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Translator: penny
Chapter: 139
Chapter Title: Please Give Me 5 Stars
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Kim Gap-su's expression hardened.
"But the Hunter Association really handles things efficiently. Honestly, if Team Leader Kim hadn't reached out, we might have been too late."
"Is that so? I was surprised too when I came out of the dungeon and heard they were already on their way. I had no idea you'd gone out of your way like that. Thank you."
"...No need. It was just the right thing to do."
"Exactly. An SSS-rank hunter is a national asset, after all. S-rank magic stones or whatever can wait—we save lives first."
They'd cleverly split the requests from Hanlim Guild and the Hunter Association during the process of carrying the bodies back into the dungeon.
"The Hunter Association commissioned us with an S-rank magic stone as payment, so thanks to that, Hanlim Guild could save their other members too. A win-win for everyone."
For me and Im Hyeji only.
Even giving them the benefit of the doubt, if Gyu Yeon-su revived and they cleared the SS-rank dungeon, Hanlim Guild would at best break even—or take a massive loss. But no one called out my sophistry.
"Thank you."
"Pardon?"
And once we entered the dungeon.
Once the Hunter Association staff were out of sight, Hong Si-jun thanked me.
"Oh come on, I should be the one thanking you. Commissioning an F-rank mercenary guild like ours with such generous terms."
"The fee stings, but honestly, it's not a bad deal for us. Losing Yeon-su and pulling out like this would be an irrecoverable blow—Hanlim Guild might spiral into oblivion. Without maintaining SS-rank status, our top hunters would have no reason to stick around."
"Ah..."
"So it's a big expense, but don't worry too much. It's not a great look when those with power strut around, but I've never thought highly of the Hunter Association's sneaky habit of exploiting SSS-rank hunters either."
"...Is that right?"
"The term 'national disaster' gets slapped on whatever they want, covering all sorts of things. They even took the SS-rank magic stone from Hwaseong."
We hadn't revived Gyu Yeon-su yet, but maybe because the agreement had gone smoothly.
Hong Si-jun's expression softened a bit as he shared these stories.
Less to me specifically, more to me and Im Hyeji together.
"Those crazy bastards. No way they pulled a passion pay on you guys."
Hong Si-jun chuckled at my sympathy.
"Not quite, but the Hunter Association took the SS-rank stone, and we got S-rank stones distributed based on the national disaster mobilization ratios. No chance to even bid."
"Damn."
Other hunters might dismiss it as fat cats whining about their privileges.
I looked like a regular guy on the outside too.
But with two double SSS-rank hunters in tow, it was absurd from my perspective.
Sure, distribution didn't matter as long as we got paid fairly, but for high-value items like SS-rank magic stones, the raiding party usually decides ownership internally first.
Even if we didn't need them much, undervaluing an SS-rank stone could lead to lower payout calculations.
"Either way, the Hunter Association must value Hunter Im Hyeji highly. Normally, they'd claim the S-rank stone since the requests overlapped with Hanlim's."
"I was gonna settle for one S-rank stone, but looks like that's not happening. Gotta squeeze them for more."
"Be careful. They're not pushovers. They've put us in tough spots plenty of times."
Maybe because we shared a common enemy(?), the atmosphere inside the dungeon with Hong Si-jun wasn't hostile.
He didn't rage just because we'd claimed a life-price bounty.
I'd sensed it back on Hwaseong too—he was just a sensible guy.
Or maybe he didn't want to strain things with Im Hyeji over money he had to pay anyway.
Crises of death weren't a one-day affair.
About 15 minutes in.
Hong Si-jun stopped.
He gathered the bodies in one spot.
"This should be a good place to use it."
The Hanlim Guild members armed themselves with resolute expressions.
They looked exhausted and covered in wounds already, but word had spread: using Resurrection would revive the hunters, and they'd recover alongside them.
Im Hyeji stood before Gyu Yeon-su, vigilantly guarding the surroundings.
"Once the skill activates, we'll jump straight into combat. It might be safest to stay with us against that SS-rank assassin-type monster."
300 seconds was a time attack.
Not a long window.
To get revenge on the thing that killed them, there wouldn't even be time for thanks after Resurrection.
So Hong Si-jun spoke first.
"We'll head out right away. Don't worry—just wrap things up well."
Even as mercenaries hired for dungeon raid support, Im Hyeji's role extended to saving Gyu Yeon-su and the guild members.
She'd offered to stick around and heal until the end, but Hong Si-jun refused.
They wanted to clear the remaining raid themselves.
The moment Resurrection activated and Gyu Yeon-su and the others opened their eyes.
Flash!
Han Se-mi teleported to the entrance coordinates she'd preset.
"Please give us 5 stars when it's done!!"
The last sight before spatial transfer: Gyu Yeon-su's eyes filling with life as she awoke, her figure becoming more pronounced.
Dead bodies hadn't drawn eyes before, but now alive and moving, eyes naturally swept over her once.
"Will they pull it off okay?"
Im Hyeji's worried question got a response from Han Se-mi.
"Hanlim's more than capable. They probably just missed that SS-rank assassin-type monster—rear party got wiped, after all. Now that they know, reshuffling formations should let them clear smoothly."
Her gaze held respect, even among fellow top-10 guilds.
Of course, it came with Han Se-mi's signature confidence.
"That's why hunters like Hana are crucial. Raw power's great, but dungeon clears hinge on all those little extras too. Hong Si-jun even personally asked if her contract fell through, could we take her—but Jik snapped her up first."
"Oh ho."
Quite the productive outing.
We'd witnessed firsthand the disaster of missing an assassin-type in a dungeon like this, which would surely boost Kang Hana's scouting value sky-high once word spread.
As for Im Hyeji, this incident proved S-rank magic stones weren't overpriced for Resurrection.
The F-rank mercenary guild 'Kang Jik' was skyrocketing just by breathing.
"Let's go! Hong Si-jun said to pick up the S-rank magic stone he left with the Hunter Association on the way."
"..."
We exited the dungeon and rode in the Hunter Association SUV with Kim Gap-su waiting outside.
We'd rushed here via Han Se-mi's spatial jump using the B-rank mana stone I'd infused today, but heading back, a comfy car ride was fine.
We had business at the Association anyway.
Kim Gap-su, eyeing us sourly, sighed in the car.
"Fair compensation and treatment for hunters is obviously necessary, but doing it like this will just draw more resentment."
I took his advice to heart.
"...Isn't one S-rank stone too generous? The guy involved didn't seem bothered at all. It's just the Hunter Association that's salty."
"It's not that. Higher-ups are watching. Why would I be bitter using my own stones to save an SSS-rank? Managing hunters is my job and KPI, but the bosses track different metrics."
"Not much of a threat."
Everyone had their angles.
But one thing was clear.
In this world, the closest thing to absolute truth was hunters.
Of course, we couldn't go full rogue ignoring the law entirely, but in this early power play, with two double SSS-ranks under Kang Jik Guild—no massive entity like the Hunter Association needed our bow.
We'd proven our strength before, and today too.
Lee Soo-ah's power would blaze brighter soon enough.
We'd just keep growing Kang Jik Guild until the Association couldn't even dream of touching us.
"No intent to fight. Just my gut—they're posturing, so I pushed back. Plenty of countries would recognize our value even outside Korea. Why bow just because the bosses are watching?"
"..."
"But seeing you commission with an S-rank stone this time, I trust you're not that type, at least. So, ability check? I'll do it."
"...Really?"
"Yeah. We need that extra S-rank stone anyway, right? Grab the stone, confirm abilities, register as hunters, and call it a day."
"Thank you."
No point stonewalling completely—that wasn't smart.
Had to toss a carrot now and then.
Kim Gap-su's stern face lit up with a smile.
He looked rough usually, but smiling made him seem downright gentle.
Seeing that, I scratched my head sheepishly.
"No need for thanks... It's just a hunter getting her abilities verified and ranked up."
"From the Hunter Association's view, a hunter proudly certifying and registering her powers? That's always cause for gratitude! Hahaha!"
No need for fake reconciliation grins, but we laughed it off, easing the weird tension, and headed to the Association.
Upon arrival.
Kim Gap-su hurried to the warehouse and fetched Hong Si-jun's S-rank magic stone.
Kang Hana arrived right on cue.
"Alright then..."
"Yeah. Hana, go get your abilities checked and registered."
"...Huh?"
"Pardon?"
"...I thought you were doing it, Jik oppa?"
"Me? Why me? I'm a civilian. Hana here happily awakened extra abilities and wants to register them."
In the ability verification overseen by the Hunter Management Team Leader, Kang Hana boldly displayed her SSS-rank powers.
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