Chapter 43
The arrival was much later than expected. Although something must have happened, the parents didn't say anything special.
From the beginning, it seemed they had pretended to believe the hastily made-up excuse.
Thanks to the parents' consideration, everyone was able to finish the family outing without much inconvenience.
After spending such a precious and happy time, time flew by incredibly fast, and a month passed in the blink of an eye.
As it was quite a long period, many things had changed.
As previously agreed, the association's security personnel were reinforced to provide minimal protection for the safety of the families.
Of course, Lee Seong-joon didn't waste this hard-earned time.
He had been consistently leveling up by hunting for over 10 hours a day in the C-rank gate provided by Vice President Ko Tae-hyun, specifically targeting Blue Goblins, known as the most efficient prey.
Ding-!
[Strength and Stamina Enhancement is used on user 'Lee Seong-joon'.]
[Earth's Blessing is used on user 'Lee Seong-joon'.]
[Due to the active skill Amplification, the effects of enhancement skills are increased by 50%.]
[Strength and Stamina stats increase by 15 each.]
[Due to the buff skill Earth's Blessing, the body's durability greatly increases.]
Lee Seong-joon's body, which had become a weapon in itself through the Gold Steel Outer Energy Technique, clashes with the C-rank monster Blue Goblin.
Each time, the Blue Goblins meet their death, spewing red blood.
The number of Blue Goblins, which had been as many as 5, rapidly decreased.
Finally, the last remaining Blue Goblin tries to escape in terror.
But there was no way Lee Seong-joon would miss that movement.
Crack-!
Lee Seong-joon's solid fist bursts the Blue Goblin's head in an instant.
Ding-!
[You have defeated a group of C-rank monsters, Blue Goblins.]
[Experience points increase!]
[Congratulations! As you have met the required experience, your level has increased to 60.]
From 41 to 60, a total of 19 levels increased, reaching the 60s.
Even Yoon Min-soo, who was called the best in Korea, needed 10 months to grow from level 40 to 60.
But this time had been shortened by as much as 10 times.
No, now it could be said that the comparison was wrong.
It wasn't just Yoon Min-soo.
Even rankers who were famous worldwide took an average of half a year to reach level 60 from level 40.
This speed had overwhelmed what could be called existing records.
For someone seeking growth, this was undoubtedly a joyous occasion, but what made Lee Seong-joon happiest was something else.
'As many as 19.'
As he had been steadily accumulating, he had acquired a considerable number of bonus points.
'This should be... enough.'
To unfold the martial arts of ascension, three things - mind, energy, and body - must be in perfect harmony.
Fortunately, the mind, called inner strength, was fine due to steady increase and accumulation of inner force through the Blood Shadow Asura Divine Technique.
As for skill, which could be called energy, it was ridiculous to even judge it given that he had reached the position of demon god.
While these two were prepared, the physical ability, the body, was a different story.
Although the limit could be pushed through buffs, it was only temporary and thus couldn't be considered for the realm of ascension.
But now, if he used the bonus points he had?
He could fill in the lacking physical ability, take a step that had been halted.
'First-class top tier...'
Perhaps he could even reach the pinnacle.
It meant he was ready to enter the ranks of what martial artists commonly call masters.
Lee Seong-joon, with a smile on his lips, nods.
'...I'll end the hunt here for today.'
Unlike a job change, one couldn't immediately achieve results just because mind, energy, and body were prepared.
One had to show appropriate abilities and produce results on their own.
Having organized his thoughts, Lee Seong-joon moves towards the exit located nearby.
After walking through the nearby forest path for about 5 minutes, the gate's entrance emitting a red energy comes into view.
Lee Seong-joon, who had been walking confidently, steps outside the gate.
Whirr-!
Along with a ringing sound, there's a feeling of distorted vision, and then a familiar scene unfolds before his eyes.
"Good work, you've come out earlier than usual today."
"If you hand over the magic stones and byproducts you've acquired, we'll verify them and deposit the money right away."
The association staff and dedicated byproduct management team members who were waiting at the entrance rush over.
Lee Seong-joon, receiving their greetings with a smiling face, takes out the items stored in his spatial ring with familiar hand movements, and was about to move to his next destination when-
"Um, Hunter Lee Seong-joon...!"
At the sudden call from Lee Do-kyung, the manager of the management team, in a manner unlike usual, Lee Seong-joon's head naturally turns.
"Someone came looking for you while you were in the gate."
Lee Seong-joon's head tilts.
"Looking for me?"
To be very honest, he didn't have anyone who could be called an acquaintance.
At most, it was just Ko Tae-hyun, Jo Kang-hyun, and his family, but none of them would come looking for him at the gate entrance like this.
It would be faster to leave a message on his smartphone and contact him.
'No matter how I think about it, there's no one who would come looking for me...'
Moreover, strangely, Lee Do-kyung's expression also showed embarrassment.
As questions continued to arise in his mind, but with no one particular coming to mind, he was quietly waiting for Lee Do-kyung's answer when-
"Yes, I came looking for you."
Turning his head towards the direction of the voice coming from not far away, a large man enters Lee Seong-joon's field of vision.
Slicked-back hair with wax, wearing a black suit, and with quite a rough appearance.
If one had to say, he was carrying himself like what people commonly call a gangster.
However, he was absolutely not just an ordinary gangster.
He's strong.
He's a powerful individual who could be said to be the strongest among all the awakened ones he had encountered so far.
Moreover, strangely, he had seen the man's face occasionally.
But he couldn't remember exactly.
Clearly unfamiliar, yet a familiar presence.
Lee Seong-joon's brow furrows.
"Who are you?"
At Lee Seong-joon's question, a chuckle escapes the large man's mouth.
"Well... I didn't expect there to be someone who wouldn't recognize me. Let me introduce myself formally, I am Oh Kyung-hyun, the master of the White Tiger Guild."
The master of one of the top 5 guilds, White Tiger.
He was a figure who had given numerous interviews and appeared at official events.
Now he understood why he had vaguely remained in his memory.
However, because of this, Lee Seong-joon hardened his expression even more and quietly drew his inner force.
Preparing to raise his blood energy at any moment, he focused his mind on Oh Kyung-hyun's movements.
Given his previous encounter with Hwanseong, it was natural for him to be on edge.
Moreover, Oh Kyung-hyun was known to the public as an incredible SS+ rank powerhouse.
He absolutely couldn't let his guard down until he found out what purpose he had approached with.
Seeing Lee Seong-joon's narrowed eyes, Oh Kyung-hyun scratches the back of his head as if embarrassed.
"There's no need to be so tense, I didn't come to harm or threaten you."
Then, as if to prove his innocence, Oh Kyung-hyun spreads his hands wide and raises them next to his head.
However, it was impossible for Lee Seong-joon's tension to be relieved by just a single word or action.
"Ugh... there's no way to prove it and it's driving me crazy. I swear to heaven, I'm not a vile person like Hwanseong! I just came because I wanted to have a meal and talk with you."
Indeed. From his tone to his atmosphere, and even his clear eyes, Oh Kyung-hyun couldn't be seen as the same type of person as Im Jae-hoon from before.
However, that didn't mean there was any need to entertain the conversation.
'...Just in case he might be wearing a mask, there's no need to take unnecessary risks.'
Seeing Lee Seong-joon's eyes still narrowed, Oh Kyung-hyun hurriedly continued speaking.
"I swear on my name Oh Kyung-hyun and the honor of the White Tiger Guild. I just want to talk with you. There will be absolutely no threats or intimidation during our conversation, nor any repercussions after it ends."
Lee Seong-joon's curiosity is piqued by Oh Kyung-hyun's desperate appearance.
Of course, he wasn't showing curiosity without any precautions.
Right now, association staff were deployed in this area.
Although they didn't have combat abilities, a person calling himself the master of one of the top 5 guilds wouldn't be stupid enough to pick a fight in front of others for no reason.
'...It could be seen as an opportunity instead.'
Through this conversation, he could clearly find out the intentions of the top 5 guild, White Tiger, and the direction of the relationship they would maintain going forward.
Moreover, Lee Seong-joon also had something he wanted to ask.
"Before we talk, I'd like to ask one thing. How did you know my identity?"
Given that the association was concealing it, it shouldn't have been easy to obtain information.
Yet he had not only accurately identified his identity but was also waiting at the gate entrance.
As his personal information could be related to his family's safety, there was a need to find out the source of the information for certain.
Unlike Lee Seong-joon's cautious appearance, Oh Kyung-hyun speaks in a nonchalant tone.
"The Frenzy Gate incident, after eliminating the A-rank villains, the Shadow Brothers, you gave a huge gift to Hwanseong, one of the top 5 guilds. Wouldn't it be stranger if I, who makes a living as a hunter, didn't know about you?"
Although he gave a somewhat reasonable explanation, seeing Lee Seong-joon still maintaining his guard, Oh Kyung-hyun continued speaking.
"Everyone's pretending not to know, but not just our White Tiger, but all the other top 5 guilds are keeping an eye on you. Given that the association is constantly trying to hide you, they're just pretending not to know to avoid getting on Ko Tae-hyun's bad side by approaching you unnecessarily."
From the beginning, the title of top 5 guilds wasn't given simply based on force alone.
Additional factors such as financial power and information gathering ability also factored into the judgment.
Moreover, unlike when Hwanseong approached, now the career of eliminating the A-rank villains, the Shadow Brothers, had been added to the situation.
It was impossible for the top 5 guilds, who were desperate to recruit as many talented individuals as possible, to miss such information.
After organizing his thoughts for a moment, Lee Seong-joon slowly nods.
"I'm busy, so I don't think I can have a meal with you. I'd appreciate it if you could get straight to the point here."
"Well, it seems you're even more straightforward than I thought."
"I just dislike beating around the bush."
Oh Kyung-hyun, with a hearty smile, opens his mouth again.
"Then, I'll cut to the chase. I'd like you to become a mercenary for our guild."
"A mercenary?"
"Ah, I tried to keep it as simple as possible and ended up cutting the story too short... Do you know about raid gates?"
"I have a vague idea."
Raid gates, where the majority of monsters appear as properly armed elite monsters, and even the boss monster is a powerful and special monster that can't be seen in ordinary gates.
Of course, it's a gate with a difficulty level far different from normal gates, requiring a minimum of 5-person parties, and on average, 20-person raid groups to tackle.
"Then, the conversation will be faster. A raid gate has occurred in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul."