A luxurious hotel in Samcheok, Gangwon-do, in an event room.

"..."

An odd silence flowed through the noisy crowd, and the first of the two to speak was Jio.

As if he were informing him of perfectly obvious common sense, he said plainly.

"I will be preparing the meals, so I am not worried about the food tasting bad."

"... Oh, the young master is going to do it?"

"My cooking skills and digestive abilities are excellent."

"So I am confident I can make delicious meals for myself even in a dungeon."

"Now that's a fresh answer."

"Thank you for worrying about me, but I believe you are a little close."

"Could you take one step back?"

"Ah, sorry."

The Hunter, whose black eyes curved like crescent moons, grinned and raised both hands.

It was a typical pose of surrender, and also a typical sign of mockery.

He stepped back a little from Seo Jio.

"I guess I heard so much about Hunter Seo Jio that I thought we were close all by myself."

"Aha, so that just now was an attempt at fellowship."

"I understand what you mean."

"Our young master has such a broad heart, doesn't he?"

"And such a good sense of humor."

"I'm really so glad to see you like this."

Many Hunters were pretending otherwise while secretly listening to their conversation with great interest.

But Hunter Seo Jio did not seem particularly bothered, and neither was the blond Hunter who had first requested that "conversation."

"I have a bad habit of saying things without thinking."

"You'll understand, right?"

Long, straight blond hair and a well-proportioned body.

At the blatant provocation walking toward him with the face of an honest knight from a fairy tale, Seo Jio answered with a smile.

"You are truly modest."

"Oh, do I look modest?"

"I've never heard that before, so I'm a little surprised."

"It was an enjoyable conversation."

"Don't you want to talk more with such an enjoyable conversation partner?"

"I had only planned to show my face and leave."

"I ask for your understanding."

"Hmm..."

The Hunter, dragging out a nasal hum with a face that gave no hint of what he was thinking, Sanarae, grinned and backed off.

It was just as unserious a retreat as when he had first spoken to Seo Jio.

"Let's have another enjoyable conversation later."

"That is welcome news."

At that, Curator Garasani, who had been watching the situation, approached.

"Hunter Seo Jio."

As though this kind of sudden provocation had been thrown at him, perhaps because of the Collector's lineup this time, there were quite a few people who saw Seo Jio as a hothouse flower.

The Collector members, who had been aware of that in advance, had kept a slight distance so as not to give too strong an impression that they were "monitoring Seo Jio" or "waiting on him," but cases like this were an exception.

"Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Well, perhaps an explanation of the situation?"

"Yes, you must have been startled by the sudden situation."

Garasani continued with an expression as if to say he had gone through some trouble.

"For something like this to happen as soon as you arrived at the meeting place."

That was right.

Jio had been picked on as soon as he entered this room.

To explain the current situation, the clock had to be turned back a little.

"A hotel?"

At Jio's question, Ju-hyeon nodded.

"Yes, since it's an event hosted by the Sun Cult, they seemed to have put a great deal of care into it."

"May I ask in what sense they have put a great deal of care into it?"

"I thought you probably wouldn't know much about these Hunter customs, Mr. Jio, so I prepared a summary."

Ju-hyeon, who had stopped by the Collector for the first time in a while, spoke with Jio in a small meeting room.

"It would be nice if the dungeon targeted for a raid that requires personnel to be dispatched were near the guilds involved with it, but in most cases, it is normal for it to be in a completely different region."

"I imagine that would be the case."

"This time as well, the dungeon is in Samcheok, Gangwon-do."

"So, if circumstances allow, especially large groups that place importance on appearances like this do not send Hunters directly to the dungeon."

"In that case..."

"They look for a base as close as possible to the dungeon entrance where the Hunters can rest."

"You can think of it as a kind of rest stop, and this is what can be called a Hunter custom."

Seo Jio, who was not well acquainted with how Earth currently worked, asked.

"They do not go straight to raid it?"

"The goal is to put the Hunters in their best condition before entering the dungeon."

"Because stamina would be consumed in the process of moving regions?"

"That is the biggest reason."

Ju-hyeon nodded.

"It is possible to teleport individually using a Hunter's skill or equipment, but in cases like that, usually only that one person can move."

"Even that consumes stamina, mana, or durability."

It was the same even if they received help from a professional teleport Hunter who could move other people and was not participating in the raid.

Above all, it was not as if the person being moved did not consume stamina.

"In the first place, there are extremely few professional Hunters who assist with movement like that."

"They are high-level personnel, and they are in demand everywhere, so they are difficult to reserve."

"It does not seem like a method that can be used commonly."

"Of course, I understand that large guilds like the Collector already have several Hunters with such skills, but... even if the Collector moves by such a convenient method, most other guilds would not be able to do that."

"Then are there no teleport locations provided by public institutions?"

"When I think of a man named Cha Eunhyuk, who used to sell fish-shaped bread, I feel as though I heard there was something like that."

"Those only exist where they have been installed."

"They are very limited, and that man named Cha Eunhyuk must be in a provincial area with fairly well-developed infrastructure."

"In Gangwon-do in particular, there is no terminal installed."

"... What do you mean, there is no terminal in Gangwon-do?"

When Seo Jio asked in shock, Ju-hyeon continued explaining.

"It means there is no transportation facility installed by the city or government."

"Naturally, there is no teleport-only terminal, which is classified as high-end transportation by human standards, and there is no railway laid down as a non-magical means of transportation, and there are not even proper roads for buses or cars."

But when most Hunters traveled to Gangwon-do, they had to use those "improper roads."

For that reason, Gangwon-do dungeons were known as raid locations where the march was quite grueling.

"In terms of various infrastructure, there is that much of a gap between cities and provincial areas."

"Gangwon-do is a region where the aftermath of the Great Catastrophe still remains, and even the places arranged for humans to live are limited to Samcheok... so it is quite a barren area."

"I understand."

"Therefore, in this raid, it is all the more necessary to prepare lodging where the Hunters can rest."

"Even when it is not a distant provincial area like Gangwon-do, as with this raid, rest is needed before most dungeon raids."

Ju-hyeon smiled his characteristic smile.

"So that the Hunters can carry out the raid in their best condition."

"Judging by the way you say that, there must be another reason as well."

"Your thought is correct, Mr. Jio."

"In other words, as I said earlier, it is probably a matter of appearances."

At the unexpected answer, Jio looked up at Ju-hyeon.

"Appearances?"

"Especially because they are guilds from Seoul."

"Do guilds from Seoul place importance on appearances?"

"Hm, this is a characteristic of the country called Korea..."

Ju-hyeon explained with a sheepish expression.

"Korea is famous as a country with the largest number of excellent personnel, but its land area is small compared to most countries."

"And within that narrow land, only Seoul and Busan have developed greatly and gathered personnel."

At those words, Jio thought.

'... How is that any different from before the Great Catastrophe?'

'The degree of survival difficulty...?'

Separate from the old-era Korean's question, Ju-hyeon's explanation continued.

"And this city called Seoul is especially a place where popularity among citizens is important."

"Social media is especially developed, the citizens are tightly bound together, and there are an unusually large number of guilds that prosper through the support those citizens send them."

"You mean they are selling an image?"

"You understood well."

"To the citizens of Seoul, the image of a guild or religious order is extremely important."

"The stronger and more perfect they appear, the more the citizens can believe they will be safe."

"That is also the pride of Seoul citizens."

"I do not understand what kind of pride that is supposed to be."

"Mistaking something for one's own despite knowing it is not is one of the representative human instincts that is not hard to find."

"Citizens with nothing to their name group famous guilds and themselves together as one team."

"People do not concern themselves only with themselves and treat their surroundings with indifference like you do, Mr. Jio."

"Oh..."

Seo Jio, the human listening, almost felt a little hurt for a moment.

No matter how indifferent my personality may be, is it really right to keep being treated like this?

Apparently, it was.

Being treated like a precious portrait was welcome.

After finishing that self-justification as naturally as flowing water, Jio nodded.

"I understand."

"Do you?"

"You are smart, Mr. Jio."

Ju-hyeon smiled as if teaching a younger sibling.

"In that sense, large groups from Seoul absolutely must keep up appearances."

"And a large-scale raid like this is the perfect event for keeping up appearances."

"Because it includes the custom I mentioned earlier."

"You mean the custom of booking lodging near the dungeon?"

"Yes, no matter how little money a guild has, it is basic to observe this custom."

"A guild that does not even observe a custom like this... hm, ends up with the perception of being 'a guild that does not care what happens to its own guild members.'"

In reality, that was not greatly wrong.

"It is certainly true that a Hunter's rate of returning alive depends greatly on their condition that day."

"Unless they intend to openly advertise that they are going to kill their own guild members, they tend to book lodging near the dungeon."

Of course, there were exceptions.

"One exception is illegal guilds."

"Illegal guilds that do not need to worry about citizens' opinions drive the Hunters under them into the jaws of death without caring."

"Illegal guilds do not follow customs well."

"Are all illegal guilds like that?"

"There may be other cases, but all the ones I know were like that."

"Customs are only followed by groups that need to maintain at least the minimum appearance of respectability, and places like that... well, that is how they are."

"I heard there are not few illegal guilds."

"Since this is a world overflowing with people, illegal guilds are also flourishing greatly."

"There is already an abundance of labor in the slums, and they can also use Grade 3 citizens from the provinces or Grade 5 citizens who are criminals."

"Overflowing with people."

When he recalled the Republic of Korea that had once debated whether the country would collapse due to population decline, it was an astonishing change.

And despite having changed this much, the direction of that change was so dreadful that Seo Jio was at a loss for words.

He ended up intimidated.

Not knowing Jio's inner thoughts, Ju-hyeon continued explaining.

"The Sun Cult is one thing, and all of the guilds participating in this raid, including your Collector, Mr. Jio, have reputations higher than a certain level."

"They will draw that much public attention, so it seems they plan to hold a small party to wish for the success of this raid."

What was this now?

Jio asked.

"What is a party to wish for the success of a raid?"

"Hm... this is not quite a custom, but it is an event included in raids not uncommonly."

"They may do it or not depending on circumstances."

Ju-hyeon continued speaking as if teaching the human world to a cat who knew nothing.

"As the words say, it is an event to wish for the success of the raid."

"Within the limits of not wasting the Hunters' precious stamina, they hold a small, short, and lively festival to raise the mood."

"A human who has experienced sufficient rest and a festival in such a good space becomes mentally and physically fulfilled."

"A festival is not exactly welcome."

"I know you do not particularly like noisy atmospheres, Mr. Jio."

"There will also be a great many reporters and people from the media gathered there, so the number of humans will not be small."

"I do not recommend openly not attending, since it could cause controversy, but... at times like this, it is all right to briefly show your face and return to your room."

"Would that be all right?"

"Not every Hunter likes events like this."

"There are Hunters who are shy around strangers, and there are likely Hunters who consider the event itself pathetic."

"Since quite a lot of people gather in one place, there may be just as many people who do not suit you."

Even so, such events were generally viewed favorably.

"The most representative purpose of a party like this is fellowship."

"They are often held when multiple groups gather, especially as in this raid, and since their faces are unfamiliar and they do not know each other's combat styles, the meaning is that they should adapt on their own while this event is underway."

"I understand that the intention is good."

"Of course, friction may arise with people who do not suit one another during that process, but this too is one of the purposes of an event like this."

"They are trying to find Hunters who work well together and Hunters who do not before entering the dungeon in earnest."

"After all, the composition of Hunters is important during a raid."

"... Something occurred to me that I would like to ask."

Seo Jio, an introverted human, asked.

"Just now, you said 'composition during a raid,' but do they not group people with members of the same guild?"

"Ah... now that you mention it, Mr. Jio, you would understandably feel uncomfortable about that as well."

It had been such obvious common sense that he had failed to explain it.

Ju-hyeon nodded regretfully.

"The trend is to keep members of the same guild together as much as possible, but the most important factor when forming a raid composition is that Hunter's role."

"For example, if one guild sends nothing but a large number of healers, those healers will have no choice but to scatter to different places."

It was an extremely reasonable statement.

"..."

Jio deflated completely.

'I feel like I'll spend the entire raid being shy around strangers and come back.'

Then had there been any meaning in showing his whole soul's worth of sociability to the Collector employees?

As if comforting him, Ju-hyeon said.

"Reporters will probably enter as far as the event hall, but it is all right."

"At least one Collector guild member will be at your side, Mr. Jio... and if the event is truly burdensome, you can just put in an appearance and come back, as I said earlier."

"Would that not be rude to the others?"

"I understand that there are many Hunters who do not enjoy events like that."

"If that happens, the hosts will probably remember you as 'a Hunter who does not like noise,' Mr. Jio, and form a composition that suits that."

"It is not the kind of rudeness you are worried about."

"Then I am glad."

Jio was reassured by Ju-hyeon's kind encouragement.

"If it is only a matter of showing my face and coming back, I do not think there will be a problem."

And so, accompanied by the Collector's people, Jio headed to the only hotel in Samcheok, Gangwon-do.

After coming down from his assigned room and entering the event room that served as the meeting place, he had immediately been picked on out of nowhere.

Back again to the hotel's event room.

"If you wish, I will file a formal complaint with Haeryeong."

At Curator Garasani's words, Jio asked.

"Is the person who just spoke with me a member of Haeryeong?"

"Yes, I worry you may have been very displeased."

"No, it was not as unpleasant as you seem to think, Curator."

"Then I am relieved."

"... Haeryeong..."

It was a guild he had heard about from Ju-hyeon.

"..."

Jio's eyes stared at the man he had just spoken with.

As his gaze met the man's and he saw him wave lightly from that side, Arjio pulled his hood down over his head.