The Wise Cleaning Life Of A Returning Genius Hunter [EN]: Chapter 9

008

“How did you know?”

It was well past 11 PM.

I was just about to leave after cleaning the last dungeon of the day when an unwelcome face abruptly approached and spoke to me.

“…What is it?”

What is this?

What is even happening right now?

Why is she here?

“See? I told you, that bastard’s ex-girlfriend, right?”

“Ah, anyway, we should probably stay out of this, right?”

“…Yeah.”

Team Leader Park glanced at me and subtly led the team away.

At the same time, I felt a prickling gaze on the back of my head.

“Why aren’t you answering? How did you know?”

“…Know what?”

“What do you think? Are you going to pretend you don’t know now?”

Tch, I clicked my tongue softly.

She must have gotten herself checked out in the meantime.

No, if she did, that should be the end of it. Why come find me?

“I just guessed. It wasn’t based on any real knowledge, so don’t worry about it.”

“You guessed?”

“Yeah. I just wanted to act like I knew something to a Hunter, based on stuff I heard online.”

Kim Min-ju’s eyes narrowed.

“Well, if you understand…”

“You said my left hand needs to support the sword when I wield it, right?”

“…So?”

“I wasn’t even holding a sword at the time, and I never said I used one, so how did you know that? Was that a guess too?”

“…”

Damn it.

A misstep. I should have just kept my mouth shut.

What should I do? Should I keep insisting I guessed?

No. Knowing her personality, she’ll never accept that. She’ll keep coming back until she gets the answer she wants.

If I give a vague answer here, it’ll just become more troublesome.

“If you don’t tell me, I’ll come again tomorrow…”

“When I was cleaning the Blue-grade dungeon that appeared in the last shrine.”

I cut off Kim Min-ju and reluctantly opened my mouth.

“I saw the sword marks while transporting the monster corpses.”

“…Sword marks?”

“The direction of the sword marks was quite unconventional. It wasn’t fixed to one specific technique, but rather implied a variety of techniques linked together on the spot. This is only possible with a lot of combat experience, so… it means you’re quite skilled for your age.”

Well, no matter what else, I can’t deny that her potential is S-grade, or even higher.

“But among the many sword marks, there was one that stood out. A vertical slash going from the upper right to the lower left. It’s a technique mainly used by right-handed people, but usually, they follow up with a horizontal slash to the right or an upward slash to the right. However, the vertical slash, where the right hand put in a lot of force, was quite deep, but the remaining slashes that followed were noticeably shallow. That’s how I knew your left hand was weak.”

“…”

“The problem is what came next. ‘Vega’ is characterized by very fast attacks. But other than that, there’s nothing threatening about it, so countering by taking advantage of the speed would be the strategy. But there wasn’t a single trace of an attempted counter. Someone of your skill wouldn’t be unaware of that.”

Kim Min-ju looked quite flustered.

A look of how did you know. Like a secret had been exposed.

“So, the only thing I can think of is that your body couldn’t keep up to counter Vega’s speed. Because…”

“…I feel a momentary strain in my shoulder.”

I nodded.

“Well, it must have been a subtle symptom that you wouldn’t notice in everyday life. But if it’s a situation where you have to react instantly and move your body, it’s bound to show. Especially for a swordsman.”

Swordsman.

Classes aren’t officially divided, but among Hunters, they are implicitly named according to their skills and traits.

In other words, Kim Min-ju herself knows the most about swordsmanship.

Nevertheless, the reason why I, who am not a swordsman class, can advise her is very simple.

Because I was the world’s first All-Class, SSS-Rank Hunter.

“Most Hunters who use swords have skills that grant special power to their weapons or greatly enhance the user’s abilities, right? That also means that, unlike other Hunters who rely heavily on skills themselves, swordsmanship skills must be supported first. So, it’s better to take a few days off and start from the basics again. Either way, if you keep participating in subjugations in that condition, you won’t be able to move properly.”

“…”

Kim Min-ju didn’t answer.

She seemed to be lost in thought, not listening to me.

Well, what kind of person is she? Would she listen to a cleaner?

“I think that’s enough of an answer, can I go now? I have to go to work tomorrow.”

“You are…”

At that moment, Kim Min-ju suddenly opened her mouth. She had a look of certainty on her face.

Her eyes were filled with determination as she approached me.

She looked like she was about to unleash a torrent of abuse for ignoring her again.

But the words that came out of her mouth were completely unexpected.

“You’re a freelance Hunter, right?”

“…What?”

“I’ve heard there are a few in Seoul. A-grade freelance Hunters. They’re top-ranked in the country, but they don’t show up often except for high-risk dungeon subjugations… If you’re not a freelancer, you’re a Hunter from a private guild. Right?”

“What are you talking about? I’m not a Hunter.”

“…Huh? Th-then what are you?”

“Can’t you tell by looking? I’m a cleaner.”

I answered while picking my ear.

It’s an obvious question.

If I were a successful freelancer or affiliated with a private guild, she’d be thinking of following me around and getting some crumbs.

Sorry, but no way.

I have no intention of seeing you again.

“If you understand, move aside. I have to go before the last train…”

“…Anyway, thank you.”

“…?”

What did she… just say?

I must have misheard?

Could it be that she’s… thanking me?

I was so surprised that I forgot to close my mouth.

“Um, and… I know it’s rude, but if you’re okay with it…”

As I just stared blankly, Kim Min-ju fidgeted with her hands and barely managed to speak.

***

“Vacation? Suddenly?”

Seoul Headquarters, Operations Team 1 office.

The man sitting at the desk looked like he couldn’t understand Kim Min-ju’s words.

“Yes. The support team also said it would be good for me to rest.”

“Don’t tell me it’s because of that check-up you had last time?”

“Yes.”

“Seriously, I can’t believe it. Taking a vacation just because your shoulder hurts a little. I couldn’t even imagine that back in my day.”

“Well, just…”

Kim Min-ju trailed off.

This man sitting in front of her.

The current Team Leader of Operations Team 1, Lee Soo-yong.

Wasn’t he the guy who got parachuted in last month?

There was only a 5-year age difference between him and her to be saying ‘back in my day’.

“I’m also going to do some self-improvement.”

“Self-improvement my ass. Are you going on a trip with your boyfriend or something?”

“No, I’m not.”

“Then what is it?”

Kim Min-ju pursed her lips.

She wondered why he was so talkative.

She was just using her vacation days, did she have to explain even this?

“I’m going to learn some swordsmanship.”

“…What? Are you going to some academy or something?”

“No. Just private lessons.”

“Private lessons? From who? Is there some martial arts master these days? Or is it your boyfriend?”

Haa, Kim Min-ju sighed subtly.

“A cleaner.”

“…What?”

“A cleaner from the dungeon cleaning team.”

“Cleaning team…?”

“Yes.”

“What kind of bullshit is that? You’re learning swordsmanship from a cleaner because you have no one else to learn from? And a current Hunter at that? You might as well enroll in a kendo [Japanese fencing] academy!”

“…I’ll take care of it myself.”

“Ah… Ah, don’t tell me it’s that cleaner who told you to get your shoulder checked out?”

Kim Min-ju’s brow furrowed.

How did this man know about that story?

‘Ah… Don’t tell me the support team…’

Only then did Kim Min-ju realize her mistake.

A few days ago, when she went to the support team again to get a little more medicine, she had casually told a nurse she was close to about the incident.

She never thought that a story she shared as small talk would make its way to her superior.

Kim Min-ju frowned at the strange sense of betrayal.

“Seriously, that bastard is something else. Not only is a cleaner giving advice to a Hunter, but now he’s trying to teach a Hunter without knowing his place…”

“He didn’t say he would teach me.”

“What?”

“He hasn’t said he’d teach me yet. I asked him once last time, and he refused.”

“…What is this even? Are you messing with me? You’re not learning anything if he didn’t say he’d teach you!”

“I’ll have to go again. Until he agrees.”

Team Leader Lee Soo-yong leaned back as if throwing himself onto the backrest. Then, he pressed his temples.

Kim Min-ju finally sensed that this meaningless conversation was over.

“…Fine. Do whatever you want.”

“Thank you.”

Permission granted a full 30 minutes after she brought it up.

In the meantime, the thought of ‘I’d rather not use it at all’ had crossed Kim Min-ju’s mind a hundred times.

Surely that man was aiming for that.

“Ah, there’s a large-scale subjugation scheduled in a few weeks? It’s a big one, so we need a lot of people, so be back before then.”

“…Understood.”

“Go.”

Team Leader Lee Soo-yong waved his hand as if brushing away a bug.

Kim Min-ju bowed silently and left the office immediately.

***

The office door slammed shut.

“Tsk… The organization is going backwards. Going backwards.”

As soon as Kim Min-ju left, Team Leader Lee Soo-yong openly expressed his discomfort.

It wasn’t just that, how could it make sense for a Hunter to learn something from a cleaner?

What would other people think of Hunters if they heard that? No, what would they think of our team?

Especially if it reached the ears of Operations Team 2 Leader…

“Ugh, shit, it’s terrifying just imagining it.”

Team Leader Lee Soo-yong shuddered and ran his hands over his face.

There is a hierarchy in an organization.

Position, class, rank.

Low rank and high rank. Lower class and upper class.

Hierarchy is the dignity of an organization, and if the hierarchy is broken, the organization loses its dignity.

And as the team leader of Operations Team 1, known as the elite, he couldn’t just let the organization lose its dignity.

“Cleaning team…”

At that moment, as he let out a deep sigh, Team Leader Lee Soo-yong’s eyes flashed.

At the same time, his hand immediately reached for the phone in front of him.

After a few rings.

As soon as the other party answered the phone, Team Leader Lee Soo-yong’s voice became excited.

“Yes, this is Team Leader Lee Soo-yong from Operations Team 1. Is the Director here right now?”

“Ah, yes. He is. What’s the matter?”

“Switch me over right now. I have something to tell him.”

***

[Achievement Condition Met]

“…Huh?”

It was when I was pouring chemicals on the blood stuck to the dungeon floor that wouldn’t come off no matter what I did.

A random voice echoed in my head.

[Interest in the Dungeon Cleaning Team within the Association has increased]

[Acquired Skill: One Counter – Unlocked]

‘…What? Why all of a sudden?’

I stood still and blinked, quite taken aback by the sudden condition being met.

I was at a loss.

I haven’t done anything yet, so why is that being unlocked? Is it a system error?

‘Ah, well. Anyway…’

All roads lead to Rome, the important thing is that it’s been unlocked, right?

“What, why are you grinning? It’s creepy.”

“…Nothing.”

“Then spray some more chemicals! This bastard is always spacing out!”

A laugh burst out of me at the unexpected windfall.

Han Sang-hyuk looked at me like I was crazy, but I didn’t care at all and happily started cleaning again.