Chapter 58

Director Jang Han-soo anxiously stared at his smartphone screen.

This afternoon, he briefly found some time and called Ms. Si-hyun, but the call didn’t connect.

After checking on his computer, he realized she was inside a D-rank Dungeon.

He thought someone of Ms. Si-hyun’s skill level would finish quickly and come out soon.

However, she stayed in the dungeon all afternoon.

Busy with double dungeons, Director Jang eventually had to return to work.

As night fell…

Director Jang, who was pulling an all-nighter, managed to find another break and made another call.

He knew calling this late was burdensome…

But given the situation, he really wanted her help if possible.

But even as time passed, she didn’t answer the phone.

‘Is she busy…?’

Just as he was about to give up and press the end call button…

– …Hellooo?

The call barely connected at the last second.

Feeling a strange sense of déjà vu, the director began speaking.

“I’m sorry for calling so late, Ms. Si-hyun. Do you have a moment to talk?”

– …Yeeees.

‘Hmm?’

Her unusually slurred speech caught his attention.

The director tilted his head curiously as he brought up the matter.

“Currently, many hunters are missing inside an A-rank Dungeon. Also, the gate’s instability is reaching its peak. Have you heard anything about it?”

– Ah… yep. Saw the news.

It wasn’t a mistake! She was clearly very drunk, her tongue tied up badly.

Realizing why the call connected so late, the director scratched the back of his head.

It’d be best to wrap this up quickly. He immediately continued.

“I need your help and wanted to ask if you’d be willing to assist us.”

– …When is it?

“First group tomorrow morning, the later group in the afternoon!”

She asked about the date?

Probably due to the alcohol, it seemed like a positive response.

Filled with anticipation, the director waited for her reply.

Even if she only joined the later group, it would significantly boost their strength.

However…

– In the afternoon… I have lectures, though…

“Ah, right…”

Oh no! He hadn’t considered that she might have lectures.

The director unconsciously slapped his forehead.

How unfortunate that the dates overlapped!

As the director paused, filled with disappointment…

A depressed voice came from the phone.

– I’m sorry…

“No, no! Don’t worry about it! If anything, I apologize for disturbing you. Have a great evening.”

– …Yeeeess.

The call ended.

Director Jang looked at his smartphone with lingering regret.

While Si-hyun was usually stoic, her cute drunken slur somehow felt oddly soothing…

But that wouldn’t help the current situation.

Besides, she was D-rank and not included in this mobilization order anyway.

Considering her schedule and her current state, it wasn’t something he could force.

“Hmph…”

With a deep sigh, he returned to his work.

* * *

Chirp chirp—

“Yaaawn…”

Waking up to the sound of sparrows chirping, she stretched lazily and glanced at the clock on the wall.

9:00 AM.

Normally, she woke up early for prayers, so compared to that, she’d slept in quite a bit today.

Still, despite drinking quite a lot yesterday, there was almost no hangover.

Was it because she enjoyed good drinks and food, or because she slept so deeply?

Whatever the reason, good things are good things. Hehe…

“Hmm…?”

Her smartphone wasn’t where she usually left it.

She looked around the living room.

“It’s not here?”

Where did she leave her phone last night?

She widened her search area.

She checked the corners of the living room and even peeked into the bathroom.

“Ah! There it is. Hahaha…”

She found it next to the fridge.

Must’ve placed it there while getting something and forgot about it.

Amused by her own actions, she scratched her head, unlocked her phone, and checked the screen.

One missed call.

Several messages.

The missed call was from Ji-a.

Even though she drank a lot, why didn’t she realize there was a call?

Checking further, she noticed:

“It was a vibration…”

That explains it.

Smiling faintly, she checked the messages.

– Hey Si-hyun, are you busy? Since you didn’t pick up, I’ll just text you.

– I’ve decided to join the vanguard team tackling the A-rank dungeon that caused the recent incident.

– I’m guarding the supporters from the Midnight Guild, so don’t worry too much!

Ji-a was participating in the expedition for the dungeon Ji-a saw on the news.

Given that Ji-a usually avoided dangerous dungeons, it made sense she’d join the vanguard team based on her personality.

…Didn’t the vanguard team enter this morning?

They must already be inside the dungeon by now.

Returning to the sofa, she leaned back comfortably.

There was still plenty of time before her Academy lecture today.

She leisurely browsed through the latest news and articles.

“…Hmm?”

This seemed quite dangerous…

Information that hadn’t been clear even when they were hanging out at restaurants and wine bars started coming out.

The danger level of this A-rank dungeon was being heavily emphasized everywhere.

A special dungeon so rare you could count its appearances on one hand.

Most cases involved the dungeon upgrading by one rank.

A significant number of Korea’s S-rank hunters participated in clearing it.

‘I should check related data…’

She looked into information about S-rank clears, including overseas examples, and details about dual dungeons.

After thoroughly analyzing the information after investing sufficient time…

If this dungeon is truly A-rank, it can likely be cleared without issues.

But what if it’s actually an S-rank dual dungeon?

The power available would barely be enough to clear it.

The rushed gathering of people made the numbers seem precarious.

Clearly, fatalities were possible.

And most likely, lower-ranked hunters rather than S-ranks would be among the casualties.

“Hmph…”

She massaged her furrowed brow with her hand, glanced at the wall clock, then stared at her phone screen again.

If she acted now, she might be able to join the later group.

But then she wouldn’t be able to teach her Academy lecture today.

Not to mention, she was a part-time lecturer, and the president had taken care of many things for her…

Suddenly announcing a last-minute cancellation wouldn’t reflect well on her responsibility.

Even as a student, she wouldn’t think highly of a professor who did that.

Likewise, other professors wouldn’t either.

“Grrr…”

She rechecked Ji-a’s message.

– I’m guarding the supporters from the Midnight Guild, so don’t worry too much!

Is it really safe? Or am I just overthinking?

…

Tapping her cheeks lightly, she tried to organize her thoughts.

Especially since this isn’t a regular dungeon—it’s an undead dungeon.

Even the later group joining the vanguard will likely face fierce battles against partially resurrected monsters.

Can the gathered hunters successfully clear this dual dungeon?

She anxiously glanced at the wall clock again.

Time was slowly but surely passing.

A decision needed to be made.

If it’s an A-rank dungeon, the gathered forces should be enough to clear it.

But if it turns out to be an S-rank dungeon by bad luck, it could result in numerous injuries and deaths.

Honestly, she didn’t care what happened to others.

But the problem was that Ji-a was involved.

Maybe it’s just my paranoia, and everything will go fine…

But it’s also true that high-tier dungeons often involve unpredictable variables.

She had to choose one option.

Between Ji-a’s uncertain and potentially life-threatening situation…

And her responsibilities as a professor at the academy…

Which did she value more?

Something had to be sacrificed.

“Hmph…”

Annoyance surged as she got up from the sofa.

She grabbed a cold bottle of water from the fridge and chugged it down.

The cool water running down her throat slightly cooled her rising heat.

Calming her mind and regaining composure…

She rechecked the wall clock’s time…

Then carefully reread Ji-a’s message on her phone.

Which choice is the right one between these two options?

“…Of course, this side is the obvious choice.”

I absolutely don’t want to regret anything.

Now that a decision has been made, the next steps are crystal clear.

* * *

On the day of the Monsterology lecture…

Jae-woo, having finished his 3rd and 4th period major courses, headed to the basement of the building.

As usual, he grabbed a light lunch at the snack bar.

Returning to the first floor, Jae-woo promptly made his way to the classroom at the end of the hallway.

He sat in his usual spot at the front near the corridor.

Killing time by casually browsing Ttubu on his phone…

Creak.

The back door of the classroom opened, and another student entered.

It was usually Ah-reum and Eun-byeol, but today it was a different student.

Jae-woo shifted his gaze back to his phone.

…

A few more students entered the classroom.

The start time was approaching.

Yet, the number of students was notably low.

Neither Ah-reum nor Eun-byeol showed up.

At that moment, Jae-woo sensed something was off.

‘Could it be…?’

He quickly accessed the academic information system.

Checking the announcements for the Monsterology lecture…

[Monsterology Lecture 4 Cancelled Notice.]

He spotted an urgent notice posted just a few hours ago.

Due to an emergency, today’s lecture was cancelled, with plans to make it up during the makeup period.

“…Shoot.”

Jae-woo looked around the classroom.

The students present, like him, clearly didn’t know about the cancellation.

Conversely, Ah-reum and Eun-byeol must’ve known and didn’t come.

‘They could’ve at least informed me…’

Feeling a bit hurt, Jae-woo sighed deeply.

He stood up and headed toward the blackboard.

Writing in large letters that today’s lecture was cancelled.

At that moment, the students began murmuring.

“What? The lecture was cancelled today?”

“Already the 4th lecture, and we’re getting cancellations?”

Some students directly checked the academic information notices.

“It was posted a few hours ago?”

“Why didn’t they post the notice earlier if it’s going to be cancelled?”

Students grumbled lightly and gradually left the classroom.

Watching them leave, Jae-woo packed his bag.

‘I wonder what’s going on that led to the cancellation?’

Curious, he touched his smartphone.

To diligently reserve an E-rank dungeon as usual.

Before launching the app, he checked new messages first.

– Jae-woo, wanna go to the dungeon today? Ah-reum is going too.

– Oh! By any chance, did you go to attend the Monsterology lecture?

Messages from Eun-byeol arrived just a minute ago.

“…Hmph.”

Sighing lightly, Jae-woo began composing a reply.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Si-hyun’s case…

She was sitting in the passenger seat of a car heading toward the gate.

When she expressed interest in joining the later group, Director Jang personally came to pick her up.

“Sorry for troubling you.”

“Not at all. Your participation alone is more than enough.”

As the traffic light turned red…

The director paused the car and glanced at Si-hyun beside him.

Dressed in her nun’s habit, she appeared tense, lost in thought.

‘So even she gets nervous sometimes.’

Wanting to help ease her tension a bit…

After thinking it over, the director slowly spoke.

“Ms. Si-hyun, are you nervous?”

“…Huh? Nervous? Not at all.”

“Hm?”

An entirely unexpected response.

The director widened his eyes in surprise and questioned her.

“Isn’t there something worrying you?”

“Oh, how did you know?”

Si-hyun blinked her eyes and tilted her head in confusion.

Then, she revealed the concerns she’d been pondering until just now.

“It’s about the Academy lecture. I hastily posted the cancellation notice, and I feel really bad about it towards the students…”

“Aha.”

The director couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

She wasn’t nervous about the dungeon but was instead concerned about her students.

“That’s something I might be able to help you with.”

“Really?”

Surprised by Si-hyun’s follow-up question, the director smiled confidently and said,

“We were considering what kind of compensation the Bureau could offer you, Ms. Si-hyun. Let’s prepare something the students will enjoy together?”

“Yes, please do!”

With her concern neatly resolved, Si-hyun brightened with a clear smile.

The director blushed slightly and turned away.

It was probably because her tone and mannerisms from yesterday’s call popped into his head.

Clearing his throat awkwardly, he resumed driving.

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