There was an unwelcome visitor in the Fissure located in the Huam-dong area of Yongsan-gu, Seoul.
In the dimly lit Horned Squirrel’s Cave, a man wearing a black mask glanced around cautiously. It was late in the evening, and he pressed himself against the rocky walls, advancing step by step while keeping an eye on his surroundings, afraid that someone might catch him in the act. The sheer embarrassment of being seen might kill him on the spot.
The Horned Squirrels became alert to the intruder.
The man waved his hand dismissively, as if swatting away a nuisance. He didn’t need a weapon; his sheer killing intent was enough to deter the Horned Squirrels from daring to approach. He was not like the average person who wandered into this place.
“These guys... have suddenly leveled up, huh?” he said.
The man remembered his visit to the Horned Squirrel’s Cave three years ago out of curiosity. At that time, the Horned Squirrels were quick, but they were still F-rank monsters—not remotely a threat to an S-rank Hunter like him. However, their speed now rivaled that of a B-rank monster like the Rapid Star.
The man spotted the stash of acorns nestled in the squirrels’ nest; their golden sheen almost luminous.
“Found it.” He grinned and scooped up ten acorns, tucking them into his bag.
When he glanced around, he saw the Horned Squirrels trembling with rage, their bodies quaking as they watched their precious acorns being taken. Although the man felt a pang of guilt, he wasn’t about to leave empty-handed after coming all this way.
“Forgive me, fellas,” he muttered before vanishing like the wind.
The television mounted on the wall in the Fissure Management Division office was set to the news channel.
⌜In our next story, rumors have spread that acorns grown in the Horned Squirrel’s Cave are highly effective for treating erectile dysfunction and boosting stamina. Hunters have been flocking to squirrel caves across the country. The acorns, believed to be imbued with the energy of the Fissure, are said to have these effects, but is there any truth to the claims...⌟
Do-Jun glanced briefly at the screen as he worked. The report highlighted the influx of Hunters to the F-rank Fissure in Huam-dong, which the Fissure Management Division oversaw. Spinning a pen around his fingers, Do-Jun drifted into thought.
Just then, someone burst into the office.
A man in his late thirties, sharply dressed with slicked-back hair, strode in confidently. Do-Jun recognized him vaguely. He was Yoo Min-Sang, the owner of Yoo Min-Sang Smithy, notorious for dropping by Seoul City Hall to pitch his products to civil servants whenever he was bored.
“Everyone’s working hard, I see! As always, this humble citizen thanks you for your service,” Yoo Min-Sang announced loudly, as if to make his presence known.
His sharp voice startled the employees who had been taking a short break, prompting them to suddenly focus intently on their monitors. Unbothered, Yoo Min-Sang flashed a grin and made his way to the Fissure Exploration Unit, heading straight for Cheol-Soo.
“Ah, Chief Kang! Long time no see! I’ve been too scarce, haven’t I?”
“Someone who shows up once a month? Anyone would think you were staff here,” Cheol-Soo snarked.
“Aw, don’t be like that. How’s the mana massage device I brought last time? It’s a big hit in Japan, you know. I gave you a special deal on it.”
“Don’t even bother with that cheap stuff again...” Cheol-Soo muttered.
Yoo Min-Sang glanced around, noting that Hyuk-Soo was absent, likely out on a Fissure visit. Naturally, his eyes landed on Do-Jun, who was seated at the end of the office.
“How are you doing these days, Supervisor Lee?”
Do-Jun’s eyes shifted to Yoo Min-Sang’s bag, where a bottle of Horned Squirrel Acorn Extract peeked out conspicuously. It was clear that Yoo Min-Sang had come to pitch his wares again, this time leveraging the recent buzz about the squirrel acorns.
“Is that what you’re selling today?” Do-Jun asked.
“Oh, haha! Look what accidentally slipped out! Well, it’s not exactly for sale... I just thought I’d show it to you and introduce what’s out there. They say it’s great for men, you know? It’s been all over the news lately.”
He turned his attention to a cooperation request from the Hunter’s Bureau. The document explained how the sudden surge of Hunters raiding Horned Squirrel’s Cave for acorns was threatening the squirrels’ ecosystem. It then requested conservation measures for the Fissures.
In Behemoth Guild’s office at the Hunter’s Bureau, Jun-Yeol swallowed nervously as he pulled some acorns from his bag. After ensuring no one was around, he crushed the acorn between his hands, grinding it into powder.
Just like that, ten acorns turned to fine dust.
Though they were tough, Jun-Yeol’s strength, which was thousands of times greater than that of the average person, made them crumble like tofu. He carefully poured the powder into a water bottle, added hot water, and stirred it thoroughly.
With a sigh, he cooled the acorn tea by adding ice and was about to take a sip when the office door swung open with a bang. Startled, Jun-Yeol quickly shoved the water bottle into a drawer.
“Y-you ever heard of knocking?!” he exclaimed to the two arrivals, Kang-Hyun and Ae-Kyung.
Ae-Kyung looked at the beads of sweat on Jun-Yeol’s face and asked, “You just hid something, didn’t you?”
“Haha! H-hide something? Me?”
“If not, why do you look so flustered?”
Seated on the sofa, Kang-Hyun took a deep breath.
“Do I smell... acorns?” he said suspiciously.
The room went silent.
“It definitely smells like acorns in here,” Kang-Hyun answered his own question.
Jun-Yeol broke into a nervous sweat.
Kang-Hyun suddenly recalled the Horned Squirrel Acorn rumor from the news, alleged to enhance “male performance.” Despite mixed opinions about its effectiveness, many older men were paying high prices for it.
“M-maybe we need some fresh air in here,” Jun-Yeol suggested, throwing the window wide open.
Though suspicious of Jun-Yeol’s odd behavior, Kang-Hyun brushed off the thought. After all, Jun-Yeol was still in his twenties—surely he wouldn’t resort to eating those acorns... right?
The next day, after finishing dinner, Do-Jun stopped by the Horned Squirrel’s Cave.
The squirrels in Huam-dong were several times faster than squirrels in other regions, so few people visited the fissure lately. Still, Hunters unfamiliar with the place occasionally came to collect the acorns, which had skyrocketed in value. However, most of those Hunters ended up retreating after learning their lesson.
“Why are the squirrels here ?”
“Did you see that? It’s like they’re teleporting or something...”
“Let’s just go somewhere else. I looked online, and apparently, these squirrels are the odd ones.”
“Getting even one acorn here is ridiculously hard.”
Do-Jun scanned his ID at the entrance scanner and entered the Fissure.
[Lee Do-Jun, Seoul City Hall Fissure Management Division, confirmed.]
Since this was a free-entry period without any Bureau Intern supervision, entering without checking in wasn’t an issue. However, scanning his ID for verification remained necessary to keep track of his overtime hours.
He ventured deeper into the Fissure, following the faint traces of the squirrels. The sound of his footsteps caused the Horned Squirrels to skitter around warily. However, upon realizing their intruder was Do-Jun, the squirrels calmed down and approached him.
“Human, long time no see!”
“Byeol's dad is here!”
“You’re not here to steal our acorns, too, are you?”
Do-Jun shook his head slightly to signal he was an ally. He then glanced toward the acorn storage the squirrels were guarding and asked, “How are you guys holding up? How’s the damage?”
At that, the squirrels erupted with complaints like a dam breaking.
“Damage? Damn right, there’s damage! A human comes here every day and steals our acorns!”
“Even though we’re guarding them, it’s no use. That human is different from others!”
“We think the human will come again today. Our food supply is shrinking because of that human!”
Listening to their testimony, Do-Jun stroked his chin in thought, then nodded as if he had reached a decision. If this person was someone that even the buffed-up Horned Squirrels couldn’t handle, they were at least B-rank or higher.
“What do they look like?” he asked the squirrels.
“We don’t know! They always wear a mask!”
Why would someone bother hiding their identity? Do-Jun decided to wait here to find out.
A man wearing a mask looked around cautiously. After ensuring no one was nearby, he pulled out his Hunter ID card and scanned it at the entrance scanner.
[Welcome, Hunter Ryu Jun-Yeol.]
Jun-Yeol swiftly headed toward the Horned Squirrel’s Cave. To be honest, he wasn’t sure if the acorns actually had any real effect, but he thought that eating them was better than not eating them, which was why he returned for more.
Leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, Do-Jun waited for the “powerful human” the squirrels had mentioned. Then, he sensed a presence through his qi. It was someone with considerable mana. Judging by the mana alone, they were at least A-rank, possibly even S-rank.
“That’s the human!” a squirrel cried out.
“That is one persistent thief! They’re here again!”
A figure came into Do-Jun’s line of sight. It was a man with a cap pulled low over his face, wearing a mask. Recognizing him as Jun-Yeol, Do-Jun let out a sigh.
Jun-Yeol flinched, clearly startled when he saw Do-Jun. He trembled slightly, as if he had just seen something he shouldn’t have.
“S-Supervisor Lee, w-what brings you here at this hour...?”
“You know me?” Do-Jun asked, amused.
Realizing his slip, Jun-Yeol shook his head vigorously and replied, “N-no! Why would I know you?”
“I’ve heard someone’s been coming to this cave to steal acorns. Was it you?” Do-Jun glanced at the bag slung over Jun-Yeol’s shoulder.
Jun-Yeol stepped back cautiously, stammering, “T-that’s ridiculous.”
“I just have a few questions, if you don’t mind.”
Jun-Yeol’s eyes darted nervously, his eyes twitching. “I-I...”
Suddenly, he pointed behind Do-Jun and shouted, “W-what’s that? Look behind you!”
Knowing there was nothing behind him, Do-Jun still turned slightly for Jun-Yeol’s sake. Seizing the opportunity, Jun-Yeol kicked off the ground and sprinted away at full speed.
The squirrels chattered in concern.
“The thief is running away!”
“They’ll probably come back tomorrow, won’t they?”
The next day, Jun-Yeol sat in Behemoth’s office, nervously shaking his leg. H-he didn’t recognize me, did he?
The office door opened, and Kang-Hyun walked in, holding a potion bottle in his hand.
He placed it on the desk and said, “Supervisor Lee asked me to give you this.”
Jun-Yeol froze. He slowly turned his gaze toward the potion. Unlike ordinary potions, this one emitted a faint, radiant light that shimmered with a brilliant blue hue.
“He said it’s good for your health. Especially for...” Kang-Hyun trailed off, then cleared his throat awkwardly. “Anyway, I’ve done my job.”
He closed the door behind him as he left.
The next morning, Do-Jun received a text from Jun-Yeol. It was an astonishingly long message, filled with endless lines of gratitude, with “Thank you” appearing more than a hundred times.