Chapter 1080 - 93 - 98

Chapter 93: Chapter 93

Rhee Min-Seong's expression stiffened right away.

A mysterious man who cut through the throng of reporters, and then, the Association President Goh Gun-Hui who came out to personally escort that man into the building.

"How does President Goh Gun-Hui's schedule look like for the rest of today?"

"I hear he cancelled everything for the morning."

"Are you telling me that the Association President cancelled the whole morning's worth of appointments for that man?"

Noisy, noisy…..

This place had become too restless after those two men's sudden entrance, and the current situation was no longer suitable for holding a press conference.

But, just how much effort did Rhee Min-Seong pour in for today's event? He shot a glare at his manager with an expression of a man chewing on insects.

'D*mn idiot of a manager who can't even take care of something so simple…'

The manager couldn't meet that glare and powerlessly lowered his head; now that Rhee Min-Seong had become a rank A Awakened, the manager couldn't even win against him in physical strength anymore. He had no choice but to cower accordingly.

'.....'

Rhee Min-Seong glared at his manager for a long time, before his head naturally spun towards his side.

"Cue!"

'D*mn it!'

Like throwing salt on the wound, the camera crew from the news stations were getting ready to leave. They were supposed to broadcast everything live. If this 'distracted' spectacle got on the airwaves and was broadcast to the rest of the country, then there was a good chance that all of Rhee Min-Seong's hard work to increase his brand's value by becoming a rank A Hunter would go down the drain for good.

However, the Association President Goh Gun-Hui's entrance caused too much of a ripple to calm the mood down and restart the press conference. Just why did someone so big have to appear at such an important time??

'Isn't there a way to reverse this situation?���

The quick-witted Rhee Min-Seong began kicking his brain into gear.

'Right. Only a big something can reverse a situation like this one.'

These reporters didn't come here because they wanted to find out about his feelings regarding the rank assignment test or some such. No, they came here to find out what the top star Rhee Min-Seong's Hunter ranking would be, as well as what his future plan was after he got his licence.

If he gave them what they wanted, then everything would return to order.

'I should start the assignment test ahead of schedule.'

A sly smile formed on Rhee Min-Seong's face.

Indeed, his ability to come up with schemes on the fly, something others around him had already acknowledged him for, remained rather exceptional.

"Excuse me, everyone. Allow me to go have a quick chat regarding my schedule today with the Association's representatives."

Blurting that nonsense to the reporters, Rhee Min-Seong then headed to the main Association building. It was to not to 'discuss' the change of schedule but to 'declare' his intentions.

'I mean, you have any idea how much my dad donates to the Association? The Association or not, they should grovel accordingly before me.'

Unfortunately…

'Huh??'

Just before he could push open the glass front door, Hunters from the Monitoring Division rushed out first and he was pushed back, instead. They stood in a line to block off the front entrance.

'What the hell is this now?!'

Rhee Min-Seong's forehead creased up. He quickly checked the name tag attached to one of the men's chest.

'Section Chief Woo Jin-Cheol, Hunter's Association Monitoring Division?'

Rhee Min-Seong questioned Woo Jin-Cheol right away.

"What's the meaning of this? Why are you blocking the entrance?"

Woo Jin-Cheol's sunglasses-covered eyes stared down at Rhee Min-Seong.

"Currently, another Awakened is going through the process of the rank re-assignment test. No one will be allowed to enter the building until 11 o'clock, when the test is scheduled to end."

"What did you just say?!"

By 'another Awakened', was this man referring to that young man who followed the Association President into the building not too long ago?

Rhee Min-Seong took a look at his watch. The time now was half past ten in the morning. Eleven o'clock was the originally scheduled time for his rank assignment test. No one was allowed to enter before that?

Rhee Min-Seong's scheme to take the test ahead of schedule to reverse the situation was about to blow up in his face.

At first, he spoke in a polite tone of voice.

"Please, don't be like this and let me in. I have something to discuss with the related department of the Association."

"I'm sorry."

Woo Jin-Cheol shut his mouth up with that single short sentence.

With his frustration boiling over, Rhee Min-Seong couldn't hold back any longer and his true colours slowly surfaced to the fore.

"Look here, mister. Don't you know who I am? I'm Rhee Min-Seong, man. Rhee Min-Seong!"

Rhee Min-Seong's tone of voice became sharp and abrasive as if he could no longer take this crap, but still, Woo Jin-Cheol showed no sign of budging.

"Hah…."

Rhee Min-Seong spat out a dumbfounded groan.

"Oii. You know that Yujin Construction is the biggest sponsor of the Hunter's Association, right?"

The corners of Rhee Min-Seong's lips arched up.

"Vice Chairman of the Yujin Construction, Rhee Won-Gyu is my father, okay? And do you see all these people behind me?"

Rhee Min-Seong pointed towards the sea of reporters below the entrance steps.

"You think you can treat the son of Yujin Construction's Vice Chairman this badly in front of these many reporters? You think you can handle the fallout?"

Woo Jin-Cheol's reply was pretty simple.

"Yes, we can."

"What?!"

Rhee Min-Seong was even more dumbfounded now.

Just who the hell was that young man for the Association President to personally escort him inside, and block off the entire building for a measly rank assignment test?

And, letting a Section Chief gopher, someone not even that high up in the food chain like a head of the department, to do whatever the hell he pleased??

Rhee Min-Seong's hands were placed on his waist as he began questioning in anger.

"Just who the hell is this 'another Awakened' supposed to be that the Association is willing to bend over backwards like this?"

Only then did Woo Jin-Cheol remove his sunglasses.

"If I were to tell you that…."

Flinch.

When Woo Jin-Cheol's sharp, scary eyes resembling a bird of prey were finally revealed, Rhee Min-Seong unwittingly took a step back.

Woo Jin-Cheol continued to glare at Rhee Min-Seong and quietly spoke.

"…..Do you think you can handle the fallout instead, Mister Rhee Min-Seong?"

The inside of the main building was rather empty.

There was no one waiting to take their rank assignment test inside the hallway, with only a smattering of Association employees going about their usual business.

This unusual situation was probably related to the reason why all those reporters were camping outside.

"Please, come this way."

"Alright."

Jin-Woo was about to follow after Goh Gun-Hui's guidance and enter the measurement room, but then, spotted two somewhat familiar-looking faces.

'Eh?'

Baek Yun-Ho and Choi Jong-In were sitting on the waiting room chairs facing the measurement room. That was where smartly-dressed headhunters of various smaller Guilds could be found three days ago.

When their gazes met, both men stood up from their seats and bowed lightly. Jin-Woo reciprocated the greeting and walked past the hallway. As they walked down on the passageway, a soft smile formed on Goh Gun-Hui's lips.

"Those two men, they have been waiting for you for about an hour."

The leaders of two Guilds that represented South Korea in the world stage had shown up one hour early to wait for the re-evaluation result?

Perhaps he had read Jin-Woo's expression, because Goh Gun-Hui continued to explain in a calm voice.

"A new rank S Hunter has appeared after two long years. And besides, Choi Jong-In has heard of your powers so he should be even more anxious at the moment."

Jin-Woo slowly nodded his head.

"Oh, my!"

"Association President!"

The Association employees they met on the way all politely greeted Goh Gun-Hui, and stared at Jin-Woo with mystified eyes.

'Who is that man that necessitates our Association President to personally guide him?'

'Could he be someone really important?'

'How can someone that young know our President?'

Goh Gun-Hui had never shown up to personally receive guests even when a government minister came to visit, so the fact that he was doing precisely that had shocked the Association employees to no end.

Goh Gun-Hui spoke while keeping his eyes fixed to the front.

"I heard about what happened yesterday."

Goh Gun-Hui's expression was one of enjoyment for some reason.

As a matter of fact, he was indeed feeling really excited. Because his expectation of Seong Jin-Woo being a different type of Hunter from the rest proved to be right on the money, that was why.

When he heard about Seong Jin-Woo's actions from Woo Jin-Cheol, sweat formed in Goh Gun-Hui's hands as if he was personally there, witnessing everything.

'Yes, he does have incredible powers, but also….'

But also, he found Seong Jin-Woo's actions afterwards even more to his liking.

Including the boss, he had almost single-handedly cleared the dungeon all by himself, yet the young man had shown not one trace of greed over the loot found within.

If Seong Jin-Woo's real aim was to fight monsters and protect other people rather than become famous and make lots of money, then the Association was fully prepared to support him in every conceivable manner. Because, that goal lined up perfectly with the purpose of the Association���s existence.

'If it's possible, I wish I could bring him into the Association with whatever means necessary, but…'

But, he couldn't do that, now could he?

Just like what the young man told him before, entering the Association would mean he'd have nearly zero opportunity to fight against the monsters.

And from what Goh Gun-Hui had heard about Seong Jin-Woo's powers, it was way too good to be wasted outside dungeons.

Soon, they arrived at the examination area, located deeper within the building.

"Before the re-evaluation can take place, we must confirm your abilities first and set the new classification for you."

Jin-Woo already knew that.

Hunters were classified as a melee, mage, healing, or even support-type according to their abilities, and performed their roles where they were needed the most.

The Association employee waiting at the examination area bent his back forward 90 degrees to greet Goh Gun-Hui, and took over guiding Jin-Woo from him.

"Please, come this way."

Jin-Woo stepped up to the middle of the examination area. Its interior layout much resembled an indoor gymnasium commonly found everywhere.

If there was one thing different from those gymnasiums, then it'd be the fact that one could sense powerful fluctuations of magic energy coming from the walls as well as from the floor. Magic had been utilised to reinforce the structure in case something went wrong.

The examiner asked Jin-Woo.

"What kind of ability can you use?"

The Association President Goh Gun-Hui didn't return to his office immediately and, while standing in the far corner, stared at the examination process with a great deal of interest.

This was the reason why he came to guide Jin-Woo personally. He wanted to confirm Jin-Woo's powers with his own eyes as quickly as possible.

"Well, I can do this."

Jin-Woo called out a single Shadow Soldier.

"Heok?!"

The examiner was greatly taken by surprise.

Seriously speaking, how could anyone stay composed when a soldier decked out in jet-black armour suddenly rose up from the ground?

Jin-Woo deliberately chose the lowest levelled one out of his regular Soldiers, but still, the dude emitted intense pressure that most normal people found hard to endure.

"This…. Is this your summoned creature? You can control a summon?"

The examiner's voice was trembling noticeably.

Jin-Woo had half a mind to helpfully explain that his Soldier was definitely not dangerous, but….

He formed a pitying expression while making his reply.

"….Well, something like that."

"I-in that case, h-how many summoned creatures can you control?"

'Well, it will be useless to lie, so….'

Indeed, the number of eyewitnesses who saw his Shadow Soldiers yesterday was nearly twenty.

Jin-Woo spoke up a slightly reduced number of Soldiers sealed inside his shadow through his skill.

"It's around 100 or so…."

The examiner's eyes went extra round at the number 100.

"A h-hundred?!"

"Yes."

On the other hand, Jin-Woo remained nonplussed.

At the same time…

As he stared at the Shadow Soldier, Goh Gun-Hui's eyes were glittering brightly.

'A hundred of those….'

At a glance, that 'soldier' possessed around the same amount of magic energy as a rank B Hunter. If that young man could summon a hundred of those soldiers, then one simply had to concede that his powers had already exceeded a regular large Guild's combat force.

Truthfully, that was an incredible ability.

Jin-Woo could feel Goh Gun-Hui's passionate gaze burning up on his skin.

He breathed a sigh of relief after confirming the reactions of the surroundings.

'Well, if one regular Soldier can elicit this sort of reaction, then….'

He should thank his lucky stars that he didn't choose to call out the highest levelled soldier among his flock, 'Igrit', or the boss-level creature he managed to poach yesterday, 'Fangs'.

Whatever the case may be, this was enough to prove the type of ability he had possessed.

"In that case…. Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim, you're a mage type."

The examiner studiously jotted down something on the recording document and raised his head up, while looking rather satisfied.

"We can now head to the measurement room."

Jin-Woo held the newly-issued Hunter licence in his hand.

It said, 'Seong Jin-Woo, rank S, Mage-type'.

Even though his face was plastered on the photo box, he still found it hard to believe.

'Very good. It's been smooth sailing until now.'

Jin-Woo quickly shoved his new Hunter licence inside his wallet. When he got to the end of the corridor, the waiting duo of Baek Yun-Ho and Choi Jong-In approached him.

"Mister Seong Jin-Woo, can we have a chat?"

"Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim, I….."

"I'm sorry. I'm pressed for time at the moment."

Jin-Woo ignored them both and quickly walked towards the glass door.

"Uh? Uh?!"

Baek Yun-Ho raised his worried voice.

"If it was me, I wouldn't use that exit."

'Is he trying to imply that the sweet deals he prepared for this occasion will make me regret walking out of this door or something?'

Jin-Woo wasn't interested regardless of what was being offered, so he continued to ignore Baek Yun-Ho's dissuasion and pushed the glass door wide open.

When that happened….

Click, click, click, click, click, click….!!

The reporters that had managed to climb up the steps to push and shove against the Monitoring Division's agents, began clicking their cameras non-stop, with flashes exploding brightly all around him.

'What the heck is this?'

Jin-Woo became utterly speechless at this blinding explosion of lights.

As usual, Seong Jin-Ah stopped by the school tuck shop after the third period ended, and bought herself a pack of banana milk.

There was still around one hour to go to lunch. If she didn't fill herself up temporarily with something like milk, for instance, she'd be unable to concentrate during the class.

And sure enough….

Rumble…

Already, her remorseless stomach was noisily demanding for more fuel to be put in there. Jin-Ah rubbed her hungry tummy and was about to enter her classroom, but then, one of her friends grabbed her wrist, a shocked expression clearly visible on that girl's face.

"J-Jin-Ah!!"

"Wha-what?!"

With her friend shocked like this, even Jin-Ah got shocked alongside her for no reason.

"It's your oppa! He's on TV right now!!"

"What?? Why is my oppa…??"

Jin-Woo felt her heart tumble to the pit of her stomach.

Did he get injured again? If not, could it be even worse….??

The friend dragged Jin-Ah by her wrist inside the classroom as if she didn't want to waste time explaining anymore.

Jin-Ah's eyes immediately shifted over to the large TV located next to the blackboard.

And there was….

"O…. oppa?!"

The moment Jin-Ah saw the TV screen, the banana milk in her hand fell to the floor.

Chapter 94: Chapter 94

Ten minutes prior, in front of the Hunters Association building.

When it clearly became impossible to take his rank evaluation test ahead of schedule, Rhee Min-Seong sensed the looming crisis, and in the end, decided to drop a bombshell.

"Excuse me, I, Rhee Min-Seong, will retire from the entertainment industry regardless of the test result, and I shall pledge my service as a Hunter for the betterment of the public!!"

This was his last hurrah at reviving the atmosphere of the press conference that had cooled off from the sudden entrance of Goh Gun-Hui. Its effect was immediately noticeable.

"What?!"

"Rhee Min-Seong is going to retire?"

"Regardless of what his rank is?"

Right away, the atmosphere became frenzied.

Click, click, click!!

Countless cameras were now pointing at Rhee Min-Seong, and questions from excited reporters poured down on him non-stop.

"Mister Rhee Min-Seong!! Please look this way!"

"Are you telling us that you'll abandon the title of Asia's top movie star and choose the life of a low-ranked Hunter if need be?"

"Are you willing to give up on everything you built up as a successful actor?"

'Yes! Very good!'

Rhee Min-Seong was pleased as punch at all the attention being focused on him again.

"Even if the result is bad and I end up with a low rank, I wish to repay all the love everyone has shown me by fighting the monster threats."

Of course, he was lying through his teeth.

Just two years. He was thinking of helping out with the Reapers Guild's public image as its most famous rank A Hunter for only two years, while enjoying the sky-high annual pay package.

This was the best method to silence those voices raising issues with him avoiding the draft with his father's help, as well as a few distracting noises rising up here and there recently, all in one fell swoop.

Climbing down from the summit to protect the ordinary citizens while risking his own life!

This was the greatest opportunity for him yet, to achieve that often-talked about 'lifetime guarantee against criticism' status.

Enjoying the taste of everything finally going according to his plan, Rhee Min-Seong continued on with the press conference.

"And, with the Master of Reapers Guild, Chairman Im Tae-Gyu, who shares my wish, I…."

And so, as the gathered reporters were listening to Rhee Min-Seong's future aspirations….

Ringggg….

Someone's phone suddenly went off. The surrounding reporters glared at the phone's owner, and he quickly killed the phone before lowering his head in apology several times.

Thanks to that, the press conference was slightly interrupted, but fortunately enough, it was not a permanent interruption in the end. Rhee Min-Seong also pretended to not hear it and continued on.

However….

This time, someone else's phone went off.

"Argh, what the hell?"

"Whose phone was that?!"

"Isn't is a common sense to switch it off before a conference?"

"Turn it off, now."

Thinking that this might be a good chance to earn himself some extra brownie points, Rhee Min-Seong beamed brightly and spoke up.

"I'm fine with it, so why don't we continue after you answer your urgent call?"

Hahahaha….

Rhee Min-Seong's spontaneous response elicited jovial laughter from here and there. But, who knew that was merely the beginning?

Buzzzz….

Vrrrr…..

Seemingly from everywhere, mobile phones were singing out in a messy chorus of noises.

"What's this?"

"What the hell? Even me?"

The first reporter who switched his phone off first realised that something was very wrong. Meanwhile, the eyes of the reporters were growing extra wide after confirming the contents of the calls.

"You got a call from the Association??"

"Why are you only telling me this now?!"

Reporters present hurriedly accessed the Association's website. It was then, they discovered the new rank S Hunter's photo and his name being uploaded there as if everything had been prepared beforehand.

The announcement date for that person's evaluation result just so happened to be today.

'Wait, but didn't they say something about the measurement room not being available in the morning?'

'It wasn't because of Rhee Min-Seong?'

'In that case, the reason for the measurement room being emptied out wasn't because of Rhee Min-Seong's rank evaluation, but this new rank S Hunter?'

And then, the face of a certain man flashed by in the heads of all the reporters present.

Could he have been?

That young man who followed Association President Goh Gun-Hui into the building! He was the only one to have accessed the measurement room today.

If they all go inside now, wouldn't they be able to take that man's pictures?

"E-everyone?!"

With their eyes now resembling those of a starving predator, reporters ignored Rhee Min-Seong and rushed towards the Association building.

Rumble��.

When Woo Jin-Cheol signalled with his eyes, Hunters from the Monitoring Division spread out their arms and formed a human barricade.

"Let us in!!"

"A rank S has emerged, right? Aren't you supposed to announce this ahead of time?"

"Just get out of the way, will you?!"

Reporters violently pounced forward, but they couldn't overcome the wall created by the agents of the Monitoring Division, where every single member was a Hunter.

"W-what the hell is this??"

Having been forgotten by everyone in an instant, Rhee Min-Seong and his flustered face ran over to his burly manager. Mister manager pushed forward the screen of his phone with what he discovered only a second ago.

"….A rank S?!"

Rhee Min-Seong became completely dazed.

"A rank S showed up today, of all days?!"

He wanted to receive the attention and adulations of the world by becoming a rank A Hunter. But, to think that a rank S Hunter would pop up out of nowhere and ruin everything….

Rhee Min-Seong shook his head, hard.

'No, wait. Something doesn't feel right here.'

Seriously now, a rank S wasn't a cup of instant coffee one could buy in a vending machine with a couple of change, now was it? Maybe, these reporters knew something about what was happening right now?

It was at that point that Rhee Min-Seong spotted a reporter still talking to someone on the phone while belatedly climbing up the steps. He was none other than the exact same reporter who sought out Rhee Min-Seong's opinion regarding tomorrow's headline earlier.

"Excuse me, Reporter Im?"

Even though Rhee Min-Seong's voice sounded urgent, Reporter Im simply walked past while responding in haste.

"Ah, Mister Rhee Min-Seong. I'll get in touch a little bit later, okay?"

"Excuse me? Reporter Im!! Wait!"

Rhee Min-Seong got to eavesdrop on the contents of the call as the Reporter Im's back gradually distanced itself away from him.

"….That's right. I'm telling you to go with the headline of 'Tears of rank E, now joys of rank S' for tomorrow."

Rhee Min-Seong scanned his vicinity with energyless eyes. There was no one around him now. He fell down on his knees.

"What…. what is this…."

While he remained on the ground muttering to himself in dejection, the front entrance to the Association was abruptly pushed open wide, and South Korea's tenth rank S Hunter revealed himself.

Click, click, click, click, click, click, click….

Jin-Woo's eyes opened up super-wide.

'What the heck is this?'

The camera lenses captured in full Jin-Woo standing in front of the entrance, and behind him, Baek Yun-Ho with a rueful expression and Choi Jong-In and his bitter smile.

It was now lunch time.

The Hunters of the mining team had ended the morning's operation and were sitting around to enjoy their lunch.

Mining might have been their main role, but, since there was no threat of rockfall or cave-in, the mood of the team was rather carefree.

Some Hunters were lying on the floor resting, having gobbled up their meals in the blink; some Hunters were busy giggling to themselves while checking out their phones; a few Hunters were even enjoying cold alcoholic beverages while sharing snacks among themselves.

"Huh??"

One of the Hunters playing with his phone cried out in surprise and hurriedly raised his upper body up.

"Hey, isn't this Mister Seong??"

Lee Seong-Gu's ears perked up.

"Hey, it is him!"

"Mister Seong's on the news."

Indeed, Lee Seong-Gu hadn't heard wrong.

"I knew it."

With his face considerably flushed red after ingesting three cups of alcohol, Lee Seong-Gu ran to where his colleagues were as if he had been waiting for this. Even while he was doing that, his mouth continued to operate without rest.

"I knew it from the moment that bstard glared at me! Let me see for myself what horrible things that insolent bstard committed now!"

Perhaps Lee Seong-Gu's voice was too loud?

���Mister Seong did what?"

"Did Mister Seong commit a crime or something?"

Including Foreman Bae, all of the mining team's Hunters in the near vicinity gathered in one spot.

Jin-Woo's face filled up the palm-sized screen of the mobile phone, and just below that, large subtitles flashed by.

[….Following after Hwang Dong-Seok and Cha Hae-In, South Korea's tenth rank S Hunter, Mister Seong Jin-Woo, has just now…]

"Heok?!"

Having 'discovered' Jin-Woo, Lee Seong-Gu's eyes began trembling.

In front of the private office of Yujin Construction's chairman.

Standing in front of the door, Yu Jin-Ho let out a short sigh.

"Fuu…."

He opened the door, and as it smoothly glided inward, he also raised his head to spot his father busy going through several documents, not bothering to even turn his head this way.

"Come inside."

Even though he made his 'reply', Yu Myung-Hwan continued to scribble his signatures on the documents.

Yu Jin-Ho stood next to Yu Myung-Hwan. The father briefly raised his head to confirm the son's visage, before continuing on with his work.

'Dad's still the same, I see.'

In the past, Yu Jin-Ho would've been suppressed by his father being like this and run off, utterly unable to say what he wanted to say. However, it was different now.

"I'd like to speak to you about something, Father."

"Is it regarding Hunter Seong Jin-Woo?"

"Yes."

Yu Myung-Hwan finally raised his head up.

"Alright. So, what happe…."

It was then.

Yu Myung-Hwan's phone suddenly went off.

Vrrrr…

"Hold on."

Yu Myung-Hwan raised his hand and stopped Yu Jin-Ho's words. Checking the message on the phone's screen, Yu Myung-Hwan's eyes grew wide just a little.

'My dad can get surprised too?'

Yu Jin-Ho tilted his head slightly.

"…There's something you should see."

"Pardon?"

Rather than providing an answer, Yu Myung-Hwan operated the remote and switched the giant TV mounted on one of the walls, instead.

A breaking news piece immediately came up on the screen.

[Yes, it has been confirmed just now. The Hunter who was evaluated as rank S earlier today is a Re-Awakened, someone who has gone through the secondary Awakening process after his initial one. His name is Mister Seong Jin-Woo, who used to work for the Association as a rank E previously.]

The reporter's excited voice easily conveyed the current atmosphere of the location. Yu Jin-Ho had been listening disinterestedly, but when he heard the name 'Seong Jin-Woo', he was taken greatly by surprise.

'Heok!"

The screen changed after that. It was now showing the emotionless face of someone he was quite familiar with, busy surveying the immediate surroundings.

It was none other than his hyung-nim.

'I'm sure of it. Hyung-nim is feeling irritated right now.'

Thanks to Yu Jin-Ho sticking around hyung-nim for a while, it became pretty easy to tell what he was thinking about simply through his expressions. But, besides all that – he was a rank S?

Yu Jin-Ho was well aware of his hyung-nim being great, but that greatness had far exceeded his own imagination.

At the same time….

'Even though he possesses such incredible power, he enters dungeons every day to train himself even further?'

A sense of awe rushed in, fast. As a person who used to guard his side, Yu Jin-Ho's heart swelled with pride as Jin-Woo's name got continuously mentioned on the TV.

Beep….

The TV was switched off and hyung-nim's face also disappeared from the view. Yu Jin-Ho formed a wistful expression.

"Okay, continue."

Father was telling Yu Jin-Ho to continue with what he wanted to say.

As he had practised beforehand, Yu Jin-Ho bowed down hard and spoke.

"My apologies, father. I couldn't change hyung-nim's mind."

Yu Myung-Hwan's expression hardened.

"…..Okay, what did Hunter Seong Jin-Woo say while rejecting your offer?"

"Well, hyung-nim said���.."

Yu Jin-Ho hesitated slightly, but he slightly raised his head and spoke.

"He wants to make his own Guild, so if I was interested in the Vice Master spot, I should come over, instead….."

Yu Jin-Ho thought that father would get angry or ignore that suggestion altogether, but instead, his expression was solidly frozen up.

And then….

Grin.

Yu Myung-Hwan chuckled without making a sound.

Someone widely known for his poker face, Chairman Yu Myung-Hwan had actually revealed a change of expression in front of his own son.

'What is my dad doing?'

Yu Jin-Ho couldn't dare to ask what was happening, so all he could do was to avert his gaze this way and that.

Yu Myung-Hwan spoke, that smile now erased from his lips.

"Do you know why I'm trying to establish the Yujin Guild?"

"Isn't it because…. there's money to be made in the Hunter business?"

"No, it's not."

Yu Myung-Hwan's tone of voice was resolute, unwavering.

"We have more than enough money right now. You think I'll try something that could put us at odds with other large Guilds just for the sake of chasing after a couple more bucks?"

Was he trying to imply that money wasn't the reason?

Yu Jin-Ho's eyes widened.

"But, if not that, then….?"

Yu Myung-Hwan carefully put the pen down.

"It's in order to protect ourselves."

Yu Myung-Hwan's serious, dignified eyes caused Yu Jin-Ho to swallow his dry saliva in nervousness.

"Hunters are growing in power every day. And it's not uncommon to see a single person possessing enough power to rival a country's military might."

For instance, the world's most powerful Hunters, seen as already on the level of exercising power equal to that of a country's government.

Yu Myung-Hwan was talking about those people.

"I hear that some Hunters already rule smaller nations like kings. How long do you think that the rule of law and governmental authority will keep us safe under the current situation?"

Yu Myung-Hwan's voice was getting heavier.

However, as Yu Jin-Ho was listening to this explanation, it suddenly dawned on him that he was actually feeling happy at the moment.

Why was that?

'….Ah.'

That was because, his father included him too and said 'We', instead.

Indeed, Yu Jin-Ho felt happy because he thought he got to glimpse for the first time another side of his father.

Yu Myung-Hwan's explanation continued on.

"I wished to establish a Guild and gather trustworthy Hunters to our side. Not because I needed more money or that I am searching for talented individuals, but it's all to find those Hunters who we can trust as fellow human beings, as well as for us to rely on their strength."

And then, a nearly imperceptible smile formed on Yu Myung-Hwan's face again.

"Looks like you already found someone like that, haven't you?"

"Yes, Father."

Yu Jin-Ho replied right away. It was a bit hard to tell where his father was going with this, but well, it was true regardless that Yu Jin-Ho could trust and rely on his hyung-nim.

Yu Myung-Hwan nodded his head.

"Very good."

"Yes?"

"You pass."

What did he pass just now? Yu Jin-Ho belatedly raised his bowed head.

"I shall entrust the Yujin Guild to you."

"Pardon me?"

"Do your best to develop the Yujin Guild. Make those trustworthy and reliable Hunters 'your' people. In the future, they will no doubt become even more valuable assets than any form of wealth."

Yu Myung-Hwan spoke with abundant certainty in his voice. And, just as his certainty was great, so was Yu Jin-Ho's delight.

Would this be the first time since his birth that Yu Jin-Ho was acknowledged by his father?

"Thank you very much, Father!"

With an ample smile blooming on his face, Yu Jin-Ho bent his back forward 90 degrees. Yu Myung-Hwan looked on at that sight with a content expression.

Unfortunately, what Yu Jin-Ho said next went completely against Yu Myung-Hwan's expectations.

"However, Father, I don't think I can accept your offer."

"Mm?"

Yu Myung-Hwan's brows quivered slightly.

The financial wherewithal of the Yujin Construction was more than enough to put the soon-to-be-established Yujin Guild on the fast track.

Already, talks with a few rank S Hunters had advanced into a more concrete stage, as well.

The Yujin Guild becoming South Korea's best, biggest Guild was already a foregone conclusion.

Yu Jin-Ho must've known this, too.

'That's why my son wanted to become the Master, wasn't it?'

However, now that he was about to hand the Guild over, why was his boy declining it? Did he get scared in the meantime?

Yu Myung-Hwan did his best to suppress his disappointment and rage towards Yu Jin-Ho, and managed to say something.

"….What is your reason?"

Yu Jin-Ho raised his head at that prompt, and while still carrying a happy-looking face, he spoke without holding anything back.

"I've decided to work for hyung-nim's Guild."

Chapter 95

Finding himself surrounded by a wall of reporters, Jin-Woo became quite flustered.

'Why aren't these people taking pictures of Rhee Min-Seong like they were supposed to, instead of blocking my way??'

Wondering if Rhee Min-Seong was standing behind him, he took a quick glance, but he could only see Baek Yun-Ho and Choi Jong-In there.

It was then, his thigh began vibrating.

Vrrrr…. Vrrrr….

It was his mobile phone inside the pocket.

'Why would Jin-Ah call me at this time of the day?'

As soon as he tapped on the 'Answer' icon, his little sister's urgent voice exploded out from the speaker.

"Oppa! Oppa, you're on TV!!"

But, that was obvious. Just how many TV cameras were present here? You would still get roughly the same picture regardless of which TV station you tuned into.

He got momentarily tense after his sister, who was supposed to be still in school, suddenly called him up but was able to breathe a sigh in relief.

"Mm…. So, nothing in particular happened, right?"

"Nothing in particular?? How can you even say that?! What's this about Re-Awakening? And this rank S thing, too???"

From her voice, it was quite obvious that the girl was feeling really shocked at the moment. Unfortunately, his current circumstances meant that he couldn't explain everything to her in detail.

"Right now, I'm a bit occupied so…. Okay, I'll tell you everything once you get back home."

"Oppa?! Oppa!"

Despite his sister's anxious voice calling out to him, Jin-Woo ended the call.

Click.

And at the same time, he got to figure out how the current situation came to be.

'….There was a message, huh.'

The Hunters Association used a dedicated app to deliver important information in real time. Most of the time, the app alerted the users to the locations of rank A or higher dungeons, or where dungeon breaks were about to occur, but it was a different story today.

'….Huh.'

After confirming the contents of the message, Jin-Woo quickly accessed the Association's website. And sure enough….

The ink on his rank S Hunter licence wasn't even dry yet, but the list of the highest ranking Hunters in South Korea had been updated already.

[Seong Jin-Woo, rank S, Mage-type]

It was as it was written on his licence.

'….They are unnecessarily fast on things like this.'

Shoving the phone back in his pocket, Jin-Woo redirected his gaze back to the front.

"Mister Seong Jin-Woo! Are you really the rank E Hunter once affiliated with the Association?"

"You are now a very rare Re-Awakened!! How are you feeling right now?"

Reporters writhed and struggled desperately in order to capture a bit more of Jin-Woo's face or his voice with their cameras. However, Jin-Woo found their explosive attention towards him simply annoying.

'I gotta get out of this place first.'

Asking them politely to make way wouldn't going to work.

Jin-Woo's brows quivered. Should he just summon his Shadow Soldiers to carve out a path and leave?

"Over here! Mister Seong Jin-Woo, please look over this way!"

"Mister Seong Jin-Woo! The whole country is watching, so how about a smile for the viewers?"

While the camera lenses and mics were gradually inching closer, Jin-Woo spent the next two seconds earnestly pondering whether he should summon Shadow Soldiers like 'Tank' or 'Fangs' or not.

Meanwhile, behind Jin-Woo…

Choi Jong-In looked at Jin-Woo's back as the youth stood there, unable to go anywhere thanks to the cordon of reporters blocking his way.

He approached Baek Yun-Ho and spoke.

"Looks like my new recruit Hunter-nim is feeling a bit troubled from the excessive attention, no?"

"And just who gave you the permission to call Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim 'your' new recruit now?"

"Can't I even make a joke? It's just a joke."

Two men began their war of nerves once more. In the end, though, Choi Jong-In took a step back first. He sighed before speaking up again.

"In any case, it'd be the same thing as giving other Guilds a chance if we waste any more time here."

Baek Yun-Ho agreed with that assessment. Not just the Reapers Guild's Master Im Tae-Gyu, who just so coincidentally was present here today because of Rhee Min-Seong, but the other remaining super-large Guilds would be desperately trying to get in touch with Hunter Seong Jin-Woo right about now.

Baek Yun-Ho scanned the crowd of reporters.

"So, Chairman Choi, what you're suggesting is…."

"Before flies come rushing in from the smell, let us escort Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim to his residence. While we have a chat with him regarding this and that."

Meaning, the two of them should pool their resources first, and prevent more potential rivals from appearing.

Didn't matter what kind of abilities Hunter Seong Jin-Woo possessed, he'd still need a Guild's aid if he were to attack high-ranking dungeons. So, if they played their cards right, then either the White Tiger or the Hunters Guild could find themselves with another rank S in the roster.

Choi Jong-In was utterly confident of the Guild he led, the Hunters, and….

"Alright."

….Baek Yun-Ho too didn't feel that this was a bad suggestion, either.

The White Tiger might not have been as big as the Hunters, but it still was a Guild with great future prospects.

'Besides, our Section Chief Ahn and Deputy Hyun are familiar with Mister Seong Jin-Woo from a while ago, too.'

At a bare minimum, he knew for sure that they had a closer relationship than the Hunters Guild.

And so, the interests of these two men lined up rather nicely. They exchanged a few suspicious gazes at each other, before turning around to approach Jin-Woo.

The first one to engage the young man in conversation was Baek Yun-Ho.

"Hunter-nim."

Jin-Woo looked behind him.

"Yes?"

Choi Jong-In inwardly clicked his tongue after losing the initiative, but since they made a tacit agreement to cooperate, he didn't interfere. Baek Yun-Ho formed the brightest smile he could manage and continued on.

"Are you feeling lost with all these reporters around? We can safely escort you back to your house, so how about going with us? We are pretty good at dealing with these sorts of situations, you see."

Although a bit of exaggeration was mixed in there, what he said wasn't an empty promise at all.

This event was something any rank S Hunter would experience at least once. Not only that, these two men also learned how to deal with people's attention while managing their respective large Guilds, too.

Choi Jong-In provided support fire from the side.

"Let's head out together. Also, there is something we'd like to discuss with you, as well."

Too bad for them, Jin-Woo simply formed a polite-enough smile to reject them.

"I'll be alright."

He then pulled the hood attached to his top and hid his face.

"I actually do have a place I need to stop by first."

"Excuse me? But, how will you get out of here, what with all these repor….."

Choi Jong-In couldn't get to continue with the rest of his sentence.

Swish-!!

Because, Jin-Woo turned to face the reporters and then, jumped up tens of metres in the air before landing on the other side of the crowd, that's why.

"Uh, uh???"

Even before the flustered reporters could respond, Jin-Woo blended into the crowd and disappeared from the view.

Choi Jong-In was left speechless. Now that was a movement he couldn't even react to in time, even though he was a rank S. It was quite obvious that the reporters, who were all regular people, wouldn't be able to follow that with their naked eyes.

Choi Jong-In let out a wry chuckle.

'As soon as registering as a rank S, he's already playing the part of Superman?'

How was he supposed to be a Mage-type with that sort of physical ability? As a fellow Mage-type, it sure riled him up a bit.

But, in that case, how would a rank S melee-type Hunter think of that?

"Just now, he…."

Choi Jong-In turned towards Baek Yun-Ho in order to ask a question, but he flinched and reflexively took a step back.

"Chairman Baek, your eyes??"

He was so surprised that he even forgot to add the honorific title.

"Ah….! M-my apologies."

Baek Yun-Ho hurriedly covered his eyes with his hand and turned around. When he opened his eyes again a short while later, they had reverted back from the monster-like irises to those of a normal human being. However, just because his eyes changed back to normal, that didn't mean his shock had worn off.

'How can this be…..??'

Baek Yun-Ho trembled on the spot.

Just now, when Jin-Woo gathered strength on his legs to prepare for that jump, he very briefly released his magic energy he'd been concealing until then.

No matter how skilful a Hunter was, it was nearly impossible to detect anything in such a short period of time. However, that incredible magic energy still caused Baek Yun-Ho to instinctively activate one of his abilities, the Eyes of the Beast, and those eyes successfully detected Jin-Woo's hidden power.

'He's strong.'

Baek Yun-Ho already knew how strong the youth was. However….

'No, that's not important.'

Back when they had gotten into a bit of confrontation in front of the Red Gate, Baek Yun-Ho also activated the Eyes of the Beast inadvertently. Jin-Woo's strength was clearly imprinted in Baek Yun-Ho's mind back then.

Back then, the youth was very strong. Even if it was Baek Yun-Ho himself, he would not have been able to win without sacrificing an arm.

However, that was all.

If he was willing to sacrifice that much, then he'd be able to win at any time.

But now….

What was the meaning of this difference in strength? He detected magic energy incomparably greater than before. That youth was so much stronger now.

So, so much stronger than back then.

His Re-Awakening process should���ve been over a long time ago. So, how could this be?

In that instant, an implausible theory popped up in Baek Yun-Ho's head.

'Could he… be able to grow stronger?'

Possibly, not through Re-Awakening process, but through growing stronger that he…..

Just as his thoughts arrived at this point,

"Excuse me, Chairman Baek? Are you alright? Your complexion is…."

….Choi Jong-In worriedly asked him.

Baek Yun-Ho rubbed his face and shook his head, hard.

"I was suddenly feeling a bit dizzy just now. I'm okay."

"You're still young…. You should be more careful."

While conversing with Choi Jong-In, Baek Yun-Ho continued to stare in the direction that Jin-Woo had disappeared to.

'He's already transcended the regular rank S, but if he could continue increasing his strength, then…'

Shudder.

Baek Yun-Ho's entire body shuddered from goosebumps.

"Taxi!"

After successfully shaking off the reporters, Jin-Woo caught a taxi on a deserted road.

He now possessed the rank S licence that he so wanted. Him levelling up and clearing dungeons were all good and nice, but right now, the most important thing was curing his mother.

'The Divine Water of Life….'

He didn't know if this item called 'Divine Water of Life' could really heal his mother.

'However, if there is a one in a thousand, no, even if it's one in a ten thousand chance, then I…..'

He wanted to clear the Demon's Castle as quickly as humanly possible and collect all the ingredients so he could craft this 'Divine Water of Life'. And in order to do that, he needed to find an artefact that could protect him from the overwhelming heat of the Demon's Castle.

Jin-Woo settled down in the backseat of the taxi and told the driver his destination.

"To the Korean Hunter Auction, please."

The taxi driver took a glance through the rear-view mirror and grinned brightly.

"Well, you must be going there to sell something good, am I right? I hear that the minimum trading price starts at around tens of millions of Won."

Instead of a reply, Jin-Woo simply formed a thin smile.

Gulp.

The driver swallowed his saliva.

By saying that he wanted to go to the Hunter Auction to sell something, that youth was declaring that he was a Hunter; and the driver needed to be extra careful when dealing with Hunters.

There were more than a few among the Hunters possessing somewhat of 'particular' personalities that were just as strange as their powers. If the driver made a mistake and got on the bad side of this youth, a big incident might break out.

'Well, this young man doesn't look like one of those people, but still, it's better to be on the cautious side, no?'

The driver remained mindful of Jin-Woo's moods and kept his mouth shut, and thanks to that, the interior of the taxi was left largely quiet during the drive. Jin-Woo used this part of the trip to search the internet.

Various articles, social media sites, as well as portal communities etc., were all filled with the discussion regarding the new rank S Hunter. Rhee Min-Seong used to be the number one most-searched-for topic until this morning, yet his name could no longer be seen in the top 10 now.

'Tsk.'

Jin-Woo clicked his tongue.

'I didn't expect it to be this crazy, though.'

Sure, he did expect some amount of attention, but he definitely didn't believe that it'd become such a hot trending topic at all.

Then again…

There were only ten in South Korea.

If one were to exclude two who died or had emigrated to elsewhere, then there were only eight rank S Hunters in the country, so how could the response of its citizens not be feverish?

'Wait, why was it quiet back when Cha Hae-In became a rank S?'

Because the ninth rank S Cha Hae-In was almost never exposed to the media, Jin-Woo thought his case would be similar to that. But when he searched this and that, he eventually discovered that, once Cha Hae-In had become a rank S, she requested the Association to keep most of her details confidential.

'Just by requesting the Association, both the media and Guilds can't even rely on laws to approach you.'

If there was such a convenient method available, why didn't the Association President tell him about this?

'….Ah.'

Jin-Woo recalled the question he got just as he was about to enter the examination area. Back then, the Association President asked him this:

"Have you thought of a Guild to join?"

"No, not yet."

Did he ask because of that?

If he were to request confidentiality, then Guilds wouldn't have been able to approach him, so it was likely that the Association President deliberately hadn't said anything.

'Well, that's that, I guess.'

Jin-Woo requested confidentiality from the Association while online, and rang up the Korean Hunter Auction.

Click.

"Welcome to Korean Hunter Auction."

"I'd like to get an artefact appraised. I'm on my way there, but will it be okay?"

"Yes, of course. However, what type of an artefact would you like to get appraised?"

"It's a bead containing an amplification effect on one's magic."

"Ah. A magic tool that can amplify….. By the way, seeing that you're already aware of the artefact's effects, you must have had it appraised elsewhere?"

"Indeed I have, but they weren't really all that trustworthy so I wanted to get the Hunter Auction's opinion."

"Hahaha. You made the right choice. There is no one out there that can correctly estimate the value of an artefact better than us."

The conversation was halted for a moment as if the other party was jotting something down, but it soon resumed.

"So, may I ask, what was the amplification percentage detected from the previous appraisal?"

"It was 100%."

"Pardon me?"

"It was a one hundred percent amplification effect."

"…."

The voice over the phone came out after a short pause.

"My apologies, but may I ask if you're a Hunter?"

"Yes, I am."

"In order for the smooth appraisal process, we require the identity of the seller. Can you provide us with your rank and your name, please?"

The corners of Jin-Woo's lips arched up.

'I knew this would happen.'

Would the Hunter Auction even talk to him if he wanted to sell this nonsensical artefact when he was still a rank E Hunter? It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he got re-evaluated precisely for this moment.

Jin-Woo confidently declared.

"It's rank S. Name's Seong Jin-Woo."

Chapter 96: Chapter 96

Jin-Woo soon arrived at the Hunter Auction.

The main building was not tall but was rather wide, leading to an initial impression that, instead of an office building, it was more like a museum or an art gallery. The massive car park seemed to scream out loud 'We'll accommodate everyone regardless of whether the participants are in the hundreds or in the thousands!'

The impressive building was standing in the middle of that parking lot.

One could easily guess just how much money the Hunter Auction was making through commissions from the artefact trade.

Jin-Woo exited from the taxi and made his way towards the building, but even before he could take a couple more steps, a formally-dressed man suddenly ran outside first.

"You must be Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim."

"Yes, I am."

The man checked Jin-Woo's face and formed a surprised expression. But, he quickly remembered his role and greeted the youth with a welcoming tone of voice.

"My name is Kim Jeong-Ki from the Hunter Auction Appraisal Department. We talked on the phone. Please, follow me."

Jin-Woo lightly nodded his head.

While leading Jin-Woo towards the appraisal room, Kim Jeong-Ki's mind was racing.

'The new rank S that disappeared from the reporters only a short while ago is standing right behind me.'

When he first received the call, he thought it had to be some kind of a prank.

First of all, the supposed effect of the artefact sounded nonsensical, and more importantly, it was because the guy on the phone said that he was the rank S Hunter announced earlier in the day.

'I almost ended up insulting a rank S Hunter, didn't I?'

Just how frightened was he after the Hunters Association confirmed that the phone number did indeed belong to Hunter Seong Jin-Woo?

He should thank the lucky stars that he followed the book and didn't rudely dismiss the call outright.

[….Now officially registered in his new rank, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo has jumped up over five levels in rank, from E to S, through his Re-Awakening process, and it's revealed that he possesses Mage-type abilities….]

Even now, this young man's face could be seen plastered on the TV screens mounted on various parts of the Auction house. Perhaps he himself found it a bit too much, since the youth pulled his hood low to hide his face.

They weren't even talking about Kim Jeong-Ki, but for some reason, he felt a bit flattered as the news broadcast continued to mention Jin-Woo's name.

'Should I ask him if we can take a selfie together?'

He shook his head, though. If he wasn't currently at work, he'd have 'requested' for a selfie as well as some autographs. However, he couldn't do something that rude to a client coming in for an important trade. He had to persevere and hold tight for the time being.

'Was the corridor from the entrance to here this short?'

They arrived at the appraisal room while several thoughts fleeted in and out of his head. Kim Jeong-Ki spoke with a wistful expression.

"It's this way."

The head of the Appraisal Department, as well as the company's best appraiser, were anxiously waiting inside this wide room. They even gave up on lunch just to be here.

Seeing Jin-Woo's face, the department head's eyes opened wider.

'It's really the same guy from the news!'

Meanwhile, the appraiser nervously swallowed his dry saliva.

'In that case, the magic amplification tool is really….??'

No, nothing was certain, yet. Just because the guy was real, that didn't mean the stuff would be real, too. The appraiser repeated this in his head as if to calm himself down.

Even the best magic amplification artefact created with top materials by the world's greatest artefact maker pouring out his soul would not exceed 50% in effect.

And then, gathering of the right materials itself would not be easy, not to mention that the manpower necessary and time required to make one should be ridiculous as well. One might consider himself lucky if he got to see one of those artefacts popping up in the market once every few years.

There were willing Mage-type Hunters from around the world lining up in a long-a*s queue to buy such items, but there was literally nothing to sell to them.

Well, there was no need to go as far as the 'world' here.

Even locally, the Mage-type Hunter, and often referred to as the Ultimate Weapon, Choi Jong-In was seriously determined to purchase an amplification artefact with '50% or more' effect.

But then, a Hunter who might be a rank S but not widely known, came to visit the Auction while carrying an artefact with 100% amplification effect?

'That must be nonsense….'

The story was so inconceivable that, if only the guy wasn't the top-ranked Hunter, they would've kicked him in the a*s and thrown him out of the premises already.

However….

They couldn't refuse admittance to a rank S Hunter. Even if today's matter ended as a whole heap of nothing, this man would no doubt become an important client in the future.

'Well, there's nothing to lose here.'

The appraiser spoke to Jin-Woo, his face a mixture of a slight expectation and several times greater misgiving.

"May…. May I take a look at that artefact?"

Both Kim Jeong-Ki and the department head also stared at Jin-Woo with tense expressions.

"Alright."

While pretending to take it out from his pocket, Jin-Woo summoned the Bead of Avarice from his Inventory.

"So, this is…."

The appraiser adjusted his glasses and stared at the beautiful round blood-coloured bead. It was an item possessing a certain magnetic charm that made the onlookers gasp out in astonishment involuntarily.

The two men from the Appraisal Department expressed their admiration under their breaths.

"H-mm…."

However, the appraiser was tilting his head while adjusting his glasses again.

"This doesn't look like an artefact made from a magic crystal or a Mana Stone. Am I correct?"

"Yes, you're right."

The appraiser nodded his head.

'As I thought.'

He had been an appraiser for seven years already. He was able to observe countless artefacts until now, but he hadn't seen a single crystal emitting a crimson hue like this one.

Most regular crystals emitted a clean bluish tinge, and the higher the grade, the darker they got.

However, this one was a red colour?

The appraiser continued to tilt his head this way and that, before receiving the bead.

When he did….

'W-what is this?'

Suddenly, he felt a chill run down his spine. It was because of the unidentifiable power he sensed from the crystal bead.

'C-could it be….??'

He was frightened out of his wits as he stared at the magic bead. The appraiser was actually a rank B Mage-type Awakened. And thus, he could immediately sense what kind of an item he was holding in his hand.

Cold sweat broke out all over him.

'Oh my god!'

Goosebumps formed on his skin because of the sheer power emanating from this magic bead, and he hurriedly raised his head to find Jin-Woo wordlessly staring back at him.

'If the person who brought this here was a low-rank Hunter, then I….'

This was his first time feeling like this.

He lost count how many priceless artefacts he had handled over the years, but this was the first and the only time he felt the strong desire to beat up the person bringing this item for appraisal and steal it.

Unfortunately, his opponent was a rank S.

'.....?'

Jin-Woo continued to silently stare. The appraiser managed to pull himself together and rein his desire in after receiving that stare.

'I wanted to rob a rank S?'

Never mind trying, he wouldn't even dare to imagine doing something like that to a Hunter with such a huge gap in power from him.

Just like how the appraiser did when he was looking at the bead, Jin-Woo was tilting his head at the appraiser now.

'What's the matter with him?'

Was he feeling unwell, somehow?

Nonetheless, the appraiser wiped the cold sweat off his forehead and spoke to the department head.

"Excuse me, director. Please turn the camera on."

"Ah! Yes, hold on."

The meaning behind that request was that the item in the appraiser's hand was not a fake. The department head's heartbeat increased rapidly.

The person to answer Jin-Woo's call first, Kim Jeong-Ki, also displayed a similar expression.

"Filming will commence now."

The department head shifted the camera lens over to the appraiser.

The appraiser walked over to the dish-shaped magic energy measuring device. First, he put the bead down and got himself measured.

Bleep-

Numerical values showed up.

Next up, he got measured again, but this time with the magic bead in his hand. The measured magic energy leaking out of the appraiser instantly doubled in value.

Bleep-

After confirming the results, Kim Jeong-Ki's complexion paled.

"How could this be…..?"

The department head also hurriedly approached closer and confirmed the results, too.

'100 percent?! It's really a magic tool possessing 100% amplification effect???'

His heart began pounding harder.

The average commission the Hunter Auction earned from assisting with the artefact trade was around five percent. If an item sold for around 100 billion Won, then they would earn about 5 billion from the deal.

However, even with his vast experience, he could not estimate just how much this crimson magic bead could be sold for.

'This is a huge jackpot! A jackpot!!'

If there were no one looking, he'd have cried out "Hooray!!" and hug the subordinate employee next to him. Just how much sales incentive would he receive if the deal goes through successfully?

The overwhelming excitement left him utterly breathless.

Kim Jeong-Ki's reactions were not too different from his superior. He clenched his fists tightly with an ecstatic expression on his face.

'Yes!!'

If he could get recognised for today's work, then it'd be only a matter of time before he got a promotion.

"I… will move on to demonstration next."

The appraiser spoke with great difficulty, his voice trembling non-stop. The two men from the Appraisal Department quickly distanced themselves.

Jin-Woo also took a few steps back.

The camera was filming everything quite well. If one were to appeal to the potential buyers, actual footage was far more effective then simple numerical values.

The appraiser's eyes were directed towards the camera.

"Let's get started."

The blizzard the size of a truck's wheel began raging on the appraiser's right hand. He continued on.

"While maintaining this magic energy, I shall touch the magic bead."

The moment his left hand touched the 'Bead of Avarice'….

Wheeeeeeiiing-!!!

The blizzard dancing on his hand rocked the entire appraisal room.

"Heok!!"

If the stunned appraiser hadn't cancelled his magic quickly, the entire room might have frozen solid in an instant.

"Turn the camera off, please."

"Ah, yes."

The department head nodded and ran to the camera to turn it off. With that, the artefact appraisal process had been concluded.

'Fuu….'

Jin-Woo was worried after sensing the magic energy exploding out of the appraiser's hand, but in the end, he got to breathe a sigh of relief. It wasn't just him, though, as everyone present in the room also spat out long sighs to calm their trembling hearts.

Almost instantly, silence descended in the room.

Jin-Woo quietly asked.

"How much do you think it'll go for?"

Could he be able to buy the artefact he wanted after selling this guy off?

Well, besides that, he was also genuinely curious about how much a magic tool capable of amplifying one's magic by 100% would go for.

The appraiser stared at the 'Bead of Avarice' with a look of incredulity.

"This…. How can I even think about putting a price tag on this….."

His gaze shifted over to Jin-Woo.

Gulp.

He swallowed down his dry saliva.

Just where did this man acquire an artefact like this? This wasn't a problem the appraiser should worry about. He knew that, but still, he couldn't hold back and asked anyway.

"Where did you find this?"

Jin-Woo looked at Kim Jeong-Ki, not the appraiser, and asked instead.

"Is that question also necessary for a smooth transaction?"

Kim Jeong-Ki avoided meeting his gaze as if he was feeling sheepish, and scratched the back of his neck. The appraiser quickly shook his head.

"No, not at all. It's just that, I…. I was just too surprised, that's all. However, when the existence of this magic tool is revealed to the public, everyone would no doubt grow curious about its origins."

Indeed, the other two men present seemed to be dying of curiosity as well.

'Well, I guess it doesn't really matter.'

There was no reason not to answer if they asked him. It wasn't as if he acquired this bead through less-than-honest means, and also, even if others know, none of them would be able to find another one for themselves, anyway.

Jin-Woo's lips parted.

Three other people in the room held their breaths and focused on Jin-Woo's answer, wondering just what might come out of his mouth.

Jin-Woo simply grinned and replied.

"I picked it up in a dungeon."

Baek Yun-Ho returned to his private office.

"I wish to be left alone for a while, so don���t let anyone in."

Maybe he found ordering his secretary wasn't enough, he even locked the door, too. Only after that, he switched on his computer. And then, using the authority afforded to a rank S Hunter, as well as a Master of a Guild, he began perusing every information he could get his hands on.

'Can it really happen?'

Baek Yun-Ho couldn't stop thinking about Jin-Woo.

A Hunter that could grow stronger?

But, if not that, then how could anyone explain that man's strength that had increased to an unrecognisable degree in only a few days?

Baek Yun-Ho's fingers moved quite quickly.

He logged in to the special Hunter website that only the top-ranked Hunters around the world could access, and searched for any information related to this matter. Unfortunately, it was a waste of time.

'There's nothing….'

There was not one Hunter who could improve their stats all by themselves. No, they could only grow stronger through pure luck, also known as Awakening, or Re-Awakening process.

So, should he call that man not as a Hunter, but someone chosen by the gods?

Countless windows repeatedly popped up, only to disappear, and countless texts filled the computer screen without a moment's rest. Three hours passed by like that.

Getting fatigued from the long hours spent on searching, Baek Yun-Ho leaned against the back of his chair.

'Maybe, I overreacted?'

That could've been a possibility.

Because he was too shocked by the incredible strength Hunter Seong Jin-Woo displayed, he could've thought up a crazy theory as a way to explain that.

"…Hahaha."

What was he doing when things remained so hectic?

Rather than wasting time like this, he should be sending another offer to Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, instead. Who knows, that quick-witted Chairman Choi could already be visiting Hunter Seong Jin-Woo with a contract in his hand by now.

Baek Yun-Ho chuckled wryly and began closing all the windows one by one. But, when only a single window was left open….

'Wait a minute….'

Just for fun, he typed 'Hunter level up ability' in the search engine. Of course, there was no result to speak of. Baek Yun-Ho wasn't expecting anything tangible, to begin with, when he typed that, anyway. It was just that, he was unconsciously repeating the actions he'd perform when searching for something online.

'Now that I think about it…. I haven't had lunch today.'

He slowly rubbed his tummy as he belatedly sensed his hunger. Baek Yun-Ho was about to log off the search engine altogether, but then, his eyes gleamed brightly.

'.....?'

He spotted a certain link with some words below it, found on the fifth page of the search results.

If the linked address wasn't the forum only Hunters could sign up with, he'd have ignored those words and move on.

Baek Yun-Ho quickly moved the mouse.

[Title: Something weird has happened to me.]

[Description: I can suddenly see my Stats in numbers like in a video game, and I can even increase their values, too. Is there anyone who has experienced something similar to me?]

An 'anonymous' had opened a thread with those words.

However, how should Baek Yun-Ho describe this? When he read that, he could feel his breaths quickening, as well as his heartbeat, pounding faster and faster.

'Surely, others will think that I've lost my mind.'

Still, there was nothing to lose by confirming it. Baek Yun-Ho picked his phone up.

"Hello, sir."

Soon, the Section Chief of the Second Division, Ahn Sahng-Min, answered the call.

"I'd like you to find something out for me, please."

Baek Yun-Ho wanted to find out what Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was doing on the day this anonymous wrote those words.

"Yes, sir. I'll find out."

With a short but simple answer, the call ended.

Section Chief Ahn was a talented employee. If Baek Yun-Ho waited for a little while, then that man would find what he needed through any means necessary. However, the result arrived sooner than he expected.

'Already?'

Baek Yun-Ho quickly picked up the ringing phone.

"Sir, we fortunately still had some information on hand, so we were able to find what you wanted pretty quickly."

"Oh, really?"

Baek Yun-Ho smiled brightly.

Now that he thought about it, there once was a time when the entirety of the Second Division was focused on gathering intel on Hunter Seong Jin-Woo after Chief Ahn ordered them. Thanks to that, he didn't have to wait for long.

"Yes, sir. On that day, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim was…. Ah, looks like it was during that time. Sir, do you still remember the dual dungeon incident from a few months ago?"

"Yes, I remember."

"Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim was the sole survivor of that dual dungeon incident, actually. If I remember correctly, he was unconscious throughout the duration of his stay in the hospital."

"Oh…. Is that so."

Baek Yun-Ho formed a disappointed expression.

An unconscious man wouldn't be able to upload anything on the internet, after all.

'Increasing your Stat values…. There's no way such a thing is even possible.'

It all really was an unfunny waste of time in the end. He was getting somewhat tired now. He decided that he'd go home a bit early today and sleep, but then….

"Uh? Wait a minute, sir. Yes, he was indeed in a comatose state, but…."

From the phone's speaker, Ahn Sahng-Min's mystified voice came out.

"Looks like he woke up on that day, sir."

Chapter 97: Chapter 97

As soon as he heard that, Baek Yun-Ho quickly fixed his previously-slouched sitting posture.

'He woke up on that day?'

"Ah, actually, sir. He woke up on the previous day."

Ahn Sahng-Min amended his answer almost right away. But, Baek Yun-Ho thought that the time difference of one day wasn't important here. No, the truly important bit was the fact that the possibility of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo posting those words had not dissipated at all.

"….I see. That should be enough. Thank you for your help."

Baek Yun-Ho ended the call there, and after finding the folder containing a certain file on his computer, he opened it. It was the report compiled on Seong Jin-Woo by the Second Division.

Click, click….

Baek Yun-Ho paid greater attention to Jin-Woo's recent activities as he browsed through the information. He hadn't displayed anything particularly interesting before that incident. He lived a typical life of rank E Hunter – got injured often, didn't make a lot of money, etc.

However….

'After the dual dungeon incident….'

Baek Yun-Ho was present that day as well.

The Association urgently sought after the aid of the nearest large Guild, which was the White Tiger, and Baek Yun-Ho gladly led the elite assault team and went over there.

That's when he saw the sight of an unconscious young man being taken to the hospital in an ambulance.

'Well, I didn't know that was Seong Jin-Woo back then….'

Just what went down inside that dungeon?

In any case, Seong Jin-Woo had changed completely from that point onwards.

He used to quietly help out with the work of Association until then; but, not only he chose to join up with a freelancer raid team, he even cleared several rank C Gates in a single day, as well.

Without a doubt, something in him changed inside that dual dungeon.

'This is definitely not your typical Re-Awakening.'

Section Chief Ahn theorised that Yujin Construction was testing out Hunter Seong Jin-Woo's powers after he went through the Re-Awakening process, but….

'No, it's not.'

But, that wouldn't be able to explain the continued and rather speedy increase in that man's powers even though his Re-Awakening process should have ended by now.

So, what if….

'….What if, there is a Hunter who can continuously grow stronger?'

Not only that, his rate of growth was so fast that, within a span of a few months, his powers rose up from the rank E all the way up to rank S?

"…"

Baek Yun-Ho inadvertently let a gasp escape from his mouth.

It was a goosebumps-inducing idea, indeed. Of course, there was no evidence that the anonymous poster and Hunter Seong Jin-Woo were the same person.

However, if Hunter Seong Jin-Woo could increase his strength exactly like how it was written in that post, then just imagining how much further he could grow made Baek Yun-Ho dizzy.

And at the same time….

'I was being foolish.'

He finally understood why Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was so disinterested in signing up with a Guild.

'Thinking about it from his perspective….'

If he was given an ability where he could theoretically grow stronger infinitely, would he want to enter someone else's Guild?

Baek Yun-Ho shook his head.

'Nope, I'd rather make a Guild of my own.'

Who cared about the number one or two Guilds in the country? After all, his own would soon become the best, anyway.

'This…. Both Choi Jong-In and I have been wasting time chasing after a pipe dream, huh.'

Thinking about Chairman Choi who should be sweating profusely right about now while trying to woo Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, a wry chuckle automatically broke out of his mouth.

However….

'If my theory is correct, then this matter isn't something to laugh about.'

In the not too distant future, that man would surely become an existence that would get to control the community of Hunters in South Korea. No, Hunters of the entire world might focus all their attention on him, at this rate.

He needed to completely rethink the plan regarding Hunter Seong Jin-Woo now.

But before all that…

'I need to meet him face to face and confirm it first.'

Baek Yun-Ho nodded his head. No matter how hard he thought about it, meeting Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was the number one priority.

Unfortunately….

'….How am I supposed to ask him for a meeting??'

Baek Yun-Ho held his head tightly.

"…"

When he realised that he just made his mind up to meet with a man who didn't even reply once to the countless requests for a sit-down until now, his head already began throbbing from a migraine.

The appraiser spoke in a shocked tone of voice.

"You… 'picked' it up in a dungeon?!"

Jin-Woo nodded his head.

Technically speaking, he did 'pick' it up after defeating Vulcan in the Demon's Castle 'dungeon'.

So, he wasn't lying here, was he?

'You can find something like this inside a dungeon??'

'Well, it's not something the current level of craftsmanship can create….'

The appraiser who asked the question, as well as the two members of the Appraisal Department who heard the answer, all carried unconvinced expressions, but since the person himself said so, there was no other choice but to accept it.

And truth be told, it wasn't really important where this crimson magic tool came from.

'No, the important thing would be what this Hunter-nim wants to do with it.'

The department head took a step forward.

"It has been confirmed to be a real deal."

His gaze was fixed on the bead lying in Jin-Woo��s palm.

"Will you commence with the auction with us? We will ensure that you get the maximum amount for this article."

So, what should Jin-Woo do now?

Before he could decide on what to do with the 'Bead of Avarice', he asked for something else, first.

"By any chance, can I purchase a flame resistant defensive artefact here?"

The department head and Kim Jeong-Ki looked at each other. And then, they looked back at Jin-Woo with somewhat awkward expressions.

Jin-Woo was confused by that.

"Did I ask for something I shouldn't have?"

"No, not at all."

"Or is it really difficult to find a flame resistance armour, then?"

"Actually…."

The department head smiled and spoke.

"It's the exact opposite. It's really easy to acquire one."

"But, I couldn't find one online, though?"

"Weapons and defensive equipment with innate attributes cost a lot of money, so they don't normally appear online all that often. Even still, if you are looking for it, you should be able to find one very quickly. Well, fire-type magic is the most common attack magic spells there are, after all."

But, of course.

Most of the Mage-type Hunters Jin-Woo met so far either wielded flames or rays of light. He heard that even the rank S Hunter Choi Jong-In specialised in flame attribute magic, too. Not only that, the Shadow Magic Soldiers he controlled also used flames, and even Fangs could breathe fire.

In other words, 'fire' type attacks were a pretty common sight.

'What a relief to hear that it's easy to find one.'

He did kinda feel a bit pressured after hearing that it would cost a lot, but his mother's treatment depended on him getting one. As long as he could find one quickly enough, he was willing to pay regardless of what the asking price was.

If the push came to shove, he could sell the 'Bead of Avarice', too.

"Can you find one for me?"

"Yes, of course."

The department head about to exit the appraisal room, but stopped and looked at Kim Jeong-Ki.

"Mister Jeong-Ki? Rather than having our guest wait here doing nothing at all, how about showing him around the items that will go up in auction soon?"

"Ah, of course. I will."

Kim Jeong-Ki stepped forward.

"Please, come with me."

So, two men headed off to the display hall exclusively reserved for the VIP clients that exhibited only those ultra-expensive artefacts about to be auctioned off, or still waiting for their willing buyers.

Weapons, armours, Rune Stones, etc., were displayed inside clear glass cases. Jin-Woo stopped in front of a glass display case that contained a longsword. Kim Jeong-Ki approached him.

"Do you see something you're interested in?"

"No, it's not that, but…."

Jin-Woo lightly knocked on the glass case.

"Can you really protect these artefacts with such a thin glass? I don't see any particular security system in here, either."

Kim Jeong-Ki formed a proud expression.

"They may look that way, but these glasses are reinforced with powerful magical energy by the very best craftsmen. Nothing would happen even if a melee-type rank A Hunter hits them with everything he has."

"Even when a rank A hits it….?"

Seeing that Jin-Woo seemed rather unconvinced, Kim Jeong-Ki smirked and carried on.

"If you don't believe me, how about hitting the glass once? If you manage to break it, then I might give you the artefact found inside, Hunter-nim."

"Hmm…."

Was this reinforced glass really that strong?

'I can sense some magic energy in it, but…'

Now feeling genuinely curious, Jin-Woo began gathering strength in his right arm to test it out.

Fuu-wook!

In an instant, his shoulder and forearm expanded, and the surrounding air sank under the heavy pressure.

"H-hold on!!"

Kim Jeong-Ki hurriedly blocked Jin-Woo's way.

"I was only just joking! I wasn't really asking you to hit it, you know."

"….Oh. I see."

"If the case really breaks, then the elites of the Hunters Guild will rush over here. Our Auction house and the Hunters have signed a security contract, you see."

"Aha."

….This man, telling joking as if he's being earnest.

Jin-Woo withdrew his strength. As soon as the heavy pressure emanating from him was lifted, Kim Jeong-Ki quickly breathed a sigh of relief.

'By the way, this guy… Wasn't he supposed to be a Mage-type Hunter??'

He was supposed to be a Mage-type Hunter, yet why was his aura so outrageous?

Kim Jeong-Ki wasn't joking when he told Jin-Woo to hit the glass.

He was thinking that, even though this youth was a rank S, he was a Mage-type, so his physical strength couldn't actually be that high. But then, when Jin-Woo began concentrating, all the hair on Kim Jeong-Ki's body stood up and instinctively, he knew that he had to stop the youth.

What a relief it was that Jin-Woo backed off without raising a fuss.

'Well, Hunter-nim's hand might get hurt if something went wrong, so this is fine.'

Kim Jeong-Ki consoled himself like that and guided Jin-Woo to other artefacts on display.

After taking a look around once, Jin-Woo asked.

"Isn't there anything that I can actually touch? Daggers, if possible."

Since he wasn't really the type who depended on weapons, he hadn't paid much attention to the matter until now, but after taking a look at the various equipment on display, he suddenly became curious.

Kim Jeong-Ki's expression brightened.

The reason for showing off these artefacts to Hunters was exactly for moments like this. Hunters may be sellers, but they were also valuable clients as well.

"Of course, we have them."

After replying, Kim Jeong-Ki used the mic attached to the collar of his suit just below his neck to summon the staff member in charge of the weapons.

Fearing that Jin-Woo might change his mind, the staff member quickly arrived.

"And this gentleman is?"

The staff signalled with his eyes, and Kim Jeong-Ki nodded his head.

"Ah, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm in charge of the weapons section. Please come with me."

The staff member guided Jin-Woo and they exited from the VIP display hall.

After seeing those two off, Kim Jeong-Ki spat out another sigh.

'This Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim seems to possess a talent for surprising people, doesn't he?'

After regaining some of his calm, Kim Jeong-Ki disinterestedly took a look around him, before he walked over to the glass case with the longsword Jin-Woo seemed to be interested in earlier.

He checked the glass case to see if there was a fingerprint or something since Jin-Woo had been standing pretty close to it, but then, he tilted his head slightly.

"Ng?"

Something was on the upper side of the case.

"What the heck?"

He spotted a crack in the corner of the glass case that was so small, it was easy to miss with naked eyes.

"Since when did this happen?"

He pulled out a handkerchief and rubbed it, but sure enough, it didn't get wiped away. It wasn't some dirt, but an actual crack.

"Well, I'll be."

Kim Jeong-Ki frowned deeply.

How disappointed Hunter Seong Jin-Woo would've been, someone who could be one of their most important clients, if he saw that?

It was a small relief that the crack was near the corner of the case in a hard-to-spot location.

"Tsk, tsk."

Kim Jeong-Ki tutted audibly and summoned the maintenance team, before exiting from the VIP display hall, like Jin-Woo had done.

Jin-Woo picked up the dagger that the staff member in charge gave to him. If he were being honest, it was rather lousy in quality.

'It's far worse than the Knight Killer, which is ranked at rarity B.'

The attack power was not even half of the Knight Killer, too. With a disappointed expression on his face, Jin-Woo returned the dagger.

"How much is this guy?"

"It's 30 million Won." (TL: Around $26,830)

Jin-Woo's eyes widened.

How much did he say for this measly little dagger??

"How much??"

"30 million Won, Hunter-nim."

"H-hold on."

Jin-Woo turned around, and while pretending to rummage around, he summoned the Knight Killer and showed it to the staff member.

"Okay, how much would this guy go for, then?"

It was now the turn of staff to widen his eyes.

"Is this your current weapon? Wowsers. I can definitely sense the touch of a great artisan from this dagger!"

'No, well, I bought it off the Store, though….'

The staff member hesitated slightly, before raising his voice with a grin.

"It won't be accurate since I'm not a dedicated appraiser, but at the bare minimum, I think it should cost well over 100 million Won."

Jin-Woo's expression hardened.

'But, uh, I paid 3 million Gold for it in the Store?'

Or was it more like 2.8 million?

Seeing Jin-Woo's expression, the staff member embarrassedly scratched the back of his head.

"Was I wrong? Since I'm a specialist when it comes to weapons, I thought I could give it a shot, even though it's not really my place."

"No, it's nothing like that."

Indeed, Jin-Woo was simply shocked by the sky-high price tag, that was all.

But, well….

The first real weapon he held, Kim Sahng-Sik's steel sword and its attack damage of 10, was supposedly over three million Won in price, while Yu Jin-Ho's equipment, which the kid didn't really get to use all that much, also commanded price tags of over 100 million each.

So, he shouldn't have been surprised by the fact that items with high Stats sold in the System's Store could potentially fetch high asking price in real life, too.

'It's just that I didn't pay attention to that side of things until now.'

Because he wasn't too interested in making a quick buck.

'Wait a minute….'

Currently, he had so much Gold stored in his Inventory that it was practically bursting at the seams. However, if he could buy items from the Store with that accumulated Gold, and then sell them off at a really high price?

Jin-Woo's head spun pretty quickly then.

'Doesn't this mean I won't have to sell the Bead of Avarice?'

Just as his thoughts arrived at this point….

Waaaaahhh-!!

Were his emotions to blame?

He thought he could hear the loud cheers of the Magic Soldiers hidden inside his shadow.

Chapter 98: Chapter 98

"Holy cow! Oppa, those reporters are still outside the building!"

Jin-Ah spoke while looking out of the window.

It was already late in the evening. Reporters who hadn't given up yet were still gathered around in front of the apartment's entrance like a storm cloud.

"Look!! Up there!"

After discovering the silhouette of a person by the window, they hurriedly operated their cameras, thinking that it was Jin-Woo.

Click, click, click!!

Seeing all those camera flashes suddenly exploding from here and there, Jin-Ah jumped up in fright and quickly shuttered the curtains. She turned around and sighed softly like a timid little animal.

"Whew…."

Having returned from the Hunter Auction, Jin-Woo was thinking of taking a bit of a well-deserved rest, but he was carrying a rather stiff expression at the moment.

"Should I go downstairs and say something?"

It was fine for those folks to disrupt his rest. However, he was more worried about them disrupting his sister's studies. Jin-Ah was a high school senior, about to take the most important test of her life.

Wasn't this the time when some overly-sensitive kids would throw a tantrum just because of the faint footsteps outside their doors disrupting their studies?

'Well, Jin-Ah isn't the type to raise a fuss over stuff like this, but….'

But, still – could she even be able to concentrate with all these distracting noises coming from the outside?

Just as Jin-Woo was getting prepared to step forward….

"Nonono, don't do it."

….Jin-Ah quickly waved her hands about.

"Oppa, you're already being slagged off in the internet, you know? So, can you imagine what they'll say if you chase away the reporters?"

"Slagged off?"

'Since when did I do something worthy of that treatment??'

As Jin-Woo tilted his head this way and that, Jin-Ah accessed one of the news articles online with her phone and pushed it forward. So, he took it from her.

'...'

On the screen, he could see the photo of him standing in front of the Association's entrance, relaxedly answering his phone while being surrounded by a sea of reporters.

Maybe because a professional snapped that shot, even a plain guy like him came out looking pretty good, so he was happy about that. However, when he took a look a bit lower down….

'His attitude sucks.'

'He already doesn't care about the reporters.'

'He's way too cool for himself.'

Countless comments with similar nature were posted below the article, and the highest upvoted comment was 'Mom, I've become a rank S!!'

Because the photo and the comment went so well along with each other, Jin-Woo ended up breaking out in a grin.

Jin-Ah in turn became flabbergasted from his reaction.

"How can you smile from that?!"

"But, it is funny."

"…."

When Jin-Woo showed her the top upvoted comment, Jin-Ah too nearly broke out in laughter, but somehow managed to suppress it. And, perhaps as a rebound….

"No, wait a minute! That's not important, is it?!"

With a slightly flushed face, Jin-Ah raised her voice.

"Why did you have to answer your phone there?? I mean, there were so many reporters present, you know! Thanks to you, everyone now knows my name!"

Jin-Woo replied confidently as if he couldn't be fazed by anything.

"Do I really need to observe reporters and their moods when answering my little sister's call?"

"Euk!!"

Jin-Ah became speechless. No matter how hard she thought about it, he wasn't wrong, so she couldn't readily come up with a suitable rebuttal.

'….I simply can��t win against him in an argument.'

Jin-Woo handed the phone back to her.

"Here."

Jin-Ah took the phone back with a slightly testy face, and opened her mouth.

"In any case, I'll be fine, so oppa, don't mind the reporters, okay?"

"Okay. Got it."

Jin-Woo nodded his head.

If the current situation persisted, then he might have done something, but then again, the Association did call him earlier to say that these reporters should all receive orders to stay far away from him in a day or two.

'Well, I can endure that.'

And there was also Jin-Ah not wanting to inflate the situation any further, too.

"By the way, just what on earth happened here?"

Jin-Ah looked at her brother with a pair of mystified eyes.

"My own oppa became a rank S Hunter, and reporters are camping outside our house, too…."

Some said that it'd be difficult to run into a rank S Hunter even once in your entire life, yet there was one standing right in front of her. Not only that, he was her older brother, no less.

Pretty much anyone would react the same way if they were in her shoes. Jin-Ah sounded as if she couldn't quite believe it.

Too bad, she had no choice but to adjust to the new reality sooner rather than later.

'Just like how I had to.'

Jin-Woo smirked softly.

And, in order to soothe his sister and her still-stunned heart, he lightly pinched Jin-Ah's cheeks. Of course, she reacted in the same manner as in the past by kicking him, but….

"Ouch!!"

She instead grabbed her foot and jumped up and down in pain.

"Heeiing~."

Jin-Ah glared at him from the corners of her eyes as if this was just too much, while Jin-Woo could only shrug his shoulders. It seemed that she'd need quite a lot of time to get used to the fact that her oppa was now a rank S Awakened.

"Oppa, I guess you'll become a lot busier now, right?"

Jin-Ah cautiously asked him.

"Mm."

Jin-Woo nodded his head.

There were lots of things he wanted to do, and plenty of work to get through, too – but for now, clearing the Demon's Castle took priority. He even resorted to buying a flame-resistance defensive artefact for the sole purpose of conquering the upper floors, after all.

His own funds came up ridiculously short so his heart nearly fell to the pit of his stomach, but thankfully, he was able to use one of the Store's rarity 'A' items as collateral and got a loan from the Hunter Auction.

'I'm in debt as soon as becoming a rank S….'

For some reason, a wry chuckle escaped from his lips.

Well, as long as the items from the Store could be sold off at high prices in auctions, that debt would be wiped clean in an instant, though.

"In that case, it'd get harder to see you, right?"

Hearing that he might get a lot busier in the future, Jin-Ah formed a slightly rueful expression. Indeed, being alone would be a lonesome task.

Without saying anything, Jin-Woo placed his hand on Jin-Ah's head.

A few days from now….

Once he cleared the Demon's Castle dungeon, there would never be another day when his sister would have to house-sit all alone.

'I'll make sure that happens for real.'

It was then.

Jin-Woo's eyes narrowed to a slit. His gaze shifted toward the front door.

'Someone's coming this way.'

Jin-Ah also noticed her brother's tense aura. She asked, sounding a little anxious.

"Oppa?"

"Stay in your room for a bit, okay?"

"What's the matter?"

A presence climbing out of the elevator was walking straight to here now.

'It's a Hunter….?'

The suspicious presence emitted a thin and weak magic energy. Jin-Woo couldn't sense any hostile intentions from this presence, but still, he didn't feel like humouring an uninvited guest.

Did a Guild send someone over? Or, was it a foolhardy reporter placing too much faith in his own Awakened powers?

Didn't matter which was which – Jin-Woo wasn't a gracious enough person to accept with a smile an uninvited guest trying to invade the privacy of his home, when the hour was already well past ten in the evening.

Jin-Woo stood before the door.

'With that kind of power…'

He didn't need to summon his weapons. Jin-Woo lightly loosened his muscles. He tilted his head left and right, and his neck issued cracking noise.

And, as he expected….

Thud, thud.

Someone 'knocked' on the door, causing Jin-Ah to run into her room in a bit of surprise. Jin-Woo quietly opened the door.

Clang.

And from the slowly-widening gap of the door, a familiar face of a man could be seen. The man spoke.

"Hyunnng-nim…."

He was even sniffling, too.

Yu Jin-Ho and his reddened nose were standing in front of the door, sniffling like a little kid.

"….."

Jin-Woo was so dumbstruck that he stood there in a total daze, prompting Yu Jin-Ho to tearfully speak up.

"Hyung-nim. I got kicked out of the house. Dad kicked me out."

"…"

Now that Jin-Woo took another look, there was a backpack as big as Yu Jin-Ho slung on his back. He was even carrying quite a lot of luggage in both of his hands, too.

"…..Wait, didn't you live alone already?"

"Well, that…."

Sniff.

"The villa I was living in was under father's name, and he took it away. He even blocked all my bank accounts."

A father blocking his son's bank accounts. All of them. What a movie-like situation that was, but well, this being the top businessman in South Korea, Chairman Yu Myung-Hwan, it sounded rather plausible.

Besides all that, though – what did this kid do to get on his father's bad side like this?

When Jin-Woo stared with a pair of questioning gaze, Yu Jin-Ho spoke up, his voice trembling.

"So, like, I was wondering, hyung-nim. Can I impose on you for the time being?"

Creaaak….

Clank.

Jin-Woo quietly closed the door, and even proceeded to lock it.

Click.

Worried Jin-Ah had been observing the situation from her room, and once Jin-Woo turned away from the door, she quickly jogged next to him and asked.

"Oppa, who was that? Do you know him?"

Jin-Woo shook his head.

"Nope. Never met him before."

"You really don't know him? But, why did he come to our place, then?"

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure he got the wrong address."

"…..Really?"

But, it sure didn't look like that, though.

As Jin-Woo gently but firmly pushed his still-suspicious little sister back into her room, Yu Jin-Ho's sorrowful voice continued to ring out behind him.

Thud, thud!!

"Hyuuung-niiim!! Hyung-niiiiim!!"

"Dear, don't you think you were being too harsh on Jin-Ho earlier today?"

"Hmph."

Yu Myung-Hwan roughly yanked at his tie.

What an insolent little child.

He was about to be gifted with the Yujin Guild, which would no doubt become the Yujin Construction's core business in the future, yet he dared to answer like that?

["I've decided to work for hyung-nim's Guild."]

What?

Follow 'hyung-nim', was it?

"That fool deserved it."

Yu Myung-Han snorted derisively.

If the boy wished to stand on his two feet, then he should do so on his own power, too.

The father thought that he'd teach his son about every choice being accompanied by responsibilities and consequences.

Was it because he was far too agitated? For some reason, it felt like his d*mn tie just didn't want to come undone. His clumsy and hasty hands caused the tie to be tangled up even more instead, prompting the lady of the Yu family to reach out with her hands.

"Let me do it for you."

Soon enough, the tie was easily loosened. Yu Myung-Han entrusted himself to his wife's skilful hands.

However….

The wife began giggling while holding his tie.

"What's the matter, dear?"

Yu Myung-Han was confused. She had been doing his ties for as long as they were together. So, she shouldn't have found his tangled up tie all that funny by now.

"My dear. Are you sure you're really angry?"

"Mm….??"

Did she eat something wrong? Why was she saying something so nonsensical?

Yu Myung-Han tilted his head slightly and took a look at his own reflection in the mirror.

'What the….'

He was surprised by what he saw.

Why did he look so pleased in the reflection, even though his mouth was busy spewing out complaints only until a second ago?

Feeling embarrassed now, Yu Myung-Han began rubbing his cheeks and chin.

"Today was the first time, wasn't it, dear?"

"What do you mean?"

"Jin-Ho rebelling against you."

"…."

That was why he was angry.

Just like how water flowed from the top to bottom, a large corporation would not be able to sustain its massive self if the orders from the top didn't get delivered to the rest. He believed it was the same story for running a family, as well.

That was why he maintained the exact same type of attitude he'd have when at work while he was home with his family, and he did not accept anyone going against his decisions.

However….

Even though he was feeling angry today, why didn't he feel bad about it, either?

'I'm angry, but not unhappy at the same time?'

This situation made no sense when he thought about it.

The madam spoke gently like a mother pacifying a child, as if she had already read everything in her husband's mind.

"Jin-Ho is trying to do something he feels passionate about for the first time in his life. So, how about cooling your anger a little and cheering him on from the side?"

"….."

Yu Myung-Han shut his mouth tight.

He found it a bit hard to decipher his own head at the moment.

"For the time being… I shall keep an eye on him."

"Of course."

The madam formed a sweet smile and received his jacket as he took it off. However, something happened then.

Yu Myung-Han stared at his wife's face.

"But, this is quite strange."

"What is strange, dear?"

"I can see two of your faces."

"Pardon?"

Just as the madam's eyes widened, Yu Myung-Han lost his balance and staggered unsteadily.

"Dear?!"

The frightened madam hurriedly tried to support Yu Myung-Han. He shook his head continuously, heavily gasps escaping from his mouth.

"Pant, pant….."

The madam's eyes opened wider.

'Why is there so much cold sweat?!'

Yu Myung-Han tried to keep his eyes wide open to forcefully beat back the sudden feeling of sleepiness, but in the end, lost his consciousness.

Yu Myung-Han reopened his eyes inside the VIP room located in the country's top university hospital.

One of the doctors in charge approached him to check up on Yu Myung-Han's complexion. They had been working in a 24-hour rotation schedule to keep an eye on his condition.

"Can you hear me, Chairman?"

"…."

Yu Myung-Han took a quick look around him, and immediately figured out where he was.

"How long have I been here?"

"You've been sleeping for the last two days."

Two days?

The person most likely to be picked as the role model for "hard working" would be Yu Myung-Han. He had never slept for more than five hours in a day in his entire life, no matter how tired he was.

"….."

Yu Myung-Han resolutely kept his mouth shut, before speaking up as if it was nothing.

"I guess I was quite tired, then."

He was indeed swarmed with various matters that kept him insanely busy recently. The sudden bout of vertigo and that unshakeable sleepiness were probably the side effects.

However, the doctor couldn't hide the seriousness from his expression.

Yu Myung-Han was the owner of the country's top company that employed tens of thousands of people. So, he was already a master at reading people's expressions.

Seeing the stiffening face of the doctor, Yu Myung-Han asked him.

"By any chance…. Have you discovered something wrong with my body?"