* * *

There were already rumors swirling about the person Beom Sinje had carried out of the dungeon.

If they were seen together now, someone might connect the dots based on their builds or height.

“Fine, I’ll stay.”

Even though it was logical, Doyoung couldn’t help but feel like he was being manipulated somehow.

He narrowed his eyes at Sinje but eventually gave up.

Getting Sinje to go to the guild willingly was enough of a win.

Besides, he had his own tasks to handle, so there wasn’t much reason to follow along.

Two hours after Sinje left for work, an announcement appeared on the Chunho Guild’s official website:

“An S-class dungeon achievement report will be broadcast live soon.”

It was an unprecedented move, and the website quickly became flooded with viewers, slowing the servers to a crawl.

“That’s more like it.”

Doyoung chuckled as he watched the message, “Server error: Unable to connect,” appear on his browser.

Typically, Chunho Guild reported dungeon achievements with posts and screenshots from battle footage.

Doyoung had insisted they switch to live broadcasts, delivered directly by the guild master.

“Guildmaster Beom Sinje will provide the S-class dungeon results shortly.”

But it wasn’t limited to the official website.

Doyoung had ensured the link was shared on popular online communities like Hunters.com, where activity was always buzzing.

The response was explosive.

◇◆◇◆◇

[Oh my god! Chunho is going too far lately, don’t you think?!—??]

└ What’s your problem now? ㄷㄷㄷ

└ Don’t you see?! They’re doing live streams during work hours! How am I supposed to work now?! T_T

└ Lol… I thought it was something serious. zzzzz

└ I’ve been staring at the “Preparing to start” screen for 20 minutes too.

└ Same! Lmao.

[A live stream?? Where?? Where?? Where is it?? Someone tell me!!]

└ http://chonho.co.kr/article.ppp?aid=11223445552221

└ Thank you!!!! But why is nothing showing up yet? 🙁

└ It hasn’t started yet!

└ Ahhh… I’ll wait on my knees with my hands clasped…

◇◆◇◆◇

Even before the stream began, the comment sections were already in chaos.

As he waited, Doyoung cleared the persistent notifications on his messenger app.

Most of the messages were about Sinje and who he had carried out of the dungeon.

Half of them speculated if it was Doyoung himself.

└ [We’re still verifying the information.]

└ [The guild master hasn’t disclosed anything yet.]

└ [We’ll address it if the guild master comments on it later.]

His curt, professional replies discouraged further questions from guild members.

However, what nagged at Doyoung was the silence from the raid team that likely knew about him being carried out by Sinje.

The absence of any mention, apart from Yeo Giwon’s earlier quip, felt strange.

“Not just the guild, but even the government hunters are staying quiet? That’s odd.”

It didn’t make sense.

They wouldn’t have withdrawn before completing the dungeon raid.

And there was no way his earlier directives had already been leaked, causing an uproar.

Tapping the trackpad of his laptop, Doyoung grabbed his phone.

But among the flood of messages, the person he was waiting for hadn’t reached out.

“I didn’t think he’d be the shy type.”

Despite the orders from his seniors, it wasn’t something just anyone could do—approaching a stranger from another guild to offer medicine.

What’s more, he’d shown interest in Chunho Guild, acting as though he’d contact them soon.

Now, when the guild was buzzing with activity, it was the perfect time for him to call or text.

“He even stood up to Sinje in the original.”

In the novel, Kim Jinsoo’s forthrightness got him blacklisted by government hunters, preventing him from reaching his full potential.

It wasn’t until he joined Sinje’s guild that he blossomed into an exceptional weapons developer.

“Now’s his chance…”

If Jinsoo wouldn’t make the first move, Doyoung decided he might as well reach out.

He sent Jinsoo a message.

◇◆◇◆◇

[Oh? Oh oh? Is this really the secretary? For real?]

The reply came in less than a minute, and Doyoung couldn’t help but smile at how Jinsoo’s excitement practically jumped off the screen.

“Why does he remind me so much of Yeo Giwon?”

His grin widened as he typed a quick confirmation. Seconds later, his phone rang.

• U-uh, can I call you? Is this okay?

“Isn’t it a bit late to ask that after already calling?”

Doyoung chuckled at the nervous question.

It was so like Jinsoo to be flustered yet get straight to the point, just like in the original story.

• Hahaha…

The laugh that followed sounded more like a strangled chuckle than genuine mirth, and Doyoung found himself picturing Jinsoo’s studious, straight-laced expression from their earlier encounters.

• I wasn’t expecting you to contact me directly. Things are wild on your end, right? I’ve been waiting on Hunters.com for the stream, but the lag is insane.

“How’s the atmosphere on your side?”

• It’s chaos. It’s the first time Chunho Guild has done a live achievement report. With the dungeon briefing last time and now this, people are saying the guild is finally taking public opinion seriously.

That was one way to interpret it.

Doyoung nodded as he listened to Jinsoo continue.

• And with it being an S-class dungeon, the timing couldn’t be better. The live report is getting tons of attention. I’m just glad I can watch it at work without anyone noticing.

“Good for you. But are you sure it’s okay to be talking to me right now?”

Doyoung knew the government frowned upon hunters communicating with members of other guilds, let alone having a phone conversation.

• The place is in such a mess right now that no one’s paying attention. I’m outside too, so it’s fine.

“Is that so?”

Reassured, Doyoung prepared to bring up his reason for calling, but Jinsoo beat him to it.

• By the way, Secretary Doyoung, can I ask you something?

“Go ahead.”

• It’s nothing major, but before you went into the dungeon, I gave you something, right?

Doyoung’s fingers froze over his keyboard as a sly grin spread across his face.

“Yes, you did.”

• Did you… happen to lose it?

“Well… as you know, Hunter Kim Jinsoo, yesterday’s situation was a bit chaotic for me, so…”

“Ah, that’s true. Come to think of it, nothing about those guys seems to be getting out to the public.”

Naturally. It wasn’t just any incident—it was a breach by an unknown force, a failure to prevent their entry into the dungeon.

There was no way either the government or the Chunho Guild would openly disclose something like that.

Even on the messenger channels, no one had broached the topic of the intruders.

“I figured they’d take care of it on their own.”

Even so, Doyoung couldn’t let the matter slide.

No—now, when everyone else was distracted, was the perfect time for him to step in and investigate.

That’s why he’d messaged Kim Jinsoo earlier.

“It’s actually a piece of specialized equipment that can track locations, record video, and audio simultaneously,” Kim Jinsoo offered, unprompted, while Doyoung was lost in thought.

“Wait—something like that was in my clothes?”

The range and scope were broader than he’d expected, and Doyoung couldn’t help but feel a bit taken aback.

“It was originally developed to address situations like team members getting separated or lost in dungeons or to monitor the behavior and activity of monsters after exploration,” Kim Jinsoo continued.

As he spoke, it became clear that the man had been quite pleased by Doyoung’s prior interest in him.

He eagerly spilled information Doyoung hadn’t even asked for.

* * *