Chapter 19: I Wish He Were a Villain (1)

While the world buzzed about the Naju S+ dungeon, Ion was, as usual, clearing an obscure dungeon in a remote area since dawn. Five hours in, not a single material for entering the Demon Realm surfaced.

Despite countless dungeon runs, no materials—and no news of anyone finding them either. This suggested…

Are those materials not even generated in Level 1?

At this point, their existence felt dubious.

The only way to enter the Demon Realm was to gather materials to break the dungeon barrier. But if those materials only appeared in Level 2 or beyond… all this dungeon-running was pointless.

With a heavy heart, Ion picked up his phone. He’d applied for another nearby dungeon, and the client answered immediately, as if waiting.

“Hello?” an elderly voice said.

Ion raised his tone slightly. “I cleared the dungeon. Please send the payment as agreed.”

“Oh! I was worried since it took a while, but thank goodness. Thank you, truly!”

The call ended, and payment arrived via the app—a small sum, scraped together by a few rural elders. Ion barely glanced at the amount before dialing another number.

“Yes, hello?” another elderly voice answered.

“Hello, this is Ion, Corps Leader. It’s taking longer than expected. I’ll arrive around 2 p.m.”

“Oh, 2 or 3, just come. I thought you were canceling!”

“See you then.”

“Wait, uh… we couldn’t measure the gate’s rank. Do you know it?”

“I do. If it’s F-rank, I’ll clear it. If higher, I’ll exit immediately. I always work this way, so don’t worry.”

“Thank you. The pay’s small, but we’ll throw in our village’s specialty—June’s super-sweet corn.”

“Haha, I’ll gratefully accept.”

Ion’s expression remained that of a somber youth, but the client would think him kind and polite. He hung up and got into his car.

Sigh…

He was tired. But what could he do? Time to go get some corn.

His car, a problematic electric model bought for five million won, had a dead battery and ran purely on Ion’s magic. He preferred trains or buses, using the car sparingly.

His constantly draining mana was replenished by the plants filling the car: Sansevieria in the passenger seat, Areca palm, bamboo palm, and Phalaenopsis in the back. Thanks to them, the car smelled fresh and fragrant, not like a vehicle.

The village head tried to give Ion a box of corn. He took just one, declining the rest. The gate was behind the village hill. After sending the worried elders to the community center, Ion prepared to enter when—

Buzz.

Checking his phone, he answered.

“Ion,” Daon said.

“Yeah.”

“What were you doing?”

“Just say what you want. You didn’t call to ask about Jin Seongha’s lifestyle through the mirror, right?”

Daon chuckled briefly.

“Now that you mention it, did you use the mirror?”

“He noticed my gaze, so I stopped. He sensed it.”

“Wow… No one’s ever noticed before. Jin Seongha’s something else.”

“One use left. Want it back?”

“Keep it.”

“Fine. What’s up?”

“…Ion, I need your help.”

No subject needed—it was about the Naju dungeon bid. Ion had expected this.

D-NATE and Udinbara each had two S-rank Hunters but faced strong public disapproval. D-NATE’s guildmasters and Park Yujik were notorious for reckless behavior, and Udinbara was rumored to be tied to a cult.

Horizon was the alternative, but their only S-rank was Jin Seongha. Despite the pet monster controversy, he was Korea’s strongest Hunter with three skills. But was one S-rank enough for an S+ dungeon?

Ideally, the three guilds would collaborate, lending their S-ranks to clear Korea’s first S+ dungeon on the first try. But as profit-driven entities, cooperation was unlikely.

With only one guild to be chosen, internal conflicts at the Hunter Agency and Association intensified. Each guild had insiders pushing their bids.

“Seon’s at the Association, so you said not to worry,” Ion noted.

“We thought forming Spec-1 Team was enough to win the bid, but we’re scrambling. The government wants a perfect first-try clear, probably eyeing Japan.”

“Japan cleared a 12m dungeon first try.”

“Seon and I said the same, but it didn’t matter. I’m swamped—Hahoe mask investigation, Jin Seongha’s pet controversy, finding who tipped him about Moshi, and now this bid.”

A long sigh came through.

“D-NATE has two S-ranks and a strong A-rank lineup. They’ll likely get it.”

“D-NATE, not Udinbara?”

“Yeah, Ion. Udinbara’s no longer Horizon’s rival—just a minor guild that’ll fade.”

In the novel, Udinbara and Horizon competed for the world’s top guild spot until the end. Udinbara, initially a villain due to cult ties, later became a well-liked rival for world peace. But D-NATE, absent from the novel, emerged, and Park Yujik, meant to join Horizon, went to D-NATE, pushing Udinbara to third place.

New characters acting as heroes were derailing the novel’s plot.

“Where are Dam Il-on and Dam Sa-on now?”

“I know what you’re thinking. Il-on’s in the U.S., and Sa-on’s in a dungeon for another three or four days. Why not reveal you’re S-rank? Horizon would have two S-ranks, and this gets simple.”

Not simple—it’d complicate everything. Revealing S-rank status would trigger a retest, and his ether color wouldn’t change.

Eliminating Il-on and Sa-on from Hunter activities would be simpler.

“I told you I want a quiet life. No S-rank.”

Sigh. “Fine. I have another plan.”

“Tell me.”

Ion took out his Sansevieria, holding it. His throbbing temples eased.

“D-NATE’s been tackling an A-rank dungeon in Incheon for three weeks. They’re out for byproduct distribution and maintenance but re-enter tomorrow with Park Yujik’s Second Raid Team. Our planted C-rank Hunter will join as a porter. Interested?”

Some dungeon byproducts—rocks, leather, plants—require special skills to store in inventories, so low-rank Hunters are often hired as porters for tasks high-rank Hunters disdain.

In other words, disguise as a porter, join them, and kill Park Yujik. Dungeons were perfect for staging deaths.

“Location and time?”

“D-NATE’s Yeouido office, 6 a.m. tomorrow. I sent the profile. Name: Lee Minsu, 24, quiet, low-presence—easy to impersonate. No close colleagues to notice a change.”

Ion checked the photo—an utterly average-looking man.

“Got a disguise item? I have a tradeable S-rank one. Give me your inventory ID.”

“…”

Awakened with the convenient system could trade items remotely using inventory IDs for experience points. Ion, unawakened, couldn’t.

He’d managed a year without awakening, but lately, small inconveniences piled up.

“Inventory’s full. Send it by courier.”

“Just take out one plant.”

Daon assumed Ion’s inventory was packed with plants. If he were awakened, it probably would be.

“How can you say something so cruel? Think of the plants, wilting from being treated as useless baggage.”

“…Then what? I’m at the Hunter Agency. Come pick it up? Jin Seongha’s here, so you might run into him.”

“I have a disguise item. I’ll infiltrate as planned. Hanging up.”

“Ion…!”

Ion ended the call. Someone came to mind—someone who’d shyly admitted to getting an S-rank disguise item.

“Disguise item? Still got it. Black market tickets are hard to come by,” Hong Insu said.

“You need it? Take it! No payment needed between hero and sidekick. We’re in this together! Haha!”

Ion offered payment, but Hong Insu refused.

“I’ll send it. What’s your inventory ID?”

“Let’s meet in person.”

“Huh? Oh, sure. I’m free now. Where?”

“11 p.m., your house.”

“…What?”

Ion had an unranked dungeon to clear. If it was B-rank or higher, it could take hours, so he set a late time.

“Not inventory trade… but face-to-face… at night… at my house… for a personal reward…?”

Hong Insu seemed to replay the conversation.

Too tired to overthink, Ion didn’t question his reaction.

“Yeah, see you then. Bye.”

“Wait, uh… is this right?”

“?”

“Is this the story I’m thinking?”

“Got a problem?”

“No, not a problem… Okay, my house at night… Parents will be asleep, but my sibling’s up past 2 a.m., so no introductions…”

Ion had no intention of meeting them but wondered why Hong Insu was so apologetic.

He brushed it off and hung up.

Hours later, at Hong Insu’s house, Ion learned the reason.

Hong Insu thought it was a confession.

The misunderstanding was so absurd, Ion didn’t even get mad—just laughed.

That such a cheerful guy would kill Choi Jungho and die himself?

Teacher would be furious, but Ion was glad reality diverged from the novel. Hong Insu’s family was alive, and he wasn’t a villain.

Yet, Park Yujik came to mind.

A character born to die, his death would ripple globally, so it was necessary.

Ion hoped he was a villain.

Killing someone like Hong Insu would leave a lingering unease.

The next day, Ion joined D-NATE’s Second Raid Team as porter Lee Minsu to tackle the A-rank dungeon.