Then… Bye

Meanwhile, about 10 minutes before Yu Seha and Ma Hana exited the gate with their loots.

The ‘Guild’ was in a state of extreme, extreme emergency.

Employees were running around everywhere, and one was holding four smartphones at once, making calls.

Among the various people there, a middle-aged man screaming at the top of his lungs in the center was the most striking.

“What is everyone doing? Hurry up and call the higher-ups to bring in A-class or higher elite hunters! And switch to emergency mode immediately and ensure the safety of the citizens first!”

The man shouted as if his throat might burst.
This man, who was yelling so fiercely that his veins were bulging, was the Vice Guild Leader of the Guild.

In his younger days.

He had aimed to become the most famous hunter in the world, but as a man, he was one of many who gave up their dreams due to the insurmountable wall called the innate limitations of each person.

Though he left the scene with tears in his eyes.

He wanted to watch over the other hunters’ dreams from afar, and after much effort, he rose to the elite position of Vice Guild Leader, a competent figure to do so.

At that moment, one of his subordinates cautiously spoke up.

“Excuse me, Vice Guild Leader… didn’t Snow Ice also explained it already? If high-ranking hunters had been gathered, is it really necessary to switch to emergency mode…?”

The Vice Guild Leader’s eyes snapped at his subordinate’s self-preserving words, fearing they would get in trouble if the higher-ups heard him.

“You’re talking such nonsense now! Pull yourself together! If a Break Out happens again, it’s all over! And there are still two hunters inside! We must do our best to ensure their safe escape. That’s why we’re paid with taxpayers’ money to work!”

Faced with what was almost a scolding of reason, the subordinate started making calls here and there.

‘…How pathetic…’

About 30 minutes ago.

The Vice Guild Leader met with someone nicknamed “Snow Ice”.

It was Moon Bora.

Just as he was about to commend her for her efforts after emerging from the gate, he was blindsided by a bombshell of a statement.

―It’s a Break Out.
―…What?
―This dungeon was on the verge of a Break Out.

Words no different from a natural disaster.

The Vice Guild Leader barely managed to keep himself from fainting on the spot.

‘A Break Out isn’t just a simple crisis level.’

A massive disaster.

A gate explosion right in the heart of a city where citizens roam.

All sorts of monsters would pour out and commit horrific acts.

The Vice Guild Leader himself had experienced a Break Out firsthand.

Although regular hunters work periodically now to reduce the damage, he vividly remembered the terror of that time.

‘…It was horrific.’

The head of a superior he had been chatting with over coffee was severed and floated in the air.

He ran frantically, hid in a bathroom, shivering uncontrollably, and barely managed to save his own life.

Among his colleagues present at that time, he was the only survivor.

It meant such a disaster was about to happen again or could have happened again.

“…Fortunately, she said they defeated the boss.”

The [Final Boss]. Except for some exceptions, all bosses were responsible for the core of the dungeon.

Defeating the boss naturally restores the flow of magic within the place and adjusts the oversaturation phenomenon.

Still, one couldn’t be complacent since it was a gate, hence the ongoing state of emergency.

He felt like bowing down to Moon Bora in gratitude.

He heard that she knew right from the start…

Yet, she didn’t run away and even managed to defeat the boss.

There was no guarantee that the gate wouldn’t burst in the meantime, so he felt extremely grateful to her.

He belatedly caught up to offer thanks, but the response he received was unexpected.

―No. I didn’t do anything. Rather, this is all thanks to Yu Seha and Ma Hana. Their strong hearts and will… prevented the incident from happening.

He was a bit taken aback by those words.

One was a person called a dropout, and the other was a hunter who had entered the dungeon for the first time today.

Moreover, like himself, he was a man.

‘…Even if [Snow Ice] is just making small talk, it’s not in her nature to say such things without meaning. So it must be true.’

“…! Vice Guild Leader, the two of them are coming out now!”
“…!! Good. I’ll go fetch them right away.”

It was right after we had escaped outside, holding (or rather, failing to hold) the hand of my precious Meowi, along with the generously gathered by-products.

Ma Hana and I could not hide our shock at the crowd of at least dozens gathered right at the entrance of the gate.

‘…What on earth is happening here?’

With a little thought, one could realize it was because of the ‘Break Out.’

But I was too flustered to think that far.

Then, this middle-aged man tactfully stepped forward.

“Hello. Mr. Yu Seha, Miss Ma Hana. I am the Vice Guild Leader of this place.”

Only after the detailed and meticulous explanation that followed were we able to grasp the situation happening ahead of us.

“Miss Moon Bora has been speaking greatly about both of you. Especially about Mr. Yu Seha’s swordsmanship, which she said was impressively active…”

“Ah…”

Moon Bora, that girl.
Did she have to speak in such detail?
Next time I’d see her, I’d have to repay the favor.

“And I’m sorry to ask, but… do you perhaps have any evidence related to the Break Out? We also need items for a definitive on-site report. Naturally, we will pay a high price.”

The Vice Guild Leader gave a weary smile, as if to apologize for the inconvenience.

This gentleman… despite his high position, was a kind person.

‘…That aside…’

I had been feeling something strange for a while, but the words of that man just now made it even clearer.

The employees behind him.

Though not many, about 10 people were wearing expressions of distrust.

‘I can’t say I don’t understand why.’

Even if Moon Bora told them, Meowi and I were indeed in a position too lacking to prove proper qualifications.

One was a dropout, the other was a man who entered the gate for the first time today.
It wasn’t a pleasant feeling, but I could accept it.

‘…I should probably send a text thanking Moon Bora for what she did.’

She specifically said to take care of the boss’s loot… It seemed she knew this would happen and acted as such.

“Miss Hana.”

At my request, Ma Hana opened a bundle without hesitation.

What she held in her hand was the head of a [Silverback], with its tongue sticking out, dead.

“…Crazy, isn’t that a Silverback?!”
“In a Goblin Tribe dungeon… that thing appeared?”
“So, really…”

Everyone was surprised and murmuring.
Except for the Vice Guild Leader, everyone’s faces hardened as they blurted out words mixed with confusion.
The appearance of a unique monster head made everyone turn pale.

“Ka-Kappa Rhino?!”

As the severed skull of the Kappa Rhino and the magic stone imbued with magic appeared, a wicked scream leaked out.

Both creatures, possessing strong defense and high health, were [Beast-type] monsters.

Even if “Snow Ice” participated, she was merely acting as a [Backup] and couldn’t possibly use her full strength.

This meant, in other words, that the young man and the scruffy cat beast-woman must have played significant roles.

‘…My goodness.’

The Vice Guild Leader tightly shut his eyes.

Capturing these creatures was an act of valor, but it was also a really big deal.

‘…Right in front of us.’

Even if the Silverback were the final boss, it would still be a crisis situation, but it turned out the Kappa Rhino was the final boss.

This meant that this was the last stage to conquer the dungeon and the only solution.

“…Thank you both… so much.”

The Vice Guild Leader barely swallowed the surge of emotion rising in his chest as he firmly grasped the hands of Yu Seha and Ma Hana.

“Thanks to you… we were able to save many lives.”

Following his words, all the employees began to express their gratitude one after another.

How grateful they must be to those who saved not only their livelihoods but also their lives.

“Thank you. We survived thanks to your courageous decision.”
“Really… thank you.”

“…Uh, um…”

However, Yu Seha, the person in question, was embarrassed at all this.

Having never heard so many words of gratitude in his life, he smiled awkwardly.

He realized belatedly that Ma Hana had disappeared.

‘Wh-what the…? Where did Meowi go?’

Looking around swiftly, he noticed how she had somehow moved to a corner, conversing with the female employee she had talked to at the counter earlier that day.

’…Something feels ominous.’

Despite her significant contributions, Ma Hana’s expression remained dark.

He quietly turned on his [Unprecedented Sense] and increased its intensity.

Struggling to maintain his reddening vision, he focused only on his hearing and caught snippets of their conversation.

“Miss Ma Hana, you did really well! With this incident, not only will the Guild offer you a reward, but you’ll also receive high ‘merit’ points for this.”

Merit points.
Scores that hunters must keep track of to continue their lives in the guild.

A hunter’s rank was determined by their strength, contributions, reliability, and this score combined.

“And it will not be an average score at all. At this rate, even without any significant achievements for at least a year… no, two years–”
“Sis.”
“…!”

The female employee flinched momentarily at the call.
In formal settings, she never addresses anyone as ‘Sis.’

Yet, suddenly, she used the term ‘Sis.’

“…Miss Hana…?”
“…I really appreciate everything you have done up to now.”

With a broad smile, Ma Hana quietly returned the bronze medal she had been carrying.
The female employee was taken aback by the Hunter’s License marked with ‘E’ grade.

“…I’m planning to leave the Guild.”
“…Ha-Hana…”
“Hunter.”

I’m going to quit the position.

About two hours.

After settling all the thank-you notes from the employees who kept coming, they tried to offer even more rewards.

‘…We made quite a bit.’

There were a total of 25 Transparent-tailed Monkey (D) mana stones.
They were each priced at 500,000 won, earning a total of 12,500,000 won.

’..Isn’t it higher than expected… ?’

The mana stones dropped by minor mobs were usually priced around this much.
In fact, they even priced it higher than the market rate as a token of gratitude.
Normally, they go for about 300,000 to 400,000 won each.
Additionally, because it was a mana stone from a rare mob type monster called the Transparent-tailed Monkey (D), an extra price was added.

However, the mana stones from the two bosses were quite profitable.

‘The Silverback is 17 million won. The Kappa Rhino is 20 million won…’

Including the 50 million won bounty given by the Guild as a token of gratitude for stopping the ‘Break Out’ from happening.

By disposing of all sorts of miscellaneous trash, the total earnings amounted to about 100 million won.

Hmm… Honestly, wasn’t it a little too much for such a performance? I wondered.

It turned out that the Guild Leader hadn’t been informed yet of all this, so they only gave the reward that was immediately available in their hands.

Surely, he was said to be overseas now, right?

‘Well… they’ll probably give more later.’

Anyway, today was truly a fruitful day.

‘Wow… there’s a reason everyone keeps talking about hunters.’

To think I made a whopping 100 million won just from half a day’s work…

If it were a mid-level dungeon rated B or higher, the result and reward would be unknown.

It was said that there were only a handful of ‘hunters’ who earned this much from a lower D-class dungeon.

Anyway, I divided the money into three parts.

I immediately transferred it to Moon Bora.

Of course, she called me right back.

―…Excuse me. How did you get my number?
―I asked the staff, and they just gave it to me.
―…

And then, it was promptly returned.

―I won’t take my share.
―…But you worked the hardest out of us, you should take the money…
―There’s no time more crucial for securing funds than when you first start preparing to become a “Hunter.” What is being shared to me would be far more valuable if used by the two of you.
―…Even so.
―Don’t be mistaken. This is an investment.
―…Investment?
―Yes, Mr. Yu Seha. An investment in your future potential. And… the expectations from the bold claims you made about Miss Ma Hana. I gave it because I wanted to see the end picture. So, there’s no need to feel indebted to me or anything.

That’s what she said.
Honestly, it was a bit baffling to hear.

‘I just wanted to give it back, yet she talks about investment…’

She was really so adorably insincere that I almost wanted to bite her.

At the same time, I was grateful to her.

Maybe when the foundation of my growth is solid.
But as a newbie now, 30 million won is incredibly precious to me.

‘Anyway, I was planning to split it into 50 million won each…’

There was another problem, too.

It wasn’t big… just Ma Hana.

This adorable child was trying to take less than her share.

“…Let’s split it 70 to 30. I’ll take 30…”
“50-50.”
“…60, 60 to 40…”
“50-50!”
“…55 to 45…”
“50-50!!”

She kept insisting, and so did I, so she reluctantly accepted it in the end.

Oh, how dare she, a cute character from ‘GAL’, try to give more money to the ’Supervisor’?

She should just quietly accept sponsorship when someone gives it to her.

That’s how we got to the current situation.

“Today was really long.”
“…Indeed.”

Ma Hana responded softly to the casually thrown remark.

Her shoulders were drooping, and she seemed so listless that her back looked heavier than usual today.

“…Today was really great, Mr. Yu Seha. I’m tired, so I’ll go ahead.”

With that, Ma Hana turned her body to leave.
The setting sun cast shadows over her face, enveloping it in darkness.

I wanted to hold onto her if I could.

I wanted to tell her to reconsider what she had just discussed with the female employee.

But in her eyes, a bitter yet sorrowful smile unfolded, and I found myself unable to respond.

“Then… bye.”

It was a farewell, as if we would never see each other again.

Frozen like a stone statue, I simply stared dumbly and foolishly as she disappeared from my sight.