Chapter 104

It was because of a Gate that had burst open without any warning.

A D-Rank Gate.

If there had been just one decent B-Rank Awakener, the Monsters pouring out of it would have been killed without a fight.

But they were out of luck.

The PVS-affiliated Awakener was away.

Of all the times for this to happen!

No Yoon-jung shouted into her phone.

“A Gate burst open. A Gate! The Rank? How am I supposed to know that! Dammit, it looks like a D-Rank. So when are you dispatching someone?”

-Ma’am, we are currently moving to your location as fast as possible…

The operator was also on edge, but the reality was grim. The bottom line was that it would take at least another 10 minutes.

No Yoon-jung hung up the phone. Then she looked around.

It was a complete mess.

An overturned monitor, half-written manuscript paper, a shattered window.

A shattered window?

“You idiot! This is the 10th floor! Are you going to jump from here?”

“Then what are we supposed to do!”

Her Hubae, holding a USB drive with important data, stomped her feet as she looked down from the window.

“Ah, or maybe, even now…”

The Hubae glanced at the wide-open door.

“We’ll die if we go out anyway!”

She had heard that the Gate had opened on the 5th floor, where the current affairs department was.

Since it was reported that the Monsters pouring out of the Gate were all heading upwards, they must have reached the 9th floor by now, at least.

Going out wouldn’t be an escape from death.

“Who did they say was coming up?”

“The, the people on the eighth floor said so. They said it was only Goblins.”

“Shit, that’s a relief, at least.”

“Se-Seonbae. Are you good at fighting? If it’s Goblins, maybe we can handle…”

“What kind of bullshit is that? It’s a relief because they’re not the type to kill people in one go.”

A Non-Awakener taking on a Monster?

There was no suicide more idiotic than that.

No Yoon-jung quickly closed the door and dragged over a chair and a desk to barricade it.

Praying to God that those damn Monsters wouldn’t find her.

Thud, thud.

She felt a vibration that rumbled from below the floor.

It was the sound of them coming up this way.

Just then, her clueless cell phone buzzed.

-Yoon-jung! Are you okay? No Yoon-jung!

“Bureau Director, you just get ready for my funeral!”

She hung up and hid under the desk.

Beside her, her trembling Hubae picked up her phone.

“I, I’m going to call my mom, too.”

“Shut up and get down!”

She clamped a hand over her Hubae’s mouth and pulled her head down.

At the same time, screams erupted from all over.

Aaargh, help me, run, and so on.

It was the department right next door.

Squelch, squish.

The gruesome sound effect of something sharp digging into flesh was added to the mix.

A gurgling, the sound of a last breath.

Her Hubae was on the verge of having a seizure.

“Don’t worry. Don’t worry. They’re probably not dead yet.”

If they were indeed Goblins.

Their hunting method wasn’t to finish off their prey in one blow.

They had a sinister hobby of incapacitating their prey and then gathering them all at once to kill them.

So, if they could just hold on until an Awakener arrived…

How long had they waited like that?

The sound of the Monsters’ footsteps was gradually getting farther away.

Hope bloomed on the Hubae’s face.

Are we saved?

The next moment, No Yoon-jung’s face crumpled.

“Fuc…”

CRASH—!

The door exploded.

The desk and chair they had piled up like a stone wall were sent flying in an instant.

No Yoon-jung remembered the fact that a Goblin’s sense of smell was dozens of times better than that of the pet dog she was raising.

Which meant they had known she was here from the very beginning.

Just to see the look of despair on a face that had been given hope.

The vile things.

“Karreuk.”

The creatures, drool dripping from their mouths, trudged inside. There was no point in hiding now.

“Se-Se-Seon…”

Shaking off the Hubae clinging to her arm, No Yoon-jung grabbed a box cutter and stood up.

Right in front of her stood five Goblins holding long spears.

This was the first time she had seen a Monster in person.

The fact that her legs were trembling was purely instinctual.

Fear washed over her like a tidal wave.

The killing intent in the Monsters’ eyes was not something she could handle.

“Please save me… Please save me…”

Her Hubae knelt before the creatures who couldn’t even understand her words and begged, rubbing her palms together.

The Goblins circled her with sinister smiles.

That sharp spear will pierce me soon.

“Chwireuk-”

Just then, the one that seemed to be the leader of the pack gave a signal.

Squeezing her eyes shut, No Yoon-jung swung the box cutter.

Bracing herself for the horrific pain that would soon follow.

“……”

What?

Why doesn’t it hurt?

No Yoon-jung pondered for a moment, then cautiously opened her eyes.

Slice—

Before her eyes, an unreal scene unfolded.

The torsos of the five Goblins that had been thrusting their spears at her just a moment ago were being split in half.

There was no time to even ask, what is this?

A person was striding through the broken doorway.

It was a familiar face.

Where have I seen him? she wondered, and then she realized.

“M-Mr. Lee Seok-jae?”

“You know me?”

Of course, she knew him.

Wasn’t he the Crown Prince of Daehu who had suddenly disappeared three months ago?

She had seen his face several times when she went to Daehu for a story.

But No Yoon-jung felt that his gaze had changed slightly from back then.

The youthful vigor was completely gone.

The sorrow of being a Non-Awakener among Awakeners was also gone.

Instead, a sense of composure emanated from within him.

The kind of aura a person confident in their field could exude.

“I’ve given first aid to the reporters in the next department for now.”

“First aid?”

“I know some Healing Magic…, a Skill.”

“Ah.”

Only then did No Yoon-jung realize.

Lee Seok-jae had become an Awakener.

“Ah… th-thank you.”

“More importantly, I’d like to do an interview.”

“An, an interview?”

“Yes. The situation is a bit sudden, but that’s the reason I came all this way.”

As he said that, Lee Seok-jae grinned.

“It won’t be a bad deal for you either, reporter.”

-You’re guaranteed to hit A-Rank if you go to Jeju Island? And you believe that? Are you all morons?

-The quality of people who watch MoronTV;;

-Reasons I want to go to Jeju Island

1. The country’s a fucking mess these days, so rather than get dragged into a Dungeon of unknown Rank, it’s more comfortable to go on vacation to Jeju Island.

2. Buff Stones.

I know your precious Choi Gi-woong is fucking amazing. He made the ridiculously OP Item called the Buff Stone.

But hitting A-Rank just by going to a Hunting Ground? This is the kind of talk that makes fans create anti-fans.

-The fuckers who say you become A-Rank just by going to Jeju Island must be losers with no Awakeners around them;; If you know even a little about this field, you can’t say something like that.

-Jeju Island? Hmm, is it really all that.

Head of department Kim Yoon-joong, who had been browsing the internet, closed his laptop.

Talk about Jeju Island was popping up all over the place.

“Looks like the effect is wearing off.”

Head of department Kim Yoon-joong clicked his tongue.

He was currently staking everything on the Hunting Ground.

With the country in chaos, the number of Awakeners was more important than anything.

As a secret plan to prevent those Awakeners from leaving, he used the Buff Stones and the Hunting Ground as weapons.

One Buff Stone for raiding a Dungeon,

one ticket to Jeju Island for finding Ian’s Traces, and so on.

It was how they were able to maintain public order, even if by force.

But lately, the effect was diminishing.

It was because news from the people who went to Jeju Island had ceased.

Although the satellite network with Jeju Island was connected, it was frequently cut off.

The promotional videos were becoming less and less effective.

The best thing would be the results of the returnees.

The Hunting Ground was so good, my Rank went up, and so on.

They needed to talk about how great Jeju Island was.

“When are these guys getting here?”

As he stomped his feet and thought.

Slam, the door to the head of department’s office flew open.

He wondered who it was, and it was Im Han-na.

“You’re here?”

“What’s this? Your reaction is no fun.”

“What is.”

“‘Aren’t you going to knock,’ ‘why did you slam the door open,’ ‘aren’t you going to greet me.’ The usual things you say.”

Kim Yoon-joong waved his hand and asked about what was important first.

“How is it?”

“How is what?”

“What do you mean, what? The kids who went there. Did they grow a lot? They’d better have.”

Just one Rank up, no more, no less.

Then he could somehow coordinate with the PR Team.

But Im Han-na nodded with a strange expression.

“They grew a lot. The kids.”

“Really? If you acknowledge it to that extent, I’m curious. Shall we go take a look?”

Head of department Kim Yoon-joong threw aside the documents he was looking at and stood up.

His steps led him to the underground laboratory.

The official in charge of Status Window inspections was tilting his head.

Head of department Kim Yoon-joong glanced at the test results and asked.

“How’s it going?”

“Uh, well.”

The official, scratching his head, handed over a stack of papers.

“Please take a look for yourself.”

Kim Yoon-joong readily accepted and flipped over a page.

“Oh, this kid So-hee made A-Rank? Wow, this is it. This is it.”

The corners of Head of department Kim Yoon-joong’s mouth curled up.

A scenario was already playing out in his head.

If they made Yoon So-hee the promotional model for Jeju Island and ran a few ads, they could properly motivate the external Awakeners.

Kim Yoon-joong chuckled and said.

“Is our association finally going to have thirty A-Ranks?”

“No.”

“? What do you mean, no.”

Im Han-na, who had been watching quietly from the side, pointed to the back of the results sheet.

“Keep flipping.”

Kim Yoon-joong dubiously flipped another page.

“Wow. Jun-woo became A-Rank, too. Wasn’t he a C-Rank just three months ago?”

“Yes. He said the Hunting Ground was definitely a big help.”

Turning a C-Rank Awakener into an A-Rank in just three months?

Head of department Kim Yoon-joong’s lips stretched into a grin that threatened to tear.

He flipped one more page, and Head of department Kim Yoon-joong’s expression turned bizarre.

“This kid Hui-seong… he became A-Rank, too. Wasn’t this guy’s Potential Rank B-Rank?”

“Yes. He said Jeju Island was very effective.”

“This is more than just being helpful, isn’t it?”

The fact that one could break through their Potential Rank was well-known thanks to Choi Gi-woong.

But to break through it and become A-Rank in just three months was unheard of.

“More?”

What in the world, every page he flipped was an A-Rank. His hands moved faster and faster.

It was amazing to find one that wasn’t A-Rank.

“This one at least isn’t A-Rank…”

“That’s by the Status Window’s standard. According to the Mana Distribution Map, he’s an A-Rank.”

Mana Distribution Map.

It was a new method for diagnosing Awakeners.

It was because of rare Awakeners like Choi Gi-woong, whose Status Window read F-Rank but whose actual abilities were on par with an S-Rank.

Head of department Kim Yoon-joong asked the question he had been wanting to ask for a while.

“Was this test done properly?”

“I thought it was strange too, so I ran the test several times. It’s correct.”

Head of department Kim Yoon-joong felt his head spin.

Is this even possible?* The question echoed in his mind.

What was certain was that this was something he couldn’t comprehend within the bounds of his common sense.

How was he supposed to make a promotional video out of this?

‘Even I’m skeptical, who’s going to believe this?’

One thing was certain: if this news got out, all hell would break loose.

It was then.

“Head of department Kim! I think you need to see this!”

“What now!”

Kim Yoon-joong said, startled. He could barely handle what was happening now, what more could there be…

Someone brought a tablet.

A single screen was displayed.

A live broadcast, with the number of viewers exceeding 70,000.

In a corner of an office where desks and chairs were all overturned.

A man sat in front of a propped-up camera.

“Isn’t that Lee Seok-jae? Why is he there…”

He trailed off and shut his mouth.

Words more shocking than that were flowing from Lee Seok-jae’s lips.

-This is my Status Window test result. I had it done beforehand, before coming here. Naturally, I plan to have it done again publicly soon.

The shaky camera zoomed in.

-Awakener Reaction: Negative.

-Status Window Reaction: Negative.

-System Reaction: Negative.

Immediately after, his words followed.

-As you can see, I am not an Awakener. However, according to the Mana Distribution Map, I am a C-Rank Awakener. That’s right. I am a Civilian, but I am an Awakener.

As if to prove it, a flame flickered to life in his hand.

-Let me tell you just one thing. Everyone. There exists a way for even Civilians to become Awakeners.

“Head of department. Y-you need to see this, too.”

He no longer had the energy to be surprised.

Head of department Kim Yoon-joong looked at the phone that was handed to him.

-Click here if you want to become an Awakener.

It was a single line from a nonsense post someone had written on a community forum.

But the number of comments was strange.

A number that was still growing in real time.

Head of department Kim Yoon-joong stared at one of them.

-Guys, I think this is real?