The Majesty of a Max-Level Player, Part 1

Before we know it, the crowd—regardless of whether they were support staff or awakened hunters—had united as one. Watching them, Yunjae, with an embarrassed look on his face, lightly busted out a dance wave. Even though it had been fifty-seven years, his instincts hadn't rusted. It was a gentle wave, but there was an undeniable, distinct flair that set him apart from any ordinary person.

"Whoa! He's actually really good!"

They already knew he was a fast learner. But this was incredibly sudden. Even if he were just faking it, there should have been some awkwardness. Yet, his movements were transitionally smooth, those of a seasoned pro.

Mari burst out laughing at this unexpected "class change." Seeing her reaction, Yunjae—who had once taken the Hongdae street dance scene by storm fifty-seven years ago—let his body bounce to the rhythm as old memories flooded back.

"Just a little bit of..."

Seeing the new recruit get flustered so quickly, the support staff showered him with intense interest.

"You're amazing!"

"Wow, I really want to see you do a full routine!"

Mari, Akemi, and Suyeon couldn't help but laugh at a side of him they ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had never imagined.

Soon, Yunjae spoke up, as if he had been mentally preparing for this moment.

"Ah! That was supposed to be for the new recruit talent show...!"

Slash!

"Arghhh! How dare a mere human do this to the Demon Dragon King...!"

But the cry of the Demon Dragon King Halles did not last long. Gae Bolg, infused with Yunjae's Shining Strike, completely sliced through his body.

Flash!

With a blinding burst of light, the avatar of Halles was vaporized in a single blow.

"H-How... How could you defeat Halles in a single strike?!"

Turning back to the shell-shocked Demian, Yunjae spoke with a deeply disappointed expression.

"I never imagined he would be here on Mount Kangchenjunga. I wanted to go on a food tour...!"

His original goal hadn't been Halles at all, but a vacation abroad! He had never expected the demon to be hiding on Mount Kangchenjunga, the third-highest mountain in the world. All they could see around them was endless snow and peaks.

"But we still have Kathmandu! We can sightsee there before we go back!"

"Yes! Since I don't sleep anyway!"

"Either way, let's hurry up and go!"

"It's too cold!"

And so, Yunjae, Akemi, Suyeon, and Mari completely revised their plans, deciding to sightsee in the nearest major city, Kathmandu, Nepal.

"Mr. Demian! Hurry up! We're going to teleport down!"

Completely ignoring Demian's shock, Yunjae—who had subdued Halles as casually as someone washing their hands in a restroom—waved him over.

Watching him, Demian, utterly devastated, wore a blank, hollow expression.

"S-So easily... humanity's doom..."

It had been an eight-hour flight to Kathmandu. Then, about an hour from Tribhuvan International Airport to Tenzing-Hillary Airport. From there, they had used Akemi's teleportation to reach Mount Kangchenjunga in an instant. But regardless, it had taken them roughly ten hours to reach Halles's portal.

And the time it took for Yunjae to execute his standard routine—casting Taunt, unleashing Nova Field, and decapitating Halles?

Approximately three minutes!

"How futile! Is this what life is, Neriel? Why did you have to sacrifice yourself?!"

"Stop talking nonsense and get over here! I'm freezing to death!"

"Ah! Mr. Demian! I have cold immunity, so I'm fine, but the others are struggling! Hurry!"

As Yunjae dragged the dazed Demian along, Akemi, who was wearing an enhanced slip dress under her goose-down jacket, shouted that she didn't feel that cold.

"Actually, this slip dress seems to be helping! It's not as cold as I thought!"

However, her legs had already gone past red and were turning a distinct shade of blue!

"Your legs are going to get necrotic, you idiot! Who wears a skirt to a place like this?!"

"But I'm fine! I don't feel cold!"

"Ah! That means you've lost all sensation! Miss Akemi! You're going to die!"

"Eh?! Is that why I've been feeling sleepy for a while now?"

To think that was the reason!

"But it's fine since Yunjae can just heal me!"

"Still, let's get back quickly! It's freezing!"

"Yes, Akemi! It's so cold...!"

Either way, the cold was a far greater enemy than Halles. As Mari and Suyeon shivered in misery, the numb Akemi shouted, "Then we're heading back!"

Flash!

In an instant, the five of them vanished from Mount Kangchenjunga.

Snow began to fall again over the traces of Halles's portal and the thousands of monster corpses that had served him.

Once the snow had completely covered the battlefield...

Step.

A girl with a pale face and icy-blue hair materialized, looking as if she had been standing there all along.

"...First Cadmus, and now even Halles has been defeated. I knew there would be variables, but this is far beyond human limits. No matter if it was just an avatar, an ordinary human cannot fight like that."

Her voice was as cold as her appearance, completely devoid of emotion.

Staring at the spot where Halles had fallen with her deep blue eyes, she spoke in a haughty tone.

"It seems you are indeed the greatest threat, Slender Forearms."

Then, she flinched.

For the first time, her icy composure cracked, and a look of sheer embarrassment crossed her face.

"But why on earth did he choose such a ridiculous name...?"

"Yunjae? Where did Yunjae go?"

One week after the defeat of the Demon Dragon King Halles.

"I'm not sure."

The daily routine of the Blast Guild's Support Part had changed drastically.

"We need the performance management sheet..."

Because he was too good at his job, work naturally gravitated toward him, even with Akemi stepping in to complain on his behalf. Ever since Yunjae arrived, the very concept of overtime had vanished from the Support Part!

"He doesn't even use the restroom, so where could he have gone?"

When Yunjae suddenly vanished from the office, Yeonhui, the Support Part Leader, looked thoroughly flustered.

"Yunjae went to the Marketing Department," Mari said, shrugging as she handed over some copied documents. She had just returned from the copy room.

Yeonhui's eyes widened. "Huh? The Marketing Department? Why? Who sent him there?"

"I think they asked him to help out with some of their work."

In truth, Mari was basically acting as Yunjae's manager. Since there was barely any administrative work for her to do anyway, and even less now that Yunjae was around, she spent most of her time coordinating with him, being the one who communicated with him best.

"Oh, the nerve! Why is the Marketing Department doing this? Are they out of their minds?"

Hearing that Yunjae was helping out another department clearly rubbed Yeonhui the wrong way.

"Well, word got around that he's incredibly efficient."

Yunjae's reputation within the Blast Guild was already legendary. Of course, subduing Gyojin with a single finger made him an incredibly powerful awakened user, which was reason enough. But even putting that aside, rumors of a "max-level office worker" who had single-handedly eliminated overtime for the Support Part had spread like wildfire across all departments.

And the department that coveted him most was Marketing!

As the department with the heaviest workload in the Blast Guild, it was only natural they would lust after his skills.

"Still, this is wrong! They didn't follow proper procedure!"

Since he was just a contract administrative assistant, they probably thought nothing of borrowing him, but Yeonhui found it highly offensive. Yunjae was a member of the Support Part. Not only did he possess god-like administrative skills, but his polite, gentle attitude had also made him the darling of the entire office.

And now, he was away from his home department, slaving away for Marketing!

"This won't do."

Yeonhui stood up abruptly, clearly intending to march over to Marketing and give them a piece of her mind.

"Exactly. This is totally out of line!"

In reality, since Yunjae had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠nothing to do at the moment, helping them out wasn't a bad thing. But the fact that they were using "their idol" without permission deeply wounded the Support Part's pride.

Watching the staff rise up in indignation, Mari took a sip of her Americano and said, "Well, have a good trip."

"...Aren't you coming with us, Mari?"

"I'm just an administrative assistant too. What would I even do there?"

To be honest, Mari hadn't been thrilled about the Support Part subtly overworking Yunjae either.

"Ah! But I like working, Mari!"

Since the man himself loved working and didn't mind at all, she had let it slide. But if it had been anyone other than Yunjae, she probably would have flipped a table by now. To her, this looked like the pot calling the kettle black.

"Anyway, I'm going to settle this. You guys keep working. And someone find that performance management sheet."

"Ah! It's right here, Part Leader! Yunjae actually asked me to hand this to you earlier, but I forgot! I'm so sorry!"

Miju, the youngest, blushed in embarrassment as she spoke. Yeonhui was momentarily stunned.

He had finished all his own work before going over to help.

But there's no way he went there on his own accord!

She had heard rumors a few days ago that some Marketing employees had been acting overly friendly with Yunjae in the breakroom. They had undoubtedly used that connection to summon him under the guise of "asking for a quick favor" and then dumped work on him.

Normally, anyone would refuse, but Yunjae—who was absurdly kind and strangely enjoyed working—would never say no.

At this rate, Marketing might steal him away completely!

That was Yeonhui's biggest fear. What greater blessing was there than an incredibly competent subordinate? He was the workplace equivalent of a Powerball jackpot that had rolled over ten times. Losing him to Marketing was unthinkable!

Of course, in terms of workload, Marketing was a better fit for his speed. They handled the media, and since the Blast Guild was often criticized for being overly capitalistic, their workload was unmatched.

On the other hand, while the Support Part had less paperwork, they had to deal directly with the guild's awakened hunters, which was often a nightmare. Perhaps because of their powers, many hunters had highly eccentric, difficult personalities. Consequently, the Support Part had the highest turnover rate in the guild.

But Yunjae was the man who had subdued Gyojin—one of the most notoriously ill-tempered hunters in the guild—with a single finger. Dealing with difficult hunters was child's play for him.

In other words, he was the perfect employee who could stay the longest and do the best job.

And he's the only male in this estrogen-filled office! Not to mention, he's a total pretty boy!

This only fueled her resolve!

"I'll be right back."

Taking a subordinate without permission was an absolute breach of etiquette. Yeonhui marched purposefully toward the Marketing Department.

"Oh my goodness!"

Sure enough, the Marketing Department was experiencing a whole new world.

"Wow, he's seriously amazing!"

"Yunjae, you're the best!"

Since their department was much larger, a massive crowd of employees was cheering Yunjae on as he processed documents at a terrifying speed. It was a spectacle of pure awe and admiration.

Watching them rejoice as their mountain of backlogged work melted away—a scene identical to what her own department had experienced just a week ago—Yeonhui's eyebrow twitched.

"Excuse me, Manager Kim."

She called out coldly to Kim Dohyeon, the Marketing Department Manager.

"Oh, Manager Woo! What brings you all the way over here?"

Dohyeon offered ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a sly, greasy smile. Yeonhui scowled, and the Marketing staff immediately tensed up, sensing the storm brewing.

"I finished all of this!"

At that moment, Yunjae raised a neatly organized binder, his clear voice ringing out.

"Why are you ordering our employee around without permission? Have you no basic manners?" Yeonhui snapped, her voice rising as she glared at Dohyeon.

"Ah, right. I'm sorry for not telling you in advance, but come on, we're all on the same team here. The Support Part hasn't had to do a single minute of overtime for over a week now, right? Meanwhile, we're dying over here!"

We all know you guys are coasting because of him! Let us share the wealth a bit, is that so wrong?

Detecting the sharp barb beneath his words, Yeonhui's scowl deepened.

"Listen to me! That's your department's problem! If you're understaffed, request more personnel! Besides, who was the one who refused him when he was first assigned? Don't you remember?"

You guys rejected him first!

Armed with absolute moral high ground, Yeonhui's strike made Dohyeon flinch.

In truth, Yunjae and Mari had been slated for the Marketing Department first, given their massive workload. But Dohyeon had rejected them. He assumed that because they were awakened, they would be difficult to manage, and that temporary contract workers would only drain more resources to train.

But who could have guessed? The reality was a literal administrative machine.

"He was officially assigned to our department. If you wanted his help, you should have gone through the proper channels! You can't just snatch someone during working hours and put them to work!"

Yeonhui held all the cards.

"...Can't we just let it slide since we're family?" Dohyeon muttered, taking a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠step back.

"Even family members need basic manners. Do you walk around stark naked at home just because you're family? This is a clear abuse of authority! You just do whatever you want and then act like nothing happened when you get caught? Is this how you always run your department? So sloppy and unprofessional?"

Yeonhui showed no signs of letting up. As the head of the Support Part, accustomed to dealing with all sorts of unhinged, high-ranking hunters, she was not a force to be reckoned with.

"Fine, I'm sorry! Yes, I committed a mortal sin! You got a highly competent assistant and have been living the good life, and our desperate cry for help was apparently a heinous crime!"

As Dohyeon snapped back sarcastically, Yunjae, who had unintentionally become the center of the conflict, waved his hands in a panic.

"Ah! It's all my fault! I came to the Marketing Department without permission! Please calm down, Part Leader!"

Yeonhui raised a hand to stop him.

"No, Yunjae. This isn't your fault. The issue lies entirely with those who didn't follow proper procedure!"

"You really live an exhausting life, Manager Woo! We could have resolved this quietly. Do you really have to do this in front of all my staff?"

"I don't live an exhausting life; I just believe in basic etiquette. Clearly, you lack it."

"Why, you—!"

As Dohyeon flared up again, Yunjae watched them anxiously, his eyes darting between the two.

"Ah..."

He had only wanted to do some work. How on earth had it turned into this...?

"What is going on here?"