After the Monster Adhesive Bomb exploded, the research lab was completely devastated.
All that remained in the wake of the massive shockwave were torn scraps of gel and blackened debris.
The King Slime was dead, and so were the hundreds of Slimes that had been clinging to Siul. None of them retained even a recognizable shape.
The same was true of the water that had filled the laboratory.
The place no longer lived up to its name as the Flooded Research Lab.
Whether it was because of the explosion or because the King Slime that had generated the water was dead, all of it had turned to steam and disappeared.
Amid the ruined laboratory, only one living creature remained.
“Grrr….”
Zero lay collapsed on the floor, breathing heavily.
Cracks ran across several of its scales, and one wing hung limply folded at its side, but fortunately, none of its injuries were fatal.
That was because Siul had wrapped his entire body around Zero and protected it just before the explosion.
“Grrr…?”
The problem was the price he had paid for doing so.
A short distance away from Zero lay something that could barely even be called Siul anymore.
Arms.
Legs.
Pieces of his torso.
His entire body had been torn apart so thoroughly that its original form was impossible to recognize.
“…….”
Zero belatedly realized that Siul was dead and began to tremble.
Tears were already running down its cheeks.
But then—
TREMBLE—.
One of Siul’s scattered remains twitched.
At the same time, bone and flesh began knitting together as his torso reconstructed itself.
Once a core formed, limbs began growing outward from it.
Before long, Siul’s upper body had been restored, albeit still without a head.
“…?”
Zero watched the scene with wide eyes.
POP!
Finally, his head sprang back into place, restoring Siul’s body completely.
“Peekaboo!”
He wore a broad smile.
As if nothing had happened, Siul playfully called out to Zero.
“…….”
Zero’s expression went completely stiff.
When it gave no reaction, Siul could only smile awkwardly.
‘Did I just traumatize a baby…?’
The more he thought about it, the more certain he became.
Regenerating an exploded head and then saying “Peekaboo!”
That was more than enough material for a lifetime of nightmares.
Realizing that he might have made a terrible mistake, Siul hurried toward Zero.
“No, it’s just that….”
Just as he was about to make an excuse—
“Ahahahaha!”
Zero suddenly burst into laughter.
It clutched its stomach and laughed with pure, innocent delight.
Siul stared blankly at it.
Far from being traumatized, Zero apparently thought the whole thing was hilarious.
Siul studied Zero with a strange look before giving a helpless smile.
“Right. You’re a creature from the Demon Realm….”
Still laughing happily, Zero ran toward Siul.
Then it leaped straight into his arms.
Siul looked down at Zero as he held it.
Scratches remained between its turquoise scales.
The tip of one wing was slightly torn as well.
“You got pretty badly hurt too.”
The wounds were not fatal, but Siul did not feel comfortable simply leaving them untreated.
He opened his Inventory.
『 Healing Potion 』
A glass bottle appeared in his hand.
When he removed the cap, a faint scent of Mana spread through the air.
“Drink this.”
Siul tilted the bottle and brought it to Zero’s mouth.
Zero swallowed it without the slightest hesitation.
As the clear liquid entered its body, the wounds across its scales visibly began to close.
Its torn wing tightened and healed, while its unstable Mana flow gradually returned to normal.
“Good. Looks like the medicine works on you.”
Only then did Siul relax and stroke Zero’s head.
“I protected you as much as I could, but if your body hadn’t been naturally sturdy, you would’ve ended up like those Slimes.”
Zero, apparently unaware of just how dangerous the situation had been, merely barked innocently.
“Woof!”
“Anyway, it all worked out.”
Siul turned his head and examined the numerous notification messages floating in the air.
【Quest Success!】
【You have successfully eliminated the enemy threatening your life with a bomb.】
【You have received 3 Level-Up Points as a reward.】
【Current Accumulated Points: 6】
【Consecutive Quest Completions: 6】
“Already six.”
Siul studied the number thoughtfully.
‘Just one more success and I’ll get the seventh-completion bonus.’
His gaze naturally shifted toward Zero.
The baby dragon wagged its tail in his arms, acting affectionately.
Zero itself had been the reward for his fifth consecutive completion.
‘Having to take care of it is a downside, but….’
Siul evaluated Zero frankly.
‘Aside from that, Zero is an enormous help to me.’
Combat support.
Reconnaissance.
Survival assistance.
He had lost count of how many dangerous situations he had encountered just today.
Each time, Zero had helped him in one way or another.
And beyond the direct support, Zero also gave Siul a sense of reassurance.
‘Having someone on my side makes me feel a lot more at ease.’
Because of the restrictions against leaking information, Siul had always operated alone.
Even with an immortal Trait, he had never lost the ability to feel fear.
For Siul, Zero was his only companion.
And his family.
‘If the fifth-completion reward was this good, what in the world are they planning to give me for the seventh?’
Expectation quietly began to grow within him.
Siul gave a dry laugh at himself.
At some point, he had started feeling as though he was enjoying these insane Quests more than he should.
* * *
“You were absolutely incredible yesterday, Mr. Siul!!”
The morning after completing the Dungeon raid.
Siul visited the CEO’s office at the Rising Guild.
“A Gate acquired on the very same day, and you still achieved a perfect clear on a solo raid! We ought to frame the raid record and hang it on the wall!”
As usual, Park Jung-gi was busy showering Siul with praise.
“Another guild couldn’t even handle that Dungeon and dumped it on the market, yet you went in and cleared it spectacularly!”
By now accustomed to such reactions, Siul simply sat on the sofa and calmly drank his coffee.
Meanwhile, Park Jung-gi hurriedly pulled something out from beneath his desk.
Holding a large box with both hands, he placed it on the table with a broad smile.
“It’s a small gift to express my gratitude. A potion pack. I prepared everything from high-grade Healing Potions to Status Ailment Recovery Potions and various Stimulants.”
Siul glanced into the box, and his eyes widened.
It was genuinely packed with all kinds of expensive items.
“Whoa… thank you.”
Siul knew Park Jung-gi treated him well, but these items were far too expensive to be considered a casual gift.
“Hm?”
Park Jung-gi looked over Siul’s arms, then took his hand away from the potion pack.
“Though it doesn’t look like you need them right away. I was worried you might be injured since that Dungeon is famous for being difficult.”
There was not a single wound on Siul’s body.
Not even the common scrapes or scratches one might expect.
“Well… I just got lucky.”
“As expected.”
Park Jung-gi gazed up at Siul with admiration.
“As expected of someone similar to a Special Hunter….”
“No!”
Siul’s ears turned red.
“Please stop calling me that from now on!”
“Pardon? Ah! My apologies!”
Park Jung-gi frantically waved both hands.
“I carelessly revealed the identity of Mr. Siul, who is someone similar to a Special Hunter….”
“Come on!”
Siul cut him off with a wave of his hand.
Then he quickly changed the subject.
“So when is the next Dungeon raid scheduled?”
Park Jung-gi took out his tablet and checked the schedule.
“About three weeks from now. We’re expecting to secure another A-Rank Gate around then.”
“Three weeks?”
Siul’s eyebrow crooked upward.
“It takes that long?”
Only after the words left his mouth did Siul realize his mistake.
When he thought about it, securing an A-Rank Gate every three weeks was actually quite fast for a small-to-mid-sized guild.
If anything, Park Jung-gi deserved praise for managing that much.
The problem was that it put Siul in a difficult position.
‘Three weeks is too long… At that rate, there’s no way I can reach S-Rank within two months.’
There were currently fewer than five months left until his notified death date.
Siul’s first goal was to become an S-Rank Hunter within the next two months.
After that, he planned to spend his remaining three months overseas, challenging SS-Rank and then SSS-Rank Dungeons in succession.
Unfortunately, the Rising Guild’s current rate of acquiring Gates fell far short of what that plan required.
“I’m sorry. I’m monitoring the auction house in real time, and whenever something gets listed for a quick sale, I try to secure it immediately, but….”
Park Jung-gi scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
“A-Rank Gates simply don’t appear on the market very often. And even when one does, the major guilds drive the winning bid sky-high and take it.”
Park Jung-gi explained the situation with a dejected expression, then hurriedly raised his voice when he saw Siul’s stiffened face.
“I’ll keep looking so you can enter another Dungeon as soon as possible! Please trust me!”
There was no falsehood in his words.
Siul knew that, which only made the situation more frustrating.
‘Mr. Park isn’t someone who slacks off. If anything, he works harder than anyone as a guild leader.’
But enthusiasm alone did not seem capable of solving the immediate problem.
‘This is probably as far as he can go.’
Without a word, Siul set down his coffee cup.
* * *
“Welcome, sir.”
The weekend has arrived.
The Hunter Shop was even more crowded than usual.
The reason Siul, a freelance Hunter, had deliberately come here on a weekend was because of the baby dragon that had thrown a tantrum until he agreed to bring it along.
“You really do love coming to the shop for some reason, don’t you?”
Siul spoke toward empty air, and a small response immediately followed.
RUSTLE—.
Zero was invisible, but Siul felt it rub its head against his shoulder.
‘What a funny little thing.’
Zero always became unusually excited whenever they came to the Hunter Shop.
Even more than when they went to the mountain behind Siul’s home, where Zero could freely turn visible and run around.
Even more than when they visited the supermarket packed with dog chews.
Siul had a vague idea why.
‘It probably likes this place because there’s so much Mana.’
The equipment and items here were saturated with highly concentrated Mana.
To humans, it was little more than an unpleasant presence.
But to a creature from the Demon Realm, it was probably like the scent of delicious snacks.
BRRR—.
Zero happily trembled its scales from the moment they entered the shop.
‘It’s like a puppy begging to go for a walk.’
How could Siul possibly ignore something that adorable?
‘I don’t really have anything to buy, but I’ll walk around once or twice before we leave.’
With that thought, Siul wandered aimlessly through the shop.
His mind, however, was elsewhere.
‘What am I supposed to do from now on….’
The problem of securing Dungeons had been stressing Siul for days.
If he wanted to continue leveling up, he ultimately needed to enter Dungeons more frequently and at a much faster pace.
But circumstances did not permit it.
‘Mr. Park is going to be devastated, but I’ll probably have to leave the Rising Guild soon.’
Realistically, there was only one answer.
He needed to find a major guild capable of securing a stable supply of A-Rank Gates—and even S-Rank Gates.
The problem was figuring out how to convince one of those guilds to let him raid alone.
‘I can’t push my way through by claiming I’m something similar to a Special Hunter like I did with the Rising Guild.’
Siul was currently required to report to the government every week for questioning regarding the Black Gate.
He had also already realized that he was being monitored under the pretext of protection.
How could he possibly go around impersonating a Special Hunter under those circumstances?
‘I couldn’t do it anyway. I’d die of embarrassment. I already regret it enough….’
Remembering his humiliating past once again, Siul squeezed his eyes shut.
“Woof?”
Meanwhile, Zero had been looking around the shop when its attention stopped on one particular section.
It was the display of S-Rank weapons.
The Mana emanating from them was overwhelming.
Zero’s eyes sparkled with excitement, and it eagerly flapped its wings.
“…!”
For only an instant, a wave of Mana spread from Zero’s body.
It had become so excited that some of its power unconsciously leaked out.
The problem was that the Mana was far too intense.
“Z-Zero…!”
Siul’s heart dropped.
Several security guards in the shop had sensed the wave as well and turned their heads.
Siul hurriedly whispered,
“Hide your Mana, quickly…!”