"After hardship comes joy."
I’ve always loved this saying.
In the most difficult times, quietly repeating these words to myself made it feel like everything would soon resolve, and rest would come like a sweet reprieve.
In my previous life, whenever I felt like giving up, I clung to this phrase like a mantra.
This time was no different.
After taking down Ji Wonhoon and Andy Kim, hunting the B-rank open dungeon boss monster, and subduing the remnants of Babylon at Paju Stadium, I thought about the sweet rest that awaited me.
Even as the continuous battles pushed my physical fatigue to its limits and Ji Wonhoon’s memories tangled with my own, I endured and resolved the situation.
I couldn’t stop, not when the consequences of inaction would be greater harm to the Samcheon Guild and the civilians.
Drawing on the unyielding determination I had honed in my previous life, I fought on.
In the end, I succeeded.
The remaining Babylon forces were dealt with: those who resisted fiercely were eliminated, while those who surrendered or tried to flee were captured alive.
But even after everything was over, I wasn’t allowed to rest.
The reason was simple: the situation had grown too large, and I was summoned to the Hunter Bureau.
And not just anyone—it was Go Kyungseok, the Bureau Chief himself.
“Whew... It seems things have finally settled a bit.”
In the Hunter Bureau Chief’s office, adorned with classic and elegant decor, Go Kyungseok set his phone on the table and leaned back into the sofa, letting out a sigh of relief.
The chaotic hours of unrelenting commands were over.
Though it wasn’t a war, it might as well have been one. For hours, Kyungseok had juggled reports and issued orders through his phone.
The incident at Jaewon University had been confined underground, involving minimal civilian casualties, making it easier to manage.
But the events at Paju Stadium were different. Civilians had been affected, and footage of Babylon’s masked hunters had spread online, making it impossible to sweep under the rug.
As a result, Kyungseok had to deploy Hunter Bureau agents to the scene while simultaneously coordinating with major figures in media, law enforcement, and government, including broadcasters, the Chief of Police, the Speaker of the National Assembly, and even the President.
He suppressed the media, controlled the scene, and brought the captured Babylon hunters to the Bureau for interrogation.
It was a covert operation conducted under the intense scrutiny of public attention.
Revealing the existence of an illegal hunter organization like Babylon to the public would only heighten social unrest. To maintain societal stability, they concealed as much as possible.
While it wasn’t possible to fully control the spread of information, they minimized the wildfire of speculation and rumors.
Part of the reason for this secrecy was me.
[Breaking News]
└ What’s in that B-rank open dungeon that’s worth all this? Even Jin Gijun is there.
└ Who are those masked guys? They look like at least mid-tier hunters, and there are so many of them!
└ What’s that violet aura?
└ And who’s that dual-sword-wielding hunter? They’re crazy good—taking down enemies solo.
└ Not to mention, they’re ridiculously handsome. Even Han Sungbin has competition.
└ Amazing. Feels like I’ve seen that face somewhere before...
Among the flood of internet news and video clips captured by civilians, half the comments were about me.
Moments after emerging from the B-rank open dungeon, I had roamed the battlefield to capture as many Babylon hunters as possible. Civilians had filmed everything, and the footage quickly went viral.
I hadn’t intended to draw attention, but it was unavoidable.
Some people recognized me from my appearance in the Rookie Hunter Tournament. However, thanks to my changed looks, not many immediately realized who I was.
Moreover, my name hadn’t been publicly mentioned, which helped keep my identity under wraps.
Sitting across from Go Kyungseok in his office, I offered my thanks.
“Thank you for stepping in, Chief. Your support has given me a moment to breathe.”
“No, Hunter Kang Hyunsoo. I should be thanking you. Thanks to you subduing the Babylon operatives, civilian casualties were minimal.”
Although I expressed gratitude, Kyungseok leaned forward on the sofa and offered his own thanks.
Then, he continued:
“We failed to detect the ambush and allowed it to happen again. From now on, I’ll make sure you’re properly protected.”
He apologized for the shortcomings in their investigation and vowed to prevent such incidents in the future.
Despite having apprehended some Babylon members at Jaewon University, they had failed to uncover the organization’s base or identity. Now, they had even allowed a direct attack.
Although Paju’s distance from the Hunter Bureau headquarters had delayed their response, Kyungseok admitted responsibility for failing to anticipate the ambush.
He had suppressed the media and controlled information in part to prevent me from becoming a target for the remaining Babylon hunters.
I appreciated the sentiment but didn’t think it was necessary.
“You don’t need to worry about Babylon anymore. There’s nothing left of them.”
“Nothing left...? Did you discover something?”
“Yes. While dealing with Ji Wonhoon and Andy, I found out that Ji Wonhoon was the leader of Babylon. The remaining forces were all brought to Paju Stadium.”
“That’s... hard to believe.”
“I was surprised as well.”
“No, I meant you.”
Go Kyungseok’s eyes widened as he questioned me.
“You were at an advanced level of skill just a while ago, yet you managed to defeat an opponent even someone like Jin Gijun struggled with. And your intelligence surpasses even the Hunter Bureau’s. How is that possible?”
His curiosity was understandable, given the extraordinary circumstances. But I didn’t offer him a detailed explanation.
I wasn’t obligated to.
“Do I really need to answer that, Chief? I believe you’ve already guessed, haven’t you?”
Earlier, when I entered his office, he had remarked, ‘You’ve leveled up quite a bit—looking even more handsome.’
Though he might not know the exact details, it was clear he had some understanding of my abilities.
“Ha! Truly, you’re something else.”
Kyungseok shook his head with a wry smile, as if he didn’t know what to make of me.
Of course, I didn’t know everything either.
Looking directly at Kyungseok, I asked:
“By the way, do you know anything about Frontier?”
“Frontier...?”
“Yes, it’s a term Ji Wonhoon mentioned. Judging by the context, it seems like an underground organization similar to Babylon, but I’ve never heard of it before.”
The mysterious figures from Ji Wonhoon’s memories.
There were only two of them, but given that they had supported Babylon, it was likely that Frontier was a much larger organization.
If that were true, it seemed impossible for Go Kyungseok not to know about them.
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I had specifically sought out Kyungseok to confirm the information I had gained through Ji Wonhoon’s memories.
However...
“Hmm, never heard of them.”
“Even you, Director, don’t know about them?”
“That’s right. If it’s not in my memory, they’re probably not on our radar. But since you mentioned it, I’ll look into it.”
Even Go Kyungseok was unfamiliar with Frontier.
The fact that even the Hunter Bureau Chief didn’t know about them left me with an uneasy feeling.
Still, as long as Kyungseok was on my side, there was no need to be overly concerned.
“Thank you. That would be a great help.”
“No need to thank me yet. Save it for when we find something useful. For now, don’t worry too much. Rest up, Hunter Kang Hyunsoo. I’ll handle the remaining cleanup.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll take my leave then.”
With that, most of the immediate issues were settled.
I stood up from the sofa and walked toward the exit.
But as I opened the door...
“Oh, my!”
“Eek!”
“Gah!!”
Thud, crash—!!
“...?”
Jin Seoyun, Yoo Hana, and Jin Gijun stumbled and lost their balance, nearly toppling over.
They had been eavesdropping with their ears pressed against the door.
Of course, I had already known.
After providing their statements to the Hunter Bureau, they had found out I was meeting with the Chief and couldn’t resist snooping.
Their reason for gathering, however, was surprisingly innocent.
“Ahaha! There you are, Hunter Kang Hyunsoo! Finally done?”
“It’s a relief everything got sorted, Hyunsoo! We were thinking of having a little celebratory dinner together. What do you say?”
“The Samcheon Guild is treating us, Hyunsoo-oppa!”
A dinner party.
I tilted my head and asked, “A dinner party?”
“After all the fighting with Babylon and handling the Bureau’s follow-up, you haven’t even had a proper meal, right? It’s a chance to eat, relax, and divvy up the loot from the B-rank open dungeon raid. What do you think? I’ll treat you to something special!” Jin Gijun said with his usual boisterous laugh.
The idea was simple: after working ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) so hard, we deserved a good meal and a chance to sort out the rewards from the raid.
But...
“I’m afraid I can’t join. I have other matters to attend to,” I said, shaking my head.
The loot from the dungeon wasn’t particularly useful and had already been decided to be sold at the exchange. As for food, I didn’t mind eating alone.
Most importantly...
[Penalty removed. A new Absolute Beauty Quest will be assigned shortly.]
I had pressing matters of my own.
While Babylon had been dealt with, the next Absolute Beauty Quest was about to begin.
“Aw, that’s a shame. It would’ve been nice if you could come with us, Hyunsoo.”
“Yeah, it’s too bad, oppa...”
Jin Seoyun and Yoo Hana expressed their disappointment openly, but I had no choice.
“Sorry, but I’ll have to leave it for another time.”
“Well, if that’s the case, we’ll save you a spot! Feel free to join us later!” Jin Gijun said with a grin.
“Thank you. I appreciate it.”
After sending off Jin Gijun, Jin Seoyun, and Yoo Hana, I sat on a bench in the hallway.
It had been a long time since I’d had a moment to myself.
Even though less than two days had passed since I left home, it felt like over a week.
The fatigue in my body had accumulated to an extreme degree.
But rest wasn’t an option.
[Penalty removed. A new Absolute Beauty Quest has been assigned.]
“Oh... The new quest is finally here, Master,” Swallow remarked.
Moments after I sat down, the notification for the new Absolute Beauty Quest appeared.
Since I had failed the previous one, I had to wait 24 hours to retry—and the difficulty had increased significantly.
I wondered just how much harder it could get.
It was my first time encountering this kind of situation, so I had no idea what to expect.
Ignoring Swallow’s commentary, I quietly focused on the message.
The new Absolute Beauty Quest appeared quickly.
But the content was...
[Absolute Beauty Quest 8]
[The true value of beauty is especially evident in relationships with the opposite sex.]
[Receive the phone number of a stranger of the opposite sex (0/1).]
[Note: The target’s Charm stat must be higher than the challenger’s.]
“...What the hell is this?”
The task was utterly absurd.