Chapter 366
After completing his expedition of the fifteenth floor of the Core and compiling all related data, Do-Jun called the S-rank Hunters for a briefing in the operations room of the Hunter’s Bureau. Inside the room, Young-Chul and the gathered Rankers listened in complete silence, their expressions serious as if not wanting to miss a single word.
They’ve definitely grown stronger, Do-Jun thought as he quickly scanned each Hunter.
All the S-rank Hunters present had cleared the Tutorial Zone and had experienced at least the first floor of the Core. Behemoth was a special case, but even the most recent Ranker, Ye-Ji, had just recently returned from gaining experience on the second floor. At this point, their abilities far outstripped those of S-rank Hunters from other countries.
“The final and perhaps most important floor is the fifteenth floor of the Core. As I mentioned earlier, you can acquire specific things through the three gatekeepers: the Star of Transcendence, significantly boost your power and receive physical enhancement, and artifacts. There may be minor trials involved in the process. Additionally....”
Roughly thirty minutes passed after that. By the time the briefing ended, it was a little past 6 PM. The session started at 2 PM, and although they took a couple of ten-minute breaks, it lasted over four hours.
Do-Jun closed the strategy manual and said, “That concludes today’s session. Thank you all for your hard work. It’s Friday night. Go wrap things up and enjoy yourselves. Hunter Min-Ji, you mentioned you had plans tonight, right? Sorry for running late.”
“Ah, no, it’s fine!” Min-Ji replied.
Her “plans” involved picking up an artifact she had dropped off at the National Smithy and placing a custom order for another. She checked her phone and saw a text message from the National Smithy asking for her estimated arrival time. Just as she was about to reply that she was now on her way, Min-Hyuk approached Do-Jun after packing away the printed materials and the strategy book into his bag.
Do-Jun was organizing his laptop and turned his head slightly, sensing Min-Hyuk had something to say.
“Supervisor Lee, are you going to the bathhouse today?” he asked. “It’s nothing serious, but I was just thinking I’m overdue for a good scrub. If you’re okay with it, I’d love to tag along.”
Every Friday, Do-Jun made it a habit to unwind after work with a visit to the bathhouse. A couple of years back, Min-Hyuk had gone with him once and remembered it fondly. He’d even beaten Do-Jun in a breath-holding contest and been treated to a banana milk afterward. That memory resurfaced, and he subtly expressed interest in joining again if Do-Jun was going.
At a glance, the other S-ranks looked like they were getting ready to leave, like it was no big deal, but their ears were entirely focused on the conversation unfolding. Do-Jun recalled the friendly culture of going to the bathhouse with the Fissure Exploration staff and helping scrub each other’s backs.