We resumed the rescue operation. I formulated a few hypotheses and tested them against the zombies. The pattern was consistent: a zombie would spot me first and charge, but at the last second, it would hesitate before switching its target to one of the slum residents. How was I supposed to interpret this? Were they avoiding me because I was a player? Or because we were outsiders?

'Ea, are there any records of a phenomenon like this?' I asked mentally.

-I have been searching continuously, but the undead are beings with a blind hatred for the living. It is logically impossible for them to be selective about their targets. There were no such records from the Forbidden Land incident, either.

'Hmm, I see. Keep looking into it.'

-Yes, Tower Master.

Just then, my phone vibrated. It was Seojin.

"Tower Master, we have evacuated everyone in this vicinity."

"Good work. I'm on my way."

I made my way out of the zombie-infested city and headed toward the temporary shelter where the evacuees were recovering. Their clothes were shabby, and they all looked malnourished. Seojin was helping a man who had passed out from alcohol to a safer spot. Bora had set up the tent from the lava cave as a makeshift medical station, the 'Heat-Resistant Gear 30% OFF' banner still attached.

"Th-That zombie! The zombie…!" one of the injured cried out.

"It's okay," Bora soothed, applying first aid. "Monsters from a restricted area don't leave their area."

There were people with scratches and bites, and some even had chunks of flesh torn off. The zombies were definitely targeting the residents, not us.

"Bora, what about the rescue squad?" I asked.

She wiped the sweat from her forehead. "I contacted them a while ago, but I don't know if they'll arrive in time. Since they have to enter a non-protected area, I think they're waiting for hunter support from the Association."

'Ugh.' So much for a rescue squad; they were too busy saving their own skins. An organization with its own hunters waiting for Association support? More likely, they knew there was nothing to gain from saving slum dwellers and would only show up to take credit after the Association had cleaned up the mess. There was nothing I could do about it.

As we were treating the injured, a young boy from the slums ran toward us. "Y-You guys are hunters, right? Please help me!"

From his tear-streaked face, I could tell something was wrong. Bora knelt to meet his eyes. "What is it?" she asked gently.

"Eunsol! Eunsol is missing! She must still be trapped in the city!"

Seojin adjusted his glasses. "I was about to mention that. It seems there are more people who haven't been rescued. They might have been caught by zombies, or they could be hiding somewhere together."

I stood up. "Let's go take a look." A successful rescue operation was crucial if we wanted the Association to officially recognize our ownership of this hunting ground.

We headed back into the city.

'Kraaah!'

Not long after we re-entered, our path was blocked by a sea of zombies.

"There are too many," I said. "Let's clear out the ones drawn by the speakers."

"I've been waiting for this!" Seojin declared.

Until now, rescue had been the priority, forcing us to be cautious. But now, it was time for a proper hunt. Bora and I headed to one of the speaker locations. While Seojin drew the zombies' attention, we slipped into the building and made our way up to the fourth floor. Looking out the window, we saw the speaker dangling from its rope, with a swarm of zombies below clawing at the walls and shrieking. With no civilians around, we could finally cut loose. I deployed a magic circle.

<Fire Cannon>

'Fwoosh!'

Flames surged from the circle. It was a second-order fire spell, similar to Ice Javelin.

"Support is on the way!" Bora announced, pulling a bottle of transparent liquid from her subspace and tossing it over the zombies. "It's an Oil Potion! I made it by mixing mana elixir with monster oil."

"You developed that in just one day?" I asked, impressed.

"Hehe, I'm qualified as an administrator now, so I have to earn my keep."

According to the library's texts, these zombies were weak to holy magic and fire. We had come prepared. I finished casting and aimed the Fire Cannon. With a flick of my hand, a fireball shot out and exploded in the middle of the zombie horde.

'FWOOOOSH!'

The oil-drenched zombies were instantly engulfed in flames. From the safety of the fourth floor, I unleashed a continuous barrage of Fire Cannons, charring the bodies of the writhing, screaming undead.

[Accelerated Casting has reached Lv.5.]

[Magic Power has increased by 3.]

[Intelligence has increased by 1.]

"Wooooow! This is insane!" Bora cheered, having seen the player message. "This is the real thrill of mob hunting! So many rank-3 monsters at once!"

I had to agree. A surge of motivation coursed through me. "Let's go to the next spot."

We systematically moved through all four speaker points, incinerating zombies as we went. The stat gains weren't on par with a trial, but for the minimal effort involved, they were excellent. This was farming on easy mode. The feeling of my mana stat rising and my mana pool expanding put me in a much better mood. This was a great power-up before the boss fight.

-Tower Master. I sense a life sign nearby, Ea reported.

"Okay. Guide me."

With the zombie population thinned out, the rescue work became much easier. We found five more civilians trapped in a convenience store.

"I don't know how to thank you…!"

"Thank you! Thank you so much!"

Just then, Seojin stepped forward. "Does anyone here know a girl named 'Eunsol'?"

At his question, the rescued people exchanged furtive glances.

"We don't really…"

"I-I don't know."

'Hmm, that's suspicious.' The people of this town were definitely hiding something.

"For now, let's head to the safe zone together," I said.

As we were about to lead them back, Ea's voice sounded again. -Tower Master. I sense life signs.

'Are they residents?'

-No. I sense mana reactions along with them. They are players.

'What?' Other players were here? We ducked into an alley to wait, and soon we came face to face with another group.

"Who the hell are you?" a large, broad-shouldered man demanded as he stepped forward. Three other players followed close behind him. The leader was strong—either a talented up-and-comer or a rookie rank-5 hunter.

"We're students dispatched from the academy, currently conducting a rescue operation," I replied calmly.

The man smirked. "Yeah, good work."

"Where are you headed?" I asked.

"Do I have to report my business to some student?"

'So that's how you want to play it?' It was obvious. They were planning to snatch the boss monster.

"Excuse me," Bora interjected, stepping forward. "We are the discoverers. We have priority rights to clear this dungeon."

"Ah, so that was you guys," the man said, his eyes narrowing. "When I called the Association, they said there was, unfortunately, a discoverer." He suddenly stopped talking and began to scrutinize our faces one by one. A look of contemplation crossed his face, and I felt a chill run down my spine.

'This is dangerous. Is he thinking of getting rid of us?'

If the discoverers disappeared, he would become the first discoverer. In the chaotic world of hunters, it wasn't an impossible scenario. But realistically, it would be difficult. To take our place, he'd have to eliminate two Hunter Academy students under the protection of the Association President, the third son of the Unix Group, and five civilians.

For a clean job, he'd also have to deal with the three players behind him, and Association staff would be arriving soon. Inside a dungeon, maybe, but out here, eliminating so many people and cleaning up the mess in such a short time was practically impossible.

Just as I predicted, the man's gaze flickered to the refugees behind us, and he clicked his tongue in annoyance. Instead, he fumbled in his pocket and waved his hunter certification at us. "Certified rank-5 hunter, Jongguk."

This time, it was Bora's expression that hardened.

"You've heard of the emergency field command authority granted to pro hunters, right?" Jongguk said, his voice dripping with condescension. "This is no place for students. Exit the city immediately and await further instructions."

"Wh-What did you say?" Bora sputtered.

His intention was clear: he planned to keep us from even entering the Boss Zone.

"I have determined that continued neglect of this area will lead to increased casualties," Jongguk declared loudly. "Therefore, our guild will clear the dungeon."

Bora's face flushed with anger. "You're concerned about casualties? Then you should start by rescuing the people right here!"

Jongguk glanced at the trembling slum dwellers behind us and snickered. "Kid, just follow the hunter's orders. What do you know about the field to be yapping on about?"

"That's what we should be saying to—!"

"Bora." I placed a hand on her shoulder and shook my head. Turning back to Jongguk, I gave a slight bow. "Understood. We'll take care of the rescued people. Feel free to go about your business."

With that, I turned my back. "Let's go."

"Y-Yusin!" Bora protested.

"It's a hunter's order," I said simply.

I led my party and the evacuees away, the sound of sneering laughter from Jongguk and his party echoing behind us. Bora ground her teeth in frustration. "Aren't you guys angry? That was completely unreasonable!"

"Look at the big picture, Bora," Seojin said, pushing up his glasses. "We've already been registered as the first to report it, so our primary objective has been met. The boss monster is nothing compared to the profits we stand to make. In fact, letting them deal with the immediate threat could be a viable strategy."

"But what they're doing is still infuriating! Calling themselves pro hunters and acting so petty...! Don't you agree?" she pressed, turning to me.

"Don't worry," I said with a dark grin. "Those bastards will never clear this dungeon, not in a million years."

"What? How can you possibly know that…?"

I pointed to my bluish right eye. "Did you forget I can see their status windows? I guarantee it. That party's composition is a disaster waiting to happen."

I had complete information on the dungeon and its monsters. After analyzing the situation, I concluded that even for a party with a pro-hunter, clearing it would be impossible. I came here fully prepared for a rank-3 boss fight, but this just saved me the trouble.

"Let's make the most of this," I said, a plan already forming. "It's time to see if we can profit from their failure."

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