—Kkyaooooong!
Peace flattened himself against the floor and cried. I forcibly picked him up as he protested that he wouldn't go into the bathtub.
"I know you don't like it, but I have to wash you. Be good, Peace-yah."
—Kkrrrrng.
"Do you want help?"
I shook my head at my brother's question.
"If he was really rebelling, I wouldn't be able to withstand it, would I? He's bluffing and being a crybaby."
He didn't even need to be an adult; even in his juvenile form, if he swung a paw at me, I'd be flattened. I headed to the private bathroom, holding the wriggling Peace in my arms.
After Yerim-ie and Peace left the dungeon, the place we headed right away was the public bath in Haeyeon Guild. The reason why we went to the public bathhouse and not our house was because we were a bit reluctant to enter the house while still messy from the dungeon raid.
In addition to not having properly bathed for a few days, monsters' bodily fluids and flesh were often smeared here and there. You couldn't go home like that. It was much better to go to a public bath already filled with warm water, scrub off the blood, and put on the provided clothes or robes, then go home and sleep.
Of course, this was only applicable if you had access to well-equipped facilities and were able to ride in a guild vehicle; low-ranked Hunters had to prepare clothes and wet wipes in the gate room. If you went out looking messy, you'd be denied a ride.
"I would be so tired and half-dead that it was annoying to clean up and change my clothes."
When I was in my own car or carpooling, I just changed my shoes and wore a raincoat. Otherwise, it'd still smell bad, so I'd change my clothes and tie up my dirty clothes in a plastic bag. Even in these small things, the difference between low-ranked and high-ranked Hunters was huge.
I took Peace into the private bath area where the spaces were divided and put him in the water. I hesitated for a moment to put a monster in a public bath, but it was for Hunters, not the public. Kiseungsu deserved to be treated as equal team members.
"Not bad, what do you say? The water's nice."
— Kkeuoooong.
His round eyes were narrow and full of discontent. Peace, who'd been whimpering, suddenly jumped up. I thought he was trying to run away, but,
Splash!
He grew into his adult form midair and fell into the tub. Naturally, the water splashed high, and I was drenched as if I'd been hit by a waterfall.
"...Are you having fun?"
— Gyarrr.
Peace barked with satisfaction. Still, he seemed apologetic, and gave my cheek a long lick before curling into a ball in the bathtub without running away anymore. I was glad he was feeling better. I patted his butt, told him to go back to juvenile size, and washed him thoroughly. Yoohyun-ie, who saw my state, brought me clothes. It was a simple top and bottom, similar to the clothes given at spas.
"Fire can burn off the lingering filth, so you don't have to wash him with such care."
"But is it the same as bathing properly? It'd be difficult to control the Flame Resistance with such precision."
"It's easy for that brat; since he doesn't have clothes. Even now, he could dry off right away, and is purposely staying still."
Yoohyun-ie said, looking at Peace wrapped in a towel. Peace, looking back at Yoohyun-ie, rolled upside down.
— Kkyaang.
"Yes, yes. I'll wipe you down right away."
Even if he could, I'm sure he's tired anyway, so why bother him with such hard work? After drying his fur with a blow dryer, I went out to the lounge.
Yerim-ie, who'd come out first, sat at the table in the spacious lounge equipped with various facilities. She looked at me while shaking a bottle filled with sikhye* and told me to come quickly. I could see eggs beside her. This was a sauna facility, but did they really offer that?
"It's usually half a day's worth."
"You seem to come here often?"
The movement of the hand with the sikhye seemed practiced. Yerim-ie spoke while putting the bottle down.
"I come here since it's annoying to travel too far after a dungeon raid; usually I go to Hyuna unni's. The seaweed soup there is also delicious, but their rice cake dumpling ramyeon really kills it. There's a rumor that the kitchen lady has cooking-related skills."
Of course, she didn't forget to add flattery that Myeongwoo's side dishes were no less than hers.
"Yerim-ah, don't be surprised."
Sikhye — a traditional sweet Korean rice beverage, usually served as a dessert.
I said, peeling a boiled egg.
"The MKC Guild Leader died. Just last night."
"Ah, you finally killed him."
"...Sorry?"
"Did Guild Leader-nim do it? I'll keep it a secret."
Yerim-ie pushed a cup of sikhye towards Yoohyun-ie. The cup that slid over the table stopped right in front of my brother.
"I heard that guy was trying to hurt ahjussi. That's understandable. I get it, I get it."
"...No, Yoohyun-ie didn't kill him."
"Yes, yes. Of course. Guild Leader-nim was playing in the dungeon with me. I know."
Look at what this brat Yerim-ie's talking about. After a sip of sikhye, Yoohyun-ie opened his mouth.
"I'm afraid I couldn't kill him."
"What? Really? You're a disappointment, Han Yoohyun."
"What disappointment! You shouldn't speak lightly like that. Whatever the reason, don't hurt anyone. Obey the law."
I gave the peeled eggs to Yoohyun-ie and Yerim-ie and said.
"No matter how different the world is, don't put violence first. Both of you. Of course, you don't have to go easy on your opponent if they come at you first. Burn them to the ground—no, even then, you still have to keep your word. Especially Yerim, you should come to me or the guild first before laying a hand on them yourself."
Even with n S-rank status, there is no need for someone so young to be involved in such matters when others are available to help. An egg was offered to Peace, who was sitting on a lap, but the creature only sniffed it and didn't eat it.
"Since the MKC Guild Leader is gone, there'll be a lot of A-rank Hunters looking for new opportunities. Some of them might want to join the team, especially since it was just proven that there is the ability to take on an S-rank dungeon."If you were an A-rank Hunter who wanted to keep being part of an S-rank raiding team, you wouldn't want to miss this opportunity. Hopefully, they'd be able to sign on with favorable terms.
"Team Head Seok Simyeong will set you up with a list of A-rank Hunters that you can use, so interview them and choose."
"I'll do it myself?"
"Of course you should do it yourself. It's your team. You just need the basics right now. There are three types: defense, support, and healing. For healers, not many have good enough stats to get into S-rank dungeons, so if there's no problem, accept them as is; adjust the support side to your attributes. The defense side isn't very good with skills or stats for anything other than defense. It's possible to block S-rank monsters with A-rank Hunters alone if you focus on defense."
If it were a dungeon above their own rank, they wouldn't be able to muddle through and survive with rough defenses. However, if they had a focus on defense and the support of healers, even A-rank defense Hunters could approximate the high-class abilities of S-ranks.
"But I don't really need protection."
"Of course you don't need it. It's the healers and the supports that are being protected. S-rank dungeons are normally handled by an S-rank Hunter leading and their assists backing them up."
However, in lower-grade S-rank dungeons with perfected strategies and information, even experienced A-ranks could make up the raiding party.
"Didn't you also experience it this time?"
"Peace and I swept away everything in front of us, so I didn't get any help or healing skills."
"You can't be overly self-reliant. After all, you can't do this without help, and on the other hand, your teammates could be wiped out in a blink, so never go too far ahead of them."
Safety is the best, no matter where or when. I gave her other advice I knew. Yoohyun-ie also put in a few words, albeit sourly. Though Yerim-ie grumbled that he shouldn't cheat.
"Since you raided your first S-rank dungeon on your own... I should get you a congratulatory gift. What do you want?"
"Instead of a present, let's have dinner and play together! I'll let Guild Leader-nim come too."
"Sounds good to me, but what about Yoohyun-ie, will you be free?"
"It won't take long for me to make my report on the contents of the raid to the Association."
"Work hard, Guild Leader-nim."
"Bak Yerim, you need to go, too."
"What, why?!"
"Whenever there's something special about S-rank dungeons, you have to pass on the details, and the unique point of this raid is you, Bak Yerim. From now on, you'll have to report as a team leader, so learn from this."
"Ah, I'd rather just be a random member of the team~"
Yerim-ie grumbled and fell against the long table. I had something to take care of before dinner, too.
"Is it finally over?"
The young man said with a big smile, his face slightly wan, perhaps because he hadn't seen the sun in the last few days. When I saw his unaware face, I was overwhelmed with grief.
Kim Minee, whose identity was stolen by Yoohyun-ie, was locked up in a secret room within Haeyeon Guild. When Yoohyun-ie was at home, he woke up, but not only was he disallowed from going out of the house, but also from communicating with anyone. We were afraid that word might leak.
"Thanks to that, he has no idea what's going on."
He was able to watch TV, but since he only woke up at night, he seemed to not have heard any news about 'Kim Minee'. Suspicions over whether he was an S-rank Hunter were not yet confirmed, and for that reason they wouldn't talk about it on TV or on the internet.
"I'm glad, I was starting to get bored of my games. I almost started reading, you know— Isn't that cat you're holding Peace? He's even cuter in person!"
Even though he was suddenly trapped, he still had an innocent attitude; it made me feel even more sorry for him. He seemed to be a good young man.
"Kim Minee-ssi."
When I called his name in a serious tone, Kim Minee's face also froze. He opened his mouth anxiously.
"Uh… do I still have to stay trapped? I think I'll be fine for three or four days. There are some titles I haven't reached yet."
"No, you can leave. In the meantime… you've become an S-rank Hunter."
"…Eh? I'm a B-rank Hunter, though? My stats are only C-rank."
He explained calmly with an expression that said 'what are you talking about'.
"You pushed back a speeding truck and rescued people."
"Excuse me...?"
"In addition, you held your own against the rampage of an S-rank Hunter."
"Wh- What? What rank...?"
"You easily overpowered A-rank Hunters at Seseong Guild and worked with other S-rank Hunters to prevent an SS-rank Hunter from running away."
He looked at me with a bewildered expression. I gave him a deeply apologetic look. My brother did a lot of work in a short time. Seok Simyeong, who was standing next to me, presented him with a contract.
"This is a new contract, to keep this matter confidential. It's a little heavier, but we'll compensate you well."
"Of course I'll keep my mouth shut… but...."
At his lost look, I answered kindly.
"First of all, I offer my condolences and apologies for the unexpected situation; there are roughly three paths now."
"Three paths?"
"Yes. The first is to claim that 'everyone's mistaken, I'm just a B-rank Hunter'. There are a lot of witnesses and evidence, so you'll be questioned, but it'll die down someday."
However, Kim Minee looked close to tears when he heard that there'd be many people who wouldn't believe it and that he'd have to suffer for a while.
"In particular, higher-ranked Hunters who feel like they've been fooled might come up and pick fights, so we'll take responsibility and guard you."
"What do you mean, pick fights..."
"Since you're a support, there's a high possibility you'll be even more disliked. The second path is to abandon your identity and disappear. You can stay abroad for a few years."
It was extreme, but it was the safest solution. If a rumor went around saying 'he's secretly been scouted abroad', things would soon quiet down.
"Oh, that's a little… I'd have to cut off contact with everyone I know. I have a female friend who's flirting with me."
"It is a lot, isn't it? The last path is to just stay as an S-rank Hunter."
This was the most recommended method, but Kim Minee opened his mouth.
"W- Wait, but I'm a B-rank, though? How would I become an S-rank?"
"You're already a semi-S-rank Hunter. When just three people put their mouths together, they can turn even a kitten into a tiger¹."
Even when we said we could handle it reliably and safely, Kim Minee was hesitant.
"I'm not good at lying. May I think about it a little more?"
¹ Combination of two proverbs— "three men make a tiger" (people will believe absurd things if they're repeated by enough people) and "the kitten has become a tiger" (a formerly-weak person gained power and rose up in society; similar to the "rags to riches" idiom). Here, they mean that if enough people believe in the S-rank Minee rumors, it'll land him the same power and stats he'd have if he were a real S-rank. (Sources: three men, kitten to tiger)
"The sooner you choose, the better, so please give your answer by tomorrow."
Kim Minee nodded and was given back his phone, which had been confiscated by Seok Simyeong. He grinned as he checked the messages he'd received.
"Ah, crap, everyone's congratulating me on becoming an S-rank Hunter. They're asking me to treat them... Uwaack, why are you guys dating!"
Kim Minee wailed like a scream. Hm, I guess the person he mistook as flirting with him before started dating someone.
[4] Sikhye — a traditional sweet Korean rice beverage, usually served as a dessert.
[5] Combination of two proverbs— "three men make a tiger" (people will believe absurd things if they're repeated by enough people) and "the kitten has become a tiger" (a formerly-weak person gained power and rose up in society; similar to the "rags to riches" idiom). Here, they mean that if enough people believe in the S-rank Minee rumors, it'll land him the same power and stats he'd have if he were a real S-rank. (Sources: three men, kitten to tiger)