Hunters Keep Coming To My House - Chapter 31

Chapter 31

“Did the move go well?”

“Yes, the new house is nice.”

Of course, that was until it fell into the gate, haha.

I answered Park Jong-hoon, the team leader, trying to hide my awkward laughter as much as possible.

While moving to the office together, he kept talking to me.

He, who usually treated me like an ant underfoot, suddenly seemed more curious about me, asking a lot of questions.

“So, when is the housewarming party? I need to give a housewarming gift.”

“Oh, a gift, you say. That’s unnecessary. I haven’t unpacked much yet, so having a housewarming is difficult, and I’ll just take the team leader’s goodwill as a gift. That’s more than enough for me.”

“Still, if you need anything, let me know.”

“Need anything? Well… what I need is time to organize my belongings.”

“…Vacation is not possible.”

After a brief moment of contemplation, Team Leader Park Jong-hoon, now claiming we’re to be busy for a while, firmly stated that a vacation was not possible.

‘Huh, when is a busy time for a hunter like me?’

Due to my low ability score, my access to gates was restricted. I was never too busy to take a vacation.

In other words, that statement was a lie.

‘…The government has completely caught on.’

I don’t just suspect that I’ve gained a special ability; I’m sure of it. The power is so remarkable that it can attract even Kang Yoon-soo. 

I took a long breath inwardly. I don’t know why the government is only keen on this side of things. They were utterly oblivious to it during vacation processing or salary negotiations… Is this what they call selective awareness?

Whenever Team Leader Park Jong-hoon spoke to me, I continued to respond with the weary smile of a working professional. He showed an interest in me by asking truly unnecessary questions. For example:

“What do Hunter Seo Yeon-oh’s parents do?”

“Hunter Seo Yeon-oh, did you happen to win the lottery?”

“Or has anyone in your family joined a guild?”

Well, questions like these are understandable. However, the awkward one was this question:

“Hunter Seo Yeon-oh… are you close to Mr. Kim Chok?”

It was such an embarrassing question that my usual poker face almost slipped. No, Team Leader, think about it. How could I, a mere FFF-level individual, be close to Mr. Kim Chok? 

I struggled to answer, the raised corner of my mouth trembling.

“He’s someone with a huge difference, like heaven and earth, and I dare not.”

If I hadn’t run into Kang Yoon-soo last time, I would never have seen that person in my life. When I sent a truly firm gaze, only then did Team Leader Park Jong-hoon turn his head in confusion.

Finally, I gained a brief moment of freedom. Not receiving attention from my superior is indeed a significant form of freedom. However, my dream-like time came to an end in an instant.

“We’ve arrived. Hunter Seo Yeon-oh, you can enter Mr. Kim Chok’s office.”

“Ah… yes.”

“Today, Mr. Kim isn’t in the best mood, so be careful.”

“Yes.”

…Alright, I’ll be careful.

To smoothly resign, I needed to handle it as best as possible… After receiving the mysterious encouragement from Team Leader Park Jong-hoon, I took a long exhale.

“Don’t be scared.”

I stuck to what I had prepared. When faced with Kang Yoon-soo, he seemed a bit intimidating, but in reality, the power I carried was stronger than Mr. Kim Chok’s. So, I decided to be confident.

Well, I couldn’t avoid some body language showing my nervousness…

After taking another deep breath, I knocked lightly and casually announced my name. A low voice came from inside.

“Come in.”

The voice was dry even before entering. The sound carried a personality that would not break, even if pierced with a knife, and it immediately struck my ears.

I clenched my fist for no reason and slowly pushed the door open. Inside, Mr. Kim Chok was leaning on his desk, staring at me. The reflection of myself in the monocle lens made me feel like a prey animal in front of a wild beast.

Thud.

My saliva was swallowed involuntarily. This wasn’t the feeling I had when facing an S-level. No, this was…

‘The feeling of dealing with a superior much higher than me.’

It was true. I was just a mere employee. As I thought about this, tears seemed to blur my vision, but soon, thinking about my impending resignation, the tears went away.

‘Yeah, well, now he’s just someone else, not a head anymore.’

If I think about it that way, the S-levels I’ve met are even scarier. Because you can’t know what’s going on in their heads.

Moving forward in front of Mr. Kim Chok, I sought peace of mind. After that, I greeted him with a bright smile and a 90-degree bow.

“It’s nice to meet you like this for the first time. I’m Seo Yeon-oh.”

“Yeah, Seo Yeon-oh, the hunter. Your name has been mentioned so much that it’s about time you started getting a reputation.”

“Ahaha, am I that famous?”

“Do you still not know?”

“I might not. I’m just an FFF-level hunter.”

Mr. Kim Chok laughed as if amazed.

“How did you meet Kang Yoon-soo then? He’s a thorough meritocrat. If he noticed you, it must mean you have some skills, right?”

…Wow, he’s getting straight to the point like this?

I clenched my hands tightly, trying to hide my surprise as much as possible.

“I’ve received help from him before. That’s why. Last time, I also helped Kang Yoon-soo for a while to repay the favor.”

“Seo Yeon-oh, what about you?”

“…I also have a skill called <Mana Detector>. Although I’m F-level, it’s quite useful.”

“I know about that skill. It’s the information you registered when you joined the government. But I doubt that’s the ability Kang Yoon-soo needs.”

“I wouldn’t know. I was dragged along without knowing the reason.”

Mr. Kim Chok’s gaze became even more intense.

Already with sharp eyes that seemed to cut like a knife, his appearance became even more intimidating.

“If you lie to me, it won’t be good for you.”

“…Do I have a reason to lie?”

“I’ve seen more than one or two guild members like you who run away.”

“…You remember that I’m FFF-level, right?”

Mr. Kim Chok continued to stare at me as if asking why he should bother with that question. 

Then it happened. The sensation of everything being readable, just like before, repeated itself. However, ting!

[<Mental Defense(??)> is protecting your information. It also shows false information to the opponent.]

Thanks to the status window that appeared, I could feel a bit relieved.

‘…But it shows false information?’

I can’t know that false information, right?

If I knew, I might be able to deceive Mr. Kim Chok a bit more easily. However, even when I opened the skill window and checked <Mental Defense(??)> again, there was no information that I could see.

While silently cursing to myself, Mr. Kim Chok shifted his gaze away from me.

“…Why bother with useless things.”

Even though it was a mutter, it was audible.

Whether my stats went up and my hearing improved or it was meant for me to hear, I couldn’t tell. 

Mr. Kim Chok tilted his head in thought, then slowly stroked his chin.

“Do you need anything?”

“…Need anything?”

“Don’t make me say it twice.”

“Ah… If there’s anything I need, it seems I’ve caught a cold while moving. Can I get a bit more vacation?”

“…I’ll introduce you to a government hospital.”

A government hospital was a facility that all government-affiliated hunters could use. However, the hospital mentioned by Mr. Kim Chok seemed a bit different.

‘…A hospital for the upper echelons of the government.’

Yes, a hospital only for the damn officers. I heard there’s a hunter with an A-level healing skill in that hospital.

‘If it’s an A-level healing skill, I heard they can cleanly reattach a severed arm….’

So, it’s specialized in curing all kinds of diseases.

Yet, government-affiliated hunters, who go through gates and get injured the most, walk around with medicines and bandages….

No wonder the government gets criticized.

Of course, internally cursing up a storm, I maintained a smile on my face.

“…Really?”

“Yeah, now that you qualify, I’ll make arrangements for you to go.”

“Oh, that’s truly appreciated, but I’m not sure if I qualify. And going to that hospital just for a slight cold would be embarrassing in front of my colleagues.”

“So?”

“Could I just handle the paperwork for a while?”

“…Do as you please.”

Mr. Kim Chok waved his hand, signaling me to leave. Thanks to that, I could quickly escape the office.

After leaving the office, I had a genuine smile on my face.

‘At least I gave the impression that I’ll quietly follow orders, right?’

Perhaps Mr. Kim Chok thought so too, deciding not to dig further and letting me go. I intend to stick to that idea.

If I attract unnecessary suspicion here, my plans could go up in smoke.

So then…

Maybe I’ll lay low until I execute the second resignation plan.