BRDM 15

Chapter 15

Tap.
Tap.

“Are you still staring at your phone?”

Tap…

“I mean, it’s not even an ex-boyfriend. Why are you waiting so anxiously for his call? Even if he saved your life, this really isn’t like you, Director.”

Assistant Manager Kim Min-jung just couldn’t understand her boss.

Ever since the raid on the monkey den, Im Won-young had seemed… different.

She was still witty, still a chain-sm—no, “avid” smoker, and still the ever-driven career woman.

But every so often, she would stand staring out the window for a long time, or glare at her phone as if she were about to swallow it whole.

And right now was one of those moments.

“She said it was a ‘guide,’ right? And apparently an insanely skilled one… Honestly, how much of that is even believable?”

In the industry, “guides” were usually the ones with weaker abilities, or people who couldn’t stomach the brutal sights of frontline combat.

They did scouting, mapping, trap-clearing—useful jobs, yes, but most of those roles had already been taken over by other professions, leaving guides with a rather unimpressive reputation.

So when Min-jung first heard that a mere guide had saved the elite A-Team in a life-or-death crisis, she had been stunned.

She had been abroad on business at the time, so she hadn’t witnessed it herself. She’d only gotten the news afterward and rushed back to Korea earlier that morning.

“Anyway, the guy was rescued safely and moved to the hospital. If he’s after compensation, he’ll contact her the moment he’s discharged. So why is she this restless?”

Min-jung mumbled under her breath, curious.

“Unless… the guide was ridiculously handsome or something?”

“He was handsome. Extremely.”

The sudden voice behind her made Min-jung jump.

“M-Mr. So!”

It was Manager So Sung-hae, second-in-command of A-Team.

His perpetually dark eye bags, courtesy of endless late nights, made him instantly recognizable.

“Even as a guy, I have to admit, his face is jealousy-inducing. If I looked like him, I wouldn’t have had to struggle this much in life…”

Several team members around them nodded in agreement.

“Yeah… he was seriously good-looking.”

“And even with an injured leg, he didn’t show it. Just quietly cleared the path ahead. Like something out of a painting.”

“He was tall too…”

“And he had a good personality, right?”

“Damn. The more I think about it, the more unfair it feels. Deputy Kim, what was he like back in the academy days?”

“Hugely popular. Upperclassmen, underclassmen—it didn’t matter. Girls came from other departments just to get a look at him. I even heard he got scouted for modeling a couple of times.”

“Son of a—”

“This world really isn’t fair…”

Grumbles broke out across the room.

“But nobody actually confessed to him.”

“Why not?”

“He had a girlfriend he’d been dating since childhood.”

“So he shut everyone down?”

“Perfectly. The girls didn’t even have an opening to try. Well… it didn’t end well, though.”

“Didn’t end well?”

“Yeah. There’s a story.”

The conversation flew back and forth so quickly Min-jung couldn’t keep up.

But one thing was clear:

For all their grumbling, none of them hid their fondness for Lee Hyun.

A guide, but from the Academy? Who the hell is this guy?

And on top of that, apparently good-looking?

Min-jung, herself an Academy graduate, racked her brain, scanning her mental alumni directory.

But no one came to mind.

Most of their classmates had either been commissioned as officers or joined major guilds after service.

“Um, maybe you could tell me his name—”

Rrring!

Suddenly, the phone Director Im had been glaring at lit up.

An unregistered number.

All eyes turned to her.

Clearing her throat, Im Won-young calmly picked it up.

Click.

“Hello?”

And the moment the voice came through the receiver, Kim Min-jung’s eyes widened.

It sounded oddly familiar.

* * *

At a café in Seongsu-dong, Seoul.

Lee Hyun sat alone, dressed in plain jeans, a black hoodie, and a blue cap, sipping coffee.

At least, that’s what it looked like to everyone else.

But Hyun wasn’t alone.

“What the hell? You just gave it to him and left? No conditions, no requests? Not even asking for features?”

Across from him, a little white baby monkey sat proudly, holding a fork in one hand.

Yes.

“That’s it? You didn’t ask him to make it into a ring, a sword, nothing? Just left it up to him?”

He’ll make something good. He always does. That’s how it’s always been with him.

Hyun had just returned from Do-cheol’s forge, where he’d handed over the stolen finger and staff from Hwangpunggwe.

As always, the old blacksmith had accepted the items in silence and gone straight to hammering.

Son Wukong couldn’t help but be curious about their relationship.

To be able to communicate without words like that—was such a thing even possible?

For a moment, Wukong remembered the serene face of a monk reciting sutras… then quickly shook it off.

“Anyway, brat.”

“What now?”

“Aren’t you full?”

“Why would I be?”

“After eating all this?”

Hyun glanced at the table with a bitter expression.

Eight empty dessert plates surrounded Wukong. All cakes.

Every single one of them demolished by the monkey.

“Hmph. Pathetic. This is nothing. Not even enough to warm my stomach.”

“…You ate just as much on the way here.”

Hyun had already had to pay up on his promise from the dungeon—buying Wukong all the snacks he’d demanded, from fish-shaped bread to oversized macarons.

But once they reached the café, the monkey had ordered an assortment of cakes from the display, one of each flavor.

Hyun’s wallet was now utterly empty.

And he hadn’t even gotten a single bite.

“That was then, this is now! Don’t be stingy with offerings to your god. Show some reverence!”

“…Since when are cakes offerings?”

“Offerings to Buddha have always been tradition—oh! They just brought out new cakes. Buy those too!”

Sighing, Hyun dragged himself back to the counter and ordered more, ignoring the puzzled stares of the staff.

Back at the table, Wukong dug in with gusto.

Hyun watched in disbelief for a moment, then pulled a thick, ancient-looking book from his bag.

The characters resembled Chinese, but were unreadable.

“You’re learning a skill here?”

“No reason to put it off.”

It was the skill book for Sammei Divine Wind, earned as a bonus reward for clearing Yellow Desert.

[Sammei Divine Wind (D)]

A wind-element skill used by Hwangpunggwe in the myth of ■■■■. Summons raging sandstorms that suffocate all life within range.

• Type: Skill Book

• Origin: Myth Journey to the West
  Note: This is a copy leaked from a Fragment. Significantly weaker than the original.

Hyun didn’t care about the disclaimer.

He wasn’t planning to use it as a skill in the first place.

Flash!

The book vanished in a burst of light.

Ding!

[You have acquired a Skill Book.]
[Would you like to add ‘Sammei Divine Wind (D)’ to your skill list?]

Wukong leaned in, curious to see what Hyun would do with his old nemesis’s power.

But then—

“No.”

“…!?”

The monkey’s eyes went wide. That was the last thing he expected.

Yet Hyun just smiled.

[‘Sammei Divine Wind (D)’ has not been created.]
[The skill has been dismantled, and its components absorbed into ‘Sigh of the Dokkebi (B)’.]

“…!”

Only then did Wukong realize Hyun’s plan and let out a laugh.

[‘Sacred Relic: Golden Eyes of Truth’ has activated, allowing a deeper analysis of Sammei Divine Wind’s components.]
…
[Congratulations! ‘Sigh of the Dokkebi (B)’ has evolved into ‘Lament of the Dokkebi (B+)’.]

[Lament of the Dokkebi (B+)]
The vengeful sigh of a dokkebi erupts into storms and lightning, bringing disasters in its wake.

• Type: Skill, Mana Control

• Mastery: 0%

• Origin: Folktale Curse of the Seven-Star Rock

For the first time since his days as a top-ranked hunter, Hyun’s main skill had transformed.

A glint of satisfaction crossed his eyes.

“So you dismantled the skill with the Golden Eyes, took only what you needed, and boosted efficiency?”

“Exactly. There’ll be countless myths to explore from now on. I can’t carry every single skill I come across.”

“Smart move, brat.”

Wukong chuckled.

“Me, I could master hundreds of arts without issue thanks to my natural genius. But you? Playing to your strengths, keeping only what’s useful—that’s the right path.”

It sounded more like bragging about himself than praising Hyun, but it was still true.

Sammei Divine Wind was powerful, yes—devastating enough to wipe out entire raid groups. But it wasn’t compatible with Hyun’s resistances, attributes, or skill build.

So he abandoned it.

Instead, he selectively extracted what would strengthen his main skill.

It was a bold, difficult plan—dismantling skills, then calculating what to keep and what to discard.

But Hyun had a simple guideline:

If it could be absorbed into the Dokkebi’s Sigh, like Lightning Strike had, it was worth it.

And Sammei Divine Wind fit that bill perfectly, offering utility like speed boosts or stealth enhancement.

“Or whipping up gales where your lightning falls. Yes, wise choice.”

“Thank you. Honestly, without the Golden Eyes, this wouldn’t have been possible.”

“Well, of course. I am amazing.”

Hyun flexed his fingers, itching to test his new skill in a dungeon.

Luckily, the chance came sooner than expected.

The café doors burst open.

Every head turned.

Men, women—all staring.

“Is that… a celebrity?”

“Are they filming something here?”

“You idiots! That’s Im Won-young! The ‘Mountain Tiger’!”

Striding in, perfectly dressed in a sharp suit and sunglasses, she looked like she’d stepped off a runway.

And following behind her was another striking woman with bronzed skin and sharp, intelligent eyes.

Something about her looked familiar.

“Kim Min-jung?”

“Senior? That’s really you?”

Min-jung’s eyes widened in shock at the sight of Hyun.

“Ah, right. Deputy Kim, you were just one class below Hunter Jang at the Academy. You must know him well.”

“A-ah… yes. Somewhat.”

While Min-jung trailed off awkwardly, Im Won-young took a seat across from Hyun.

“Sorry I’m late. You must’ve been waiting a while. Traffic’s awful on Fridays.”

“It’s fine. I just got here myself.”

Hyun looked away from Min-jung and met Won-young’s eyes.

“Just got here? Then why are there so many empty cake plates on the table?”

Hyun considered explaining about the “glutton” next to him, but then Won-young lowered her sunglasses and gave him a long once-over. He couldn’t help but laugh.

“But Hunter Jang… why do I sense mana from you?”

“I happened to regain it.”

“…!”

Hyun returned the Amulet of Protection she had once lent him, bowing slightly.

He had never changed his resolve—to repay White Burn and her many times over for their help.

Grace for grace. Grudge for grudge, returned tenfold.

That had always been Hyun’s first principle in life.

“So, if you’ll allow me… there’s something I’d like to ask of you, Team Leader.”

A flicker of interest flashed across Im Won-young’s eyes.