Chapter 52
Skill Books only dropped from boss monsters.
At least that part was true.
Normally, I would reveal as little of my future knowledge as possible.
Maybe because I had recently come back from the brink of death, I kept saying things I didn't really need to say.
Still...
Knowing about this wouldn't change much.
No matter how hard people tried, they wouldn't be able to force those things to appear early.
“...I've never heard of anything like that.”
I shrugged.
“Just like I was the first Hunter to end up in that strange dungeon, I guess I'm the first to experience this too.”
“...I don't really have anything to say about that. Um, then the skill you used inside that strange dungeon...?”
She was clearly asking about Sacrifice.
I smiled brightly.
“Yes. That was consumable too, so I can't use it anymore.”
“Ah... I see.”
Lee Hyejung let out a long sigh.
The disappointment on her face was obvious.
If I felt slightly satisfied by that...
Did that make me a bad person?
“More importantly, I'd like to hear about the compensation you mentioned.”
“Ah, yes.”
The moment I said 'compensation,' her tired expression immediately sharpened again.
Apparently, it hadn't been nothing more than bait.
She took a notebook from her clothes and opened it.
“Hunter Kim Jia survived two life-threatening incidents caused by mistakes on the Center's side. We intend to provide compensation of forty million won each to you and every member of the party you lead.”
Forty million won...
Even after earning good money as a Hunter, that was enough to make my mouth fall open.
“I understand your party is currently ranked D. Under normal regulations, a D-rank party must clear D- or E-rank dungeons to receive full party support payments. However, considering the psychological damage suffered by you and your teammates, your party alone will receive D-rank party support even if you clear F-rank dungeons.”
I swallowed.
That was an unbelievably generous offer.
But Lee Hyejung wasn't finished.
“And, if you wish, we can provide you with the opportunity to retire from Hunter work. We wouldn't be able to maintain your current level of support, but for the next ten years, the government would provide support equal to what an F-rank Hunter normally receives.”
At that point, I had to ask.
“Why are you offering something like that?”
It was too generous.
I couldn't understand it.
If anything, it made me suspicious.
Looking back, there were strange things everywhere.
A Human Resources Team Leader at the Center had to be at least around B-rank herself.
Why would someone like her personally come to apologize to me?
I was just an ordinary D-rank Hunter.
And if the Center was being this generous because they feared other Hunters becoming uneasy...
Then telling me I could quit while still receiving support made even less sense.
Each Hunter was valuable to the Center.
Giving someone money to leave was contradictory.
Even under my suspicious stare, Lee Hyejung remained completely calm.
“We are simply providing appropriate compensation.”
“Well... if that's what you say, I don't really have anything else to ask.”
“What would you like to do?”
Ignoring how suspicious it was...
The offer was incredibly sweet.
There was no reason to refuse.
“Obviously, I...”
Ding.
I froze.
Had that sound ever terrified me this much before?
Goosebumps rose all over my body as I anxiously looked up.
[Main Scenario II: My Companions' Growth Is My Growth]
[Quest Objective: Enter D-rank or higher dungeons and help your companions grow.]
[Penalty Upon Failure: Death.]
[Quest Summary: Raise your companions to B-rank Hunters.]
[Han Siwoo (0/1)]
[Kim Jihoon (0/1)]
[Lee Junhyuk (0/1)]
[Quest Rewards: (?), Skill Proficiency.]
[Remaining Time: 99:24:00:00]
...
“So obviously... what comes next?”
I barely forced the corners of my mouth upward.
“O-Obviously I can't quit.”
For the first time, a quest had completely screwed me over.
And not just a little.
A massive screw-you.
Damn it.
I knew people's lives didn't always go as planned.
But isn't this too much?
Retirement had been right in front of me!
I should've known when the previous quest said Main Scenario I...
I was definitely disappointed.
Still, I wasn't as devastated as I expected.
Maybe a part of me didn't really want to quit being a Hunter yet.
More importantly, why did the Center employee react like that?
I had expected her to celebrate when I said I wouldn't quit.
Instead, her response had been strange.
“Ah... Perhaps the offer was too sudden. There's plenty of time, so please think about it carefully.”
Think?
I had a quest I needed to complete within one hundred days.
There was no way it would be easy.
And I had no idea how many Main Scenarios existed.
Don't tell me this is going to last for years...
A chill ran through me.
Even if it takes years, retiring should be easier by then, right?
