Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Episode 17. You Think the Same Trick Will Work Twice?

Early Monday morning.

The public parking lot on the outskirts of the city was already packed with people.

Association vehicles, temporary tents, folding tables, and control barriers. Applicants for the public entry team stood in line, while the recovery team moved refrigerated boxes and plastic sacks. Equipment transport personnel, teams waiting to evacuate the injured, and even civilians who had come to watch were mixed together, making the scene look like a fairly controlled kind of chaos.

Kang Jinho stood on the outskirts of the crowd. He wore a black hoodie and a black mask, with an insulated bag slung over his shoulder.

He had looked suspicious when he checked himself in the mirror, and he looked even more suspicious here.

Fortunately, there were plenty of suspicious-looking people around. Among those gathered in front of the gate at dawn, people who looked normal were actually the minority.

Jinho glanced toward the registration desk and checked his phone screen again.

5:12 a.m.

Beside it, the timer for Today's Menu was counting down.

[Today's Menu: Braised Red-Mane Wolf Ribs]

[Recommended Ingredient Grade: E]

[Time Remaining: 18:47:17]

'Good. I've got plenty of time.'

Jinho opened his status window.

Name: Kang Jinho

Level: 4

Title: Novice Cook

Job: Dungeon Chef

Stats: Strength 22 Agility 7 Intelligence 8 Stamina 10

Special: Charge/Knockback Resistance 10

'I hope the next dish increases my Intelligence.'

Jinho muttered quietly. Wouldn't being a little smarter help him make better plans for the future?

Of course, the Intelligence stat did not actually represent how smart someone was.

He shook his head and checked the gate information displayed on the Association app again.

[Temporarily Opened Gate on the City Outskirts]

Eligible Entry Ranks: F–E

Primary Monster Types: Red-Mane Wolf / Gray-Mane Wolf

Entry Method: Public Entry Team

Entry Requirements: On-Site Registration Verification

'For now, I'll just enter with a yellow band again.'

He had considered getting a Hunter ID, but decided to put it off for now. After looking into it later, he learned that once a Hunter ID was issued, the information would immediately appear in the computerized system. Apparently, it was intended to prevent crimes committed by hunters.

That meant that even if no one else found out, his boss would know immediately. The other employees would find out too.

And that would mean goodbye to his double life.

'Well, I guess it's fine like this.'

Even without a Hunter ID, he only had to undergo an awakening-response verification and enter at the rear.

He had no intention of receiving a share of the loot anyway. What he needed was not mana stones or hides that appeared on the settlement sheet, but edible cuts of meat.

That was what he thought.

At least until he stood in front of the registration desk.

"Next. Hunter ID, please."

This employee also spoke without properly raising his head. Jinho answered as casually as possible.

"I'm here for on-site registration."

"Okay. Your Hunter ID, please."

"I don't have one yet. I was planning to get my awakening response verified and enter with a yellow band..."

The employee slowly raised his head.

"A yellow band?"

"Yes."

"That program's been suspended."

Jinho could not answer immediately.

"Pardon? Suspended?"

"You didn't know?"

The employee tapped the notice posted beside the registration desk with his finger.

[Entry Restrictions for Unregistered On-Site Verified Participants]

[Issuance of Temporary Verification Bands Suspended]

[Participation in Public Entry Teams Prohibited Without Verified Hunter Qualifications]

Only then did the words register.

"Since when?"

"Starting today. There have been too many accidents involving unregistered participants, so new instructions came down. There was another accident just last week. From now on, you can't enter without a Hunter ID. Get your Hunter ID and come back."

"If I register, can I enter today?"

"Today?"

The employee laughed incredulously.

"You have to go to Association headquarters, submit your application, undergo testing, get your paperwork processed, and have your card issued. If things go quickly, it'll be ready in a few days."

A few days.

Jinho looked at the timer at the edge of his vision.

[Time Remaining: 18:22:12]

He did not have that kind of time.

"Then is on-site verification completely unavailable?"

"Not for public entry teams. Next person."

The employee had already turned his attention away. Jinho stepped back from the registration desk.

His thoughts quickly cooled. The normal route was blocked.

In truth, the yellow-band program was one of many systems riddled with corruption.

It had been established to safely teach newcomers how to fight, but the fact that participants received no loot settlement, that their names did not need to be accurately recorded because they received no settlement, and various other issues had made it a constant subject of controversy.

Some people charged fees to send high-rank hunters into gates as "yellow bands" to boost other guilds' performance records. Others sent some of their guild members in as "yellow bands" to make it appear as though they had cleared dungeons with fewer people. There were also cases where several "high-rank yellow bands" were assigned to escort the children of influential figures entering dungeons, or where loot was concentrated in certain people's hands as a form of legal entertainment or bribery. Such abuses had become rampant.

Of course, there had been several attempts to reform the system. But those with power who had tasted its benefits were never going to leave it alone, so it had continued unchanged.

However, even that kind of power was bound to face a backlash over someone's death in a democratic society.

Because of the incident last week in which Jinho, who had been wearing a yellow band, supposedly died without even leaving proper identification records, public opinion had rapidly turned against the system, leading to its temporary abolition.

It was called a temporary abolition, but in reality, the only way to revive the system would be to require identity verification even for yellow-band participants. And there was little chance of a program nobody would care about passing under those conditions.

In any case, Jinho had no way of knowing that he had inadvertently contributed to the abolition of an entire system. He merely scratched his head.

'Should I just go back?'

But he soon shook his head.

'Since I've already come this far, let's look for another way.'

Jinho picked up his phone again. He closed and reopened the Association app, then tapped the gate information once more. Notices, on-site instructions, participation methods, recruitment of additional personnel.

His finger stopped.

'I'm sure I saw something.'

There had been something near the bottom when he checked the gate information earlier. A notice he had hurriedly scrolled past without reading properly.

He dragged the screen downward. A moment later, a small banner appeared again.

[Emergency Recruitment: Recovery Assistants for Temporarily Opened Gate on the City Outskirts]

- Recruitment Category: Noncombat Recovery Assistant

- Duties: Corpse Sorting, Disposal Byproduct Transport, Equipment Organization, Assistance with Injured Personnel Transport

- Eligibility: Awakening-Response Verified Applicants Preferred / Hunter ID Not Required

- Precautions: Combat Prohibited, Compliance with On-Site Control Personnel Mandatory

- Unauthorized Acquisition of Settlement Items Prohibited

- Non-Settlement Disposal Byproducts May Be Taken Out with Approval from the On-Site Supervisor

Jinho stared at the banner for a long time.

'Recovery assistant.'

Not a hunter. Not part of the public entry team. Certainly not combat personnel.

But he could enter the gate.

'This is it.'

Jinho immediately pressed the application button.

Agreement to safety notices, acknowledgment of liability in the event of an accident, confirmation of the prohibition on combat.

A long series of boxes appeared for him to check. He read through them one by one.

- Recovery assistants may not enter gates for the purpose of engaging in combat.

- Unauthorized engagement in combat, except in emergency rescue situations, is subject to disciplinary action.

- Unauthorized removal of settlement items may result in civil and criminal liability.

"Strict, aren't they?"

Jinho grumbled, but pressed the final confirmation button and looked at the temporary QR code that appeared on the screen.

[Temporarily Opened Gate on the City Outskirts]

[Temporary Entry Pass: Recovery Assistant]

[Registration Number: R-118]

[Valid Hours: Today, 05:30–11:30]

"Got it."

Jinho adjusted the strap of his insulated bag and headed toward the tent beside the registration desk. It was separate from the public entry team line. Refrigerated boxes and disposal sacks were piled up, and people wearing bloodstained gloves moved about busily.

"Where do I register as a recovery assistant?"

When he asked, a woman wearing a fluorescent vest held out her hand.

"Show me your QR code."

Jinho held out his phone. With a beep, the screen changed.

"R-118. You're a new assistant, right?"

"Yes."

"Do you have a Hunter ID?"

"No."

"Then stay in the rear at all times. Never go forward. If you see a monster, run away immediately, and only touch the corpses you're instructed to handle. If you're caught stealing mana stones or anything like that, you could be reported to the authorities."

"Yes."

"I'm serious."

"Yes."

The woman noticed Jinho's insulated bag and raised her eyebrows slightly.

"What's that for?"

"It's for keeping things cold. I was wondering if I might be allowed to take out non-settlement byproducts."

He had brought it in case he ended up in a situation where he could not use his inventory.

"You really came prepared for everything."

The woman laughed with a slightly incredulous expression before holding out a green plastic band.

"You can, as long as they aren't settlement items. But I don't know if there'll be anything worth taking. Sometimes even the hides are included in the settlement."

"Understood."

"And I'll say it one more time. No combat."

"Yes."

Jinho fastened the gray band around his wrist.

Combat prohibited.

For some reason, those words lingered in his ears.

'I'm not here to fight.'

That was what he told himself. The ingredients he needed just happened to be inside the gate.

A short while later, the recovery assistants began moving. Refrigerated boxes, disposal sacks, stretchers, and emergency kits went through the gate first. Jinho blended into the rear of the group.

The moment he passed through the barrier, a strange sensation swept through his stomach. It felt like motion sickness, as though his insides had been turned upside down once.

The next moment, his view opened up. He had arrived in a damp, gray forest.

Short trees grew in twisted shapes, and moss-covered stone pillars and collapsed stone walls were scattered throughout the area. Stagnant water among the wet soil and fallen leaves gave off a rotten smell.

'It's even damper than the Iron-Hoof Boar gate.'

Jinho swallowed quietly. But something about the smell was strange.

There was definitely a rotten odor. There was also the smell of blood. The smell of wet fur, and of water that had been stagnant for a long time.

But beneath those odors, there was another faint smell. It was strangely sticky.

'What is that?'

Jinho frowned for a moment.

At that moment, a field support hunter raised his voice from the front.

"Stay in formation!!"

He was a man carrying a long, spear-like weapon. An armband on his arm read "Association-Contracted Field Support."

He looked over the group and spoke.

"Today's objective is to reach the clearing in front of the wolf den deeper inside. Recover Gray-Mane Wolf corpses, and report immediately if you spot a Red-Mane Wolf. Do not push yourselves trying to kill Red-Mane Wolves. Recovery assistants will follow along at first, then begin working once the initial engagement has ended."

Someone raised a hand.

"If a Red-Mane Wolf appears, do we withdraw?"

"That depends on the situation. Our goal is to keep it occupied until reinforcements arrive. Don't get greedy for achievements. If you get injured, you're the only one who loses."

Quiet laughter passed through the group.

'But I need a Red-Mane Wolf to show up.'

It would be a problem if the ingredient for Today's Menu never appeared.

The public entry team began moving. Jinho followed the recovery assistants toward the rear waiting line.

The first engagement came sooner than expected.

They were passing through an area that resembled a collapsed ticket booth when the sound of claws scraping against the damp ground rang out.

"Six straight ahead!"

The leader of the combat team shouted.

Six Gray-Mane Wolves sprang out from between the ruined pillars.

Their elongated bodies reached a person's waist, and their fur gleamed with moisture. Their exposed teeth were sharp enough to tear a person apart in a single bite.

The hunters briefly spread out before quickly reforming their ranks. This public entry team was stronger than Jinho had expected.

A man wielding a sword blocked a wolf's foreleg, while a spear thrust in from behind. A short axe struck the back of its neck from the side.

The wolves quickly collapsed. One held out a little longer, but when three hunters surrounded it, it was eventually slammed to the ground.

"Recovery assistants, come in and clean up. Combat team, keep watch over the surroundings!"

Jinho cautiously moved forward with the other assistants. The corpses were still warm. Blood mixed with the water on the ground and spread in dark stains.

One of the recovery team workers gestured.

"Mana stones first. Just mark the fangs, and don't leave large cuts in the hides. Disposal byproducts go in these sacks."

Jinho watched from beside him. The work was simpler than he had expected.

'The ribs are thin.'

The Gray-Mane Wolves looked reasonably edible too, but they were not his target today.

"Hey, rookie. What are you doing?"

An employee asked. Jinho immediately grabbed a disposal sack.

"I'll carry this."

He carried a sack of byproducts removed from the Gray-Mane corpses toward the temporary recovery point. It was heavy, but manageable. Ever since his Strength had increased to 22, work like this had definitely become easier.

"Oh, you're pretty strong."

Someone muttered. Jinho pretended not to hear.

He was more concerned about the smell. The sticky odor he had noticed earlier seemed stronger around the corpses.

'Is that what wolves smell like?'

He had never smelled a wolf before, so how would he know?

He tried to dismiss it, but something about it continued to bother him.

The recovery team placed two of the remaining corpses into sacks and tied them shut after removing their mana stones. They were specimens whose hides had been damaged during combat.

The rest of the schedule was straightforward. The combat team would push ahead to the clearing in front of the wolf den, while the recovery assistants would remain here to process the corpses before moving according to further instructions.

"The combat team will enter Sector Two."

The spear-wielding man spoke.

"Recovery assistants, stay here. Do not proceed farther inside until the fighting is over."

Only then did Jinho notice his name tag.

'Field Support Hunter Yoon Gitae.'

He decided to remember the name for now.

Even after the combat team disappeared deeper inside, the people who remained were still busy. Some things had to be carried, others discarded.

A few people who had finished their tasks sat down on the ground to drink water, but they were in the minority.

"Rookie. Don't just stand there. Grab this side."

A recovery team employee spoke.

Jinho grabbed the sack's drawstring.

"Yes."

Together, they dragged the dead Gray-Mane Wolves into one place. The mana stones were placed separately in recovery pouches, while the fangs and hides were merely marked. The entrails and some of the torn muscle went into the disposal sacks.

Jinho silently helped with the work.

'At this rate, I don't think I could do this a second time.'

The smell kept bothering him.

'Do wolves really smell this bad?'

Just as it was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the uneasy feeling, one of the tied-up corpses twitched.

Jinho stopped walking.

"What's wrong?"

The recovery assistant beside him asked.

"Didn't that thing just move?"

"What did?"

"The corpse."

The man looked at the corpse. There was no movement. He laughed with an incredulous expression.

"Come on. How could something dead move? You must be nervous because it's your first time."

"I guess so."

Jinho answered that way. But his eyes never left the wolf's corpse.