A sudden throbbing shot through his right ankle. It felt like Kang Iseo had been injured.
“How is Hunter Park Joo-hwan’s condition?”
Ju In-hyuk composed his expression and quickened his pace.
There was still much to do while moving. He quickly skimmed the documents handed over by his aide who followed behind him.
An upper-rank gate that appeared in the joint operation zone between Habaek and the Association. Fortunately, there were no casualties, and even the rookie hunter who had been at risk of infection had been safely rescued. And yet, something still felt off.
“The treatment center just contacted us. The infection level is reported to be very stable.”
“And the person in charge?”
“It’s Team Leader Song Seok-woo. He’s still finishing up on-site, so the debriefing is scheduled for this evening.”
“Is this all the incident report contains?”
Ju In-hyuk frowned as he reviewed the documents.
10:45:52. Hunter Park Joo-hwan communication unresponsive.
11:01:11. Hunter Park Joo-hwan location confirmed.
11:05:22. Main body location confirmed.
There were gaps between the recorded events. Though it was only a rough first draft and could lack precision, even considering the urgency, there were too many missing segments.
“That’s all for now,” Aide Kim Eun-seok replied carefully.
Ju In-hyuk could already imagine Team Leader Song Seok-woo being thoroughly reprimanded at the evening meeting.
“Why is it so noisy outside?”
As Ju In-hyuk turned the corner toward the operations room, he stopped walking.
Beyond the large window, commotion could be seen.
“Ah, they’re still at it. A bereaved family of a ‘Manin’ is holding a one-person protest at the main gate. The security unit is trying to stop him, but he won’t listen. Should we immediately order his removal—”
“Why wasn’t I informed?”
“Well, I thought it wasn’t a big deal. I’m sorry.”
“Not a big deal?”
Ju In-hyuk’s expression turned cold.
“Hunter Kim Eun-seok.”
“Yes!”
Kim Eun-seok immediately responded to the sharp call.
“Do you have family, Hunter Kim Eun-seok?”
“I-I do!”
“If I did something to your family and said it wasn’t a big deal because I had a justification, would you accept that?”
“I… I’m sorry. I was careless. I’m sorry.”
At the time, protests against the Association’s “Manin Research Institute” had been escalating and then gradually fading from public attention.
Ju In-hyuk passed Kim Eun-seok and headed down to the first floor.
There were days when everything felt unusually sensitive. Days when only ominous things seemed to happen.
Even though his schedule was still packed and he had skipped meals, he could not ignore it.
He walked past saluting hunters and exited the main building. The distance from the building to the main gate was considerable, but the security unit noticed his arrival and stopped moving. The protest sign lying on the ground had been split in two.
Blood had been smeared across the broken sign.
Ju In-hyuk silently read the words.
“You filthy government lapdog! Perfect timing! You rotten bastard!”
The protester looked to be a man in his mid-to-late 40s.
A once ordinary father now stood with a gaunt face filled with rage.
Unable to control his emotions, he reached into the bag on his back, unzipped it, and pulled something out.
“You call yourselves humans?! You monsters! Give me back my daughter! My daughter!”
The man’s voice was filled with grief.
Ju In-hyuk silently accepted everything thrown at him.
Eggs.
The contents rotted and burst, releasing a foul stench.
“Sir.”
Ju In-hyuk approached the man without changing his expression.
“How dare you call me ‘sir’!”
“Sorry.”
“Sorry? You think that word can erase your crimes?”
“Sorry.”
“My daughter’s dream was to meet you at least once! She collected your photos and videos!”
Manin are originally humans who have been infected by toxic substances from monsters and gradually lose their rationality.
When infection reaches 100%, they completely lose consciousness and are classified as Manin.
“And from that point on, they become execution targets for all hunters.”
Their bodies cannot be returned to families due to residual infection. It was a global rule.
“You killed her! My innocent daughter!”
The man broke down, begging.
“Please… if you have family too… just give me something of her… anything…”
Ju In-hyuk remained the only one not shedding tears.
“Sorry.”
That was all he could say.
*******
“You caused trouble again?”
“Seriously, do better.”
At the entrance to the headquarters meeting room, hunters arriving for the evening briefing threw comments as they passed.
The reason was Kim Eun-seok, standing like a gatekeeper in front of the meeting room door, holding a “punishment pose.”
The so-called “invisible chair” posture—arms stretched forward.
Ju In-hyuk was not a strict authoritarian, but he did assign unusual punishments when necessary.
Kim Eun-seok was one of his closest aides, but also a frequent target of this embarrassing punishment.
“Ah, Senior.”
A rookie hunter paused in front of Kim Eun-seok.
“What happened this time…”
“Shut up and go inside.”
“Yes, sir.”
The rookie placed a notebook on Kim Eun-seok’s outstretched hand. It was part of a disciplinary tradition where all members collectively helped correct a colleague’s wrongdoing.
Other hunters had already stacked objects on his head, arms, and knees. Until the meeting ended, Kim Eun-seok could not move even a single step, nor could he drop the “tower” others had built.
“Hey! It’s unbalanced! Move it to the right!”
“This is punishment, not decoration. Good luck.”
“Hey! Hey! Balance it!”
The rookie ignored him and disappeared into the room.
Left alone, Kim Eun-seok gritted his teeth in humiliation.
*******
The joint operation had not gone smoothly.
There was a missing member on the Association’s side, due to poor judgment from the team leader in a high-level dungeon.
The rescue had been carried out by none other than Kang Iseo, the only one capable of purification skills, who successfully saved Hunter Park Joo-hwan and suppressed the infection level.
Strangely enough, the pain in his ankle and ribs did not feel like an illusion.
In the field, things rarely went as planned. Still, this incident clearly stemmed from the Association team’s lack of response.
Although there were no casualties and everyone returned safely, the matter was not fully resolved.
Habaek had requested a revision of the loot distribution terms.
A 8:2 ratio.
