The Disappearance of S-Rank Hunter Yoo Byeong-jun

Yoo Byeong-jun, an S-rank hunter, had gone missing.  
To confirm his survival and rescue him safely, the Cheonglim Guild, where Yoo Byeong-jun was affiliated, dispatched an elite party of A-rank hunters.  

However, as more time passed, and even at a point where the raid should have been completed by now, the elite party did not return, just like Yoo Byeong-jun.  

Eventually, it became clear that the elite party, too, had disappeared.  

The Hunter Management Bureau of Korea immediately went into emergency mode, and an urgent meeting was convened.  

"The inspection results confirm that this A-rank dungeon is a special dungeon."  
"We’ve received reports from scouts specialized in reconnaissance."  

Step by step, information gathered, and as it started to come together, the atmosphere in the meeting room grew heavy.  

"This A-rank dungeon is highly likely to be a dual dungeon."  
"The magical energy inside the dungeon is growing! In the worst case, it could even be an S-rank dungeon."  

Further updates came through communication from the field.  

"There are reports that high-level undead are starting to spread inside the dungeon again! Continued reconnaissance is impossible…"  
"Damn it!"  

*Bang!*  

Unable to hold back his anger, a middle-aged man slammed his fist on the table.  
But no one reprimanded him.  
Everyone felt the same way.  

"A dual dungeon, suddenly?! There are only a handful of cases like this in Korea, and why now?!"  
"This is a huge problem... We trusted the Cheonglim Guild, but now we’re too late."  

The time spent identifying the dungeon and recruiting hunters for the raid.  
The time wasted waiting for the rescue team, relying on them.  
All of it had accumulated, and now,  

"The dungeon break is imminent..."  
"Goddamn it!"  

The gate’s instability was rapidly approaching.  
It was the kind of explosion that would lead to mass casualties, particularly for a high-ranking A-rank dungeon.  

If the gate broke loose now without being contained…  

Everyone shuddered at the imagined consequences.  

"We cannot allow the gate to collapse!"  
"That's right! We don’t have time! We need to activate the summoning order for all guilds!"  
"Contact all high-level hunters!"  

In the tense situation, the Bureau took swift action.  
They contacted all the guilds, including large guilds, and high-ranking hunters, including freelancers.  

It was time for all hunters, who had enjoyed many privileges, to fulfill their duties.  

But not all hunters could participate.  
There were countless dungeons, and many were already in progress.  
Additionally, some hunters had been dispatched abroad.  

"The Dawning Guild has expressed their willingness to cooperate! They’re sending an elite party!"  
"Of course, the Dawning Guild! What about others?"  
"The Cheonglim Guild is sending additional reinforcements!"  
"The Night Guild also declared their cooperation!"  

The forces being confirmed steadily increased.  
Late into the night, the work continued, pushing through the exhaustion.  

During a brief break from the overnight work, the team leader from the Bureau's Management Division had a conversation with Manager Jang Han-su in the break room.  

"Ugh… I’m tired."  
"Given the situation, it’s understandable. How many high-level hunters have we gathered?"  
"We’ve mobilized 13 high-level hunters for the advance team, 3 of them are S-rank. The backup team is still being recruited."  
"It’s a bit disappointing, but it’s the best we can do."  
"Right."  

Given the urgency of the situation, the Bureau not only recruited the advance team but also worked on mobilizing reinforcements.  

The advance team would head out first and quickly push forward with the raid.  
The backup team, once assembled, would join in to ensure a more stable conclusion to the operation.  

It was the best course of action at the time.  

"By the way, what’s the deal with the returnee? It’s been a while, hasn’t it?"  
"Oh, that person is still D-rank."  
"Figures. Won’t be of much help."  

The team leader clicked his tongue in frustration.  
Watching him, Manager Jang pondered internally.  

*‘If it’s Si-hyun, her skill level is probably close to A-rank, so she’d definitely be helpful...*  
But would she be willing to participate?  
She doesn’t belong to any guild, and her registered rank is D.  

While she enjoys few benefits, she also has fewer obligations.  
It wouldn’t be impossible to ask, but forcing her would only damage future relations.  

*‘Maybe I should reach out when I have the time.’*  

If she gave a positive response, getting her involved in the raid would be feasible.  

---

In one of South Korea's large guilds, Cheonglim Guild, the master of the guild was shouting in frustration.  

"What?! What do you mean, he’s missing again?! The rescue team is wiped out?!"  

His voice echoed loudly throughout the office.  

He was the guild master and owner of Cheonglim Guild.  
The employees all lowered their gazes, carefully watching their boss.  

"Half of the guild’s core strength is missing! Did the advance team not do their job properly?! What the hell are we going to do about this?!"  

The reason Cheonglim Guild had become one of the largest guilds was because they possessed two S-rank hunters.  

Cheonglim was famous for funneling resources into their top-tier hunters.  
As a result, many lower-ranked hunters were discarded, yet new recruits kept coming in.  

Many hunters dreamed of becoming the strongest.  
They believed that after hard work, they would eventually be rewarded.  
This was the core reason why Cheonglim continued to attract talented recruits.  

In reality, only a handful enjoyed the rewards, while most were exploited and consumed.  

Now, with the disappearance of Yoo Byeong-jun, the S-rank hunter from Cheonglim Guild,  
the elite A-rank rescue party dispatched to find him had also vanished.  

Cheonglim Guild was truly in a state of emergency.  

"Ever since that damn woman left, nothing’s been going right! Damn it!"  

The guild master’s face flushed with anger as he continued to shout.  
His anger even led him to mention past issues.  

As the staff sat silently, waiting for the boss to calm down,  

Suddenly, the master’s phone rang.  
His expression softened when he saw the caller’s ID.  
It was another representative figure from Cheonglim, an S-rank hunter.  

- "Boss, the mission here is complete. I’ll be heading back to Seoul shortly."  

"Steel Min, finally! You’ve heard about the situation, right?"  

- "Yes, I’ll join the backup team as soon as I return."  

He had been away on a business trip and wasn’t currently in Seoul.  
Because of that, he hadn’t participated in the advance team but would immediately join the backup team upon his return.  

He needed to restore the guild’s tarnished reputation.  

"Please, the hunters must still be alive..."  

- "Don’t worry. I’m here, and I’ll bring them back safely."  

Steel Min’s voice was full of confidence, even bordering on arrogance.  

The guild master sighed in relief.  

---

The next day, amid the chaos,  

Si-hyun spent her afternoon at a D-rank dungeon.  

She casually swept through the dungeon, earning a bit of pocket money.  
When she found an empty area, she decided to indulge in a bit of her hobby.  

"Heeheehee—"  
Humming the ending song from the VTuber MomoBin’s broadcast, she cast a spell.  
Her toes tapped in rhythm as she moved.  

*Crackle crackle.*  

Just like when she created the goblin model before,  
this time, a skeleton model was being created.  

After completing the skeleton’s frame, Si-hyun pulled out her phone and opened the chat app.  
Though she couldn’t access the internet, she could still view past messages.  

She checked the conversations she’d had with Areum.  

- "Maybe I’ll prepare a skeleton model this time."  
- "How about making it cute this time?!"  
- "Cute? Why?"  
- "It’s to reduce the students’ aversion to monsters!"  
- "Oh, that sounds good."  
- "Right?!"  

- (Skeleton drawing)  
- "How about this style?"  
- "Thanks for the materials! I’ll refer to them."  

Si-hyun was lightly persuaded.  
Looking back, the goblin model battle drills had clearly been divisive.  

Was there really a need to push such things in a general education lecture?  
Plus, Areum’s idea didn’t seem bad at all.  

Making the model cute to reduce aversion?  
That was an idea she would never have thought of herself.  
It was definitely a good call to ask someone for advice.  

With a satisfied nod, Si-hyun continued her thoughts.  

This time, she would create the model as part of a hobby.  
The goblin model in the professor’s office would get a new friend.  
She could make one of each type, and maybe it would look like something real.  

"Heeheehee..."  

Grinning as she continued to cast her spell, Si-hyun thought to herself.  

*‘When I get home, I’ll have some wine I brought from the

 bar.’*  
At home, she could enjoy the wine without worrying about getting drunk.  
Tomorrow, she’d skip early morning prayers and just get up late, refreshed and clear-headed.  

"Mm, mm."  

A neat and perfect plan.  
Si-hyun smiled brightly, feeling like she was truly enjoying a healing life.