“Kid, release this immediately, or…”

“Commander of the Hwarang Unit.”

”?”

Finally, I spoke, and Matthew’s head snapped toward me. Every eye in the room followed his gaze. I continued, my voice steady.

“I understand your suspicion. I know the circumstances make it unavoidable.”

“So you confess outright. Then tell me—what the hell are you, daring to tamper with the dungeon so openly? And to insult our guild like this…”

“But…”

”?”

I paused, my eyes now calm and focused, and said, “I’m not responsible. Neither the manipulated Demon Sealing Cave nor the Lich has anything to do with me.”

“Right. That’s your story, is it?” Matthew grinned, his lips curling into a sinister smile. “Fine. If you’re implicated in this examination manipulation…”

His eyes widened, and he released a suffocating aura of killing intent.

“From now on, you’d better forget about being a Hunter in this business.”

“Then I’ll ask you the opposite,” I replied quietly. “What if I’m not involved?”

“What?”

“In that case, I’d be a victim who was caught in a trap targeting rookies from Hwarang and Cheongyeon. In that situation, I saved Kang Gun and Yoo Se-rin and even resolved the case. So, rather—”

I looked back and forth between Seo Yeon-hwa and Matthew, continuing, “You and the alliance headquarters should be thanking me.”

“You’ve lost your damn mind,” Matthew sneered.

But then—

“He’s right about that.”

Seo Yeon-hwa nodded thoughtfully.

“If that’s the case, then Hunter Taejun is practically our benefactor. We should express our gratitude.”

“Seo Yeon-hwa, what are you…?”

“I’ll grant Hunter Lee Taejun any one thing he desires.”

“Seo Yeon-hwa!”

“However, if you’re involved in this scheme…”

Seo Yeon-hwa smiled quietly.

”…I won’t stand idly by either.”

I nodded silently in response.

Then, I turned my gaze to Matthew.

He ground out his words between clenched teeth.

“Hah, fine. I’ll grant you any one thing you want as well.”

“A promise?”

“Yeah. I won’t go back on my word. Of course…”

But Matthew’s sentence trailed off.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a blazing Fireball coalesced in my left hand.

“Hmm?”

I raised my arm and activated:

I launched the Fireball in Matthew’s direction.

boom!

”?!”

In that fleeting moment, the Fireball narrowly missed Matthew, its fiery trail slicing past his widened eyes.

Shweeeek!

It flew over the heads of startled Hunters, including Seo Yeon-hwa, Yoo Se-rin, and Joo Minsuk, before impacting with a deafening crash.

Kwaang!

“Kuaaaack!”

The Fireball struck the back of a Coalition Headquarters Hunter who was supporting Kang Gun, precisely targeting and launching him away. Thanks to this, Kang Gun, who was being carried, only bounced slightly from the explosion’s impact and escaped serious injury.

Thud.

As the Hunter who had been struck by the Fireball collapsed in a cloud of smoke, Matthew demanded, his face contorted with fury, “What in the world do you think you’re doing?”

“He’s the culprit.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The fallen Hunter over there manipulated this dungeon. He may not be the mastermind, but he’s definitely the one who summoned the Lich to swap out the boss.”

“How did you know about that?”

Instead of answering, I pulled something out of my suit.

A finger writhing like it was alive, completely enveloped in pitch-black magic.

Seo Yeon-hwa was the first to recognize it.

“Is that… the offering sacrificed to summon the Lich?”

“Yes, it is.”

Matthew’s eyes wavered, still tinged with doubt but overwhelmed by confusion.

”…You were fortunate to find it.”

“Luck was on my side. It was buried within the remains of a Sacred Relic.”

“I heard summoned Liches conceal the Contractor’s offerings in subspace… So that’s not always the case?”

“It depends on the Lich’s nature.”

Well, this particular Lich had hidden it in subspace—until I tricked it into sacrificing it with its own hands.

“Anyway, this finger…”

I displayed the twitching finger.

“It’s been moving like this, as if alive, ever since I ran into you all just now.”

There’s only one reason a body part used in a lich’s summoning ritual would move.

When the body’s original owner is nearby.

So, the moment the finger twitched,

I immediately searched for the sacrifice’s owner.

Soon, among the Hunters standing behind Joo Minsuk,

I found someone unnaturally hiding one of their hands.

That’s the bastard who tried to sneak Kang Gun out and got a surprise attack from me.

In that case, here’s the final confirmation.

“Now, let’s confirm who the owner of this finger is.”

Thud.

I threw the twitching finger onto the ground.

Wiggle.

“W-what the…?”

“The severed finger’s moving…?”

The severed finger, resembling a caterpillar, began crawling toward the fallen Hunter near the entrance.

A moment later.

The finger reached the Hunter and, with a soft thud, aligned itself perfectly with the severed tip of the Hunter’s index finger.

Simultaneously.

Swoosh!

An evil aura enveloped the Hunter’s body.

Suddenly, blue glimmers flickered within the pitch-black mist.

Hahahaha, you fool! Returning the sacrifice to the Contractor? Didn’t you realize this offering could serve as a medium for my re-summoning?

Lich.

He was beginning to materialize from the dark mist once more.

This time, I won’t be deceived by you! First, I’ll reclaim my stolen staff… Ack?!

But the moment Lich declared this with blazing eyes,

Clang!

The wind, sharp as a blade, tore at the half-exposed figure, tearing it to shreds.

It vanished behind the pitch-black fog without even a scream.

Crack!

The Skeleton Mage retreated as if being forcibly stuffed back into the darkness.

Once its malevolent aura had completely dispersed,

“It’s true,” Seo Yeon-hwa said, reaching out her hand as the cool breeze swept around her.

“We were holding an innocent person. No, worse than innocent—we were holding the benefactor who saved our children.”

A heavy silence hung in the air after the rapid-fire series of events.

“Hunter Lee Taejun,” Seo Yeon-hwa said, bowing her head to me after obliterating the Lich.

“I’m truly sorry. I was wrong about you.”

”…”

“Now it’s your turn to apologize, Guild Leader of the Hwarang,” Seo Yeon-hwa added, her tone sharp.

”…”

Matthew, frozen like a stone statue, let out a muffled groan.

Of course, all traces of murderous intent had vanished.

Only bewilderment remained in his once fiercely savage eyes.

In an instant, he had transformed from a ferocious tiger into a harmless, flailing puppy.

”…Um…”

After a moment, Matthew slowly took a step toward me.

“I never anticipated this situation. I need to investigate that man further, but for now… it seems I’ve… misunderstood…”

He muttered these words, his voice tinged with awkwardness and apology.

It’s alright.

Thanks to his sudden outburst, we’ve actually gained quite a bit.

Hmm, yes.

“I shouldn’t have-”

But why?

Ping.

Why did my vision have to blur at this exact moment?

“-misunderstood so deeply…”

His thick voice stuttered, as if buffering.

My vision tilted.

Matthew’s panicked face, his hand awkwardly reaching out, flashed before my eyes.

“Ugh, hey! Snap out of it, you fool!”

“Hyung-nim!”

Thud.

As I lay on the ground, staring up at the swirling cave ceiling, the truth hit me.

That last Fireball I’d unleashed had drained every last drop of my Mana.

At least the mission was complete.

As my consciousness slipped away, I thought:

Alright, when I wake up…

Should I sink my teeth into Hwarang or Yeonha first?

When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was a white ceiling. The familiar grid pattern told me immediately where I was.

This was the hospital I’d frequented during my porter days. But unlike the crowded ten- or twelve-person wards I’d been admitted to before, this was a private room.

The spacious room held only my bed. Sitting halfway up, I retraced my steps to the moment before I lost consciousness.

I passed out from mana exhaustion.

How much time had passed since then?

I immediately activated my Status Window.

Two days had passed since the entrance exam.

Normally, the more mana you deplete, the greater the recoil your body experiences. But I’d drained an astounding 500 mana—enough to cast dozens of S-rank attack skills—in a matter of moments.

In a way, it was fortunate I had woken up after only two days.

Just then.

“Whoa!”

The chat window suddenly burst open.

Manager Mi.

“I’m fine, I’m fine.”

I was trying to soothe Manager Mi when the hospital room door suddenly slid open with a creak.

“Ah.”

As soon as our eyes met, I couldn’t help but start piecing together what must have happened over the past two days.

“You’re awake?”

He was holding a basin filled with damp towels.

Seo Yeon-hwa gave me a gentle smile.

“Did you sleep well?”

She placed a basin of wet towels beside me and settled into the chair, her eyes warm like those of a close older sister. The contrast from her formal attire two days ago—now clad in casual, everyday clothes—only amplified this impression.

“How’s your condition?” she asked, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

“Not bad at all.” In fact, my Status Window showed my Mana was completely full. My body felt lighter than air.

“That’s a relief. Though I played a part in it.”

“Did you… nurse me, Guild Master?”

“You could say that.”

Abruptly, Seo Yeon-hwa’s gaze dropped to my chest. “Mind if I take a look?”

I slowly lifted my patient gown.

Slightly above my sternum.

A faintly glowing rune-like mark caught my eye.

“So you performed a mana infusion.”

When a hunter falls into a “mana burn” state, their internal mana completely depleted, standard medical treatments or healing skills prove largely ineffective. However, a hunter thoroughly proficient in mana manipulation can rapidly restore a mana-burned hunter through a skill called “mana infusion.”

Mana infusion is, simply put, the act of channeling one’s own mana into another.

But restoring my mana would consume an enormous amount.

Despite being an S-rank healing skill, mana infusion is notoriously inefficient. My mana capacity is 500 units. To fully restore this amount through mana infusion, the donor would need to expend at least 4,000 units of mana.

“You’re right. I underestimated Hunter Taejun. Honestly, I was confident I could finish the mana infusion in about a day.”

Seo Yeon-hwa shook her head with a bitter smile.

“But I was wrong. I poured mana into him for two days straight, and it still wasn’t enough. I nearly collapsed from mana exhaustion.”

“Thank you.”

“It’s nothing compared to how Hunter Taejun saved Serine.”

Yoo Se-rin.

Come to think of it, she had also reached a state of mana burnout from restraining Matthew.

As if reading my thoughts, Seo Yeon-hwa spoke again.

“Se-rin is fine. She’s resting comfortably. More importantly…”

Seo Yeon-hwa stared at me for a moment before pulling out her smartphone.

“Here you go.”

I took the phone from her.

Immediately, several internet articles on the screen caught my eye:

I skimmed through the article.

It appeared the livestream had been cut off due to a simple equipment malfunction caused by the Lich’s sudden rampage.

Information regarding the manipulation of the Demon Sealing Cave hadn’t been publicly disclosed either.

Rather than announcing everything and causing a chaotic public outcry from the start,

Cheongyeon, Hwarang, and the Allied Headquarters seemed to have quietly agreed to conduct an underground investigation first.

Beyond that, most of the articles highlighted my achievements in the recent B-rank assessment or speculated about my future endeavors.

Conspiracy theories—some eerily intuitive—questioning the Automatic Gauge Measurement System’s evaluation of my strategy points and the legitimacy of the assessment itself dominated my smartphone’s news feed.

Well, at least I’m not getting embroiled in any more messy assessment manipulation controversies.

The most important thing for me right now is…

I’ve been promoted.

Despite all the chaos, I succeeded.