Chapter 8
Chapter 8
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 008
Chapter Title: Mutant
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"Uh... then, could you follow me for a moment? We need to start with identity verification. If you don't mind, may I have your name?"
Han Jeong-woo trailed behind Baek Yoon-seok, just waiting for them to get away from the crowd.
He'd decided to reveal his identity, but not in a place this public.
"Sir Awakener, let's start with your name at least."
Baek Yoon-seok prompted him.
"Han Jeong-woo. I haven't registered as an Awakener yet."
Baek Yoon-seok, who had been walking ahead, came to an abrupt halt. A flash of bewilderment crossed his face.
"...An unregistered Awakener? Sigh... this just got a lot more complicated."
Baek Yoon-seok carefully set his Pomeranian "Kkuku" down in the back seat of his nearby parked car. He then pulled out a tablet PC from the passenger seat and began typing in Han Jeong-woo's name.
"...Han Jeong-woo. Quite a few people share that name. Have you climbed the Tower, by any chance?"
"Yes, I have."
"Hmm, alright. How far did you get?"
Baek Yoon-seok asked with a rote expression, as if it were just a formality—he wasn't expecting much.
In reality, even B-rank Awakeners were rare enough that you hardly ever ran into them on the street. So, it was natural not to have high hopes for the man in front of him.
"Floor 11."
"Ah, Floor 11. Yeah, that's about average."
Baek Yoon-seok nodded mechanically at the unremarkable floor count.
But in the very next moment, a sense of wrongness washed over him.
'Wait, didn't this guy just say he took down a Magma Golem a minute ago?'
A person skilled enough to defeat the Floor 25 boss monster, the Magma Golem, had only made it to Floor 11?
Baek Yoon-seok's mind went blank, filled with confusion.
As he desperately tried to piece together the jumbled puzzle, a certain Awakener's nickname flashed through his mind.
"...W-Wait, did you register a nickname? If you did, could you tell me that too?"
His voice rose without him realizing it.
'Mutant.'
The monstrous rookie currently shaking up all of Korea.
'...And Mutant is exactly on Floor 11 right now.'
He'd checked the rankings on the way here, and Mutant was stuck precisely at Floor 11.
No way. It couldn't be. Baek Yoon-seok's hands began trembling uncontrollably, making the tablet PC shake in his grip.
Before the man could even open his mouth—during that brief pause as he caught his breath—the tension was already too much for Baek Yoon-seok to bear. With a quivering voice, he asked again.
"S-Sir... um... if it's not too much trouble... what's your... nickname...?"
Han Jeong-woo looked at him calmly and answered.
"Mutant."
"......Mu-Mutant!!"
Baek Yoon-seok's eyes widened as if they might pop out.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ A short while later.
Strategic Talent Management Team Leader Choi Jin-il rushed to the scene in the Suyu-dong rooming district after receiving Baek Yoon-seok's urgent call.
His face was a mix of anticipation and anxiety.
"Agent Baek! You found Mutant?!"
"Yes, Team Leader! He just took down a Magma Golem in one hit, and after checking, he's an unregistered Awakener. All signs point to him being Mutant!"
"...Is that so? Well, we'll only know for sure once we confirm it ourselves."
Baek Yoon-seok nodded at Choi Jin-il's words.
The circumstances lined up perfectly, but on closer inspection, it was just the unilateral claim of an unregistered Awakener—nothing concrete yet.
"So, where is he now?"
"In that rooming house over there. This way."
Soon, the two men entered Han Jeong-woo's place.
The moment Choi Jin-il stepped into the small room following Baek Yoon-seok's lead, he unconsciously furrowed his brow.
'...Mutant lives in a dump like this?'
The value of the figure known as Mutant in Korea right now was beyond imagination. Not just the Korea Awakener Management Agency, but all the major guilds were desperately hunting for him.
For a super-prospect like that to be living in such a rundown, cramped one-room? It was hard to believe.
"Team Leader, this is the man..."
But Choi Jin-il quickly smoothed his furrowed brow and approached Han Jeong-woo with a gentle smile, bowing politely in greeting.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Han Jeong-woo. I'm Choi Jin-il, Team Leader of the Strategic Talent Management Team at the Korea Awakener Management Agency."
"Yes, hello. Han Jeong-woo."
"I'll get straight to the point."
Choi Jin-il's eyes gleamed sharply.
Every minute and second mattered right now.
"You claim to be the Awakener 'Mutant'... Can you prove it?"
If he couldn't, they couldn't afford to waste time here.
"Of course. How would you like me to prove it?"
"Simple. Either come with me to the registration office for a scan, or climb the Tower right now."
Choi Jin-il gazed at his translucent hologram window floating in the air and continued.
"Since Mutant... has reached Floor 11, conquering Floor 12 should do it."
"Then I'll go with the second option."
Han Jeong-woo replied. The first would risk exposing his awakening rank.
"Understood. Then, if you could wear this small camera we've prepared—"
"Is that absolutely necessary? I don't want my abilities or fighting style getting out."
Choi Jin-il hesitated for a moment. By the rules, video proof was mandatory.
But he nodded soon after. S-rank Awakeners and above almost always hated revealing their powers.
So, the request was perfectly reasonable.
"Ahem... alright. It's irregular, but we'll allow it. Can you do it right now?"
"Yes, I'll be right back."
With those words, Han Jeong-woo's figure vanished.
"......!"
Choi Jin-il and Baek Yoon-seok held their breath in anticipation.
Flash!
Just a few seconds later, Han Jeong-woo reappeared in the exact same spot.
"I've cleared it. Check the rankings."
His appearance was utterly unchanged from before entering the Tower.
Choi Jin-il and Baek Yoon-seok hurriedly opened their system windows to check the rankings.
And then, the unbelievable record that appeared before their eyes.
🏆 RANKING UPDATE 🏆 [Korea Tower Floor 12 Ranking: Mutant (SSS) / 3 seconds] It was undeniable. The man before them was the SSS-rank ranker they'd been searching for: 'Mutant'.
In that instant, the air in the cramped room shifted completely.
More precisely, the atmosphere around Team Leader Choi Jin-il and Agent Baek Yoon-seok did a complete 180.
The lingering doubts they'd held melted away like snow, replaced by pure desperation.
Now, they had one goal.
To recruit this man into the Agency, no matter what.
"Base salary starts at 300 billion won, plus various incentives and allowances. Tax breaks go without saying... And if you want, we can move you to top-tier housing right away."
Choi Jin-il carefully placed the thick stack of prepared contract documents in front of Han Jeong-woo.
Han Jeong-woo silently took the papers and began reading them meticulously.
'...Is this really a contract?'
The terms were so unbelievable he wondered if it was legitimate.
All the conditions mentioned were explicitly stated, and what the Agency wanted from him was simple: diligent Tower climbing. And occasional cooperation if a national disaster-level gate appeared.
Han Jeong-woo set the documents aside and glanced away for a moment.
The two men were staring at him with wide, eager eyes, like kids waiting for candy, making it all feel a bit burdensome.
"I don't have many conditions."
"Yes! Name them!"
"Freedom to climb the Tower as I have been, and keeping my personal info private. That's it."
Sure, joining a major named guild might offer even better treatment.
But the moment he joined a guild, he'd be moving solely for their benefit.
In that regard, the Agency contract appealed to him.
"Of course."
"I'll personally guarantee it!"
Fearing he might change his mind, Choi Jin-il and Baek Yoon-seok answered almost in unison the second he finished speaking.
Han Jeong-woo paused dramatically, feigning deep thought.
Of course, his answer was already set. But when signing a contract like this, a little push-pull was essential.
"...Alright. Let's do it."
At those words, the tension drained from their faces, replaced by blooming smiles.
"Really?"
"A wise decision! You won't regret it!"
Choi Jin-il felt more joy than just recruiting an S-rank Awakener.
Mutant could breathe new life into Korea's stagnant Tower conquests.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "What do you mean? You're saying I don't get paid?!"
Meanwhile, Lee Min-joo had returned to the Agency.
She shouted with enough fury to grab the gate response staffer by the collar.
"N-No, it's just... As you know, gate conquests are handled entirely by other Awakeners—"
"That bastard stole it on his own whim!"
Lee Min-joo's rage-filled voice echoed through the entire office.
"Yes, that's true, but... the system only pays out based on proven combat contributions."
The staffer explained profusely, sweat pouring down his face.
"Ha! You call that an excuse?"
"...I'm sorry. That's the rule. I truly apologize, but for compensation issues... you'll have to settle it directly with him."
"Hoo..."
Lee Min-joo barely suppressed her boiling anger.
Damn their rigid rules. Then why was there no compensation for her, the one who'd suffered because of them?
"...Fine. At least give me his name and contact info."
"Yes, one moment."
The staffer hurriedly tapped at his keyboard.
Tap, tap. But his fingers soon stopped. Bewilderment spread across his face as he stared at the monitor.
"Uh...? What's this? Why isn't it coming up?"
"What now? What's the problem this time?"
Lee Min-joo's brow furrowed as her patience wore thin.
"No, it's... I've never seen this before. That Awakener's personal info isn't showing at all. There's no record whatsoever."
"What? Are you kidding me?!"
She yelled at the absurd claim, even leaning over to check the monitor herself.
"Y-You can't come over here!"
"Do you seriously think it makes sense for an Awakener who cleared a gate to have no info? Are you deliberately hiding it?"
"No! Absolutely not! There's really nothing! Why would I lie?!"
The staffer protested his innocence, but it was no use.
After a prolonged argument, Lee Min-joo stormed out with nothing to show for it.
As she rubbed her dry face, racking her brain for a way to get her money, a vague memory surfaced of what that man had said earlier.
"He definitely said his place was nearby..."
It was still hard to believe, but she had no other options right now.
With a grasp-at-straws mindset, Lee Min-joo turned her steps back toward the Suyu-dong rooming district where the gate had opened.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Choi Jin-il and Baek Yoon-seok left with the signed contract.
The moment they were gone, the serious expression vanished from Han Jeong-woo's face.
Alone now, he flung himself onto the bed with the grin of a man who'd conquered the world and let out a triumphant roar.
"300 billion! Actual 300 billion!!"
He could hardly believe it.
Intellectually, he knew an EX-rank like himself deserved that treatment, but signing a real contract with "300 billion annual salary" right there in front of him had his hands shaking.
A single tear drop plopped onto the pillow.
If only his parents were here right now.
"Hoo..."
Han Jeong-woo bolted upright from the bed.
He couldn't afford to get sentimental.
His eyes sharpened once more.
Today's events had compensated for all his past hardships, but stopping here would mean falling behind from tomorrow on.
"I won't let that happen."
The reason his nickname was Mutant.
He always craved a better life and gave his all to seize it.
"So, what's next?"
The answer was clear.
Climb the Tower.
From what he knew, Korea's Tower progress had been stalled for ages. Even the Agency staff had subtly pinned their hopes on him.
"For now, I'll tackle what I can, step by step."
Han Jeong-woo opened his inventory and pulled out one of the items inside.
📦 ITEM 📦 Blessed Skill Enhancement Ticket As Han Jeong-woo read the item's description, his eyes widened in disbelief.
"It removes the skill's penalty...?"