A king... The king must be greedier than any other. He must laugh louder and rage harder. He must exemplify the extreme of all things, good and evil. That is why his retainers envy and adore him. And why the flames of aspiration, to be as the king is, can burn within his people.
~Rider "Iskandar" (Fate/Zero)
....
"Guildmaster, that's…"
Ahn Sangmin finally explained his experiences with Sung Jinwoo, how he had first seen him, why he had hidden the man's existence until now, and how he had tried to get in contact with him. Listening to his story, Baek Yoonho nodded understandingly.
"If he had that amount of power, it makes sense that he would want to hide it. After all, there are certainly people in this world who do not want the attention of society."
However, that man had shown his abilities in front of many people this time. Of course, it was during an emergency, but it also meant that the man was ready to show himself to the world. And he also had the attitude of someone who doesn't care.
"I'm sure as long as it doesn't get out of hand, Sung Jinwoo-ssi won't blame Chief Ahn."
Ahn Sangmin nodded. Of course, there was no chance that what they discussed here would be leaked to the outside. Sung Jinwoo had his reasons, but at the same time, Baekho had no intention of inviting unwanted competition by revealing the truth.
"I understand that, but…"
What Ahn Sangmin was worried about was something else. The chief was afraid that, not knowing Sung Jinwoo's stern personality, the man didn't even answer his hundreds of calls. The Guildmaster might mess things up with his impatient personality. He wanted to avoid that at all costs.
"I think the Guildmaster contacting him directly is a bit…"
Baek Yoonho understood what Ahn Sangmin was worried about.
"Oh, I'm not trying to contact him about the recruitment."
"Oh? Then why…?"
"It's as Sung Jinwoo-ssi said last night."
Baek Yoonho realized it after listening to Park Heejin's story: Sung Jinwoo was the savior of the Baekho Guild. The man had rescued three of the new recruits of the Guild. On top of that, he had prevented the Dungeon Break of a Red Gate in their area and saved their reputation as well.
Even if it was the Association's fault, how much would the Guild's image fall if they lost all of their new recruits in this incident? Just imagining it made Baek Yoonho's stomach sink.
'To think that I was being so hostile to that savior.'
Baek Yoonho understood why Jinwoo was in a bad mood. Now knowing the full story, there was something the Guildmaster had to do.
"As a representative of Baekho, I would like to give my gratitude to Sung Jinwoo-ssi. I also have to apologize for my behavior last night."
'Oh, if it's just that…'
Ahn Sangmin fully agreed with his Guildmaster. Knowing the man's personality, the chief knew the S-ranker would not do something as low as bringing up the idea of recruitment while thanking Jinwoo.
"I understand."
Ahn Sangmin took his phone out and found Jinwoo's number.
"What's his number?"
Baek Yoonho also took his phone out.
"It's-"
"Ahn Sangmin was about to read off the number when he realized something weird. The chief raised his head.
"Er, Hunter Park Heejin-nim, why do you have your phone out?"
"Oh, er… haha…"
Park Heejin smiled awkwardly and put away her phone.
...…
South Korea's #1 Guild, the Hunters Guild.
The Guildmaster and active S-rank Hunter Choi Jongin was going over an interesting report.
"Is… this all true?"
Well, would he have bothered the Guildmaster with a false report? The Head of Recruitment, Jo Myunggi, nodded.
"Yes, sir. It's the information we've obtained from the Association today."
Every large Guild had a discreet line of contact in the Association, a spy of sorts. It was a little underhanded, but it was necessary to obtain information on new high-ranking Awakened Beings. And today, the Hunters Guild's line of contact had leaked an interesting tale. After looking over the report, Jo Myunggi decided to bring it to the Guildmaster's attention.
'The recently rising Baekho is one of the large Guilds after the Hunters Guild's position.'
The man thought it was worthy enough to look into. As expected, Choi Jongin was greatly interested.
"A C-rank Gate became a Red Gate? And the lone A-ranker and multiple B-rankers died, but two C-rankers came out alive? And they cleared the Dungeon? This is completely impossible."
Even if there was a single B-ranker among the survivors. Reading up and down the report, Choi Jongin shook his head.
"There is someone, a helper, who was left off this report."
Choi Jongin was completely sure. His extensive raiding experiences were telling him so. Jo Myunggi replied,
"The Association had also suspected as much, but…"
"But?"
"Baekho closed their mouths on the incident."
"And the Association's just going to let it go?"
"Well, I heard that there was some fault on the Association's end this time, so it looks like they don't want to escalate the issue."
"Hmm…"
Choi Jongin put a hand to his chin. It was the man's habit whenever he fell into thought. If they had made a mistake, the Association's attitude was understandable. But why was Baekho also maintaining silence? There was one answer,
"Looks like Baekho received help from someone that they don't want to reveal."
"I also think that way."
The two men were in agreement. Choi Jongin's head ran with quick calculations.
'A nameless helper that was able to save the low-rank Hunters in a difficult Dungeon where multiple high-rankers died…'
The S-ranker became filled with curiosity.
'A new recruit that didn't even receive a rank yet? Or a criminal that couldn't reveal their identity?' Or something else entirely.
It didn't matter. If it was a newbie, they would be recruited by the Hunters Guild. If it was a criminal, they would use it to besmirch the name of Baekho. Choi Jongin's eyes sparkled,"
"We have to find out who that was."
"Do you have a plan?"
"To smoke out a tiger, you set fire to his den."
Jo Myunggi could not hide his shock.
"You want to set Baekho on fire?"
"What?! No, I'm not crazy enough to light someone else's company on fire."
"Ah, sorry. But you know you have a reputation for your magic…"
There was a reason why Choi Jongin was called the "Strongest Soldier." If the Mage-class Hunter wanted, it was an easy feat for him to blow away a building or two. Anyway, Choi Jongin continued,
"No, no, I meant that we'll create a fire."
"Okay, you keep using that word, 'fire'-"
Jo Myunggi shut up when Choi Jongin's eyes flared.
"I mean, let's leak this to the press."
'Oooooooh!'
Jo Myunggi finally realized what his Guildmaster was saying.
"Just imagine the headlines, 'The Association's Mistake, a Large Guild's Misfortune, and the Mysterious Hunter behind it all.' Isn't this just what the press loves? And with the Aakivara Incident still being a hot topic, the press is especially looking for some Mysterious Hunter."
The head of recruitment nodded. "Do you mean it?"
"Yes, it doesn't matter if they are far from the truth, we can just let them do what they do best: connect 2+2 and make a 5 out of it."
Choi Jongin chuckled,
"Once the media's attention falls on Baekho, they'll have to eventually reveal the identity of their mysterious helper."
"That could work!"
Jo Myunggi also laughed. This was the opportunity to strike at Baekho, who was steadily coming after the Hunters Guild. The corners of Choi Jongin's mouth rose,
"Contact the reporters immediately."
...….
You've entered the Dungeon.
Jinwoo took in the Dungeon's air when he entered.
'Whew-'
Having been stuck in a field-type Dungeon for several days, the cave-type Dungeon's air felt new to him. Yoo Jinho followed in after him.
"What do you think the magic beasts will be this time?"
"I wonder…"
'I definitely sense something nearby.'
But he did not see anything. However, the moment he took a step, bodies started rising here and there from the floor of the cave.
dudududududu
dududududu
The humanoid magic beasts made out of rocks. Yoo Jinho remembered their names.
"Hyungnim, it's the stonemen. And Golems."
Jinwoo nodded. Of all the magic beasts that could be found in low-level Dungeons, the stonemen boasted the strongest defense. Basic logic called for magic to overcome the tough exteriors of the stonemen.
And Golems are just a better and evolved version of it.
"Here, hold this."
The man for whom basic logic did not apply handed the cylindrical object to Yoo Jinho.
'Holy!'
Not knowing what was inside, Yoo Jinho flinched as he took the object from Jinwoo, but nothing happened.
'Is it not a weapon?'
Meanwhile, Jinwoo stepped towards the stonemen and summoned Baruka's Tanto and FrostBite.
slash!
In an instant, a stoneman's head fell as it left freezing effects behind as the head fell to the floor. Jinwoo looked at Baruka's Tanto and FrostBite with satisfaction.
'Not bad.'
The smiling figure of Jinwoo moved faster than the eye could see.
step
The Hunter reappeared behind the group of stonemen. Ten magic beasts fell to the ground.
collapse
'My body feels a lot lighter since the Red Gate.'
Of course, the man was currently Level 87. Hunting the Bears, Ice Elves, Yetis, Ice Giants, Chenoo, Mammoth, and lastly a single Frost Behemoth had raised his levels by 2 from Level 85. Plus, his EXP bar is already around 80% full. The magic beasts of the C-rank Dungeon now felt like the goblins from E-rank Dungeons or even worse, normal humans.
'I don't think I need to take out a weapon if it's only this much.'
His warm-up was complete.
'Time to raise the speed.'
It was time for them to mobilize. Right on cue, more stonemen appeared from further down the cave.
'Come forth.'
As his order fell, the Shadow Soldiers waiting in his shadow all appeared behind him. A scream followed their appearance.
"AHHHH!!!!!"
Oh right. Jinwoo facepalmed.
'Forgot about him. or I didn't'
In his excitement, Jinwoo wanted to see the man's face.
"H-hyuuuungnim."
The young man was on his rear wagging a finger at the Shadow Soldier and Beast with unfathomable power. In their presence, he felt he would just die if they even glanced at him.
"W-what are those?"
"It's hard to explain… Just think of them as my skill."
"Y-you can make something like that with skill?"
Jinwoo nodded. Yoo Jinho could not close his mouth.
"Ah…"
"This is the secret ingredient I was looking for in those ten days of me missing, and my way to clear more than 10 dungeons a day."
This was his 12th Raid with hyungnim. The young man had thought that he had seen everything with Jinwoo. That was a grave mistake. As always, hyungnim was someone who surpassed all expectations.
gulp
Feeling a dangerous presence coming from the soldiers clad in pitch-black, huge breasts whose very presence placed great pressure on him, Yoo Jinho gulped. Jinwoo turned back to the magic beasts. The lumbering stonemen had already arrived before them. Jinwoo raised a chin.
"Go."
The Shadow had been waiting for that order.
STEP STEP STEP STEP
When the soldiers that neared 101 in number charged at the enemy, their combined movements shook the floors of the cave, especially the big ones. If they really try, they could create earthquakes. As the army included Iron, Igris, Zelos, Buster, Frost, Croc, Gold, Alpha, Beta, Dawn, Zero, Aella, Zink, Bumble Bee, Denk, Swift, Kluh, Cerberus, Vazl, who just returned to him a few hours ago with great news, and the Shadow Beasts, the weight of the army had certainly become heavier than anything.
'Feels like I've added a great deal of power to my army.'
Jinwoo looked at the scene with satisfaction. Once his forces were mobilized, the Dungeon was cleared in the blink of an eye. All that remained were the destroyed corpses of the stonemen. The C-rank Dungeon was obliterated in an instant. As for the boss, Gold used his speed, and in an instant, a head rolled on the ground, which he put in front of Jinwoo for his collection.
Wow-
Jinwoo was in marvel.
'At this rate, we can finish the remaining Raids in no time.'
It looked like the remaining eighteen Raids would be over soon.
step, step, step
After the battle, the Shadow Soldiers collected the magic cores and lined up in front of Jinwoo. At their head were Iron and Ygritte. The two knights stood at attention. When the Shadow Soldiers stopped their movements, Yoo Jinho was finally able to move. The young man nervously approached Jinwoo,
"Hyungnim, here…"
He returned the plastic bag with the cylindrical object back to Jinwoo. Jinwoo took out the tumbler and started drinking from it.
"Hyungnim, what is that?"
"Vegetable juice."
"Oh…"
"It's not bad."
*sip* *siiiip*
When the tumbler was nearly empty, Jinwoo asked,
"Jinho, how many Gates did we reserve today?"
The young man was in the middle of reaching out to touch the fur of a Shadow Beast and froze.
"Eight, hyungnim."
"Eight today, then ten after that. There is no need to delay it any longer."
"Then let's end it tomorrow. It doesn't matter if we have to travel a bit."
"Tomorrow?"
Yoo Jinho looked around. The traces of the massacred stonemen were all around them. The young man nodded.
'With this speed, it's more than Octuple Treble…'
"Understood, hyungnim. But…"
The young man hesitated, then spoke with difficulty,
"...Is it okay if I pick up the magic cores?"
"Why?"
"I feel like my job was taken away from me, hyungnim."
Jinwoo laughed.
'He's really an amusing guy.'
And a day later, Jinwoo completed the 30 Raids he had promised to Yoo Jinho. Or he wanted to.
.....
"Hyungnim! Now that we're done, how about a celebratory dinner?"
On the drive home, Yoo Jinho carefully brought up the subject.
"Celebratory dinner? Just us two?"
With the end of the final Raid, their raiding party had been disbanded. Han Songyi had told them she had somewhere to be, so it was just Jinwoo and Yoo Jinho in the car. Yoo Jinho shyly continued,
"Well… I've just been getting help from you left and right. I thought I'd treat you today."
Why was he so shy about just asking to eat together? Jinwoo grinned. The young man had offered to pay, so he didn't have any reason to refuse.
"Alright."
When Jinwoo casually agreed, Yoo Jinho's face noticeably lit up.
"Hyungnim! There's a high-class restaurant at a hotel that I know, how about it? Their steak is to die for."
"Nah, nothing like that."
Jinwoo wanted to eat with Yoo Jinho somewhere comfortable. A suitable restaurant came into view while driving.
*tap*
Jinwoo tapped the car window with his finger.
"How about there?"
"Ah, did you want some hanwoo beef?"
"No, next to it."
Yoo Jinho's eyes narrowed. Next to it… There was only one other restaurant.
[Flower Samgyupsal Day - Thin slice specialty]
"Are you talking about the thinly sliced samgyupsal place, hyungnim?"
"Do you not like samgyupsal?"
Yoo Jinho smiled brightly,
"No, hyungnim. I like it too."
After parking the van, the duo entered the shop, only to find it bustling. It was 7 PM, just about the time for most restaurants to be packed.
"Welcome."
A waiter greeted them with a smile.
"How many?"
"Two."
"Please, this way."
The waiter led them to a spot in a corner. Suddenly,
"Hold on."
Looking around the restaurant, Yoo Jinho gestured to an empty spot near the windows,
"Can we sit there?"
"Ah, I'm sorry. Those tables are reserved…"
It appeared that a large group had reserved a section of the restaurant. Yoo Jinho looked at the wide-open tables with disappointment, then shook his head. And so, the two men ended up being seated at a corner deep into the restaurant. Yoo Jinho lowered his head,
"I'm sorry, hyungnim."
"Hmm? What do you have to be sorry for? I was the one who wanted to come here."
"Still, I should've treated you to somewhere better."
Jinwoo smiled and tapped Yoo Jinho's shoulder,
"Don't worry about that and just enjoy the food, ya punk."
In fact, Jinwoo was worried that this cheap establishment might not have been to Yoo Jinho's expensive tastes.
'And I didn't want to mention it, but...'
Jinwoo looked around. The restaurant was packed with people. Because he had often spent time in quiet solitude at home, a lively atmosphere like this wasn't exactly bad.
"Here is samgyupsal for three and two bottles of soju."
Their order had arrived.
*sizzle*
The meat cooked nicely over the pan. The two Hunters dug into the food. One by one, pieces of meat disappeared from the pan. Fortunately, it looked like the young master of a chaebol liked the food.
"I often eat samgyupsal with my friends, hyungnim."
"Oh yeah? College friends?"
"Yep. Compared to the rich kids from expensive and prestigious schools, I get along much better with my peers from a normal college."
Jinwoo smiled and nodded as Yoo Jinho spoke. It was rather fitting of the young man he had gotten to know.
"Here, hyungnim."
Yoo Jinho poured Jinwoo a shot of soju.
"You too."
Jinwoo returned the gesture.
*gulp* *gulp*
They filled each other's glasses, clinked, then drank the shot in one go.
"Kyaaaah-"
However, compared to Yoo Jinho, who made a delicious expression, Jinwoo's face scrunched up in annoyance and realization.
"Huh? Hyungnim, is it not to your liking?"
"No. It's not that…"
Jinwoo stared at his empty glass. Amidst the busy schedule he maintained, he had forgotten about this.
*ring~*
A harmful substance has been detected.
The effects of the 'Detoxification' buff will be activated.
3, 2, 1… Detoxification complete.
'Right. I can never get drunk again.'
No matter how much he drank, the results were the same.
*ring~ ring~ ring~*
With the 'Longevity' buff in effect, all harmful effects were removed from Jinwoo. The soju he drank was nothing more than bitter water. Jinwoo cursed internally,
'Fuck.'
Rather than putting down this useless, bitter liquid, he was better off drinking soda.
"Excuse me,"
Jinwoo flagged a server,
"Could we get two more orders of samgyupsal and a bottle of soda?"
........
""So from now onwards, I am going to return to the old format, which means chapters would only be 2200 words rather than the current 3000 words. This is due to insufficient comments and powerstones ." - Remark.
Sorry if this disappoints you just like myself.