* * *

Since adapting to this world, Doyoung had rarely gone into a dungeon himself.

When these phenomena first started, he’d heard up to several could appear in a single day—dozens in a week.

Now, though, they only occurred a few times a month.

With only one or two A-rank dungeons appearing yearly, Doyoung hadn’t needed to step in.

As a result, his actual combat experience was lacking.

‘Though I probably won’t be going into the dungeon myself…’

Knowing Beom Sinje’s nature, he doubted he’d be left on the sidelines.

Still, he wanted to be present to point out that this dungeon tended to morph over time.

With these thoughts, Doyoung suddenly remembered the sword he had acquired from the Ushuaia Dungeon.

‘Oh, right. The sword… I should mention it on our way back.’

While his thoughts were bouncing around, the car cruising along the two-lane road suddenly stopped.

“Looks like people have already been dispatched?”

Just as he noted, outside was already bustling with hunters, reporters, and bystanders.

They’d received the alert just 20 minutes ago, but the crowd had gathered quickly.

“Stay here.”

Beom Sinje said, stepping out of the driver’s seat.

Doyoung, who was unfastening his seatbelt to follow, paused and looked over.

But Beom Sinje closed the door without waiting for a response.

“What’s with telling me to stay put?”

Grumbling, Doyoung watched his solid back as he approached the scene.

Those broad shoulders, straight posture, and the closely cropped hair at the back of his head.

“His backside is impressive.”

He muttered, then froze.

Blinking, he took his smartphone from his pocket, turned on the camera, and zoomed in.

With its high-quality performance, the image of Beom Sinje’s straight frame appeared on the screen without any awkwardness.

Click.

He took one shot, then another in quick succession.

He couldn’t resist capturing a few more, then eagerly reviewed the photos.

“Whoa…”

Even he had to admit they came out well, like the entrance of a hero.

‘Well… he is a hero.’

In fact, he’s the main character of this world.

As the guild leader, Beom Sinje rarely engaged in external activities.

As a result, recent photos of him in action were scarce on Hunters.com.

A fresh set of on-the-ground photos was a rare find.

Delighted, Doyoung looked at the images, feeling the urge to show off the impressive sight he’d captured.

“Since there are other reporters and onlookers here…”

If it’s just a rear shot, no one would know who took it.

Plus, Hunters . com’s boards are anonymous, so it’d be hard to trace back to him.

Cheonho could probably track it down if they tried, but he doubted Beom Sinje would bother.

“Oh… the responses are coming in fast.”

Though he’d read other people’s posts, it was Doyoung’s first time posting himself, and he was amused by the rapid flow of comments.

“I’ll check the rest later.”

Leaving everything to Beom Sinje this time made him uneasy.

The crowd was also troubling.

So, setting aside his regret, he slipped the phone back in his pocket and stepped out of the car.

As he approached the gathering crowd, he began to overhear fragments of conversation.

“So, Cheonho Guild’s taking on this dungeon?”

“Seems that way. It’s not just any hunter, but the guild leader himself.”

“They haven’t determined the rank yet, but if Cheonho’s here, it’s probably B-rank or higher, right?”

“Right. It’d be strange for the guild leader to go after a lower-rank dungeon.”

“But since he’s here, it looks like they’re fully prepared.”

“Odd though… he usually doesn’t oversee exploration missions himself.”

Frowning, Doyoung listened to what sounded like reporters.

‘Exploration?’

Normally, the government dispatched hunters to identify a dungeon’s rank upon discovery.

But judging from their conversation, it sounded like Beom Sinje planned to join the exploration as well.

‘Why go to the trouble of taking on unnecessary work?’

Doyoung sighed, quickening his pace.

“We appreciate your intention, but dungeon exploration is our responsibility. If the Cheonho Guild leader steps in, suspicions of favoritism may arise, so please wait until the ranking assessment is complete.”

A man in combat gear spoke curtly to Beom Sinje, a government-issued badge pinned to his chest.

“We only want to collaborate to complete the mission. There’s no need to divide resources if we’re all here.”

Beom Sinje replied, unperturbed.

Though they were evenly matched physically, his aura was unmatched.

“My apologies, but please wait.”

The government hunter’s response was just as cold.

Doyoung understood their position.

The rise of private guilds had reduced the government’s authority considerably.

From their perspective, dungeon exploration was a vital duty and privilege.

So, they were bound to react defensively with an outsider like Beom Sinje stepping in.

“Guild Leader.”

Not wanting to risk creating unnecessary enemies, Doyoung quickly called out to Beom Sinje, who immediately turned his gaze in his direction.

Unlike the usual cold pressure he exerted, his demeanor softened a little.

But his expression was different.

Reading the look in his eyes that seemed to question why he’d come all this way, Doyoung quickly spoke up.

“I have a quick report to make until we get the exploration results.”

As expected, when he emphasized “until we get the exploration results,” Beom Sinje narrowed his eyes.

He’d caught onto Doyoung’s intent immediately.

‘Stop fighting and just wait quietly with me.’

Doyoung returned a steady gaze, undeterred.

After a moment of staring, Beom Sinje gave a nod, as if conceding.

“Fine.”

A playful grin tugged at Doyoung’s lips for a moment, and Beom Sinje’s gaze lingered there for a while before quietly drifting away.

◇◆◇◆◇

Doyoung led Beom Sinje to a spot not far from the dungeon entrance, filling the time with idle chatter while his gaze occasionally shifted to the hunters busy with the exploration.

It was actually Doyoung’s first time observing a dungeon this closely right after it appeared, so his curiosity was piqued.

“I’m not sure what you think, but I hope you don’t overdo it… Doyoung hyung?”

“Oh, yeah.”

Doyoung had been watching the dungeon entrance and turned quickly when he heard himself being called.

He was met with a pair of eyes gazing straight at him.

“Hmm… I know you’re worried, but honestly, what choice do I have? Even if I admit I’m not as strong as I used to be, there’s no guarantee I won’t end up in this kind of situation again. I can’t just sit around doing nothing every day, can I?”

He flashed a grin, trying to appear unbothered.

“Still, coming to such a dangerous site without warning isn’t exactly wise.”

“You make it sound like I came here on purpose.”

“Didn’t you?”

Not exactly, but he couldn’t really deny it either.

Besides, how would it feel to hear someone compare him to a hyena sniffing around for prey?

“I was just bored in the car, that’s all. And from what I can see, it doesn’t seem particularly dangerous.”

“You think so?”

Doyoung hesitated.

He could only say that because he’d read the original story.

But he couldn’t exactly reveal that out loud.

Should he make up a convenient excuse?

Or just shamelessly insist he knew better?

“Of course, unlike me, who only gets sent to the scene, you’ve worked and reported on dungeon matters in multiple fields, so you’d know best.”

Beom Sinje seemed to have supplied his own reason.

It looked like he’d misunderstood, thinking Doyoung’s experience as the head of Antithesis lent him knowledge.

“That’s right.”

Doyoung responded without a trace of guilt.

Meanwhile, the dungeon exploration continued.

They weren’t actually going inside but using a specially developed robot to scout the interior.

A specialized hunter controlled the robot.

Dungeons typically had environments where electricity didn’t work or strange currents disrupted electronics.

“That hunter… Try recruiting him. He’s skilled, probably at least a B-rank.”

That’s why hunters who could handle scouting robots were a valuable resource, and the government took great measures to keep them from defecting.

Though some still switched to private guilds, drawn by tempting offers.

“Sometimes, you do the most unexpected things.”

“Hm?”

* * *