Chapter 190
Chapter 190
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 190
Chapter Title: Overseer's Proposal
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Chapter 190
"Truth be told, I don't know everything about the system either, so I can't explain it all."
'What kind of trick is this now?'
Unlike the attitude that had seemed ready to spill all the heavenly secrets, this deflating premise made Jeong-hyeon bristle with irritation.
"I'm directly tied to the system through my trait, which comes with a lot of restrictions. Even EX-rank doesn't mean I can do everything."
"Then explain what you can."
"What do you think S-Rank means, Hunter Han Jeong-hyeon?"
What S-Rank meant?
He figured it was the ultimate collection of overpowered traits, but he couldn't say that outright.
"Isn't it the highest rank?"
"You could call S-Rank the system's darling."
Obvious enough.
Even if the system itself had no emotions, the humans interpreting it did.
It wasn't a stretch to see more affection poured into S-Rank than F-Rank.
"S-Rank is fundamentally a fusion of multiple A-Rank traits. That creates far stronger synergies than just having a single A-Rank trait, widening the gap immeasurably—"
Jin-ho paused for a moment.
Meanwhile, Jeong-hyeon reflected.
The S-Ranks he'd encountered so far were Ji-hee's 「Ruler of Fire」 and the 「Spotlight」 he'd briefly used.
In both cases, Jin-ho's words rang true.
They were definitely fusions of multiple traits, and Jeong-hyeon knew better than anyone the synergies that produced—though not manifested as concretely as in his own case.
"There's actually a gap between A-Rank and S-Rank that can't be explained by raw power alone."
"What's that?"
Jin-ho then claimed that calling S-Rank the system's darling wasn't just from a human perspective anthropomorphizing the system.
"Unlike other traits, S-Ranks possess ego. That ego grants them access privileges to the system."
"!"
Ego.
'Was that why with Spotlight?'
It wasn't entirely off-base.
The same went for the still-mysterious 'tip-off.'
"And?"
"Of course, users usually aren't aware of this access, so it doesn't mean much... but it's still a clear difference in caliber. That's what I meant by darling."
If it truly granted system access, Jin-ho's phrasing made sense.
"On the other hand, EX-Rank is a being outside the system—another system entirely beyond it."
'A system outside the system?'
EX implied something external, but this was a bit different from what Jeong-hyeon had imagined.
"Not just beyond ranks, but completely outside the system?"
"Exactly. Do you grasp how important you are now, Hunter Han Jeong-hyeon?"
"Even if you say that..."
A system outside the system.
It sounded impressive.
But what did it actually mean?
Just then, an alert window popped up before Jeong-hyeon's eyes.
[Warning. Acquiring information from possessor of S-Rank 「Overseer's Eye」.
Continued access to disallowed information may further accelerate system progression.]
'What?'
He hadn't expected an alert at this exact moment.
And just listening could accelerate system progression?
But the real key point was elsewhere.
"Shall I continue?"
"It was really S-Rank?"
System confirmation.
Far more reliable than any Hunter license from the Association.
"Oh dear. I explained so earnestly, yet you still doubted me. I'm a bit hurt."
"Ha..."
His head spun.
The morning thrill of landing a major corporate sponsorship felt like ancient history.
"Just one last thing. What exactly is this 'system progression'?"
"I'll explain within limits that won't affect progression—like this..."
Jin-ho seemed to deliberate, searching for words.
As the system's warning suggested, they were nearing the line; the pause stretched long.
But he eventually found his answer.
"Everything has an end. That should suffice."
No hard facts, but it was enough.
'Everything has an end.'
Like Ye-rin's recent talk of the 'grand flow,' it felt like a series of koans.
Jeong-hyeon stared straight at Jin-ho.
He met the gaze silently, his neat smile unchanged.
The circumstantial evidence rang true, and some long-held doubts had unexpectedly cleared.
Unlikable as he was, if this was the flow...
"So you've known about me for a long time? Thanks to this Overseer's Eye or whatever?"
"Correct. Specifically, I knew when the EX-Rank appeared."
Jeong-hyeon shrugged indifferently, leaning back into the sofa.
He dropped his instinctive guarded tone back to normal.
Jin-ho's S-Rank trait was confirmed, along with his honesty.
A lie wouldn't have triggered a system alert.
"And a few months ago, the rumor on Hunter Net about a hunter using multiple traits. That's when I started tracing you backward."
"How?"
"Nothing in Korea escapes the KP Group's reach."
Fair enough.
Even if it was baseless gossip on an anonymous Hunter Net board—quickly censored by Association controls—knowing of EX-Rank's existence would've made its swift removal a confirmation.
No system-bound hunter could wield multiple traits beyond two.
In other words, a hunter outside the system might.
With certainty, what info could this man not uncover?
"So you knew I opened the office and sent the partnership proposal?"
"I only pinpointed you recently. With a perfect opening, why not?"
"Not just a simple partnership, though."
"Spot on."
Jeong-hyeon had lightly probed, and Jin-ho visibly delighted, clapping once.
Finally past the tedious verification, onto the main point—it thrilled him.
"Remember what I said about not registering with the Association?"
Jeong-hyeon nodded.
First, no need to hunt.
Second, non-combat trait.
Not hard to recall.
"And there's one final reason."
"The final reason?"
"Will you take over as KP Guild Master?"
"Pardon?"
What now?
Jeong-hyeon gaped in disbelief.
Explaining why he wasn't registered, then suddenly offering KP Guild?
"In this era, nations have lost all meaning."
'This guy's jumping all over the place.'
His words had been cryptic but logically sequenced—until now, scattering wildly.
Not so much topic-hopping as Jin-ho's headfirst style: great for brevity, disastrous leaps left listeners reeling.
"The Cataclysm already ended nations as protectors of their people."
"..."
"I saw buildings crumble, cities shatter—and felt it clearly. Who could've survived that?"
Jin-ho's face brimmed with conviction.
Hard to deny.
Jeong-hyeon had lost his parents that day, thinking the world ended.
Hunters emerged just in time, propping up governments and nations—otherwise, Earth would've been post-apocalyptic wasteland.
"But amid the ruins, some endured, and new ones rose. Know what they are?"
Endured and newly risen.
Vague at first glance, but knowing Jin-ho, the answer came easily.
"Capital and hunters?"
"Excellent."
Correct—at least to Jin-ho.
"Nations today are mere relics of old inertia. In reality, they're hollow shells sustained by hunter Associations and corporate capital. Just look at Association hunters' pay—way below industry average."
Newspapers often called Associations 'super-governments.'
Post-Cataclysm, low-tier economy barely existed; megacorps propped it up.
No need to mention Association hunter salaries.
Insane compared to non-awakened, but peanuts next to guild peers.
Hunter Net's "passion pay" jokes weren't for nothing.
"Hunter Han Jeong-hyeon."
Jin-ho drew his focus with a grave look.
"The world will soon reorder around corporations and hunters, not nations."
"So you want an EX-Rank like me to lead your guild?"
The outline of Jin-ho's vision finally sharpened for Jeong-hyeon.
Young heir to KP Group, pillar of world economy.
S-Rank trait 「Overseer's Eye」, peeking into the system's veil.
Paired with Jeong-hyeon, whose growth would soon leave peers behind?
'Definitely...'
Even Jeong-hyeon felt chills.
'The partnership was real.'
Just not between megacorp and tiny Gate office.
Per Jin-ho, it was an invite to reshape the world order.
"KP Guild isn't top-tier domestically yet—but that changes now. With EX-Rank Hunter Han Jeong-hyeon as its symbol, growth accelerates for sure."
His follow-up pitch:
"In my vision, you'll rise to match me, the group owner. No—I'll promise even more."
Irresistibly sweet.
"In the reordered world, KP Group supplants nations, your KP Guild eclipses Associations—at the pinnacle."
Knowing it wasn't pie-in-the-sky, but feasible.
"United, we two can control the system regime."
Jin-ho finished.
Jeong-hyeon listened, still lounged against the sofa.
Jin-ho eyed him: *Could you refuse this?*
Tough to reject.
If not for Jeong-hyeon.
"I refuse."
"Pardon?"
Jin-ho blinked in disbelief, tone baffled.
"Was my explanation lacking? What I mean is—"
"Explanation was plenty. Very tempting. But..."
Jin-ho's first fluster was satisfying to behold.
Jeong-hyeon had been dragged along, only to shatter his scheme spectacularly.
Smiling similarly, he replied.
"Isn't that 「Overseer's Eye」 still part of the system?"
"..."
Jin-ho gaped briefly, at a loss.
'You thought you were above me, huh?'
Jeong-hyeon had never intended to accept.
S-Rank 「Overseer's Eye」—impressively info-heavy.
But Jin-ho made a fatal error.
To convince perfectly, he revealed: *You're beyond even my great self's knowledge.*
Admitting he knew Jeong-hyeon was EX-Rank holder, but nothing else.
Why he failed to persuade.
World reordering, transcending nations—plausible, but Jin-ho remained a system cog.
Could such a man truly control the system as boasted?
Especially if progression heralded the system's end—he'd wield that key gladly.
'Above all, this guy's dangerous.'
Lacking system certainty, Jeong-hyeon sensed hidden depths in Jin-ho's words.
As corporate hunter, he'd chosen words carefully—but the concealed truth was far riskier.
Such a man scheming system regime's apex?
Absurd.