Chapter 174
Chapter 174
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 174
Chapter Title: Fame and the KP Group's Invitation
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After conquering "The Bird of Kapke Island."
Jeonghyeon had become far more famous than he'd expected.
To be precise, he'd already been a hot topic among industry insiders, but this time, he'd captured the public's attention as well.
More accurately, news of a new monster called a Siren appearing—and Hunter Han Jeonghyeon taking it down single-handedly—had spread naturally through mass media and the internet.
Thanks to that, Jeonghyeon found himself doing press interviews he could never have imagined before, even encountering people on the street who recognized him.
Right now, he was in the middle of an interview with an online news outlet at the HJH Gate Office.
"I learned while preparing for this interview that you were already a big name in the industry. I was curious why you weren't more famous to the public, so could you tell us the reason?"
"Ah, well, that's because..."
To put it precisely, it was due to the Association's information control on S-Rank Hunters.
Of course, guilds often had their own reasons for not publicizing things openly, so there was a sense of mutual aid between them.
But this time, with the Siren involved, they couldn't suppress the information completely like before.
They had to share details about the new monster, and in the process, the HJH Gate Office and Jeonghyeon's existence inevitably came to light.
As a result, the Management Bureau issued him a new hunter license.
They re-registered him as an A-Rank Hunter with the trait "Transcendent Combat Sense."
S-Ranks were usually registered under disguised normal ranks anyway.
However, since his identity was now public, registering him at too low a rank would lack credibility, so they went with A-Rank.
Of course, he couldn't openly explain any of this.
"I'm the type who doesn't like drawing attention. I wanted to work quietly."
"Ah, so your initial unregistered status was...?"
"Yes, for similar reasons."
"Impressive."
The reporter nodded repeatedly while typing on his laptop.
It was a standard answer that appeared in all of Jeonghyeon's interviews so far, nothing special, but these basic questions were obligatory for any interview.
And there was one more common question.
A question that drove Jeonghyeon absolutely mad.
"I know this is a very sensitive topic, but..."
"I can guess what you're going to ask, and no, it's not that."
"I feel like I have to ask anyway. There's a lot of talk about how you weren't affected by the Siren's song at all. And now... there's this theory that you have zero sexual desire."
"I said no."
"Hahaha, I figured as much."
After learning that the Siren feather flute Jeonghyeon obtained produced the same effect as the Siren's song, the Association asked to borrow it temporarily for research.
He'd lent it to them without much thought.
That turned out to be a mistake.
The Association announced that the Siren's song stimulated the listener's sexual fantasies.
From there, public interest shifted slightly.
So why wasn't Han Jeonghyeon affected by the Siren's song?
Could it be...?
It was such perfect gossip fodder that media outlets interviewing him often tossed in the question.
Reputable outlets held back for the sake of their credibility, but online media couldn't resist for the clicks.
'What the hell? Is everyone possessed by some pervert demon?'
It was enough to make Jeonghyeon want to scream and jump around.
He'd even publicly stated that his armor had mental attack resistance, but it had zero effect.
└ Lololol confirmed virgin Hunter Jeonghyeon...
└ He's hot and A-Rank, so I came to comment "at least 3cm," but no need now lol!
└ Cease fire! That's not an ally... wait, civilian!
└ Civilian lololol
└ How do I marry Hunter Han Jeonghyeon?
└ Sadly, impossible.
One outlet even ran a story claiming Han Jeonghyeon was a lifelong bachelor, spreading the embarrassing rumor uncontrollably.
It was true he'd never dated, but that was only because he'd had no time—not because he enjoyed being single.
In any case, the circumstances piled up, leaving Jeonghyeon as an unwilling victim of the rumors.
'Refuting it with gritted teeth in articles would just look pathetic...'
All he could do was deny it when reporters asked, like now. But whether people believed him was up to the readers.
"Yes, got it. And I understand you've cleared several more Mission Gates recently. That's quite impressive. Don't you ever feel fatigue or fear when entering gates?"
It had been a month since emerging from "The Bird of Kapke Island."
Naturally, there had been three or four more clears in that time, all successful without much difficulty.
He'd already collected 114 coins, so between interviews and other non-raiding duties, he truly had no time to rest.
No wonder he'd hoarded three-digit coins without spending them.
Though at first it was because he didn't want to burn through them too fast, and later just laziness.
Compared to other gate offices handling maybe two requests a month, this was an exceptionally fast pace.
Especially for the HJH office, which only had Jeonghyeon and Won-ho as real combat assets.
But Jeonghyeon had a firm answer for this question.
It was the same response he'd given to similar ones before.
"What's the point of being a hunter if you're scared to enter gates?"
"Truly admirable."
The reporter nodded at his resolute answer, typing away.
'Of course, the pay made up for it.'
He thought that too, but it wasn't something to say in an interview.
After finishing his notes, the reporter nodded to himself and smiled.
"One last question. Any plans to branch into MyTV streaming or something similar?"
"Ah, that..."
Jeonghyeon paused to think.
Minji had suggested exactly that recently.
Now that HJH was gaining public fame, why not use the momentum for promotion?
He'd said he'd think about it but hadn't given a firm answer yet.
They were already getting plenty of guild requests without MyTV, and extra attention didn't help.
"No plans yet, and I can't say never forever."
Still, he might do it someday.
Fame had its uses beyond promotion or money.
With that, the interview ended.
Jeonghyeon escorted the reporter out and returned to the office.
"Ugh, exhausting."
He preferred just entering gates thoughtlessly and hunting monsters.
Dealing with people was always the hardest.
"Good work, Boss—huh?"
Minji, with subtle makeup, greeted him then tilted her head.
"What's up?"
She'd been managing the website during the interview, so something must have happened there.
But new requests no longer surprised him, so Jeonghyeon was quite curious.
Minji glanced between the monitor and Jeonghyeon with a dazed expression.
"Um... KP Group reached out?"
"Pardon?"
What group?
Hearing her answer, Jeonghyeon immediately understood her shock.
Even Won-ho, lounging on the office sofa, widened his eyes and approached.
"KP Group? Not the guild, the group?"
"Yes. The request title clearly says group. And... the file says group too!"
'What the hell is going on?'
Jeonghyeon's mind grew complicated.
KP Group was a behemoth said to account for 30% of Korea's pre-Cataclysm economy.
But its massive size meant equally massive Cataclysm damage.
Factories mainly in developing countries were mostly destroyed by monsters and riots.
Most of owner Kim Byeongjo's family perished, leaving his young grandson Kim Jin-ho, not yet 30, to inherit and nearly collapse the group.
Fortunately, the young owner earned the nickname "Hero of Chaos" with bold management, restructuring for the gate-centered economy.
Absolute size shrank post-Cataclysm, but so did competitors', keeping KP at Korea's top spot.
Unlike rigid conglomerates, its young leader enabled flexible responses.
A few years ago, they launched subsidiary KP Guild, but it remained mid-tier without star power despite funding.
'KP Guild contacting us once made sense, but the group...?'
The brand power gap between KP Group and Guild was enormous.
Strip the brand, and KP Guild was average; the Group was Korea's pinnacle.
"What do they say?"
"Uh... gasp!"
When Jeonghyeon asked for details, Minji checked the file and gaped in shock.
"This is from the chairman's office..."
"Crazy."
This level of surprise felt like a bad prank.
Why would the KP Group chairman bother with a tiny gate office?
Even as a rising star, HJH was a firefly next to KP.
"Fake, right? Delete it."
"Ah, wait! We should at least read it."
Jeonghyeon, now uninterested, brushed it off, but Minji urgently stopped him and scrolled down.
"First, thanks for your unique contributions to Korea's safety and growth..."
"Just summarize."
Even without his request, Minji wasn't reading word-for-word.
As time passed, her surprise turned to outright shock, mouth and eyes nearly splitting.
"Oh my god... They want to sponsor us under the group's name?"
"?"
"And... they want to discuss details in person at the chairman's office..."
'Who has nothing better to do than send such elaborate phishing?'
"Tsk, I'll check it out later."
He might have believed a generic big corp email.
But KP?
Fame attracts all sorts.
"Ah, why, Boss!"
"Obvious phishing."
Minji grabbed him regretfully, but he ignored her.
Who'd be dumb enough to show up at KP HQ believing that?
Lucky not to get booted by lobby security.
"I'll verify if it's real! That work?"
"Don't get your hopes up."
To think she'd buy it.
Minji seemed more sentimental than he thought.
Won-ho looked disappointed too, without saying it.
Anyway, Jeonghyeon entered the corner room.
He had real concerns beyond phishing.
'Time to aim for level 6...'
Recent easy clears of level 5 Mission Gates sparked the thought.
The gate difficulty system seemed sane now, producing proper level 5s.
At normal level 5, Jeonghyeon was like a cheat character.
Won-ho hitting level 4 mirrored his Blunt Technique reaching level 3, widening the gap.
Now, time for the next step.
'Mission Gates right away might be too much... Start with normal types?'
With his connections, a reliable level 6 normal gate seemed feasible.