The windows open above the monitor opened and closed in rapid succession.
With his chin propped on his hand, Cheol-woo studied the list of Low-grade Gates on the Hunter Association website. He was comparing the detailed data of the neglected dungeons he had scribbled into his Notebook the previous night, one by one.
"The minerals overlap with the Abandoned Mine, so I will exclude those, and the Mana Water from the Waterway is not urgent right now, so I will put that on hold for now."
As he muttered and adjusted the search filters, a long list of leftover Gates that had been ignored for their low profitability spilled out.
Among them, Cheol-woo’s mouse cursor stopped on an F-rank Dungeon, the Misty Medicinal Herb Garden.
When he clicked the detailed information, a red warning message was the first thing that caught his eye.
[Warning: Toxic Mist is constantly generated inside the dungeon. Respiratory Protective Gear and Antidotes must be carried.]
Cheol-woo narrowed his eyes.
"So that is why there have been no Raid Applications for over a year."
The reviews left by past raid teams on the board were miserable. They said the monsters inhabiting the dungeon were not threatening at all, merely things like poisonous insects or Slimes.
The real problem was the environment.
With every step, the dense Toxic Mist that blanketed the area ate away at protective suits, and the longer one stayed inside, the more one had to drink Antidotes like water.
After suffering through all that, hunting F-rank monsters only yielded a few cheap Mana Stones and tiny Poison Glands.
Once equipment rental fees and Consumable costs were deducted, the structure was so warped that one would actually end up taking a loss.
For an ordinary Hunter, these were conditions that would make him hurl curses and hit the back button.
But a faint smile spread across Cheol-woo’s lips.
'My goal is not simple hunting anyway.'
The name itself was a Medicinal Herb Garden. That meant special plants that grew tenaciously even in a poisonous environment were spread throughout it.
An ordinary raid team would be finished once they swept through it and came out, but for Cheol-woo, who would come to own the entire dungeon, calculating a one-time profit was meaningless.
Once he completely cleared it down to the Core and obtained Ownership, he would gain a resource field that regenerated on its own as time passed.
On top of that, if he secured a third dungeon and raised his Management Level further, there was also a possibility that he could properly activate the currently locked Inter-Dungeon Resource Transfer function.
As long as he closed his eyes and paid the initial investment cost, he would have a permanent Production Facility from that point onward.
"Let’s go. This will be the third one."
Cheol-woo pulled over some scrap paper and a ballpoint pen from the corner of his desk.
He had no intention of charging in right away. The variable of Toxic Mist was too significant to enter while relying only on the Lightweight Protective Gear he had been using so far.
The hand holding the ballpoint pen moved without hesitation.
[Gas Mask and Filter, 3 sets]
[Full-body Sealed Special Protective Suit]
[Middle-grade Antidote, 10 bottles, and one box of Low-grade Antidotes as backup]
After carefully writing down the list, Cheol-woo set down the pen and opened a new internet shopping mall window. He added the relevant items to his cart one after another and drew up a rough estimate.
"The unit price is higher than I expected. Still, this is more than worth investing in."
In any case, the Commission that Park Jun-seok and his party were diligently earning for him in the Abandoned Mine was steadily accumulating. He had no issue with cash flow whatsoever.
At the same time.
The Byproduct Purchasing Team office under Geumgang Guild.
Team Leader Park Seong-ho frowned as he alternated between looking at the documents scattered across his desk and the monitor screen.
On the screen was the Excel Ledger that one of his subordinates had uploaded the previous day as a matter of note.
Park Seong-ho tapped his fingers against the desk and spoke.
"So, this Hunter party led by Park Jun-seok has been bringing in goods very regularly lately?"
The employee in a suit standing in front of him quickly nodded.
"Yes, Team Leader. Once every three days, they have been bringing in Goblin Mana Stones and usable leather without fail. At first, I thought they had just gotten lucky with a haul, but the delivery cycle is too consistent."
Park Seong-ho leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms.
"What are the chances they are buying the stock from another Purchasing Office and reselling it to us?"
"We checked that as well, but the item composition is exactly that of byproducts freshly taken from a Hunting Ground. It is not a volume that could come from catching a few remaining monsters, either."
Park Seong-ho’s eyes flashed sharply.
He was a veteran in this field. It was common enough for Low-tier Hunters to gather together and clear out F-rank scraps, but drawing out goods at such mechanical intervals was not common.
"What about the dungeon Entry and Exit Records on the Association side?"
"That is the strangest part. Over the past month, there is almost no record of Park Jun-seok’s party officially entering a Low-grade Gate."
"No records, but goods keep pouring in."
Park Seong-ho gave a hollow laugh.
The answer was obvious.
"These people must have found some Unregistered Gate tucked away in a corner somewhere."
Secretly exploiting a Gate not registered with the Association.
As long as one was not caught, one could monopolize the profits without taxes being taken out, so it was something that occasionally happened among lucky Low-tier Hunters.
The employee asked cautiously.
"What should we do? Should we hand it over to the Hunter Association for investigation?"
"Are you insane? We are not employees of the Association audit office, so why would we hand that over?"
Park Seong-ho looked at the employee as if he were pathetic and continued speaking.
"Even if we report it to the Association, all we will get is a commendation certificate. That would be throwing away a valuable supplier that has gone to the trouble of providing us with goods. What we need to do is turn that gold mine completely toward our guild."
"Ah."
"If we prod them openly without solid proof, they are obviously going to play innocent. First, put one of our people on them and figure out Park Jun-seok’s route. We need to get the circumstances first, such as where they are hunting and whether there is another trader behind them."
The employee bowed his head and took out a notepad.
"Understood. I will put a tail on him immediately."
"Do it quietly. Do not get caught doing something sloppy."
The office door closed, and Park Seong-ho, left alone, looked back down at the Excel Ledger.
F-rank Goblin byproducts were mere pocket change compared to the overall profits of a large guild.
But if he could tie down an Unregistered Gate that steadily produced resources with an Exclusive Supply Contract, that would be a different story.
It would make for quite a useful boost to his performance evaluation.
The next morning.
A quiet alley in a residential neighborhood on the outskirts.
Inside a black sedan parked behind a utility pole, a tracker affiliated with Geumgang Guild lowered the binoculars that had been resting on the passenger seat.
He picked up his smartphone and pressed the call button.
"Yes, Team Leader. It is me."
Park Seong-ho’s voice came from the speaker.
-Yeah. Did you get anything?
"It is a little ambiguous. I confirmed Park Jun-seok’s usual route. In the morning, he gathers his equipment, meets up with his team members, and they disperse in the late afternoon. But I cannot tell where they are actually hunting."
-Are you saying you lost the tail?
"No. When a certain time comes, they move toward a vacant lot on the outskirts, but from there, their route cuts off completely, as if a barrier had been put up. If I force myself to approach any closer, there is a high risk I will be discovered."
The tracker added, as if making an excuse.
"Besides, the Hunting Ground’s location is one thing, but I do not see anyone behind them who might be backing them. It is just three Hunters moving around together."
A brief silence flowed from the other end of the phone.
Soon after, Park Seong-ho clicked his tongue.
-Tsk. Fine. Pull out from there.
"What? Is it all right not to dig any further?"
-The Hunting Ground’s location is not something that will turn up just because you search a forest or a vacant lot. If you confirmed they are moving on their own, that is enough.
Park Seong-ho’s voice carried his characteristic arrogant ease.
-They are Low-tier Hunters with no backing anyway, so why bother filming a spy movie? If we call them in directly, coax them a little, and press them, they will talk on their own.
The mouse button clicked crisply.
[Payment has been completed. Delivery takes 1–2 business days.]
Cheol-woo looked at the payment completion window on the monitor and nodded in satisfaction.
Gas Masks, Filters, a Sealed Protective Suit, and an Antidote set.
He had finished ordering all the essential items for the Misty Medicinal Herb Garden raid.
The amount charged was fairly large, but Cheol-woo’s expression was calm.
"Once the items arrive, I will go straight in and wipe the whole place out."
Cheol-woo stretched, rose from his seat, picked up his empty mug, and headed to the kitchen.
His steps felt light at the thought of unlocking a new Dungeon authority and expanding his Territory.
Around the same time.
While Park Jun-seok was eating a late lunch with Jae-hoon and Yu-jin at a regular local restaurant, his smartphone buzzed.
Jun-seok, who had been dipping his spoon into an earthenware bowl, checked the screen.
"Huh. Geumgang Guild?"
Jae-hoon, who had been chewing on cubed radish kimchi, tilted his head when he saw the name displayed in the caller field.
"Is that not the Purchasing Office we hand our byproducts over to? Why are they calling you, Hyung?"
"Who knows. Maybe there was a problem with the Settlement."
Without thinking much of it, Jun-seok pressed the call button.
"Yes. This is Park Jun-seok."
-Ah, Hunter Park Jun-seok. Hello. I am Park Seong-ho, the Purchasing Team Leader at Geumgang Guild. I apologize for disturbing you during your meal.
A courteous yet somehow unctuous voice flowed out.
"Ah, yes. Hello. What can I do for you……?"
-It is about the goods you have been delivering to us. I was wondering if I might be able to meet you briefly.
Jun-seok’s thick eyebrows twitched.
"Is there a defect in the goods? We selected them quite carefully before handing them over."
-Oh, defects? Not at all. I am telling you this because the goods are actually in excellent condition. It is a little difficult to explain at length over the phone, so could you visit our office tomorrow afternoon?
Park Seong-ho subtly cast his bait from the other end of the receiver.
-If you are dissatisfied because the unit price does not suit you, we are also willing to make more special arrangements for you on this occasion.
At the mention of raising the unit price, Jae-hoon’s ears perked up while he was spooning up broth. Yu-jin also stopped using their chopsticks and looked at Jun-seok.
But Jun-seok’s expression was not simply bright.
He had accumulated experience while rolling around at the bottom as a Low-tier Hunter.
An arrogant Purchasing Office under a large guild was going out of its way to separately call in a mere F-rank Hunter and show generosity by offering to raise the unit price?
There was definitely some ulterior motive.
Jun-seok forced himself to answer as if he were calm.
"Tomorrow afternoon. Understood for now. I will visit."
-Yes, we will be waiting. Hunter.
The call ended, and Jun-seok set his smartphone down on the table with a thud.
"Hyung, what is going on? Are they really raising the unit price?"
At Jae-hoon’s fussing question, Jun-seok rubbed his chin.
"Raise it? Like hell. The nuance in the way he talked was exactly that of a mutt that had caught a scent."
"A scent? Surely not……."
"Yeah. Since we have been bringing them goods too regularly over the past few days, I think they are trying to use that as an opening to dig around."
At Jun-seok’s words, the mood at the table instantly grew calm.
Yu-jin cautiously opened their mouth with a worried expression.
"What should we do? We promised Mr. Cheol-woo that we would keep the matter of the Abandoned Mine absolutely secret."
"For now, I will meet him tomorrow and hear what kind of dirty trick he is trying to pull. I am not going to run my mouth carelessly, so neither of you should worry."
Jun-seok lifted his spoon, dipped it back into the earthenware bowl, and muttered in a low voice.
"If they come at me clumsily, I can overturn the whole table and just switch Purchasing Offices."
The name Oh Cheol-woo had not even come up on the lips of the Purchasing Office bastards yet.
The only thought in Jun-seok’s mind was that he had to protect this comfortable, reliable Hunting Ground that Cheol-woo had made for them, no matter what.