Welcome to Dungeon Hotel Chapter 288

282. Mhm. It must have broken

 

Moon Seokpil, an employee of the Association, sat in the Hunter Awakening Assessment Room with tired eyes.

 

It was because he had been overwhelmed with submitting data to the League due to the world rankings being announced at the beginning of the year.

 

If the end of the year is the busiest time for an average office worker, then late autumn and the beginning of the year are the busiest times for the Hunter Association.

 

In late autumn, they’re busy sending data to the League for the world rankings announcement, and at the beginning of the year, they’re busy due to the domestic rankings announcement.

 

‘They said last year was a mess because of the changes in the domestic rankings…’

 

Moon Seokpil, with dark circles under his eyes, recalled last year.

 

It was late last year when a Hunter, said to be running a lodging business in Yeongchun-myeon, suddenly appeared as a top domestic ranker.

 

The name was Lee Junghyo.

 

Because of the flood of phone calls questioning whether her ranking was a mistake, Moon Seokpil—who had been in the analysis room instead of the measurement room—had to go over the program again and again.

 

But the result was the same.

 

‘An overwhelming first place.’

 

Is this possible?

 

‘A non-combat Hunter ranking first is unprecedented in other countries. Maybe it’s time we revise the program?’

 

He was tired, but more than that, he was honestly worried it might be a program error.

 

Awakening rank wasn’t something measured solely by quantifying stats or skills.

 

While it was a common belief within the association that skills mainly influenced the rank, that wasn’t entirely accurate.

 

What the program measured was a hunter’s “potential” as an indicator.

 

The first awakening measurement program was created by Louisa Villani, the wife of French hermeneutician Henri Villani.

 

His wife, an MIT engineering Ph.D. and a crafting-type Hunter, began developing the program using the runic characters interpreted by her husband. That program evolved and became the foundation for the measurement devices used today.

 

Since then, there have been many modifications, but the reliability of the measurement devices has continued to be trusted.

 

Other machines are more than capable of measuring stats and skills, but when it comes to determining awakening ranks and overall rankings, nothing matches the power of Louisa’s program.

 

But this time, it was different.

 

Lee Junghyo’s skills and stats couldn’t be measured properly due to device malfunctions, and every time she entered the machine, it would crash with an error.

 

There was a very high possibility that it was a measurement error.

 

She even mentioned a few of her skills herself, but, well… what was that supposed to mean?

 

Housekeeping.

 

Front desk…?

 

Are you kidding me?

 

‘Of course, I acknowledge that the dungeon hotel business has had a positive impact on the association’s image! But apart from that, isn’t it a separate issue to evaluate Hunter Lee Junghyo’s abilities as a Hunter?!’

 

When he raised a similar concern, the other team members looked at him with bright eyes and started spouting nonsense like, “Haven’t you followed the Yeongchun Hotel account?”, “You should try it, your mind will change”, “Start with the eels and then talk.” As a result, he was treated like a troublemaker who was unnecessarily causing problems.

 

However, as someone who had once worked as a combat-type Hunter in a guild, he couldn’t understand the complacency of this bureaucratic organization.

 

Just because someone’s popular, how does it make any sense to ignore problems with their ranking assessment?

 

Moon Seokpil remembered a Hunter from a small guild he used to work at—just like him, a C-rank non-combat type. But because he was good-looking, well-educated, and became the face of the company’s promotional office vlog channel, he skipped two ranks ahead of Seokpil in both position and salary.

 

When he first awakened, he had been thrilled, thinking that being a Hunter was a profession where one could be recognized purely for their abilities. But to think that even Hunters were affected by things like academic background or looks—that star quality mattered here, too.

 

‘It’s unfair.’

 

With a voice full of resentment, he shouted forcefully toward the Association President.

 

‘I will fix the program error! I met Dr. Louisa during my training period. I sent her an email, and I got a reply. If you give me a month, by next year’s re-measurement…’

 

He thought that saying this wouldn’t work. 

 

The association president was someone who pushed the “Dungeon Hotel Notification Department” harder than anyone else.

 

Moreover, he had been quite close to Lee Junghyo for some time, and there were rumors that the watch he had been wearing lately, almost like a tattoo, was a gift from her.

 

Some say that she was his niece.

 

So, if his rightful demands weren’t accepted this time, he had already made up his mind to submit his resignation and came here with that intention.

 

What was the biggest reason for switching from a private company to the association?

 

The Hunter Association, at least the one led by Kim Junsoo for 15 years, was said to be fairer than any other organization.

 

‘Mhm. Try it.’

 

…?

 

Despite his solemn mindset, his response came quickly and concisely.

 

‘Yes?’

 

‘Go ahead. You said you wanted to.’

 

Kim Junsoo was grinning widely as he moved his avatar in the metaverse.

 

‘If you need to, you can go meet the doctor. I’ll get you a ticket.’

 

Even with a smile, his face was full of confidence as he casually handed over his personal card.

 

Feeling as though he had been caught in a trap, Moon Seokpil made a subtle expression as he grasped the edge of the card. Kim Junsoo smiled slyly and said,

 

‘What the…’

 

‘Yes?’

 

‘Wasn’t our hotel CEO ranked 9th in the world last year?’

 

‘…Yes, maybe.’

 

Honestly, he doesn’t really remember.

 

He doesn’t want to know either.

 

‘Who was number one?’

 

‘Rita Piper from the U.S. She’s a mage.’

 

She was internationally renowned, being a combat-type Hunter with a wide range of magical skills at her command.

 

‘Then how about we take this opportunity to invite her too and do a comparative measurement?’

 

For some reason, while firmly gripping the edge of the card, Kim Junsoo rested his chin on his other hand and grinned foolishly.

 

Why do you keep laughing?

 

When he smiled, he looked like an innocent elementary school kid with a clueless expression, but in reality, there was a high chance he had some elaborate scheme brewing behind it.

 

It was always like that. On the surface, Kim Junsoo pretended not to know anything, acted all bright and clueless—but behind the scenes, he was the one pulling all the strings with a plan already in place.

 

Well, with schemes of that caliber, it’s no wonder he holds a position commanding all of South Korea’s hunters.

 

‘Call some reporters too.’

 

‘Reporters too?’

 

Wasn’t it just a few months ago that you were worried about Hunter Lee Junghyo’s safety and told us not to let her name get too much attention in the media?

 

But now, why…

 

‘Just… I feel like there are some people like Researcher Moon around, you know?’

 

‘….’

 

‘I think it’s better to solve it all in one go.’

 

Kim Junsoo’s eyes sparkled.

 

‘Ah, it’s because there are many people with suspicions!’

 

But the somewhat clueless Researcher Moon responded with a bright smile.

 

Kim Junsoo muttered to himself, “People are kind,” as he watched it, but it didn’t really reach Moon Seokpil’s ears.

 

A month later, the day of the final battle arrived.

 

Moon Seokpil sat inside the examination room with dark circles under his eyes.

 

Moon Seokpil wasn’t the only one sitting behind this glass that couldn’t be seen from the outside. Louisa Villani was observing the examination from next to him.

 

On the other side of the glass sat a female Hunter with short light blonde hair and funky makeup, Rita Piper.

 

And then… Lee Junghyo, wearing a plain sweatshirt. 

 

“Then let’s begin.”

 

The voice of the researcher explaining inside could be heard, stating that this special device, created for more detailed investigation, has almost no margin of error.

 

Hearing that, Lee Junghyo quietly raised her hand.

 

What is this?

 

Moon Seokpil felt a little nervous for some reason.

 

Anyway, since she was practically the one who organized this test, Lee Junghyo felt it would be tiring if she delayed things by raising objections.

 

“How long does it take?”

 

“The measurement time itself is 10 minutes. The results will be available 8 hours later.”

 

“Do I have to see the results too?”

 

Do I have to see the results too?

 

Moon Seokpil stared blankly into Lee Junghyo’s dark eyes for a moment, unable to understand the sentence.

 

Does she not know that they’re going to reannounce the rankings based on the results of this test, even with the federation sending people for it, all over the world’s number one ranking?

 

“N, no. That’s not it, but—”

 

The researcher, looking troubled, stared at the glass on the other side where nothing could be seen.

 

In fact, it’s not necessary to look at the test results together.

 

“You can go first.”

 

Moon Seokpil turned on the microphone and spoke so that it could be heard inside the test room.

 

Then Lee Junghyo’s face brightened noticeably.

 

“I’m self-employed, you see. I have an interview for a pastry chef position in Seoul this evening…”

 

Throughout the preparation for the test, it was hard to tell what was on her mind, but as a faint smile spread across her face, a small part of Moon Seokpil’s heart fluttered slightly.

 

“Thank you so much.”

 

‘Wh, why are you thanking me? I, I called you here because I was suspicious of you…!’

 

Moon Seokpil unknowingly became flustered. So, without realizing it, he turned on the microphone and said this.

 

“I’m more…… grateful.”

 

It was the dignity of the title ‘Heart Sniper.’

 

“Okay, let’s begin.”

 

In any case, the examination began, and the results came out much earlier than what had been told to Junghyo—about an hour later.

 

“Her skills and class are still unidentified, but her stats and rank have shown up.”

 

The researcher, who had been looking at the test result graph, spoke in a trembling voice.

 

“I’ve never seen numbers like these before. And the rank… it’s not even S-class…”

 

In the quiet analysis room, the only sound was Moon Seokpil swallowing hard.

 

“EX rank. It’s an exceptional case.”

 

“….!”

 

* * *

 

At that moment, in the association president’s office.

 

Association President Kim Junsoo, along with Han Woohyun, was drinking coffee with Junghyo.

 

The coffee was an iced Americano from the hotel’s To-go service.

 

“As expected, the coffee from Yeongchun Hotel is the best.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

“Can I buy a few drinks for the reporters?”

 

“Of course.”

 

If the ranking is going to be announced anyway, it’s better to take the hit first and get hit with the stick you want.

 

Junghyo had pulled forward the rank test, which was originally scheduled for the fall, with that thought in mind. Researcher Moon Seokpil likely believed it was a re-examination due to the suspicions raised.

 

‘Somewhat… I’m afraid of the aftermath.’

 

The world rankings might go up.

 

Junghyo, lost in thought, tilted her head at the loud thud echoing through the hallway, then glanced at Han Woohyun beside her.

 

“Is it just me who heard it?”

 

Han Woohyun shook his head. It meant no.

 

“You said this is the analysis room right next to here? What do you think broke there?”

 

“Yeah. It must have broken. Our researcher’s head.”

 

Kim Junsoo answered with a light smile.

 

It was a smile that seemed somehow pleased.