Chapter 46

046. Contract (1)

In the Jijeongbu Jikdong Community Park, a densely packed area of gates.

“Haaam...”

Shim Woojin, the team leader of the Jijeongbu Hunter Association's gate management team, yawned and looked at the gates scattered around the park.

All of them were gates that hunters had entered and were currently tackling.

‘Boring.’

While the team members around him were all on high alert, showing their vigilance, Shim Woojin found it merely tedious.

It seemed that the emergency gates were quite a topic of discussion in the public...

‘But, it doesn’t seem like anything out of the ordinary is happening.’

To him, who had managed emergency gates for three years, the current situation was quite normal.

None of the gates were particularly special, right?

The only notable point was that this time, the gate that had appeared was a persistent gate.

A persistent gate is a dungeon that remains semi-permanently in the place it was created.

For that reason, the association or guilds sometimes buy the dungeon at a high price...

‘But that’s not my concern.’

Even if the Hunter Association tackled a persistent gate, he wouldn’t gain anything from it.

His performance wouldn’t improve, and he wouldn’t receive any material rewards.

After all...

The system was such that the performance was entirely taken by the gate tackling team that arrived next.

‘Sigh, the tackling team gets a hefty commission when they buy the gate...’

The gate management team, on the other hand, gets nothing.

They just manage the emergency gates until the tackling team arrives, and that’s it.

There’s no special allowance or bonus, so Shim Woojin couldn’t help but feel frustrated.

If a hunter among those gathered at the time of the emergency gate’s appearance managed to perfectly tackle and buy the gate, the situation would be different, as it would fall under the management team’s jurisdiction...

He chuckled.

“That’s only possible for an A-class hunter.”

Among the hunters who had gathered to make some money from the emergency gate, there was no one with that level of skill.

Just then.

‘...Huh?’

Suddenly, two hunters came out from one of the gates inside the park.

Shim Woojin tilted his head and looked at them.

‘What’s this? They shouldn’t have finished hunting so quickly, so why are they coming out?’

But his confusion was short-lived.

“...Eh, eh?”

Then, the color of the gate from which the two hunters emerged changed from blue to gray.

As far as Shim Woojin knew, this phenomenon occurred under specific conditions.

“When the boss room is successfully tackled...”

And...

After the boss room was tackled, the persistent gate would give the boss monster a respawn time.

This meant that the two of them had successfully tackled the persistent gate...

“What the hell...!”

Realizing this, Shim Woojin couldn’t help but burst into a wide smile.

It had been three years since a gate had been successfully tackled under the management of the gate management team.

***

As I walked out of the gate, I couldn’t stop smiling.

『Skill – Insight (D-)』

『Proficiency – 0%』

『Effect – When a battle begins, you can perceive attacks from invisible ranges.』

This was due to the new skill I had obtained by absorbing the Lizard King.

‘I never thought that absorbing the Lizard King would immediately grant me a new skill.’

I hadn’t even considered skill absorption due to the low probability...

But ever since I entered the Tower of Trials, I felt my luck had improved.

The skill being absorbed so quickly made me unable to stop smiling.

‘If I absorb all the Lizard Men’s commanders, I might get more skills.’

Thinking about the potential additional skills made me even more excited.

I felt the moment to recheck the newly obtained ‘Skill Synthesis’ was approaching.

‘Indeed, tackling the dungeon was the right decision.’

I had gained more rewards than I initially thought, so I couldn’t help but feel satisfied.

Just as I stepped out of the gate, feeling satisfied...

“Please, wait a moment...!”

A man in a black suit ran up, panting, and said this before asking a question.

“Um, did you just complete the gate’s challenge inside?”

Turning my head, I saw Lee Cheolwon, who was standing next to me, tilt his head and ask,

“Excuse me, who are you to ask such a question?”

The man flinched and adjusted his voice before replying,

“Ah, I apologize. I should have introduced myself. I am Shim Woojin, the team leader of the Hunter Association’s gate management team, here to manage the emergency gate in this park.”

“Gate management team...?”

“Yes, that’s correct. Ha ha, my team member was managing the gate earlier, so I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself.”

“...”

It seemed he had realized we had completed the dungeon and rushed over...

‘This is perfect. I was going to have to figure out how to dispose of the gate’s occupation rights anyway.’

I had already been thinking about it.

If I were part of a guild, I could have sold it there, but...

Since the Hunter Association is the best option for me to sell the gate’s occupation rights, it worked out well.

At that moment, Lee Cheolwon, who had been listening quietly, spoke up.

“Are you here to buy the gate’s occupation rights?”

“Yes, I want to propose a purchase to the two of you...”

“Then that’s not my decision to make.”

“Eh?”

“The dungeon boss was tackled by Hunter Han Seungyun alone.”

“...!”

At that moment, Shim Woojin’s gaze turned to me.

“Um, if you tackled it alone, you must be an A-class hunter...”

I cut him off before he could continue, fearing another misunderstanding.

“No, I’m a C-class hunter.”

“Eh? Ah, I see.”

“The important thing is not that. Let’s get to the main point. How much are you willing to pay for the gate’s occupation rights?”

Shim Woojin looked quite surprised but didn’t want to say more.

Recalling the conversation I had seen in the community before returning to reality, I couldn’t help but feel this way.

They were apparently keeping track of all the Tower of Trials participants...

‘If they suspect I’m a Tower of Trials participant, it will only cause me trouble.’

So, I needed to divert attention from that topic.

Changing the subject, Shim Woojin followed suit and got to the point.

“Ahem, to get straight to the point, our gate management team is willing to buy this gate for about 1.2 billion.”

‘Wow...’

I was genuinely surprised by the amount, which was much higher than I expected.

To buy the occupation rights of a D-class gate for 1.2 billion...

‘They’re willing to pay that much for just this level of gate?’

That amount of money could buy a C-class dungeon.

The fact that they were willing to pay me that much was astonishing.

Of course...

“Quite a high amount. Alright, I’ll sell it.”

I tried to act as calm as possible, not showing my surprise.

“I really appreciate your acceptance. The sales contract...”

“I’m quite busy, so I’d prefer to do it as quickly as possible.”

“Then I’ll prepare the contract. Would you like to do it nearby?”

“That would be best.”

I had to return to the tower soon.

‘There’s no need to drag out the sale.’

Shim Woojin, the team leader, stepped back, saying he would wait at a nearby café...

“Wow, that’s impressive. I’ve never seen someone make a sales proposal on the spot.”

After the conversation ended, Lee Cheolwon looked at me with admiration.

“Is that normal? Usually, after a dungeon is tackled, everyone does this, right?”

“That’s true for high-level hunters. Not for us lower-level hunters.”

This meant I was not a typical lower-level hunter but an irregular.

“...Let’s settle the byproducts first. After all, it was Hunter Lee Cheolwon who secured the gate’s entry rights.”

“Understood. Oh, and can I handle the sale of the mana stones? I know a place where I can sell them for a bit more than the market price.”

“Hmm... It’s fine. Go ahead.”

I could have asked why he would entrust the sale of mana stones to someone else...

But I wasn’t particularly in need of money at the moment.

In fact, it would save me time, which was beneficial for me.

‘Especially considering the money I’ll get from the sales contract.’

The money from the gate’s occupation rights would be more than what I’d earn from the dungeon.

So, it was better to let him handle the byproducts.

“I’ve already confirmed the number of mana stones. If you give me your contact information, I’ll get in touch with you later.”

After exchanging contact information, Lee Cheolwon left.

The dungeon was tackled, and there was nothing more to discuss.

All that was left was the sales contract for the gate’s occupation rights...

“I need to finish this quickly.”

I didn’t have much time left.

‘I need to maximize my gains while I can stay in the real world.’

A situation like this, where an emergency gate appears by chance, wouldn’t happen often.

To access high-quality gates, I would need connections.

So...

“I need to prepare somehow.”

I had already thought about this.

***

In the end, the sales contract went smoothly.

“The money will be deposited into your account by tomorrow.”

Shim Woojin, the team leader, started smiling as the sales contract was finalized...

I was satisfied that I could complete the sale quickly.

Just as I was about to leave the café after finishing the contract...

“Hunter Han Seungyun, if you don’t have a guild, would you consider joining the Hunter Association?”

“...Are you asking me to join the Hunter Association directly?”

“Yes, that’s correct. From the information registered with the association, you seem to be a recently registered hunter... We will treat you with the best possible conditions.”

“...”

I paused, considering his offer.

To operate more smoothly in the future, I would need to be affiliated with an organization.

‘Even if I join the association, it shouldn’t be a problem.’

I had already received two recruitment offers from the Hunter Association, so I was somewhat swayed.

First, Inspector Kim In-ho, and now Team Leader Shim Woojin, both trying to recruit me...

However, being affiliated with an organization felt a bit uncomfortable.

Especially as a direct hunter, it would mean more restrictions on my actions.

‘I need to be a freelancer who can use dungeons freely...’

The question was whether the Hunter Association would provide that level of freedom.

And in my mind, the Hunter Association was not a highly free organization.

After some consideration, I decided to put off the decision.

‘...I can decide later. I still have some things to think about.’

For a hunter, connections are a crucial factor, and I needed to use them effectively.

“...I find it difficult to decide right now.”

“I understand. It’s a tough decision for a skilled hunter to make a direct contract.”

“But if you want to build a good relationship in the future, please feel free to contact me.”

“That’s enough. Ha ha, I appreciate it. I’ll contact you if I decide. See you.”

Shim Woojin smiled and left the café.

I took out my smartphone.

I was about to contact the only connection I currently had.

「This is Han Seungyun from the 4th floor. If you’ve returned, Lee Hyeon, can we meet for a moment?」

Lee Hyeon, a teammate I met on the 4th floor of the Tower of Trials.

It was time to reach out to her.