Chapter Title: The Branch Chief's Warning and Proposal
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"If it's just getting raped, you'd be thankful!
"...What would you do if someone threatened you like that?"
"...Pardon?"
What the hell was that supposed to mean?
Our branch chief's lower half.
More precisely, it was right then—while I was quietly aiming my gun barrel at the slight bulge of her mons pubis peeking out from under the desk.
"If you were threatened like this, would the current you, Hyunjun, really have any way to defend yourself?"
"What do you...?"
"A mere rifle that can barely blow off an orc's head clearly has its limits."
"!!"
Old hag who'd shoved her age up her ass.
That had been my first impression of Branch Chief Im Eonnyeon, up until now.
But hearing her say that flipped the image of a grandma about to rape a guy young enough to be her grandson completely on its head.
"Don't tell me... this was a test?"
"Yes, of course it was."
"Not you going into heat?"
"H-heat?! What the hell do you take me for, Hyunjun?! I'm the top hunter representing this country!"
Her beast ears hidden away, and that devilish tail poking out from her short hot pants.
From her looks alone, she screamed 'man-crazed succubus.'
When I asked, 'So you had those real intentions, huh?' her face turned beet red as she frantically shook her head.
"I'm not some rapist..."
Damn, what was I supposed to do here?
She was clearly over a hundred years older than me, but for a split second, she looked kinda cute.
But snap out of it.
She's still an old hag!
Anyway, back to the point.
"Why'd you lie to me like that?"
I asked about the test of my chastity—or whatever it was.
And her answer?
"Because you'll be facing threats just like that soon enough."
Branch Chief Im Eonnyeon laid out my current situation with brutal simplicity.
"You know male hunters are in high demand among female hunters, right, Hyunjun?"
"Yeah. They say it's... popular for sexual relief, right...?"
"Yes, exactly. That's certainly one of the 'surface-level' reasons."
"Surface-level...?"
The branch chief nodded, as if I'd only gotten half of it right.
"But that's way too simplistic a view."
"So there's more to it?"
"Yes. Like 'brokers' who smuggle dungeon items without permission, or high-ranking 'hunter heirs' scouting for prime seed—like I was just role-playing."
Getting raped in a dungeon? That's not even a problem.
If you just get raped and let go, consider it a blessed day.
...Or so Branch Chief Im Eonnyeon informed me.
"You know smuggling dungeon items out without any procedures is a massive crime, right, Hyunjun?"
"Of course. They're weapons that could kill even hunters—called human weapons—and the Association manages them tightly to keep them out of wars between nations."
"Right. But nothing's perfect in this world. Even if we catch 90%, that last 10% still circulates. That's reality."
Come to think of it, I'd read about it in hunter books.
Back when there were no guns or heavy firepower, otherworld items smuggled out had flipped entire wars.
Now we had weapons rivaling them, sure, but those items were still plenty powerful.
"And those brokers smuggling items? Their other big commodity is 'people.'"
"...! You're selling people in the 21st century?!"
"Yes. Specifically, they kidnap hunters in dungeons and traffic them on the sly."
No matter how strong the hunter, once a 'slave brand' is etched on them, they'll obey their owner without question.
I swallowed hard at her words.
Dungeons dotted the world everywhere.
The entrances varied by location, but there was only one dungeon instance hunters entered.
Just that one I'd been in before.
Which raised a question: if hunters from around the world mingled inside, couldn't you exit without a passport for some global travel?
You could, actually.
The 1st-floor exit portal was designed to send you back to your entry point on Earth.
But say, right before entering—for example—a Korean hunter touches an American hunter's body as they pass through together?
They'd be treated as one unit and summoned to the Las Vegas Hunter HQ in the US.
It had happened before.
That's why dungeon portals always have heavy security. You never know what'll come out.
So the brokers exploited that portal mechanic to traffic people?
How?
"Normal hunter branches are built right over the land where portals spawn. You know that, right?"
"Of course. Basic knowledge."
"Yes, so the chance of monsters breaking through to the surface via portals is 0%—barring a 'monster invasion' event. That's the Association's stance."
"So that's only half right too?"
"Exactly."
Today felt like peeking into all the Hunter Association's dirty underbelly.
And the mood confirmed it.
"There are still dungeon portals on this Earth even our Hunter Association hasn't found."
"...! So the brokers selling people...?"
"Yes. They slip in through those unmonitored entrances, grab something suitable, and sell it off—just like that."
"I see... Dungeon portals send you to the lead person's exit location!"
Plus, no CCTV or records in dungeons, obviously.
Once nabbed and whisked to the other side of the planet, rescue chances were zilch.
"The buyers know portals that dodge Association eyes too. Criminals playing nice together—it's a perfect business."
"Yeah... getting caught by those guys would be bad news."
"Obviously. Even if a party approaches to save you in the dungeon, if they say 'lend him for a sec, look the other way,' they'll just gang up and ignore it."
Chills.
It wasn't even that far-fetched in this world of women.
The hunters I'd met so far shared my nationality and had a sense of duty, so I hadn't seen that side.
But flip it around.
Days, weeks—maybe months—in a dick-only dungeon, and suddenly a female hunter shows up?
That place had no Earth laws—just raw power ruling all.
Sure, guys like me might stay rational, but far more would fuck, rape, kidnap, imprison, or kill under the 'dungeon' excuse.
This world was just genders swapped.
"Gotta watch out for those brokers..."
"Yes. Brokers inside dungeons, but outside? Beware the so-called 'elite prospects'—the promising hunter heirs."
Branch Chief Im Eonnyeon nodded at my words.
She went on to warn about the 'outside' threats now that we were topside.
"Pro hunters of marriageable age, heirs from centuries-old hunter clans, or those tied to politics—they could totally threaten you like I just did."
That old-hag-possessed threat she'd pulled earlier.
If it happened for real... it'd be a massive roadblock in my hunter career.
"Men's rights groups... filing complaints there wouldn't help, huh?"
"They're funded by exactly those types of pro hunters I mentioned."
"Ah..."
"They cry 'for the weak men!' on the surface, but really? Just staking claim for prime breeding stock."
Back on my original Earth, women's groups were mostly women supporting women.
These are basically zookeepers running a breeding pen?
The 'men's rights' crowd turned out thirstier for men than anyone.
It gave me the creeps, but...
"So, Hyunjun. I have a proposal for you."
"A proposal...?"
She gave a grandmotherly smile, like 'don't worry.'
"As a top female hunter representing Korea, I don't want to see a precious talent who took down dozens of Orc Wives on his first dungeon run turned into a mere 'seed-dispensing fucktoy.'"
"Ah, yeah."
"So, how about this: I'll watch your back. In return, come back me up whenever I need it?"
"Y-yeah?!"
Did that mean the Hunter Association branch chief herself would be my backup?
Of course it sounded good.
No—better than good. What could top this opportunity?
...That's how golden it felt.
Only hitch was...
"Uh... is the 'help' something sexual?"
"Y-yes?!"
Guess not...
No matter how pretty or cute, she was still a hag over a century my senior. It nagged at me.
But I couldn't pass this up.
So, yeah... I'd have to go through with it?
Thinking that, I stood, limbering up for some lower-body exercise(?), when...
"N-no! I-I didn't mean I wanted it forced like that!"
"...Pardon?"
"Ah! N-not like that... h-howawawa..."
Steam puffed from her head(?), eyes spinning like pinwheels—Branch Chief Im Eonnyeon in full meltdown.
"A-anyway, not like that! No way! At least a date! That's what normal people do after dating!!"
...Now that was a fresh reaction.
Most women who'd locked eyes with me jumped straight to sex once we got friendly.
Finding a century-plus-old hag in this sex-crazed world who wanted a proper date first?
"Is this what they call elder wisdom?"
"...Pardon?"
Take back what I said earlier.
Branch Chief Im Eonnyeon.
She sure as hell hadn't shoved her age up her ass.