Chapter 76
The branch directors who had been waiting nearby approached Tae-hyun Ko, who was now left alone.
"...To enter alone like that, I acknowledge your ability, but you're being too greedy."
The expression on the face of Sung-min Bae, the director of Monster Safety Management, showed more joy than concern.
It was an understandable reaction.
There was a good reason why the branch directors, who had been merely observing until the moment Sung-jun Lee entered, suddenly approached Tae-hyun Ko.
'This is an opportunity.'
Unable to openly oppose Tae-hyun Ko's opinion, they had no choice but to give up the exploration rights despite receiving lobbying from various guilds.
An unpleasant situation had arisen where they would have to return the funds received from lobbying.
However, due to Sung-jun Lee's excessive greed, another opportunity had presented itself.
"Tsk, it's unfortunate, but we can't unspill milk that's already been spilled."
"You're right, we need to do our job. Let's start by deciding the next exploration order."
The branch directors, including Sung-min Bae, were openly displaying their greed, but unlike before, Tae-hyun Ko didn't show anger.
Instead, he snorted as if finding it ridiculous.
"Do you really think Hunter Lee Sung-jun will fail the exploration?"
"If it were a raid gate, we might have some hope, but the place Hunter Lee Sung-jun entered is a treasure gate."
"We can't guarantee 100% failure, but I believe the chances of successful exploration are very slim."
Seeing the branch directors answering without much thought, Tae-hyun Ko posed a question.
"Do all the branch directors gathered here share the same opinion as the Monster Management Director?"
Given the precedent set by the Magic Management Director earlier, they couldn't give a direct answer, but it wasn't difficult to read their intentions.
No, to begin with, the branch directors gathered here were those who had approached after Sung-jun Lee entered, as if they had been waiting for this moment.
If they had been thinking about Sung-jun Lee's success, why would they have approached?
"I'm not trying to interrogate you. I just want to make a bet."
"...A bet?"
"If Hunter Lee Sung-jun fails to explore the treasure gate, I'll take full responsibility for all matters related to this treasure gate and step down from my position as Vice President. On the other hand, if Hunter Lee Sung-jun succeeds in the exploration, all of you will resign and leave. What do you think?"
"What?"
"You heard me correctly. We're betting our respective positions."
"Are you serious?"
"Have I ever joked with you?"
As Tae-hyun Ko maintained a stony expression, the branch directors' eyes narrowed.
'A bet...? What is he thinking?'
Treasure gates and raid gates, while both measured in grades of Green, Blue, Yellow, Red, and Black, had completely opposite internal worlds.
Unlike raid gates where power was concentrated in elite monsters, treasure gates had significantly fewer monsters that could be called elite.
Yet they emitted the same amount of magical energy.
This meant that the interior of treasure gates was teeming with an enormous number of monsters.
'Literally, it could be called a wave of monsters without exaggeration.'
Unlike raid gates where you only had to face specific elite monsters, in treasure gates you had to face a horde of monsters that could be called an army.
'This is the worst match-up for martial artists who use martial arts.'
So far, martial arts users who had made a name for themselves in the world had all shown excellence in one-on-one combat, but were somewhat weak in large-scale battles.
'Hunter Lee Sung-jun is no different.'
In fact, all of Hunter Lee Sung-jun's notable achievements had been limited to one-on-one or small-scale battles.
It was impossible for Vice President Ko Tae-hyun, who was privy to all the association's affairs, to be unaware of this fact, yet he was proposing this bet.
'...Vice President Ko Tae-hyun, what on earth are you relying on?'
No matter how much they racked their brains, they couldn't figure out what Ko Tae-hyun was betting on.
No, it couldn't exist in the first place.
'I've never heard of a martial artist who's strong in large-scale battles.'
As they continued their thoughts, the corners of the branch directors' mouths began to curve upwards.
'To suddenly show such unreasonable arrogance, perhaps Ko Tae-hyun has grown old.'
Seeing the sardonic smiles blooming on the faces of the branch directors, Ko Tae-hyun spoke again.
"It seems everyone understands clearly, so I'll ask formally. Do you accept the bet I proposed?"
There was no reason to refuse.
Rather, this was a precious opportunity that might never come again.
With the Association President absent, they couldn't leave the Vice President's position vacant as well.
Surely, a new Vice President would be elected.
Naturally, it was highly likely that one of the current branch directors would be chosen.
Greed began to rise in the eyes of the branch directors.
'I could become the next Vice President!'
Establishing oneself as a power player in the association meant gaining access to countless powers and resources.
The branch directors, including Sung-min Bae, who had been frantically calculating in their heads, nodded.
"...I accept the Vice President's bet."
"I accept as well."
"Just to be clear, you can't change your mind later."
Watching the branch directors eagerly accept the bet, unaware that it might be their own grave, Ko Tae-hyun inwardly swallowed a laugh.
'As expected, they took the bait.'
To be precise, they had no choice but to take it.
On the surface, it seemed like a bet that was doomed to fail.
However, Vice President Ko Tae-hyun, having observed and experienced Lee Sung-jun directly for three months, could be certain.
'This is an unparalleled opportunity to cut out some of the rotten parts of the association, namely certain branch directors.'
He could assert that Hunter Lee Sung-jun was not someone who would act rashly out of greed.
In the past, when planning the arrest operation for Jo Se-hyuk with the Blue House, he initially thought it would be impossible, but Hunter Lee Sung-jun proved it spectacularly with results.
'If he couldn't explore this treasure gate alone, he wouldn't have made such a bold request in the first place.'
It was an action born out of confidence and self-assurance.
In fact, the aura Hunter Lee Sung-jun had just displayed was excellent enough to rival SS+ rank hunters.
'The branch directors who have only heard about Hunter Lee Sung-jun couldn't possibly be aware of this fact.'
Barely swallowing the laughter that kept trying to escape, Ko Tae-hyun drove the final nail into the coffin for the branch directors.
"It seems we're all having the same concerns, so why don't we just write up a contract right now?"
"Sounds good! Let's do that!"
Watching the backs of Sung-min Bae, who answered without a moment's hesitation, and the other branch directors following him confidently, Ko Tae-hyun finally let the suppressed smile bloom brightly on his face.
* * *
A barren plain without a single blade of grass.
Standing alone in the center, Lee Sung-jun slowly turns his head.
'This is... the inside of the treasure gate.'
Just looking at the landscape, there wasn't anything particularly special.
However, the silence felt in the wide-open plain gave an ominous feeling, as if standing in the eye of a storm.
No, it wasn't just a feeling.
Boom-!
Just as a thunderous roar echoed in his ears, a fierce sandstorm began to rise at the edge of his vision.
Of course, this wasn't a natural phenomenon.
It was being caused by a horde of monsters rushing in all at once, including orcs, goblins, trolls, as well as creatures known as magical beasts.
'...So this is the monster wave I've only heard about.'
Having researched treasure gates beforehand, there was not a trace of agitation on Lee Sung-jun's face.
He was simply preparing for battle with a calm expression.
'Condition is optimal... The battlefield is excellent too.'
A wide-open plain where he could focus solely on fighting, with no terrain to hinder him.
Ding-!
[Using Star's Favor, Earth's Blessing, Wind's Protection, Strength, Stamina, and Agility Enhancement on user 'Lee Sung-jun'.]
[Due to the active skill Amplification, the effects of enhancement skills are increased by 50% each.]
[Due to the buff skill Earth's Blessing, the durability of the body is greatly increased.]
[Agility status increases by 45.]
[Strength and Stamina status increase by 37 each.]
"It's been a while since I could run wild to my heart's content."
Looking at the monster wave approaching within about 1km, Lee Sung-jun smiled and kicked off the ground.
Whoosh-!
Lee Sung-jun and the monster wave rush towards each other, closing the distance in an instant.
"Kieeek-!"
"Kuaang-!"
The sheer number of monsters was so great that their roars alone seemed to shake the earth.
But Lee Sung-jun's steps didn't falter.
Instead, he increased his speed even more, narrowing the distance with the monsters.
The reason was simple.
'Right now, my body is approaching the level of indestructibility.'
Of course, he hadn't really reached the realm of true indestructibility.
A sharp sword qi created by a martial artist above the peak level could certainly pierce through.
In other words, martial artists below the peak level couldn't even scratch his body.
It meant he didn't need to block or dodge the attacks of the monsters before him.
"Kuaaaaa!!"
Now, at a distance of about 10m. A thrilling sensation ran through Lee Sung-jun at the thunderous roar assaulting his ears, and a smile curved his lips.
The monstrous nature of the Blood Demon, which had been suppressed since returning to Earth, was revealing itself.
"This should be fun."
Muttering in a low voice, Lee Sung-jun took a step forward and threw himself towards the attacks coming from all directions.
As if they had been waiting for this, the monsters swung their sharp weapons or sharp claws and teeth fiercely.
But it was all futile struggle.
Clang-! Clang-!
With loud friction sounds, the bodies of the monsters that had launched attacks staggered.
In that momentary gap, Lee Sung-jun, who had finally approached close range with the monsters, stretched out his clenched fist.
'Adamantine Iron Destructor Technique, Second Form, Adamantine Dragon-Shattering Strike.'
Boom-!
With a single strike, dozens of monsters blocking the front disappeared without leaving a trace.
But this was just the beginning.
Bang-! Bang-!
Every time Lee Sung-jun's hands and feet moved, causing thunderous sounds, dozens of monsters met their demise.
It was truly an overwhelming difference in power.
If they were beings with reason, they would have been intimidated and retreated.
But the monsters of the treasure gate, lacking reason, continued to rush in.
'...Fighting like this will never end.'
It felt as if monsters were being continuously summoned from somewhere.
In fact, despite having already killed hundreds, there was no sign of a path opening up.
No, rather, the accumulating corpses were blocking the way forward.
'I'll need to clear them all at once.'
As Lee Sung-jun, narrowing his eyes, took a deep breath, the blood energy stored in his body surged up, and a seductive red light imbued with the power of Asura spread throughout the area.