Just as Jake heard the commotion outside, his heart raced. He glanced at Ji-Hoon, who looked momentarily caught off guard, but then a grin spread across his face. "Guess I'm in trouble. Bye, for now, Ms. Joo-Hee," he said with a chuckle, releasing Jake's hands as he stepped away.
"That crazy bastard," Jake muttered under his breath, relief flooding over him as he sigh. At least I can breathe for a moment. It seems the heavens have yet to forsake me.
He turned to Kang Ho, who was shaking his head with an amused smile. Jake could see the laughter in his eyes. "I knew it. That bastard must have stolen that mana meter."
Jake shot a look at Kang Ho, his mind racing. You knew??? then why didn't you intervene much earlier? I almost became a criminal for goodness' sake.
He couldn't help but put on an act of innocence. "Really? Stole? So does that mean the warrant was fake?"
Jake let out a light laugh, adding a playful tone to his voice. "What a bummer. I wanted to check if I had reawakened."
Kang Ho laughed heartily, seemingly unfazed by Jake's subtle attempts to gauge the situation. "Well, I guess that's it. I need to go, though. Joo-Hee, you should also head back to your team. They might be worried about you."
Jake nodded, grateful for the distraction. "Right. I'll catch up with them. Thank you again for the sword, Mr. Kang."
With a deep breath, he gathered himself and headed back to the main area, where he could see the other teams lining up to sell their loot. Time to get the money~
As Jake turned to head back to his team, he was stopped by a hunter with a familiar face. "Ms. Lee? it seems you're doing okay now. I'm rather glad to see you returning to being a hunter."
Jake froze for a moment, trying to place the face. What now—wait, I know him. This guy looks familiar. I've seen him before in the manhwa. Realization struck him as he blurted out, "Woo Jin-Chul?"
Jin-Chul's eyes widened, a look of surprise flashing across his face. "Yes?"
Jake quickly composed himself, offering a polite smile. "It's nice to see you too, Mr. Woo. I didn't expect to run into you here." So this is Woo Jin-Chul. He was good-looking in the manhwa, but… Jake couldn't help but notice the receding hairline. Not to judge, but I guess the reality is rather... different?
Jin-Chul smiled with a hint of malice in his eyes. "I'm just here to get someone. Seems there's been some theft from the Association."
I see, Jake thought, catching on immediately. So he's after Han Ji-Hoon. Good luck, you bastard. He gave Jin-Chul a polite nod. "I see. I didn't know. Sorry for taking up your time, Mr. Woo. See you around."
As Jake walked away, he could feel Jin-Chul's gaze lingering.
Behind him, Jin-Chul watched her with narrowed eyes, a suspicion forming in his mind. I see, so it was all because of Joo-Hee that he stole that mana meter? What could she have done to catch that heretic's attention…
After looking for his team, Jake spotted them waiting by the entrance, waving at him. Relieved, he hurried over, eager to finally get his share of the payment.
Da-Sol grinned as he approached. "Took you quite a while. We were starting to think of running off with the money if you didn't show up!"
Eun-Bi and Min-Soo chuckled and nodded in agreement, while Jae-Sung, who had been quiet most of the time, suddenly spoke up, his eyes fixed on the sword strapped to Jake's side. "That sword…?"
Jake glanced down and smiled. "Oh, this? Mr. Kang gave it to me as a gift for healing that hunters earlier."
The team looked at him in surprise. It wasn't typical for hunters to dabble in multiple weapon types or techniques, so his words took them aback.
Da-Sol's jaw dropped slightly. "Unnie, you use a sword? are you planning to become an all-rounder??"
Jake laughed, scratching the back of his head. "No, no, I just practiced a bit. I thought it'd be handy in case a monster ever lunges at me up close."
Yoon-Ji, the archer, raised an eyebrow. "But, I didn't see you use it in the dungeon."
Jake shrugged sheepishly. "I'm still not very good with it, so I didn't want to risk using it yet," he said, a little embarrassed. He touched the back of his head.
They all laughed at his honesty, the tension easing as they chatted.
After a bit more chatting, Da-Sol handed Jake his share. "Here, unnie, we've already split ours. Just give me your bank QR code."
Jake scanned it, watching with satisfaction as 1.08 million won appeared in his account, bringing his balance to a nice 3 million won.
He grinned with stars in his eyes, thinking to himself, Finallyyy! Some money at last.
Da-Sol clapped her hands. "So, how about a little celebration?"
Before Jake could answer, Yoon-Ji and Jae-Sung both shook their heads. "Gonna have to pass," Jae-Sung said.
Jake also politely declined, to which Da-Sol gave him a dramatic pout. "You too, unnie?"
"Sorry," he said with a sheepish grin. "I actually already have plans tonight."
Eun-Bi leaned in with a teasing smile. "Oh! I see. Is it your boyfriend, Ms. Joo-Hee?"
Jake's eyes widened. "What? No! He's just my friend."
Eun-Bi raised an eyebrow, smirking. "He? Mmhmm, a boy who's a friend."
Jake could only roll his eyes, laughing it off. "Think whatever you want," he said, shaking his head as they all chuckled.
With that, they said their goodbyes, each heading their separate ways. Jake, meanwhile, was already thinking about the evening ahead. A long bath sounds perfect before meeting up with Jin-Woo.