Chapter 6

Since Epic was the guild leading this raid, there was little reason to worry about getting hurt. The Epic Guild was known for deploying a dedicated security team specifically to protect gathering-type hunters.

Gatherers already enjoyed relatively high survival rates because they worked in areas swept clean by the combat squad. Even so, people still lost their lives to surprise monster ambushes from time to time. Working with Epic, however, meant those risks were virtually nonexistent.

“A brand-new dungeon, and with the Epic Guild no less. If I had missed out on this, I wouldn’t have slept a wink.”

“No kidding, we really got lucky.”

Mr. Kang looked around at the other herbalists. There were plenty of familiar faces. It made sense—only seasoned veterans would have had the confidence to apply for a new dungeon.

Scanning the crowd one by one, Mr. Kang’s gaze suddenly paused.

“Say, isn’t that a new face over there?”

“Who, that tall young man? Yeah, he caught my eye earlier, too.”

Mr. Kim spotted him right away. It wasn’t hard. The young man carried himself with an unusually straight posture and a lean, solid frame that didn’t look like a gatherer’s at all.

Even the jawline visible under his low-pulled cap looked clean and refined. To anyone watching, he looked like someone who had never done a day of hard labor in his life. He was also examining the tools in his hands with a curious, slightly awkward look.

“Looks like he awakened not too long ago.”

“Still, he’s got good instincts applying for this dungeon. Rookies are usually too scared to step into brand-new dungeons. Hahaha.”

“He looks promising. Should we go say hello? If he seems decent, maybe we can recruit him into our guild.”

Perhaps shy around strangers, the young man was sitting alone a short distance away from the rest of the herbalists.

His fingers were long as he handled the gathering tools, which gleamed brand-new without a speck of dirt. His hands, lightly lined with veins, were masculine yet smooth and wrinkle-free. It seemed almost absurd for a grown man to have such clean skin.

The two older men walked over carefully and cleared their throats.

“Ahem. Excuse me, young man, is this your first time in a dungeon?”

“Don’t be startled. We just came over to say hello.”

“…Ah. It is my first time gathering herbs here.”

His diction was clear and well-mannered, with a polite, pleasant tone. He looked like a pampered youth straight out of Seoul. If he was going to awaken, he should’ve awakened with a flashy combat class, Mr. Kim thought, offering words of comfort out of shared sympathy.

“No need to be nervous. Just stick close behind the combat hunters up ahead. If you spot a rare herb, never run ahead of the group, and never touch anything that looks dangerous. Just keep those in mind and you’ll be fine.”

“Thank you for the advice.”

The young man bowed slightly, revealing a long, graceful neckline. When seated it was hard to tell, but his long legs made him easily a head taller than the two older men. He looked far more suited to be a celebrity than an herbalist struggling for recognition as a hunter.

“Right. Give it your best today. I’ve only been an awakened hunter for three years, but I’ve gathered herbs for thirty, so feel free to ask if you’re unsure about anything. Oh, and if you plan to keep working dungeons, would you be interested in joining our guild? There’s a small commission fee, but we share plenty of valuable intel.”

“Thank you for the offer, but I’ll have to think it over. I don’t think I’ll be doing this work for long.”

“Well, it’s not a decision to rush into.”

They had already thought well of him, and his cautious attitude only made him more likable. Young folks these days often got carried away by vanity after awakening, blowing their money on luxury goods and taking risky dungeon runs just to pay off installment plans. His careful deliberation about whether to stay in the business was refreshing.

“Still, our guild has great benefits for a non-combat group. We’ve been around for quite a while, too. You have to be careful in this field—there are plenty of places looking to rip off newcomers.”

“Don’t feel pressured, though. Just think of it as advice from your seniors.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

“The more I look at you, the more I like you. Care to trade names? I am…”

Just as Mr. Kim was enthusiastically chatting with the polite young man, a sharp voice rang out from the distance.

“What do you think you’re doing over there?”

The shout was directed straight at the three of them. At the same time, the man standing at the center of the raid team walked over. He was a full head taller than those around him, dressed in light, dark combat gear. Mr. Kang rubbed his eyes.

“Huh? Wait a second. Isn’t that… who I think it is?”

“It is. That’s the Epic Guild’s Master… Wait, is he heading right toward us?”

“Uh, yeah. He’s really coming over here!”

The two older men widened their eyes and took a step back. The man approaching with a fierce aura was someone they knew all too well: Kwon Hae-joo, the Guild Master of the Epic Guild and a famed S-Rank Weapon Master.

Unlike his usual reputation for calm composure, Hae-joo’s expression was completely frozen. He frowned as if he had just seen something he wished he hadn’t, letting out a heavy sigh.

Intimidated by the heavy atmosphere, the two men shrank back.

“Just what… are you doing here?”

“Ah, well, we were just saying hello to this young man…”

Mr. Kang waved his hands frantically. His face flushed bright red, worried he might look like a veteran hazing a newcomer.

“…Never mind.”

Seeing Mr. Kang stammering through an explanation, Hae-joo smoothed his expression. He took a deep breath, gathered his composure, and addressed the two older men.

“Could you two excuse us for a moment? The one I need to speak with is right here.”

“O-of course. Absolutely…”

Not quite understanding what was happening, the two men quickly hurried away in the opposite direction after coming face-to-face with such a big figure. Even with an approachable hunter, getting entangled with combat personnel was something to avoid.

Once the two had scurried off to avoid getting dragged into trouble, only Hae-joo and the young man remained.

Looking at the backs of the retreating gatherers, the young man spoke.

“You shouldn’t startle the elderly like that.”

“Are you really one to talk?”

“I suppose you have a point.”

With a soft chuckle, the young man slowly lifted his head. Seeing the face he had anticipated beneath the brim of the cap, Hae-joo gritted his teeth. The young man—Nam Shin-hoo—smiled brightly and greeted him.

“Long time no see.”

“…I don’t believe this is a situation for casual greetings, Hunter Nam Shin-hoo.”

His jaw tightened audibly as he spoke the name.

“Still, we should at least say hello. It’s not like we’re strangers.”

Shin-hoo gave a casual wave of his hand. A deeper crease formed between Hae-joo’s brows. He rested his hand on the hilt of the dagger at his waist.

“If you came looking for your grave, you’ve come to the right place.”

“I’ll pass, since it’s a bit too early for me to die. I still have plenty of work left to do.”

“You can save those words for your will.”

Hae-joo’s grip on his weapon tightened sharply.

“Calm down. I joined through the official channels with proper documentation.”

What kind of nonsense is that? Hae-joo frowned, then suddenly recalled a piece of memory and his eyes widened.

“Don’t tell me…”

“That’s right, that official document.”

A few days ago, the Saint Guild had sent a formal letter to the Epic Guild. It proposed a joint trial run to test teamwork between both guilds ahead of the upcoming EHN rollout. To that end, Saint offered to send one of their affiliated gathering-type hunters as a test run for the Gyeongju dungeon raid.

At the time, the Epic Guild had found the request baffling. Testing cooperation by sending a single gatherer? It almost felt like a snub, but since adding one more person to the support unit changed nothing, Hae-joo had approved it without giving it much thought.

Shin-hoo proudly held up the license hanging around his neck.

“I recently registered it as a secondary class. Herbalist Nam Shin-hoo. Rank-D gathering skills. Any problem with that?”

“…”

“I’ll be in your care, then.”

Hae-joo pressed a hand to his forehead. He was already on edge leading a raid on a brand-new dungeon, and now an unpredictable wild card had been thrown into the mix.

What made it even more infuriating was that this sudden wild card hadn’t broken a single rule.

‘Don’t do anything and just stay quietly by my side.’

That was Hae-joo’s direct order. It had almost been admirable seeing him grit his teeth to stay as polite as possible while saying it.

There was really no need to be that guarded, though. Shin-hoo had no intention of monitoring or hindering the Epic Guild right now. He simply needed a legitimate reason to visit Gyeongju, and he figured he might as well observe Hae-joo while he was at it.

However…

‘I’m worried you might get killed. Mind if I hang around you for a bit?’

Saying something like that out loud wasn’t an option. If Hae-joo heard that, he would only mistake Shin-hoo for a bizarre creep and become even more wary.

Shin-hoo kept his eyes on Hae-joo.

Hae-joo was fighting remarkably well. He intercepted a monster appearing from the right, supported the squad on the opposite flank in a flash, and immediately issued the next set of orders to his guild members.

Watching the Epic Guild move as a single cohesive unit under Hae-joo’s lead, Shin-hoo was impressed. Their system was solid. Living up to their recent rapid rise, the Epic Guild cleared the dungeon with exceptional skill.