'Let's focus on today's matters for now.'
Yoon Seo shook his head, deciding to concentrate on the task immediately before him.
He wondered how chaotic people would be after the announcement of the new Great Dungeon, and how many would volunteer.
Yoo Juncheol predicted that there would be more volunteers than 10 years ago.
In fact, Yoon Seo knew it too. 1,203? No, there would be far more. Foolish people who mistakenly believed that throwing their lives away to save humanity was a noble and worthy cause.
'Why do I have to suffer like this? For what reason am I enduring this pain? Yoon Seo, how about you?'
'Everyone will remember Domin's noble sacrifice.'
'Some strong people ignored the weak, while others protected them. I just want to be the latter.'
'If there are those weaker than you, take care of them. That's the right way to live.'
Various people's words echoed in his head as Yoon Seo let out a deep sigh.
Beep. Beep-beep.
"Yeah, thanks."
Yoon Seo petted Riceball's soft fur as it rubbed against his neck, comforting him. He took a deep breath and walked down the hallway. The people in the briefing room, all of whom were A-rank or S-rank, must have heard his footsteps.
"Yoon Seo hyung! It's Yoon Seo hyung!"
As soon as he opened the door, Soo Jaehee waved and called out. Dozens of people turned to look at Yoon Seo.
"Hello, Yoon Seo."
"Long time no see, Hunter Yoon Seo."
They greeted him with a mix of intense and warm gazes, though trying to keep it casual. Yoon Seo gave a slight nod and sat between Soo Jaehee and Park Soobin.
"Yoon Seo, you're early."
"Are you teasing me?"
"No, really. You're here before it starts."
Park Soobin smiled brightly. Yoon Seo glanced around the room and noticed that, except for Yoo Juncheol and Kwon Jihan, everyone had arrived. Even C-rank Hwashim was there among the S-ranks and A-ranks, wearing his usual stern expression.
"Hello, Yoon Seo! Nice to meet you. I'm Yelena."
"Hello."
There were also people he was meeting for the first time. One of them was Yelena Ivanov, an S-rank hunter newly added to Perfect Team 1.
['Yelena Ivanov' has used the 'Hawk's Glasses' Item.]
['Yelena Ivanov' is viewing your
"Hiding something, Yoon Seo. Your system profile. It makes me sad. We are a team now."
Her speech was incredibly inverted. Yoon Seo noticed that Yelena wasn't using any earpieces. Soo Jaehee snickered beside him.
"Yelena noona is confident in her Korean, so she doesn't use a translator."
"I speak well. Studied Korean. Don't need. Translator."
Yelena proudly raised her chin, but in Yoon Seo's eyes, she definitely seemed to need a translator, especially for the sake of the listeners.
[The
[Encyclopedia of People: Yelena Ivanov, 28 years old, Female.
Rank: S
Traits: Magician, Alchemist
(Protected by the God of Fire)
(Protected by the God of Water)
(Protected by the God of Thunder)
(Protected by the God of Earth)
Skills:
Special Skills:
*Additional statuses can only be viewed in dungeons.]
It was just like she had elemental skills straight out of a game. Yelena smiled widely.
"It's an honor. Same team. Let's do well. From now on."
"I look forward to working with you."
"I want to see it. The real profile."
"That's difficult."
"I see."
Yelena coolly accepted the response and returned to her seat, but her gaze, filled with admiration, continued to linger on Yoon Seo. If there weren't rules in place, she seemed like she would've rushed over and bombarded him with questions.
"Yoon Seo, is that ferret by any chance…?"
Beep.
Park Soobin noticed the cute ferret sitting on Yoon Seo's shoulder. The ferret was glancing around curiously.
"Yes, this is Riceball."
"It's not a new form. So, it really can freely transform."
"Wow, damn. That's so cute."
Soo Jaehee, who loved animals, suddenly popped his head over.
"Hey Riceball, hello! I'm Jaehee oppa."
Beep?
"Wouldn't it be 'hyung'?"
"Anyone can see that it's female. I'm a summoner, Soobin hyung. Trust a summoner's instincts."
"Considering it's a freely transforming bonded item, there's a higher chance it follows its owner's gender. So, it's probably male."
"By that logic, there's also a high chance it could be the opposite gender of its owner."
"I think it's a boy too. Those mischievous eyes remind me of a six-year-old boy."
"I believe it's a girl. My daughter is five and super cute, and she looks just like this. Wanna see a picture of my daughter?"
Riceball, a topic that started with Soo Jaehee and Park Soobin, turned into a heated debate about its gender among the members of Perfect.
"Hey, it's an item. Items don't have a gender."
Surprisingly, the most reasonable statement came from Hong Euiyoon. However, no one listened to him.
Biyu biyu!
Excited by all the attention, Riceball escaped Yoon Seo's arms and made its way to the center of the table. It stood upright and seemed to say, "Come on, keep going." A hunter cautiously reached out a hand. Hesitating for a moment on whether to pet it or not, Riceball rubbed its face against the fingers first. The hunter's expression lit up with pure bliss. Watching this, several more hands reached out at once.
"Ahem."
Yoon Seo, who had been watching the scene with satisfaction, turned around at the sound of someone clearing their throat. Alec stood there, holding out a transparent file with a sheet of paper inside.
"What is this?"
"Ahem."
Instead of answering, Alec handed him a black marker. Reluctantly, Yoon Seo took the file and the marker.
'Plaque of Appreciation for Alec Switch'
Alec Switch has served excellently as the Head of the European Branch for FOR THE SEO from 2054 to 2061.
January 4, 2061
– FOR THE SEO, President Zebra Hamilton'
"..."
'FOR THE SEO' was the name of Seo Chaeyoon's fan club. Yoon Seo looked up at Alec with disbelief. Alec, glancing around, twitched his cheeks and signaled with his eyes, urging Yoon Seo to sign it. As Yoon Seo clicked the cap off the marker…
"Wait! What are you doing, sir? Signatures are forbidden!"
"Alec Switch is breaking the rules!"
A couple who had discovered the shady act raised their voices, amplifying their magic in the process. Dozens of furious eyes turned toward Alec, and chaos ensued in the briefing room. People were shouting that they had trusted him, that it wasn't fair they had to resist signing while Alec broke the rules, and that he should be locked up. Someone even suggested abolishing the rule entirely, only to be swiftly silenced by their peers.
"Everyone, listen to me! I'm not trying to get a signature!"
"Don't make excuses, foreigner! If that's not a signature, what is it?"
"This is… a seal. A seal is quite different from a signature."
"Then why does Yoon Seo's seal need to be on your plaque?"
"Well, that's because, you see…"
Alec stuttered, seemingly searching for an excuse but coming up with nothing. He really should have asked for the signature somewhere quieter instead of such a crowded place—what a reckless move.
In the middle of the chaos, Yoon Seo clicked his tongue and scribbled his name next to "Alec Switch" on the plaque of appreciation. It wasn't a real signature, just a scrawl that resembled one. He even added a short note beside it.
'Rita Switch was an excellent person. I run and do squats every day, so you should too, Hunter Alec.'
Once Yoon Seo signed, the crowd that had been pushing Alec immediately stopped. The briefing room fell into a heavy silence.
"Here you go."
"…Th-thank you."
Now, all eyes were on the plaque with Seo Chaeyoon's signature. They were like predators eyeing their prey. Alec quickly slid the signed plaque into the file and tucked it back into his inventory.
['Lawrence Mille' has activated the
['Rio Deli' has activated the
The couple glared, even activating their skills.
['Alec Switch' has activated the
Alec didn't stay idle either. Silver magic swirled in his eyes, and a black helmet and shield appeared around him. People began to move cautiously, but most seemed to side with the couple. The Russian hunters were no different. Soo Jaehee and Park Soobin quickly took Riceball and stepped away from the scene.
One second before a massive brawl was about to break out between the S-rank and A-rank hunters, the tension in the room was diffused by Yoon Seo's calm statement.
"I'll sign for everyone else, too. Just bring your papers and pens. You've got until Yoo Juncheol arrives."
***
By the time Yoo Juncheol, Kwon Jihan, and the other Seokyoung executives arrived, the briefing room was an utter disaster. The tables, chairs—everything was broken, except for one single chair where Yoon Seo sat with one leg crossed. In front of him, a line of about a dozen hunters were waiting for their turn, while others lay sprawled around the wrecked room in various conditions. Some were hugging their papers, sobbing, others were fighting over a single sheet, while some were bowing deeply before their signed papers.
"Wow."
Kwon Jihan murmured in awe as he took in the chaotic scene.
Biyu!
The moment Riceball spotted Kwon Jihan, it darted toward him and jumped into his arms before anyone could stop it. As Kwon Jihan stroked it with his fingers, Riceball closed its eyes and let out a happy sound, just like before.