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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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“Hold on a second.”
Kim Dong-jun pulled his smartphone away from his face and pressed the “mute” button on the screen.
“As a highly capable, A-rank Hunter, I’m sure you heard everything, so I’ll keep it brief. You said that returned Lee Seong-jun is so great. How about letting him try this E-rank Gate? If he succeeds, I’ll give him additional rewards as requested, as far as my authority allows.”
Jo Kang-hyun’s brow furrowed.
“That’s absurd.”
The boss monster that appeared in E-rank Gates was a D-rank monster.
Generally, D-rank Hunters were required to hunt D-rank monsters.
And to become a D-rank Hunter, it took three to six months.
While the growth rate of returnees was fast, Lee Seong-jun hadn’t even been back on Earth for ten days.
Even Yoon Min-soo, known as a Sword Master and one of the top Hunters in South Korea, had taken a month.
‘And it’s not even a regular D-rank monster, but a boss monster…’
This meant it would have special abilities or equipment. It could be half a rank, or perhaps even a full rank stronger than its listed rank.
Therefore, a C-rank Hunter was necessary to safely hunt a D-rank boss monster.
A sly smile spread across Kim Dong-jun’s face as he saw Jo Kang-hyun’s darkening expression.
“If you don’t want to, you don’t have to. I won’t force you. But since you’re the one who rejected the compromise, don’t bring up the additional rewards again. Got it?”
“…”
Jo Kang-hyun bit his lower lip, suppressing his anger at Kim Dong-jun’s ridiculous conditions.
Honestly, he wanted to lash out at his boss right then and there.
However, as all office workers in the world knew, Jo Kang-hyun also knew that nothing would be solved that way.
Moreover, Kim Dong-jun was someone with extensive connections in the political and business worlds, enough to land him the position of director through nepotism.
If he lost his temper and lashed out here, it would only create the worst possible situation.
He needed to create an excuse to resolve the conversation as calmly as possible.
“…First, I will propose it to Returnee Lee Seong-jun.”
Jo Kang-hyun took out his smartphone from his inner pocket, touched the screen, and began to write a message.
‘I’m sorry.’
Even though it was to create an excuse, he was ashamed of himself for making such a ridiculous proposal to a promising individual, a talent who would lead the future of South Korea.
His hands and feet trembled at his seemingly insignificant position, at his own incompetence.
‘I will definitely apologize and atone for today’s rudeness.’
Just as Jo Kang-hyun, after gulping, pressed the send button with difficulty,
Buzz-
A reply arrived as if waiting for him.
Just thinking about the angry words that would be written in the message gave him a headache, and he couldn’t bear to look up.
However, stopping here would only mean being manipulated by Kim Dong-jun’s intentions.
He needed to check it and lead the negotiations for additional rewards favorably.
With a firm resolve, Jo Kang-hyun touched his smartphone with his finger and checked the received message.
-I’ll leave now. Please send me the exact Gate location and report.
Jo Kang-hyun’s eyes widened at the unexpected message.
‘He accepted the proposal?’
He rubbed his eyes with his hands in disbelief, but the message on his smartphone remained unchanged.
At first, he was just bewildered.
It was an unavoidable emotional change since the proposal, which he expected to be rejected, had been accepted.
But worry soon set in.
‘Is the country, South Korea, going to lose a talented individual because of me…?’
Jo Kang-hyun hurriedly shook his head.
‘No, he couldn’t have accepted the proposal without any thought.’
Returnee Lee Seong-jun, whom he had met in person, was someone who could be described as clever.
He must have accepted the proposal because he had a solution or a plan.
Suppressing the anxiety blossoming in his heart, Jo Kang-hyun raised his head, looked at Kim Dong-jun, and spoke confidently.
“Returnee Lee Seong-jun has accepted the proposal. You must keep your promise to provide the maximum reward.”
“…What? He accepted the proposal?”
A scoff escaped Kim Dong-jun’s lips.
He thought they would back down with their tail between their legs.
But instead of retreating, they immediately accepted the proposal.
‘Idiot.’
Although he was called a parachute appointee, he had met and observed renowned returnees in South Korea as a director.
That’s why he knew how absurd the proposal he had just made was.
‘Even the great Jo Kang-hyun makes mistakes sometimes.’
Since they had accepted the proposal themselves, there would be no turning back now.
He would seize this opportunity firmly.
‘”Returned Management Team Leader Jo Kang-hyun Drives Promising Newcomer to Danger with Unreasonable Request Under the Guise of a Test.”‘
The headline for the article he would request from the press flashed through his mind.
In a world where Hunters were considered national power, it was a story worthy of being plastered all over the news.
This meant even his superiors, who favored Jo Kang-hyun, wouldn’t be able to protect him.
A relaxed smile naturally spread across Kim Dong-jun’s face.
“Fine, I promise. If that Lee Seong-jun guy clears an E-rank Gate and hunts a D-rank boss monster alone, I’ll give him the maximum reward within my authority.”
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After Lee Seong-jun received the location of the E-rank Gate from Jo Kang-hyun,
Click.
The taxi door closed, and Lee Seong-jun, stepping out, saw the Gate rippling with red light.
Continuing his walk with his usual calm expression, Lee Seong-jun was stopped by an association employee guarding the entrance.
“Could I see your ID, please?”
Lee Seong-jun took out his returnee registration card and presented it.
The association employee, after comparing the photo on the ID with Lee Seong-jun’s face, returned the card and greeted him warmly.
“So you’re Returnee Lee Seong-jun. I’ve been waiting for you. It’s an honor to meet you. I’m Choi Gyu-jin from the Gate Management Team at Hunter Association Headquarters.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Lee Seong-jun exchanged greetings with Choi Gyu-jin and slowly observed his condition.
His senses had become sharper due to his increased stats.
If the target was a second-rate martial artist, D-rank or lower, he could accurately gauge their capabilities.
‘From the bottom of third-rate to the beginning of second-rate, about E-rank by Hunter standards…’
With so many Gates and monsters, there was already a shortage of Hunters.
Choi Gyu-jin, an E-rank Hunter, wouldn’t be dispatched just to manage a Gate.
‘What is this?’
A hypothesis flashed through Lee Seong-jun’s mind, and he spoke.
“Are you here as an examiner by any chance?”
At Lee Seong-jun’s direct question, Choi Gyu-jin waved his hands and said,
“Me, an E-rank Hunter, as an examiner? I’m just an employee dispatched because they needed someone to confirm and deliver the results directly. If anything, consider me a safety officer who will help Returnee Lee Seong-jun escape in case of emergency.”
Strictly speaking, he was tasked with a job no different from an examiner.
A chuckle naturally escaped Lee Seong-jun’s lips.
‘An E-rank Hunter as an examiner and safety officer for a Gate with a D-rank boss monster…’
It seemed the Hunter Association was severely short-staffed.
If it were someone else, they might have immediately protested, but Lee Seong-jun didn’t mind much.
‘It doesn’t matter anyway.’
The reason Lee Seong-jun had accepted this proposal in the first place was because he was confident that with the results of yesterday’s training and the skills he gained from his class change, he could handle an E-rank Gate alone.
It meant there wouldn’t be any problems regardless of who participated as the examiner.
“I understand everything. Can I enter the Gate immediately?”
“Yes, you can proceed as soon as you’re ready.”
As Lee Seong-jun lightly stretched and prepared to enter the Gate, Choi Gyu-jin sighed inwardly.
‘Sigh… I wonder if I’ll be picking up a corpse today.’
The abilities of most returnees were truly remarkable.
Having lived a hard life in another world for a considerable time, they possessed excellent combat senses and instincts, unlike ordinary awakened ones.
However, even with these combat senses and instincts, they couldn’t overcome the absolute difference in power.
‘No matter how outstanding a returnee is, they’re still F-rank.’
Clearing an E-rank Gate, especially one with a D-rank boss monster, was truly absurd.
Frankly, it was no different from a moth flying into a flame.
But meddling here wouldn’t change the arrogant returnees’ choices.
‘Not understanding their own limitations is a chronic disease of returnees.’
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that most returnees were intoxicated by their past glory.
Especially among them, the so-called promising returnees were particularly severe.
It was inevitable, as most of them were individuals who had achieved fame and renown in another world.
Was that why? Unable to accept the disconnect between their weakened bodies overnight and their minds intoxicated by past glory, they couldn’t coldly grasp their current state.
‘Occasionally, there were returnees who accurately grasped their condition and acted cautiously, but…’
Choi Gyu-jin’s gaze naturally shifted to Lee Seong-jun, who was stretching.
‘A cautious person wouldn’t have taken on such a reckless challenge in the first place.’
Choi Gyu-jin clicked his tongue inwardly.
‘Well, this kind of pride won’t last long anyway.’
Once they experienced their bodies not moving as they intended and faced the approaching fear of death from the monster attacks flying from all directions, they would have no choice but to accept the cruel reality.
‘And they’ll run away with their tails between their legs.’
Having experienced this several times already, a picture was already forming in his mind.
‘…I shouldn’t be worrying about others.’
If the person he was fighting suddenly ran away, the monsters’ reaction was obvious.
They would target and attack the nearest target, a person, as an enemy.
This meant the monsters would come after him, Choi Gyu-jin.
‘If it seems dangerous, I have to run away immediately.’
Just as Choi Gyu-jin finished organizing his course of action inside the Gate in his mind, Lee Seong-jun, who had finished stretching, spoke.
“Let’s go.”
Looking at Lee Seong-jun’s back as he walked resolutely, Choi Gyu-jin sighed deeply and slowly stepped into the Gate.
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Lee Seong-jun, entering the Gate, looked around restlessly.
‘It’s even more amazing in person.’
Currently, all the red cracks on Earth were called “Gates.”
However, each Gate was connected to a different world.
Indeed, the inside of the current E-rank Gate was clearly different from the F-rank Gate he had visited before, which had a sprawling blue forest.
‘It’s dark.’
Due to the densely packed trees, the light wasn’t properly penetrating, despite it being broad daylight.
At the same time, unidentified birds circled above the trees, creating an eerie atmosphere.
The swamp, sticky up to his ankles, further heightened his discomfort.
Finally finishing his observation of the Gate’s interior, Lee Seong-jun nodded his head.
‘…It certainly deserves to be abandoned.’
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