On the way home.
Vroom….
Park Jongryeo was busy licking his lips in unhappiness as he drove the van.
“Tsk….”
‘What a waste, but there’s nothing I can do now.’
He’d still be able to kill a boss from a high-ranking dungeon in the future. What was important now was to quickly raise his skill levels high enough so that he’d not miss out on another chance.
Levelling up. Now that was something Jongryeo excelled in.
And also….
Jongryeo’s hand left the steering wheel for a little while, as a beige-colored spear with an elegant, flowing, arched blade appeared in his grip.
_________________________________________
[Item: Vortex Vanquisher]
Level of Difficulty: —–
Type: Polearm
ATK: +210
Increases Shield Strength: 25%
This sharp polearm can seemingly pierce through anything. When swung, one can almost see the rift it tears in the air.
_________________________________________
Well, he didn’t walk away completely empty-handed. He received this item on his last quest and this was the first time he used it. He figured he would do a test run on the boss.
‘Vortex Vanquisher, eh?’
Not only did it feature high attacking power, but it also raised his Shield Strength, too.
This was probably one of the best weapons to replace the ‘Prototype Starglitter’ that had been losing its effectiveness lately.
‘I like the way it feels in my hand, too.’
While he was mulling over the things that happened inside the Red Gate, he had arrived before his penthouse.
Park Jongryeo’s home.
Screech.
__________________
The next morning.
“Yawn~.”
Jongryeo yawned grandly as he stepped out of the house foyer. He turned around to leave, he spotted a familiar face standing in the corridor.
“Hunter Park Jongryeo.”
A low and thick, manly voice.
Sharp, scary eyebrows.
He was none other than Woo Jinchul from the Monitoring Division.
Jongryeo didn’t reply. There was no reason to, nor did he particularly feel like it, either. Instead, there was something else he wanted to ask.
“How did you find out where I lived?”
“You wrote your address in your Hunter I.D.”
Dammit.
‘Well, that’s going to change soon.’
Should he chalk that up to the swift nature befitting the Monitoring Division?
Jongryeo let a smirk form on his face.
“Well, then. How can I help you?”
“There is someone who’d like to speak to you. Would you mind accompanying me for a little while?”
The infamous Monitoring Division of the Hunters Association.
The main role the Monitoring Division performed was to watch and manage those high-risk Hunters, as well as to punish those who broke the law. From Hunter’s perspective, they weren’t really a welcoming presence.
Of course, Jongryeo’s gaze wasn’t too friendly, either.
“Is that an order?”
“No.”
Woo Jinchul took his sunglasses off. Jongryeo almost blushed but he covered it with a casual cough.
Woo Jinchul then deeply bowed his head, his voice sounding much more serious than before.
“I’d like to ask you for this favor.”
“…..”
Jongryeo didn’t expect Woo Jinchul, with his fearsome countenance and all, to assume that kind of attitude.
Jongryeo pondered a little, before deciding to find out who wanted to meet him first.
“Who wants to talk to me?”
Woo Jinchul raised his head only then.
“It’s the President of the Hunters Association, Go Gunhee.”
Woo Jinchul then pointed towards the corner behind him and spoke.
“The Association President is currently here.”
Jongryeo narrowed his gaze.
“The President of the Hunters Association, Go Gunhee?”
Did I hear that right?
Jongryeo doubted his own hearing just then.
A man often referred to as the most powerful Hunter in South Korea wanted to talk to him and chased him all the way to his apartment?
‘That must be some kind of joke….’
Just as Jongryeo stood there not wholly convinced, Woo Jinchul pointed behind him, further driving the point home.
“Yes, the Association President is here.”
Woo Jinchul looked a bit anxious as he waited for Jongryeo’s reply.
The current atmosphere definitely didn’t come off as suitable for throwing around dumb jokes at all.
‘…..He must be telling the truth.’
Why was someone like Go Gunhee looking for him? A powerful curiosity suddenly invaded Jongryeo’s mind. The only thing he could think of was skipping his rank assessment test…..
‘Is it to lure me into signing with the Association?’
However, the Association was a non-profit organization. Its President wouldn’t necessarily show up with the top agent from the Monitoring Division in tow just to headhunt a lone Hunter.
Besides, Jongryeo hadn’t even finished with his evaluation yet.
The more he thought about it, the more curious he became regarding the President’s reasons.
“Fine.”
Jongryeo finally agreed.
Woo Jinchul formed such a bright expression that the anxiety of a second ago seemed like a lie long forgotten.
“Thank you very much!!”
His voice sounded incredibly earnest just then.
‘This ahjussi with that stonewall of a face can also form such expressions, huh.’
Jongryeo was inwardly surprised as he followed after Woo Jinchul.
When they walked past the corner, he could see an old man sitting in one of the waiting room’s chairs.
‘So, that must be….’
Jongryeo swallowed his saliva.
The heaven above heaven.
The S-rank Hunter Go Gunhee, also known as the sky above the sky.
After discovering Jongryeo, Go Gunhee stood up from the seat.
“You must be Park Jongryeo Hunter-nim.”
He might be over 80 years old, but his physique was still quite amazing. Indeed, his size reminded one of either a retired pro wrestler or a traditional grappler.
However, he didn’t emit any of the overbearing aura one might expect from someone like that.
‘That’s surprising.’
Judged from his appearance or his station, Jongryeo expected him to be a bit of douche, a stuck-up of sorts, yet the entourage accompanying that man carried scarier expressions instead.
“Yes, I’m Park Jongryeo.”
Jongryeo replied.
Go Gunhee extended his hand for a shake with a bright face.
“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I’m Go Gunhee.”
The two men shared a short handshake. Go Gunhee pointed towards the chairs in the waiting area, already rearranged in a way that those sitting there would look at each other.
“Why don’t we have a chat after taking seats?”
“Thank you.”
Jongryeo sat down first, and Go Gunhee too parked himself on the opposite chair.
Jongryeo inadvertently caught a glimpse of a golden badge pinned to Go Gunhee’s jacket. This man currently served as a member of the National Assembly, and at the same time, as the President of the Association as well.
‘And an S-rank Awakened on top of that, too.’
Go Gunhee wasn’t someone anyone could meet just because they wanted to. One couldn’t even count the number of people who wanted to speak to this man, be that the giants of the financial and political world as well as bigshots from other countries.
That was why Jongryeo was getting even more curious now. Why was someone like Go Gunhee seeking him out so urgently?
And, now that he thought about it….
“As you may well know, there aren’t that many excellent Hunters in the Association, like Division Chief Woo Jinchul here, compared to our size.”
That was because of large Guilds.
“And that’s because of the large Guilds.”
But, of course.
Jongryeo nodded his head.
“Signing up with a large Guild guarantees you fat salaries and fame, so who would want to come and work for the Association?”
The salaries for the Association’s Hunters weren’t small by any means. But then again, when compared to what one could potentially be earning by working for large Guilds, the salary was pitifully pathetic.
It was the same story regarding fame, too.
“There are some people who can recite the names of every member of a large Guild’s main raid teams. But, you will have a very hard time trying to find someone who knows the name of our Division Chief Woo Jinchul.”
Hearing the term ‘members of the main raid team’, Jongryeo recalled the A-rank Hunter Bae Yoonshin.
His Perception Stat allowed him to grasp another’s capability. From Jongryeo’s perspective, Woo Jinchul was definitely a level higher than Bae Yoonshin.
‘They both might be A-rank’s, but the gap in their skills is pretty obvious.’
Jongryeo took a deeper look at Woo Jinchul.
Perhaps finding the praise of the Association President and the gaze of Jongryeo burdensome, Woo Jinchul lowered his head, looking a little flushed.
‘then again….’
If Bae Yoonshin had made his debut as a Hunter without meeting that ‘accident’, then he’d have made a lot more money and become much more famous than Woo Jinchul.
That was the difference between a Hunter working for the Association and someone signed to a large Guild.
“And so, we came up with a plan in case a truly exceptional Awakened decides to visit the Association.”
So, that would be the re-evaluation test, then?
‘Well, sure…..’
If the result of the evaluation was publicly made available and was spread everywhere, would the Association have the chance to make an approach like this? It certainly made sense.
“I won’t beat around the bush and get to the point.”
Before anyone had noticed it, that warm smile was no longer visible on the face of the Association’s President.
“We’re not a corporation, so we can’t promise you lots of money. However….”
Go Gunhee touched his chest, before extending his fist that was gripping onto something.
“However, we can help you in a different way.”
“I don’t quite understand…..?”
“What I’m saying here is that we can help guide you, Park Jongryeo Hunter-nim, down a very different direction.”
His clenched fist slowly unfurled. On Go Gunhee’s palm, a golden badge gleamed brightly.
‘Political power….. Is it?’
Even after that, Jongryeo maintained a suspicious expression.
“I still don’t quite understand.”
“Pardon?”
“Is there a reason for you to go this far for me?”
That was a valid question. A certain glint flickered in Go Gunhee’s eyes as he continued to gaze at Jongryeo.
‘To think, this young man can still calmly ask what’s on his mind, without being scared by my background, nor influenced by potential benefit right in front of his eyes….’
….Was I in a too much of a rush?
Didn’t someone once say this?
‘Patience decreases with age.’
That concept certainly wasn’t wrong.
Go Gunhee suppressed his smile and continued on.
“You know about the five Guilds, yes?”
How could anyone not know of them? Jongryeo silently nodded his head.
“Currently, you’ll find that in South Korea, the heads of five large dragons are locked in a delicate balance.”
Around the capital, the Hunters, the White Tiger, and the Reapers.
And in the countryside, the Shining Star and the Knight Order.
“If you decide to enter one of the five Guilds, doesn’t matter which one, the delicate balance will shatter and everything will change.”
Even now, the status and authority of large Guilds were soaring into the high heavens. However, what if one of them managed to sign up another S-rank Hunter, and used that as the springboard to soar even higher?
Would they listen to the Association anymore?
The Association’s sole role was to remain as the centre of the balance among the Hunters by using power.
“It is simply far too inadequate to control and tie down Hunters with laws and regulations and the threat of prosecution.”
Jongryeo too thought like that before. Monsters found in dungeons weren’t the only ‘monsters’ out there. Hunters were also, in a way, ‘monsters’.
If one were to look only at the ‘strength’ aspect, then Hunters were far more dangerous ‘monsters’ than regular monsters found in dungeons.
“That is why the Association exists.”
Go Gunhee’s expression became far more grave.
“And the Association needs your help, Park Jongryeo Hunter-nim.”
….The help from someone like you, who possessed great power.
Go Gunhee’s gaze became sharper.
‘Sure, I’ll have to keep an eye on him and find out what he’s like, but….’
But, as long as Park Jongryeo gave his OK here, the Association would support him to the utmost fullest.
A S-rank was certainly worthy of such an investment, after all.
‘This should be enough of an explanation.’
That was why….
For the first time in a long, long while, Go Gunhee was feeling nervous and expectant at the same time, as he asked the next question in a soft but firm voice.
“What will you choose, Hunter-nim?”
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