“Please.. kill.. me..” Kwang Ho pleaded hoarsely.

It didn’t seem like he’d get any more information from Kwang Ho. Sung Joon lifted his sword and pierced Kwang Ho’s throat.

‘I guess I’ve unintentionally monopolized the magic stones,’ he thought.

The bag filled to the brim with magic stones caught his eye. He’d make a killing if he sold the magic stones at the Appraisal Center.

Sung Joon exited the dungeon, carrying the bag filled with magic stones. As soon as he got out, the Dungeon Bureau worker dashed towards him.

“Are the others dead?” the worker asked.

“Yes, they’re all dead,” Sung Joon replied.

“I see. I understand.”

The worker took out his chart and recorded something. Then he looked at Sung Joon and said, “You’ll have to visit the Dungeon Bureau to record a statement in the near future. We’ll contact you as soon as we set up an appointment.”

When there were mass casualties from a dungeon run, the survivors were required to visit the Dungeon Bureau and write a formal statement regarding the events.

Although this process attempted to ascertain whether unlawful conduct had occurred in the dungeon, if there was only one survivor it was a pointless procedure.

“However, there’s no need to set up an appointment separately. After you sell your magic stones, we’ll begin the procedure. We’d appreciate it if you informed the Bureau beforehand.”

“Then I’ll contact them now,” said Sung Joon.

Sung Joon nodded. He didn’t want to go twice. Time was money.

Sung Joon took a taxi and went to the Dungeon Bureau. Rather than saving a couple dimes by taking public transportation, he thought it’d be more profitable to save time by taking a taxi and spend that extra time on clearing another dungeon.

He arrived at the Dungeon Bureau shortly after and went to the Appraisal Center to sell his magic stones.

“It comes out to $350,000. I’ve deposited the sum into your registered bank account,” the clerk said.

Sung Joon checked his bank account on his phone. Even after spending $500,000 on his father’s treatment bill, he still had more than $550,000 left.

‘Is this all money that I’ve earned?’

Previously, he had only around about $50 left but he’d amassed a fortune of over $500,000 since.. He couldn’t believe it.

While his earnings seemed amazing, not all B-rank Hunters made that kind of cash.

The difficulty of dungeon runs started to ramp up after the C-rank level, so most people partied up. Moreover, dungeon runs were extremely tiring. Conversely, Sung Joon had unlimited power, but most people didn’t repeatedly enter the dungeons.

‘If you entered as a party, you have to divide your earnings. I was lucky this time.’

Sung Joon smiled bitterly. Although his life had been in danger, he’d monopolized a fortune of $350,000.

It was a huge success, but the process afterwards was a pain in the ass. His memories, as well as the Sword Saint’s pride, demanded that he pull out the root of his frustration.

‘It’s not a losing business deal,’ Sung Joon thought.

He had learned that he could absorb mana from a dead Hunter, so it was time for him to decide. Although he couldn’t kill innocent Hunters, he could just get stronger by absorbing the mana of murderers who routinely PKed.

If he made a deal with the Hunter Bureau, he might be able to get additional information about the PK group.

“I came to write my statement. How long will I have to wait?” asked Sung Joon.

“Ah, you’re Hunter, Kang Sung Joon, correct?” the clerk asked.

Sung Joon nodded his head.

“Right now the investigator is busy with some other work, so you’ll have to wait about twenty minutes.”

“Please hurry,” said Sung Joon.

“We’ll do our best.” replied the clerk.

Sung Joon sat on a bench and accessed Hunter.com on his phone.

People were panicking due to the latest series of PKing occurrences. They suggested that Hunters should create parties with the maximum number of people and he even saw a bulletin board message that suggested not entering the dungeons at the moment.

[If I meet you PKing shits, I’ll break your arms and legs. (12)]

There were even posts provoking PKers. It had managed to get twelve comments and it didn’t seem like it’d take long before it became a top post.

He looked through Hunter.com once before a worker finally walked towards him.

“Hunter Kang Sung Joon?”

Sung Joon put his phone away and raised his head at the voice.

“Please go to office number 1 on the 2nd floor,” said the worker.

Sung Joon nodded and went to the aforementioned office. He opened the door and saw the Investigator. The Investigator, who sat in a chair behind a desk, noticed him and raised his hand.

“Hunter Kang Sung Joon? Over here!”

Sung Joon sat in front of the Investigator and wrote his statement.

“Is it true that you killed a pair of PKers by yourself?” he asked.

Sung Joon said, “If I didn’t, how do you think I’m standing in front of you?”

“I’m just thinking of the other possibilities,” he spoke meaningfully.

Sung Joon furrowed his eyebrows. Although the investigator was attempting to piece together the situation, it felt as if the investigator treated him like a suspect. It wasn’t really the best feeling in the world.

“That’s quite unpleasant,” commented Sung Joon.

“I apologize. The mana reacted to the recording devices we set up in the dungeon. Thus, they didn’t work properly and we have no idea what went on inside the dungeon. Therefore, we have to think of all the possibilities,” replied the investigator.

“The Bureau may not have conclusive evidence, but you should have a list of individuals suspected of PKing. I don’t think there’s any way that I’m on that list,” Sung Joon retorted.

“I’m sorry,” the investigator apologized, and bowed his head. Sung Joon relaxed slightly.

The investigator drew up a final written statement and made a call. He went to the window and spoke for ages. When he was finished, he went back to Sung Joon.

He looked at him and said, “Hunter, the Bureau sent someone. Could you please give us some of your time?” the Investigator asked politely. He stifled a smile. The Hunter Bureau had taken the bait!

“Is this mandatory?” asked Sung Joon.

“It’s not mandatory,” the investigator responded weakly.

“If it’s not compulsory and there’s no benefit to staying, I’ll just go. You know that to a Hunter, time is money, right?” Sung Joon queried.

He knew why the Hunter Bureau had sent someone. Sung Joon would now have to work to increase his value in their eyes.

“P-Please wait!” the Investigator called urgently.

Sung Joon halted and turned back around to the Investigator.

“I’m sorry for what happened earlier. The Hunter Bureau Team Leader, Kim Hyun Sung, will be here shortly. I assure you that you won’t lose anything by staying.”

Sung Joon said, “In that case, I’ll stay.”

The doors opened after ten minutes and Kim Hyun Sung came in. He had a tag with his name and position on his chest and wore glasses, evoking a model student-like image.

“Hunter Kang Sung Joon?” he called.

“I’m right here.”

Sung Joon raised his hand and Hyun Sung’s face brightened. He quickly walked towards Sung Joon but turned his attention to the Investigator.

“I’ll borrow the office for a bit. Is that all right?”

“Of course,” the Investigator consented.

The Hunter Bureau Team Leader, Kim Hyun Sung and Sung Joon entered the office together.

“Please turn off the cameras,” Hyun Sung said, speaking into the microphone.

“I understand,” the investigator said through the speakers.

Eventually, Hyun Sung turned his attention to Sung Joon.

“I’ll be straight with you. Please help us.”

He brought up the main subject immediately, so it seemed like the Hunter Bureau was really busy.

With a calm expression, Sung Joon replied, “What do you want help with?”

“We will provide you with information. Please capture the PKers,” said Hyun Sung.

Sung Joon smiled softly. It was going just as planned.

“We can manage the matching system. We’ll match you with Hunters suspected of PKing. When they show their true colors inside the dungeon, please take care of them.”

“There’re a lot of Hunters affiliated with the Hunter Bureau, so why are you specifically asking me for help?” Sung Joon questioned.

“We need B-rank or higher Hunters.. The Hunters affiliated with the Hunter Bureau are already too well known.” Hyun Sung replied.

Sung Joon commented, “So, you need powerful Hunters who aren’t well known, right?”

“That’s right. We’ve tried reaching out to other Hunters but they avoided PvP. There’s nothing we can do if you don’t have any confidence in your PvP skills,” Hyun Sung replied.

Sung Joon smirked. He had confidence in his PvP skills.

“What do I gain from that?”

“Besides the normal pay from the Dungeon, you’ll receive $100,000 per head and the Hunter Bureau will support you,” Han Sung said stiffly.

Sung Joon thought the conditions weren’t satisfying enough to stake his life on.

However, Sung Joon maintained a neutral expression.

“You already know that this isn’t enough, right?” he said.

“This is all we can do right now,” Hyun Sung said earnestly.

The PK cases proved the Bureau’s incompetence. They were responsible, so if they didn’t find a solution, they had no future.

However, Sung Joon had already planned to hunt PKers from the start. Because he needed the Hunter Bureau’s help, he happily nodded his head, despite the poor conditions.

“The terms are lacking but I’ll accept them anyway.”

If the Hunter Bureau didn’t manipulate the matching, he wouldn’t be able to hunt PKers. Hyun Sung’s face brightened.

“However.. the terms aren’t very beneficial, yet you eagerly consented to the them. Is there a reason for that?” Hyun Sung asked curiously. Before he walked out, Sung Joon smirked.

“They messed with me.”