Chapter 55

Yang Won-hoon became human, Choi Gi-woong succeeded, keep your mouths shut, and so on.

Just as that news reached the Training Arena.

People’s reactions were split in half.

“Wow, shit. Is Choi Gi-woong a god or something? What the hell did he do to turn a Demon into a human?”

“A god? You’re naively believing that?”

Into those who believed and those who didn’t.

“What are you talking about?”

“Think about it. Have you ever seen a Demon like Yang Won-hoon? A Demon who’s cooperative and easy to talk to. Wouldn’t it be a waste to just kill him?”

“…Well.”

“The better picture is to put a leash on him and absorb the Black Market.”

The disbelieving side narrowed their eyes.

“But if they openly said they were saving a Demon, there’d obviously be a backlash, so they’re saying they turned him into a human to build up the currently hot star Choi Gi-woong. It’s obvious.”

The person who raised the suspicion pointed a finger to the sky.

“The higher-ups manipulated it. For your information, Seong Yo-han Seonbae has been trying to persuade the Association President to just kill Yang Won-hoon from the start. He was the only one being honest.”

It was a plausible argument, too much so to be just a conspiracy theory.

“Come to think of it, everyone in the lab right now is executive-level.”

“The data sheets can just be faked.”

“What? Was it a fixed game all along?”

“Ah, I’m so jealous. If I had an S-Rank Potential Rank, I would’ve gotten that kind of treatment too.”

The once-divided opinions naturally tilted toward not believing Choi Gi-woong.

“Wait a minute. What about Choi Gi-woong promising to train us if the experiment failed?”

The instigator smirked.

“What do you mean, what? He was just playing with us.”

“That’s a bit upsetting. That damn sparring, how great could it be.”

“Just say we don’t want it. I won’t take it, it’s beneath me.”

Suspicion turned to distrust, and distrust erupted into discontent.

Watching the scene, Hong Gyeong-pyo clicked his tongue and rolled up his sleeves.

“You can’t even talk back to his face, yet you have so much to say?”

“Where are you going?”

“To shut those mouths.”

Lee Yoo-kyeong, who was next to him, pulled Hong Gyeong-pyo’s sleeve back down and shook her head.

“If you step in now, Squad Leader, you’ll just fan the flames.”

“Let them be fanned. What are they going to do about it.”

“What do you mean, what? You’ll be the one to shatter the image of Mr. Choi Gi-woong that we’ve built up so nicely. I don’t think Mr. Choi Gi-woong would like that very much.”

Lee Yoo-kyeong’s eyes sparkled.

“Just stay put. I’ll make them come to their senses.”

Answering confidently, Lee Yoo-kyeong approached Choi Gi-woong’s team members.

“I’ll score some points with Mr. Choi Gi-woong while I’m at it.”

The trio, who already looked pale while waiting for the results, were now practically blue.

“Do you have time right now?”

“…Pardon?”

“I think the atmosphere will calm down if you all step up.”

Choi Soo-jung tilted her head.

“Us, right now? How can we be of any help in this situation?”

“Yes. Could you follow me? All three of you.”

The place Choi Soo-jung was led to was the main Training Arena, where everyone could see.

“Lee Yoo-kyeong?”

The team that had been indifferent to both the Yang Won-hoon issue and Choi Gi-woong’s training was there.

“Squad Leader Kim Yoo-seong. Are you perhaps in the middle of Training?”

“…I am?”

As he answered reluctantly, Lee Yoo-kyeong said, “Perfect,” and pointed to the trio.

“Don’t you need someone to spar with?”

“Spar? Why, you offering? Great. I was just getting bored of fighting only amongst ourselves.”

“Not me, how about these people?”

“Who? Them?”

Kim Yoo-seong, who was scanning the trio, shook his head.

“Sorry, but the people we need for Training right now are at least C-Rank.”

“That’s perfect, then. These friends are exactly C-Rank. High C-Rank, at that.”

Kim Yoo-seong frowned.

“What are you talking about? I’ve seen their profiles, I know everything. Their Potential Rank is D-Rank.”

“That’s what I thought too, but it turns out it’s not.”

Lee Yoo-kyeong pushed the hesitant trio forward.

“Test them out as a trial. Squad Leader.”

“Go ahead. If you really don’t like it, I’ll step in instead.”

Hong Gyeong-pyo, who had approached at some point, seemed to have coordinated with her, kneading Kim Yoo-seong’s shoulder.

“Tsk. I get it, so let go, you punk.”

At the pestering, Kim Yoo-seong spoke as if he couldn’t win.

“Doo-won. Get up there.”

“Yes. If I win this, I can fight Squad Leader Hong Gyeong-pyo, right?”

“Yeah. I don’t know what this is, but this is a rare opportunity.”

Jeong Doo-won went up with a face full of anticipation. He paid no mind to Kim Soo-gyeom standing right in front of him.

“You can come at me first.”

“Yes. Then, without reservation…”

I’ll finish this quickly, and then B-Rank Hong Gyeong-pyo, Lee Yoo-kyeong…

Thwack!

Just as the thought was about to continue, Jeong Doo-won’s world turned upside down.

Kim Soo-gyeom looked troubled as he stared at the fainted Jeong Doo-won.

Then, he muttered while adjusting his grip on the wooden training sword.

“Should I have held back a little more.”

On the other hand, Kim Yoo-seong, who was watching, had a serious expression.

“What… what just happened? Don’t give me any crap about him being careless.”

Any Association agent could tell that it was skill, not a fluke.

“You asked why I was making such a big deal about one training session with Choi Gi-woong, right? Do you get it now?”

“Then. Wait a minute.”

Kim Yoo-seong’s face became even more bizarre.

“If you get trained by Choi Gi-woong, your Potential Rank goes up. Is that what this is?”

Hong Gyeong-pyo silently nodded.

Thwack!

Thud!

The subsequent spars between Choi Yoo-kyeong and Lee Won-sik were the same.

Though not as good as Kim Soo-gyeom, they were clearly full-fledged C-Ranks. The trio proved the results of the training with their performance.

This was the main Training Arena.

Meaning, many people were watching this situation. Soon, their faces became identical to Kim Yoo-seong’s.

Among them was the person who had first raised suspicions about Choi Gi-woong.

He, who had been watching with a grin, spoke with a bewildered face.

“…I heard they’re from Ilseong. They must have been C-Rank from the start, not D-Rank. Potential Rank grows? Does that even make sense?”

Then, someone next to him shook his head.

“No. They’re really D-Rank.”

“Seriously. How would you know that.”

“Because I’m from Ilseong too. Back then, they were trembling in a place like a warehouse.”

From then on, testimonies came from various places.

That they had fought them recently and they were D-Rank, that their Skills were crude, that those movements required at least a B-Rank Potential Rank, and so on.

“Then if you really go to Choi Gi-woong…”

The person who had opened his mouth couldn’t finish his sentence.

Because raising one’s Potential Rank was like a miracle to an Awakener.

But that miracle was existing as a person right before his eyes.

Someone gulped.

From that moment, the counterattack began.

“Raising a Potential Rank makes sense, but turning a Demon into a human doesn’t?”

“What’s wrong with Choi Gi-woong’s training? We should be bowing to him, and what? If you don’t want to take it, you can get lost.”

“Oh, damn. I almost got into trouble because of those guys. I’ve memorized all your faces, so you better be ready when Mr. Choi Gi-woong comes.”

The tables turned in an instant.

The faces of the opposing side rotted in a moment.

The people who had been slandering Choi Gi-woong darted their eyes around.

To escape the current situation, they needed a culprit.

As it happened, there was one person.

“Hey, you punk. What are you going to do about this?”

“This happened because you spouted some nonsense.”

Amidst the converging crowd, the instigator’s face turned pale.

“…So this is the situation right now?”

I said, looking at the Training Arena.

“I lost.”

At the opponent’s declaration, Kim Soo-gyeom let out a roar.

“Uraaararara—!”

His face was flushed and his body was covered in wounds, just like a bull that had won a bullfight.

“Those guys, their Skills are crude, but their combat sense is no joke. They’re like veterans who’ve been in the field for over 5 years.”

The defeated agent is shaking his head and giving advice to the one waiting.

Just like a batter stepping away from the plate.

“Do you get it now? The reason why the kids are going crazy because of you.”

Head of department Kim Yoon-joong next to me looks at me as if he’s about to lose his mind.

“Yes. I get it now.”

I thought something was strange.

On my way here, people were suddenly asking to shake my hand, or wanting to switch teams.

They were showing an unusual amount of favor, which I found unsettling.

A rumor had spread that if they came to me, they could raise their blocked Potential Rank.

The sunken eyes of Head of department Kim Yoon-joong right next to me were noticeable.

“Because of this, even the fact that Yang Won-hoon became human has been swept away.”

“…Is it that bad?”

“Yeah. It’s that bad. A Demon becoming human is someone else’s problem, but raising one’s Potential Rank is their own problem.”

He scratched his neck and continued.

“I think the situation will calm down a bit if we release your name and Rank to the media. They’re also making a fuss, yelling about their right to know.”

There’s no time to answer.

“Of course, we’ll leave out the stories about turning a Demon into a human or raising Potential Ranks. Just that you’re an S-Rank, and a light interview. How about it?”

“I understand.”

“Don’t just say that, think carefully… What? You understand?”

“If you set a date, I’ll go and have a light chat.”

At my answer, Head of department Kim Yoon-joong’s face brightened up.

“Really? You really understand?”

“Yes.”

My face won’t wear out from being shown, and it’s not the first or second time it’s been out there. Even now, if you type my name into a portal site, a very nice picture of me clinging to the Association President comes up.

“But, Head of department.”

“Yeah, what is it.”

I said to his face that looked like it would pluck the moon for me.

“But can I put that debt back on the tab?”

“What?”

“You said you’d put the debt back on if I proved our kids were useful.”

“Ugyagyagyagyagya—!”

Kim Soo-gyeom let out another roar, savoring his victory. With that, his eyes rolled back and he collapsed.

“Do you still think our kids are useless?”

Head of department Kim Yoon-joong, who was watching the same thing, had a strange expression.

Then, he chuckled and answered.

“Alright. I lost. Those kids, they’re useful.”

Our meeting place was, as always, the cafe inside the Association.

“An Orc was charging at me in the Dungeon…”

“The other day, I fought Jeong Doo-won, a C-Rank close-range Dealer…”

“No one could break through my shield.”

The three of them chattered like puppies begging for praise.

I listened to their stories patiently and then nodded.

“You did well. Both going to the Dungeon and training with other people.”

Choi Soo-jung giggled.

“I still can’t believe it. That I’m a C-Rank!”

“What? So you didn’t believe me when I told you last time?”

“No! I did believe you then!”

Choi Soo-jung’s eyes went wide as she waved her hands.

“But experiencing it myself is a whole different thing. Now my arrows are zeroed in properly, and people are surprised.”

She stopped talking as her eyes reddened.

“I felt like I had become a truly useful person.”

“What, Noona, are you crying? If you cry while laughing…”

Lee Won-sik smacked the back of Kim Soo-gyeom’s head.

Whether it was Kim Soo-gyeom overreacting and asking why he was hit, or Lee Won-sik hitting him one more time, their expressions were no different from Choi Soo-jung’s.

Even though they didn’t show it, it seems they had been through a lot of emotional distress.

I watched them for a moment before speaking.

“Seeing you today, I think you can start accompanying me soon.”

The kids who were crying and laughing lifted their heads in a flash.

“U-us? Really?”

“I’ve been waiting for this day. I’ll work like a dog, Hyung-nim. Just give the order.”

“A real mission. Starting when?”

The kids’ reactions are more enthusiastic than I thought.

It must mean their skills have ripened that much.

But not yet.

“Let’s get some Skills for you to use first.”

It would be best if my Advanced Magic problem gets solved in the process, too.

My affiliation is the Business Support Department.

Unlike its name, it mainly involves catching misbehaving Hunters or beating up Demons, but the name’s meaning is this.

When a private company has a problem, they submit a request to the Association, and we support them.

“So, is this the mission assigned to me?”

“Yeah. They emphasized several times that they really want you to help.”

“There are too many.”

I said, looking at the mountain of request forms.

Escort, security, search, audit, and so on. There were many types.

Head of department Kim Yoon-joong chuckled.

“That’s after sorting them out. We haven’t even properly revealed your name yet, I have no idea how they knew and sent them.”

Familiar names are visible on the request forms.

The faces I saw at Chairman Lee Jeong-hwan’s banquet last time flashed through my mind.

“But this is a name I’m seeing for the first time.”

New Awakening Skill Book Workshop.

Its scale was that of a corner store, but what they offered as a request fee was conspicuous.

“They’re donating an S-Rank Skill Book?”

“Yeah. That caught my eye too. They said they’d donate a Skill Book to the Association if you take the job, but that’s just talk, they mean they’ll give it to you.”

Head of department Kim Yoon-joong, who was smirking, asked suggestively.

“Have you decided on that one?”