Chapter 68

The Oracle is being fickle for some reason, and the Past Life Lucid Dream is quiet, as always.

It’s been a week since I got the call from Han Seung-hoon.

I was in a narrow, dark space.

-A B, B-Rank Dungeon?

At my request—no, my command—Head of section Yoo Gwang-sik of the Dungeon Management Department had groaned.

-You’re going to raid it alone? That’s against regulations… It’s not that you can’t… It’s just too dangerous… Haa. I understand.

Head of section Yoo Gwang-sik was quick on the uptake.

He was keenly aware that ever since Kim Ho-seon left, his neck was on the line with me.

In the end, Head of section Yoo Gwang-sik offered up a B-Rank Dungeon behind the Association’s back.

The result is this place.

The B-Rank Xiphos Dungeon, ninth chamber.

“Krrk.”

The Xiphos were creatures with the head of a bull and a body close to that of an ogre.

Among Warrior-type Monsters, none possessed greater physical strength than these.

Another characteristic was that they were the most numerous Monster on Jeju Island.

A creature at least two heads taller than me strode forward.

“Come.”

The moment I finished speaking, they began to pour in.

Thirty in total.

You shouldn’t underestimate them just because they have bull heads.

Having invested everything into strength in place of intelligence, their physical power was immense.

Just as the one in the lead was about to swing its fist, its red eyes met my pupils.

[Medusa’s Eye]

In that instant, the Mental System Advanced Magic took hold of it.

The creature staggered and then collapsed to the floor with a thud.

I lifted my foot and brought it down.

CRUNCH!

Its head, harder than cast iron, burst.

Despite that, not a single drop of blood splattered on me.

It was thanks to the magic I had cast upon entering the Dungeon.

The creature’s enraged companion shrieked and charged at me.

A bolt of lightning fell from the ceiling and struck it.

It collapsed on the spot.

At the same time, something was aiming for me from right behind.

A Hand Axe fell toward the crown of my head with ferocious momentum.

The Ambush was commendable, but it had chosen the wrong opponent.

Deeeeeng—

The creature, unable to even scratch Ares’ Shield, instead dropped its axe and clutched its wrist.

Slice—

Severing Wind slit its throat.

Even as Monsters continued to flood in like a tidal wave, it was enough to make me yawn.

“I suppose I can wrap up the experiment soon.”

There was a reason I was meticulously killing them one by one.

First.

To check if Divinity was ineffective.

I didn’t know why, but unlike with Demons, Divinity wasn’t very effective against Monsters.

Second.

To gauge my combat performance against Monsters, not people.

The result was excellent.

On my way to the ninth chamber, I hadn’t even used a quarter of my Mana.

And it hadn’t even taken seven hours.

Even with the same Stats, the results can vary wildly depending on one’s combat performance.

Ian’s experience was proving its worth even at this very moment.

Finishing my thought, I stretched out my hand.

KWAAAAAANG—!

Twenty-five lightning bolts struck precisely on top of the creatures’ heads.

As if in perfect sync, they all collapsed at once.

The monstrous shrieks that had filled the space, from creatures burning with the will to kill me just a moment ago, ceased all at once.

In that silence, I moved to the next room.

Its official name was Xiphos Great Warrior.

The Boss Monster of a B-Rank Dungeon.

As if to say it was not to be compared to the grunts, its frame looked to be well over three meters tall.

Grrrk—

As if displeased by my leisurely stroll, the creature charged with ferocious momentum the moment I entered the boss room.

For a Monster, it was even using Aura.

A red haze shimmered on the Longsword in the Great Warrior’s hand.

Should I call this a reverse-perception check?

After seeing Seong Yo-han’s, even this looked laughable.

The creature knew I was a Mage.

I could tell by the way it was trying to prevent me from creating distance.

But that was exactly what I wanted.

[Heart of the Raging Warrior]

[Crimson Flame Aura]

Just as its fist, accompanied by a strong current of air, brushed past me.

The blade of my hand, imbued with red Aura, pierced its heart.

Thwump—

It died instantly.

Simultaneously, the Dungeon began to crumble.

The final reason I came here.

“At this rate, I should be able to save my own skin on Jeju Island.”

I’d said it without realizing.

At this point, I had no choice but to admit it.

Though I’d said I wouldn’t go, my thoughts and my body kept turning toward Jeju Island.

Neither the Oracle nor the Past Life Lucid Dream was appearing. But I wanted to believe in Han Seung-hoon.

What should I do about this?

“It blew up!”

“This is huge!”

The PR Team leader and the HR Team leader shouted at the same time.

It was a sound close to a scream.

Until yesterday, they had been like Zombies searching for energy drinks, but now they were completely different.

The PR Team leader held out a screen to me.

It had started on Ilseong’s official YouTube channel.

It was a simple C-Rank Dungeon Clear video.

The only difference was that my team members were in it.

-W-wait. Choi Yu-kyung. You, how did you…

The reactions of the Ilseong employees, captured by the dungeon drone, were recorded vividly.

I had told the trio to stay put, but the trio seized the opportunity to kill Monsters, and the Ilseong employees were shocked by it.

Still, the video, which was meant for a simple upload, could have been buried.

If it hadn’t been posted on ‘Awaken Blind,’ the exclusive community for Awakeners.

-I know those guys. But they should be Association people. Why are they with Ilseong?

-Me too lol. Weren’t they famous for being warehouse keepers? Cooped up in the warehouse office, basically exiled.

-Ilseong keeps that kind of skill in a warehouse? What the hellㄷㄷ;

At first, public opinion was just marveling at the trio, but at a certain point, it shifted.

-Nah, they originally didn’t even have D-Rank potential. But they suddenly got weird.

-Their movements aren’t D-Rank? They look like high C-Rank at least?

-Yeah, it’s famous at Ilseong. They’re the kids whose lives turned around after meeting the right person.

-Person? What person.

-There’s someone named Choi Gi-woong at the Association. I heard if you train under him, your Potential Rank goes up.

-Why are you talking like you’re the only one who knows his name? Isn’t Choi Gi-woong the most famous person at the Association right now after Seong Yo-han?

Of course, there were looks of suspicion.

No, there were many.

-Anyway, isn’t this fabricated? Potential Rank goes up? An Awakener’s Potential Rank?

-Of course it’s a viral marketing stunt. Can’t believe you’re falling for that.

-FYI) The Association is so short-staffed right now they’re even doing additional recruitment. The reason a video like this pops up at this time? Hmm. I don’t know~

-Sigh;; If Choi Gi-woong could raise Potential Ranks, why would he stay at the Association? He could just start his own company and rake in the cash. Seriously, the average IQ here is so low lol.

-I know Choi Gi-woong is great and all, but this is a bit much;;

But that was only for a very brief moment.

-I’m a current employee at Daehyeon, and that’s not fabricated.

-Fuck, I wish it was fabricated. I’m telling you, they weren’t even D-Rank a year ago.

-Seriously, are the people who still don’t believe it after Ilseong and the Association cross-verified it just dumb;;

Thanks to that, public opinion completely swung to our side in an instant.

“The reaction is much better because it doesn’t seem like we orchestrated it.”

“After the whole ‘half-baked A-Rank’ fiasco, people are leaning heavily toward believing it.”

As the PR Team leader said, it would have been quite difficult without the help of Ilseong and Daehyeon.

I’ll have to thank Managing Director Bae and Chairman Pung Hyeon-seok separately.

Come to think of it, the office has been quiet for a while.

When I tore my gaze from the monitor, it felt like my field of vision widened.

People’s faces were filled with excitement.

The fatigue that had been plastered all over them was nowhere to be found.

It was then.

Phones began to ring all over the PR Team.

“Team leader! Daily Awakening is asking if this is real!”

“Tell them to wait!”

It was the same for the HR Team right next to them.

“Yoo Hye-ran is asking if this is real.”

“Yoo Hye-ran? The B-Rank prospect, Yoo Hye-ran?”

“Yes! She’s asking if she can join Choi Gi-woong’s team if she enters the Association. What should I do?”

The HR Team leader looked at me.

I gave her a shrug. She smiled meaningfully and said.

“Tell her to wait!”

From then on, things moved quickly.

Head of department Kim Yoon-joong spoke.

“Choi Gi-woong here, Choi Gi-woong there. It’s absolute chaos.”

He grinned.

“How does it feel?”

“It feels good.”

“Is that all?”

The feeling of my influence growing and strengthening.

It’s always the best. It means I can do things I couldn’t even have imagined before.

Head of department Kim Yoon-joong chuckled.

“Well, I’ll be. This isn’t even enough to satisfy you? Just what is your goal?”

“The very top.”

“The very top? Don’t tell me, the Association President’s seat?”

Head of department Kim Yoon-joong’s eyes narrowed.

Association President, huh.

How strong will my future self be?

Say, about 10 years from now.

Maybe, I’ll be even stronger than Yeo Ju-kyung.

I was about to laugh it off and change the subject.

A vibration came from my pants.

Thinking the reporters’ calls were now flooding in to me, I took out my phone.

But as soon as I checked the message, my expression hardened.

“I’ll be right back.”

“Hey, hey. Where are you going? If you go out now, the reporters outside will be all over you.”

I didn’t want to move right now if I could help it.

But this was something I had to move for.

The Oracle was looking for me, it said.

Mahinda and Murata were Level 5 monks of the Oracle.

It also meant they were the Chief Disciples of the great Master and S-Rank Awakeners.

It wasn’t very difficult for them to trace the whereabouts of a single Skill Book.

Mahinda and Murata stood in front of the New Awakening Skill Book store.

“This is the place.”

“Are you certain?”

“Yes. They definitely commissioned a request from us here four months ago.”

Murata, who had nodded, took the lead. As soon as he opened the shop door, a young woman came into view.

Mahinda nodded once more.

“That’s the woman. The one who submitted the request to the Oracle.”

On the other hand, Hwang Hye-won, who had been about to greet a customer as usual, couldn’t help but tilt her head.

“Welcome…”

A bald head, cloth robes, an exotic appearance.

This attire.

The moment she was about to open her mouth, Hwang Mu-yeol stepped forward first.

“Oracle? Why are these bald-headed bastards here?”

He twitched an eyebrow and blocked Hwang Hye-won’s path.

The customer-service smile he had been forcing himself to practice in front of Hwang Hye-won was long gone.

“Get out.”

Hwang Hye-won, who would normally have snapped back, said nothing and left.

Taking Park Do-jin with her. At the same time, Hwang Hye-won quickly summarized the situation and informed Choi Gi-woong.

After confirming that Hwang Hye-won had completely left.

Hwang Mu-yeol looked straight ahead and gestured with his chin.

“There’s nothing here for you folks to buy. What brings you here? Ah. Can’t you speak Korean?”

As he said this, he exuded a powerful presence.

Mahinda and Murata were unfazed.

“Do you know him?”

At Murata’s question, Mahinda nodded.

“He is Hwang Mu-yeol, the Mercenary King.”

“Why is he here?”

“I’m not sure. In any case, what should we do?”

“Is the confirmation complete?”

“Yes. The tracking results show that His book is not here.”

“The traces?”

“They end here. It has been cleanly erased.”

“This is the work of someone who can use magic. Their skill… is clean.”

His tone was bewildered.

“No, this is beyond clean…”

“I feel it too. We might find a disciple here. Let’s talk first.”

Mahinda snapped his fingers.

[Language Unity]

“Forgive our rudeness. A pleasure to meet you. I am Mahinda, a Level 5 disciple of the Oracle.”

“I have an allergy to monks, so I can’t accept your greeting. What’s your reason for being here?”

“We are looking for a Skill Book.”

Mahinda held out a piece of paper.

The drawing on it was something Hwang Mu-yeol was also familiar with.

“Have you seen an item that looks like this?”

“I have.”

“Where is it?”

“Sold it. Can’t remember who I sold it to.”

“Think carefully.”

“Well now. I just can’t seem to recall.”

“You will have to remember.”

The tone was chilling.

Simultaneously, an energy flowed between the three of them.

Wooooong—

The Skill Books that had been slotted in their shelves fell.

“I knew it. These bald-headed bastards always pull this shit when they don’t get their way.”

Hwang Mu-yeol sighed and cracked his knuckles.

At a glance, his seemingly brutish eyes moved nimbly.

‘They’re not seriously trying to pick a fight. No way, if we fought here, we’d get killed by Yeo Ju-kyung. Even these guys must know to fear her. Let’s not get scared. Anyway, why are they suddenly looking for Choi Gi-woong?’

As his thoughts continued.

A man entered the shop.

It was a familiar face.