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Solo Leveling Novel Chapter 49 Average 5 / 5 out of 1
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95th, it has 1 monthly view
Summary
Woo Jin-Cheol was the first to react.
While everyone else was busy eyeing others around them, he quickly walked right up to Jin-Woo’s side, pulled out his identification card and displayed it proudly for all to see.
“We’re from the Association’s Monitoring Division.”
Didn’t matter whether you were a high ranked Hunter or a low ranked one, you’d inevitably tense up after hearing the name of the Monitoring Division. And this tactic was the right one.
It was only for a brief moment, but a hint of nervousness flashed past the expressions of the Hunters Guild members, with the sole exception of Cha Hae-In.
Woo Jin-Cheol seized upon this chance and carried on with what he wanted to say.
“The identity of Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim is being strictly guarded by the Association. It is highly classified information that cannot be revealed publicly.”
Jin-Woo could only stand back in dumbfounded admiration at Woo Jin-Cheol’s skilful bullsh*tting.
Heck, his expression and words looked and sounded so natural that one couldn’t help but wonder if he practised it every morning while looking in the mirror or some such.
Whatever the case may be, his intentions definitely got through to the other party. At the same time, Woo Jin-Cheol sent the slightest hint of a signal to Jin-Woo with his eyes.
‘We will assist you with avoiding unnecessary fuss when exiting from this place.’
Jin-Woo had no idea why the Monitoring Division were helping him, but since they were volunteering to take care of the aftermath, was there a reason for him to refuse now?
Jin-Woo nodded his head.
That’s what he wanted, anyway.
The quick-witted subordinates of Woo Jin-Cheol quickly surrounded Jin-Woo like bodyguards.
“If you have any questions, please send them to the Association. We shall escort Seong Jin-Woo Hunter now.”
Not-so-subtle implication of ‘We won’t hear any of your objections’ was apparent in his voice.
All thanks to Woo Jin-Cheol’s hardened attitude, hard enough to shatter a rock even, the members of the Hunters Guild had no choice but to rein in their questions and stay silent.
“Shall we go?”
While being escorted by the agents of the Monitoring Division, Jin-Woo walked past the Hunters.
‘Well, I am grateful, but….’
Something felt a bit odd, just then. Why did Chief Woo Jin-Cheol do something no one asked him to do in the first place? Once they got to a sufficient distance away from the members of the Hunters Guild, Jin-Woo quietly asked.
“Why are you doing this all of a sudden?”
“By any chance, are you thinking of signing up with the Hunters Guild?”
Jin-Woo shook his head. As if he knew that such an answer was coming already, Woo Jin-Cheol quickly made his reply.
“What you did just now was to display the kind of power that exceeds rank S classification in front of the employees working for the largest, wealthiest Guild in South Korea. If you wish to avoid annoying matters in the near future, this method is the best one.”
Indeed, he was right.
No one could tell just what lengths the wealthy Hunters Guild might go to secure another rank S Hunter. Other Hunters would raise their hands and welcome that, but Jin-Woo was different.
It was the same story for the Hunter’s Association, too.
And so, the interests of both the Association, trying to prevent the concentration of too much power to one specific Guild, and Jin-Woo’s, who found the hindrance (?) of the Guilds annoying, lined up rather nicely.
Since this wasn’t one-sided goodwill coming from the other party but something that would help both sides, Jin-Woo didn’t feel uncomfortable by the current situation at all.
‘Well, things have become more convenient thanks to the Association.’
Because this matter had been resolved quite nicely in an unexpected manner, Jin-Woo could afford to float a thin, nearly-imperceptible smile on his lips.
But, as they were about to exit from the boss room for good….
“H-hold on!!”
An urgent call came from behind the group.
Unintentionally looking back, Jin-Woo spotted Sohn Ki-Hoon approaching them while being supported by his big-framed colleague. All of his external wounds had been healed perfectly, but his complexion remained pale as he had lost a lot of blood.
‘It’d be better for him to not move yet, though.’
Despite Jin-Woo’s worries, Sohn Ki-Hoon managed to stand before him. He then bowed deeply.
“Thank you.”
And he began speaking up his mind without holding anything back.
“Thanks to you, we are all still alive. On behalf of the raid team, I’d like to thank you.”
If one believed the words of the Monitoring Division’s Hunters, then this young man seemed to be burdened by some kind of circumstances preventing him from revealing himself.
‘With that kind of power, it’d not be too strange if he does have some kind of an unspeakable circumstance.’
However….
He risked his identity being revealed to aid Sohn Ki-Hoon and the rest of the raid team. But, was that all? He didn’t even ask for any compensation, either.
He could’ve easily requested the Hunters Guild for the corpses of the monsters or for the cost of saving the lives of the raid team, but he backed off without saying a thing.
So, how could he not bow down to this young man?
“….Thank you very much!”
His emotions now getting raw, Sohn Ki-Hoon bent his back forward 90 degrees once more. That sudden movement caused his aching body to scream out in pain, but he actually found that rather welcoming.
His heart had welled up with emotions when he saw Jin-Woo kill the monster in the exact same fashion as how he had been toyed around with before. Thinking back to that moment was enough for him to thank this young man a countless number of times.
The Hunters of the raid team saw their leader bow down to express his gratitude and finally snapped out of their stupor.
‘If it wasn’t for that man….’
‘He’s our saviour, isn’t he?’
‘In that case, I shouldn’t be standing around like this in a daze.’
They scrambled to get closer and bowed their heads as well.
“Thank you, Mister Port…. No, I mean, Hunter-nim.”
“If it wasn’t for you, we…..”
“Thanks to you, my wife won’t become a widow now.”
A young male Hunter who showed off his shaking hands back when Sohn Ki-Hoon decided to give up on raiding this dungeon, approached Jin-Woo with a tearful face.
“Excuse me, Hunter-nim…. It’s because I’m really grateful so, like, can I hug you just this once?”
“Eiii, that’s too much, dude.”
“He’s starting again. Someone stop him.”
“Well, why don’t you hug me instead, then??”
Hug.
“Euh-heok?! You’re giving me the creeps, so let go of me!!”
Wahahahahaha…..
For the first time ever since entering this particular rank A dungeon, the members of the raid team got to laugh to their heart’s content.
Jin-Woo stared at these Hunters, feeling content inside. He didn’t help them out for their flattery or for their praises, but their genuine thanks did automatically bring about a warm smile to his lips.
“….Ah.”
Jin-Woo walked over to the female Hunter jumping up and down by the corner.
‘Because she’s so small, I nearly failed to spot her.’
When he pushed forward the memo she gave to him earlier, the female Healer blushed and received it with both of her hands.
“T-thank you….”
Inwardly, though, she was admonishing herself.
‘Ah-whew. Why did I even say those embarrassing things to him back then?’
She now had one more reason to kick her sheets before going to bed if and when she ended up remembering today’s event in the future.
From the perspective of Mister Porter who could easily punch the dungeon boss to death, she must’ve looked really funny when she handed over a memo while saying it contained her final will.
She slightly raised her head and found that, thankfully enough, he wasn’t sneering at her. No, actually – he began speaking to her in a bit of strict voice.
“Miss Healer.”
“Y-yes?”
The female Healer straightened her posture right away like a student being reprimanded for her sloppy behaviour.
“From today onwards, please refrain from placing your personal articles inside the raid team’s luggage. It only serves to increase the volume.”
“….Pardon me??”
The female Healer became utterly speechless, her eyes opening up to form round buttons. Jin-Woo grinned in satisfaction.
He said all he wanted to say. And it seemed that the other party had pretty much said everything in her mind, too. So, putting the dazed female Healer behind him, he coolly turned around to leave.
“Let’s go.”
As soon as Jin-Woo began walking, the agents of the Monitoring Division moved together in one unit as if they had been rehearsing it.
There was one exception, though.
‘Ah…’
Only Cha Hae-In had failed to say something to Jin-Woo and she tried to reach out to him, but gave up in the end.
‘I wanted to ask him for his contact numbers….’
All she wanted was to ask him if he could find some time to talk to her. However, she might be misunderstood if she asked him that now, what with the current situation not being settled yet.
It was then.
A female Hunter walked over to Cha Hae-In.
“Excuse me…. Vice Chair?”
“Yes?”
When Cha Hae-In turned around to look, the female Hunter pointed to her hand.
“Why are you carrying a pickaxe?”
Cha Hae-In’s gaze drifted towards the head of the pickaxe and her face began blushing rather quickly. She hurriedly lowered the pickaxe and cautiously asked.
“You think he found me weird?”
The female Hunter, a mage, tilted her head and asked back.
“Who did?”
And that caused not just Cha Hae-In’s face, but even her neck to blush in the deep shade of crimson.
*
When they came out of the Gate…
Woo Jin-Cheol took a look at his wristwatch and asked Jin-Woo.
“We’re planning to return to the Association but, well…. If it’s okay with you, why don’t you ride along with us and join the Association President for dinner?”
“What time is it now?”
“It’s quarter past five. PM.”
‘Mm….’
Although he was cutting it close, he should be able to arrive at the promised location in time.
Jin-Woo politely rejected Woo Jin-Cheol’s invitation.
“I’m sorry. I’ve already made a prior engagement.”
***
Shu, shu, fuu, fuu….
Yu Jin-Ho did his very best to maintain his calm by breathing in deeply several times, just like how he saw it in one of the movies.
‘My fated hour is approaching.’
Indeed, hyung-nim’s choice would decide Yu Jin-Ho’s fate.
His heart was palpitating faster, and he felt even more nervous compared to a few days ago when he was negotiating with his father for the right to become the Yujin Guild Master.
‘Let’s go back to my original purpose. My original purpose….’
It was no coincidence that he chose the exact same cafe as the first time he met hyung-nim back when to propose his plan.
‘Without hyung-nim’s help, I wouldn’t even be here right now.’
He began looking around the interior of the cafe while thinking as such, and he was able to see this place in a new light. Quite coincidentally, the table he chose was the exact same one as the last time, too.
Ringgg….
Along with the doorbell, Jin-Woo entered the cafe.
“Hyung-nim!”
Yu Jin-Ho discovered Jin-Woo and shot up from his seat with a welcoming smile on his face. He bowed down as his greeting. Jin-Woo performed a simple little greeting with a nod and settled down on the opposite side of Yu Jin-Ho. The latter sat down after that.
“So, what did you call me here for?”
Yu Jin-Ho raised his head, only for his eyes to widen.
“H-hyung-nim, your clothes…..?”
“Oh, this?”
Jin-Woo came running here right after killing the High Orcs so his clothing was understandably dirty. His shirt even sported bloodstains from the dying High Orcs, too. He spoke as if there was nothing to worry about.
“I was coming straight from a dungeon, that’s why.”
‘Heok!’
Yu Jin-Ho was taken by surprise once more.
He was nothing compared to someone like hyung-nim; after getting his Guild Master licence, all Yu Jin-Ho did was to waste time by drinking and partying. But, what did hyung-nim do in the meantime? He possessed incredible power, yet he still found time to enter dungeons to further hone his crafts.
Suddenly, Yu Jin-Ho felt ashamed of himself.
‘As expected of hyung-nim….’
And at the same time, he held hyung-nim in an even higher reverence now.
The reason why hyung-nim didn’t bother to wipe away the blood on his clothes was probably because he was confident and forthright enough not to feel the need to hide his training process.
‘Well, the evidence of battle would be more like a medal of honour that he earned through his own two hands, after all.’
Yu Jin-Ho’s expression hardened. He was ready to follow hyung-nim’s decision, regardless of which direction he’d take.
So, he should come clean and don’t hold anything back.
“Hyung-nim, actually….”
Yu Jin-Ho didn’t leave anything out and reported everything that happened during the negotiation with his father to Jin-Woo – even the event of Goh Myoung-Hwan’s testimony revealing the truth of who saved the Hunters of the White Tiger Guild from the Red Gate incident, too.
‘That uncle, doing something unnecessary….’
Still, that man did that for Jin-Woo’s benefit, so he couldn’t get angry at that.
Perhaps that was the reason for Yu Jin-Ho’s expression to be a bit more glowing than usual when he was talking about the Red Gate incident.
In any case….
Jin-Woo knew what Yu Jin-Ho was trying to say here.
“So, in order for you to become the Yujin Guild’s new Master, you need my help, is that about right?”
Finishing all he had to say, Yu Jin-Ho calmly waited for Jin-Woo’s reply. He didn’t grow restless or try to sweet talk like how he would do normally.
‘Well, I’m talking to hyung-nim here, after all.’
Yu Jin-Ho was definitely thinking of leaving everything to hyung-nim’s decision.
Remaining silent as long as Yu Jin-Ho’s worries were deep, Jin-Woo finally raised his gaze.
“Hey, Jin-Ho. I am….”
Gulp.
Yu Jin-Ho swallowed his drying saliva.
***
The Chairman of the Hunters Guild Choi Jong-In received a certain call. After answering that, he abandoned what he was doing, entered his private chamber, and began shouting out loudly at the phone.
“What was that?! Seong Jin-Woo was present during our raids yesterday and today?!”
The newly-appeared rank S Hunter, Seong Jin-Woo.
Such a man decided to present himself right before Choi Jong-In’s own Guild, yet why did he fail to even notice that?! It was the same thing as kicking away the golden goose willing to enter his house.
It was enough to make him tear his hair out, but…
“Whaaat?! He was working for the mining team yesterday, and today, he was carrying luggage?!”
….After hearing that revelation, it did make sense for him to not know.
‘Okay, for the time being, let’s not worry about why he did what he did….’
He got this feeling that sweating over that mystery would only give him a case of a migraine and no tangible answer to chew on. Besides, that wasn’t important at all.
‘After White Tiger, us Hunters also owe that man now.’
Indeed, they were indebted to Seong Jin-Woo.
Choi Jong-In wished to talk to that man as equals as much as he could before attempting to scout him, but now, his position was no different than that of the White Tiger.
‘Even still, I learned of the tenth rank S’s existence before anyone else, so that’s something.’
That’s right.
The more pressing issue here was not the fact that his Guild received that man’s aid, but rather, knowing of what his abilities were.
“Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, what type of Hunter was he?”
– “…..”
As he listened to the explanation coming from the other side of the phone line, Choi Jong-In began talking progressively less and less.
The person he was talking to right now – the Hunter who took on the role of the raid team’s captain, Sohn Ki-Hoon, wasn’t a fellow who’d lie about something that didn’t happen, or embellish something minor as if it was a big deal. Even then, Choi Jong-In asked reflexively.
“Are you telling me the truth??”
– “Yes, sir. That’s all I saw.”
‘That’s all he saw….?! Does that mean there could be more?!’
If Seong Jin-Woo was that powerful, then….
“If you compare him to me, then how about it?”
Although he may have sounded a bit childish just then, there was no better way to ascertain someone’s strength than this question.
Sohn Ki-Hoon took a little time before continuing on.
– “Chairman. Can you solo an upper-grade rank A dungeon by yourself?”
“…..No, it’s impossible.”
– “However, that man did precisely that. He even dissuaded Cha Hunter-nim from lending her aid, as well.”
‘Cha Hae-In was there, too?’
Something felt a bit off, but her being there was not a big problem to worry about.
“Is there a chance that the dungeon was not an upper grade rank A?”
– “If it wasn’t, we wouldn’t have encountered so much difficulty, sir. That man saved us all.”
“….”
Choi Jong-In was often referred to as the ‘Ultimate Weapon’.
From a certain perspective, one could argue that he was being roundly disregarded in this situation, but rather than feeling sour, his heart was pounding harder instead.
‘Me, Cha Hae-In, and then, Seong Jin-Woo.’
This was the golden chance that his Guild could become renowned in South Korea, no, Asia, no, the whole world, on the back of Seong Jin-Woo’s abilities alone.
– “Chairman Choi. I know that I’m in no position to advise you on how to run the Guild, but….”
Sohn Ki-Hoon was definitely not someone who’d go beyond his stations and run his mouth off about the Guild. So, Choi Jong-In became even more curious about what he might say next.
“No, it’s fine. Please speak.”
– “That man…. You must scout Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim to our Guild. With him, your dream might become reality.”
Ba-dump.
Choi Jong-In’s heart began beating faster.
He tried very hard to disguise his trembling voice as he spoke.
“I’ll do my best.”
***
In front of the Korean Hunters Association main building.
The sea of reporters showing up to cover Rhee Min-Seong’s rank assignment test had set up a camp in front of the Association building.
South Korea’s own Rhee Min-Seong, often referred as Asia’s top superstar, becoming a Hunter!
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the cameras from the entire world were being focused here today.
What with space being such a premium, the reporters began a war of nerves with each other.
“Excuse me! We already reserved this spot!”
“Hey man! Are you blind? Can’t you see how many people showed up today? Who cares about your spot or mine?! Your spot is where you’re standing.”
“Dang it….”
Meanwhile, a full-blown smile was forming on Rhee Min-Seong’s face as he stared through the window at the sea of reporters extending as far as the access road while standing inside the Association building.
“Indeed, this many people showing up sounds about right.”
Deliberately wasting time and attracting the attention of the public definitely paid off today.
“Excuse me, Mister Min-Seong? This will be tomorrow’s headline, but what do you think about it?”
South Korea’s top newspaper reporter showed Rhee Min-Seong the manuscript for tomorrow’s front page and asked.
“Don’t you think using that as the headline is a bit dull?”
“You think so?”
“Hmm…. How about this one? ‘The man who has everything, Rhee Min-Seong. He now grasps power transcending humanity!’. Well?”
“But, if we use a strong lead-in like that, don’t you think a portion of the readers will feel uncomfortable?”
“Well, I’m not exaggerating here, and besides, no one in their right minds would talk rubbish about me in South Korea, anyway. I mean, both the media and my fans are watching closely with their eyes wide open, after all.”
“Okay. Got it. We’ll go with that one.”
“I’ll be in your care.”
Rhee Min-Seong bowed his head good-naturedly, but when he raised it again, a deep frown was etched on his face.
‘He’s going to do what I told him in the end, so why does he have to yap on about so much crap?’
It was then, two imported luxury sedans arrived at the parking lot of the Association. Two men climbed out of their respective cars almost at the same time – they were none other than Baek Yun-Ho from the White Tiger Guild, and Choi Jong-In from the Hunters Guild.
“Uh? Look at that!”
“It’s Baek Yun-Ho!”
“Choi Jong-In’s here too!”
The reporters blocking the front entrance of the Association building all rushed towards the side of these two men. Baek Yun-Ho and Choi Jong-In both frowned unhappily.
‘What is up with these reporters?’
‘Why is it so chaotic today?’
The noises of camera flashes going off were ringing out loudly. Countless reporters surrounded these two men and began their barrage of questions.
“Are you two visiting the Association to scout Mister Rhee Min-Seong?”
“As the Hunters representing South Korea, what do you think about Mister Rhee Min-Seong potentially retiring from the entertainment industry?”
“What do you think will be Mister Rhee Min-Seong’s rank?”
“Please share your thoughts on Mister Rhee Min-Seong.”
The famously short-tempered Baek Yun-Ho waved his hands around as if he found all this annoying.
“I’m not here because of that man. I’ve nothing else to say.”
….While Choi Jong-In emotionlessly stated the facts.
“Anyone related to this matter would know by now that Mister Rhee Min-Seong has already signed up with the Reapers Guild. I’m visiting the Association today on an unrelated matter.”
After hearing answers that didn’t meet their expectations, the reporters inwardly grumbled and turned around.
‘Eii, what the hell.’
‘And I thought I might have a juicy new story.’
‘I got excited for no dang reason.’
Still, none of them dared to express their dissatisfaction in front of a pair of rank S Hunters. Reporters returned to their spots and began their waiting for Rhee Min-Seong’s emergence once more.
Once the reporters left them alone, Baek Yun-Ho and Choi Jong-In met each other’s glare. Baek Yun-Ho greeted his counterpart first.
“I heard the story. Hunters Guild almost got into a big tangle yesterday, too. Or so I hear.”
He even deliberately emphasized the word ‘too’ as well.
“Well, it wasn’t much of a big ‘tangle’, compared to how the White Tiger had to lose their newbie rank A.”
The two men’s war of nerves was just as fierce as the one taking place among the reporters. Baek Yun-Ho was incensed for a little bit there, but eventually, he sighed out softly and spoke up.
“In any case, both the Hunters and us are in that man’s debt.”
“We really were kissed by Lady Luck yesterday. If he wasn’t there, my second elite team would’ve been wiped out.”
Even though both men knew that person’s name, not mentioning it could be considered the final act to their war of nerves. Choi Jong-In took a step closer.
“That is why, out of principal, I’d like to ‘definitely’ bring that man over to our Guild.”
Baek Yun-Ho didn’t back down. He and Choi Jong-In got close enough for their foreheads to nearly butt against each other.
“We even had suffered casualties. Looking at the need to replenish our combat force, wouldn’t you agree that person joining us makes more sense?”
“Just what are you planning to do by recruiting a rank S to shore up your combat force? Are you thinking of invading North Korea or something?”
“What about you? Since when did you worry about principals and the like to talk about your principals here?”
Flames erupted out from the eyes of the two men.
‘….Huh?’
Master of the Reapers Guild, Im Tae-Gyu, was arriving at the Association building just now to match the timing of the press conference. When he saw those two growling at one another, a mocking smirk formed on his face.
Wasn’t there an old saying for that?
Didn’t it go, counting chickens before hatching or something like that?
For Im Tae-Gyu, this sure was an exciting development, since he always lost out to their two Guilds when trying to secure resources until now. He did his best to not to let the corners of his lips arch up and approached the two men.
“Oiii, two Guild chairmen over there. I hope you aren’t acting like that over my Min-Seong, no?”
And then, both Baek Yun-Ho and Choi Jong-In’s heads spun at the same time towards Im Tae-Gyu. It was hard to tell who was first, really.
‘What the hell is up with this moron?’
‘I don’t give a rat’s a*s about this Rhee Min-Seong or Rhee Min-Gun or whatever.’
Im Tae-Gyu flinched in surprise and took a step back when two rather terrifying glares landed squarely on him.
‘What is up with these two b*stards all of a sudden?!’
***
‘What’s this? Choi Jong-In, and Baek Yun-Ho, too?’
Rhee Min-Seong grinned deeply.
He already familiar with Chairman Im Tae-Gyu when they met during the signing of the contract.
Rhee Min-Seong signing up with the Reapers Guild, which had been criticised for being a shell of its former glory, while disregarding the country’s top two Guilds, was a calculated move on his part.
‘I mean, with this, I’ll enjoy the image of someone willing to stand up for the underdogs.’
Crudely speaking, celebrities survived on their public image. And Rhee Min-Seong was really meticulous about maintaining his.
‘The best Guilds in Korea are fighting over me….’
He wasn’t thinking of carrying on this Hunter lifestyle for long, but still, that sight naturally made him feel even better about himself. Soon afterwards, his manager entered the reception area.
“Min-Seong-ah, they say they are ready now. Let’s go and do the press conference.”
“Alright.”
The manager took the lead. He opened the glass front entrance and allowed Rhee Min-Seong to emerge from the Association building; camera flashes exploded in a scary cacophony of endless shutter clicks.
Click, click, click, click, click…..
As he would do every day, Rhee Min-Seong formed a fake smile towards hundreds of lenses surrounding him.
It was then.
Jin-Woo had finally arrived at the front of the Association.
‘……??’
Just like he’d been told, he was stopping by the Association three days later.
‘Why is it so noisy here?’
However, it didn’t look like he’d be able to enter the Association at all under the current circumstances. Of course, there were plenty of ways to go around these people, such as using ‘Stealth’, or jumping over the reporters, or even by finding a back entrance.
But then again, his re-evaluation test had been reserved in advance three days ago, so he didn’t feel like going through the back entrance just to avoid this wall of reporters.
‘It’s not like I committed a crime or something anyways.’
He had no reason not to use the front door at all. Jin-Woo then proceeded to push away the tightly-packed throngs of reporters and made a path for himself.
“I’m coming through.”
“Oii, what are you doing??”
“What the hell?”
“What’s wrong with you?!”
This was the physical strength of a rank S Hunter. Reporters were all helplessly pushed away, deep frowns etched on their faces. The path forward was opened up in the blink of an eye, and Jin-Woo could walk up the steps leading to the front entrance of the Association.
However, even before he could take another step, a large, muscular dude suddenly blocked Jin-Woo’s path.
“Oii!!”
He was Rhee Min-Seong’s manager. His eyebrows rose up as he growled menacingly.
“Who the hell are you? You work for the Association or something?”
Jin-Woo didn’t bother to avert his gaze and met this manager’s glare squarely, before shaking his head.
‘Huh? Would you look at this b*stard?’
The manager’s thick eyebrows quivered.
“Can’t you see all those reporters behind you?!”
Jin-Woo took a short glance at the reporters. They were all shooting him with unhappy glares. Even Jin-Woo could understand that they were trying to do a press conference here. However, it wasn’t as if they had rented out the whole entrance, now had they?
A private individual had no right to chase away the reporters, and conversely, they had no right to chase him away, either. That was common knowledge.
There were plenty of eyes watching and Jin-Woo didn’t particularly want to raise his voice here, so he was going to ignore this idiot and walk right by, but at that moment….
“Go back to where you came from. You can’t go through here. Get lost, punk.”
The manager blocked the path again and tried to shove Jin-Woo’s chest away. The light in Jin-Woo’s eyes changed immediately.
‘….What was that?!’
The manager was taken by a huge surprise.
He was a melee-type rank D Awakened, and pushed this young punk away with the full intention of embarrassing him, but the guy didn’t even budge from the spot as if his legs were nailed to the ground.
The manager had used enough force that would’ve injured a regular person greatly. Jin-Woo also knew that fact very well.
“…..”
That was why he wordlessly glared, and that alone was enough to gradually drain the manager’s face of all colour.
“What the heck? What’s the matter with that guy?”
“What happened? Are they going to fight?”
Bustle, bustle…
The reporters present all sensed the atmosphere becoming rather strange, and they became noisy quite quickly.
Cold sweat was pouring out of the manager.
If there was no one watching, he’d have conceded already and stepped aside. However, never mind the reporters, his employer Rhee Min-Seong was watching him from behind at the moment.
Rhee Min-Seong walked closer to the manager and whispered with a deep frown.
“Argh, hyung, what are you doing? Hurry up and get rid of this loser already.”
“Uh, uh….. S-sure thing.”
If he showed a shameful sight here, then he’d lose his job without a doubt. The manager’s expression crumpled unsightly and he raised his voice up high.
“You can’t pass by here, so get lost already!”
“And just who said you can block the entrance like this?”
‘Uh?’
The reply didn’t come from the manager’s front but from his back. The manager quickly spun his head around.
The Hunter’s Association President Goh Gun-Hui stood tall in front of the glass doors. The eyes of the reporters grew extra round. They were so shocked that they even forgot to operate their cameras.
“G-Goh Gun-Hui?!”
“President Goh Gun-Hui’s here?”
The once-chaotic bustling atmosphere immediately cooled down with the entrance of someone completely unexpected. Goh Gun-Hui walked right up to the steps and spoke up.
“This gentleman is my guest.”
And then, Goh Gun-Hui stared at Rhee Min-Seong.
“I hope you haven’t forgotten who gave you the permission to hold a press conference in this place, Mister Rhee Min-Seong.”
Rhee Min-Seong recovered his wits right away.
“O-of course, sir.”
The first day as a Hunter, he falls out of favour with the Association President and loses the location of the press conference – Rhee Min-Seong couldn’t afford to suffer such a humiliation when there were so many eyes watching him right now.
Rhee Min-Seong frowned and quickly signalled his manager; the burly guy bowed slightly to both Goh Gun-Hui and Jin-Woo and voluntarily stepped aside.
“Please, follow me, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim.”
Even until Jin-Woo disappeared into the Association building under the guidance of Goh Gun-Hui, the gathered reporters couldn’t hide their confusion at all.
Noisy, noisy….
“What was that all about?
“Who was that man, and why is the Association President personally coming out to greet him?”
“Does anyone know who that man is?”
Reporters felt frustrated and raised their voices, but there was no one answering them.
Rhee Min-Seong’s expression stiffened right away.
A mysterious man who cut through the throng of reporters, and then, the Association President Goh Gun-Hui who came out to personally escort that man into the building.
“How does President Goh Gun-Hui’s schedule look like for the rest of today?”
“I hear he cancelled everything for the morning.”
“Are you telling me that the Association President cancelled the whole morning’s worth of appointments for that man?”
Noisy, noisy…..
This place had become too restless after those two men’s sudden entrance, and the current situation was no longer suitable for holding a press conference.
But, just how much effort did Rhee Min-Seong pour in for today’s event? He shot a glare at his manager with an expression of a man chewing on insects.
‘D*mn idiot of a manager who can’t even take care of something so simple…’
The manager couldn’t meet that glare and powerlessly lowered his head; now that Rhee Min-Seong had become a rank A Awakened, the manager couldn’t even win against him in physical strength anymore. He had no choice but to cower accordingly.
‘……..’
Rhee Min-Seong glared at his manager for a long time, before his head naturally spun towards his side.
“Cue!”
‘D*mn it!’
Like throwing salt on the wound, the camera crew from the news stations were getting ready to leave. They were supposed to broadcast everything live. If this ‘distracted’ spectacle got on the airwaves and was broadcast to the rest of the country, then there was a good chance that all of Rhee Min-Seong’s hard work to increase his brand’s value by becoming a rank A Hunter would go down the drain for good.
However, the Association President Goh Gun-Hui’s entrance caused too much of a ripple to calm the mood down and restart the press conference. Just why did someone so big have to appear at such an important time??
‘Isn’t there a way to reverse this situation?’
The quick-witted Rhee Min-Seong began kicking his brain into gear.
‘Right. Only a big something can reverse a situation like this one.’
These reporters didn’t come here because they wanted to find out about his feelings regarding the rank assignment test or some such. No, they came here to find out what the top star Rhee Min-Seong’s Hunter ranking would be, as well as what his future plan was after he got his licence.
If he gave them what they wanted, then everything would return to order.
‘I should start the assignment test ahead of schedule.’
A sly smile formed on Rhee Min-Seong’s face.
Indeed, his ability to come up with schemes on the fly, something others around him had already acknowledged him for, remained rather exceptional.
“Excuse me, everyone. Allow me to go have a quick chat regarding my schedule today with the Association’s representatives.”
Blurting that nonsense to the reporters, Rhee Min-Seong then headed to the main Association building. It was to not to ‘discuss’ the change of schedule but to ‘declare’ his intentions.
‘I mean, you have any idea how much my dad donates to the Association? The Association or not, they should grovel accordingly before me.’
Unfortunately…
‘Huh??’
Just before he could push open the glass front door, Hunters from the Monitoring Division rushed out first and he was pushed back, instead. They stood in a line to block off the front entrance.
‘What the hell is this now?!’
Rhee Min-Seong’s forehead creased up. He quickly checked the name tag attached to one of the men’s chest.
‘Section Chief Woo Jin-Cheol, Hunter’s Association Monitoring Division?’
Rhee Min-Seong questioned Woo Jin-Cheol right away.
“What’s the meaning of this? Why are you blocking the entrance?”
Woo Jin-Cheol’s sunglasses-covered eyes stared down at Rhee Min-Seong.
“Currently, another Awakened is going through the process of the rank re-assignment test. No one will be allowed to enter the building until 11 o’clock, when the test is scheduled to end.”
“What did you just say?!”
By ‘another Awakened’, was this man referring to that young man who followed the Association President into the building not too long ago?
Rhee Min-Seong took a look at his watch. The time now was half past ten in the morning. Eleven o’clock was the originally scheduled time for his rank assignment test. No one was allowed to enter before that?
Rhee Min-Seong’s scheme to take the test ahead of schedule to reverse the situation was about to blow up in his face.
At first, he spoke in a polite tone of voice.
“Please, don’t be like this and let me in. I have something to discuss with the related department of the Association.”
“I’m sorry.”
Woo Jin-Cheol shut his mouth up with that single short sentence.
With his frustration boiling over, Rhee Min-Seong couldn’t hold back any longer and his true colours slowly surfaced to the fore.
“Look here, mister. Don’t you know who I am? I’m Rhee Min-Seong, man. Rhee Min-Seong!”
Rhee Min-Seong’s tone of voice became sharp and abrasive as if he could no longer take this crap, but still, Woo Jin-Cheol showed no sign of budging.
“Hah….”
Rhee Min-Seong spat out a dumbfounded groan.
“Oii. You know that Yujin Construction is the biggest sponsor of the Hunter’s Association, right?”
The corners of Rhee Min-Seong’s lips arched up.
“Vice Chairman of the Yujin Construction, Rhee Won-Gyu is my father, okay? And do you see all these people behind me?”
Rhee Min-Seong pointed towards the sea of reporters below the entrance steps.
“You think you can treat the son of Yujin Construction’s Vice Chairman this badly in front of these many reporters? You think you can handle the fallout?”
Woo Jin-Cheol’s reply was pretty simple.
“Yes, we can.”
“What?!”
Rhee Min-Seong was even more dumbfounded now.
Just who the hell was that young man for the Association President to personally escort him inside, and block off the entire building for a measly rank assignment test?
And, letting a Section Chief gopher, someone not even that high up in the food chain like a head of the department, to do whatever the hell he pleased??
Rhee Min-Seong’s hands were placed on his waist as he began questioning in anger.
“Just who the hell is this ‘another Awakened’ supposed to be that the Association is willing to bend over backwards like this?”
Only then did Woo Jin-Cheol remove his sunglasses.
“If I were to tell you that….”
Flinch.
When Woo Jin-Cheol’s sharp, scary eyes resembling a bird of prey were finally revealed, Rhee Min-Seong unwittingly took a step back.
Woo Jin-Cheol continued to glare at Rhee Min-Seong and quietly spoke.
“…..Do you think you can handle the fallout instead, Mister Rhee Min-Seong?”
The inside of the main building was rather empty.
There was no one waiting to take their rank assignment test inside the hallway, with only a smattering of Association employees going about their usual business.
This unusual situation was probably related to the reason why all those reporters were camping outside.
“Please, come this way.”
“Alright.”
Jin-Woo was about to follow after Goh Gun-Hui’s guidance and enter the measurement room, but then, spotted two somewhat familiar-looking faces.
‘Eh?’
Baek Yun-Ho and Choi Jong-In were sitting on the waiting room chairs facing the measurement room. That was where smartly-dressed headhunters of various smaller Guilds could be found three days ago.
When their gazes met, both men stood up from their seats and bowed lightly. Jin-Woo reciprocated the greeting and walked past the hallway. As they walked down on the passageway, a soft smile formed on Goh Gun-Hui’s lips.
“Those two men, they have been waiting for you for about an hour.”
The leaders of two Guilds that represented South Korea in the world stage had shown up one hour early to wait for the re-evaluation result?
Perhaps he had read Jin-Woo’s expression, because Goh Gun-Hui continued to explain in a calm voice.
“A new rank S Hunter has appeared after two long years. And besides, Choi Jong-In has heard of your powers so he should be even more anxious at the moment.”
Jin-Woo slowly nodded his head.
“Oh, my!”
“Association President!”
The Association employees they met on the way all politely greeted Goh Gun-Hui, and stared at Jin-Woo with mystified eyes.
‘Who is that man that necessitates our Association President to personally guide him?’
‘Could he be someone really important?’
‘How can someone that young know our President?’
Goh Gun-Hui had never shown up to personally receive guests even when a government minister came to visit, so the fact that he was doing precisely that had shocked the Association employees to no end.
Goh Gun-Hui spoke while keeping his eyes fixed to the front.
“I heard about what happened yesterday.”
Goh Gun-Hui’s expression was one of enjoyment for some reason.
As a matter of fact, he was indeed feeling really excited. Because his expectation of Seong Jin-Woo being a different type of Hunter from the rest proved to be right on the money, that was why.
When he heard about Seong Jin-Woo’s actions from Woo Jin-Cheol, sweat formed in Goh Gun-Hui’s hands as if he was personally there, witnessing everything.
‘Yes, he does have incredible powers, but also….’
But also, he found Seong Jin-Woo’s actions afterwards even more to his liking.
Including the boss, he had almost single-handedly cleared the dungeon all by himself, yet the young man had shown not one trace of greed over the loot found within.
If Seong Jin-Woo’s real aim was to fight monsters and protect other people rather than become famous and make lots of money, then the Association was fully prepared to support him in every conceivable manner. Because, that goal lined up perfectly with the purpose of the Association’s existence.
‘If it’s possible, I wish I could bring him into the Association with whatever means necessary, but…’
But, he couldn’t do that, now could he?
Just like what the young man told him before, entering the Association would mean he’d have nearly zero opportunity to fight against the monsters.
And from what Goh Gun-Hui had heard about Seong Jin-Woo’s powers, it was way too good to be wasted outside dungeons.
Soon, they arrived at the examination area, located deeper within the building.
“Before the re-evaluation can take place, we must confirm your abilities first and set the new classification for you.”
Jin-Woo already knew that.
Hunters were classified as a melee, mage, healing, or even support-type according to their abilities, and performed their roles where they were needed the most.
The Association employee waiting at the examination area bent his back forward 90 degrees to greet Goh Gun-Hui, and took over guiding Jin-Woo from him.
“Please, come this way.”
Jin-Woo stepped up to the middle of the examination area. Its interior layout much resembled an indoor gymnasium commonly found everywhere.
If there was one thing different from those gymnasiums, then it’d be the fact that one could sense powerful fluctuations of magic energy coming from the walls as well as from the floor. Magic had been utilised to reinforce the structure in case something went wrong.
The examiner asked Jin-Woo.
“What kind of ability can you use?”
The Association President Goh Gun-Hui didn’t return to his office immediately and, while standing in the far corner, stared at the examination process with a great deal of interest.
This was the reason why he came to guide Jin-Woo personally. He wanted to confirm Jin-Woo’s powers with his own eyes as quickly as possible.
“Well, I can do this.”
Jin-Woo called out a single Shadow Soldier.
“Heok?!”
The examiner was greatly taken by surprise.
Seriously speaking, how could anyone stay composed when a soldier decked out in jet-black armour suddenly rose up from the ground?
Jin-Woo deliberately chose the lowest levelled one out of his regular Soldiers, but still, the dude emitted intense pressure that most normal people found hard to endure.
“This…. Is this your summoned creature? You can control a summon?”
The examiner’s voice was trembling noticeably.
Jin-Woo had half a mind to helpfully explain that his Soldier was definitely not dangerous, but….
He formed a pitying expression while making his reply.
“….Well, something like that.”
“I-in that case, h-how many summoned creatures can you control?”
‘Well, it will be useless to lie, so….’
Indeed, the number of eyewitnesses who saw his Shadow Soldiers yesterday was nearly twenty.
Jin-Woo spoke up a slightly reduced number of Soldiers sealed inside his shadow through his skill.
“It’s around 100 or so….”
The examiner’s eyes went extra round at the number 100.
“A h-hundred?!”
“Yes.”
On the other hand, Jin-Woo remained nonplussed.
At the same time…
As he stared at the Shadow Soldier, Goh Gun-Hui’s eyes were glittering brightly.
‘A hundred of those….’
At a glance, that ‘soldier’ possessed around the same amount of magic energy as a rank B Hunter. If that young man could summon a hundred of those soldiers, then one simply had to concede that his powers had already exceeded a regular large Guild’s combat force.
Truthfully, that was an incredible ability.
Jin-Woo could feel Goh Gun-Hui’s passionate gaze burning up on his skin.
He breathed a sigh of relief after confirming the reactions of the surroundings.
‘Well, if one regular Soldier can elicit this sort of reaction, then….’
He should thank his lucky stars that he didn’t choose to call out the highest levelled soldier among his flock, ‘Igrit’, or the boss-level creature he managed to poach yesterday, ‘Fangs’.
Whatever the case may be, this was enough to prove the type of ability he had possessed.
“In that case…. Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim, you’re a mage type.”
The examiner studiously jotted down something on the recording document and raised his head up, while looking rather satisfied.
“We can now head to the measurement room.”
Jin-Woo held the newly-issued Hunter licence in his hand.
It said, ‘Seong Jin-Woo, rank S, Mage-type’.
Even though his face was plastered on the photo box, he still found it hard to believe.
‘Very good. It’s been smooth sailing until now.’
Jin-Woo quickly shoved his new Hunter licence inside his wallet. When he got to the end of the corridor, the waiting duo of Baek Yun-Ho and Choi Jong-In approached him.
“Mister Seong Jin-Woo, can we have a chat?”
“Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim, I…..”
“I’m sorry. I’m pressed for time at the moment.”
Jin-Woo ignored them both and quickly walked towards the glass door.
“Uh? Uh?!”
Baek Yun-Ho raised his worried voice.
“If it was me, I wouldn’t use that exit.”
‘Is he trying to imply that the sweet deals he prepared for this occasion will make me regret walking out of this door or something?’
Jin-Woo wasn’t interested regardless of what was being offered, so he continued to ignore Baek Yun-Ho’s dissuasion and pushed the glass door wide open.
When that happened….
Click, click, click, click, click, click….!!
The reporters that had managed to climb up the steps to push and shove against the Monitoring Division’s agents, began clicking their cameras non-stop, with flashes exploding brightly all around him.
‘What the heck is this?’
Jin-Woo became utterly speechless at this blinding explosion of lights.
As usual, Seong Jin-Ah stopped by the school tuck shop after the third period ended, and bought herself a pack of banana milk.
There was still around one hour to go to lunch. If she didn’t fill herself up temporarily with something like milk, for instance, she’d be unable to concentrate during the class.
And sure enough….
Rumble…
Already, her remorseless stomach was noisily demanding for more fuel to be put in there. Jin-Ah rubbed her hungry tummy and was about to enter her classroom, but then, one of her friends grabbed her wrist, a shocked expression clearly visible on that girl’s face.
“J-Jin-Ah!!”
“Wha-what?!”
With her friend shocked like this, even Jin-Ah got shocked alongside her for no reason.
“It’s your oppa! He’s on TV right now!!”
“What?? Why is my oppa…??”
Jin-Woo felt her heart tumble to the pit of her stomach.
Did he get injured again? If not, could it be even worse….??
The friend dragged Jin-Ah by her wrist inside the classroom as if she didn’t want to waste time explaining anymore.
Jin-Ah’s eyes immediately shifted over to the large TV located next to the blackboard.
And there was….
“O…. oppa?!”
The moment Jin-Ah saw the TV screen, the banana milk in her hand fell to the floor.
< Chapter 49 > Fin.
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