True to its name, the Annual Comprehensive Fissure Survey was a yearly task that never failed to exhaust the Fissure Exploration Unit staff.
While the Hunter’s Bureau handled the management of the Great Fissures, smaller Fissures were the responsibility of local governments. In Seoul alone, there were 219 standard Fissures. Even with inspecting two to three Fissures per day, it would still take an immense amount of time to complete.
“Can someone explain what the hell is going on?” Cheol-Soo said softly as he peeked his head over the partition.
He swallowed hard as he stared at the ten Hunters sitting in the office conference room. Next to him, Hyuk-Soo also appeared confused, his gaze shifting cautiously toward the Hunters.
“Hyuk-Soo, please tell me why these Rankers are here.”
“I have no idea, Chief.”
Hyuk-Soo stole a glance at Do-Jun, who was calmly printing documents. Unlike his and Cheol-Soo’s visibly pale complexion, Do-Jun seemed as composed as ever, completely unfazed.
The printer whirred as it finished printing the last page. Do-Jun carefully clipped the documents into individual sets. The prints contained a comprehensive list of Fissures managed by Seoul City Hall.
“Ah, right!” Cheol-Soo exclaimed, realizing that he had completely forgotten to serve refreshments to the guests in his shock.
With a twitch, he dashed into the break room. However, since he had no idea what kind of tea S-rank Hunters preferred, Cheol-Soo quickly called for Do-Jun.
Handing him a notepad and pen, he said, “Here, take this! Go find out what kind of tea they like and write it down!”
Initially, he considered serving green tea across the board but decided against it.
Resigned, Do-Jun took the notepad and pen into the conference room. As he entered, the Hunters, who had been chatting casually, immediately straightened up, their expressions turning tense.
“What kind of tea would you like?” Do-Jun asked with the pen in his hand, ready to take notes.
The S-rank Hunters exchanged glances before one of them cautiously asked, “Will you be making the tea yourself, Supervisor Lee?”
The Hunters carefully studied Do-Jun’s expression. He didn’t seem displeased about preparing their tea, nor did he appear irritated or bothered. His face was unreadable.
After about ten seconds of silence, Do-Jun sighed and muttered, “Just have the green tea.”
The Hunters took the inspection sheets handed out by Do-Jun.
Prepared during an all-nighter the previous evening, the materials allocated ten Fissures per Hunter. The sheets were densely packed with information about each Fissure, including maps, types of monsters encountered, and whether bosses were present. The Hunters were tasked with verifying whether the data matched current conditions.
“That’s a lot of work. Are you sure you’re okay handling all this?” Do-Jun asked them.
When all ten Hunters showed up offering to help, even Do-Jun was taken aback. They surely had their own work to do, yet they had generously volunteered. What Do-Jun didn’t realize was their true motive. For S-rank Hunters, surveying C-rank Fissures was child’s play. They could easily inspect ten Fissures in under three days. If doing so earned them Do-Jun’s praise, the return on their investment was massive.
Kang-Hyun raised his hand eagerly. “I can handle thirty.”
The other Hunters looked at him, surprised, before quickly chiming in, asking for higher quotas themselves.
“We cannot give more than ten per person,” Do-Jun said firmly.
The comprehensive survey was intended to be conducted by civil servants. While the Hunters here were trustworthy, assigning them more than ten Fissures would imply delegating core government responsibilities. That would defeat the purpose of the civil servants’ role, and Do-Jun had no intention of letting that happen.
“Anyway, thank you all very much for gathering here today. If you run into any questions during the surveys, feel free to call my number. I’ll be happy to assist.” Do-Jun smiled as he spoke, prompting a moment of hesitation among the Hunters.
Eventually, Kwak Young-Ho raised his hand slightly. “Supervisor Lee.”
“I apologize if this is out of line, but could I get your phone number?”
Of the ten Hunters present, only five—those from Behemoth and Icarus Guilds—already had Do-Jun’s number. Although the remaining five could have obtained it from their fellow Hunters, albeit with some effort, having Do-Jun share it personally made all the difference.
Do-Jun picked up a marker and wrote his number on the whiteboard. The five Hunters quickly saved the number into their phones, their faces lighting up as they tapped their screens. For some reason, they all looked inexplicably pleased.
The next day, on a popular portal site known for its green color scheme, a term climbed to the top of the search rankings: Comprehensive Fissure Survey (New).
Without a word, Cheol-Soo clicked the search term, letting out a faint groan. The phrase “comprehensive survey” had taken over the portal’s front page, plastered across numerous news articles.
“Comprehensive Fissure Survey to Begin in July.
“Korea Hunter News – Reporter Kim Eun-Hee. Starting this July, municipalities across the nation will conduct status surveys for Fissures to improve safety and management efficiency. Since its introduction in 2015, the Comprehensive Survey Act has...”
“Not this one,” Cheol-Soo muttered and clicked the next article.
“S-Rank Hunters Assist in Seoul’s Fissure Survey
“Korea Hunter News – Reporter Park Hyun-Bae. Reports indicate that Lee Kang-Hyun, the undisputed top-ranked Hunter, has appeared at an F-rank Fissure. The reason? The comprehensive Fissure survey set to begin in July. And he is not alone—other S-rank Hunters have been spotted inspecting C-rank and lower Fissures...”
﹂jjh2****: Why are S-rank Hunters even doing this? Did they sign a contract with Seoul City Hall? (Like: 33,210 / Dislike: 599)
﹂psy5***: I entered a Fissure and freaked out, thinking it was an S-rank Great Fissure by mistake. (Like: 19,771 / Dislike: 180)
﹂ppco***: Can City Hall even afford to pay S-rank Hunters with its budget? (Like: 14,019 / Dislike: 1,352)
As Cheol-Soo scrolled through the comments, he slowly lifted his head like a meerkat and glanced at Do-Jun, who was calmly working at his desk. Despite the chaos online, the person at the center of it all appeared completely unbothered.
“Do-Jun,” he called out.
“Why are the S-rank Hunters helping us all of a sudden?”
“I asked for a small favor the other day. I didn’t expect all of them to show up, but... well, it’s a great help for us.”
Cheol-Soo blinked in disbelief, his voice cracking slightly as he stammered, “Man, that’s what I’m saying!”
“Why the hell are they helping us?!”
Do-Jun simply smiled in response.
Among the ten S-rank Hunters, one was particularly diligent in his investigations. His attire was iconic: a suit made of Wyvern Hide and Centenary Cold Steel—materials found in Dwarven cemeteries. With a long spear casually slung over one shoulder, this was none other than the Spear King, Ryu Jun-Yeol, in an E-rank Fissure, the Kobold Forest.
Jun-Yeol meticulously compared the inspection checklist given to him by Do-Jun with the current state of the Fissure. The Hunters hunting kobolds whispered among themselves as they cast glances at him.
“That’s Hunter Ryu Jun-Yeol.”
“So it’s true he’s doing the Fissure survey.”
“Should we ask him for an autograph?”
Jun-Yeol ignored the chatter and the local broadcast crew hovering nearby. What mattered now was the state of the Fissure.
He suddenly let out a deep sigh as he remembered the first day he met Do-Jun. The day he recklessly challenged him and nearly died.
Recalling Do-Jun’s icy, calm eyes, Jun-Yeol stopped in his tracks and shouted, “You dumbaaaaass!”
The nearby Hunters were startled and quickly scurried away.
Jun-Yeol ran a hand through his hair and let out a deep sigh.
He clenched his fist, muttering to himself, “I have to make up for it.”
He couldn’t undo his mistake from that day, but he could work hard enough to leave results that exceeded expectations. Do-Jun would surely appreciate it.
That’s when an inspiring thought hit him, sparking a brilliant idea.
He recalled hearing that a civil servant’s report began and ended with photos. If an S-rank Hunter like himself documented his own investigation, it would undoubtedly help Do-Jun earn points.
“Hey, you three,” he called out to the nearby Hunters.
They answered with a startled “Yes?” and rushed over to him. He promptly handed his smartphone to one of them.
“Take my picture,” Jun-Yeol said, drily.
“Yes. I’ll strike a pose, and when I say shoot, you take the photo.”
Time flew by, and before long, five days had passed.
The S-rank Hunters had completed their assigned tasks and submitted their reports. To celebrate their hard work, they gathered for a dinner party. Jun-Yeol was curious about how the others had completed their reports. He was itching to boast about his efforts and the results he’d compiled, which he believed would impress Do-Jun.
“Supervisor Lee will be amazed when he sees it.” He chuckled to himself, sipping whiskey.
Ae-Kyung was eating sashimi.
She took the bait and curiously asked, “Why? What did you do?”
Jun-Yeol grinned and began explaining how he had conducted his investigation. “First, I made sure not to miss a single item on the inspection checklist.”
“Then, I surveyed the Hunters in the Fissure to gather their opinions and ensure there were no inconveniences.”
“That’s impressive, Jun-Yeol.”
“Hahaha! I know! And here’s the kicker. I’m sure you all know that a civil servant’s report is all about the photos. So, to ensure Supervisor Lee gets praised, I attached a full set of photographic evidence.”
Listening nearby, Kang-Hyun widened his eyes in surprise. While Jun-Yeol was undoubtedly a remarkable fighter, no one had ever mistaken him for an intellectual. In fact, most considered him to be borderline slow.
“Do you mind showing me those photos?” Kang-Hyun requested the materials.
Jun-Yeol eagerly handed over his smartphone, confident in his efforts. However, as Kang-Hyun and Ae-Kyung scrolled through the pictures, their expressions stiffened.
Meanwhile, in the Seoul City Hall Fissure Management Division, Do-Jun smiled in satisfaction. The materials sent by the S-rank Hunters were thorough and well-organized. While thinking he might visit the Treasure Goblin Company soon to buy a premium artifact as a reward, he downloaded the last report sent by Jun-Yeol.
He realized that, unlike the other reports, which were relatively compact, this one was significantly larger—over five hundred megabytes.
Curious, Do-Jun opened the file.
Inside, he found over 150 photos, each titled something like “Site Photo of Fissure in XX-dong, Seoul.” Clearly, they had been taken for inclusion in the report.
Finding this endearing, Do-Jun chuckled and began flipping through the pictures, only to be left speechless.
The majority of the photos focused only on Jun-Yeol. In every shot, he posed with a bright, childlike grin, looking like he was enjoying a carefree day at an amusement park.
Without a word, Do-Jun clicked the “delete all” button.