Chapter 72
Creeeeak-!
With the sound of hinges, the massive door of the conference room opens, revealing Go Tae-hyun, the vice president and current top authority of the association.
This signaled the start of the meeting, meaning there was no need for further pointless tension.
"..."
As the meeting room calmed down, Secretary Kim Min-hyuk, after confirming Go Tae-hyun seated at the head of the table, stood at the podium and began to speak.
"Thank you all for attending without exception despite the sudden summons. Since everyone is busy, I'll proceed directly with selecting the guild and hunter for the next treasure gate raid."
The department heads tilted their heads at Kim Min-hyuk's naturally flowing words.
"What do you mean by 'next'?"
"Didn't you misspeak?"
As the department heads, who had received considerable lobbying money from various guilds, were throwing sharp questions at Kim Min-hyuk, Go Tae-hyun, seated at the head of the table, turned on the microphone in front of him and spoke.
"No, Secretary Kim spoke correctly."
"What?"
Unlike the department heads who expressed doubt with wide eyes, Go Tae-hyun spoke in a nonchalant tone.
"Is there any need to deliberate on the top priority raid rights?"
"...?"
The department heads tilted their heads, unable to comprehend Go Tae-hyun's words.
'What's going on?'
The association executives with positions above department head had never once discussed the top priority raid rights for treasure gates.
After all, since the treasure gate itself was only discovered today, there couldn't have been time to discuss it, right?
'...But he's saying the top priority raid rights have already been decided?'
If it were any other vice president, they would have thought he was simply making arbitrary decisions after receiving bribes.
But because it was 'Go Tae-hyun', they couldn't think that way.
'There's no way Vice President Go Tae-hyun would have taken bribes.'
There was a good reason why no one could complain despite Go Tae-hyun holding the real power of the association as vice president in place of the president.
'He always makes fair judgments and clearly separates public and private matters.'
Unlike other executives, he had no weaknesses or corruption to speak of, so no one dared to harbor complaints.
Therefore, the question that bloomed in the department heads' minds could only grow larger.
'That Go Tae-hyun, the vice president, suddenly made a unilateral selection?'
Although it was somewhat bewildering, after thinking it through, they could easily understand the situation itself.
'...Go Tae-hyun has recently started a fight with the Honor Group.'
A war with the major corporation Honor Group would require no small amount of money and manpower.
It meant that even Go Tae-hyun would have had no choice but to accept corporate lobbying.
'Which one is it? Who managed to tempt the iron fortress Go Tae-hyun?'
The department heads quickly glanced around, checking others' reactions.
However, everyone was just looking at each other.
Not a single person showed any composure.
'No one...? What's going on?'
While the department heads' eyes shook violently at the unexpected situation, this was actually a natural result.
The department heads were simply thinking incorrectly from the start, as Vice President Go Tae-hyun had made the selection using fairer criteria than anyone else, as usual.
"You all know the selection criteria for treasure gate raid rights, don't you?"
Whether he had researched in advance to push for guilds in his own faction, Each Awakened Management Department Head Bae Dong-min immediately answered.
"I understand it's primarily selected for guilds or hunters who have made great contributions to society while maintaining close relations with the association."
"Then let me ask again, is there anyone who surpasses Hunter Lee Sung-jun in those two aspects?"
Go Tae-hyun's eyes were full of composure and confidence as he spoke.
This was inevitable, as Hunter Lee Sung-jun's recent achievements and the benefits the association gained from them were overwhelmingly superior to any other guild or hunter.
"Thanks to Hunter Lee Sung-jun interrogating the Shadow Brothers, our villain arrest rate increased by a whopping 200% compared to last year."
Perhaps because it was a time when villains were very active?
At the time, public opinion polls showed that trust and support for the association increased by over 5% compared to the previous year.
"And by participating in the raid gate, defeating Song Seung-jun of Cosmos and taking first place, initially only the White Tiger Guild was in the spotlight, but when it was revealed that he was also affiliated with our association, it greatly elevated the association's status."
In reality, the guilds that had been arrogant and greedy before now kept their mouths shut and watched the association carefully.
"Finally, this time he not only captured the SS-rank villain Jo Se-hyuk and numerous villains following him, but also interrogated them again, allowing us to carry out additional villain sweep operations. Thanks to this, our arrest rate exceeded 300% compared to last year, and a few days ago, the President himself visited to offer encouragement and praise."
Of course, it wasn't just empty words of encouragement and praise.
The budget to be allocated to the Hunter Association in the future increased by as much as 200%.
"Now the public is calling Hunter Lee Sung-jun the future of our Hunter Association. Do you still think there's a need to deliberate on the top priority raid rights?"
"..."
Unable to refute these words, the faces of most department heads darkened.
But not everyone was like that.
"While all your words are correct, I think we need to look at this from a broader perspective, given that this is the first treasure gate to appear in Korea."
Some, like Magic Management Department Head Moon Seung-hyun, had prepared thoroughly in their own way.
"Certainly, looking at short-term results alone, no one can match Hunter Lee Sung-jun. However, considering that the Cosmos Guild has been eliminating villains, raiding gates, and defeating monsters for years to maintain public safety in Korea, I don't think they fall far behind Hunter Lee Sung-jun."
As if they had coordinated in advance, several department heads nodded in agreement.
"I agree with the Magic Management Department Head. Yoon Min-su, the master of Cosmos, also has a precedent of capturing the SS-rank villain Ham Hyun-woo in the past."
"They have continuously carried out gate raids, which are key to maintaining public safety. You could say they've accumulated even greater merits than Hunter Lee Sung-jun, who always acts alone."
"Hmm... Your opinions certainly have merit."
As Go Tae-hyun slowly nodded, the corners of Moon Seung-hyun and the other department heads' mouths curved upwards.
"But I don't think you're siding with Cosmos simply because of that."
From the beginning, Go Tae-hyun hadn't selected Lee Sung-jun without any thought or basis.
He had made quite thorough preparations and groundwork.
"Secretary Kim, turn on the screen."
As Go Tae-hyun nodded with a relaxed smile, Kim Min-hyuk operated the remote control in his hand.
Then, seeing the hologram photos that appeared in the center of the conference room, Moon Seung-hyun's complexion turned pale.
"This, this is..."
It was an understandable reaction.
The hologram photos now displayed not only all the call records and details of conversations with Cosmos Guild's HR team manager, but also vividly showed bundles of cash neatly packed in apple boxes in car trunks.
"Do you have anything else to say?"
There was no room for excuses.
No, he shouldn't make excuses.
With this level of investigation, what was revealed now was likely just a small part of it.
They probably had critical evidence prepared to use as a final blow if necessary.
Moon Seung-hyun immediately bent his waist at a right angle and bowed his head.
"...I'm sorry."
"For the crime of accepting bribes as a public official, and trying to gain personal benefits in what should have been a fair selection process, Magic Management Department Head Moon Seung-hyun and two other department heads will be excluded from the selection meeting, and as the president's proxy, I will convene a disciplinary committee as soon as possible. Does anyone have any objections?"
"No, sir."
"You may leave now."
Moon Seung-hyun and the two other department heads placed their ID badges on the desk, then stood up and left the conference room.
In the silent conference room, Go Tae-hyun surveyed the department heads with narrowed eyes and spoke.
"Does anyone else wish to raise an objection?"
It was impossible for anyone to have the courage to object after witnessing the previous situation.
Although they would have to return the large sums received as bribes, they couldn't lose the positions they had gained with such difficulty.
'...I'll give up on the top priority raid rights this time.'
In the end, the department heads had no choice but to keep their mouths shut.
* * *
The media outlets in Korea became busy.
This was inevitable, as the first treasure gate in Korea had appeared.
Naturally, the front pages of newspapers were plastered with stories about the treasure gate.
Articles poured out one after another about past rewards from treasure gates and the changes they brought.
Thanks to this, information about treasure gates spread rapidly throughout Korea, and people learned that they provided truly excellent rewards. Naturally, speculation began about who would get the top priority raid rights for the treasure gate.
Among them, the most likely candidates were considered to be the five major guilds representing Korea: Cosmos, Phoenix, Reaper, White Tiger, and Radiant Star.
Of course, Lee Sung-jun also came across these articles.
With breaking news pouring in constantly, it was impossible not to know.
However, he didn't pay much attention to it.
It would be nice if he could get the raid rights, but the chances of beating out the formidable guilds were slim.
So rather than getting hung up on something unlikely, he judged it more beneficial to focus on growing as quickly as possible. Around that time, he received a call from Go Tae-hyun.
Selection for top priority treasure gate raid rights.
Although it wasn't mandatory, he recommended participating in the raid if possible.
For Lee Sung-jun, who had been craving strong power after his fierce battle with Baek Mu-jin, there was no reason to refuse.
Rather, it was exactly what he had been hoping for, so Lee Sung-jun immediately accepted the offer after receiving the contact.
He also added one suggestion.
He pushed back the originally scheduled raid date of the 1st to the 30th of the month.
The reason was simple.
'There's no need to share precious rewards with others unnecessarily.'