Ch. 34 - Chapter 34

“Damn it. Here is to another flop of a day.”

A bearded man, fiddling with an old mouse, smacked his lips in disappointment.

“Ugh!! If everyone only wants to eat beef!! Who's gonna clean up the cow dung, huh, the cow dung!!”

The bearded man shouted harshly as he grabbed a can of beer.

Gulp, gulp.

The disorganized office and the man's haphazard attire.

And the beer foam trickling down his lips.

It was truly a scene that perfectly embodied the phrase ‘unholy trinity of messiness’.

The bearded man was the leader of the [Cleanup Clan].

The only hunter in the clan was Yuk Cheolwan.

In simple terms, he was the solo leader of the clan.

The official hunter organization authorized by the government is called the ‘Guild’.

However, hunters don’t necessarily join only official organizations.

A small number of hunters join ‘clans’ to pursue their careers.

Unlike the ‘Guild’, which has strict qualifications, there are no special requirements to form a ‘Clan’.

It also has the advantage of allowing free joining and withdrawal.

However, the biggest drawback of a ‘Clan’ is that it cannot receive support from the Hunter Association.

In other words, unlike regular guilds, when a member is in danger, they can't receive support from other guilds or government authorities.

Moreover, they can’t receive government subsidies for clearing dungeons.

A ‘Clan’ is, in simple terms, a collection of free spirits but unprotected individuals.

As the name suggests, [Cleanup Clan] was more of a group suited for service work than for hunters.

They were people who frequented dungeons or dangerous areas that others avoid, with their main goal being to find rare materials rather than ordinary rewards.

This type of clan could be found in every city, and people typically called them ‘cleaners’.

Their main activity was primarily in Poison Dungeons rated 2-star (★★) or lower.

If they were lucky, they could obtain high-quality rare materials not available in regular dungeons, but most hunters never preferred this ‘cleaner’ role.

Far from being preferred, they were often shunned as the ‘3D job’ of the hunter world.

[T/N: The term ‘3D jobs’ comes from the initial letters of three words: Dirty, Dangerous, Difficult]

“Tch... Finally got the permit for the Poison Dungeon, but...”

Going in and out of a 2-star (★★) Poison Dungeon alone was too much work in many ways.

Yuk Cheolwan, with no better option, called up a former colleague he used to work with.

"Youngho. Hahaha. How’ve you been?"

[Oh, Brother Cheolwan. It’s been a while.]

"You punk. Why’s it so hard to get a hold of you? Been busy lately?"

[Just got out of a dungeon, actually. The mercenary market’s booming these days.]

"R-really?"

[What about you, Brother? What’ve you been up to recently?]

"Me? Well… same old, same old. Still in Yongin. So, about that…"

Before Yuk Cheolwan could even finish his sentence, a sigh came through the other end.

[Seriously. You’re still running that ‘cleaner’ clan that barely makes any money? Brother Cheolwan. You should work smart and not hardnowadays. The guilds are desperate to recruit hunters these days, so why bother wandering around dangerous and dirty dungeons?]

"……"

Yuk Cheolwan pressed the end call button hearing nothing but reproach.

“That punk. Acting all arrogant just because he made some money recently.”

Yuk Cheolwan grumbled as he threw his phone onto the worn-out sofa.

He had been a member since the creation of the [Cleanup Clan], but now it seemed like he had to completely change his main line of work.

It wasn't only Youngho who advised him alone.

In recent years, as the frequency of gates and dungeons increased, there were hardly any hunters willing to take on the role of 'cleaner.'

The ‘clan’ had a structure that allowed free joining and leaving, and the [Cleanup Clan], which once had dozens of members, had by now become a one-person operation run solely by Yuk Cheolwan.

"You rats. You'll regret it later when you see the golds I found!"

Yuk Cheolwan emptied his remaining beer in one gulp and tossed the empty can into the trashcan.

Clang, clang, clang...

Damn it.

Yuk Cheolwan let out a string of harsh curses.

Nothing seemed to go right.

Yuk Cheolwan, who was bending down to pick up a beer can, suddenly let out a laugh, his shoulders shaking.

Had he finally gone crazy from the ongoing financial difficulties…!

Not really.

He was simply an excessively optimistic person.

“If many misfortunes gather, it means good things will happen. Since I can’t even handle this stupid beer can, I'm sure a ton of great things are coming my way. Hahaha.”

His happiness circuit was so overheated that it was practically billowing smoke.

Knock knock.

"Huh?!"

This must be what they mean when they say words have power.

A visitor had come to the [Cleanup Clan], a place that hadn't even received a single inquiry call, let alone a visit in the past month.

Yuk Cheolwan hurriedly dampened his fingers with saliva and swept back the hair at his temples.

He shouted loudly toward the door.

"Yes! Please, come in!”

***

After checking the appearance of the [Cleanup Clan] office, I was convinced.

‘I've come to the right place.’

The interior of the office was much messier than I had expected (?).

The floor was so covered in dust that it had clumped together and was rolling around, and the furniture and supplies were all old and worn out.

There were about three or four desks, but aside from the ‘Clan Leader’s’ seat, there was no sign of anyone else.

At this point, the Poison Dungeon felt even more refreshing.

If it weren’t for the clan leader staring at me with wide eyes, I could have believed this was a ghost office.

“Hu, hu, hu, Hunter Chun Haesun??”

“Do you know me?”

“Of course I do!”

Yuk Cheolwan was so excited that thick droplets of saliva flew from his mouth.

I almost got splattered with impurities I’d never even encountered in a dungeon.

Unaware that my eyes had narrowed slightly, Yuk Cheolwan was still deep in a state of great excitement.

“Hunter Chun Haesun!! There hasn’t been a single day I haven’t seen your face!! No matter which portal site I visit, there’s always an article about you!!”

"Oh, yes..."

“A rookie ‘S’ ranker appearing after 10 years! A genius healer who follows in the footsteps of the Saintess Mary! And a mysterious, enigmatic hunter!”

“Mysterious?”

“Yes! You’ve never even done a simple interview with reporters, nor have you negotiated with any guild. This is truly the pinnacle of mystique!”

Hmm.

Well, think of it however you like.

Yuk Cheolwan looked at me with the face of a devout believer.

His gaze was too intense to meet head-on.

I took another look around the office.

‘Not even empty compliments about the office being nice come to mind.’

A bitter smile slipped out naturally.

But a shabby clan like this was perfect for me.

“By the way… what brings you here?”

As the joy of meeting an ‘S’ ranker hunter faded, a look of puzzlement appeared on Yuk Cheolwan’s face.

“What else would bring a hunter to a clan office? To join, of course.”

"I see. To join the clan."

Yuk Cheolwan, who was absentmindedly nodding, suddenly jumped up on the spot.

“J-joining?! Our clan?????”

***

In a few moments after visiting [Cleanup Clan], I was able to figure out a few things about Yuk Cheolwan.

Just as I’d heard from the community, he had blatant emotional swings, making him the type whose inner thoughts were easy to read.

To the point where, from a clan member’s perspective, you couldn’t help but wonder, ‘Is it really okay for someone like this to be the leader?’

“Please, have a seat first!”

He guided me to the sofa, then rushed toward the coffee machine tucked in the corner of the office.

Clack.

How long had it been since that machine was last cleaned?

It might actually be more dangerous than the well in a Poison Dungeon.

“Here, have a drink. Maybe it’s because the machine’s old, but it brings out a deep flavor. Hahaha.”

“Thank you. I’m good.”

“Uh…?”

With that vague and ambiguous reply, I got straight to the point.

“As I mentioned earlier, I’d like to join the Cleanup Clan. Is there some kind of qualification review or screening process for new members?”

“No! That’s absolutely out of the question!”

Well, of course.

If there had been any kind of screening process to begin with, it wouldn’t be much of a clan now.

Besides, it was about an S-ranker joining.

Even major guilds would be scrambling to recruit someone like that, there was no way a mere clan would turn me down.

“But… as you probably already know, Hunter…”

Yuk Cheolwan cautiously began to explain about the Cleanup Clan.

“We play the role known as ‘cleaners.’ For random, no-name hunters, that might be fine, but for someone as distinguished as Hunter Chun Haesun, I’m not sure we can offer rewards that would satisfy you.”

“Hmm… Contrary to what you think, Clan Leader, there’s actually a very meaningful reward in it for me.”

“Pardon?”

“If I’m not mistaken, when a clan clears a dungeon, their names aren’t recorded. Is that correct?”

Normally, when a dungeon is cleared, the participants' names are recorded.

Not just the guild name, but even the names of each individual hunter who participated are recorded.

But clans are different.

Since the Association doesn’t provide clear rewards to clans in the first place, usually only the clan’s name is briefly recorded.

That means I get the best reward I could ask for; ‘anonymity’.

“Yes, yes, that’s right. We always operate under the name [Cleanup Clan] when entering and exiting dungeons. Not that we’ve cleared very many, though…”

Yuk Cheolwan scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed.

This clan was built for resource collection and dungeon cleanup in the first place, defeating boss monsters was probably a rare event.

“Great. Hand me the registration form.”

"!!”

Yuk Cheolwan had an expression that said he couldn’t tell if this was a dream or reality.

Of course, it was an organization you could leave at any time, but where else would he ever get the chance to work alongside an S-rank hunter?

Maybe the shock was so great that Yuk Cheolwan’s movements were sluggish.

“You’d better give it to me before I change my mind.”

“Ah! Sorry about that. Please wait just a moment!”

Yuk Cheolwan hurried over to the old-fashioned metal desk.

But just like any old desk, the stuck drawer wouldn’t open easily.

Creak, creak.

“Ugh… why won’t this open…!”

Thick veins popped out on Yuk Cheolwan’s hands and forehead.

This clan was running like a chaotic mess.

On the other hand, this messy environment and clumsy clan leader somehow felt comfortable.

Perfection is boring anyway.

While the flustered Yuk Cheolwan was wrestling with the desk, I spotted an official document sent from the Association.

"Oh..."

[Dungeon Entry Permit 

Handle with Care: Suwon Ingye Neighborhood Poison Dungeon

Difficulty: 2-Star (★★) 

Authorized Entry Group: Cleanup Clan]

***

Snap.

Clap.

It had been a month since I started learning martial arts from Oh Jiho.

During that time, I discovered two new things.

The first was that the martial art was called ‘Hwan Gyeok,’ which was also Oh Jiho’s alias.

In this black market, Oh Jiho was regarded as a symbol of that martial art.

Whoosh.

“Fuck!”

“Please refrain from swearing.”

Oh Jiho spoke politely, but I found it hard to hold back.

How could I not get pissed when all the attacks I thought were going to be successful completely failed?

Moreover, the blade I had swung was now flying back toward me, right in front of my eyes, and it was enough to drive anyone mad.

Swish.

Hwan Gyeok.

The ‘Hwan’ before the ‘Gyeok’ in this martial arts was not the ‘Hwan’ meaning ‘return’ (還), but rather the ‘Hwan’ meaning ‘phantom’ (幻).

I simply assumed it was called ‘hwan’ (還格) because my attack was returning, but it turned out it actually meant ‘Phantom Strikes’ (幻格).

You might wonder why a play on words is so important, but this holds a very important meaning.

It's because the Mystique Arts, the highest-level skill of psychokinesis, also use the same character ‘Hwan’ (幻).

The psychokinesis that Oh Jiho incorporated into his combat was a far more advanced skill than anticipated.

The Oh Jiho I could see before my eyes was not real.

Though it may be a limited space, he was weaving illusions within ‘his own domain’.

So, attacks that seemed to have landed likely never made contact at all.

That was the second fact I had uncovered.

'Chase the real form……!'

Ignoring the clearly visible opponent and attacking an unseen domain comes with a profound sense of dissonance.

But that was the only way to reach him.

To strike the 'real body' of Oh Jiho, which remained untouchable despite hundreds, thousands of attempts.

Swoosh–

However, it was not just theory that's been incorporated.

I felt a sensation distinctly different from before.

The 6-star (★★★★★★) monster, 'Singing Harpy'.

After absorbing the core of that creature, which had psychokinetic ability, I could faintly sense a difference from before.

‘A little more... Just a little more!’

Thud.

With all my Aether activated, I swing Exa, chasing after Oh Jiho's true form.

Beads of sweat dripped from my forehead into my eyes.

I wanted to wipe my stinging eyes right away, but I couldn’t.

I needed to maintain this state of mindless absorption.

My stamina, Aether, and mental power were reaching their peaks.

To my surprise, Oh Jiho's stamina seemed to have barely changed since the beginning.

'Just a little more......!'

To an observer, it would look like I was pointlessly swinging at empty air instead of the target right in front of me.

However, I was maximizing my senses to find Oh Jiho’s ‘true form’.

While hundreds, thousands of attacks sliced through empty space.

Swish.

And finally.

I was able to find a faint clue.

A dim black figure that could only be seen through extreme concentration.

‘A shadow…?’

It was such a faint hue that even calling it a shadow felt like an overstatement, but there was definitely a shadow behind Oh Jiho.

Not a shadow clinging to the ground.

But one standing a few steps away.

The moment I confirmed the shadow, a strong conviction filled me.

That the true form of Oh Jiho I had been desperately searching for was that very shadow.

‘There it is!!’

Whoosh!!

I squeezed out every last bit of strength and slashed the shadow with Exa.

This time, too, I didn't feel like I was cutting anything cleanly.

But...

There was definitely a change.

It was incredibly faint, so weak it couldn’t even cut a single fiber of cloth, but I definitely felt Exa’s blade make contact.

And then,

"...Excellent."

For the first time, Oh Jiho's expression changed.

Comments