Chapter 49 – Declaration of War Against Villains (3)

The recent Earth Dragon disaster had significantly raised public awareness across the nation.

A similar incident had occurred in Australia.

The descent of a 4-star monster, known as the Black Dragon.

At the time, S-rank hunters were fully mobilized, but they couldn’t stop it on their own and had to request aid from neighboring countries.

In the end, they managed to avert the disaster, but the damage was immense.

A single misstep, and Korea could have suffered the same catastrophic damage as Australia.

Thanks to that, my stock value skyrocketed.

All from a single successful raid.

-Cause of 4-Star Monster ‘Dragon’ Incident Traced to Awakened Criminals…

-Disaster Agency Declares ‘War on Villains.’

-Rewards from 20 Million to 100 Million Won for Tips on Villains!

-Shinhwa and Other Major Domestic Guilds Pledge Support for Villain Bounties, Endorsing Active Crime Suppression.

The danger posed by the villains who orchestrated this incident was once again brought into the spotlight.

To be honest, eleven years after the gates first appeared, people had grown somewhat complacent in the peace.

Unique commercial districts had sprung up around established dungeons, and people would film gates with their phones without fear instead of running.

It was an era where it was natural to see an island floating over the city, take a commemorative photo, and post it on social media.

Of course, even if vigilance was heightened, there was no telling how long it would last.

In any case, just as the Director of the Disaster Agency had said, the war on villains had been declared.

-Villains on the Rise. Guards Severely Outnumbered.

-Hunter Lee Hyunbin Appointed as Nation’s Second Special Guard.

Hunters are usually indifferent to things that don’t make them money.

The news that I had been officially appointed as a Special Guard to deal with villains spread like wildfire through word of mouth online.

⨽Isn’t the Deliveryman who caught the Company Man the right fit for this?

⨽Looks like the agency folks finally did some work for once?

⨽The Deliveryman seems like the most likable S-rank.

⨽That comment above, you think…?

It’s always fun to read the comments whenever an article about me comes out. Am I an attention seeker? Yeah, I probably am.

⨽But is it normal for a private hunter to have public authority?

⨽That’s a fair point.

⨽That’s shady.

“The only thing that’s shady… is your… face.”

In truth, some voices of concern were being raised. Most of them came from people in the hunter community, though.

They must feel pressured, since I can now enter dungeons without needing to go through bidding or any of that.

They’re worried about me monopolizing everything.

-Disaster Agency Director Shin Chae-ho, following petitions from Lee Hyunbin and numerous others, is actively pursuing steps to recognize hunters who have strived in disaster situations as persons of national merit…

As expected, the Director wasn’t just some guy sitting around doing nothing.

Government agencies are always in a position to be criticized by the public. People question every move, wondering if it’s another waste of taxpayer money.

He put me, with my currently positive image, at the forefront and began an aggressive publicity campaign.

-Hanul Guild’s Hunter Lee Hyunbin Donates Entire Share of Raw Materials from Dragon Carcass to Disaster Area Relief.

The hard scales from the dragon’s carcass fetch a pretty high price.

Since I was the one who defeated it, you might think it was all my share, but that wasn’t the case.

The others who participated in the battle had to be acknowledged as well.

I boldly donated my entire share.

⨽Isn’t the Deliveryman a class act?

⨽Wow, if it were me, I’d be foaming at the mouth, screaming that it’s all mine!

⨽Honestly, the guys complaining about a private guild member getting government privileges need to reflect. Shouldn’t someone like him, who gives up his own profits, be the one to wield public authority?

Thanks to this, the sentiment in the online communities turned favorable.

Frankly, I was getting dizzy from all the praise being heaped on me from every direction.

Still, I couldn’t assume it would last forever. Public opinion can change in an instant.

Having a good image will be a great help in my future activities.

I finished my leisurely web surfing and checked the system messages.

-Current Synchronization Rate is 45%.

After defeating the Earth Dragon, my synchronization rate had risen to 45%.

This meant I had recovered nearly half of my original power.

-Communication with the Holy Sword Laevatein has not been restored.

Unfortunately, communication with the Holy Sword was still down.

-Hero Skill List

Close-Quarters Combat (LV Max), Phantom Step (LV 3), Mago’s Eye (LV 2), Soul Breaker (LV 1), Increased Leadership (LV 3), Weapon Master (LV Max), Hero of Salvation (LV Max), Knight Order (LV 1)

The Knight Order skill had been created.

It’s the ability to train and strengthen the knights who once served me.

Seeing the skill after so long brought back old memories.

The knights who were always with me. With the creation of this skill, I now met the minimum requirement to form my own knight order, just as that Demon King bastard had said.

A few people come to mind for the order. I’ll have to select them when I get the chance.

I knew all the Hero skills, so that was fine. But I had no idea what the new skill on the Porter side did.

-Porter Skill List

Inventory Activation (LV 3), Inventory Freshness Preservation (LV 2), Perfect Bleach (LV 1), Perfect Sterilization (LV 1), Perfect Wash (LV 1), Inventory Storage (LV 4), Declare Territory (LV 1)

Declare Territory.

It was a strange skill that had appeared, exclusive to Porters.

“Declare Territory.”

As I stretched out my hand and uttered the skill’s activation word, a pattern of characters materialized in the air.

Hexagonal blocks spread out from where I stood.

“Store.”

A can of soda that was within the range of the hexagonal blocks vanished from sight. I checked my inventory, and there it was.

This was pretty neat.

The ability to create a territory and control the space within it at will.

This is fun. It’s always a pleasure to see new things.

I felt a little dizzy from using the skill repeatedly, thanks to my lack of mana.

I checked my status window.

-Porter Lee Hyunbin LV 35

-Strength: 52 + 99

-Agility: 72 + 99

-Stamina: 40 + 75

-Mana: 10 + 51

-Luck: 30 + 55

Even with the boost, my mana was only about 61. This put a limit on how many times I could use my skills.

Moreover, my new Declare Territory skill, despite being a Porter skill, consumed a massive amount of mana.

With my current mana, I could use it about three times in a row.

I wasn’t sure if it was due to my lack of proficiency or something else, but it was unusually draining.

Well, if I use it whenever I have time, my proficiency will increase, improving its performance and reducing the fatigue.

For now, the best method is to level up.

A higher level isn’t always the answer. But being physically superior is certainly an advantage.

‘I should raise my level a bit.’

The current average level for hunters in the country is between 30 and 40. My target level is around 40 for now.

I logged into the agency’s network and checked the dungeon list.

I reviewed the list of dungeons scattered across the country.

Let’s see.

There’s a cluster of dungeons ranging from the lowest grade to intermediate grade closest to my house.

I left home and set out to conquer the dungeons alone.

* * *

For the first time in a while, Im Jae-joon went to the Hanul Group headquarters.

“You’re here.”

“I am.”

In front of the chairman’s office, he ran into his eldest brother, Im Jae-ho.

His gaze was as hostile as ever.

“Heard you’re doing well these days.”

“I am.”

“Lucky bastard.”

“It’s not luck.”

Im Jae-joon curled his lips into a smirk as he continued.

“It means I have a good eye.”

“What? You son of a…”

“The Chairman requests you both to enter.”

Putting an end to their brief war of nerves, they straightened their clothes and stepped inside.

There sat the titan of Hanul Group, Chairman Im.

“Im Jae-ho.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“What is your problem?”

“Sir?”

Im Jae-ho was flustered by the sudden, direct question.

The chairman picked up a newspaper from the table and threw it at Im Jae-ho.

Thud.

The newspaper hit Im Jae-ho’s body and scattered on the floor, revealing an article about the secret night parties of Im Jae-ho, the president of Hanul Furniture.

“If you want to party so badly, use your own damn money. First, you run the guild into the ground, and now that I’ve sent you over to the furniture division because you were floundering!”

“Th-This is a… a false report.”

“False?”

The tiger-faced Chairman Im ground his teeth, his anger showing.

“The only thing that’s false is me not kicking you out sooner.”

“F-Father…”

“Try to be half. No, a quarter of the man your brother is.”

This was why Chairman Im had called them both in together in the first place.

He spread open another article.

This one was about the rapid rise of the Hanul Guild, occupying the entire page.

-Hanul Guild Skyrockets from 21st to 10th Place!

-Hanul Group’s Stock Prices Soar!

-Hanul Guild: If They Could Do This Well, Why Didn’t They Before?

In contrast to Im Jae-joon’s expressionless face, his brother Im Jae-ho’s face turned red and purple with rage.

The guild he had managed was plummeting from 21st place, yet the moment his younger brother took over, it suddenly gained fame and began a steep ascent.

“Father.”

“Bastard, do you think I’m here as your father? Get your head straight!”

“I-I apologize. But if you gave me S-rankers like Jae-joon, what couldn’t I do? Honestly, the best hunter I had when I ran the guild was a B+. It’s a bit much to compare me to him.”

“A bit? A bit?”

Chairman Im sighed repeatedly, as if there was nothing more to say.

Though young, Im Jae-joon possessed the dignity befitting the son of a king.

He never acted rashly, no matter the situation, and was meticulous in his self-management.

And most of all, that look in his eyes.

If only that boy had been his legitimate son, not an illegitimate one, how wonderful that would have been.

Chairman Im tasted the feelings of an ancient king.

‘Of course, it’s not impossible.’

It was fortunate that this was no longer an era where everything was given only to the legitimate heir.

“The one who scouted the S-rank hunter was Jae-joon—no, Director Im.”

“…”

“And that… Porter. The one who he turned into an S-rank, wasn’t that also Director Im?”

“……”

S-rank Seo Hyun-ji had been fine. She was more focused on the entertainment industry than on being a hunter.

But the existence of Lee Hyunbin, who had recently awakened as an S-rank supporter, was too significant.

‘Lucky bastard.’

Im Jae-ho chewed his lip.

He remembered how much he had scoffed when he first heard that his brother had spent six billion won to recruit a newly awakened Porter.

How he had called his friends and laughed about how Im Jae-joon was tightening the noose around his own neck.

Even their father, who always defended Im Jae-joon, had kept his mouth shut after the boy became the guild master, merely tilting his head in confusion.

But in the end, that mistake turned out to be the best possible choice.

Lee Hyunbin became the nation’s fifth S-rank hunter and, thanks to the dramatic circumstances, was being hailed as a national hero.

‘The bubble will pop soon enough.’

He got lucky and became famous, but that wouldn’t last.

Im Jae-ho cursed his younger brother in his heart.

“What’s our market share now?”

“2.5%.”

In just a few months, they had achieved a top-10 market share.

This was the same guild that had been ridiculed for throwing money down the drain, despite being backed by the group.

“Once the hunters who joined as free agents and the newly recruited ones finish their training and join next season, we should be able to leap into the top 5.”

“Top 5.”

The impact of Im Jae-joon’s words seemed to please Chairman Im, who stroked his chin and smiled.

In contrast, Im Jae-ho’s face grew dark.

“That friend is quite the good luck charm. Why don’t you ask him to have a meal with me sometime?”

“He’s very busy, so I’m not sure if he’ll have the time.”

“So busy he can’t see the chairman of the group?”

“He’s become even busier since being appointed as a Special Guard.”

Chairman Im smiled at Im Jae-joon’s words.

“That friend is really sharp. How did such a talent fail all his guild interviews until now? Corporate interviews, that’s the problem. Certifications, academic background. A hunter just needs to be good at fighting, why do they care about such things? If you’re good at TOEIC, can you talk to monsters?”

Chairman Im joked as he looked intently at Im Jae-joon.

Im Jae-ho had to forcibly restrain the urge to storm out of the room, seeing the vastly different way his father looked at his brother.

“Nurture that friend well. And be careful of rival companies trying to sway public opinion now that he’s suddenly gotten so big.”

“There’s no need to worry. He’s quite good at winning over the public.”

“Right. I heard he’s still low-leveled. Is there anything the group can do to support him?”

“That’s alright. He’s not low-leveled anymore.”

“Why?”

At Chairman Im’s question, Im Jae-joon gave a wry smile.

“He has now reached level 50.”

“What?”

“What kind of nonsense are you…”

Im Jae-ho clamped his mouth shut upon seeing Chairman Im’s death glare.

Just as Chairman Im trusted Im Jae-joon, Im Jae-joon trusted the Hero.

The Hero who had won an impossible battle in another world, who had taken up his sword without asking for anything from the people.

The Hero who had collapsed from a fatal wound after overexerting himself in that impossible fight.

The knight order had risked their lives to allow him to retreat while he was unconscious.

But the enemy had bypassed the enraged knights and ambushed the Hero.

Im Jae-joon could still never forget that sight.

Ordinary citizens, becoming human shields to protect the Hero.

Limbs were severed, bones jutted out.

Even if their own bodies were pierced, they protected the Hero.

A sprawling feast of death.

The sight of the enraged Hero rising again from the midst of it all had become a trauma.

“He has his traumas, too.”

The need to be the strongest.