Why did Hunter Ju Cheong Yeon bother to join the association?

In terms of skills and conditions, he could have easily entered Cheong Un with plenty to spare.

Above all, as far as I know, he certainly…

While waiting for their conversation to end, wondering, Hunter Ju Cheong Yeon and Vice Guild Master Ju Cheong Han came down to the first floor.

“Is the talk over?”

“Yes.”

Hunter Ju Cheong Yeon replied nonchalantly. Vice Guild Master Ju Cheong Han looked as if his soul had been sucked out, suddenly becoming pale.

He wanted to talk at the campsite, but now he won’t even make eye contact with me.

The Cheong Un guild members who came in with him nervously supported him.

“Vice Guild Master, are you alright…?”

“Hah, let’s rest for now and find a way tomorrow. I’m too tired now. To think that guy would be here…”

“Yes, understood.”

What on earth did they talk about?

Cheong Un rented several large tents. They said only a few would come, but 9 people entered.

As expected, Hunter Kang Han Na and Reporter Jo Sung Hyun were among them. After Vice Guild Master Ju Cheong Han entered the tent, they whispered and wandered around the campsite.

‘Ah, just the fact that Cheong Un people entered the campsite makes me uneasy.’

Having been tricked a few times, they all seemed to be in cahoots.

“Yu Bom.”

“Yes.”

As I was trying not to pay attention and prepare dinner, Hunter Ju Cheong Yeon called out to me.

“Do you have a moment? I have something to tell you.”

“Yes, if it’s just for a moment, that’s fine.”

“Let’s talk inside my tent.”

“Alright.”

His tent was medium-sized, able to fit two people.

“What! Why are you two going in together!”

At that moment, Mo Gyeon suddenly appeared out of nowhere, panting and running over.

“Since you’re here, want to keep watch outside? We have some private matters to discuss.”

“What? Pri-vate ma-tters?”

Mo Gyeon stretched out his words as if he had heard something ridiculous, widening his eyes. He was already sensitive towards me because of my skill, and it seemed like Hunter Ju Cheong Yeon was deliberately teasing Mo Gyeon.

“It’s not like that. It’s just something others shouldn’t hear. Please, Mo Gyeon.”

I corrected him while making eye contact.

“Okay…”

Mo Gyeon reluctantly agreed in a weak voice. If he had ears now, they would surely be drooping.

“I’ll keep watch in front.”

Somehow, Hunter Chae Dong Hwa was also by our side.

“No, I’ll do it. You stay out of it.”

“Didn’t you dislike it?”

“No, I’ve come to like it!”

“Alright. I hope you two S-rank hunters get along well keeping watch. Yu Bom, let’s go in.”

“Okay…”

I pretended not to see them and entered the tent. The sound of their bickering could be heard through the tent fabric.

‘Why am I so tired today?’

As I entered, I felt my body relax, unaware that I had been tense. Hunter Ju Cheong Yeon turned on the headlamp hanging from the tent ceiling.

Perhaps due to the shadows, or maybe something was really wrong, his complexion looked dark.

‘Is it a serious matter?’

He created a moment of silence before speaking first.

“I talked a bit with Vice Guild Master Ju Cheong Han, and as we spoke, I ended up selling out the Association President a little.”

“What?!”

The first sentence was already shocking.

“What do you mean, selling out? Why would you sell out the Association President!”

“Not directly, but indirectly. Speaking nicely, he either didn’t understand or didn’t want to hear, completely ignoring what I said.”

His tone was rougher than usual. It seemed he didn’t get along well with his brother.

“There are some issues with Cheong Un’s recruitment methods, but that’s not subject to sanctions, so we only gave a warning. I also mentioned Reporter Jo Sung Hyun, but they denied it, saying he’s not a guild member.”

“But the Cheong Un guild members also cooperated with him at that time, didn’t they?”

“They’re pinning everything on Reporter Jo Sung Hyun. Even if he’s punished for this, he’ll just have to pay a fine, which Cheong Un will cover.”

“…”

“He said he never intended to publish the article in the first place, and even if he had planned to, he probably won’t now that things have turned out this way.”

“That’s fortunate.”

“However.”

This wasn’t the reason he had become so serious. His expression turned grave, like when he first came in.

“About the recent decrease in monsters in the Blue Starlight Valley.”

“Yes.”

“They’re blaming it on the campsite?”

“What?!”

I was startled to hear those words. It was a topic I hadn’t even considered.

“From what I heard, they came for an expedition but not a single mid-boss or rare monster has respawned.”

“Why is that the campsite’s fault?”

“Usually during expeditions, it’s customary for hunters without expedition rights not to stay in the dungeon. The first suspicion is that since this wasn’t observed, maybe the campsite guests hunted them.”

He held up his index finger.

“That’s absurd!”

“Second.”

As I burst out in disbelief, he raised his middle finger as if he had more to say.

“Fluctuations in monster numbers in dungeons aren’t unprecedented. This case is a bit special because all the mid-bosses and unique monsters are gone. There are various reasons for this: monsters sometimes form groups and fight each other, or if the dungeon environment changes drastically for some reason. Monsters are surprisingly sensitive to their surroundings.”

I had a lot to say, but I listened calmly to his explanation.

“Mentioning the last reason, their opinion is that the creation of the campsite might have affected the monsters.”

“Isn’t that too far-fetched? Monsters can’t even enter here.”

“I think so too. But a significant decrease in monster numbers isn’t something we can easily overlook, so if it’s not because of the campsite, we’ll need to investigate why it’s happening.”

“…”

“There haven’t been cases of people running businesses while staying in dungeons long-term, so it’s difficult to cite precedents.”

That was true. Spring Campsite did break a few rules that had been taken for granted until now.

Originally, commercial activities for personal gain were prohibited in shelters. Although this area was designated as a shelter because of my skill, the regulations for shelters still applied.

Moreover, bringing monsters as helpers, having multiple humans stay together, keeping campfires burning all day, and even the fact that the shelter’s location doesn’t change might have some influence on the dungeon.

That’s why, even though I thought Vice Guild Master Ju Cheong Han’s words were nonsense, Hunter Ju Cheong Yeon couldn’t flatly deny them.

As the Director of Dungeon Management, he had a duty to investigate if anything unusual happened in the dungeon, and he couldn’t defend me without evidence.

“So, I was thinking, how about bringing Spring Campsite under the Korea Awakened Association?”

“The Association? What do you mean by that…?”

As I was thinking things had become a bit troublesome, he made an unexpected suggestion.

“The Association doesn’t just manage dungeons and awakened individuals. We also support or acquire organizations and institutions necessary for the awakened.”

“Are you saying we should sell the campsite to the Association?”

“That would be the best way to protect the campsite, but even if just Yu Bom joins the Association, we can provide more active protection.”

“…”

“In my opinion, the campsite seems like it could be helpful for Blue Starlight Valley expeditions and raids, and it seems like a useful space for hunters in many ways, so I think the higher-ups would approve.”

I was surprised by this unexpected proposal. If I could join, I had only considered guilds, never even thinking about the Association.

“But don’t you need to complete the Academy to join the Association?”

“Don’t worry about that. In Yu Bom’s case, you can enter through special recruitment.”

“…”

“Are you considering it?”

As I asked in detail, Hunter Ju Cheong Yeon’s expression brightened slightly. He must have thought I was considering it positively.

“Hunter Ju Cheong Yeon, you sound a bit like… the other guild masters who came to recruit for the campsite.”

“Haha, I’m saying this so you don’t misunderstand, but I’m someone who gains nothing whether Bom joins the Association or not. It’s not something a mere employee should be concerned about either.”

It was quite an exaggeration to call himself a mere employee when he had the ability to dictate expedition rights. He gave a kind eye smile as if he was quite benevolent.

“But what do you mean by selling out the Association President?”

“Ah, right. Because of the reasons I just mentioned, it might be difficult to fully protect Bom for the time being, so I just dropped a hint to scare them a bit.”

“What did you say?”

“I mentioned myself, Hunter Chae Dong Hwa, Center Director Yu Myung Hyun, and Hunter Moon Ga Young, asking if they knew who they were messing with.”

“…”

“They still didn’t get it, so I told them that Hunter Moon Ga Young would return soon, and showed them the video letter Yu Bom filmed on U-tube telling her dad not to enter the dungeon.”

When he first listed the hunters’ names, I didn’t understand why that was selling out the Association President. They were people my dad sent because he was worried about me.

But thinking about his words again, I realized my dad’s name was included among them.

Before being their superior, my dad was the closest person to the Association President. They knew each other’s families well.

Moreover, even high-ranking production hunters have low combat power, making it dangerous for them to enter high-level dungeons.

So, just like the lie Hunter Moon Ga Young told Hunter Chae Dong Hwa, he implied that I was the Association President’s daughter.

“But is that okay? It’s a lie, isn’t it…”

Hunter Chae Dong Hwa is an individual, so that’s one thing, but Cheong Un seems to want to make this issue bigger now.

“I didn’t say with my own mouth that Bom is the Association President’s daughter. Even if they recorded the conversation, there’s nothing to catch me on.”

“…”

What a scary person…

I’m too tired to think now. Hunter Ju Cheong Yeon was truly someone I wouldn’t want to face as an enemy.

He’s so reliable when he’s on my side, but he has a meticulousness that’s chilling at times, making me speechless occasionally.

“And he said something strange. He said the Cheong Un Guild Master ordered him to recruit Yu Bom no matter what.”

“The Cheong Un… Guild Master?”