Chapter 73
Chapter 73
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 73
Chapter Title: S-Rank Registration
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"As a national institution, it's about managing high-rank hunters, who are national assets."
Having said that much, Ye-rin rested her elbows on the desk and brought her interlaced hands to her mouth.
Her fair, finely shaped brows furrowed slightly.
"This isn't really my style, but now that the job has shifted from recruitment to management, I have no choice."
At first, when she'd heard he'd taken down two D-rank villains in the Atarok Goblin Village, she'd just thought he was a promising hunter.
But every time he leveled up bit by bit afterward, she'd had to revise her assessment of Jeong-hyeon.
And now, the result was at a level even she could hardly believe.
"Hunter Han Jeong-hyeon, can you... grow?"
But who could have guessed?
That the fantastical word "growth" had precisely pierced the essence of Jeong-hyeon.
"Uh..."
Jeong-hyeon couldn't answer right away and hemmed and hawed.
Humans hate admitting that the systems they know might be wrong.
In short, even if Jeong-hyeon was growing at an extraordinary rate, if the standard system had no growth factors beyond skill proficiency levels, no one would suspect his traits themselves were related to growth.
Ye-rin didn't seem entirely confident in her inference either.
But to voice such a thought out loud—was that impressive, or did she have some other evidence Jeong-hyeon didn't know about?
When Jeong-hyeon couldn't give a proper reply, Ye-rin spoke calmly, though quite surprised.
"I'll take that as a yes."
And at this point, Jeong-hyeon had no intention of denying it.
"Strictly speaking, it's not growth... but yes, I do have another means to grow."
Somehow, he seemed to be breaking every shortest-record in hunter history.
Of course, for S-rank outliers like those from Cheonoecheon, records weren't public, so their speeds were unknown—but they had to be slower than his.
With guilds now watching him too, his absurd growth rate would come to light soon whether he liked it or not.
In that case, revealing some info to Ye-rin now and getting the Association's cooperation might be better.
Ye-rin made him nervous, but in this situation, she somehow felt more trustworthy than anyone.
Confirming her guess was right from Jeong-hyeon's response, Ye-rin shook her head.
"I suspected, but I didn't think it was really true... So, what's your rank?"
"Pretty much... what you're imagining."
"Let's move to another room for now."
Jeong-hyeon didn't reveal he had EX-rank traits.
Growth alone was hard enough to accept—another rank above S?
Better not to say.
Ye-rin nodded vaguely and stood.
'Move where?'
As Jeong-hyeon looked up at her suspiciously, she answered.
"Hunter Han Jeong-hyeon, from now on, you'll be treated as an S-rank hunter. We need to follow the proper procedures."
It was quite a different attitude from the Ye-rin he'd seen so far.
Before, she'd been playful and inscrutable; now, she was utterly businesslike and stiff.
Following Ye-rin down a corridor leading deeper underground in the Association building, Jeong-hyeon said,
"Section Chief, are you mad by any chance?"
"I'm not mad."
Ye-rin replied curtly, as expected.
Jeong-hyeon couldn't stand the awkward vibe.
'It's better when she's talking nonsense. How can she switch up like this after all this time?'
Sure, Ye-rin scared him—a bit playfully.
She was one of the few people he'd gotten close to since becoming a hunter, so the sudden change felt a little disappointing.
"You seem mad."
"Honestly, I didn't think you'd be S-rank."
It sounded a bit random.
Jeong-hyeon tilted his head.
What did him being S-rank have to do with her sudden attitude shift?
It almost sounded like she was disappointed he hadn't told her.
Or like, "You won't even share that with me?"
'No way.'
Ye-rin had been pretty eager to guess his rank at first.
The two arrived at their destination without further words.
"Go in here."
"Ah, okay."
"Then."
Ye-rin turned and left without another word.
"What the hell."
Jeong-hyeon clicked his tongue and looked up at the nameplate.
- Director of Investigation Bureau Office
'This is higher up than I expected...'
Him entering an Association director's office someday.
In terms of rank alone, it was right below the president, vice president, and division heads.
Practically top-tier among active staff.
Knock knock.
"Who is it?"
"Uh..."
A soft voice came from inside after Jeong-hyeon's knock.
But how should he introduce himself?
- It's Han Jeong-hyeon.
- Who's that?
'No...'
- Section Chief Cha Ye-rin sent me.
- Never heard of you.
'Worse.'
He'd simulated a few, but none satisfied.
'No, she should've opened the door herself since she brought me here!'
He silently cursed Ye-rin, but she was long gone.
As Jeong-hyeon dithered, the door creaked open.
"Who... Ah. Hunter Han Jeong-hyeon?"
"Yes? Oh, yes! I'm Han Jeong-hyeon!"
'You idiot! "I'm Han Jeong-hyeon"? What is that!'
It was like telling the emperor of pop, "I can dance a bit."
He'd kick the blanket hard tonight.
Oblivious to his inner turmoil, Min-seok stepped out, glancing around outside.
"Where's Section Chief Cha Ye-rin? Didn't she come with you? Why are you alone..."
"Uh, she left me behind and went ahead."
"Hmm..."
Min-seok pondered briefly.
Facing him, Jeong-hyeon inwardly griped that this was weird and blamed Ye-rin again.
Then, as if remembering something important, Min-seok flung the door wide with a smile.
"My bad. Come in and let's talk. I can guess why you're here since you made it this far."
Jeong-hyeon followed Min-seok into the office.
First surprise: bookshelves crammed floor-to-ceiling like a bookstore.
Next, something he hadn't noticed till now—
'Why is this guy so huge?'
Min-seok's massive build.
In the earlier rush, he hadn't seen properly, but Min-seok towered over Jeong-hyeon, who wasn't short, by a full head.
And not just height.
His shoulders spanned a bookshelf shelf, and his suit sleeves strained against his forearms.
'Isn't this a national waste, having someone like him stuck in an office?'
Of course, a hunter's size didn't directly equal combat power.
And he wasn't sure if Min-seok was even a hunter.
But presence inspired trust, right?
In the office center sat a guest table and chairs.
Sort of.
"Sorry, I don't get many visitors, so... Mind waiting a sec?"
They were buried under papers and books piled to standing height, useless as is.
Anyway, with a bit of effort from Min-seok, the mess was cleared.
"Have a seat here."
"Thank you."
Once seated, Min-seok explained why Jeong-hyeon was there.
"Seeing Section Chief Cha bring you all the way here, you really must be S-rank."
"Ah... Word got around?"
Min-seok nodded at Jeong-hyeon's question.
"The 5-level gate incident was big news. And I heard you performed quite well."
Jeong-hyeon smiled awkwardly.
No secrets in the world, huh.
From which gate to raid details—everything leaked.
"Anyway, S-ranks are registered and managed separately at director level and above, so I called you in."
"Management means...?"
He'd heard "management" earlier, but what did it entail?
With no clue on S-rank life, Jeong-hyeon was curious.
But Min-seok laughed heartily at his question.
"Oh, it's nothing much. They say if you really want to hide something, don't stash it in super-secret spots. Bringing you to safe houses or military bases draws more eyes."
"True."
"Of course, there'll be discreet protection, but it won't inconvenience you. Think of it as an emergency contact network for crises."
Jeong-hyeon nodded.
Frankly, "protecting" an S-rank was laughable.
Who'd guard them?
Probably just shielding from foreign contacts or annoying hassles.
"Normally, we'd issue a disguised B-rank license, but you don't need one. You're active publicly anyway, and it'll be open secret soon."
"Yeah, well..."
S-ranks even got fake licenses?
'Should've registered as S-rank from the start!'
Regret stung.
All the unregistered hardships—if he'd known the Association would back him, lying as S (not EX) for a fake license would've eased everything.
"And... just fill this with basic info and consent. Here's my card. Call anytime if needed."
Min-seok handed over simple forms.
Consents for protection, info use, secrecy.
As Jeong-hyeon filled them out, Min-seok casually asked,
"Any thoughts on joining the Association?"
"No."
It was like striking when off-guard, in an utterly harmless tone.
'After coming this far, no way I'm taking Association pay as a civil servant.'
Special S-rank treatment or not, joining meant salaryman life.
But Min-seok's motive seemed different.
"As expected. Then, please sign this consent too."
"This is..."
"National emergency conscription consent. Fine if you're Association staff, but as a private hunter, we need agreement."
By then, forms were done, so Jeong-hyeon examined the new one closely.
National emergency conscription consent.
The name alone was ominous.
"In high-level gate breaks, the nation calls in S-ranks to respond. No obligation to agree—it's a request. But participants get due compensation."
'Hmm...'
No downside.
Voluntary, as stated.
If S-ranks were mobilized, it'd be national crisis anyway.
Dodging alone wouldn't help in Korea.
And no real penalties for refusing even after signing.
'These forms scream who's really in charge.'
Nation vs. S-ranks.
Winner obvious.
Post-gates, diplomacy was war for high-rank hunters.
Without enough, nations begged protection treaties from powers—at merciless costs.
In short, the state couldn't afford to antagonize domestic S-ranks.
Jeong-hyeon signed without much thought.
He had no plans to leave Korea anyway.
Korea.
How convenient and happy for successful folks.
With his cheerful signature, Min-seok beamed and gathered the papers.
"Thank you. The Republic of Korea will do its utmost so Hunter Han Jeong-hyeon has no complaints."
"No need to say that..."
He still wasn't used to treatment like priority boarding.
Thus, prep for S-rank activity wrapped.
But Min-seok seemed to have more to say, eyeing Jeong-hyeon.
"Something else?"
"Oh, it's about Section Chief Cha Ye-rin."
Cha Ye-rin?
Jeong-hyeon leaned back deeply.
"If her attitude toward you suddenly changed, please don't take it to heart."
"Huh?"
He definitely knew something.
"Ye-rin—er, Section Chief Cha has reasons for that with S-ranks. Plus personal ties with you, so maybe more so... Anyway, personal matter, so I can't say details."
She'll be back to normal next time.
He'd hoped for info, but it was still cryptic.
Personal reasons?
With S-ranks?
Anyway, Min-seok looked done talking.
Yet concerned he hadn't helped much.
"Got it. Thanks for the advice."
"Not at all. Take care."
Jeong-hyeon left the office.
Investigation Division 3 was en route, and he'd been there before, so exiting was easy.
'No "you're a VIP, security" nonsense—feels good.'
Finally outside the Association grounds,
"Oh, right!"
He remembered something crucial he'd blacked out.
"Need that 1 coin!"
He'd planned to drop hides at Doil's then scout hunts, but Ye-rin derailed him.
The single coin for Trait Shop level 4.
"Can't come to the Association too often."
Grumbling at the darkening sky, Jeong-hyeon trudged off.