“I don’t think I needed to come.”

I adjusted the collar of my suit and glanced around. Just like yesterday, the S-Rank guild leaders from each guild had gathered again. It must’ve been a rare occasion for such busy people to meet two days in a row. Maybe even the first time. After all, S-Rank Hunters were known for acting independently.

“They said we need to show that the Breeding Facility is just as important as any S-Rank guild.”

Yerim, who wasn’t a guild leader but had come along as my escort, swung her legs lightly as she sat in front of me.

She hadn’t attended yesterday’s meeting, but I had shown up today because of Seok Gimyeong’s advice. He said it was essential to make an appearance when announcing such an important matter. I agreed with that, but—

‘I don’t want to grow the Monster Mount Breeding Facility that seriously.’

I’d long since given up on living a lazy life off my brother’s back, but if the chance came, I still wanted to retire. A peaceful retirement where I didn’t need to use resistance skills or Grace anymore—someday, that should be possible.

If not, oh well.

“It’s still kind of overwhelming to sit among S-Rank Hunters. I got my makeup done properly, but even so, my face, and especially my body… Ugh, my motivation just bottomed out. It’s like comparing a crow-tit to a stork, whether I work out or not.”

“Exercise is for your health, for your health.”

“Yeah, hyung. And it’s not like there’s anything wrong with you.”

“I appreciate that, but even you have to admit there’s a noticeable difference, Yuhyun.”

Even if my little brother always said I was the best, this was one area where the difference was way too clear… Yerim clicked her tongue at my words.

“Mister, you shouldn’t ask the Guild Leader stuff like that. The Haeyeon Guild Leader isn’t just uninterested in appearances—he literally can’t even tell the difference.”

“Huh?”

“He might have nodded at what you were saying, but when it comes to people or anything, he doesn’t care about how things look. It’s just like, oh, it’s a person, it’s a dog, it’s a cat—end of story.”

Uh… was he really like that? Yuhyun really didn’t express likes or dislikes much. I suddenly remembered the half-moon rice cakes we made the day before Chuseok. He did seem like he lacked a bit of aesthetic sense. He was good at copying examples exactly, but…

“Still, no way. Yuhyun, look over there.”

I pointed toward the entrance where the Sesung Guild Leader was just coming in—then got up and walked over to him.

“Guild Leader Seong, could you come over here for a moment?”

Seong Hyunjae wore an expression that said, what’s this about now, but let himself be pulled along by my hand without complaint. Moon Hyunah, who had entered the waiting room a moment earlier, followed us over as well.

“Okay, Yuhyun. How about this face?”

That damnably handsome face. Standards for good looks might differ across cultures, but this kind of perfectly symmetrical face would be praised anywhere. Yuhyun glanced briefly at Seong Hyunjae, then shifted his eyes back to me.

“How about it?”

“Well… he’s just the Sesung Guild Leader.”

“…No other thoughts?”

“None.”

“Han Yujin. Your brother has absolutely no personal interest in me.”

I already knew that, but still. I couldn’t help feeling a little bitter as I looked up at Seong Hyunjae’s face.

“No, I mean, he’s definitely handsome. So handsome it’s actually kind of annoying that there’s nothing to criticize.”

“Thank you.”

“Then how about Hyunah? Yuhyun?”

This time, I walked over to stand next to Moon Hyunah and asked. Yuhyun replied flatly.

“Breaker Guild Leader.”

“See what I mean, Director Han? It’s pointless to ask his brother about this stuff.”

“Okay, then… what about Chief Song Taewon!”

“Awakened Management Bureau Chief.”

“…Last one, here!”

I pulled up a photo of Noah from my phone gallery and showed it to Yuhyun. Our Noah, he sparkled even in pictures.

“Dragon.”

…No, he’s human, though. Don’t tell me Yuhyun secretly thinks Chirp is just a bird, Peace is just a Flame Horned Lion, Blue is just a griffin, and Belare is just a snake.

“I think you’re handsome, hyung.”

“Uh… mm. Thanks.”

In the past, I would’ve just thought, my little brother really thinks a lot of me,-but after his complete lack of reaction to Seong Hyunjae, Hyunah, Chief Song, and even Noah, I was at a loss for words. Is this why Yuhyun had never shown even the faintest hint of romance before? Sure, people feel attraction for different reasons, but usually, appearance is what opens the door. If he doesn’t feel anything even at that first step, then, hmm…

“It’s okay! What matters is a person’s substance! Not being swayed by appearances is a good thing, right?”

“Mister would still defend a guild leader even if he tried to ferment soybean paste with red beans, just because they’re both legumes.”

“Yerim, there is-red bean soybean paste, you know.”

Yerim, who had been shaking her head, widened her eyes.

“Really?”

“Please come in!”

At that moment, an Association staff member called out. We entered the press briefing room, where Seok Hayan and the other researchers were already preparing materials for the presentation. A gate detection and measurement device was also on display. It would be unveiled along with the dungeon status announcement. Honestly, that machine was an incredible invention. It wasn’t just useful in Korea—it could be used internationally.

As for us, we were just here as symbolic figures and spokespeople, so we quietly took our prepared seats. I spotted Park Mingyu from the Hanshin Guild, whom I hadn’t seen in a while.

‘I’d like to have a chat with him sometime.’

My relationship with Seonghan wasn’t exactly great, but he was an S-Rank Hunter who had never caused any major problems. We’d only exchanged a light greeting earlier. Maybe I should go visit him directly sometime soon.

Before long, reporters began entering the press room. Cameras were set up, and the red indicator lights flicked on. Normally, Chief Song Taewon of the Awakened Management Bureau would have taken the lead, but since he froze up in front of cameras, the Minister of Public Administration and Security stepped in to greet the public. It would’ve been awkward for someone to just glare at the camera while explaining things. Especially since it was being broadcast live.

“And so, we have confirmed that the time it takes for dungeons to reach saturation has increased to three times the previous rate.”

The minister made a brief announcement. The reporters began murmuring, and then Seok Hayan stepped forward. Unlike her usual style, she was dressed in a monochrome suit, with her hair neatly tied up in a rounded bun. The outfit overall made her look older than usual. Likely due to concerns that too young a woman might not be seen as credible. But what could they do? Seok Hayan was-the team leader of the research team.

Seok Hayan began projecting visual data and explained the current situation in easy-to-understand terms. As her presentation became more detailed, the reporters’ excitement visibly grew.

Dungeons and monsters hadn’t been completely resolved. In fact, if dungeons were to suddenly disappear from only Korea, it would cause serious problems. We’d have to import magic stones, a safe and clean energy source, from abroad, and all dungeon-related industries would come to a halt and fall behind.

People didn’t know about the apocalypse. They didn’t understand just how much more difficult dungeons could become. As long as dungeons were properly managed, the general consensus was that their continued existence was far more beneficial.

And now, in this context, things were just as ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) profitable—only far safer. More precisely, since dungeons could now be selectively targeted, profits were actually expected to increase. The advantage Korea had over other countries would be so significant it was hard to quantify.

Reporters, trying to contain their excitement, began to fire off questions.

“So, does this mean that the likelihood of a dungeon break occurring has decreased compared to before?”

“Dungeons still break when their time comes. However, since management is now much easier, the probability has indeed decreased in practical terms.”

“Is it really only Korea that’s become three times safer?”

“As far as we’ve confirmed, yes. However, we haven’t had time to investigate the entire world, so it’s possible that similar phenomena are occurring in other countries.”

Seok Hayan lifted a machine that was sitting on the desk. Unlike her tone while explaining dungeons, her face now radiated pride—it was practically glowing with confidence.

“This is the prototype Gate-S. It’s a device capable of detecting and measuring dungeon gate statuses.”

All eyes and cameras turned toward the sturdy, round machine she was proudly holding up.

“Currently, aside from intentional criminal activity, dungeon breaks only occur from undiscovered gates. That means if we distribute and implement this device nationwide, the risk of dungeon breaks will be significantly reduced—since hidden dungeon gates will become much easier to detect.”

A short silence followed. Then several people, quickly grasping the situation, shot to their feet without realizing it.

“Then, if dungeon raids are carried out properly, dungeon breaks can essentially be prevented?”

“And the saturation time is three times longer, too!”

“The detection range isn’t that wide yet, so it’s not like nothing will be missed. But considering Korea’s extended saturation period, we should be able to catch nearly all of them.”

Seok Hayan remained calm as she answered, but the reporters certainly didn’t.

No dungeon breaks. That meant dungeons would become safe treasure vaults that supplied energy and all sorts of new materials.

Among the flurry of noise, someone shouted, “Stocks!,” their greed slipping out in the chaos. National safety and credit ratings would rise, and stock prices were bound to follow. Should I have bought some myself? But that’d be a financial violation, right? Since I’m an involved party? Still… what a shame.

“Gate-S will be provided domestically at cost. For international distribution, some conditions will apply, but we don’t plan to make excessive demands. The most important thing is the safety of people.”

Some might think it a waste, but this wasn’t a situation where profit should come first. Besides, distributing the detection device would help ease the dissatisfaction of other countries over Korea being the only one made safer. When only one country was unusually lucky, others could get jealous—or even hostile.

About thirty more minutes of Q&A followed before the press conference came to an end.

“Mister, look at this! It’s blowing up everywhere!”

Yerim said as she shoved her phone in my face. The article she showed me had tons of excited comments. The top search rankings were all filled with related keywords from first place down. Most of the comments were celebrating the news that the country had become safer, but there were also concerns about rising real estate prices near high-level dungeons in the capital region and further neglect of dungeons in rural areas.

“There’s an article saying Mister helped Hayan unnie a lot with the research, too.”

“Oh, uh-huh.”

So there was an article like that too. Yerim tried to show it to me, but I declined. Even if it was a positive article, reading the comments directly was still a bit… There were bound to be people trying to tear it down no matter what. I tried to push away the mental image of what kind of insults they might be throwing around.

Chief Song had to urgently leave for the airport due to work, and the Hanshin Guild Leader, having received the information relatively late, also hurried out of the Association.

“Haeyeon probably has surplus manpower for now.”

Moon Hyunah said while looking at Yuhyun. Yuhyun gave a brief nod.

“If we push back the scheduling of low-profit high-grade dungeons, especially the ones difficult to raid due to elemental attributes or lacking rewards beyond mana stones, S-Rank Hunters—particularly—will have fewer dungeons left to raid.”

There was no longer a need to keep raiding every dungeon on schedule like before, particularly those that were tricky to tackle or yielded little beyond mana stones. But that left Haeyeon, which had suddenly swelled in S-Ranks, with too few viable dungeons to take on.

“That’s why we plan to negotiate raid rights for overseas dungeons, prioritizing nearby countries. Japan, in particular, is currently lacking the capacity to manage their dungeons properly.”

Even if we only targeted the choicest dungeons, they’d still probably welcome us with open arms. In other places like Hong Kong, or countries short on S-Rank Hunters, we could secure quite favorable deals. Upon hearing Yuhyun’s explanation, Moon Hyunah let out a deep sigh.

“Ah, it’d be nice if we had one more S-Rank Hunter. Haeyeon’s Guild Leader obviously isn’t going to leave Korea with his big brother here. Yerim, would you go?”

“Yes, unnie. They say Japan has a lot of rivers, seas, and even fully underwater environments. If I get lucky, I might even find a good monster baby!”

Yerim said excitedly. Even if the dungeons suited her well, the thought of sending a kid overseas alone made me worry. It was only a plane ride away, but still.

“Maybe I should try recruiting Liette.”

“She’d probably demand more in compensation than she’s worth.”

“Still, her abilities are solid. Director Han, could you slow down Belare’s growth a bit? Just enough to give it a shot.”

“Even now, her growth rate is on the slower side.”

I replied while stroking Belare, who was coiled around my neck. I didn’t want to send her off, but I had-been using the Perfect Nurturer skill—yet for some reason, she was still growing slowly. Especially her size—it hadn’t changed in a while. Don’t tell me Belare, like Peace, had gained some kind of incorporeal skill?

“What about the Sesung Guild Leader? Any plans to leave the country again?”

Moon Hyunah asked, glancing toward Seong Hyunjae, who was on a phone call.

“Again?”

“Oh, I guess you didn’t know, Director Han. It was kept quiet publicly. But the Sesung Guild Leader hasn’t really stayed in Korea that much. After founding the guild, it was maybe six months? He dealt with the Dungeon Burst crisis, got everything set up in a flash, and then kept disappearing overseas.”

That’s the first I’ve heard of it. The TV never said anything like that.

“At first, the Association nagged him a lot, but once he started reeling in high-grade Hunters and even Healers, they shut up.”

“Now that you mention it, Sesung really does have a lot of foreign Hunters.”

There had been several overseas Hunters even at his birthday party. To build that kind of network, he must’ve traveled extensively. It was a logical conclusion, but since he was such a ridiculously capable person, I just assumed he figured it out somehow without thinking about the details.

Even before the regression—in other words, about two years from now—he was frequently out of the country quite openly. At the time, Kang Soyeong served as acting guild leader. That probably played a large role in the rumors between her and Yuhyun. The country’s two youngest top-tier guild leaders and a stand-in leader—it was the perfect setup for gossip, no matter what was or wasn’t going on.

…It was all baseless rumors, though. Neither Yuhyun nor Soyeong seemed interested in anything that wasn’t a dragon. They looked great together on the surface, but that was it.

“Sesung has more than enough manpower to manage Korea’s dungeons.”

Seong Hyunjae said as he hung up and walked over.

“Especially with Soyeong and Comet. They’re probably faster at dungeon raids than most S-Rank Hunters who don’t have mounts.”

“That’s true.”

Comet was an S-Rank monster, and when Kang Soyeong rode her, she gained stat bonuses equivalent to an S-Rank Hunter. With added mobility on top of that, she could sweep through dungeons with ease.

So, in effect, Sesung essentially had three S-Rank Hunters. If we counted mounts, Haeyeon technically had five.

Anyway—

“Are you planning to focus your attention overseas too, Seong Hyunjae?”

I asked as I walked up to him. Was he planning to go himself? If it were like Haeyeon, just nearby countries, it wouldn’t be a big deal. But I doubted he’d settle for that. If that happened, it’d be harder to see him. I felt just a pinch of regret. We’d gotten at least a little closer—

“Hyung!”

Suddenly, an arm grabbed me and yanked me back. Yuhyun had tried to pull me toward him but stopped short, probably worried that I might get hurt if I were pulled from both sides. Yerim also called out my name in alarm.

“I will remain as myself.”

A voice so quiet that even the surrounding S-Rank Hunters could barely hear it reached my ear. For a moment, I didn’t understand what he meant.

“In this world.”

The Crescent Moon. Seong Hyunjae was saying he didn’t want to be bound by her anymore. I looked into those deep, moonlit eyes.

“Of course. That’s exactly how it should be.”

Being dragged around with your identity erased, even once, is more than enough. And for me, for Yuhyun, being toyed with by beings who played god—once was plenty.

Seong Hyunjae let go of my arm. Yuhyun immediately pulled me protectively to his side. Ignoring my brother’s fierce glare, Seong Hyunjae wore a faint smile.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep