A coffee shop nearby.
SLURP.
"Ah…… That's the stuff."
When life is bitter, coffee ought to be sweet.
After enjoying a delicious bowl of sundae gukbap, Hyeon-su had come to a nearby coffee shop.
With his stomach full and something sweet to drink, a wave of happiness washed over him.
Just then.
JINGLE—!
The bell hanging above the coffee shop's entrance rang.
A man with neatly trimmed short hair, dressed in an expensive gray suit, entered.
"Excuse me, are you Hunter Baek Hyeon-su?"
The man approached Hyeon-su's table and spoke. Hyeon-su stood up to greet him.
"Yes, that's me."
The man's face brightened at his response.
"Pleasure to meet you. I'm Hong Seok-jin, Head of the Dungeon Management Department at the Korean Hunter Association."
Department Head Hong offered his hand for a handshake, then took out a business card and handed it to Hyeon-su.
After accepting the card, Hyeon-su naturally settled back into his chair along with him.
"First of all, congratulations on becoming a Hunter."
"Ah, yes. Thank you."
Hyeon-su smiled at the brief congratulations before asking,
"By the way, what did you want to meet me about?"
'And why would someone at the department head level come personally?'
Keeping the rest of his thoughts to himself, Hyeon-su fixed Department Head Hong with a sharp gaze.
Department Head Hong, who had been observing Hyeon-su with interest, spoke.
"Given the circumstances, I had to request this meeting rather urgently. First, I'd like to thank you for agreeing to meet me so readily."
He took out a large folded sheet of paper, unfolded it, and spread it across the table.
The enormous sheet, which covered half the table, contained a detailed illustration of the Slime Dungeon Hyeon-su had entered yesterday.
'Wow, how did they draw this? That's impressive.'
No electronic devices could be used inside dungeons.
Realizing that someone must have created this entirely through human effort, Hyeon-su couldn't help admiring it.
It looked almost like a photograph taken immediately after entering the dungeon gate.
Department Head Hong then took out another sheet of paper and placed it on the table.
'This one's a blueprint.'
It was a complete blueprint of the Slime Dungeon, drawn clearly enough that even an ordinary person could understand it.
Watching Hyeon-su's reaction, Department Head Hong spoke.
"As you can see, this is the dungeon you entered yesterday. Does it match the dungeon you saw? If you noticed anything different, even something as small as the position of the pond or a tree, I'd appreciate it if you could tell me."
Hyeon-su pretended to study the illustration and blueprint carefully while considering his response.
'This is what the dungeon looked like before I changed it.'
Then he answered with a perfectly innocent expression.
"Hmm…… Well, I'm not sure. As you probably know, yesterday was my first time entering a dungeon, so I was pretty overwhelmed. I don't think I paid much attention to the scenery around me. Sorry I can't be of more help."
Department Head Hong responded with a hint of disappointment.
"Not at all. That's perfectly understandable. By any chance…… if you don't mind my asking, could you tell me what your class is?"
"I'm sorry, but I'd rather not reveal that yet."
At Hyeon-su's reply, Department Head Hong's eyes briefly sparkled.
If he was this determined to keep his class secret, perhaps he really did possess a Hidden Class.
Hyeon-su noticed the look in his eyes but said nothing further.
'So he suspects something. Still, now isn't the time to reveal it.'
Department Head Hong didn't press the matter any further.
It would inevitably come to light someday, and if Hyeon-su truly possessed a Hidden Class, getting on his bad side was absolutely out of the question.
"I see. Understood. Still, if you ever decide to reveal it, I'd be grateful if you thought of me first. I'll provide you with every kind of support, both material and otherwise."
Department Head Hong looked directly into Hyeon-su's eyes as he spoke.
Seeing the sincerity in his gaze, Hyeon-su nodded.
'He's sharp. And good at his job.'
"Sure, I'll do that. So, is that everything you wanted to discuss?"
"Yes. Thank you for your cooperation."
At Department Head Hong's response, Hyeon-su rose from his seat.
"I'm sure you've heard this many times before, but you have a wonderful voice. You sound like a classical singer who specializes in bass."
Hyeon-su politely thanked him for the compliment.
In truth, he'd heard it so many times that it barely meant anything to him anymore.
What good was it for a man to have a wonderful voice?
Having real ability was what mattered.
"Thank you. Well then, I'll be going."
Department Head Hong also stood up.
"Of course. I hope we'll meet again."
After a brief exchange of farewells, Hyeon-su left the coffee shop.
'I managed to play dumb this time, but I can't afford to get caught again…….'
As he walked toward the main road, he spotted a taxi.
"Taxi!"
He climbed into the taxi that stopped in front of him and told the driver his destination.
Hyeon-su had planned to visit two dungeons today.
One D-Grade dungeon and one E-Grade dungeon.
The first was the Bat Dungeon, which he'd visited to test his skill.
The other was commonly known as the 'Maze Dungeon.'
'If I can clear it, I'll hit the jackpot.'
As its name suggested, the dungeon consisted entirely of a maze.
What made it unusual was that it contained no monsters.
The problem was that while the absence of monsters made it safe, not a single person had ever successfully cleared it.
Strategies had been discovered for approximately 99% of E-Grade dungeons, leaving just 1% unsolved.
This dungeon belonged to that remaining 1%.
'In fact, quite a few people died here in the early days because they couldn't find their way out of the maze.'
Nowadays, Dungeon Gate Creation Scrolls allowed Hunters to leave whenever they wanted, even if they hadn't cleared the dungeon.
'That's why I'm on my way to buy one.'
Sitting in the taxi, Hyeon-su checked the strategy posted on the Hunter community once again.