Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Free Mercenary of Korea
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"...I asked the wrong question. Sorry."
"Master, wow.... That answer you just gave was so heroic."
"Heroic? Anyone you ask would give the same answer."
What the hell are these people talking about?
"And besides, I'm not going to go charging in recklessly like that."
In my past life, I was on my own.
But this time, I have family.
The world is still at peace, too.
Why step into danger unnecessarily?
"I'll just take out the executives listed in the ledger and their demon underlings."
"Understood. We'll prepare accordingly."
The discussion wrapped up nicely.
But Section Chief Choi was in a bind.
'He's far more powerful and noble than I imagined.'
Not just Perfect Clear, but unknown abilities on the level of an A-Rank villain.
Kang Hyun's value had skyrocketed again.
'I really should have secured the contract back then, no matter what.'
His heart grew impatient.
Maybe even what he'd shown so far wasn't everything.
He might drift even further away.
'I need to lock him down as fast as possible...'
Then Aden suddenly cut in.
"Section Chief Choi! If you're scared of Master getting in danger, just give him a solid backing, right?"
"Backing?"
"Yes! The opponent's the 5th-ranked guild, so back him with the even stronger 3rd-ranked Blaze Guild!"
Hold on.
Section Chief Choi felt a bad premonition.
"Th-that's not necess—"
"I already told everything to Sister Chae-young!"
"What!?"
It hit him like a bolt from the blue.
Section Chief Choi's heart started pounding wildly.
"Sister Chae-young said she'd let Master join the guild too!"
"Huh? For real? Even an E-Rank?"
"Yes!"
That scheming Yoo Chae-young!
'She targeted Lady Aden first!'
Oblivious to Section Chief Choi's turmoil, Aden excitedly rattled off the perks.
"You'll be free from all administrative hassles!"
"We can handle the government stuff too! We'll provide congressional-level treatment and a secretary!"
"You'll get a salary on top of dungeon allowances!"
"Join as a civil servant hunter and get a pension! Iron rice bowl guaranteed!"
"Ugh! Civil service has too many restrictions!"
"I-I'll figure something out! Just give me one year... no, two years!"
But Kang Hyun was unimpressed.
"Not interested in either."
Section Chief Choi beamed.
Aden's lips pouted.
"Come on, Master! Teach me while we're together!"
"Hahaha! Lady Aden! I get that you miss Kang Hyun's guidance, but don't worry! Once you join, the elite course of the 3rd-ranked guild awaits!"
So just go yourself!
Don't drag our EX away!
But Section Chief Choi's words only piqued Kang Hyun's interest.
"Elite course?"
Did he just say elite course?
How curious he'd been about it.
What the hell made his comrades tease him so much about it?
Even while teasing, they'd always say:
If you'd learned prestigious family martial arts, swordsmanship history would be rewritten.
You'd have gotten massive support and grown way stronger.
If you'd gone to the Magic Tower, you'd have unified it and monopolized the data.
...Yeah, time to commit to that easy-mode growth plan.
He was sick of starting from scratch.
He'd rolled endlessly in his past life.
Rolled so much he ended up with vocal cord nodules.
Right on cue, Section Chief Choi launched into an excited explanation.
"Haha! The power of Korea's top 10 guilds, especially the 3rd-ranked Blaze Guild, is incredible!"
"Hmm..."
"Even without Kang Hyun, Lady Aden can grow plenty on her own!"
"Hmmmm..."
"Elite colleagues from conglomerates, systematic team play, high-level training methods, veteran know-how, and more!"
"Hmmmmmm......"
"Especially their decades of research data—the conglomerate support teams elevate the very quality of Awakener growth!"
"...Okay."
Couldn't resist that.
"Let's check it out."
"...Pardon?"
"Yay!"
Joy and sorrow split the room.
"Yay! Same guild as Master!"
"H-how...!"
In that moment, Section Chief Choi felt profound defeat to Yoo Chae-young.
How far had she laid the groundwork?
'No, this can't happen!'
He hadn't lost him to a foreign country.
But this would tip the power balance entirely to the guild.
Plus, private sector turnover was way higher than civil service.
Who knew if he'd get poached by an advanced nation later?
"Wait—!"
Finally, Section Chief Choi made a patriotic resolution.
He desperately started talking.
"...You still hate being tied down by contracts, right?"
"Yeah."
"Even Blaze Guild's contract will have some minimal restrictions."
"Too bad, but unavoidable."
"What if it was avoidable?"
"Huh?"
Section Chief Choi pulled paper from his bag.
And hand-wrote a contract.
"Become a free mercenary for the Republic of Korea."
"Mercenary?"
"We'll dispatch you to Blaze Guild. Get a full freedom release contract."
Oho.
How'd he know he was a mercenary type?
'Let's hear him out.'
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The next day, Korea was in festival mode.
📰 Breaking News Perfect Clear Awakener! Finally Embraced by Korea's Bosom! National Contract Signed! De Facto S-Rank Shoo-In! The World's One and Only Talent! Korea Marches Toward Gate Conquest Superpower Status! Section Chief Choi Young-ho Uncovers Identity and Secures Recruitment. Who Is He? Choi Young-ho! New A-Rank Followed by Perfect Clear Awakener! 💬 Comments — Netizen1 Eventually, the Management Headquarters pulls it off! — Netizen2 If even the Perfect Clear Awakener went abroad, I'd be protesting in front of the Blue House for real. — Netizen3 ↳ Reply You think you'd be the only one? The whole nation would go. ⭐ Top Comment — Netizen4 Superconducting hot-blooded season 2 incoming? Real Great Korea vibes? — Netizen5 If we find an S-Rank Word Sorcerer too, Great Korea is totally on. — Netizen6 Damn! Barkeep, another round here! — Netizen7 Shove the heads of those who said Management HQ doesn't work. — Netizen8 Look at them all tucking tail and running. — Netizen9 With this momentum, find that S-Rank Word Sorcerer too! I believe in Management HQ! Everyone burst with relief and joy.
Finding Kang Hyun was credited to Section Chief Choi.
And it really was.
'He handled everything so cleanly.'
It was a small reward for his exemplary work.
"Master!"
"Why are you excited again?"
"Does this mean I can brag about you now!?"
"No. Keep the identity secret."
"Eek."
Even the nation would limit knowledge to a tiny few.
Section Chief Choi, a handful of trusted subordinates, and the director. That was it.
Not even the president or defense minister knew about Kang Hyun.
"Not sure if that'll hold. What if the president demands to know?"
"Measures are in place."
The news said the same.
Low-rank Perfect Clear Awakener's identity hidden due to scout approaches, terror risks, etc. 💬 Comments — Netizen10 Of course hide it! He's our national treasure! — Netizen11 Hide him tight and raise him to S-Rank. — Netizen12 But I'd kinda like to see him once. — Netizen13 What good's seeing him? You gonna block terrorists? — Netizen14 Wonder if he's handsome? — Netizen15 God is fair, so probably ugly. "These punks, why are they curious about my face?"
"That's just how star Awakeners are. You're a celeb now, a full-on celeb."
"I'm not into that. You do it."
Aden was practically a celeb already.
It was common.
Awakeners who rose fast drew attention.
Media and public sought them out, spotlighted and idolized them.
It made money.
And promoting Awakeners served the national interest.
"At Blaze Guild, everyone will recognize your face?"
"Uh, I don't like that..."
"Then maybe don't go?"
"No! Come with me!"
The two were pumped with anticipation for joining Blaze Guild.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Awakener Management Headquarters.
Section Chief Choi arrived at work beaming.
The guards at the entrance already recognized him.
"Good morning, Section Chief Choi!"
"Yes, good morning!"
Was it his imagination?
The greetings felt extra sharp and booming today.
"Thank you for doing such great work for the country!"
Ah!
'Not my imagination!'
His cheekbones nearly shot to the heavens.
He barely held them down.
The greetings were a bit over-the-top and cringy.
But manual laborers were always that passionate, right?
'Overflowing patriotism! Beautiful!'
The looks from people in the halls.
Somehow different.
No, way more than different.
So many encounters, he was drained from all the greetings.
Even the usually dad-jokey senior.
"Choi Young-ho~ Nailed another big one after that A-Rank~!"
"You're too kind, Senior!"
The cute Lee Kyung-ri always at the vending machine this hour.
"Section Chief, morning coffee?"
"Ah, sorry. Director's calling me right away."
"Aww~ I wanted to hear the story."
The world is beautiful!
His commute took several times longer from all the greetings.
He opened the office door.
Team members stood and applauded.
Clap clap clap clap clap!
"Our section chief is the best! Hooray!"
"I predicted it when you said you'd run it yourself!"
"Section Chief! Our incentives are safe, right? Hehe."
"Ugh, what'd Agent Kang do to deserve incentives!"
"How deliciously I brewed your coffee!"
Ah!
'Honorable!'
He truly felt he'd done great service for the country.
I am Korea's proud civil servant!
He wanted to bask in this patriotic fervor forever.
Sip coffee and recount tales!
"I'll go see the director first!"
"Yes sir! Go ahead!"
Dropped his bag and headed straight to the director's office.
Knock knock.
"Come in."
Section Chief Choi stood tall and proud.
The director approached.
Patted his shoulders firmly!
Gripped his hand solidly!
"I believed in you."
"Thanks to your belief!"
He bowed deeply, matching the rhythm.
Meek as a lamb before superiors, that was Section Chief Choi.
The two sat comfortably.
"Phew... All that stress from watching Congress and public opinion."
"Tell me about it. You worked hard."
"No, you did the heavy lifting, Choi. Coffee? What's your bean? Colombia? Guatemala?"
The director brewing coffee himself?
Unprecedented.
Patriotism makes the impossible possible!
"Maxim, please!"
"Huh? Oh, right, you can't handle good stuff."
Slurp.
Coffee means Maxim.
"So... Shall we hear about that EX you reeled in?"