TOP 16

Chapter 16 – The Second Authority

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From that point on, everything progressed quickly.

Ji Hyun-woong skimmed through the materials I had brought, and the moment he realized they were decisive, he expressed his desire to sign a contract with me.

Naturally, most of my conditions were accepted.

A short three-month contract period, a hefty signing bonus and salary, the right to refuse overtime, and so on.

They were conditions I couldn’t help but be satisfied with.

“Let’s work well together for the time being. I’m Ji Hyun-woong.”

“I’m Kim Yoo-jin.”

And so, although it would only be for a short time, we ended up in the same boat.

“Oh, by the way, would it be possible to get the signing bonus in goods instead of cash?”

“In goods? Do you have something in mind?”

Money here was just… money.

What really mattered was how it could be turned into better specs, but in this place—unlike in Seoul—it wasn’t easy to find decent equipment.

If possible, I thought it would be better to get the item directly.

So, I requested a piece of gear I’d been wanting for a while.

“A spatial ring.”

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I fiddled with the ring on my left hand and muttered,

“Not bad. You can barely feel it.”

The spatial ring I received from Ji Hyun-woong was a pretty decent piece.

The internal space wasn’t especially large, but the band was so thin that it was almost unnoticeable.

It didn’t interfere with gripping a sword at all.

At that moment, Prill tilted her head and asked,

【Yoo-jin.】

“Yeah?”

【Was there a reason you specifically asked for that? Wouldn’t armor have been better…?】

She was questioning why I prioritized utility over direct combat ability.

I kindly explained,

“My weapon is good enough with the Everfrost Sword.”

【That’s true!】

“I did think about armor… but the ones here all feel uncomfortable to wear.”

I had briefly considered asking for armor instead, but unfortunately, none of the gear the Hyun-woong faction possessed could both provide protection and allow unrestricted movement.

Since I wasn’t willing to accept penalties just for the sake of more defense, I decided to prioritize utility instead.

And there was one more decisive reason.

“Besides, the Everfrost Sword stands out too much.”

The Everfrost Sword was a blade made of ice.

Its appearance alone was extraordinary.

If I didn’t want to constantly draw attention, the spatial ring was one of the most essential items for me.

【Ah, I see.】

Prill nodded in understanding.

As we chatted idly, we arrived at our destination.

“This is the place.”

We had arrived at the Hunter Team 3 lounge of the Hyun-woong faction.

This was where the team members I would be staying with for the time being were.

Knock knock.

I lightly knocked before entering, and a few hunters greeted me.

“Who are you?”

“Huh!?”

And among them, one person reacted far more enthusiastically than the rest.

“Hunter!!!”

It was the youngest of the Hyun-woong faction—
a 1-star hunter whose life I had saved during the dungeon break.

“Thank you for earlier!”

“It’s nothing. More importantly, are you okay? No trauma or anything?”

“Thanks to you, I’m perfectly fine!”

He looked up at me with bright, sparkling eyes.

…It was a bit overwhelming.

“Oh! By the way, what brings you here, Hunter?”

“I’m starting as the vice-captain of Team 3 today. Just came to meet the people I’ll be working with.”

Even if it was only a three-month temporary position, since I was joining the Hyun-woong faction, I naturally needed a title.

I was too capable to be just a regular member, but too inexperienced to be a full captain.

That’s why I was given the title of “vice-captain.”

‘Besides, it’s really just in name—practically speaking, I’m acting captain.’

The best part was the actual authority I’d have.

Team 3’s captain was currently absent.

They said he was seriously ill?

Apparently, he couldn’t even participate in the recent dungeon break defense, so my role was essentially that of captain.

“Wow! Welcome, Vice-captain!”

The youngest clapped with a bright smile.

“It’s a bit sudden, but I look forward to working with you.”

“Likewise!”

The other members didn’t seem particularly dissatisfied either.

Sure, an outsider suddenly taking the vice-captain position could have caused friction, but I was someone who had already proven my worth.

Everyone had seen my ability during the dungeon break.

‘Besides, it’s only for three months.’

Even if anyone had complaints, it didn’t matter.

We just had to get along for that long.

“Oh? Vice-captain, will you be joining us for the dungeon tomorrow?”

“That’s the plan.”

“Ooh!”

“Ah, what a relief.”

Their reaction was positive.

‘Of course it would be.’

Most of the hunters here were 2-star, and the youngest was a 1-star.

The dungeon we were scheduled to enter tomorrow had monsters around the 2–3-star range.

Without the absent captain, it would be risky for them to go alone.

The hunters breathed a sigh of relief.

“I thought we’d be going alone and freaked out.”

“Come on, that’d be suicide.”

Hunting 3-star monsters without a 3-star hunter was madness.

No one would give such an order unless they wanted you dead.

Seeing the team’s brightened mood, I thought,

‘This isn’t so bad.’

Originally, after signing the contract, I planned to rest for a few days while doing some personal training.

Especially working on my aura and swordsmanship.

But at Ji Hyun-woong’s earnest request due to manpower shortage, I had agreed to the dungeon trip—and now that I was here, it didn’t seem so bad.

The team atmosphere was good, and they were welcoming of me.

‘In the Steel faction, I was just a porter… now I’m vice-captain here.’

It was modest, but I had still taken a step forward.

Even if things weren’t going exactly according to plan, this was just a different path, not the wrong one.

‘Besides, I do need real combat experience.’

Frankly, if it wouldn’t help my growth, I wouldn’t have agreed to the dungeon at all.

What mattered most to me right now was getting stronger.

And…

‘Entering a dungeon will definitely help with that.’

What I lacked wasn’t just training, but also real combat.

For now, I planned to use the Hyun-woong faction as a stepping stone for growth.

In that sense…

“Is that equipment over there unused?”

I pointed to a device in the corner of the lounge.

“You want to use it?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll turn it on for you!”

The device in question was—

Whirr— Whirr— Drrrrrrr—

“Oooh… this is nice…”

【Me too! I want to try!】

‘You can’t. It’s not built for your body type.’

【Aww.】

—a massage chair.

I thought to myself,

Rest is also essential for growth.

The Hyun-woong faction had excellent employee benefits.

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The next day.

Team 3 of the Hyun-woong faction gathered in front of a gate.

It was the dungeon-type gate we would be tackling today.

“Everyone here?”

“Yes, Vice-captain!”

There were six of us in total.

Me as vice-captain, three 2-star hunters, one 1-star hunter, and one porter.

Seeing the porter, I felt oddly nostalgic.

‘Not long ago, that was me…’

Of course, there was a difference.

The porters of the Hyun-woong faction were treated far better than in the Steel faction.

At least here, you got basic human respect.

‘Damn Steel faction scum.’

Memories of that bad blood made me frown.

But I quickly shook it off.

They’d be destroyed soon enough.

‘Because I’ll make sure of it.’

Until then, all I had to do was get stronger.

Everything else, Ji Hyun-woong would handle.

‘Really did find myself a good temporary base.’

Nodding to myself, I proceeded with the final checks alongside the team.

“You’ve all got your gear and supplies, right? Nothing forgotten?”

“Yes!”

“Good. Then let’s move in—”

“Wait!”

“?”

That was when a blond man with a full-body tan suddenly appeared.

‘Who’s this punk?’

The answer came quickly.

“Captain Geum!?”

“Weren’t you on sick leave?”

Apparently, this was the missing captain of Team 3.

Why was he here? Well…

Maybe he sensed his position was at risk.

“I heard there was a new vice-captain, so I came to check. Out of concern!”

“…It’s fine. Don’t worry about us, Captain, and just focus on your—”

“Shut it! I’ve got something to say to the vice-captain.”

“….”

Silencing one of the members, he turned to glare at me.

“You’re the parachute who just joined?”

And he immediately started picking a fight.

‘Oh, great.’

He clearly thought I wouldn’t dare talk back.

And to be fair, he wasn’t entirely wrong.

I had indeed been parachuted in, and he had been the acting captain until now.

On paper, he was my superior.

Maybe that’s why—

“Yeah. So?”

“W-What…!?”

He clearly hadn’t expected that response.

“Do you even know who I am!? I’m the captain. Captain!”

“I know. I’m not that oblivious.”

“Y-You little…!”

The so-called captain was fuming.

But apparently, he didn’t have much to say.

“If you’ve got no business here, leave. We’ve got a dungeon to clear.”

I calmly told him to get lost.

The ones most surprised were the other members—and Prill.

“Gasp!”

“Whoa…”

The members sucked in a breath, and Prill asked me in a worried tone,

【Uh… Yoo-jin. You okay?】

‘Of course I am.’

I hadn’t done this without thinking.

I had calculated that I could handle the consequences.

First, the members clearly didn’t like him.

That alone told me he wasn’t a well-liked captain.

On top of that, he’d skipped the dungeon break defense yesterday.

The reason? “Not feeling well.”

Looking at him now, he seemed perfectly fine.

He’d basically faked illness to skip one of the most important fights.

Honestly, it was disappointing that the Hyun-woong faction even had someone like this.

‘Well, this is still the real world—there’s no way everyone’s decent.’

Probably the only reason he kept his spot was because he was a 3-star hunter.

With Hyun-woong faction’s shortage of firepower, Ji Hyun-woong couldn’t just toss him aside.

And most importantly—

‘I heard all this directly from Ji Hyun-woong.’

Which meant the guild master definitely wasn’t on his side.

That assurance kept me from being dragged along by this punk.

“You know what? Forget it. I’ll lead the dungeon raid today!”

“People on sick leave should stay out. File an official return report first.”

“…You little…!”

Finally, he actually started to raise his fist.

In response, I stomped the ground in front of him with a burst of mana.

Boom—!

“….”

The guy was struck speechless.

I looked him dead in the eye and said,

“Officially, I’m the one in command for today’s raid—because some wannabe captain called in sick.”

“….”

“Move out.”

In the now-tense atmosphere, our team entered the dungeon.

A lush tropical jungle spread out before us.

‘Looks like he didn’t follow us in.’

Good. At least he wasn’t going to pick a fight inside the dungeon.

The youngest came up to me, looking worried.

“Um… Vice-captain, are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine. I’ll take responsibility for everything, so just focus on the raid.”

“…Understood.”

I reassured him.

And then—

“Man, screw that guy. What can he even do?”

“I never liked him anyway!”

“Vice-captain, why don’t you just replace him and be captain?”

For some reason, the team was on my side.

I couldn’t help but smile.

“Alright, let’s just focus on the raid for now. We can think about the captain issue later.”

“Got it!”

I made sure to calm them down.

After all, this was a dungeon.

A place where monsters could jump out at any time.

And then—

【Uh… Yoo-jin!】

‘What is it?’

Prill spoke with a serious expression.

【This place… feels strange.】

‘The dungeon?’

【Yeah.】

The dungeon felt strange?

Immediately, my guard went up.

Unexpected problems could arise at any moment.

If Prill thought it was strange, it might be something serious.

‘Tell me exactly. What’s strange about it?’

【Well…】

After a long pause, she finally said something important.

【I think there’s another dragon’s Authority here.】

“…”

I blinked, then let my tension go.

“…Prill.”

【Yeah!】

“Could you… not say things like that in such a serious tone?”

【Hehe.】

It was good news—a hidden piece discovery.