RVHF chapter 8

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The dungeon incident had indeed become a hot topic.

Even Doyoung, who usually stayed out of the loop, heard about them constantly.

“They say he was told to cut the training room equipment and rendered it completely unusable, leaving the assistant at a loss.”

“Is that the problem? A B-class monster appeared in the training dungeon, and he obliterated it in one blow. With that level of power, it makes sense.”

“Apparently, a third-year challenged him to a duel and was KO’d, leaving in tears.”

“I saw the photo they took. It’s insane!”

The talk was all about Beom Sinje.

What piqued his interest the most was hearing there was a photo.

The thought of seeing Doyoung’s favorite character not just through text but visually made him eagerly pull out his phone and access the hunter school community site.

[This guy is the real deal!!! What a presence! Did you see it?!]

He clicked on the post with the eye-catching title.

As expected, it was about Beom Sinje and Yeo Giwon.

There were more posts as well, but only one came with a photo.

“Wow…”

Although he’d seen Yeo Giwon in battle mode at the arena, so it wasn’t new, Beom Sinje’s duel was quite striking.

In the cave dungeon, he’d only swung once, not enough to judge, but this was different.

Without hesitation, Doyoung illegally saved the photo of Beom Sinje.

His front, side, 45-degree angle—even his back looked extraordinary.

From then on, checking the school community for posts about Beom Sinje became part of his routine.

He didn’t forget to add the well-shot videos and photos to his smartphone.

Time passed by, and before he knew it, a week had gone by.

Of course, it wasn’t like Doyoung had been idly resting during that time.

He faithfully played his role as a villain, following the story’s original flow as best as he could.

The system would occasionally appear, assigning him missions, so even if he wanted to avoid them, he couldn’t.

One of these missions was the recent commotion in the country.

Under the name “Antithesis,” he boldly confronted government agencies.

[Antithesis Demands Recognition as an Independent Entity Against the Government]

[Antithesis Claims Need for a Private Company for Hunters’ Independent Economic Activities]

[Investigative Report on ‘Demons in Disguise,’ Unveiling Antithesis!]

[Brazen Crime Group Wants to Masquerade as an Official Hunter Company?]

Provocative headlines filled the internet.

‘Hmm… This should be a decent setup, right?’

Even though it was an assignment from the system, it served as a foundation for future actions.

“I wonder if they’ll understand my intentions.”

All of this was to save his own life and support Beom Sinje.

Whether it would be effective remained to be seen.

The uproar outside had also left the school in disarray, especially the pre-graduation Hunters, who were just a week away from commencement.

“Honestly, I’m all for private companies. We’re the ones risking our lives fighting monsters, but our pay barely reflects that. It’d be better to let companies compete and increase our value.”

“That’s true. If we joined a big corporation, we’d get paid way more. Sometimes I wonder why we even awakened in the first place.”

“It’s tougher than the military, but we’re treated worse. They say there’s a pension after 30 years, but what are the odds we’ll even make it that long?”

Some voices supported Antithesis, while others strongly opposed it.

“Hey, wake up! That’s a crime organization. You want to be used as disposable fodder? If you die that way, there’s no pension either!”

“Yeah, what’s wrong with everyone? Do you know how many dungeons those guys have seized and sold off to other countries?”

“Exactly. They’d sell out the country in a heartbeat. That place is crawling with scammers and killers.”

Doyoung folded his arms, listening indifferently to the animated conversations around him.

‘We didn’t sell just the dungeons; we traded acquired materials too.’

And as for calling them killers and scammers—what a misunderstanding.

Doyoung maintained strict control over the organization’s members.

The truly irredeemable scum he discreetly disposed of in dungeons without a trace.

Regulations were strict, and rewards were fair, so internal satisfaction was actually high.

‘Besides, real progress happens with competition.’

Once, not just Korea but other countries managed Hunters under national control.

However, the global trend was shifting towards privatization.

When dungeons first appeared, government involvement was efficient.

But now, with plenty of data, they could move towards boosting the economy.

‘There are too many Hunters for the government to support solely through taxes. Moving towards economic sustainability makes sense.’

The government’s role would be to dispatch an initial team for any new dungeon, determine its grade, and then allocate it to private Hunter companies.

An open bidding system would be ideal, but if handled transparently, it could be beneficial for the government too.

‘Well, that’s for Beom Sinje to handle later.’

Doyoung’s intervention was just a stepping stone for the future.

“Ugh, I look terrible.”

He must’ve been overworking himself lately.

He looked at his reflection in his phone screen with a sigh; his face, once pleasing to him, now had dark circles and dull skin.

All this effort was for his survival and to help his favorite character, yet there wasn’t anyone to appreciate it.

‘Maybe I should get some nutritious food.’

He thought of opening a browser on his phone, hesitating briefly.

‘Should I bring the others?’

Now seemed like a good time to sneak away while everyone was distracted.

Just as he was about to send a message, he stopped again.

“I don’t even have their contacts?”

In case it would expose any association, he’d refrained from sharing contact information.

But now, he felt a twinge of regret.

“Hmm…”

He tapped the screen with his finger and then stood up.

‘Might as well go for a firsthand look.’

After observing their accomplishments through posts, it was about time he saw their growth himself.

Curiosity piqued, Doyoung decided to head to the sparring grounds where first-year students usually trained.

Located at the top of the hill on campus, it was a secluded area even fit students grumbled about due to the distance. It was supposedly chosen to encourage dedication.

‘Nonsense.’

If that was the intent, they should have provided better facilities, instead of this decrepit gym that seemed to be over 30 years old.

‘It’s likely meant to weed out the unfit.’

Only 70% of Espers registered with official agencies became active Hunters.

The remaining 30% either dropped out due to accidents, personal reasons, or other circumstances.

The freshman year was especially tough, and this isolated location ensured that any unfortunate incidents wouldn’t spread outside.

‘How shady.’

How many people had disappeared silently?

There were even some in Antithesis who had come after suffering injustices.

‘Even the original villain went through that.’

The background story of him losing someone precious due to the institution was meant to help him grow closer to Beom Sinje.

“Who are you, blocking my way?”

Doyoung’s thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice as he took a shortcut.

Moving stealthily, he approached the sound.

‘Oh? Is that them?’

He saw a group surrounding Beom Sinje.

It was a bunch of seniors who’d failed their final mission, scored the lowest, and were on the verge of graduation.

‘Hmm. I wondered when they’d make their move.’

Today, apparently.

Intrigued, Doyoung decided to watch quietly.

“Look at this impudent kid! When you see a senior, you greet them. Why are you sticking your neck out, looking for trouble?”

The seniors were clearly picking a fight, tapping Beom Sinje’s broad shoulders with an unpleasant smirk.

“I thought you had business with me, appearing so suddenly.”

Beom Sinje gave a polite bow, moving aside as if to let them go.

However, it was clear they had no intention of leaving quietly.

“What the hell, kid? You think you’re some big shot now that you’re popular, huh?”

Beom Sinje’s raised brow suggested he was catching on to their intentions.

‘Still, he’s not showing any change in expression.’

Impressive, truly.

While his tall, well-built frame and handsome face stood out among the brutish faces surrounding him, he didn’t flinch.

Curious to see how it would play out, Doyoung continued observing, but it ended anticlimactically.

Those who’d attacked him couldn’t even lay a finger on him before they were all sprawled out on the ground.

“What… what the hell!”

The guys sprawled on the ground looked just as bewildered.

Only Doyoung understood what had happened and clapped silently.

“Wow, that’s… impressive.”

Beom Sinje had precisely struck down the core of each attacker’s formation with just his sword hilt, toppling them like dominos.

The Espers, who had fallen back in a daze, finally seemed to grasp the situation, their expressions turning hostile.

“You little—!”

“We won’t let this slide.”

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