PBC… that’s the broadcasting station owned by Crystal Group.

It was a rival of JBS, which was owned by Forward.

“And you must be Lumina Cueva and Chen Meiling, correct? And you are…?”

The woman’s eyes shifted toward Seo Yui.

“What exactly is this interview about?”

I stepped in, blocking her line of sight with my body.

“It’s about the dungeon transference incident. The three of you experienced it firsthand, right? And we’ve received reports that nearly seven hundred monsters were all defeated by just the three of you.”

“Reports?”

Meiling frowned and tilted her head slightly.

So, one of the kids who got transferred with us must have recorded a video.

That much was obvious.

“But did you get the Academy’s permission before coming here for coverage?”

“Of course we did. Naturally. So then, can you tell us in detail what happened in the dungeon two days ago?”

The woman spoke so quickly it was as if she were rapping.

“Then it’s not appropriate to hold this interview in the cafeteria. Let’s head upstairs.”

“Oh, there’s no need to trouble yourselves. We can just—”

I stood up, carrying my tray.

“Let’s go.”

The moment I spoke, every one of my squad members rose and followed me.

The broadcasting crew exchanged glances among themselves but eventually came after us.

As soon as we left the cafeteria and reached the first floor of the main building, several teachers rushed over.

“You can’t just wander freely around the campus like this.”

The vice principal, sweating profusely, spoke up.

“Didn’t we agree that the interview would be conducted in the conference room, under our supervision?”

“We simply wanted the students’ unfiltered testimony.”

The woman showed no sign of apology or intimidation. On the contrary, the relaxed smile on her face made it clear she was well-accustomed to situations like this.

“Well, since we’ve found the students we wanted to interview, why don’t we just proceed to the conference room now?”

“……”

The vice principal’s expression twisted as though he had just sat on a sharp stone, but without another word, he led the way to the conference room.

A short while later—

“As mentioned earlier, today’s interview will be about the dungeon transference incident two days ago.”

One of the men from the crew, holding a stack of papers, explained.

Seo Yui, not having experienced the transfer, had already returned to class alone.

“We’ll begin with Chen Meiling, then move on to Lumina, and finally finish with Nam Yein.”

“I’m not doing it.”

Meiling crossed her arms as she spoke.

Her words widened the eyes of the reporters and left the vice principal looking flustered.

“There’s no law that says I have to be interviewed. It’s bothersome.”

With that, she sat off to the side and crossed her legs.

The reporters looked toward the vice principal, who could only shake his head.

Chen Meiling might have cut ties with her family, but she was still the daughter of Chen Kai, president of Forward Magic Engineer. For the vice principal, forcing her into an interview was out of the question.

And the reason Meiling doesn’t want to do it is probably because of Chen Kai.

She wanted nothing to do with him. Appearing in the media would only risk drawing that connection again, even if indirectly.

Which means that, in truth, she still hasn’t completely cut the strings binding her to that household.

“In that case, let’s begin with Lumina. We’ll start with the cameras off, and then we’ll record afterward.”

The woman holding the microphone spoke.

“Y-Yes, ma’am!!”

Lumina’s reply came out overly loud and tense.

“How exactly were you transported during the dungeon transference?”

“Um, ah, w-well… there was this flash of light, and th-then after that, uh… um…”

“There’s no need to be so nervous. Just relax and tell it naturally. Let’s try again.”

The woman smiled encouragingly. Lumina’s face turned scarlet.

But no matter how many practice attempts they tried, Lumina’s nervousness never eased. In the end, the man observing from behind shook his head.

“Carol, let’s try interviewing the boy first.”

“Hmm, perhaps that’s best.”

The woman—Carol—turned her gaze on me.

“Then, Nam Yein, if you please.”

“Understood.”

I stood, and Lumina exhaled in relief, dropping back into her seat.

“Nam Yein, how exactly did the transfer occur?”

“In an instant, we were engulfed in light. The world turned white, and the next moment we found ourselves in a dungeon entirely unlike the Magongham.”

“What kind of place was it?”

“It felt like a stone stage built atop a mountain. Around us there was nothing but mountains and sky, with no visible paths.”

“And what happened in that dungeon?”

“Waves of monsters appeared, three times in total. After we defeated them all, a return portal manifested, similar to the ones we’ve seen in other dungeons. We used it to exit.”

Carol glanced at the man with the papers. He nodded.

“Good, Nam Yein. That’s the sort of answer we’re looking for.”

“Understood.”

A little later, when the cameras were actually rolling, they repeated the same questions.

“It’s said that you and your two companions defeated hundreds of monsters on your own. Weren’t you afraid?”

That was new—something they hadn’t asked earlier.

“With our lives on the line, there was no room to feel fear. All I could think about was that defeating those monsters was the only way to survive.”

Carol nodded.

“After the transfer occurred, how did the teachers provide support?”

The vice principal’s startled expression entered my field of vision.

…No need to pick a fight here.

I looked at Carol and the camera.

“Since it was such a sudden transference, and since the dungeon was unlike any encountered before, I believe the teachers and rescue team simply had no way to reach us.”

By rephrasing it just slightly, I avoided giving them anything inflammatory to clip.

PBC belonged to Crystal. What they wanted was the line, “The teachers didn’t come to help.” Instead, I offered an answer that left them nothing to edit.

As expected, I noticed a faint look of disappointment on the man’s face, while the vice principal looked visibly relieved.

“Starting today, Academy Hunter candidates are prohibited from entering dungeons. What are your thoughts on that?”

Another new question.

But it didn’t catch me off guard. In fact, this was an opportunity.

“There is, of course, a gap in ability between professional Hunters and us trainees. However, when it comes to risking our lives against monsters, we are no different. Trainees have died in dungeons before. If transference incidents take a long time to resolve and, until then, dungeon access is completely forbidden, then we will be deprived of the chance to grow strong enough to face monsters. In trying to prevent casualties, the result may be only new casualties later.”

Carol and the man both widened their eyes. They exchanged a look, and then Carol lifted the mic again.

“Then what sort of measures do you believe should be taken?”

“The most important step is identifying the cause of these transference incidents quickly, and ensuring they never recur. But if a complete solution takes time, or proves impossible, then there must be a way for trainees to enter dungeons while ensuring their safety. For example, besides the assigned instructors, additional high-level guardians could accompany us, or the city could provide support by stationing rescue teams on standby near dungeons in case we are caught in a transfer again.”

“That’s… very concrete.”

Carol looked almost dazed.

“Alright, let’s cut it here.”

The man smiled, satisfied.

“Yes. That concludes the interview. Thank you for your time.”

I nodded and glanced to the side.

“Wow…”

Lumina’s eyes were wide as she stared straight at me.

“……”

Meanwhile, Meiling pursed her lips in dissatisfaction, glaring at me as if I’d said something offensive.

We left the conference room and walked down the hallway.

“Yein, did you… maybe prepare all that in advance?” Lumina asked.

“No. I only found out about the interview at the cafeteria, same as you.”

“Whaaat… I was so nervous I couldn’t even speak properly… How do you manage to talk like that?”

“It’s not that I spoke particularly well. You were just too nervous, that’s all.”

“Ah…”

Lumina flinched and lowered her head.

“You talk just fine with us. If you’d spoken normally back there, it would’ve been fine.”

“Y-You’re right…”

Her voice grew small, barely audible.

“Hmph. Too soft.”

Meiling suddenly snorted.

“Support from bodyguards? Who needs that nonsense? Everyone who enters a dungeon is risking their lives anyway. If they get caught in a transfer, that’s their responsibility. What the city should be doing is lifting that stupid ban on dungeon entry.”

So that was why she’d been glaring at me earlier—she didn’t like what I said.

“If all we do is clash with hardline stances, no solution will come of it. Society works by adjusting between differing opinions.”

“Who do you think you are, a teacher? I don’t remember asking you for a lecture.”

With that sharp retort, Meiling turned and stormed back toward her classroom.

Running away because she has nothing more to say, huh.

Still, just giving that interview wasn’t enough to overturn the dungeon ban.

It was just laying the groundwork. And even then, there’s no guarantee the station will even air everything I said.

I had no intention of taking the approach Meiling wanted. What was needed was a more definitive solution.

The next day—Saturday—

I headed alone to Eleanor’s workshop.

“Here. These are the rare weapons and equipment I mentioned earlier.”

“……”

Eleanor’s eyes moved back and forth between me and the mountain of items spread across the floor.

“…There really are over seventy.”

“What are you talking about? I told you over the phone—seventy-one weapons alone.”

“I thought you were joking!”

Eleanor suddenly shouted.

“It’s barely been a little over a week since you took those materials! And in that time you crafted more than a hundred rare items!? Ask anyone in the world, and they’d say that’s a joke!”

“Then… should I just take them back?”

I reached toward the pile, but Eleanor grabbed my wrist with both hands.

“No! We’ll sell them here! We should turn this into a real event. Releasing this many rare items at once—‘Platinum Wing’ will spread through the Hunter Market like wildfire. Perfect for publicity.”

Come to think of it, she had mentioned promotion during our phone call.

“Alright. Then I’ll leave these here. Since there’s so many, I won’t bring any more rare items for now.”

“Right. Once these sell, I’ll consult with you about what to put in the next sales batch.”

I picked up the materials I’d pre-ordered through the workshop, intending to head back.

“Oh, right. I heard a rumor—Gwangcheon’s first-years were suddenly teleported from one dungeon into another. Is that true?”

“If you want the answer, watch the PBC news tonight.”

“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’ll see.”

I gave her a smile and left the workshop.

That evening.

The PBC nine o’clock news reported on the dungeon transference incident.

The footage showed me, Lumina, and Meiling fighting monsters.

Sure enough, someone at the Altar of Ulmeji must have recorded it.

Then the screen shifted to the interview clips.

Seeing my face—Nam Yein’s face—broadcast so large on television left me with a strange feeling.

[“…If dungeon access is completely banned until this is resolved, then we Hunter candidates will be deprived of the chance to grow strong enough to face monsters.”]

[“Then what kind of measures do you think are necessary?”]

[“The most important step is identifying the cause of these transference incidents and preventing them from recurring. But if a full resolution takes too long, or proves impossible, then we need a system that allows candidates to enter while ensuring safety.”]

Not everything was aired, but the core points I wanted to emphasize were included.

Just then, my phone rang.

“Hello—”

[You got caught up in that transfer incident too!? And you defeated hundreds of monsters!?]

It was Eleanor, asking without even a greeting.

“I didn’t do it alone. Lumina and Meiling played a big role.”

[Don’t give me that. You blew up half the monsters with your spikes. I’d heard you were a HAUT special recruit, but I didn’t think it was on this level…]

At that moment, loud noise crackled through the earpiece.

[Sorry. My sister suddenly started yelling.]

“Why?”

[She said she hates seeing you on TV.]

“Funny. Right after the Valhall incident, I felt the exact same way.”

[Ahaha…]

Then Iris’s voice came through again.

[Still, I can’t agree with that dungeon ban. That much I do share with you.]

So Iris felt the same. Most Hunter candidates probably did.

[Anyway, I’m just glad you’re safe. I’ll hang up now.]

“Yeah.”

I ended the call and turned my eyes back to the news.

A luxurious living room.

Plush sofas, an ornate cabinet, and an altar adorned with candles and offerings.

There, a middle-aged woman with moss-colored hair stood frozen, staring at the flat-screen TV.

The news was still playing.

“I’ve found him…!!!”

The woman muttered, then broke into a wide smile.

On the screen was the silver-haired boy.

(End of Chapter)

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