Chapter 68
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 68.
The Hunter Association handles various tasks.
Among them, the primary role is arranging jobs for the hunters registered with the association.
They mediate Gates or guide hunters to separate requests that come in.
"Payment."
"Yes, the Gate raid… confirmed. The reward will be deposited into your account within an hour."
"I came to find a Gate worth raiding……."
"You mean a D-rank Gate, right? Just a moment, hmm……. There’s one currently forecasted near Seocho District—shall I reserve it for you?"
Thus, the Hunter Association was busy every day.
Especially the front desk staff, who were even more swamped.
Recently, most tasks could be handled via smartphones, so there was no need to visit the association in person.
Still, many preferred to come in and settle things directly rather than using their phones.
"Huuuu."
A desk employee let out a long sigh.
It was hectic and exhausting.
Today was slightly better, likely due to the weather, but it was still overwhelming.
"Ah… Aaaah! I haven’t even had time to eat!"
"Hey, don’t shout. It’s giving me a headache."
"How can you even hear it with all this noise?"
The lobby of the Hunter Association was noisy. With so many people around, it was inevitable.
The employee glanced at their colleague and sighed again.
"At least today’s a bit calmer, right?"
"Just a little… It really makes you realize how busy we usually are."
"That’s true. Ugh, can’t they hire more staff?"
"They’re cutting budgets. Sigh."
Most major guilds or prestigious families operated independently without involving the association.
As a result, the profits from byproducts obtained in Gates didn’t flow back to the association.
This naturally led to budget shortages.
"Ugh……."
And it wasn’t going to improve anytime soon.
The employee sighed and stood up.
"Huh?"
Just as they got up to buy coffee, they noticed the surroundings had gone quiet.
They raised their heads—and then saw.
"...Who’s that?"
Someone was entering through the entrance.
A man clad in a black overcoat, wearing an expensive-looking suit underneath.
And swordsmen followed behind him.
"Swordsmen?"
"Is that… the Sword Saint family?"
"Why are they here?"
The Sword Saint family didn’t visit the Hunter Association. It was usually the other way around—the association sought them out to request their services.
Yet here they were, visiting the association.
And with a man no one had ever seen before.
"Who is he?"
"If the Sword Saint family is escorting him like that, he must be someone important."
All eyes turned toward the man.
He strode across the lobby with an indifferent expression, and Chae Jeong-jun hurried over to greet him.
“That’s Director Chae Jung-jun.”
"If he's acting like that, this guy must be really high-ranking."
"Well, whoever he is……."
The employee grabbed her wallet.
"For a second, I thought I was watching a runway show."
* * *
"I apologize, Mr. Yoo Baek-jun. I said I’d handle this, but things turned out like this……."
"No, it’s fine."
Yoo Baek-jun and Chae Jeong-jun stepped into the elevator. It ascended without stopping.
Chae Jeong-jun kept bowing his head.
"Things don’t always go as planned. But how did this happen?"
"The Association Chairman rejected it."
"Hmm……."
Just as he had expected earlier.
"And the reason?"
"He said there wasn’t enough evidence… That we couldn’t deploy magical weapons or issue evacuation orders based on mere speculation."
"Mere speculation."
Yoo Baek-jun looked out at the sky.
"And he still said that after seeing that?"
"...Yes."
The Association’s Chairman and his faction were incompetent and greedy.
That’s why the association was still struggling to find its footing, being pulled in every direction.
Another reason to deal with them.
"Let me ask you something, Director Chae Jeong-jun."
"Yes, I’ll answer anything."
"Which faction are you in?"
"Huh?"
Chae Jeong-jun’s eyes widened. The question was too sudden.
"The Hunter Association must have factions, right? Those who follow the current chairman and those who oppose him. Am I wrong?"
"Well……."
Chae Jeong-jun stammered.
"Why are you asking about that?"
"Because I’m about to do something that will help your side."
"Excuse me?"
Ding.
The elevator doors opened.
Yoo Baek-jun stepped out and walked down the hallway as if familiar with the place. Chae Jeong-jun hurried after him.
Their destination was the conference room on the top floor.
"……."
"……."
Security guards stood at the entrance.
The swordsmen and the guards exchanged glances, and a brief silence fell.
Sweat dripped from the guards’ foreheads from the tension.
“O-only one person is allowed inside…”
"That’s fine. One should be enough. Lee Jun-woo, come with me."
"Yes, young master."
Yoo Baek-jun decided to enter with only Lee Jun-woo, leaving Han Seong-ah and the other swordsmen outside.
"Let’s go."
Yoo Baek-jun and Chae Jeong-jun entered the conference room.
Inside, people were waiting—a man straddling middle and old age, along with others.
The Association’s Chairman and his faction.
'Kang Byeong-jo.'
That was the Chairman’s name.
A bureaucrat-turned-Association Chairman, a classic parachute appointment.
A self-serving figure who engaged in moderate corruption.
He looked at Yoo Baek-jun and smiled.
"You’re Yoo Baek-jun, right? I think we met once at your first birthday. You’ve grown up well.”
"……."
Kang Byeong-jo spoke in a friendly tone, likely to ease the atmosphere.
Yoo Baek-jun ignored him and took a seat.
"I’m Yoo Baek-jun of the Sword Saint family. Let’s get straight to the point. We don’t have time."
"...Hmm."
Kang Byeong-jo made a displeased sound. At that, Lee Jun-woo’s eyebrow twitched.
"Right, I heard from Director Chae Jeong-jun. You want to deploy magical weapons in Seoul and issue evacuation orders."
"Yes, that’s correct."
"I spoke directly to the President, but he said it would be difficult. As you know……."
"There’s no concrete evidence?"
Kang Byeong-jo nodded.
"Chairman, that report included sightings of red Gates in Incheon and other regions. There were demons……."
"I know, Director Chae Jeong-jun. But you handled it well, didn’t you? And only one Gate appeared in each region. Those were resolved too."
Red Gates had appeared in various regions, but the Sword Saint family’s power had dealt with them.
Yoo Baek-jun had provided the detailed strategies.
Unlike Barwe, these were ordinary demons, so they weren’t particularly difficult opponents.
"From what I can tell, they weren’t that tough… Yet you insisted in your report that a Great Invasion Gate would appear in Seoul and demanded evacuation orders."
"Yes, that’s right."
"I checked the Gate forecast system, and it showed no signs of a Great invasion Gate appearing in Seoul."
Kang Byeong-jo slowly rested his chin on his hand.
"With this, how can I approve your proposal?"
No evidence, no approval.
Chae Jeong-jun bit his lip.
'Damn old man. He’s just worried that if he approves the deployment or evacuation orders and nothing happens, it’ll reflect poorly on him.'
Disgusting self-preservation.
Kang Byeong-jo would rather do nothing than risk making a mistake.
What to do now…
Chae Jeong-jun glanced at Yoo Baek-jun.
"So what now?"
"Excuse me?"
"What exactly are you trying to achieve?"
Then, Yoo Baek-jun spoke leisurely.
Silence filled the room.
His words were too abrupt—and too rude.
Kang Byeong-jo’s face reddened.
“You—what did you just say…?”
"Just say it simply. You’re refusing to issue evacuation orders, right?"
"That’s… correct."
"And let’s be honest. Did you even properly relay this to the President?"
"Of course, I made it clear……."
A sneer formed on Yoo Baek-jun’s lips.
“No way you did. He wouldn’t have believed me anyway.”
Kang Byeong-jo’s face stiffened instantly.
Yoo Baek-jun stood up.
Screech—the chair scraped loudly as it was pushed back, tumbling to the floor.
“Come to think of it, aren't some foreign VIPs visiting soon? You probably didn’t want Seoul to look like it’s in a state of emergency during that, did you?”
Yoo Baek-jun approached Kang Byeong-jo.
His face clearly showed the transition from middle age to old age.
Yoo Baek-jun grabbed his face and forced him to look out the window.
"Look at the sky outside, Chairman. Does that look normal to you? Like just dark clouds?"
"This is too disrespectful……!"
"Demons will appear. Just like during the Joseon era, monsters from another world will invade Seoul."
Yoo Baek-jun leaned in close, growling.
"If a Great invasion happens, if Seoul turns into a sea of fire because of your complacency… who will take responsibility? You?"
"Th-that’s……."
Kang Byeong-jo gulped.
But only for a moment.
He tried to shout back—but his mouth wouldn’t open.
'What is this pressure…?!'
Shudder!
Kang Byeong-jo’s body trembled.
An intense aura radiated from the man before him. A pressure so overwhelming it made his body shake uncontrollably.
Crack!
Yoo Baek-jun’s hand gripped Kang Byeong-jo’s shoulder.
A crushing force bore down as if it would shatter the bone.
"Ugh—! Aaaah!"
"Ch-Chairman!"
"Kuh…!"
The guards nearby reached for their weapons.
At that, Lee Jun-woo raised his head.
His icy gaze seemed ready to cut them down instantly.
The guards’ hands froze.
"Listen carefully."
Yoo Baek-jun spoke slowly.
"Once this is over, I’ll make this public. Using the Sword Saint family’s influence and all my connections."
Then, he shoved Kang Byeong-jo roughly.
The Chairman tumbled to the floor, clutching his shoulder.
"Let’s see if you can keep your position after that."
Yoo Baek-jun opened the conference room door.
Chae Jeong-jun, who had been staring blankly at the unfolding events, scrambled after him.
"M-Mr Yoo Baek-jun! What was that……?"
"I’ll get the authorization myself."
"Excuse me?"
Yoo Baek-jun motioned to Han Seong-ah.
"Contact the family. We’ll get direct approval through the President. While we’re at it, let’s check whether that old man even reported it."
"Yes, young master."
"W-wait……!"
A voice called from behind, but Yoo Baek-jun mercilessly closed the door.
Lee Jun-woo, following behind, scoffed.
"That old man dared to look down on you, young master."
"Of course. The youngest of the Sword Saint family, who’s never been active publicly… Plus, he must’ve heard rumors about me."
A gentle personality, weak-willed.
Since it wasn’t an official request from the family, he probably thought he could brush it off.
Unfortunately for him, Yoo Baek-jun had no such intention.
"Let’s stir things up a bit."
For the future, that self-serving old man needed to step down.