Chapter 15
"Ah, wait a moment."
Kim Dongjun removed the smartphone from his face and pressed the 'Mute' button on the screen.
"As a skilled A-rank hunter, you probably heard the whole conversation, so I'll keep it brief. You said this Lee Sungjun returnee is quite impressive. How about having him challenge this E-rank gate? If he succeeds, I'll provide additional rewards as requested, to the extent of my authority."
Kang Hyun's brow furrowed.
"That's nonsense."
The boss monster that appears in an E-rank gate is none other than a D-rank monster.
Generally, D-rank hunters are needed to hunt D-rank monsters.
And to become a D-rank hunter, it takes at least 3 months, sometimes up to 6 months.
Although returnees grow quickly, Lee Sungjun had been back on Earth for less than ten days.
Even Yoon Minsu, known as a Sword Master and one of the top hunters in Korea, took a month.
'And it's not just a regular D-rank, but a boss monster...'
This meant it would have special abilities or equipment. It could potentially have power half a rank, or even a full rank above its registered grade. To safely hunt a D-rank boss monster, a C-rank hunter would be needed.
Seeing Kang Hyun's darkening expression, a sardonic smile spread across Kim Dongjun's lips.
"If you don't like it, you don't have to do it. I won't force you. But since you're the one backing out of our agreement, don't bring up additional compensation again. Understood?"
"..."
Kang Hyun bit his lower lip hard, swallowing his anger at Kim Dongjun's outrageous condition.
In truth, he wanted to lash out at his superior, workplace hierarchy be damned.
But like all office workers know, Kang Hyun also knew that nothing would be solved that way.
Moreover, Kim Dongjun had enough connections in political and business circles to parachute into the position of director.
If he lost his temper and lashed out here, it would only create the worst possible situation.
He needed to find a way to navigate this conversation as calmly as possible.
"...I'll propose this to Returnee Lee Sungjun first."
Kang Hyun took out his smartphone from his suit pocket and began typing a message.
'I'm sorry.'
Though it was to find a way out, he felt deeply ashamed to be making such an absurd proposal to a promising talent, a future leader of Korea.
His hands trembled at his own insignificant position and incompetence.
'I will certainly apologize and make amends for today's rudeness.'
Just as Kang Hyun struggled to press the send button, swallowing hard-
Woong-
A reply arrived as if it had been waiting.
Thinking of the angry words that must be written in the message, a headache came on, and he could barely lift his head.
But stopping here would mean being manipulated according to Kim Dongjun's intentions.
He had to check it and try to negotiate additional compensation favorably.
Steeling himself, Kang Hyun touched his smartphone to check the arrived message.
-I'll leave right away. Please send me the exact gate location and report.
Kang Hyun's eyes widened at the unexpected message.
'He's accepting the proposal?'
He rubbed his eyes in disbelief, but the message on the smartphone remained unchanged.
At first, he was just bewildered.
It was an inevitable emotional reaction, given that a proposal he expected to be rejected was accepted.
But soon, worry began to set in.
'Am I causing Korea to lose a talented individual because of me...?'
Kang Hyun shook his head hurriedly.
'No, he wouldn't have accepted the proposal without any thought.'
The Lee Sungjun he had met in person was someone who could be described as intelligent.
He must have accepted the proposal because he had a solution or method in mind.
Pushing aside the anxieties blooming in a corner of his mind, Kang Hyun raised his head to look at Kim Dongjun and spoke boldly.
"Returnee Lee Sungjun has accepted the proposal. You must keep your promise to provide the maximum compensation."
"...What? He accepted the proposal?"
A bitter laugh escaped Kim Dongjun's lips.
He had thought the other would naturally back down with his tail between his legs.
But far from backing down, he immediately accepted the proposal.
'Foolish bastard.'
Although he was called a parachute appointee, as a director, he had met and observed returnees who were making a name for themselves in Korea.
That's why he knew how unreasonable the proposal he had just made was.
'Even the great Cho Kanghyun makes mistakes sometimes.'
Since it was a proposal he had accepted himself, there was no going back now.
He would seize this opportunity firmly.
'Head of the Returnee Management Team, Cho Kanghyun, who drove a promising talent to his death by making an unreasonable request under the guise of a test.'
The title for an article he would commission to the media flashed in his mind.
It was newsworthy enough to be featured prominently by each media outlet, especially in a world where hunters were considered national power.
Even those in higher positions who favored Cho Kanghyun wouldn't be able to protect him.
Naturally, a relaxed smile began to spread across Kim Dongjun's face.
"Alright, I promise. If this Lee Sungjun guy manages to clear the E-rank gate and hunt the D-rank boss monster alone, I'll give him the maximum compensation within my authority."
* * *
After Lee Sungjun received the location of the E-rank gate from Cho Kanghyun.
Thud.
As the taxi door closed, the gate with red cracks appearing came into view of Lee Sungjun, who had just gotten out.
Still wearing a calm expression, Lee Sungjun was moving forward when he was stopped by an association employee guarding the entrance.
"May I see your ID, please?"
Lee Sungjun took out the returnee registration card he had kept inside and handed it over.
The association employee, after comparing the photo on the ID with Lee Sungjun's face, returned the card and greeted him warmly.
"So you're Returnee Lee Sungjun. We've been waiting for you. It's an honor to meet you. I'm Choi Gyujin from the Gate Management Team at the Hunter Association Headquarters."
"Nice to meet you."
While exchanging greetings with Choi Gyujin, Lee Sungjun slowly examined his condition.
His senses had become sharper due to his increased stats.
He could accurately gauge the capabilities of second-rate martial artists or D-rank and below targets.
'At the end of third-rate, bordering on second-rate... In terms of hunter rank, about E-rank...'
Even without this, there was a shortage of hunters due to the numerous gates and monsters.
An E-rank hunter like Choi Gyujin was not someone who would be dispatched simply to manage a gate.
'What's going on?'
A hypothesis suddenly flashed through Lee Sungjun's mind, and he spoke up.
"Are you here as an examiner by any chance?"
At Lee Sungjun's direct question, Choi Gyujin waved his hands and replied.
"Me, an E-rank hunter, as an examiner? I'm just an employee dispatched because they needed someone to directly confirm and relay the results. If I had to say, please think of me as a safety officer to help Returnee Lee Sungjun escape if necessary."
In the end, it was a job no different from being an examiner.
A wry smile naturally formed on Lee Sungjun's lips.
'An E-rank hunter as an examiner cum safety officer for a gate with a D-rank boss monster...'
It seemed the Hunter Association was also quite short-staffed.
If it were someone else, it wouldn't be strange to raise an objection immediately, but Lee Sungjun didn't mind much.
'It doesn't matter anyway.'
The reason Lee Sungjun had accepted this proposal in the first place was because he was confident that with yesterday's training results and the skills gained from his job change, he could handle an E-rank gate alone.
It meant there would be no problem regardless of who attended as an examiner.
"I understand everything. Can I enter the gate right away?"
"Yes, you can proceed as soon as you're ready."
As Lee Sungjun lightly stretched his body to prepare for entering the gate, Choi Gyujin inwardly sighed.
'Sigh... I wonder if I'll be cleaning up a corpse today.'
The abilities of most returnees were truly remarkable.
Having lived a hard life in another world for a considerable time, unlike ordinary awakened ones, they possessed excellent combat intuition and sense.
However, even with such combat intuition and sense, it was impossible to bridge the absolute difference in power.
'No matter how excellent a returnee is, they're still F-rank in the end.'
Clearing an E-rank gate, especially one with a D-rank boss monster, was truly an absurd task.
To be honest, it was no different from a moth flying into a flame.
But meddling unnecessarily here wouldn't change the choice of these arrogant returnees.
'It's a chronic problem of returnees not to recognize their own limits.'
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that most returnees were intoxicated with past glory.
Especially among them, those called promising talents were quite severe in this regard.
It couldn't be helped, as most of them were individuals who had made a name and reputation for themselves in another world.
Perhaps because of this? They couldn't accept the discrepancy between their bodies that had become weak overnight and their minds intoxicated with past glory, failing to coolly assess their current state.
'Occasionally, there were returnees who accurately assessed their condition and acted cautiously, but...'
Choi Gyujin's gaze naturally turned to Lee Sungjun, who was stretching.
'If he was originally a cautious person, he wouldn't have responded to such a reckless challenge in the first place.'
Choi Gyujin clicked his tongue inwardly.
'Well, this pride-saving act won't last long anyway.'
Once they experience their bodies not moving as they think, and face the slowly approaching fear of death from monsters' attacks coming from all directions, they'll have no choice but to accept the cruel reality.
'And then they'll run away with their tails between their legs.'
Having experienced this several times already, he could picture it to some extent in his mind.
'...This isn't the time to worry about others.'
The reaction of monsters when their combat target suddenly runs away was predictable.
They would target and attack other nearby targets, people.
In other words, the monsters would come after him, Choi Gyujin.
'If it seems dangerous, I need to run away immediately.'
Just as Choi Gyujin was organizing in his mind how to act inside the gate, Lee Sungjun, who had finished stretching, spoke up.
"I'm heading in."
Watching Lee Sungjun's back as he stepped forward boldly, Choi Gyujin let out a long sigh before slowly stepping into the gate interior.
* * *
After entering the gate, Lee Sungjun was constantly looking around.
'It's even more fascinating seeing it directly.'
Currently on Earth, all red cracks were uniformly called 'gates'.
However, gates were connected to different worlds.
In fact, the interior of this E-rank gate was clearly different from the F-rank gate with the blue forest he had visited before.
'It's dark.'
Despite it clearly being daytime, light wasn't properly penetrating due to the densely overgrown trees.
At the same time, unidentifiable birds circling above the trees were creating an eerie atmosphere.
The swampy ground sticking to his ankles up to his feet was further increasing the unpleasantness.
Finally finishing his survey of the gate's interior scenery, Lee Sungjun's head lowered.
'...It's certainly deserving of being abandoned.'