It was clear to Yoon Seo as well that Kwon Jihan had an aggressive personality. His trait was even "Predator," and he was blessed by the guardian god "God of Destruction," making him the type to walk into blood-soaked battles of his own volition. Traits were generally determined by personality. That fierce-eyed young guy might dry up and wither out of boredom if dungeons and monsters disappeared from the world.
And most importantly, Kwon Jihan leveled up. To allow a hunter with no growth limit to gain experience points, Seokyoung would do whatever it took.
'I have to keep my identity hidden.'
Yoon Seo made up his mind.
"This dungeon is probably part of the search for Seo Chaeyoon too. You don't know what might happen, so be careful."
"If I had known that, I should've broken my leg to drop out of the team."
"Hey, whoa. Don't say such scary things. You're still under a abnormal status, aren't you? How much time is left?"
Yoon Seo glanced at the bottom of the system window.
[Abnormal Status: Resistance to Healing
Remaining Time: 788,201 hours 57 minutes 04 seconds]
"It's almost over."
"What? Seriously?"
"Just 90 more years."
"Oh, geez…."
Tae Jaesik let out a deep sigh.
When Yoon Seo first got this abnormal status in the Great Dungeon, he thought it simply gave him resistance to healing skills. But after potions were developed and he realized even those didn't work, he figured out that the "healing" mentioned referred to all healing systems based on the Gaia system. Potions were just plain water to Yoon Seo, and only drugs made from earthly materials and humanity's medical technology could treat him. In this era where even non-awakened individuals with a trace of magic could regenerate severed limbs with potions and healing skills, Yoon Seo alone had become like a glasswork body. Though not ordinary glass, more like bulletproof glass.
Tae Jaesik, upon learning of Yoon Seo's abnormal status, looked as though the world had collapsed and tried hard to console him. Back then, Yoon Seo had said it wasn't something to be consoled over.
'Don't heal me. Use your healing skill on Seo Chaeyoon!'
'Spend your mana on Seo Chaeyoon. Seo Chaeyoon is our only hope.'
'Save Seo Chaeyoon. I'll be fine!'
It was a resistance acquired as a result of monopolizing the healers' healing skills at the cost of other Revengers' chances of survival. Those who could've lived but sacrificed themselves, those who abandoned other injured people and used skills only on Yoon Seo, all of them failed to escape the Great Dungeon. How could the sole survivor accept comfort?
It was an abnormal status that deserved gratitude.
"A guy who's immune to healing skills shouldn't go around thinking about breaking bones. Just quietly finish the dungeon. Go in, keep your presence as low as possible, and come back."
"Easier said than done."
"If possible, make yourself look scared too."
Yoon Seo rubbed his forehead.
[The area has been cleared. Remaining time: 01:01]
"I'll get going for now. Once I leave, remove the bugs and call in the other candidates one by one for a quick talk."
"Why? I need to hurry home to play with my bunny-like daughter."
"If I meet you alone, people will get suspicious. it's quitting time for everyone now, so call them quickly."
"Fine, I got it."
Yoon Seo nodded.
As soon as he stepped out of the office door, a chill ran through him, and he crossed his arms. Maybe it was because his conversation with Tae Jaesik had only amplified his anxiety that he was left feeling so uneasy.
Walking down the cold, quiet hallway, Yoon Seo fished around in his pocket. His fingers landed on a medicine bottle. Still unaccustomed to his inventory, he had resorted to carrying physical items. He poured the pills into his mouth and swallowed them. While waiting for the elevator, he pondered.
He wasn't entirely sure if the reason for finding Seo Chaeyoon was truly to make him fight Kwon Jihan, but the fact that he was a candidate meant that Seokyoung's tracking skills were far from ordinary.
Or maybe I've been too careless…
He reflected on the past when he had recklessly upgraded the shield trap performance.
'Wait. So, is Seokyoung Guild Master rating Hwashim and Kim Jinhae highly as Seo Chaeyoon candidates?'
He thought he could use that fact to wiggle out of the situation. Yoon Seo was racking his brain, searching for an escape route.
***
"...."
After Yoon Seo disappeared into the elevator, a figure gradually revealed itself in the once-empty hallway.
The man, who had been hiding so well even Yoon Seo didn't notice him, was none other than Kwon Jihan.
"Hyung, you saw that, right?"
– …Yeah. I saw it.
Kwon Jihan grinned mischievously as he spoke toward the U-Pad, and Yoo Juncheol replied in a low voice from the other side.
Seo Chaeyoon was close to Tae Jaesik, and Tae Jaesik knew who Seo Chaeyoon was. Yoo Juncheol had predicted that if Seo Chaeyoon was among the candidates, he would definitely come to meet Tae Jaesik. The 82nd floor was Tae Jaesik's territory, so there were no surveillance cameras installed there, and his office was protected by a triple S-grade shield, making it impossible to eavesdrop from the outside. While they had installed wiretapping devices, the chances of Tae Jaesik detecting them were high, so someone had to monitor in person. And the only person capable of doing so without being caught by Tae Jaesik or Seo Chaeyoon was Kwon Jihan.
And Kwon Jihan had succeeded. He had truly gone unnoticed by Yoon Seo. Of course, at this point, neither of them knew that Yoon Seo was Seo Chaeyoon.
Yoo Juncheol, watching through the U-Pad video call as Yoon Seo came and went, sighed.
– I can't be sure yet. Based on the investigation, they've only known each other since five years ago when they bulk-purchased shield traps.
"Someone like Tae Jaesik can forge that kind of data as much as he wants."
– Yoon Seo Hunter is too… ordinary to be Seo Chaeyoon. Other than looking a bit young and being handsome…
"It's a well-crafted disguise. You saw it just now, didn't you? He swallowed five tranquilizers at once. His mental instability matches the condition we assumed Seo Chaeyoon would be in."
– Five out of ten hunters are probably taking tranquilizers.
"Most importantly, no one else has visited Tae Jaesik so far except that pale-faced guy."
– That's true, but…
Yoo Juncheol sighed and fell silent, his face troubled. It was frustrating for Kwon Jihan, who was convinced that there was something special about Yoon Seo. But he didn't bother pressing Yoo Juncheol further. After all, this kind of frustration wasn't new to him since awakening, and compared to an S-rank like him, most people in the world were idiots.
At that moment, Kwon Jihan felt the presence of someone gradually coming up the stairs. He also recognized who it was. Kwon Jihan furrowed his brows.
Shortly after, the sound of a ding signaled the elevator's arrival, and a familiar face appeared through the open doors.
"H-hunter Kwon Jihan?"
"...."
The person who had just stepped out of the elevator was Park Kang.
"What are you doing here?"
"Ah, uh…."
Park Kang, seeing Kwon Jihan's irritated expression, began sweating nervously, clearly unsure of what was happening.
"I-I'm sorry. I just, uh, I have an appointment with Executive Director Tae Jaesik, so, uh, that's why…."
"With Tae Jaesik, why?"
"Well, um, I'm personally acquainted with the executive director…. I'm sorry…."
With a furrowed brow, Kwon Jihan tilted his head slightly as if to signal him to pass. Park Kang, looking like a small, wary animal, cautiously walked past him. His bulky frame disappeared from sight, and Yoo Juncheol smirked faintly through the screen.
– One more person has met him. Looks like we'll have to keep watching.
"This is so annoying…."
Kwon Jihan irritably ended the U-pad communication and activated his stealth skill again.
The tedious stakeout continued until the next day, during which all seven candidates met with Tae Jaesik once. Furthermore, Tae Jaesik discovered the wiretapping device and lashed out at Yoo Juncheol, rendering eavesdropping impossible for the time being.
Whether Tae Jaesik wasn't as dumb as expected or the plan was flawed, the operation had failed completely.
***
4. Homyeongsan Dungeon Raid
The day for the temporary team's dungeon entry had arrived. Feeling unsettled, Yoon Seo hadn't managed to complete the wills over the weekend and sighed every ten minutes while riding Sticky Rice.
The upcoming dungeon, being a rare occurrence, weighed on him more than he realized. Even after taking sleeping pills, he had tossed and turned all night. He barely closed his eyes before the alarm went off, and it felt like he had only slept for three minutes. Of course, Yoon Seo wasn't physically exhausted from a sleepless night, but mentally, he was drained.
The dungeon entry for the temporary team was scheduled for 7 a.m., with the assembly an hour earlier at 6 a.m. As someone who valued sleep more than anything else, Yoon Seo was thoroughly displeased with the early hour.
'Ugh, I really don't want to go.'
Though he had plenty of combat experience, his dungeon-clear experience was limited to just four times, including the Great Dungeon. At the start of the apocalypse, he had been too busy dealing with monsters that overflowed into the outside world. Later, a hunter discovered that dungeons had a structure where failing to eliminate the boss within the time limit would result in a monster overflow or explosion. From that point on, Yoon Seo began entering dungeons as well.
Clearing the first dungeon took five months. The second dungeon took two months, and the third dungeon three months. During the short intervals in between, he dealt with the monsters that had overflowed. Monsters kept flooding out, dungeons continued to emerge, and the number of awakened individuals was extremely scarce, forcing a small number of them to be overworked. Thinking back now, even Yoon Seo found it remarkable how they had survived.
Failing this first test would mean he wouldn't have to fight ever again.
'What should I do? I can't just get injured badly. If I don't recover, they'll get suspicious.'
If he were injured, a healer would use a recovery skill. However, if it didn't heal, it would arouse suspicion. Even ten years later, he hadn't heard of any awakened individuals besides himself being resistant to healing skills. Maybe there were other awakened individuals hiding their status ailments like him somewhere, but… if not?
Yoon Seo didn't want to become a unique case, dragged everywhere under scrutiny.