Chapter 31. Discomfort

[Additional Option]

– 75% Earth resistance

– 75% Water resistance

– 75% Fire resistance

– 75% Wind resistance

Finally, all four attribute resistance were?raised to the limit. There were so many?things to do?in the meantime that it?took?a little bit longer.

‘Can?it rise above the?resistance?limit?’

There might be some cases where it was only by one, so Do-joon decided to take out one more leather and test it.

[You can copy one of the options from “Elemental Snake’s Leather” to “Kim’ Do-joon”.]

[Copyable option]

–

*Earth resistance is already at its maximum.

However, as expected, it did not go up any?higher. If it had gone up, it would have been ridiculous.

‘Come to think of it, it still doesn’t make any sense.’

He has been able to get all four attributes to the?max?without any cost, others had to shake their pillar roots just to?do the same with?only one attribute. This alone was enough of an achievement.

Once you have achieved your goal, you should attempt to ascertain it.

So, Do-joon called Lee Ji-ah.

Tuk.

– Oh, Mr. Do-joon. I was?just?going to call you from my side.

Lee Ji-ah?said?as soon as she?picked?up.

“What?for?”

Do-joon asked curiously.

– Do-joon, you got promoted to E-rank.. Congrats! The notice will be sent?sometime?today.

“Really?”

Of course, it?was only a matter of time.

He had been?constantly running into the dungeons during the?cooldown whenever?he couldn’t enter the labyrinth.

He was?still delighted?though.

A?sense of achievement?grew?within him.

– You can now enter?a?C-class party. Well, I’m talking about when they accept it.

“That’s good.”

F-rank hunters?can?apply for up to D-class parties, and E-rank hunters?can?apply for C-class parties.

Thanks to that, if he does well, his promotions could?skyrocket?from now on. This was due to the difference between C-class dungeons and D-class dungeons in performance points starting from the number of digits.

This is why the industry sometimes refers to?an F-rank as an intern.

‘Then,?did I pretty much finish my?internship and become a full-time employee?’

He suddenly bursted into laughter, he remembered the old days. He was also an ordinary office worker?back then,?before he obtained?his?potion production skills.

– By the way, why did you call, Do-joon??Is it because of a?dungeon?

“Yes, please set the next dungeon with an elemental affiliation. The grade doesn’t matter.”

– Element affiliation??For what purpose?

“I just want to experience various dungeons.”

– Aha.

There were quite many hunters who deliberately went to and from various types of dungeons from the time they were newcomers.

In order to get?used to dungeons with a lower difficulty step by step.

As such, Lee Ji-ah did not have any questions.

– I see. I’ll look around.

“Thank you?as?always.”

– This is my job, so what are you thankful for?

Ssssg.

At that?moment, Siewellin came and pulled Do-joon’s sleeve.?He turned with a questioning look to see what was wrong.?To which, she showed?him?that the remote wasn’t working and the TV wouldn’t turn on.

Recently, she has been obsessed with a variety of shows. He?glanced over?the remote and?noticed?that the batteries were inserted upside down.?It must have fallen out somehow, but inserted the wrong way.

“Ah, this. Wait a minute.”

Do-joon took out the battery and?promptly?placed it back?correctly.?So?when he went to?press?the power button, the TV?seemed to magically?turn on.

Siewellin smiled happily and then quickly settled on the sofa. Do-joon giggled at the sight.

– Is there someone next to you?

Lee Ji-ah asked him over the phone.

Do-joon replied indifferently.

“My nephew?has?started living with me?since?last week.”

– Oh, really? Huh??I thought?you?said?that you?didn’t? have any relatives.

“It wasn’t that I didn’t have any. It was that I?actually?lost contact.....”

Do-joon?repeated?the?same?explanation he had given to Jeong Da-jeong.?Similar to before,?Lee Ji-ah also seemed to accept the explanation?just like Jeong Da-jeong.

After that, the?call ended?after?asking?what they had been doing without anything special.

‘Let’s see.. .. .’

After that, there was only free time.

The elemental island had already been visited?while?the Orc Kingdom cooldown remained. The dungeon has just been applied for matching, and the store was closed until Siewellin could read and write skillfully.

It?could?be thought of as a long-awaited vacation for the first time, but Do-joon did not intend to?relax.

At times like this, it?was only?training.

Just like the time he spent before the Hunter exam, he spent several days going back and forth between the hospital and the training center.

* * *

<NL Tower.>

Located in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam, this?was the?headquarters of Karma Guild.

Some may ask. Why would an organization created by a?few?hunters need such a tall?skyscraper?

Usually that was a?valid question?until it?became?a large guild.

Majority of existing guilds simply refer to a?single?team of hunters. However, unlike them,?larger?guilds have several such teams.

In addition, they may have their own?manufacturing?divisions, and accordingly,?handle much more work?than what ordinary people think.?Such?as storing and researching various?corpses?of monsters and materials extracted from dungeons.

On top of that, if one?was to combine?personnel, support,?as well as?welfare for?both?hunters and employees, a single building?is?just not enough.

Somewhere on the enormous?NL tower.?About?halfway up, but not quite on top, was Oh Sang-jin’s office.

“F***k!”

Bang!

Oh Sang-jin busted the office door open as if to rip it off its hinge, entered the office with a huff. His face was a?boiling?red and his snoring was rough.

“F**king hell!?Why do?you have to give it to me like that? What do you want me to?f**cking?do,?goddamn?it!”

He was a person who took his anger out on innocent?desks?and?cupboards. It?wasn’t anything?unusual. It was always like this after executive meetings.

Thanks to this, it was?fairly?common for furniture in?his?office to be replaced day by day.

“Young master!”

Bang!

The door?bursted?open once more?and a man in a black suit?entered the room. Oh Sang-jin shouted with a?veins?on his neck at the rude visitor as his fever rose?even?higher.

“Hey, you bast*rd! Come through?quietly.?Quietly!”

“Don’t you often do this, young master?”

“This bastard is?always?getting?bigger?in the head. If?you’re?this?defiant, you?can?just?be?the?young master!”

The man immediately lowered his?practically wagging tail?in response to Oh Sang-jin’s?shout.?The man?was Jang Dae-hoon, the head of office, who had been serving Oh Sang-jin since old times.

Now that most of the guild?executives?were serving his older brother Oh Tae-jin.?Jang Dae-hoon?was one of the few?who remained on Oh Sang-jin’s side.

For that reason, he couldn’t afford to let?Jang Dae-join?go. Oh Sang-jin let out a loud sigh and growled.

“What is it this time? If it’s?just?nothing, I won’t let you go?without the consequences.”

“Ah, that.”

Jang Dae-hoon?shook?in fear,?before raising?his head again and speaking.

“You know Kim Do-joon, the one whom you told me to keep an eye on before. That man was matched to the same party as Kwak Dong-gyu this time.”

“What? Who?”

“That?old man?during the Hunter exam.”

Oh Sang-jin knocked on the desk with his finger as if he remembered only then.

“Oh~, that herb lover? The one who broke our new 2 billion won?bast*rd?”

“Yes.”

Oh Sang-jin had?nearly?forgotten about him. He?calmed?his nerves and instructed Jang Dae-hoon to keep?observing?him.

It was even more so because there was no noise related to Kim Do-joon after that.

“Oh right, Isn’t Kwak hyung on vacation?”

“That’s right. I heard he was on vacation and?enjoying?his hobbies.”

“Aha.”

Oh Sang-jin smiled. It’s a hobby, but it had terrible packaging. Well, even if he didn’t call it training, it’s still a conscientious one.

“Where did that guy say he went off to?”

“Uh,?it’s?said he didn’t go anywhere.”

“What? Nowhere? With what guts?

“I’m not sure about that.....”

The guild is not an organization that only supports its hunters from behind. When they are involved in accidents or disputes, they also play a role in protecting their interests and even their personal affairs.

That’s why hunters search for guilds. Even if profit suffers a bit than?going?solo, there is far more to gain than?just?that.

The fact that?Do-joon?didn’t join the guild means that he?must?have a back-up support to take care of him.

On top of that,?he’s in?the same party as Kwak Dong-gyu.

“Where’s the dungeon?”

“It’s a lava cave in Sangam-dong.”

Lava Cave. It was?the dungeon where?Karma took?charge?for the initial exploration. Oh Sang-Jin still?remembered?it clearly as it was a?very?special case.

It just?wasn’t?the right place.

‘I’m lucky, too.’

Oh Sang-jin smirked. If he?didn’t make sure to watch?Do-joon, he would have never known. He felt uncomfortable hearing about him again. But at the same time, the people and location were perfect.

“Manager Jang, call Kwak”.

“Is?it okay? It’s just that I’m getting nervous.. .. .”

“Hey, you punk. Do you know how much I clean things up from my brother because of him? I can’t sleep?whenever?I think about?him!”

He wished?he could?just?completely forget about it.

Director Jang thought his boss was just?ridiculous for a moment, but he quickly managed his expression. Thanks to that, Oh Sang-jin did not find out.

“Okay. What should I say?”

“That dungeon.. .. .”

He took out a cigarette and?promptly stuffed?it in his mouth.

“Tell him it’s a single-layered root dungeon that hasn’t been reported yet.”

* * *

Dungeon matching usually?took?a few days. Especially when it?comes?to conditions?such as?this one.

Do-joon, who had been going back and forth from home, hospital, and training center for several days, headed to Sangam-dong after receiving a call.

“Are you here?”

In the middle of a park with the?beautiful?Han River?far out?in the distance.

Originally,?it?was a secluded place where?only?couples would go out on a date,?but?as always, ugly roots grew.

Barricades, security guards, and parked cars?surrounded?it.

Exactly six people were gathered on one side.

“I’m Kim Do-joon. I guess I must have been late.”

“No, no, it’s fine. I am Kwak Dong-gyu, I’ll be taking charge?this time.”

As Do-joon approached, a man stood up and reached out his hand. Do-joon?took?his hand and shook it.

At that moment, he noticed another person’s gaze?staring at?him. As if he was closely?examining?Do-joon.

However, Do-joon passed it lightly at this time. It wasn’t strange to observe a colleague who would join them in the dungeon for now.

“Huh? Excuse me?”

Then he heard a?voice?from the side. When Do-joon?turned?to him with puzzlement, there was a familiar face.

“Mr. Hwang Hyun-woo?”

“Yes, it’s me! Wow, I?can’t believe we’re meeting?like this here.”

Hwang Hyun-woo?struggled with?saying that the world?was?so small. Do-joon also shook hands with him with slightly?tired?eyes.?He?didn’t expect to meet the owner of the store he visited just a few days ago?so soon.

“Do you know each other?”

“Not really,?I’ve just?purchased?his items in the past.”

“Actually, I’m running a small weapons store. Haha.”

Hwang Hyun-woo?cheekly laughed. He handed over business cards one by one to?his?party members. At first glance, his timing seemed like that of a veteran salesperson.

“I see.”

Kwak Dong-gyu nodded. At the same time, the gaze that seemed to be observing?Do-joon?earlier?moved?to Hwang Hyun-woo. Although he?didn’t?appear?to notice.

‘It must be habit.’

Those who are hunters make a living by beating up monsters. It’s not strange at all to have a habit like that.

Do-joon was also fed up with this?nonsense, so he secretly used his insight.

[Hwang Hyun-woo]

Fit rate

– 14%

Hwang Hyun-woo’s fit rate was 14%. The figure was about the top of the E-class level. Today’s dungeon, Lava Cave, was a D-class dungeon.?So, at least?he would be able to do something with that much.

[Kwak Dong-gyu]

Fit rate

– 48%

When?his gaze?rested?on Kwak Dong-gyu, Do-joon?was momentarily surprised.

48% is similar to the named Orcs from the Orc Kingdom, which he recently began to enter. In terms of association standards,?he was just?in the lower B-class.

The issue that remained?was.

‘Did they say he was a D-class when he applied?’

As confirmed by the association, Kwak Dong-gyu was definitely D-class.?However, his?fit rate was close to level B?

Obviously a strange situation.

Suddenly, he?began to feel uncomfortable.