. Have you tried it? How spicy is it?

Attached a picture of the cup ramen lid.

Since I didn’t get an immediate reply, I continued preparing the ramen.

Drained the boiling water from the noodles.

Calmly broke the wooden chopsticks next.

“Phew.”

Good start. Perfectly split into two.

No rough splinters sticking out. Truly excellent.

Satisfied, I nodded and proceeded to mix the sauce, completing the fried noodles.

The spicy aroma rising from the red noodles teased my nose.

Alright, let’s eat!

Slurp——

“Wa… This is why people eat it.”

I get it now!

The great pioneers spoke the truth!

Spicy yet followed by this sweet taste.

Amazing how such a heavenly flavor exists!

Tears welling up, I took another bite.

…Yeah, it is kinda spicy.

Furrowing my brow slightly, I took another bite.

“Khup…”

Wait, something’s strange?

Another bite.

“Huh, huuuh…”

Why am I crying?

Ah, these are tears of joy. It’s just so delicious.

Slurp—

Carefully took another bite.

“Cough, cough!”

More, more difficult…

Damn. What is this thing?

Definitely tasted like paradise at first.

Why does hell keep coming with every additional bite?

Desperately tearing open the banana milk with my teeth, I gulped it down.

No time for straws.

“Hyu, hyuuuh… Is, is this what?”

The spiciness won’t go away.

Continues to torment me, lingering on my tongue.

As if mocking my bravado, it persistently stabs my tongue.

I can feel sweat forming on my scalp and forehead.

Wiping my forehead hastily with the back of my hand, I drank more milk.

“Ahh, please…”

I’ve barely eaten half.

Why won’t the pain stop?

Please stop… Too spicyyyyy…

“…”

Just as I contemplated using divine power in a cowardly way…

The advertising model on the cup ramen lid caught my eye.

Smiling cheerfully.

How dare he wear such an expression when he’s clearly trying to assassinate me.

You little hero wannabe.

Hiding sinister intentions within that smile, weren’t you?

If we ever meet, I’ll take revenge on you someday.

I’ll return this tongue pain tenfold.

Your face and name, I’ve memorized them.

“Khhuuh…”

The spiciness won’t fade.

I’ve stopped eating, yet my tongue’s agony continues.

Amidst this torture scene…

A message alert sound rang out.

It was a reply to the message I sent to Ji-a earlier.

– Si-hyun, that’s… extremely spicy, right? Are you okay?

– Did you already eat it?

With trembling fingers, I typed a painful reply.

– Yeah… I’ll never eat it again…

I glared at the assassin in the cup ramen lid once more.

Ye Do-hyeong, remembered.

* * *

In front of the gate leading to a certain A-rank dungeon in Korea.

A young man wielding a long spear conversed with people.

Yu Byeong-jun, Korea’s S-rank spear-wielding hunter.

“An undead dungeon, huh?”

“Yes! Moreover, according to the advance team’s report, the mana levels inside are unusual.”

“Hmm, rather fortunate. We’ll finish it within half a day, so prepare the interview.”

“Understood!”

Watching his vigorous subordinate respond, he chuckled.

‘A whole day? Nah, we’ll clear it in half a day.’

Chin raised, Yu Byeong-jun proudly strode into the gate alone.

After he entered the dungeon alone…

Some of the onlooking officials murmured amongst themselves.

“It’s an A-rank dungeon. With this much mana, isn’t it likely to have special circumstances?”

“That’s true. There’s a high probability it’s a special dungeon, isn’t there?”

“Though he insisted he was fine, permission was granted…”

Both looked towards the gate entrance.

“But since he’s an S-rank hunter, he’ll probably be alright, right?”

“With S-rank status, nothing major should happen, right?”

Exchanging similar words, they returned to their duties.