Broken Ranker Devours Myths - Chapter 17

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Broken Ranker

Devours Myths

 

Chapter 17

White Burn (3)

 

 

 

Long-term unsolved cases literally means cases that haven’t been resolved for a long period of time.

Long-term unsolved dungeons were the same.

And such dungeons usually had a high risk of breaking, so most were recovered by the government.

Then large guilds would buy back the management rights at dirt cheap prices.

If they solved the quest, they’d get byproducts at bargain prices. It could be a decent investment.

However, since the success rate wasn’t particularly good, there were hardly any cases of having dedicated teams.

Occasionally, they’d casually suggest to strategy teams, ‘Why don’t you give it a try to rest your minds?’

If not that,

‘They’d throw it to teams made up of burdens who were awkward to fire or troublesome to use properly.’

The Long-term Unsolved Dungeon Exploration Team that Lee Hyeon hoped to join, CCDU (Cold Case Dungeon Unit), was exactly that kind of treatment at White Burn.

“They call it the Rose Team.”

“…?”

On his first day at work.

Lee Hyeon was able to meet his former junior who had been waiting for him since dawn in front of the main entrance of the company building.

“The team you’ll be joining, senior. It belongs to the Dungeon Strategy Headquarters, which is the guild’s core department, but it’s actually just ornamental with no substance. That’s exactly what flowers are like.”

“…”

“It’s meant sarcastically.”

Though they had met briefly yesterday, his junior still had the same cold personality.

No, in some ways, she seemed to have become even more cynical.

“The team leader had an urgent meeting this morning, so I unavoidably came out in his place. Is it okay if I guide you?”

Lee Hyeon nodded awkwardly while smiling.

“Sure.”

“Then please follow me.”

Kim Min-jeong didn’t even properly listen to Lee Hyeon’s answer and turned around sharply to enter the building.

Lee Hyeon let out a short sigh with a troubled heart.

‘I never expected Min-jeong to be in a place like this…’

「Did you ever put your hands on that girl’s wallet or something?」

Son Wukong, who was sitting on Lee Hyeon’s head picking at snacks, grinned.

Today’s snack was egg bread.

‘Even though I grew up poor, I never did such things.’

「Then why is such a cold wind blowing? Or did you confess and get rejected?」

‘When I was at Blue Thunder, she was one of my closest colleagues.’

「Then why is she acting like that?」

‘…I think she’s disappointed in me.’

「Disappointed?」

‘Because I unilaterally cut off contact.’

Bitterness seeped into Lee Hyeon’s expression.

“Aren’t you coming?”

“No. I’m coming.”

Lee Hyeon followed Kim Min-jeong through several gates.

“Since this is a company, I’ll call you ‘colleague’ instead of ‘senior.'”

“Yes, understood. Manager Kim.”

Lee Hyeon didn’t miss that Kim Min-jeong’s employee ID card hanging around her neck had her department and position written on it.

However,

“…”

“…Since it’s a company, I thought I should use formal language instead of our personal relationship. Did I make some mistake?”

Kim Min-jeong shook her head.

“No. You did well. We can’t bring personal relationships into the company. It’s just that drawing the line so clearly seems very like you, senior.”

“…”

“Please follow me. The Long-term Unsolved Dungeon Exploration Team is on the 11th floor, but first I’ll explain the Dungeon Strategy Headquarters step by step.”

Lee Hyeon scratched his cheek and followed Kim Min-jeong into the elevator.

Beep.

Kim Min-jeong held her employee ID card to the sensor and pressed the 10F button.

“You’ll be issued an ID card by today. The floors you can access differ by department or position, and among these, you…”

Kim Min-jeong’s tone as she explained the points Lee Hyeon absolutely needed to know was very calm and businesslike.

But somehow Lee Hyeon felt even more distance from it.

「Oh, come to think of it, didn’t you say that after leaving that Blue Thunder unit or whatever 4 years ago, you barely kept in touch with anyone?」

Son Wukong found Lee Hyeon’s reaction amusing and watched while giggling.

「Well, I can understand your feelings at the time, but nothing is more resentful to the other party than unilaterally cutting off human relationships. You reap what you sow.」

Lee Hyeon couldn’t make any particular excuses since he had committed the sin himself.

「Plus, if you were close, the sense of betrayal would be even greater. This girl seems to be pissed off because of that too, right? Good luck with that. Oh, at times like this, you should eat popcorn instead of bread for the real flavor. Well, this is tasty too though. Munch munch munch.」

Lee Hyeon felt a strong urge to punch Son Wukong, who kept teasing him from the side, just once in the head.

“You can think of the 10th and 11th floors as entirely used by our headquarters. We also use part of the 12th floor, but since many executives are there, you probably won’t need to go there. Let’s meet our team members first.”

Since A Team was located in the innermost area, Lee Hyeon was able to see every corner of the 10th floor.

The Dungeon Strategy Headquarters was very large as it formed the backbone of White Burn, with teams going up to Z Team.

“Who’s that person? I’ve never seen that face before.”

“I wonder.”

“Seeing Manager Kim from A Team personally escorting him around, there seems to be something about him… Is he A Team’s new experienced hire?”

“Was there any hiring announcement posted?”

“No, not yet. But that person is really handsome. Wow.”

He could hear voices whispering here and there, looking at Lee Hyeon with curious eyes.

“Wait, who is this! If it isn’t Hunter Jang! I heard you were discharged, but you really came to our company!”

At that moment, Manager So Seong-hae from A Team, who spotted Lee Hyeon first, ran out barefoot and grabbed Lee Hyeon’s hands.

His face, full of fatigue, was filled with goodwill.

“Yes, it’s been a while. Manager.”

“Why are you being so formal! We’re going to be eating from the same pot now!”

“What? Is that really Hunter Jang Lee Hyeon?”

“Is your body okay, Hunter?”

Other A Team members also poked their heads up over the partitions like moles and greeted him warmly.

“Your injuries… are they okay?”

Even Manager Min, his university classmate, approached hesitantly and worried about his well-being.

Thanks to that, question marks appeared above the heads of employees from other teams in the department.

‘Who exactly is that person?’

‘That rude A Team is acting so friendly like that?’

‘Didn’t A Team request support recently? Maybe he’s related to that?’

All sorts of speculation ran wild, but no one could approach the truth.

This was because Im Won-young had already instructed them beforehand to keep quiet about what happened in the Monkey Den.

While he couldn’t stop rumors from spreading, he thought it wouldn’t be good for Lee Hyeon’s personal information to spread indiscriminately.

Thanks to this, while the employees’ curiosity about Lee Hyeon only grew,

“Oh. I’m not seriously injured anywhere. Thank you all for worrying about me.”

“Phew, it’s really fortunate that things worked out well. Do you know how shocked we were at the time? Never push yourself like that again from now on. Your personal safety is more important than anything else in the world. You understand, right?”

Manager So Seong-hae spoke with a voice full of concern.

“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“After saying that, I wonder if he’s going to go to his department now and do the same thing again. Being too kind can also be a problem.”

“Manager, can’t we just bring Hunter Jang to our team?”

“That’s right. He’s also very skilled. That place is a bit…”

“Quiet, you guys. Do you think I don’t want to keep Hunter Jang here? You couldn’t even make a peep in front of the team leader.”

“Well, the team leader holds our personnel rights, but you don’t, Manager?”

“These bastards?”

When Manager So Seong-hae glared at them with fierce eyes, the team members quickly hid their heads below the partitions.

What kind of guys are these.

Manager So Seong-hae inwardly resolved to restore his dignity as a manager soon and spoke to Lee Hyeon again.

“I heard where Hunter Jang will be assigned, but don’t you have any thoughts of changing your mind?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Really none? It’s such a waste of Hunter Jang’s talents.”

Lee Hyeon was grateful for the feelings of Manager So Seong-hae and the A Team members.

Usually other guilds or raid teams, even when receiving help, didn’t appreciate it and only considered it natural.

He could feel that these people genuinely accepted and worried about him.

“I’m grateful just for the sentiment. But my skills are too lacking, so I think I’d only be a hindrance to A Team.”

“No, if Hunter Jang’s skills are lacking, then we’re just… Sigh, I feel bad about continuing to pressure you. Anyway, if you change your mind later, you must tell me or the team leader. You understand?”

“Yes. I understand.”

Lee Hyeon nodded while thinking.

Perhaps company life might not be as bad as he had thought.

 

* * *

 

“The elevator seems like it’ll be slow, so let’s take the stairs to the 11th floor.”

Kim Min-jeong took the lead again and climbed the emergency stairs. Lee Hyeon quietly followed behind her.

“How do you find the headquarters? Do you like it?”

“I think I’ll be able to settle in more comfortably than I expected.”

“All the team members have the same caring heart for you. Just like Blue Thunder.”

For a moment, a slight silence fell.

Lee Hyeon instinctively knew.

The moment he had thought would come someday had arrived now.

“The reason you cut off all contact back then, may I ask about it?”

Lee Hyeon realized that her voice was slightly trembling.

Even she, who had been showing a cold attitude on the surface, was actually gathering courage to bring this up.

“Leaving only a discharge application and packing up to leave like you were running away. You didn’t think we resented you for what happened then, did you?”

Senior, not sir.

“No. I never thought that.”

Lee Hyeon also returned from formal to informal speech.

What words should he say, and how should he bring them up.

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

But the words that actually came out of his mouth were completely unrelated to those.

“Then…”

“I was the one who didn’t have the face to see you guys.”

“…”

“And that’s still the same now.”

Lee Hyeon continued speaking calmly.

“I was the leader. Responsible for your safety and lives. But my wrong judgment made the damage worse, and in the end, created more unnecessary sacrifices.”

“…”

“And yet, the pathetic sight of me whimpering about being injured… receiving comfort from you guys saying I was okay, my situation was so detestable to me. That’s why I left.”

“…”

“Because I didn’t have the face to see you guys again. That’s why… I ran away like that.”

No matter what excuses he could make, Lee Hyeon thought his choice at that time was running away.

Using the excuse of focusing on chasing the enemies who harmed his brother, he didn’t want to acknowledge his first mistake and failure.

“I was sorry. Back then.”

“…”

“I should have said that first, but it’s too late.”

Thud.

Kim Min-jeong’s steps climbing the stairs stopped for a moment.

“…”

“…”

A deep silence flowed for a moment.

Lee Hyeon still couldn’t tell what expression she was making.

He didn’t expect her to forgive him either.

He only hoped that the disappointment and anger she had held for the past four years would be diluted even a little.

And,

Click!

She climbed the stairs again.

“There are far more friends who resent you, Senior, but still miss you.”

“…”

“Please know at least that much.”

Lee Hyeon could see from below. Kim Min-jeong’s lips were tightly pressed together.

As if suppressing something.

“I will. And though it’s difficult now, I’m planning to meet everyone one by one soon and apologize like this. Thank you for worrying about me.”

Though they couldn’t return to how things were before, he now realized he had to face reality without running away anymore.

And then maybe they could meet with smiles again. They might be able to share old memories.

Did that answer help?

Kim Min-jeong’s footsteps seemed to become much lighter.

And,

He thought he caught a glimpse of her faint smile.

 

* * *

 

“This is where the Long-term Unsolved Dungeon Exploration Team is located. The official external name for clear distinction is Z Team.”

He heard that the Dungeon Strategy Headquarters was categorized with A~F for domestic, G~W for overseas, and so on in big categories. Within those, there were also detailed team characteristics.

Among these, X, Y, Z teams had completely separate categories. Of these, Rose Team was Z Team.

‘Jet… The pronunciation is similar. That’s interesting for a coincidence.’

Lee Hyeon recalled his code name while looking for the most inconspicuous corner of the 11th floor.

He thought it might turn out to be a decent life.

But…

「This is a mess.」

‘Yes. It’s a mess.’

The Z Team area was in complete chaos.

As if they had enjoyed a company dinner here, there were liquor bottles scattered on the floor with carelessly discarded sashimi plates and snack bags. There was even a foul smell.

Some team members were even lying on the sofa snoring.

「This is really the worst. Will it be okay to stay in a place like this?」

Lee Hyeon let out a hollow laugh.

Originally, this industry has a lifestyle structure that inevitably moves differently from ordinary office workers.

Still, there should be some kind of ‘line’ that exists…

Sure enough.

‘He’s really pissed off.’

Kim Min-jeong’s eyebrow, who had been a meticulous stickler for rules even during her Blue Thunder days, was twitching.

A face barely holding back her boiling anger.

“Team Leader Jeong.”

Kim Min-jeong approached the person who was leaning back forcefully in his chair with a newspaper covering his face.

“Team Leader Jeong!”

“Ugh, huh? Why so loud… Oh, who’s this? Isn’t this Assistant Manager Kim Min-jeong? Long time no see.”

The person called Team Leader Jeong was irritably putting away his newspaper when he spotted Kim Min-jeong and smiled brightly.

But Kim Min-jeong frowned and took a step back.

“The smell of alcohol…! What exactly were you doing here?”

“Ah, this? Heh. It was the team dinner yesterday. But there wasn’t a proper place for the third round, so we came to the office.”

“Do you think this is some kind of playground?”

“Oh my, why are you being like this again? We’re not even on the same team anymore anyway.”

Team Leader Jeong pretended to be friendly as he approached Kim Min-jeong and made a gesture to put his arm around her shoulders.

His intention to get physically close was too obvious.

Just as Kim Min-jeong was about to swat away his touch in disgust, Lee Hyeon’s hand grabbed Team Leader Jeong’s wrist first.

Smack!

Kim Min-jeong looked up at Lee Hyeon, who was a head taller than her, with slightly surprised eyes.

Lee Hyeon spoke with a stern face.

“You seem like you haven’t fully sobered up yet, so how about going to wash your face?”

“Hmm? I haven’t seen you before?”

“I’m Jang Lee Hyeon, newly joining the Long-term Unsolved Dungeon Exploration Team.”

“Ah, so you’re the experienced hire who’s newly joining our team? But…”

Suddenly, Team Leader Jeong’s lips twisted coldly.

“How about letting go of this hand?”

Magic power suddenly emanated from him.

Openly revealed killing intent.

Kim Min-jeong’s expression hardened.

Team leaders are all recognized skilled individuals in the industry.

Team Leader Jeong was the same.

He had only been demoted after causing trouble in his previous team, but originally he was skilled enough to be A-rank.

No, it was more accurate to say he remained because his skills were at least good.

Previously, he had many problems like arbitrarily using violence against subordinates or being caught embezzling team reward money alone.

It was to such an extent that workplace bullying and sexual harassment issues were covered up.

‘There were also big rumors about him receiving sponsorship from China. Executive Director Jeong blocked it all though.’

Thinking that Lee Hyeon, who had just escaped from the curse, would be overwhelmed facing him, she tried to intervene, but,

Crack.

“If you don’t want to, what will you do about it?”

Instead, Lee Hyeon applied more grip strength to the hand holding Team Leader Jeong’s wrist and smiled coldly.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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