* * *
Why is Taehwan acting like that?
Is it because he thought I’d choose him as my mentor but didn’t?
Well, even though Taehwan and I are both trainee hunters, strictly speaking, he’s not exactly a rookie.
His probationary period is due to a rank promotion, so different rules apply to him.
If I argued well enough, maybe I could even convince them to assign Taehwan as my mentor.
He is the only hunter in the country with the same rank as me, and despite the short time since his promotion, he’s already proven himself.
But… if I keep relying on Taehwan like this, I won’t grow.
Times like these are when I should be expanding my network, even if just a little.
I smiled at Taehwan, silently telling him not to worry.
For some reason, though, his expression only became more complicated.
“Hunter Im Taehwan, is something wrong?”
Even after seeing my smile, Taehwan furrowed his brow and covered his mouth with his hand, then shook his head.
“…No. It’s nothing.”
“Then I’ll proceed with contacting the Taeyang Guild.”
“Yes. Please do.”
While Han Jihye adjusted her watch after hearing my reply, I glanced down again at my license.
No matter how many times I looked at it, it was still unbelievable.
My name, shining on an S-class license in dazzling colors.
‘I’m really a hunter now.’
I had awakened. I was S-class.
I’d gone through all the steps to get to this moment, but actually holding the license in my hands made it feel all the more real.
The Gate had taken so much from me.
My father, my eyesight, the use of my legs.
It had nearly taken my dearest friend and my own life as well.
It was a catastrophe I had no power to fight—only to endure, to hide from, to survive.
But not anymore.
Now I had the strength—and the right—to fight back.
I could save people who were like the younger me.
I could be someone’s hope.
‘Will they be happy?
Or worried?’
How should I tell my family this wonderful news?
What kind of life awaits me now?
The blend of anticipation and anxiety left my mind in a blur.
I just wanted to go home, show my mother and siblings the license, boast about it, and hug them tightly, telling them how hard it’s been.
“Then let’s move on to the next item.”
Was it okay to stand up?
I shifted in my seat but snapped back to attention at Han Jihye’s voice.
Ah, it’s not over yet.
I had to take a deep breath to bring my already-drifting mind back to the present.
“This concerns the dungeon Wind Hole and its clear rewards.”
“…?”
Again, Han Jihye brought up something I hadn’t expected at all.
Sure, I did face the hidden boss in Wind Hole.
You could say I played a key role in clearing the dungeon.
But… dungeon rewards typically go to the hunters.
I wasn’t officially one then—I was just an extra for the rank evaluation.
Technically, I had no right to claim any rewards from Wind Hole.
“Do the Wind Hole rewards have anything to do with me?”
“Of course they do. You’re an official hunter now.”
“B-But…”
“Your hunter registration was completed before reward distribution began, so there’s no problem. No need to worry.”
“….”
She cut off my doubts firmly and decisively.
Even someone as clueless about the world as me couldn’t miss the intent behind her tone.
The timing was just too perfect.
If the reason I was granted a license so suddenly—without even finishing my hunter training—was because of this reward…
Had she read my expression?
Han Jihye smiled.
The same smile she gave me when we left after our meal together, brushing her hair behind her ear.
No—this time it looked more self-assured, proud.
“You worked hard. We had to finalize everything before Monday to start the reward distribution right away. It wouldn’t be right for the true hero of the scene to miss out, don’t you think?”
I bit my lip.
My wild guess had been right.
The reason Han Jihye rushed back to the bureau on Saturday… was for me.
I was too shocked to even process it properly, just staring at her in a daze.
Maybe my reaction made her uncomfortable.
She did sound unusually flustered just now.
Then, rare for her, she blushed and looked away.
But she recovered quickly.
Her slender waist straightened in an instant, and her voice returned without a hint of hesitation.
“Of course, I wasn’t the only one who worked hard. The survivors from the Wind Hole scene, including the ‘Gray Coat’ and Hunter Cha Taeyang, all passionately vouched for your abilities and helped gather testimony. Despite just surviving a harrowing experience, they didn’t hesitate to go the extra mile.”
“Ah…”
“This rare outcome was only possible because of so many people’s voluntary efforts. Procedurally, there’s no issue.”
“Th-Thank you.”
I didn’t do it for any kind of reward.
It was a sudden accident, and I nearly died.
Just coming back alive already felt like reward enough.
I even met the ‘Gray Coat’—the person I’d gone in there to find.
And yet now, I was receiving monetary compensation.
Not only that—it was compensation earned through someone else’s efforts on my behalf.
It made me feel…
‘I’m glad I survived…’
It was moving.
Fulfilling.
It felt like this license I received, and this new life I gained through my awakening, had been given yet another layer of meaning.
Even if the reward turned out to be small, I wouldn’t take it lightly.
I’d use it with gratitude.
From now on, I wanted to live more diligently.
I hoped I could become someone who helps others—just as I’d been helped today.
I pressed down the corners of my mouth, which were trying to lift into a grin, and focused again on Han Jihye, who was speaking to me.
“Mr. Jeong Jaehee. How much do you know about the dungeon clear reward distribution system?”
“I don’t know all the details, but I have a rough idea.”
“I’ll send you the relevant documents. If anything is unclear, feel free to ask.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
I’d picked up a fair amount of hunter trivia from listening to the radio, but when it came to reward distribution regulations—well, since it dealt with money, it was naturally very complicated.
If someone asked me whether I understood it all, I could only answer: absolutely not.
“The battle you participated in falls under a ‘special combat’ category.”
“Oh, that—I do know.”
But I did know about the special combat reward distribution system Han Jihye was referring to now.
It applied in situations where no formal raid party was formed—basically, ‘accidental’ battles.
The Gray Coat often received compensation under this rule, since he usually acted alone outside official raid assignments, except for Sanctuary of the White Flame.
“As you know, rewards for special combat are distributed only among the hunters who participated. Contributions are calculated through scanned monster corpse data. The hunter who submitted the data—Hunter Cha Taeyang in this case—receives 5% first, and the remainder is divided based on individual contribution levels.”
Special combat missions were actually the simplest when it came to reward distribution regulations.
In official raids, you had to consider a lot—large guilds, multiple battles, shared involvement.
But special combats were calculated separately.
A small number of participants would assess the monster carcass after each individual battle, estimate contribution levels, come to an agreement, and then divide the rewards.
“The currently registered ‘Dungeon Core’ will be put up for auction. So please understand that the final value may change depending on the auction results. As of now, the estimated amount to be paid to Hunter Jung Jaehee is…”
– Ding.
Han Jihye didn’t finish her sentence but instead held up a watch that chimed brightly, then handed it to me.
My original watch had been destroyed during the battle in Wind Hole, so I was supposed to receive a new one today… though I hadn’t expected it to be delivered like this.
Unlike the old standard-issue model given to all awakened individuals, this new watch was exclusive to official hunters.
It looked different from the get-go—completely new, with a dizzying start-up screen filled with features.
But what really shocked me was the data that had already arrived in the device.
Inside the watch was preliminary reward information for the Wind Hole dungeon that Han Jihye had sent, including the amount I would receive.
But the number…
It wasn’t something I could instantly understand at a glance.
“Ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand…”
There were too many zeroes.
What came after ten million again?
My brain buffered hard, and before I could recover, Han Jihye stepped in.
“It’s 1.6 billion.”
* * *
