Chapter 3
“I’ve been fooled.”
The phone number was fake.
Yesterday, Lee Eunhyun laughed and said I was lying. He seemed so crazy that I ran away first.
Thankfully, he didn’t chase me. He just stood there staring.
That was even scarier.
I thought I had at least secured his personal information, so I planned to leave the dangerous situation and come back later with others to deal with him.
But—
“A regressed S-rank? That sounds like a web novel plot from ten years ago. And he lied using that?”
Just in case, I checked the phone number he gave me against the one he had written down during his Awakening assessment.
They were the same.
Both were nonexistent numbers.
That scammer.
“What if his name and other information are fake too?”
Maybe he’s a criminal who needed a new identity as ‘F-rank Lee Eunhyun.’
Maybe the way he suddenly cornered me yesterday was just an act to escape suspicion.
The more I thought about it, the angrier I became.
I wondered if I should report this to my superiors before it became a bigger issue. While I was thinking, my phone vibrated.
Time for field duty.
“I’ll think about it after I get back.”
It’s not that I’m delaying because I’m afraid of getting scolded. I just want to be sure before reporting.
For now, I had to inspect the afternoon event: the Simple Awakening Test.
It was a three-day government-approved event. The accuracy wasn’t high, but people could just place their hand in the machine for a quick measurement.
The goal was to find civilians with very low Awakening levels who didn’t even realize they had awakened.
But according to the report, the morning participation rate was almost zero.
We prepared so much for this.
It almost got canceled because a gate appeared near the venue in the morning, but I persuaded them to proceed.
Usually, at least a C-rank threat is needed for strict area control. But the gate found that morning was low-rank, and Hunters had already been assigned. A few barricades would be enough.
My persuasion worked.
“Sigh. People will say we’re wasting tax money again.”
Even low-rank Awakened receive different government benefits compared to non-Awakened civilians.
This event was meant to help people access welfare support.
But to civilians who believe they have no powers, it probably feels like a pointless waste of manpower.
Just looking at online comments makes me sigh.
Simple Awakening test? Isn’t that like letting commoners pretend to be rich? What’s the point of measuring abilities that don’t exist?
Who awakens and doesn’t register? Are they stupid? Stop messing around.
Public opinion had been negative since the announcement.
Still, every year there are people who awaken without realizing it.
That’s why we can’t stop this project.
“Maybe I should buy some coffee.”
It was hot outside. My staff was probably enduring complaints while promoting the event.
I pulled out my card.
Of course, everyone gets iced Americanos.
“You don’t need to buy us this. Can’t you just let us leave early?”
“Do you think I can?”
“I’d rather organize documents. Don’t we have a lot of Awakener data to sort this month?”
“Oh~ I already finished that~.”
I handed out coffee to the exhausted staff. They pretended to cry and clung to me.
They drank the iced Americanos like potions.
I checked the chart beside the testing machine.
From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., only one participant.
A nine-year-old boy.
We’re doomed.
I could already imagine being scolded for poor participation despite the budget.
“Maybe tissues weren’t enough? If we gave wet wipes and candy too—”
“They’d just take the wipes and candy and throw away the pamphlet.”
I had already picked up plenty of discarded pamphlets on my way here.
I don’t even know how to use illustration software properly, but I worked hard on them.
The Awakening Assessment Center is the smallest and weakest department in the Hunter Administration Bureau.
One person has to handle everything.
“Sigh… Go eat lunch.”
I planned to rest during lunch, but participation was too low.
Maybe I could attract some office workers coming out for lunch.
After sending the staff off, I sat on a creaky plastic chair and handed out pamphlets.
No one took them.
“I wouldn’t do it either. Maybe if we gave subsidies or coffee coupons.”
At least ten participants per day would make things easier.
I sighed again—
Then I saw a group walking toward us.
Their clothes didn’t look like civilians. They must be the Hunters assigned to the morning gate.
I was about to ignore them when I saw a familiar face at the back of the group.
“Oh.”
“Uh.”
He recognized me too.
The group stopped, looking between us.
“Scammer!”
“What? This guy’s a scammer?”
It was Lee Eunhyun.
He was carrying a large backpack, probably acting as a porter for the Hunters.
I pointed at him and shouted.
His teammates immediately surrounded him.
So he wasn’t a regular member. Just a day-hired porter.
“You bastard, were you planning to steal dungeon items? Who hired him?”
“You’re mistaken.”
“Sure we are. No wonder he asked for such low pay.”
Even though he denied it, the mood stayed tense.
For low-rank Hunters, selling items obtained inside dungeons often brings more profit than official rewards.
So they’re sensitive.
Porters are important, but scams and crimes are common.
“Assistant Manager Kim Yeoul, please correct yourself. Why are you calling me a scammer?”
“You scammed me. The phone number doesn’t exist.”
“What are you talking about? I clearly—Ah.”
He ran a hand through his hair, looking flustered.
Still ridiculously handsome.
He bent down and whispered.
For a moment, I tensed, remembering yesterday.
But I didn’t feel the same pressure.
“It’s my future phone number. I wasn’t trying to deceive you. I got confused.”
“……”
He’s still sticking to that concept?
You think I’ll fall for it twice?
“Sigh… Are you heading to dungeon exploration? I’m Kim Yeoul from the Awakening Center.”
I pushed him away and showed my ID to the man who seemed to be the team leader.
After checking it, he relaxed slightly.
“Did you hire Lee Eunhyun as a porter? His identity hasn’t been verified. It’s difficult to let him participate in official Hunter activity.”
“Ah, fuck, what is this?”
I can’t allow someone with uncertain rank into a dungeon.
I planned to deal with this after the event, but now I had to handle it first.
However, that was my perspective.
The Hunters had already prepared for the dungeon.
“The gate’s about to open! Where do we find another porter now?! Damn it, why’d you mess this up? This gate is important!”
“B-boss, we were in a rush…”
“You had twelve hours! You should’ve verified his identity! What now? You’ll carry everything yourself?!”
The Hunters began shouting and swearing.
Civilians nearby slowly backed away.
This only fuels the stereotype that Hunters have bad tempers.
“Damn it! This gate is supposed to have good drops!”
The team stomped around in frustration.
Should I drag Lee Eunhyun away?
Or advise them to cancel the raid?
Before I could decide, the leader grabbed Lee Eunhyun by the collar.
“If you try anything funny, I’ll kill you and leave you in the dungeon!”
…What?
“Leader, are you still taking that scammer?”
“What choice do we have? It’s a D-rank dungeon. Even at full power we’ll struggle. You think we can carry supplies too? Just watch him closely so he doesn’t steal. If you work well, I’ll overlook the scam. But keep your hands clean.”
“I promise not to touch your items.”
“Rewrite the contract.”
In seconds, they made a new agreement.
I knew the Hunter industry was rough, but this?
Letting someone who broke the law join anyway?
Right in front of me?
“Wait. You can’t do this.”
“What do you mean we can’t? Miss civil servant, read the room. Pretend you didn’t see or hear anything. Got it?”
Wow.
They’ve got some nerve.
Do they really think I’ll just nod and let it go?
