Levelling Up In An Exclusive Dungeon

Chapter 26

Upon receiving a call from the Association, detective Jo Kyung-yeon arrived at the scene just after the firefighters had extinguished the blaze.

Seeing the first floor completely charred, he began to understand why he had been summoned.

“That was the work of a Hunter, huh?”

His junior, who had followed him, quickly pulled out a notepad to check the reported details.

“Yes, it’s stated that a masked Hunter used a skill inside the department store around 11:34.”

“What skill was it?”

“‘Flame Storm.’”

“Is he insane? Using that indoors?”

Jo Kyung-yeon was affiliated with a special department responsible for incidents involving Hunters, thus well-versed in the common skills used by them.

He could immediately recall the effects and destructive power of any skill merely by its name.

“What’s the damage situation?”

“As you can see, the scene is practically total devastation. There are 25 injuries and 7 fatalities.”

“Damn. He sure took a lot of companions with him.”

Jo Kyung-yeon retrieved an electronic cigarette from his front pocket and took a long puff.

His junior looked on, fascinated, as if witnessing something extraordinary.

“Hyung, when did you switch to an e-cig?”

“Well, I’m getting older. I have to take care of my health.”

“Why not quit smoking altogether? I heard e-cigs are just as harmful.”

“Come on. Are you telling me to keep doing this without any nicotine?”

Due to the nature of their department, Jo Kyung-yeon was always arriving at scenes of tragedy.

Having to confront corpses on a near-daily basis, he might snap if he didn’t at least rely on nicotine to manage the stress.

“Enough with the chit-chat. Where’s the person who reported it?”

“They said he’s behind the fire truck.”

“So which fire truck?”

“Um… well…”

His junior hadn’t heard the details well, so he began scanning the area cluttered with fire trucks.

As he rolled his eyes around, he finally spotted a person matching the description of the reporter.

“Over there! Behind that left fire truck!”

“Never seen that guy before… Did he catch that lunatic who did this?”

“Yes. He turned him into a complete mess.”

When his junior showed Jo Kyung-yeon the photo he had saved on his smartphone, Jo furrowed his brow.

Seeing a headless corpse in broad daylight would elicit such a reaction, quite understandably.

“Why do you keep those ghastly pictures?”

“Is it not acceptable?”

“Well, I guess it’s okay as long as it doesn’t leak outside…”

Most civilians would hesitate to save such morbid images on their personal phones.

But this audacious junior proudly boasted about meticulously saving every single scene he had encountered without fail.

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From the very first day on the job, he had followed around without even throwing up, indicating that this might indeed be his true calling.

“A Flame Storm is quite a high-level skill. It must be tough to counter for anyone less than proficient.”

This meant the assailant was at least a B-rank magician.

To burst a Hunter’s head in a single strike required considerable stats, clearly out of reach for a C-rank or lower.

“Well, there are witnesses, so it shouldn’t be a lie.”

“That’s true. Unless they’re mentally unstable, they wouldn’t confess to killing someone.”

During his time working in this field, Jo Kyung-yeon had encountered plenty of mentally unbalanced people.

However, the reporter didn’t appear to hold such a distinct “crazy” demeanor.

Aside from looking a bit pale, he seemed like an ordinary young man.

“What was the name of that guy again?”

“What? You don’t remember that?”

“Hey, do you think I just got off another case? I’m allowed to not remember sometimes!”

After Jo Kyung-yeon playfully smacked his junior’s head, the latter winced and cupped it.

“Hey! That’s a bit much!”

“Quit being a brat.”

“The reporter’s name is Kang Jin-hyuk. He recently rose to C-rank.”

“Kang Jin-hyuk?”

The name struck a familiar chord.

Jo Kyung-yeon began to ruminate over the recent news he had come across online.

“Isn’t he the guy who caught that new breed of monster?”

“Is he the one who emerged during that large incursion the Titan guild underwent?”

“Yeah, that’s him.”

Among the newly discovered monsters in recent times, it was widely acknowledged that this newcomer posed a significant threat, provoking considerable discussion in their community.

“But rumor has it that it wasn’t such a big deal.”

“Right. They said it was just an ordinary monster.”

“Right, or so they say. But did an A-rank hunter’s team sustain serious injuries fighting a ‘mere’ C-rank? I don’t think that adds up.”

If it was as inconsequential as claimed, the infamous Titan wouldn’t have sent out a plea for help.

The people belittling Kang Jin-hyuk’s accomplishments were merely jealous of the attention a C-rank was receiving.

Professionals anticipated that Kang Jin-hyuk possessed hidden potential, not merely a weak monster.

Jo Kyung-yeon was one of those individuals.

It felt quite peculiarly fascinating to meet a person he had only read about online like this.

“Let’s head over and get his side of the story.”

Standing idly by after observing the crime scene, Kang Jin-hyuk noticed two detectives approach him.

Upon locking eyes with them, Jo Kyung-yeon presented his badge.

“Are you Kang Jin-hyuk?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

Facing the detectives made Kang Jin-hyuk’s demeanor stiffen, as he felt a sense of responsibility weighing on him.

Not being able to hold his head high was a result of feeling somewhat guilty about what had transpired.

Jo Kyung-yeon believed Kang Jin-hyuk’s disposition stemmed from his distress regarding having taken a life.

To ease him, he decided to speak.

“What you did was self-defense. You don’t need to be so frightened.”

“Self-defense? But I killed someone.”

Kang Jin-hyuk’s concerns were completely valid.

Whether it be a villain or not, killing someone would still be viewed as a personal vendetta.

In principle, justifying self-defense would require a court ruling.

However, this incident would be treated as an exception.

“If you can keep one detail to yourself, you won’t have to make it to trial.”

“Is that true?”

“Of course. We’ve got clear evidence.”

“Clear evidence?”

Kang Jin-hyuk couldn’t make sense of what the detective was implying.

What could possibly constitute clear evidence to dismiss the incident without trial?

To clarify, Jo Kyung-yeon threw a question back at Kang Jin-hyuk.

“You killed a person, yet you were never dubbed as ‘evil’ in essence, right?”

“Uh, how did you know that…?”

Jo Kyung-yeon revealed a knowing smile.

“It’s a widely recognized secret among our department. When self-defense occurs, the term ‘evil’ isn’t applied.”

Kang Jin-hyuk’s expression reflected confusion.

He had assumed he was the only person endowed with that knowledge.

“So, you mean for me to keep this a secret?”

“Correct. If word spreads, it will become quite a hassle.”

When murder transpires, an automatic title of ‘Evil’ is assigned by default.

This served as a sort of restraint for Hunters.

If any few Hunters began assuming roles as vigilantes, that would lead to chaos.

The government and the Association wanted Hunters focused solely on monster extermination.

They didn’t wish for heroes, as seen in movies.

“I see…”

Kang Jin-hyuk nodded in understanding as Jo Kyung-yeon explained.

The Association sought stability since the inception of Monsters and Hunters.

They had put in immense effort to control Hunters aiming to wreak havoc after their emergence.

The last thing they wanted was a return to more chaotic times.

Regardless of the motivations driving good or evil actions, overstepping their bounds would spark unrest.

“I’ll be sure to keep it to myself.”

“While I want to believe you, it’s a pretty significant matter.”

Verbal promises held little weight.

Jo Kyung-yeon followed protocol and handed Kang Jin-hyuk a small brooch-shaped device.

“From now on, keep this on you.”

“What’s this?”

“In layman’s terms, it’s a tracking device. If you ever let slip one of the three taboo words, it will send a signal to us.”

“Taboo words?”

“Right. ‘Murder,’ ‘Evil,’ ‘Self-defense.’ If you forget them, we’ll be searching for you often.”

Though Kang Jin-hyuk accepted the device, he struggled to comprehend the rationale behind such policy.

Even should they filter out these words, it could easily be communicated through writing.

No matter how he pondered, it felt like the government was operating inadequately.

“So, if I receive this, can I go home?”

Curious whether there were any further conditions, he received a positive response instead.

“Of course. You’ve just gone through a significant shock. I recommend you take it easy for now.”

Jo Kyung-yeon did not mention that the device had a functionality to filter conversations and words.

Typically, Hunters assumed such capabilities weren’t technically feasible, thereby being caught off guard.

Provided Kang Jin-hyuk didn’t disclose anything, he would be considered a trustworthy individual and the device would be reclaimed within a year.

If he attempted to convey these matters via writing, the level of monitoring would only escalate, resulting in much larger constraints on his life.

Although Jo Kyung-yeon intentionally kept this condition obscured, Kang Jin-hyuk had no idea he had vaguely picked up something amiss.

‘There’s no way the government and the Association would do such careless work.’

If those in authority began slacking off, it would typically signal their rivals possessing considerable funds or connections.

Whenever they dealt with an ordinary person like Kang Jin-hyuk, they remained meticulous and cautious. They wouldn’t let matters slip through their fingers.

‘Perhaps I should ask that dwarf uncle about this later.’

Although uncertain whether the dwarf could fix up human-made devices, it wouldn’t hurt to ask.

“Could I ask one last thing before I go?”

“Of course. What concerns you?”

“…When a Hunter kills in self-defense, does anything else happen other than the absence of the evil title?”

“Why do you ask that?”

“This is my first experience, and I’m just a bit curious.”

Jo Kyung-yeon instantly sensed that Kang Jin-hyuk had something to hide.

Yet, he refrained from prying further.

It was known for Hunters to hold at least one or two secrets.

Jo Kyung-yeon ultimately decided that Kang Jin-hyuk didn’t appear to be the type capable of committing crime, so he dropped the inquiry.

“Other than what I mentioned, I haven’t heard of any other phenomena.”

“Ah, okay. Thanks for letting me know.”

Kang Jin-hyuk bowed his head in gratitude before hastily departing from the scene.

His swift exit appeared akin to someone attempting to flee, casting suspicion in Jo Kyung-yeon’s junior.

“Something feels off about him, don’t you think?”

“If you feel that way, it must be nothing out of the ordinary.”

“Hey, am I being too harsh with my judgment here?”

“Well, prove your worth as a detective by building your performance. Let’s not jump to conclusions.”

Jo Kyung-yeon had completed his investigation into Kang Jin-hyuk, therefore turning his attention to the aftermath of the incident.

His junior started babbling on about having “sensed the scent of crime,” wondering if Kang Jin-hyuk staged this whole performance.

While Jo Kyung-yeon harbored some instinctive wariness towards Kang Jin-hyuk, it was not the scent of foul play.

His experiences indicated that victims of such violence acted overtly different from what his junior was perceiving.

Nevertheless, he kept his thoughts to himself.

His investigations revealed Kang Jin-hyuk might have obtained a Hidden Class or Hidden Skill.

When he returned home, the first thing Kang Jin-hyuk did was check for notifications regarding his newfound abilities.