Hoarding In Hell [EN]: Chapter 39

39. What Kind of Guy Is He? (1)

“There were no new achievements?”

“No… And there were no signs of the dungeon rank increasing. It’s still a fixed type, and other hunters who entered around the same time haven’t reported anything like that either.”

The public official dealing with Noh Ha-eul answered with a troubled expression.

If it were another hunter, they might have accused her of causing trouble after getting drunk before entering the dungeon, but Noh Ha-eul was a key member of the Howan Mama Clan, and she had a good reputation as a hunter and was known for her responsibility. There was no way she would lie. Above all, the testimonies of the rookies matched.

Noh Ha-eul slumped onto the sofa in the Cheonggye Dungeon Management Bureau with a look of dismay. If that was the case, what was it that she had seen?

‘Come to think of it, that man……’

Noh Ha-eul focused on Hyun-woo. Even setting aside the ownership of the goblin, she needed to obtain information about Hyun-woo. To strike a stone with a piece of wood and hit the head in one go from that distance. And that was against an opponent that even Noh Ha-eul had only managed to wound once.

“What are you doing?”

“Eek!”

Noh Ha-eul was startled by Hyun-woo’s sudden appearance and jumped up from her seat.

“Wh-What is it, suddenly?”

“No, I waved my hand and called your name right in front of you, but you didn’t answer.”

“D-Do you have some business with me?”

Noh Ha-eul regretted speaking as if she was picking a fight, wondering why she was saying such foolish things. It was she, not Hyun-woo, who had business.

She needed to grab Hyun-woo right away and ask what his identity was, what his level and stats were, and whether he belonged to any organization.

“I was wondering if you caught that goblin.”

After Kirson disappeared, the rookies rushed to use their return stones to leave. Hyun-woo waited for Noh Ha-eul and left late. Noh Ha-eul returned much later with a complicated expression.

“Yes. It was bleeding so much that it was dead in the middle of the forest.”

What Noh Ha-eul found was a goblin riddled with wounds.

It was similar to the wounds Hyun-woo had inflicted by firing stone shards like a shotgun. Moreover, it was wearing a red hat and its equipment was in disarray. It seemed to have died from excessive bleeding.

However, Noh Ha-eul couldn’t be sure if it was really that goblin. There was no way such a strong guy would die so pathetically.

Being clever, it was possible that it had disguised itself.

“I brought the hat as evidence, but… I think more investigation is needed.”

She could have blamed Hyun-woo for letting the Redcap Goblin get away, but she didn’t even consider such a brazen act. After all, it was thanks to him that one of the rookies had saved their life.

“Ah, come to think of it, thank you. I was almost responsible for causing harm due to my inexperience, but I was saved thanks to Kang Hyun-woo.”

“Is that so? Then, with my skills, do you think I could go to a 2-star dungeon?”

Noh Ha-eul stared at Hyun-woo with a dumbfounded expression. The goblin she had faced was a monster that wouldn’t be out of place in a 3-star dungeon, not a 1-star. If that was the case, then Kang Hyun-woo could definitely go higher.

But she soon realized that he was being held back from going to higher-level dungeons due to procedures, despite his skills. And that permission was up to the inspector.

“Ah, of course……”

Noh Ha-eul stopped speaking as she was about to say it was possible. Should she really send this guy to a 2-star dungeon as he was? She didn’t know his stats or his intentions. No, was he even human? Maybe he was a new type of humanoid monster that had accidentally wandered out of the dungeon.

“Noh Ha-eul?”

“…Of course, it’s possible! You could even go to a 3-star dungeon.”

What did she care?

Kang Hyun-woo was an incredible talent. Noh Ha-eul wasn’t stupid enough to miss out on such a talent because of such ridiculous suspicions. Even if he was a monster, it didn’t matter as long as he could communicate and listened to her.

“If you join a clan, you can enter 4-star dungeons depending on your affiliation. Kang Hyun-woo, honestly, your skills are amazing.”

“Thank you.”

“Have you been a hunter before and then taken a break? Your level seems quite high.”

Because he said it was his first time visiting a dungeon and he looked young, she thought he was a rookie who had just started as a hunter. He even seemed a little nervous in the dungeon.

But when she thought about it, there were plenty of high-level hunters who never let their guard down.

“Did you have to visit a 1-star dungeon because of the ranking system? Have you ever entered a dungeon before……?”

Noh Ha-eul’s question was a bit subtle. She was asking if Hyun-woo was a rogue, an unregistered hunter.

Since you could tell if you had abilities without being certified, there were many hunters who didn’t register with the government and entered dungeons as they pleased.

However, unregistered hunters were basically illegal, and many of them ended up as rogues because they couldn’t get sponsorships or jobs from other companies.

But if Hyun-woo had been an unregistered hunter and had decided to change his mind and enter the system, his abilities would be understandable.

“Well, I had similar circumstances.”

There was no need to talk about Difficulty: Hell.

Hyun-woo answered plainly.

“I see.”

Noh Ha-eul wasn’t disappointed. It was common for hunters to hide their personal information. Even the leader of Howan Mama, ‘Park Doryeong,’ hid his face and used an alias. Only his close acquaintances knew his real face.

“Excuse me, but is your level also a secret?”

“My level is 20.”

Noh Ha-eul paused. If he was level 20 and it was his first time visiting a dungeon, it was as good as proving that he had been an unregistered hunter.

But it didn’t matter unless he had actually committed a crime. In the early days when dungeons first appeared, there was no system or anything, so there were quite a few people who had just wandered around and registered much later.

Hyun-woo looked young for that, but it wasn’t a crime to worry about too much.

What she really needed to worry about was something else.

“But you’re stronger than I thought?”

Noh Ha-eul’s level was 28. But the way Hyun-woo had performed against the goblin was on par with or slightly better than her.

“Are you perhaps a 1-star [referring to his hunter rank]?”

“Yes.”

Noh Ha-eul felt a little sorry. If he was level 20 in a 1-star, then there was no more room for growth.

Noh Ha-eul felt that his skills were a waste. Howan Mama, which she belonged to, aimed for a small elite group, but that didn’t mean they excluded low-level ability users.

Even low-level hunters had their place where they were needed.

‘How could such a skilled person not be known until now?’

Noh Ha-eul asked the question with a hint of regret.

“Are you affiliated with any clan?”

“No. Are you interrogating me?”

Noh Ha-eul’s eyes widened and she quickly waved her hands.

“No, not at all. I’m sorry if it sounded that way. If you’re not affiliated with any place, I was hoping you would visit our Howan Mama Clan.”

With that, she took out a business card from her pocket and handed it to him.

「Clan Howan Mama: Team Leader of the 3rd Tactical Team, Noh Ha-eul」

If there was a talented person, she would gladly try to recruit them. That was one of the most important tasks of an inspector.

Hyun-woo looked at the business card and then stuffed it into his pocket.

“If you want to attack higher-level dungeons quickly, you can enter clan raids as an observer or external personnel, even if you haven’t been granted the appropriate rank. The clan guarantees your identity.”

It was a loophole, but it was a possible method. However, Hyun-woo shook his head.

“Well, I think I should think about it a little more.”

“But higher-level dungeons are difficult to enter alone……”

“I’ve been doing well alone so far, and more than anything, the process of dividing the spoils at the end is too cumbersome. And the same goes for the contribution.”

He didn’t completely refuse, but he wanted to meet the people from Jeonneungnyeon and then decide.

Noh Ha-eul’s level was lower than expected, but maybe that was because Hyun-woo had lived in a crazy world.

Once he had assessed the overall level, he would be able to determine Hyun-woo’s position in this world.

“If we’re going to talk about contribution in dungeon hunting, isn’t it practically half and half between Noh Ha-eul and me? But it’s a bit annoying to divide it fairly. In that respect, I think it would be better for me to go alone without any conflicts.”

Noh Ha-eul wondered what Hyun-woo was talking about, then realized he was talking about the Redcap Goblin. Hyun-woo wasn’t even counting the other miscellaneous goblins he had hunted.

Well, the Redcap Goblin had killed enough goblins to overwhelm them. Facing Noh Ha-eul’s dumbfounded expression, Hyun-woo smiled.

“Anyway, I look forward to a positive report on my promotion.”

***

After finishing his first dungeon exploration, Hyun-woo returned home immediately.

It was a modest victory, but it was still a day worth celebrating, so he was thinking of eating out with Yoo-min.

However, Hyun-woo found a strange man in front of Yoo-min’s house. He was a man in a black suit and dark sunglasses.

Hyun-woo subtly raised his energy to sense him, but no ability was detected. He was an ordinary person.

“Mr. Park Hwi-so sent me.”

“Teacher?”

Instead of answering Hyun-woo’s question, the man in the black suit moved the two briefcases that were on the floor next to the door.

‘It’s money.’

Hyun-woo felt it instinctively. He wondered if this was the way they were going to deliver it without getting caught by the National Tax Service.

“…Next time, wait in the car instead of in front of the house. Contact me.”

“Yes. I will. However, the teacher said that this payment is only temporary, and he will prepare a simpler method from next time. He thinks it will be less burdensome then.”

The man in the suit bowed at a right angle and disappeared. Hyun-woo knocked on the door right away. The door opened quickly.

Soon, Yoo-min, with a frightened expression, appeared with a wooden stick. It was one of the wooden sticks Hyun-woo had left behind.

If that man in the suit had forced his way in, he would have had the rare experience of having his head split open with a rare weapon.

“Did that guy leave?”

“He’s a person sent by Park Hwi-so.”

Hyun-woo grabbed the bag and moved it into the room. Yoo-min tried to take the bag, but almost fell over.

“It’s so heavy. What is this?”

“Well, judging by the atmosphere, it’s money.”

“Money? Why is that guy, who has always been transferring money to various accounts, doing this?”

Yoo-min struggled to carry one of the bags. Then, as if she suddenly remembered something, she asked Hyun-woo.

“Come to think of it, you went to the dungeon for the first time today, Oppa [Korean term for older brother or boyfriend]. Ah, it’s only officially the first time, but anyway, how was it? Still, they say the first dungeon is manageable.”

“It was okay. I earned about 550,000 won.”

“Really? 550,000 won for going once for half a day is so easy! No wonder everyone wants to be a hunter.”

At that moment, Yoo-min clicked open the bag. Instantly, the yellowish-brown bundles of money inside the bag poured out.

Because they were tied in bundles, they managed to avoid scattering in a mess, but they still filled about half of the bed.

Yoo-min stared at the piles of money with wide eyes. Hyun-woo also stared with a bewildered look.

“Huh? How much is this?”

“…Let’s count.”

Hyun-woo and Yoo-min stuck together and began to count the amount in the money bag. Fortunately, the currency was all in 50,000 won bills, so it was easy to count.

Some of the money was old and some was new, but the amount per bundle was all the same. If Park Hwi-so hadn’t made a mistake while counting the money or secretly taken out one or two bills, the amount would be neatly divided.

“…1 billion [Korean won, approximately $750,000 USD]?”

Hyun-woo shook his head.

“There’s another bag.”