Chapter 38
Chapter 38
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Choice (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Awakener Association headquarters.
A man who had stayed late into the night finished checking the last document and sank deep into his chair.
"Phew."
Team Leader Lee Youngsik, the overall supervisor of the Hunter License Exam, let out a sigh of relief.
It was because the urgent fires had finally been put out, at least somewhat.
His aide, watching from the side, gave Lee Youngsik a small smile.
"You've been through a lot these past weeks."
"Yeah, yeah. You've had it rough too. Those hyena-like bastards... tsk."
At the mention of hyenas, the aide gave a wry smile.
Hyenas—the reporters and malicious forces waging media wars and public opinion battles to undermine the Association's position.
It was only natural for big events to draw crowds and chatter, but this year's Hunter License Exam had been especially noisy.
'Out of nowhere, a Homunculus shows up, and a D-rank takes fifth place...'
It was inevitable that questions would arise about proper Awakener management.
The Association's reputation getting tarnished and arrows of criticism flying was just par for the course.
In that situation, after getting an earful from Baek Jincheon, Lee Youngsik had stepped up to the front lines as the Association's bullet sponge.
And he'd swiftly rooted out the employees responsible for the mess.
'That's why public opinion died down in just two weeks.'
Public sentiment always cools with time, but without Team Leader Lee Youngsik's quick handling, it probably would've still been a shitstorm.
"It's terrifying to even think what would've happened without you, sir. You're amazing as always."
The aide's eyes held genuine respect for his capable superior's seasoned prowess.
Lee Youngsik, sharp as ever, couldn't miss that. He let out a modest chuckle.
This was the time to show humility—it only boosted his standing further.
"Enough. What did I even do? The big break was that Kim Gunja—the guy at the center of it—having reawakened, and that news coming out late. I would've been screwed otherwise."
True enough.
An Awakener reawakening mid-exam was unprecedented.
Lee Youngsik had hammered that point relentlessly to turn public opinion around.
And he'd subtly diluted the issue by noting how rare it was for a Homunculus to even participate.
Basking in the aide's admiring gaze, Lee Youngsik shared good news with his hardworking subordinate.
"Anyway, got any vacation spots in mind?"
"Pardon? Vacation...?"
"You haven't even gone home properly in two weeks. Work wrapped up nicely, so take some time off."
"T-Team Leader...!"
As the moved aide teared up and Lee Youngsik opened his mouth to generously offer three days off—
Knock knock.
"Sir, may I come in?"
Perfect timing for an interruption.
And a somewhat urgent voice.
'Tch...'
Lee Youngsik's eyebrow twitched—the climax of building loyalty ruined.
But he kept his cool and responded evenly.
"Come in."
The Association employee who entered right away didn't look good.
"Pentagram called."
At the name Pentagram, Lee Youngsik and the aide's faces hardened.
They only contacted the Association right before something huge went down.
"A labyrinth-type multiple gate is set to open near the southern foot of Jirisan at dawn tomorrow. They said to prepare."
Shocked, Lee Youngsik slammed his desk and stood.
"Labyrinth-type multiple gate?!"
"Yes. And the monsters are likely spider-types. We're urgently notifying all departments and guilds right now."
"M-My God...!"
The aide's face paled too.
A time-attack multiple gate was bad enough, but labyrinth-type?
And spider-type monsters?
The worst gate combo with the worst monster form.
A perfect storm.
'Ah...!'
And the aide realized one more thing.
His sweet vacation, right around the corner, had just evaporated.
A quiet night with few people around.
A car pulled up in front of Park Chunduk Academy.
Kim Gunja, fresh from a hunt, was saying goodbye to Choi Jinseung and getting out—
"Kim Gunja."
Choi Jinseung called out.
Kim Gunja turned with a puzzled look.
"Yes? Something on your mind?"
"...I've been thinking about it nonstop. The question you asked that rainy day in the car."
He meant when Kim Gunja had cornered him.
—So that day was just 'business' to you too? No emotions involved? Was it really?
At Choi Jinseung's words, Kim Gunja leaned back into his seat instead of exiting.
"Two weeks or so, right?"
"...Yes."
"Time flies."
With that, Kim Gunja calmly waited for him to continue.
After a deep breath, Choi Jinseung slowly spoke.
"I'm sorry. Saying no personal feelings were involved that day... that was me rationalizing it to myself. I definitely... enjoyed wielding that power in the moment."
"Enjoyed?"
"...Let me correct that. I did enjoy it. I apologize."
"Choose your words carefully. One slip, and I might misunderstand your sincerity. That'd be awkward for both of us, no?"
"...Yes."
Stroking his silver Majesty Ring, Kim Gunja continued slowly.
"True apologies start with owning your mistakes. You've taken that first step, Choi Jinseung. Congratulations."
Choi Jinseung tugged his tie loose at Kim Gunja's words.
First step, sure.
But that implied more steps ahead.
"Then here's your next task. Sincerely apologize to my friends—the victims that day. And get their forgiveness."
"...!"
"Figure out how. In a way that doesn't make them uncomfortable. That's your second assignment from me. Any objections?"
"...None."
Leaving the stifled Choi Jinseung behind, Kim Gunja got out. His expression wasn't great.
Chatting with Choi Jinseung had reminded him of the mental blocks his friends now had.
'I want to visit the Vatican soon to help...'
But priority one was hitting S-rank within a year.
"Sigh..."
Kim Gunja let out a soft sigh and headed slowly toward the academy.
No one around tonight—lights were off.
Beep.
Fingerprint scan opened the door.
Park Chunduk knew the academy was Gunja's main sanctuary, so he'd set it up for easy access anytime.
After a shower, he plopped on the sofa and opened his status window.
👤 Name:Kim Gunja
💪 Abilities:[Body Lv 5] [Mana Lv 4]
⭐ Unique Trait:[Customizing Room Lv 2]
🔗 Sync Rate:[Ma Ilcheon's Right Arm Lv 7], [Stein's Left Leg Lv 3]
⚔ Special:[Heaven-Shattering Sword 6★], [Heaven-Shattering Divine Art 4★], [Shadow Technique 4★], [Shadow Body 3★], [Stein-style Dagger Arts 2★]
🧬 Fusion Tissues:[Old Orc's Tendon] +8 others. (Click for details)
Two weeks since learning about the Majesty Ring.
Training and hunting in tandem had bumped his Body level up one.
Grasping the essence of Shadow Technique had boosted his Sync Rate too, playing a big role.
'Just one more step to A-rank...'
At this pace, a year might not even be needed.
Plus, Heaven-Shattering Divine Art hit 4★, Shadow Technique 4★.
Using them constantly in hunts naturally raised proficiency.
'Heaven-Shattering Sword's proficiency is so high already... no movement there.'
And Stein-style Dagger Arts, honed through spars with Yeji, reached 2★—solid enough for real fights now.
Kim Gunja figured his current level meant safe hunting in B- and C-rank gates.
That's why he'd been converting hunt-earned mana stones to points and stockpiling.
For the next Customizing Room upgrade.
'Roughly 2,000 points in two weeks...'
Next upgrade needed 30,000, but with hunting accelerating, it wouldn't take long.
—All Master Rings are mere derivatives of the Majesty Ring.
That was all Austin had revealed that day.
Anything more was blocked by Customizing Room's level limit.
Kim Gunja had heard that before on things like right arm morphing or investors.
'Perks, info quality...'
Customizing Room level was top priority, plain and simple.
Now that he could hunt stably, investing in the Room over individual customizations made sense.
It'd accelerate his growth faster.
As Kim Gunja pondered this and prepared for bed—
Vrrr—
He checked his phone and answered.
"Yes, Monjiro."
—How have you been?
"Thanks to you."
In two weeks, Pentagram intel had netted two guerrilla hunts.
D-rank was still his safe solo limit, but guerrilla hunts let him monopolize stones—quite profitable.
Better than a day off, anyway.
—Calling about your first mission. Tied to a multiple gate about to pop in Korea.
Kim Gunja was mildly surprised.
"Multiple gate?"
Small gates spawning indiscriminately around a large central one.
—Yes. And for a successful first mission, we'll hook you up with a nice artifact. Do your best.
Monjiro sounded oddly excited.
Like he anticipated Kim Gunja's reaction to the details.
But even after hearing the mission, Kim Gunja's face stayed neutral.
He cared less about success than something else.
'Artifact, huh...'
Hoping it was something pricey to sell—for Customizing Room fodder.
He knew advancing one perk beat any single artifact for him.
Hero Guild.
"Association called. Labyrinth-type multiple gate incoming near Jirisan. They're requesting support from all guilds."
Baek Jincheon's aura shifted at the report.
Source was obvious.
"Those guys?"
"Yes."
No one but Pentagram could predict gate outbreaks.
Baek Jincheon, visibly annoyed, asked:
"The old man's in?"
Only one person he called that.
Infinite Guild Master, Mountain King Hong Gyuhyeon.
The deputy replied:
"Gathered all available Hunters except those on major gates. Heading to Jirisan together."
"Figured."
"Your orders?"
"Business as usual."
Notify members, take volunteers only, minimal support.
Enough to not tarnish Hero Guild's name.
Multiple gates weren't efficient anyway.
"Snag what we can."
Infinite Guild going all-in meant gaps in their prime gate hunts.
Hero Guild should claim those.
Securing overlooked high-value gates beat multiple-gate support.
"Got it."
"And that guy?"
Kim Gunja.
"His growth is visible even after two weeks. Yesterday's check confirmed Body Lv 5 already. Guildmates on hunts rave about him."
The deputy handed over evaluations from the past two weeks.
Consensus was unanimous.
—Reliable Hunter
—Thoughtful, steps up first in danger
—Hunter with integrity and skill
—Just being around him lifts spirits
Baek Jincheon smirked, intrigued.
"Interesting."
First time he'd seen such uniform praise.
Unlike Kang Inhyeok, strong but always making enemies on hunts.
The deputy added on growth speed:
"No precedents for dual character-unique traits, but at this rate, S-rank in a year is very likely."
"So his bravado wasn't bluff."
After a moment's thought, Baek Jincheon's lips parted slowly.
"Time to poke him a bit more?"
Muttering to himself, he continued:
"Contact Kang Inhyeok."
The deputy's eyes widened at the name.
"Advance the schedule."
A faint smile played on Baek Jincheon's lips.
Looking forward to what came next.