Transferred to an SSS-rank Production Class

“Cheers!”

“Good work, everyone.”

Glasses filled with various liquids clinked together. A clear sound rang out, and as if on cue, everyone seated at the table drained their glasses in one go.

The cold carbonation slid down my throat. Perhaps because it hadn’t even been 24 hours since we cleared the hidden quest, the exhilaration from that moment was still vivid. Judging by the faces of my party members, I wasn’t the only one feeling this way.

“The Guild Master is treating us to today’s dinner. Everyone, eat up!”

Han Cha-hyun, sitting across from me, waved a card held between his fingers. I could see Choi Kwon-young’s name embossed on it.

A personal card? Even if he rented out this entire restaurant, it wouldn’t be a big deal for Choi Kwon-young, but why such generosity?

‘Surely he’s not planning to crash our dinner party, is he?’

I glared at the card, feeling uneasy.

“Let’s eat!”

Cha Taeyang, who had been salivating at the sight of beef sizzling on the charcoal grill, quickly grabbed some meat. Even in her haste, she didn’t forget to set aside a portion for Sori.

The meat on the grill disappeared in the blink of an eye at every table. The competition at the table where Lee Kang-to and Cha Taeyang sat was particularly impressive.

“Hey, you can’t eat three pieces at once!”

“Hmph, I’ll eat however I want. This way is more beautiful!”

“Beautiful? What nonsense! You know, ahjussi, you really have no manners. Your table etiquette is awful.”

“A-ahjussi? Hunter Cha Taeyang, did you just say what I think you said?”

As Lee Kang-to shuddered in disgust, Cha Taeyang shrugged her shoulders.

“Then what should I call you?”

“Call me Hunter Lee Kang-to!”

Han Cha-hyun, who had been peacefully sipping his drink, suddenly burst into laughter. When I silently asked why with my eyes, he replied with a voice tinged with amusement.

“The Guild Master isn’t coming today.”

“What?”

“So, Gaho, you can relax and eat comfortably too. It’s not a corporate card, but the Guild Master’s personal card. When else would we get to use it?”

Was I that obvious? Feeling embarrassed, I turned my gaze to the side.

Yun Su-ho, who never refused food since childhood, had surprisingly stopped eating. His eyes, which were glancing at the chuckling Han Cha-hyun, didn’t look too pleased.

‘What’s wrong with him?’

I nudged Yun Su-ho’s side with my elbow.

“Aren’t you eating?”

Only then did Yun Su-ho move his chopsticks towards the food.

Maybe I should try some too. I placed a perfectly cooked piece of beef on a lettuce leaf with some green onion salad and popped it into my mouth.

Once I started eating, I couldn’t stop, and soon I was busy sampling everything on the table.

“Mr. Kim, Mr. Kim. We’re out of meat. And we’re just getting started!”

As expected at a dinner party full of hunters known for their hearty appetites, the plates were quickly emptied.

Han Cha-hyun, who had placed the last piece of meat on the grill, rang the bell to call a waiter.

“Sirloin, ribs, and…”

“Please bring everything from here to here.”

When else would we get a chance like this? As I ran my finger down the menu, Cha Taeyang and Lee Kang-to clapped their hands. Yun Su-ho raised an eyebrow at the bold order.

“Can we eat all that?”

“If we can’t finish it here, we can always get it packed up, right?”

“Unni, I want naengmyeon too!”

“Should we order it now?”

Cha Taeyang nodded vigorously. Caught up in the mood, Lee Kang-to also ordered several bottles of expensive liquor listed on the last page of the menu. Han Cha-hyun, who had been quietly observing, chimed in.

“Please add some yukjeon as well.”

“Mr. Kim, Mr. Kim! Sori wants muk-sabal! Muk-sabal!”

The goblin, who had secretly climbed onto my shoulder, whispered in my ear. After taking all the secret requests, it wasn’t long before our large table was filled with food.

“Oh, right! Unni, did you hear about that?”

Cha Taeyang, who had been busy emptying her bowl of naengmyeon, leaned towards our table and spoke up.

“You know how the Spirit’s eye color changed because of your skill?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Due to the influence of ‘Spring of Reversal’, Astrona’s irises had turned blue-violet. Unable to find a way to restore them to their original color, we had to return as things were.

“Akis-ahjussi said that color is exactly the same as the eyes of the Spirit’s dead lover from long ago.”

“What?”

For a moment, an absurd hypothesis flashed through my mind. It couldn’t be, right?

‘It’s not like Kalia is the only one with blue-violet eyes in the world.’

“The Sage apparently had eyes of that exact blue-violet color.”

“S-sage, you mean…”

“The Sage of the Deep Sea, Kalia!”

Kalia and Astrona were what? What kind of relationship?

Oblivious to my momentary panic, Cha Taeyang casually changed the subject.

“By the way, I can’t believe so much happened in less than a week. Don’t you think so, unni?”

“…”

“Gaho-unni?”

Snapping back to reality at Cha Taeyang’s prodding, I responded a beat late.

“…We were lucky in many ways.”

“There’s no guarantee it will always be like this.”

Yun Su-ho always has to put a damper on things. Fortunately, the mood was so good that everyone brushed off his comment lightly.

Lee Kang-to, who had been contemplating several bottles of alcohol in front of him, spoke up.

“By the way, Hwangya’s welfare is as good as I’ve heard. You said you get three days off?”

“Isn’t it the same for Hunter Lee Kang-to?”

“I have to start work tomorrow.”

“Ah… Then you’ll be returning to Baekya right away.”

Lee Kang-to drained the glass in front of him, looking dejected.

Since our next destination hasn’t been decided yet, we agreed to report to work for a few days after the vacation ends, just like before. They said a decision would be made within ten days at most, but…

“Do you have any other plans?”

Yun Su-ho, who had been putting meat on my plate, shared a system message instead of answering.

[Subquest, Unfinished Journey Home (B+)

– Clear condition: Return of the sea people

– Reward: ??? (Reward changes based on the number of sea people returned)

– Penalty: None]

“A subquest?”

“I got it from Akis.”

It felt like I’d been hit on the head. We may have cleared the hidden quest, but that doesn’t mean we saved all the sea people.

In our rush to rescue the children, I had forgotten about the sea people who had already been sold off.

Cha Taeyang, who had been buried in her bowl of naengmyeon, suddenly lifted her face.

“What is it? Show me too!”

With an impassive expression, as if saying this was the extent of his responsibility, Yun Su-ho shared the quest window with everyone.

Han Cha-hyun, at a loss for words like me, fiddled with his glasses.

“H-Hunter Yun Su-ho, aren’t you busy? I heard you’re in high demand.”

“I’m free.”

Everyone looked at him with puzzled expressions at his nonchalant response. Then, Yun Su-ho dropped a bombshell with an unperturbed face.

“I canceled all my existing schedules to participate in this case.”

“What? All of them?”

“Government contracts were difficult to cancel, so I’ve put them on hold for now.”

Free hunters of Yun Su-ho’s caliber usually have their entire year booked by the beginning of the year. I thought he might have canceled some and rearranged the rest, but he terminated all of them?

‘Is he really out of his mind?’

I couldn’t even imagine how much he must have paid in cancellation fees. Judging from what Choi Kwon-young said at the first meeting, it doesn’t seem like he received a generous compensation from Hwangya either.

Although I tried to tell myself not to worry since he had butted in on his own, I couldn’t help feeling uneasy knowing he had done this because of me.

Cha Taeyang, still naive about the ways of the world, broke the frozen atmosphere.

“Hey, take me with you too!”

“No.”

“I can do well. I promise I won’t hold you back, ahjus— I mean, Hunter Yun Su-ho!”

Cha Taeyang passionately argued that her acquaintance with Metea would make it easier to complete the quest if she could gain his cooperation.

‘She said Metea was going to bring down the Shipowners’ Association.’

The story about Metea that Cha Taeyang had shared continued to nag at me like a small splinter in my hand.

‘They say the World Tower is capricious, but this seems a bit strange even so.’

I wasn’t sure if it was the 16th floor that was strange, or if there was something we didn’t know.

Thinking that there was no point in pondering this while drinking, I shook off my thoughts and emptied my glass.

Cha Taeyang and Yun Su-ho were still arguing.

“It’s still not possible.”

“Why not?”

“Because you’re Hunter Cha Taeyang.”

Cha Taeyang seemed quite hurt by Yun Su-ho’s words. I was about to reprimand him for his excessively rude response when I realized something and closed my mouth.

“Yun Su-ho, even when you speak…”

This guy always cuts off his words and invites disaster. Would it kill him to explain things nicely?

“It’s because of the entry restrictions, right?”

“Yeah.”

“If that’s the case, you shouldn’t just say it like that. You should explain.”

The World Tower entry for awakened individuals under 19 is strictly managed. If I remember correctly, it’s around 17 days per month.

It’s already the end of the month, but Yun Su-ho’s opinion that it’s better not to go to the World Tower rashly when we don’t know how things will unfold was reasonable.

When I explained on Yun Su-ho’s behalf, Cha Taeyang reluctantly nodded.

“Tch, if that’s the case, I guess there’s no helping it.”

“You said you were in the process of obtaining your qualification, right?”

“I’ve finished all the training, and I just need to take one practical exam. I was a bit short on time back then.”

Obtaining the entry relaxation qualification changes the entry criteria from days to frequency. Although the total annual entry days remain the same, making it seem like a zero-sum game at first glance, this is actually quite important.

“Once you get the qualification, you’ll be able to go on long-term dispatches of over 17 days, so it’s best to obtain it quickly. Especially since we’re on a mission where the schedule could change at any time.”

Unconsciously checking my phone, I realized tomorrow is Thursday, the day of the qualification exam. Thinking it’s better not to postpone such things, I casually suggested,

“If you’re okay with it, how about taking the exam tomorrow? I’ll take you there.”

“Really?”

Cha Taeyang’s face lit up as she approached on her knees. When she asked if it was okay since it was my vacation, I responded teasingly.

“If you don’t want to go out with me, you can refuse.”

“No way! I just didn’t want to bother you, unni!”

“As your mentor, I’ve been feeling bad that I haven’t done much for you. I should at least help with this.”

“I’m so excited! Dark Mr. Kim, are you going out with us?”

The goblin, who had been busy devouring his muk-sabal regardless of what others were saying, came over to me and cheered. I don’t know why they’re so happy about this. I felt grateful but also embarrassed.

Since we were going out anyway, we decided to visit the Mental Center together. Cha Taeyang was overjoyed at the thought of spending the whole day together.

“Have a good date.”

Han Cha-hyun looked at us with a fond expression. I heard he’s about the same age as me, but when he acts like this, he feels much older.

Cha Taeyang, who had moved to sit at my table, asked while eating some yukjeon,

“By the way, what’s a date?”

“Well, it’s when people who like each other spend good time together?”

“Then this is definitely a date!”

Cha Taeyang leaned in close with familiarity. Feeling my throat suddenly dry, I emptied my beer glass as if draining it.