The Dungeon Cleaning Life of a Once Genius Hunter

Morning, the bus to work.

Luckily, I quickly sat down in an empty seat.

I could feel vague glances from around me, but I turned my head toward the window.

It had already been a week since I started this routine every morning.

I kept coming to work with the intention of quitting the janitor job as soon as I got my skills back, and it had already been a whole week.

In that time, I had cleaned 25 dungeons.

I had dismantled 30 monsters.

I used 6 whole 10-liter bottles of cleaning chemicals.

And the skill I had unlocked so far?

Just one.

It was a pretty random skill unlocked under strange conditions, “Hyper Boost,” a mobility-related skill.

[Increases the caster’s movement speed drastically during combat.]

It’s a skill with high efficiency during hunting, but… what am I supposed to do with just this one?

And since it only activates during combat, it was completely useless for my cleaning work.

Damn…

Yeah, it’s still a skill, so… it’s better than nothing.

But right now, I can’t even think of unlocking any other skills.

Realistically speaking, achieving an average annual salary of 60 million won or getting the #1 preferred job for young people… there’s no way those things are possible.

I have no clue where to even start or what to do.

Damn it, there’s no solution to this.

The sound of my sigh echoed every 30 seconds in the bus.

Of course, there were still some relatively easier conditions.

[One Counter – Unlock condition: Increased interest in the dungeon cleaning team within the association]
[Upward Blaze – Unlock condition: Increased budget for the dungeon cleaning team]
…and things like that.

Unlike the others, these were more abstract conditions.

Since there were no specific numbers to meet, they seemed like the most achievable ones for now.

Especially the one about increasing interest in the association.

Based on the information I know for the next 10 years, if I cooperate with the hunts, the association’s interest will definitely increase.

If I meet up with my former team members, maybe I should try talking to them.

…With over 10,000 hunters, what are the chances of running into them by chance?

Sigh, I dropped my head.

At this rate, I might just end up being a janitor for the rest of my life.

I stared out the window with a heavy face.

And then, I noticed something surprising.

“…Shit.”

I had already passed my stop by a long way.

***

Near Sadang, in an old commercial building.

“What the hell? Why are there only two of you? Is everyone else late?”

The only ones who had arrived so far were Han Sang-hyeok and Moon So-yeon.

“Is the team leader with you? He went to buy more supplies, said we were running low.”

“Hi-jeong said she’s taking a few days off for personal reasons.”

Han Sang-hyeok and Moon So-yeon answered alternately.

“It’s already been 10 minutes, and he went to buy supplies?”

“Yeah, exactly. It’s been 10 minutes, and you’re just now showing up?”

“I passed my stop.”

Han Sang-hyeok let out a small laugh.

He probably thought I was joking.

His attitude had changed a lot compared to the first day.

He was still sharp, but at least he wasn’t swearing.

It seemed like he hadn’t expected me to stick around for a week.

“I bought coffee. Drink it while you wait.”

“What are we waiting for? We can just go in first.”

Han Sang-hyeok pointed to a plastic bag on the ground, but I ignored it easily and headed toward the dungeon entrance.

Han Sang-hyeok shook his head.

“We’re not done yet.”

“Done with what?”

“The hunt. It’s still in progress.”

“…What?”

I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly.

This wasn’t a dungeon I had hunted before.

I didn’t know the details, but… it was probably a mid-level “Blue Rank” dungeon.

And it was a building-type dungeon with few risk factors.

Even if I conceded everything, it definitely wasn’t the kind of place where the hunting schedule would be delayed.

Why were they acting so flustered?

Sigh…

Of course, I couldn’t go in and hunt with them.

What else could I do? I’d just have to wait.

Even if they were late, it would probably only be 5 or 10 minutes.

…Or so I thought, but that was a mistake.

10 minutes.

20 minutes.

Then 30 minutes passed.

What kind of damn idiots are 30 minutes late for the scheduled time?

I was on the verge of losing my temper.

Even if they were a bunch of useless people, if they were out on a Blue-Rank dungeon hunt, they should at least be C-rank, right?

Hah, if it were me when I was active…

“Oh, they’re coming out.”

“…!”

It seemed the hunt was finally over.

Han Sang-hyeok noticed them first and spoke up, and I immediately turned my head toward the dungeon entrance to check them out.

Of course, there was no way their expressions would be pleasant.

I was just trying to get a look at what kind of rookies they were.

Tsk, they all look like D-rank hunters.

As expected, the hunters coming out of the dungeon were unfamiliar faces I didn’t recognize.

Just finished a Blue-Rank dungeon and they were already in tatters…

Ugh, this is the end of times.

As I scowled and scanned each one of them, my gaze finally stopped on the last person to exit the dungeon: a woman.

Wait, wait… that person?

My eyes widened at the sudden realization.

I recognized her face.

Long black hair, white skin that could pass for a model’s, and a delicate appearance that seemed completely out of place in a dungeon.

It was her. There was no doubt about it.

Kim Min-joo.

“…?”

At that moment, Kim Min-joo seemed to notice my gaze and turned her head.

“Is there something you need from me…?”

“…No, nothing.”

Kim Min-joo looked puzzled and asked, but I replied flatly and turned away.

I tried to act indifferent, but in truth, I couldn’t hide my inner reaction.

Her appearance was completely unexpected, and instinctively, I furrowed my brow.

Damn it, of all the people to run into, it had to be her.

I had said I would talk to any hunter I met from my old team, but she was the exception.

Whether she recognized me or not, I didn’t want anything to do with her. In fact, I didn’t even want to get involved.

That damn girl who had cursed me out for no reason.

The one who hated me for no reason, just because.

When I had to propose her retirement due to an injury, she didn’t even understand the situation and cursed at me.

Hah, she’s got a horrible personality, with her pride and arrogance.

She didn’t even realize I had said it for her own good.

I shook my head, as though shaking off the memory that flashed through my mind.

“Junwoo-ssi?”

Moon So-yeon asked, her voice full of concern.

“…Yes?”

“Do you know that hunter?”

“No. Not at all.”

“You were staring at them so intensely, though.”

“I just… thought she looked like someone I know.”

“…I see. Your expression looked so angry, I thought she might have been your ex-girlfriend.”

“…”

“Sorry! I was just joking.”

Moon So-yeon looked genuinely flustered and bowed her head.

It was only then that I realized my expression had been much harsher than I intended.

Whatever. It’s not like anyone else cares. I’m the only one who’s suffering.

Either way, she had nothing to do with me anymore. Thinking about it any further would just make me angry.

Anyway, I hoped we’d never cross paths again.

“Is everyone here? So, is the hunt over?”

Team Leader Park only showed up after the entire operations team had disappeared. Then he immediately noticed something was off.

“What’s with the atmosphere? What happened?”

“…Nothing. It’s fine.”

“Bullshit, nothing happened! That guy just ran into his ex—”

“Shut up. If you don’t want to die.”

His mouth immediately shut.

“What are we doing? Let’s just get to work.”

With the atmosphere now awkward, I took the lead and entered the dungeon.

***

Blue-Rank building-type dungeon.

The building had completely turned into a dungeon, with a completely different landscape from what you would see on the outside. It was a building that had only been built for 30 years, but inside, it looked like it had been standing for at least a thousand years.

“Junwoo, did you study up on this place too?”

While looking around inside the building, Moon So-yeon asked.

Over the past week, I had received too many questions from people who were overly familiar with dungeons and monsters.

I dismissed the question by saying I had “studied it in advance,” but even I knew that was a ridiculous lie.

Still, judging by her reaction, it seemed to have worked.

“No, I don’t know much about this place, except that the boss is a humanoid monster.”

Well, it’s not a dungeon I’ve hunted before.

“Alright! As you all know, this is a building-type dungeon, so the byproducts won’t be easily visible. We’ll need to clean thoroughly, especially under the stairs, where blood tends to collect. Pay attention to those spots.”

“Yes~.”

“Luckily, the building is small, so we can divide the work. Junwoo, you and I will head to the boss room.”

“…Okay.”

Team Leader Park and I immediately started climbing the stairs to the third floor.

A narrow and dark hallway.

At the end of it, we entered a room, revealing a rather cramped space.

In the center, the boss, half-cut and dead, lay there.

A humanoid monster, ‘Vega.’

“Ugh… I hate humanoid ones. They really look like human corpses.”

“Yeah, well.”

Team Leader Park had a somewhat uncomfortable expression.

But I didn’t really care, giving the corpse a quick glance.

It was a monster in the shape of a woman, about 160 cm in size.

Well, this size should be…

“We could probably just carry it out without disassembling it.”

“Yeah, that’s probably best.”

Team Leader Park nodded, seemingly relieved.

He then quickly moved to the body.

“Mm? What’s wrong?”

“…Nothing.”

I stood there for a moment, lost in thought, before I approached the corpse a little late.

Something felt off.

From my memory, ‘Vega’ wasn’t a particularly dangerous monster.

If you were careful about its quick movements and timed your attacks right, it wouldn’t be too hard to deal with.

But…

Wait. Did Kim Min-joo really struggle against this thing?

Ten years ago, Kim Min-joo was a B-rank hunter.

While the term might sound less impressive now, being B-rank back then meant you were no joke.

Especially with her swordsmanship, even I had a high regard for it.

If she hadn’t retired due to injury, she definitely had the potential to reach S-rank.

Yeah, she may have been a pain, but she had talent.

Anyway, there was no way she would have struggled against a boss from a Blue-Rank dungeon…

“Hey, what’s with you? Why do you keep spacing out? You’re not planning on carrying this alone, are you?”

“Ah… just got distracted for a second.”

Team Leader Park seemed frustrated by my hesitation and urged me again.

Right, whatever potential she had, what did that have to do with me? I wasn’t going to see her again anyway.

As I finished sorting my thoughts and looked back at Vega’s body…

I noticed something strange—there were several deep cuts all over the corpse.

My brows furrowed.

Wait a second. Could it be…?

I realized something I hadn’t wanted to.

“Hey, Junwoo! Why does it keep tilting toward me?! You’re not carrying it, right?!”

“Ah…”

I quickly caught the monster’s body and stabilized it.

From there, I didn’t need to worry about her anymore.

I didn’t have the time or energy to think about it.

Today was just one of those “bad luck” days, and with two large-dungeon hunts scheduled, I was swamped and utterly exhausted.

By the time I came to my senses, it was already close to midnight.

I had completely forgotten about the morning’s events.

All I could think about was getting home as soon as possible, tired as I was…

“Damn it, I missed the last train.”

It was truly a day of bad luck from start to finish.