Chapter 42

All Dungeons and Gates in the Republic of Korea can only be raided after going through the Awakener Association’s Business Support Division 2.

From massive corporations like Ilseong to small, struggling guilds with fewer than five members.

No one is an exception.

Naturally, the influence and authority of Business Support Division 2 became immeasurably powerful.

Because it is the natural order of things that with great power comes great responsibility.

And that great power operates equally not only outside the Association but also within it.

This is due to the Association President’s judgment that to wield great power, one must not be swayed by anyone.

Therefore, even if Division 2’s tyranny seems a bit excessive on the surface, with the Association President backing them, everyone has no choice but to yield.

“You look like a triumphant general. I don’t think you could even meet my eyes in the past, but now you’re staring so stiffly.”

He must know that, which is why Deputy Director Kim Ho-seon’s face is now dripping with composure.

“It’s a compliment. It’s good to see. If I knew you’d turn out like this, I would have treated you a little better.”

He said as he sat on the sofa.

“I know, right? You should have treated me a little better.”

Even when I threw a Taunt, he didn’t flinch.

His face was full of a relaxed smile, as if to say that someone like me was sitting in the palm of his hand.

“So, what did you say your Rank is now? B-Rank?”

This was his roundabout way of saying he was A-Rank.

People who don’t know better think that since they manage Dungeons, it’s just a bunch of smart guys.

But that’s not it.

They are a group that is stronger than most Hunters, and smart on top of that.

That’s why it’s so amazing that Han Seung-hoon, a high school graduate and a non-Awakener, rose to the position of Head of department.

It’s also the reason why I, who was F-Rank, was so thoroughly disliked by this man.

“Judging by your expression, you don’t seem to be here for anything good. What’s your business?”

“It’s just that my Dungeon applications keep getting rejected. I came to hear the reason why.”

“Ah, that.”

Deputy Director Kim Ho-seon nodded his head as if he had just remembered.

“The application was a bit strange.”

“Where, sir?”

“The whole thing.”

Then he spoke mockingly.

“Do it again.”

-Does this report look like a child’s prank to you? Or are you showing off that you’ve never entered a Dungeon before? Do it again.

-Why are you giving this Dungeon to a small guild? Did you feel some kind of kinship because they’re also F-Rank? Change it and bring it back.

-Again.

-Again.

The nightmarish memories resurfaced one by one.

Maybe it’s because I’ve been vaccinated against it so many times. This kind of reaction is nothing new.

I crushed the memories of the past and spoke.

“I’m having a hard time accepting that.”

“Try ha-ard to accept it.”

“Not just me, but our entire department. They said they wouldn’t hesitate to go on strike as a group if it comes to that.”

“How long have you been gone that you’re already calling it ‘our department’?”

“I’m just worried as a former department member. I’m just relaying the message.”

“Sounds like a threat to my ears.”

“It could be.”

Deputy Director Kim Ho-seon stared at my face.

I met his gaze without backing down.

The effect of the Taunts I had been consistently throwing since a while ago was starting to show.

Cracks appeared here and there on Deputy Director Kim Ho-seon’s face.

He must be feeling bad after getting hit by a guy who used to be a fledgling.

“Is that all you prepared to say?”

His voice was now tinged with emotion.

“I have a lot more, but it seems you don’t want to hear it, Deputy Director.”

“…Reapply for the Dungeon. I’ll let it pass this time.”

He wasn’t backing down, but making it obvious that he was letting me off the hook out of pity.

I smiled and shook my head.

“No. I just won’t apply.”

“Why, is your pride hurt? Now that you’ve hit S-Rank potential, does the whole world feel like it’s yours?”

“Not the whole world, but the Association does feel like my world.”

It seemed he had decided to completely shed the smiling mask he had been wearing until now.

His face and voice were filled with malice.

“Can you handle the consequences of those words?”

“Are you sure you’ll be okay, Deputy Director? A promising S-Rank Hunter is saying he can’t clear a Dungeon because of someone.”

“You might get some sympathy votes at first. But what do you think people will say about you over time? A stupid fool, a stubborn fool. Ah, the Association President?”

After thinking for a moment, he let out a smirk.

“You must not know, but the Association President isn’t kind enough to put up with whining.”

I thought so too. But he wasn’t.

Kim Ho-seon, who had calmed his excitement, spoke calmly.

“Alright. You’ve thrown down the gauntlet, so I should accept the challenge.”

As he said that, his face was filled with a nasty smile.

As soon as I came out into the hallway, Head of department Kim Yoon-joong shoved his face in front of me.

“Is it over? What did he say?”

“He told me to get ready. Said let’s have a go at it.”

“Then why do you look so refreshed?”

Head of department Kim Yoon-joong clicked his tongue and asked cautiously.

“By the way, are you serious? That if I hadn’t told you, you were really planning on not entering a Dungeon for about half a year?”

“Yes.”

In fact, I was prepared to stage a sit-in for about a year, not just half a year.

“You crazy bastard. No, should I say you’re a tough bastard? Right when you’re at the peak time to grow… How is it that I can never get used to you, no matter how many times I see you.”

If my growth and Dungeons were directly related, I might have backed down too.

But I’m bound to grow as long as I fight, whether it’s Monsters, humans, or Demons. The same goes for the kids on my team.

And the most urgent thing, Advanced Magic, can only be obtained in a Past Life Lucid Dream.

Well, it’s not like I need to do that anymore.

Shaking his head, Head of department Kim Yoon-joong patted my shoulder.

“Anyway, leave the rest to me, no, to the Association President.”

“Understood. But is that… really true?”

A week ago, Head of department Kim Yoon-joong had called me aside and told me.

But it was so unbelievable that I’m still half in doubt.

“Yeah. I didn’t think he’d go this far either.”

Head of department Kim Yoon-joong said, looking at the office.

“He told me to kick that guy out.”

“What’s got you so anxious that you’re pacing around like a puppy that needs to poop?”

“Deputy Director. Will it be okay?”

A subordinate said, fidgeting.

“What if they go on strike as a group and refuse to enter Dungeons?”

“I told you not to worry.”

“I can’t help but worry…”

“You think I’d do this recklessly? Something similar happened once in the past.”

“Huh? When?”

“When Han Seung-hoon first took this position.”

Deputy Director Kim Ho-seon tapped the armrest of his chair.

“Back then, people from the outside, and the guys from Division 1 too. They all looked down on him, asking what a non-Awakener would know about Dungeons.”

“S-So?”

“So for a while, Han Seung-hoon blocked everything. Said no one could enter a Dungeon.”

“Huh? What if the Dungeon turned into a Gate…”

“He probably didn’t care about that and thought that work would go smoother once his authority was established. That man was good at his job, wasn’t he? That Choi Gi-woong thing too. Well, it wasn’t bad.”

“But isn’t it a bit different now than it was then? What if Choi Gi-woong.”

The subordinate asked, swallowing his saliva.

“W-What if he says he’ll submit his resignation? I think things will get too big.”

“Let him. It’s not like Choi Gi-woong is an S-Rank right now, does it make sense for the department to falter because of that one guy?”

Deputy Director Kim Ho-seon said coldly.

“I told you before, didn’t I? The Association President will be the same. He’s the type to say ‘if you’re leaving, then leave,’ not the type to indulge childish tantrums.”

The subordinate awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

Everything he said sounded right, but for some reason, he felt uneasy.

It was then.

Head of department Kim Yoon-joong burst open the door and gestured with an annoyed look.

“The Association President is summoning you.”

Deputy Director Kim Ho-seon shot up as if what he expected had finally come.

“I’m sorry to you, Head of department.”

“Hmm?”

“I figured it would be more comfortable for everyone if I sorted things out to establish my position.”

“Ah, well. That’s true.”

Head of department Kim Yoon-joong smirked.

When they went up the elevator, the Association President was sitting with a relaxed face.

A child-like face, with white hair tied up, sipping tea.

Seeing that, the uneasiness that remained in a corner of Deputy Director Kim Ho-seon’s heart completely vanished.

“Chairman. It’s been a while. Did you have a good trip to Jeju Island?”

He asked as he naturally took a seat.

“It’s always the same there.”

“I was waiting for you to return.”

“Because of the Head of department position?”

“…That’s part of it. It doesn’t look good to leave the position vacant for too long, you know.”

The Association President nodded and asked Head of department Kim Yoon-joong, who was standing beside him.

“Was there anything shady?”

“No. I dug around for a week, but nothing came up.”

Kim Yoon-joong looked at him and shook his head.

“He doesn’t look the part, but he’s surprisingly clean.”

“Is that so? Tsk. Still, it’s better to have a pretext.”

“It’s a bit much to call it a pretext, but how about giving him one last chance?”

“That sounds good.”

A look of annoyance bloomed on the Association President’s face as he looked at him.

Kim Ho-seon instinctively felt a sense of crisis.

“You know Choi Gi-woong, right?”

“Yes. Chairman. About that…”

“He says he can’t go to the Dungeon because of you.”

As expected, the Association President’s tone was icy.

“What a national waste this is. We should be begging him to go if he won’t.”

“Chairman. I can explain that. It’s not a serious issue. It’s just that with the vacancy in the head position…”

His words were cut short the moment his eyes met the Association President’s.

“You should pick and choose who you try to tame. Why did you mess with that kid?”

Word by word, the Association President’s words pierced his ears.

“Send Choi Gi-woong to the Dungeon. Within three days. If he says he won’t go, persuade him somehow and send him. If you can’t.”

The Association President clicked his tongue and looked him up and down.

Deputy Director Kim Ho-seon’s face turned deathly pale.

They said Chairman Lee Jeong-hwan had emptied out an entire hotel he owned just for today.

It was more than that.

At this point, it was on the level of a complete hotel renovation.

A maze built of grass, statues, fountains.

It feels like I’ve stepped into The Great Gatsby. From the entrance, there’s no end to the splendid landscaping and decorations.

It wasn’t this extravagant when I came here for training in the past.

I got out of the car, marveling.

But the faces of the security guards at the entrance are unusual.

Then, one of the guards approached hesitantly.

“Hello. May I see your invitation?”

The smiling guard’s eyes were directed at my car.

Come to think of it, all the cars coming and going are foreign models. If not, they’re luxury sedans that only chairmen would ride.

I took out the invitation I received from the General manager.

“Here you go.”

“Thank yo—”

The guard tilted his head. He made eye contact with his colleague next to him, then bowed his head with an even kinder face.

“Could you please wait for a moment.”

The moment the guard mentioned was truly just a moment.

The General manager in a suit came running from inside the lobby.

“Secretary Officer Choi. If you had called, I would have come out right away… no, that’s not it. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.”

“My phone’s a hot potato.”

That wasn’t just a figure of speech.

I don’t have a moment to do anything because of the non-stop calls, even from changed numbers. It’s a waste of breath to say who’s calling.

“Ah, then I’ll wait slowly.”

“No, it’s fine. I don’t need to answer them.”

Instead of just that, I turned off the power completely.

I straightened my tie and said.

“Can I go in?”

“Yes. I’ll escort you this way.”

The General manager guided me to an entrance that was clearly for VIPs only.