The Ambition to Stand at the Top
Hyun-jun and Tae-min arrived at the guild office. Receiving greetings from the guild members, the two of them went up to the fourth floor. Before long, they entered the guild master’s office and sat down facing each other.
“Guild Master. What happened inside the dungeon? I need to know so I can respond properly if anything like this happens again.”
Tae-min asked cautiously. Since Hyun-jun had ordered the guild members who took part in the raid to keep silent about what had happened inside the dungeon, Tae-min still didn’t know exactly what had gone on.
“Was it really a Hidden Dungeon?”
The B-Class dungeon had ultimately been reassessed as the lowest-tier S-Class dungeon, so there was no other explanation if it wasn’t a Hidden Dungeon. Even elite-grade dungeons sometimes changed in difficulty during a raid, but shifts this drastic were almost unheard of. Because such dungeons were so rare, Tae-min still found it hard to believe even after receiving the report from the Dungeon Management Bureau.
“How much do you know about Hidden Dungeons, Vice Chief?”
“In simple terms, aren’t they dungeons with hidden rewards? I’m sure there are cases the Dungeon Management Bureau can verify, but I’ve heard there are also cases where the difficulty changes during the raid, so a pre-investigation might not reveal everything perfectly.”
Tae-min was a Hunter, too. He might not spend most of his time raiding dungeons, but he had received basic training and picked up information here and there.
“It was a B-Class dungeon when we entered, but by the end it had been rated as the lowest-tier S-Class. And you said that while you were riding back here, things were moving on the internal side, right? Do I really need to explain any further?”
No further explanation was necessary. Both Hyun-jun and Tae-min understood. They exchanged steady looks and nodded.
“What was the reward?”
“So-jin noona had her second awakening.”
Hyun-jun said it plainly. He also thought Tae-min would keep it secret, but in the end the Dungeon Management Bureau would reexamine the case and the rank-up would be made public anyway, so there was no reason to hide it.
“A second awakening…”
Tae-min let the words trail off with a complicated expression.
“For now, I want to strengthen the security around the house. Hidden Dungeons sometimes drop rare equipment, so the ones behind the scenes may try to make a move.”
Tae-min said,
“Will they move first? Even if they act in secret, their identities could be exposed…”
“They won’t make a direct move. They’ll probably leak the rumor on purpose and wait for some other lowlife faction to act. In that case, there may even be indirect support involved.”
Equipment dropped from Hidden Dungeons was so powerful that it was fair to say it stood on an entirely different level from ordinary gear. If word got out, there would be factions willing to use cowardly and cruel methods to get their hands on it. In fact, that kind of thing wasn’t uncommon.
“I’ll hire a trusted armed security company.”
With the dawn of the dungeon raid era, public safety in South Korea had deteriorated. Armed security companies were a sturdy shield for the places that state power couldn’t reach.
“I don’t care how much it costs. Hire the best.”
“You can leave it to me. I’ll also place the executive branch’s elite Hunters around the guild master’s residence.”
“Is it all right to deploy your main force?”
Hyun-jun asked. Wraith was still in the middle of stabilizing the size it had gained through absorption and merger, while expanding slowly. That had increased the executive branch’s workload considerably.
“Keeping the guild master safe is the top priority.”
He didn’t say it outright, but Tae-min wanted to avoid the worst-case scenario: So-jin or the orphanage children being kidnapped and Hyun-jun having to worry about them.
“Understood. Then I’ll need to appoint a new person in charge of security. Are you planning to take it on, Vice Chief?”
“I’d like to, but the executive branch’s workload has grown too much. Instead, I’ll assign someone else to you. He’s one of the few subordinates I trust.”
“Is that so? For now, I’d like to see his face.”
“I’ll call him.”
Tae-min took out his smartphone. About five minutes later, after a brief knock, the office door opened and a man with a snake-sharp expression walked in. He was Tae-min’s direct subordinate and the head of intelligence for the Wraith Guild, Ha Jong-seo.
“Ha Jong-seo, sir.”
Jong-seo bowed his head and greeted him politely. Seeing him, Hyun-jun searched his memory. He seemed like someone Hyun-jun had seen once before when he was appointed intelligence chief, but there was no memory of using Romanov’s blessing to verify his True Name.
Keeping his gaze fixed on Jong-seo, Hyun-jun drew mana up into both eyes. In an instant, his vision was washed in gold.
Romanov’s Eye has descended upon you. The gaze containing absolute insight sees through all beings.
The voice rang out. At the same time, Jong-seo’s True Name rose above his head.
[Ha Jong-seo: A Shadow That Acts.]
It suited an intelligence chief, but it wasn’t a True Name that made his disposition easy to grasp.
“He’s under my direct command. From now on, he’ll be in charge of leading the security around the guild master’s residence. He’s a B-Class Hunter with plenty of combat experience.”
Tae-min gave a brief explanation of Jong-seo with a faint smile. Hyun-jun nodded with a satisfied expression. If Tae-min, who pursued perfection, had placed him directly under his command, then his skill could be trusted.
“Once the rumors start spreading, attacks will be unavoidable.”
Tae-min said. South Korea’s public safety was currently poor, and in that environment, guilds with powerful force stood at the center of power. On top of that, since Wraith was only a Bronze-tier guild, if anyone set their mind to it, an attack from at least Silver tier was possible.
“Vice Chief. Is there no way to block an attack? Or perhaps request protection from the Special Police Bureau…”
“Guild Master. The Special Police Bureau doesn’t move easily before an incident happens. We don’t have enough influence to make them act first.”
“So we’re not at that level yet.”
Hyun-jun nodded, then bit his lip lightly. Blood welled at the corner.
“No wonder people want power so badly.”
Hyun-jun said it like a bitter complaint.
“I’m sorry.”
Tae-min and Jong-seo lowered their heads, but Hyun-jun shook his head and spoke again.
“There’s no need to apologize. I’ve made up my mind seriously, so before long we’ll get what we want.”
Was it because he was receiving Romanov’s blessing and their resonance had increased? Ambition that hadn’t existed in Hyun-jun before had begun to rise inside him.
“We’re going to become the best in South Korea.”
That single sentence shook Tae-min and Jong-seo to the core. There was an inexplicable force in his voice. Hyun-jun himself didn’t know it, but that was Romanov’s influence. Meeting their trembling gazes, Hyun-jun spoke with calm composure.
“When the attack starts, make an example of them. Eradicate them completely and show the whole country our force.”
“The executive branch will give it everything it has.”
Tae-min knelt. He looked like a knight from the Middle Ages. It was the behavior of someone whose True Name was A Blind Knight Who Trusts Without Doubt. Jong-seo did not kneel, but he silently nodded and sent Hyun-jun a look full of trust.
“Remember this. We need to make sure no one can ever look down on us again after this chance.”
Knock, knock, knock.
“Assemblyman. This is the executive branch chief.”
With the knock came a calm voice. The man who had been reading something under dim lighting raised his head and spoke.
“Come in.”
“Excuse me.”
The door opened, and the executive branch chief walked inside. He soon noticed that someone else was beside the assemblyman and bowed politely.
“I didn’t realize the chairman was here as well. My apologies.”
“No matter. It wasn’t anything important.”
The man called chairman said that. In the dim light, a faint smile spread across his mouth.
“Right. Today wasn’t supposed to be a regular report day, so what brings you here?”
The assemblyman asked. To avoid exposing their secret relationship, there were not many days when the executive branch chief came by in person. At most, he would show his face during regular reports or visit outside the schedule only when the report was urgent and confidential.
“I just received an emergency report from the informant we planted in the Dungeon Management Bureau.”
“If the executive branch chief came all the way here personally, it must be pretty urgent.”
“It is. Assemblyman. It’s information related to the Wraith Guild.”
“Go on.”
At the mention of Wraith, the assemblyman and chairman brightened their eyes and urged him on. Wraith was a Bronze-tier guild that had obstructed their plans, so it had become an eyesore to both of them.
“Do you remember that, not long ago, we omitted the investigation results for the lowest-tier S-Class dungeon and downgraded it to B-Class in order to annihilate the guild raid team that included Guild Master Kang Hyun-jun?”
“I remember. So the Wraith Guild raid team should have been wiped out, and Kang Hyun-jun should be dead, right?”
Both of them wanted Kang Hyun-jun dead and Wraith brought to ruin. But the executive branch chief shook his head.
“There were no casualties on the Wraith Guild raid team at all. On top of that, they cleared the S-Class dungeon.”
The mood turned heavy at once.
“Executive branch chief. As far as I know, even the lowest-tier S-Class dungeon is still extremely hard to clear… Am I mistaken?”
The assemblyman asked. The notoriety of S-Class dungeons was widespread even among ordinary people. Even when a Hunter of the same rank accompanied a raid, deaths were common. South Korea, in particular, had once seen thousands die from an S-Class dungeon out not long after the dungeon raid era began, so those dungeons were objects of terror.
“You’re not mistaken. Even if it was the lowest tier, it was definitely an S-Class dungeon. It wasn’t the sort of level a small guild raid team with only one A-Class Hunter in tow could clear. There weren’t even any casualties.”
“Then what the hell is going on?”
This time the chairman spoke. The executive branch chief’s gaze turned to him.
“Broadly speaking, there are three possibilities. First, Kang Hyun-jun’s force is greater than we expected. Second, one or more second awakeners appeared inside the dungeon. And third, they were accompanied by a helper we failed to identify.”
“Whichever it is, it’s dangerous.”
At the assemblyman’s words, the executive branch chief nodded and spoke.
“They’re tiger cubs. We should crush them thoroughly while we still can.”
“But if we step into the light now, the Osung Group won’t sit still.”
The executive branch chief stated his opinion forcefully, but the chairman shook his head and offered his counterargument.
“Listen. Is there really any need for us to make a move ourselves?”
Just because they couldn’t appear above the surface didn’t mean there was no way to attack Wraith. The assemblyman let a cold smile slip and said,
“Leak the information. Spread rumors that Wraith discovered something in the Hidden Dungeon.”
He intended to use human greed as his weapon.