Chapter 108
Chapter 108
Civil Servant Hunter’s S-class Resignation Log – Chapter 108
Calm down. You cant kill him. Thats not allowed.
I need to wrap this up quick and send him packing. Before our Elizabeth shoots him dead.
As you know, Assemblyman, Ive been swamped with all sorts of things lately. I havent had the bandwidth to focus on anything else.
Which is exactly why you shouldve made time to see me.
Im sorry, but what are you talking about?
Youre not planning to scrape by in dungeons forever, are you? With my help, you could live comfortably without lifting a finger.
Ah. So thats what this opposition assemblymanwhos on bad terms with the Associationwants with me.
An L-rank who could run the world, stuck as a lowly civil servant? It makes no sense. I cant for the life of me understand why Association President Song Han-na keeps you in that position.
You belong in a higher place. A person of your caliber needs a position that matches. For example, the presidents seat looks like a perfect fit for you.
What a bold personnel shuffle. From a lowly Dungeon Management Team staffer straight to Association President.
Look at Song Han-na. Just because shes president, she doesnt budge even when a dungeon breaks out in Seoul. Dont you envy that? A spot where you get honor and money without doing a thing! Plus, if you become president like the WDO Director, you wont have to set foot in those death-trap Labyrinth Dungeons!
He had a point. The head of an organization shouldnt move unless its the absolute worst-case scenario. Not unless its a Labyrinth Breakoutthey have to hold the fort.
Its kinda persuasive?
Well, doesnt change the fact that its just a dog barking nonsense.
Oops, my bad. Shouldnt compare to dogs. Sorry to every puppy in the world for lumping you with that guy.
Oblivious to Se-ras thoughts with her right in front of him, Lee Gil-sang kept yapping away.
Join hands with me, and you can have it all. My party will back you.
Lee Gil-sangs party was one of Koreas major political parties. It had its heyday once, but now it was seen as outdated.
Made up entirely of non-Awakeners, they lived in fear of Awakeners taking their spots. Thats why they hated the Associationscared that Song Han-na, who had domestic Awakeners in her iron grip, might muscle into politics.
Unlike them, the Associations approval ratings kept climbing by the day. And with three new L-ranks lately, theyd completely shattered the ceiling. No wonder the opposition, at odds with the Association, was dying inside.
The reason theyre trying to pull me in is so transparently obvious, its almost funny.
Just having someone from under Song Han-na join the opposition would boost their influence and weaken her power. Itd dilute their anti-Awakener stance tooa win-win.
And if they propped her up as president and turned her into a puppet? Total domination. Classic politician thinking.
I get its hard to decide right away. Youve got the Labyrinth coming up, so take your time, think it over, and give me your answer later.
Even with that kindly smile, his true intentions were crystal clear. The moment she shook hands, hed twist her around his finger however he pleased.
No. I cant keep you waiting, Assemblyman. Ill give you my answer now.
Hahaha! True to the name Headbang, youre a straight shooter. Come on, lets head to my office and talk more. Or how about dinner? Any favorite foods?
No, lets end it here. I refuse your offer, Assemblyman.
What?
Im not cut out to be Association President. I know that better than anyone. Even as an L-rank, Ill stay on as a civil servant with the Association.
Youre young, so you dont get it yet. A civil servant position in the Association isnt that great.
Not wrong.
Why was Do Jun-young the only strong Hunter in the Association despite Song Han-nas influence? Civil servants rarely enter dungeons, so their earning potential was limited.
No matter how much they admired Song Han-na, money kept people fed in the end, so most Awakeners flocked to guilds. Association civil servant jobs really werent that impressive.
But so what?
At least its better than working under someone who proposed discriminatory laws against Awakeners, dont you think?
The Awakener Ability Restriction Act.
Also called the Awakener Discrimination Act, it was all about the government micromanaging every move Awakeners made.
Electronic bracelets to block power use except when killing monsters, forced residence in designated zones, permits required for overseas travel, and if you naturalized elsewhere, banned from Korea entirelystuff like that.
Put simply, it treated Awakeners not as people, but as convenient slaves for the government.
It hadnt hit the formal agenda yet due to backlash from other parties and groups, but everyone knew the opposition kept pushing it steadily.
And work under someone trying to make that law reality? Ridiculous.
Assemblyman Lee Gil-sang, no Awakener doesnt know your name. Me included.
Restricting Awakener abilities is a given! Dont you know Awakener crimes are steadily rising?
Globally, sure. But in Korea, theyve actually been droppingyou know that. Especially since the Awakener Punishment Act took hold.
The discrimination act pushed by Lee Gil-sang and some opposition lawmakers was worlds apart from President Jang In-hus Awakener Punishment Act.
The punishment act protected both Awakeners and non-Awakeners. The discrimination act was just thatdiscrimination against Awakeners.
No, it was straight-up Awakener slavery.
I wont work with you, Assemblyman. My minds not changing. I need to head back to the Association now. Goodbye.
You think that Association will last forever? Song Han-na will get dragged down eventually.
Who knows. No signs of that yet. The Association belongs to the Awakeners. Goodbye.
What? Think the Association wont last? Song Han-na dragged down? Her teeth ground together.
Fine then. No quitting for Song Han-nashed stick to the Association like glue. One L-rank staying put was enough to uphold its prestige; shed stay here for life.
Resignation? Ha! Family firstscrew quitting. After 12 years of her aunt fighting to protect her, now it was her turn to be the strength for that woman.
Opposition scum. Theyd pay.
Youd better think twice. Awakeners are still outnumbered by non-Awakeners. Public opinion comes from them in the end.
If I clear this Labyrinth successfully, the Associations ratings will skyrocket even more. Cant wait. Im confident Ill nail it. Goodbye.
The biggest downside of dungeons is youre totally cut off from the outside world while youre in one.
Se-ras steps halted abruptly as she headed to her parked car. Thinking hed struck gold, Lee Gil-sang smirked sleazily.
Especially the Labyrinthit takes days, right? No way to hear about outside incidents, so thats gotta worry you.
Cheap threat setting her nerves on edge. Shed tried to end it nicely since he was an assemblyman, a politicianbut cross the line, and no dice.
Should I hold back? Why? Im Yoon Se-ra. Even if I didnt choose it, Im Headbang. Why hold back?
She wasnt some F-rank anymore; she was an influential L-rank. Why?
This creep saw her as Slave No. 1 he could boss around easily. Why?
Se-ra slowly turned back to Lee Gil-sang. The clueless bastard was still grinning.
What, planning to touch my loved ones? My family? Oh, rightassemblyman. Digging up dirt must be easy for you.
I tried being nice, and you get cocky? What did you just say?
But seeing you say that, looks like your digging turned up nothing. If you knew, you wouldnt have opened your mouth. You cant touch Athena with your puny power.
What?
Try it. Could be fun. Imagine Russo rampaging in Korea and tanking your partys ratings.
What? What the hell are you talking about! Athena?!
All the blood I have left is Yoon Jae-hun.
Lee Gil-sangs eyes shook wildly. Yoon Jae-hun? Yoon Jae-hun? Se-ra stepped closer as he stammered. He flinched back just as far.
You bastards drove my parents to their deaths, leaving me with only Yoon Jae-hun.
Twelve years ago, President Yoo Jun-seo had herded unprepared domestic Awakeners into Cheorwon to die.
Lee Gil-sangs party was the one Yoo Jun-seo had been part of back then. Names changed over the years, but Se-ra never forgot, not for a second.
My personal infos locked down tight. So you couldnt dig up family ties. You thought it was just because Im an L-rank Awakener?
As Se-ra smiled, Lee Gil-sangs face flushed red, then drained white, over and over.
Its because of you lot that Im protected. No upside if it got out.
Se-ras hand clamped his shoulder hard. Without even using strength, his face went sheet-white. The bodyguards couldnt budge, pinned by her mana.
You think Ive been playing nice civil servant, so Ill be nice to you too? Fat chancedont cross the line. Flip public opinion? Go ahead. By the time Im back from the Labyrinth, itll all be dust.
Se-ra yanked the lapel with his assemblyman badge, then flashed a bright smile.
I think weve talked enough. Goodbye.
She got in her car, leaving him to his guards support. Revving the engine and flooring it, her movements were rough.
The Administrators voice blanketed not her ear, but her shoulder. The warmth loosened her rigid muscles a bit.
Not okay. Those jailbirds are just the big namesLee Gil-sangs no saint either.
Lee Gil-sang was a death-line assemblyman. Hed been in that party 12 years ago, complicit in the Cheorwon Dungeon incident.
What? Touch the Association? Damn bastard. Fine, maybe I wont quit the Association after all. No resignation! Im doing civil servant life! Ill bury my bones there!
Shed stomp the Labyrinth flat too. Wring every scrap of info from Kang Se-jun and clear the 8th floor perfectly.
Then hoist her name, the Association she belonged to, and even Song Han-na above the heavens.
And crush that godforsaken party to pieces.
All the way back to the Association, Se-ra ground her teeth.