Chapter 7
Chapter 7
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Blaze Guild in Frenzy
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Republic of Korea's No. 3 guild, Blaze Guild.
The support team at Blaze Guild was in an uproar.
"T-Team Leader!"
"...Yes, I see it."
The team member was buzzing with excitement.
But Support Team Leader Yoo Chae-young responded calmly.
Her eyes had been glued to the notification that had just popped up.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ One hero has achieved Perfect Clear! (Solo) on an F+ dungeon, completely thwarting the World Tree's invasion! To honor his feat, a Blessing descends upon the land. Everyone, celebrate! "Three Perfect Clears in a row..."
"Team Leader, that makes it the sixth in the world, right?"
"And four of them from one person. All in Seoul, no less."
"That's insane!"
The team member clapped enthusiastically.
But veins bulged on Yoo Chae-young's forehead.
Her glasses glinted sharply.
"This is no time to celebrate."
"Huh? Oh no, the glasses...! Workaholic mode!"
"Stop cheering and find him—now!"
The order rang out.
The team members scrambled back to their stations.
"Any progress?"
"Not yet."
"We haven't found the Word of Command user, obviously."
"Yes."
"What about Perfect Clear?"
S-Rank Word of Command user.
The being that had turned Korea upside down.
Top recruitment priority.
And now, one more had been added.
This time, another once-in-a-generation talent.
Perfect Clear.
"Still nothing..."
"Why? We just need to cross-check the dungeon records."
"The government's suppressing the info."
"What?"
"Looks like Section Chief Choi Young-ho stepped in."
"...That guy again."
Yoo Chae-young was Korea's top headhunter.
A master at scouting and recruiting Awakeners.
And Section Chief Choi Young-ho.
The man always mentioned alongside her.
The key figure who quelled the mass defection of North Korean Awakeners.
"This time, we have to bring him to Blaze Guild!"
Her glasses flashed again.
Always calm and cool-headed, but...
Whenever Blaze Guild came up, her emotions surged.
Make Blaze Great Again!
That was Yoo Chae-young's creed.
Workaholic.
Her life began and ended with Blaze Guild.
"Hold on. Four straight Perfect Clears... how's Korea's progress now?"
"Let me check~"
The team member hummed cheerfully.
⚔ WORLD PROGRESS STATUS ⚔ 🇺🇸 USA (2m 16d left): 100% 🇨🇳 China (29d left): 100% 🇯🇵 Japan (3m 2d left): 94.65805% 🇬🇧 UK (2m 6d left): 92.00295% 🇰🇷 Korea (25d left): 89.00045% "Up 9%! In just one day!"
"Holy..."
One Perfect Clear nets 3%.
An absurd figure.
"The whole country took five months to hit 80%, and one guy does 9% in a single day..."
Progress deadlines were six months.
Hit 100% within that, then do it again for the next six.
Korea had 25 days left.
While the masses scraped together decimals like 0.00001.
Perfect Clear jacked it up 9% in one go.
A truly unprecedented talent.
Even Team Leader Yoo Chae-young swallowed hard.
Then she changed her tune.
"...In the worst case, I could accept losing him to Chief Choi."
"Yeah. As long as he doesn't go overseas..."
This was why the whole world staked everything on Awakeners.
They weren't just national assets.
They determined the nation's survival.
Korea was already desperate.
Years of talent drain.
The resulting slowdown in progress.
And above all, they'd watched North Korea fall right before their eyes.
Who could be more desperate than that?
"Still! He must join Blaze Guild!"
"Yes!"
If they could snag the Perfect Clear Awakener...
'Blaze Guild could become No. 1 in Korea.'
No, maybe even world-class.
"Move it!"
"Yes!"
Make Blaze Great Again!
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Kang Hyun lay sprawled on the academy sofa.
Ring ring-
The phone rang.
"Yeah, Dad."
<You eaten?>
"About to."
<Just calling to check if you're doing okay.>
What was this?
"You called yesterday. What do you mean 'doing okay'? Just say you missed my voice."
<Shut it.>
Kang Hyun chuckled.
Fathers had their quietly amusing sides.
He'd been an orphan as Kyle.
But this life, he'd grown up with family.
'Thought being an orphan was easier.'
Not at all.
This life, he'd felt family warmth for the first time.
It had felt awkward at first.
Were these really his family?
But...
'Turns out there's someone in this whole world who only thinks of me.'
Sleepless nights.
Skipping meals.
Pouring everything into raising him.
He couldn't deny it.
They were his family.
No doubt.
<Son. Gimme some pocket money.>
"Who is this?"
Mom's voice came through the phone: 'Don't say dumb stuff to the kid!'
Followed by a smack.
Smack!
<J-Joking. Anyway, how's the academy?>
They knew the academy was on the brink.
He'd even taken out loans to start it.
They'd always worried.
"Yeah, going so well I'm about to start paying off debts."
<What!? For real? You weren't saying that before!>
"It just happened. I'll explain when I visit."
He hadn't told them he Awakened.
They'd worry.
'Especially with all the Heroes' Square collapse noise.'
No casualties, but...
A Gate crumbling in central Seoul was huge.
The mood lately emphasized the dangers.
'And F-grade zones still have high mortality.'
Better tell them later.
His rank would climb fast anyway.
"I'll send you some pocket money too."
<Hyun-ah, it's Mom. Put it in my account.>
The voice switched.
She'd snatched the phone.
<Don't push yourself, okay?>
"You think your son's the type?"
<Even if it doesn't work out, don't get down. Don't let rude people get to you.>
"...Where'd you hear that?"
She'd caught wind of him being called a scammer.
He glanced at Aden.
Munching snacks noisily.
"Hm? What's up?"
"...Disciple, sorry, but sell me out a bit."
"Pardon?"
Back to the phone.
"Yeah, Mom. The kid I'm teaching just hit it big, academy's partying. I'll bring her next time."
"Huh?"
Aden pointed at herself.
"Yeah. Busy helping her out. Hanging up. Eat well. Sending money for something nice. Bye~"
He hung up.
"Ahem. Uh... sorry. Out of nowhere."
But Aden's face wasn't worried at all.
"Did you just brag about me to your parents?"
"Brag? Yeah, guess you could call it that."
"Hee hee."
Her cheeks lifted to the heavens.
Ah, worried for nothing.
"Ahem! Well, if my master wants to boast about his 'A-Rank' disciple, how could I, as the disciple, be stingy?!"
"Uh... sure."
A reaction that made him want to smack her, but...
He needed the favor, so he held back.
"But bringing an A-Rank might shock them."
"Oh, right."
A-Rank might be overkill.
Treated as national core assets.
"Still, better than worrying them about me Awakening."
"True."
"Once I build some rep, come to my folks' place with me."
"Of course! No need to feel sorry for something this small! Master's grace is as vast as the sky!"
Good kid, saying the right things.
Should give her something.
"Tasty snacks?"
As poor as Kang Hyun.
Devouring the snacks he'd bought.
Poised to finish them in a day.
"Delicious! I can't even remember the last time I had luxury food like this!"
Definitely been super poor.
"You never bought stuff like this before. What's the occasion?"
"I Awakened. Eat up. Mana stones pay well."
"Yes, sir! I'll clean out the fridge too!"
Debts still piled up, but...
Convert the mana stones, and repayment was imminent.
'Solo dungeon runs mean income like nothing online said.'
No shares, all his.
No cash on hand yet, but...
Plenty of leeway now.
"Where's the remote?"
"Huh? Didn't they cut the line for unpaid bills?"
"Re-subscribed yesterday."
"Whoa! I'll find the remote!"
She fetched it like a dog with a stick, thrilled.
"Haven't watched TV instead of phone in forever!"
"Turn it on."
"Yes, sir!"
News came on immediately.
📰 Breaking News Yesterday afternoon, news of a new A-Rank registering as a Korean Awakener. Oh! Who leveled up? The frontrunner, B-Rank Awakener Oh Hyuk-jun? No. A literal 'new registration.' Let's dig deeper. ...This is highly unusual. Foreign media is reacting with awe at Korea's blessed talent pool. "Oh, it's about you."
"Whoa!"
Aden cranked the volume, ecstatic.
Aden shoved her phone forward.
"Here!"
She'd found an article already.
A translated foreign piece.
📰 Foreign Media Two rising stars followed by a sudden new A-Rank. Is the Korean Peninsula a treasure trove of talent? Will the 21st century be the era of South Korea? 📰 Spotlight The world turns eyes to Korea's two talents. "Feels good, huh?"
"Master's down there too!"
Hm?
Perfect Clear?
Why's that mentioned?
'There've been a few Perfect Clears besides me.'
Why the fuss?
He checked online reactions.
💬 Online Reactions — Netizen123 S-Rank and Perfect Clear—find them already! — AwakenerFan What are Management HQ and top 10 guilds doing?! — Seoulite Don't let them slip away this time. — Desperate Just find one of them... ⭐ Top Comment — Patriot Whoever finds them becomes the nation's hero. — Sleepless Can't sleep fearing an S-Rank Gate burst in Seoul since North Korea fell. The world saw them as two different people.
S-Ranks couldn't enter F-grade dungeons.
'But the vibe feels off...'
Perfect Clear was getting hyped as much as S-Rank.
'What's going on?'
Something was weird.