The Wise Cleaning Life Of A Returning Genius Hunter [EN]: Chapter 6

005

“Haa…….”

After finishing the disassembly and cleaning up all the traces splattered around the room, I finally straightened my back.

All the work was done, and it was in the final stages.

Now, all that was left was to take the disassembled corpse outside.

A quick glance around showed that the place, which had been a mess, was now much cleaner…….

‘Damn it. What am I even doing right now?’

I lowered my head, suddenly overwhelmed by self-disgust.

What the hell?

Why am I feeling a sense of accomplishment here?

“Wow, Junwoo, is this your first time doing this?! You’re so good at it!”

“……Well, I’m doing my part.”

“Doing your part? You’ve done almost everything by yourself.”

I was taken aback by their expressions and tone, which were quite different from before.

It was just cleaning.

Even if I received praise, it would only be sickening.

“Okay. Sanghyuk, what’s the time limit?”

“Five minutes.”

“That’s enough. Good job, everyone. Let’s go now.”

Soon, we each carried a piece of the disassembled monster and left the boss room.

We walked along the passage for a short time before the exit appeared.

The moment everyone, led by Team Leader Park, was about to reach the exit.

“……What?”

Suddenly, my legs wouldn’t move.

Looking down, I saw that the blood flowing from the disassembled cross-section had covered me from my knees to my toes.

“Team Leader! This guy can’t move!”

“What’s wrong? Why?”

“He’s covered in blood! Quickly, get something to pull him out…….”

Han Sanghyuk and Moon Soyeon started looking around in genuine panic.

In that situation, I was the only one with a nonchalant expression.

Well, it’s not like this is the first time I’ve stepped in this stuff…….

“Don’t make a fuss. Everyone, step back.”

I calmly reached out towards my legs.

The Centipede’s blood boasts tremendous adhesive power. Its power was so great that even I, as a Hunter, couldn’t break free with force.

Of course, ordinary methods wouldn’t work at all.

“Hellfire.”

I cast a fire skill with the intention of melting it away. This should be enough.

[Acquired Skill: Hellfire]

[Skill cannot be used]

[This skill is locked]

“……Ah.”

I forgot that all my skills were locked.

But there’s no need to panic. I quickly and calmly racked my brain.

‘Hmm……. I’m screwed?’

I came to the conclusion that there was no way out.

“Sanghyuk! You brought the rope, right?”

“Yes, here it is!”

“Tie it up quickly! Hee-jang, you grab from behind, Soyeon too!”

Even in the midst of all this, the team members continued to try something.

“One, two, three!!”

Soon, Team Leader Park’s booming voice echoed through the passage.

The desperate efforts of four people were transmitted throughout my body, but it didn’t budge.

It’s only natural.

Even I, before regression, with almost maximum Strength stats, couldn’t break free with just strength alone.

“Damn it, what’s the limit?”

“One minute…… No, 55 seconds left.”

“This won’t work. Junwoo, quickly take off your protective suit!”

“Wait a minute. The gas level is too high! It’s too dangerous…….”

“Then, do you want to be trapped here together?”

Team Leader Park was stern at Moon Soyeon’s words.

But I didn’t understand Team Leader Park’s words at all.

Trapped together.

What does that mean?

I’m the only one who can’t move, so why would we all be trapped?

For a lizard, cutting off its tail is a very inefficient method.

But no matter how inefficient and costly it is, they cut off their tails when a crisis strikes because that’s how they survive.

The last resort is like that.

But what is this?

“What are you doing! I told you to take off your protective suit quickly!”

“Let’s just take off the top part and pull it again with the rope!”

“Hey! Hey, you bastard, aren’t you coming to your senses?!”

These guys are worse than lizards.

“This won’t work. Everyone, get out first.”

“Yes?! What are you going to do!”

“What do you mean, what am I going to do? Those who want to live should live!”

“What about you, Team Leader?”

“Do you know why I’m the team leader?”

“Are you going to say that again? This time it’s really dangerous…….”

“Get out quickly!!”

After confirming that the team members had turned their backs, Team Leader Park hurriedly took off my protective suit.

The moment my upper body was exposed, my whole body started to burn.

But it didn’t last long.

Team Leader Park immediately took off his own protective suit and covered me with it.

“Ten seconds left!”

Han Sanghyuk’s voice was heard from outside the dungeon, and my body started to move without me realizing it.

As I hurriedly took off the protective suit stained with blood, Team Leader Park immediately supported me, and we ran towards the exit with all our might.

“Two seconds!!”

The moment I threw myself out of the exit.

Zzzzzz―

The dungeon disappeared.

“Haa, haa…….”

The rough breathing of someone and the noisy voices of the team members.

The team leader waved his hand, saying he was okay.

Even in the midst of all that, a sense of relief that I had somehow survived.

‘What is this.’

Only after those things had passed did I begin to realize what had happened to me.

‘Am I, by any chance, about to…….’

Was I about to die?

In a dungeon without monsters, already cleared?

And that too, almost died while doing cleaning work?

A considerable shock.

No, I couldn’t shake off the rather large shock, when.

“Junwoo, are you okay?!”

Team Leader Park reached out his hand.

“Ah… well, yes.”

“I’m glad. The gas concentration was lower than I thought. We almost had a big problem.”

“……Yes.”

I took Team Leader Park’s hand and got up.

At the same time, his hands, burned in several places, caught my eye.

It didn’t seem too serious. If he took good care of it, there wouldn’t even be any scars left.

“Wow, you’ve had a hard time from your first dungeon today! Let’s think of it as a jinx breaker! Hahaha!”

Team Leader Park still laughed loudly in a cheerful voice, and the team members seemed relieved and let out a faint sigh.

And I was about to unconsciously smile as well, when.

“……Wait a minute.”

I suddenly noticed something strange in Team Leader Park’s words.

“Hmm? What is it?”

“Did you just say ‘first dungeon’ today…….”

“Of course! There are still a few more left.”

“How…… How many more……?”

At my cautious question, Team Leader Park smiled brightly and showed me his entire palm.

***

There are eight operation teams in the Seoul headquarters alone.

There are a total of 96 teams in the national branches.

If you add up all the private guilds and freelancers who are not affiliated with the association, the number of hunters registered in the country is about 11,300.

The number of large and small dungeons that appear every month reaches hundreds nationwide, so that number was natural considering stability.

But there are only five dungeon cleaning teams belonging to the Seoul headquarters.

And the total number of people is…….

25 people.

In other words, each team has to clean an average of 3.3 dungeons per day.

Of course, that’s just the average.

If you’re unlucky, you have to enter the dungeon more than five times a day, the team leader said.

Unfortunately, today was that ‘unlucky day’.

Even after overcoming that crisis, I had to do cleaning work four more times.

“Okay. Today was an ‘unlucky day’, so let’s have a company dinner!”

It was well past 10 p.m.

After all the work was done, Team Leader Park said.

“You’re not going to pay for it again this time, are you, Team Leader?”

“What are you talking about? The boss is supposed to pay for this kind of thing.”

“If you pay every time, Team Leader, what are you going to live on? How much of a difference is there in salary? That’s enough. Let’s split it today.”

“At least let me save face at times like this.”

Even with Im Hee-jang’s dissuasion, Team Leader Park didn’t back down.

The team members soon shook their heads and followed Team Leader Park.

“Junwoo, are you going too?”

Team Leader Park turned his head and called me.

Before I knew it, the ‘Mr.’ had been dropped from the way Team Leader Park called me.

“You’re the biggest contributor today. Honestly, I didn’t know it would be this much.”

“Hey, you bastard, what the hell were you doing to know all about the dungeons?”

“Is it just dungeons? You even know all the characteristics of the monsters.”

The way they treated me was quite different from this morning.

“Okay, okay, let’s move the conversation to another place. I have a lot of questions too.”

“Let’s go somewhere close today. I’m tired.”

“Let’s go in my car. I can call a driver.”

“Hey, what are you doing! Come quickly!”

“……I didn’t say I was going.”

The atmosphere turned cold at my words.

Well, I expected this, but I have no intention of joining them.

However, that’s that…….

“Um, I…….”

After hesitating, I opened my mouth towards Team Leader Park.

“Um, today…….”

“Hmm? Don’t worry too much about it. I don’t force company dinners. I’d be happy if there were fewer mouths to feed! Hahaha!”

“No, that’s not it……. Never mind. It’s okay.”

I couldn’t get the words out, so I stopped.

Like that, I turned my back without even saying goodbye.

As I left the place and took a few steps.

“Good job today, you bastard.”

Han Sanghyuk’s voice was heard.

And then.

“……See you tomorrow. Junwoo-ssi.”

Moon Soyeon added in a small voice.

***

As soon as I arrived at my pigsty-like house, I lay down on the bed.

‘Team Leader Park isn’t the one.’

Team Leader Park isn’t the one who killed me in my past life.

He’s not cruel enough to instigate murder because of resentment.

Then who the hell is it?

‘If it’s one of the other guys who holds a grudge against me…….’

Ha, damn it.

There are too many guys that come to mind.

Now that I think about it, every single one of them is suspicious.

Yang Gwanmo, the youngest member of our team who always got cursed at by me.

Hwang Donghui from the control team, who got kicked in the joints by me every other day.

Min Yujin, who fought and broke up with each other as if we were going to kill each other.

Et cetera [and so on].

I was racking my brain to figure out which guy it could be for a while.

‘Sigh……. What’s the point now.’

All the strength drained from my body at the overwhelming sense of futility.

I just felt like everything was useless. After all, I’m just a cleaner without skills, aren’t I?

Besides, the guy who killed me is probably a complete stranger here, so what’s the point of taking revenge now?

In the end, if I really want to take revenge, the first thing I need to do is get rid of this damn karma and go back to my past life.

And to do that…….

‘The Secretary-General of the International Ability Association, huh…….’

I scratched my head irritably.

Damn it, if I only had skills, I could at least try.

Whether it’s becoming a hunter again or joining the control team.

Of course, I’ll quit being a cleaner right away.

Haa, if only I had skills…….

I was complaining in my head when.

I suddenly remembered something and jumped up.

“System Open!”

[To unlock existing skills, you must meet the respective conditions – View Details]

That’s right, that’s what it said.

I didn’t have time to check it properly when I saw it in the morning, but I could unlock the locks if I met the conditions.

Okay.

Now that it’s come to this, let’s quit being a cleaner and focus on getting my skills back first.

Finding the culprit or the Secretary-General, everything else comes after that.

With that hope, I opened the unlocking conditions.

[Fallen Angel – Unlocking Condition: Dungeon Cleaner Average Annual Salary of 60 Million Won or More]

[Limit Break – Unlocking Condition: Dungeon Cleaning Team Admission Competition Rate of 30:1 or More]

[Omnipotence – Unlocking Condition: Dungeon Cleaner, Achieving the #1 Preference for the Job Among Young People in Their 20s]

[Rolling Paper – Unlocking Condition: Dungeon Cleaner Regular Employee Conversion Rate of 50% or More]

…….

[Demon King – Unlocking Condition: Cannot be Confirmed]

“Wow, damn it.”

At the same time, I despaired.

All the conditions are related to the cleaning team.

This is too much.

Besides, the conditions were all but telling me to bury my bones in the cleaning team.

‘This karma bastard……. He’s so thorough.’

All the strength drained from me again.

I collapsed on the bed and covered my head with the blanket.

But that didn’t last long either.

[Acquired Passive: Mysophobia [fear of dirt and germs]]

[Passive Activated]

“Ah, damn it…….”

I got up again, looked around the pigsty-like room one more time, and started cleaning.

***

That night.

When I was sleeping like the dead, probably because I was quite tired.

[Unlocking Condition Achieved]

[1 Attendance]

A voice was faintly heard in my head.

[Acquired Skill: Hyper Boost – Unlocked]