Meeting the Director of the Awakening Management Bureau
I stepped into the director’s office and paused for a moment.
So this is it… the heart of the Awakening Management Bureau.
The highest office in the official institution established by the South Korean government to oversee all Awakened individuals. For the average Hunter, even catching a glimpse of this door in their lifetime would be a miracle.
Until recently, I thought the same thing about myself.
“Welcome, Hunter Ahn Humin. I’ve been waiting for you.”
As soon as I entered, an elderly man spread both arms wide in a warm greeting.
But…
I knew he looked big on TV, but seeing him in person… what the hell is this?
Two meters and ten centimeters of towering height. A physique that somehow packed a hundred and forty kilograms of pure muscle. The word “massive” didn’t even begin to cover it.
How could I describe this feeling? Overwhelming. That was it. A natural, effortless dignity radiated from the director’s body, the kind that instinctively dominated anyone in his presence.
“I am the current Director of the Awakening Management Bureau, Lee Won-hyung.”
Lee Won-hyung.
The only SSS-class Hunter to ever hold this position. A unique case who had been unanimously recommended by every major guild—his own included—and appointed as Director. Normally, guilds fiercely pushed their own candidates or blocked rivals. The fact that he received unanimous support spoke volumes about both his reputation and ability.
His track record for handling affairs was nothing short of astonishing, but…
Unfortunately, villain and clan crime rates had been shattering all-time highs almost daily. Because of that, he had become more famous as the “unluckiest director” than as the greatest one.
“Come, come, have a seat. What would you like to drink? Coffee? Tea?”
“Just a cold glass of water, please.”
“Secretary Kwon, one cold water and a coffee for me. Put ice in the water.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Please, sit down.”
I took the seat Director Lee Won-hyung offered. Once he settled into his own chair, he got straight to the point.
“First, allow me to express my sincere gratitude for taking time out of your valuable schedule. To avoid wasting any more of it, I’ll be direct. Hunter Ahn Humin, are you truly E-class?”
“That’s what the Awakening Stone showed. Though I don’t believe it myself anymore.”
“If it’s not too much trouble, could we run one more test?”
“I don’t mind.”
The moment I answered, Director Lee produced a pre-prepared Awakening Stone and placed it on the table.
As expected of the Bureau Director. They say even using an Awakening Stone requires presidential approval.
The man sitting across from me currently held the most powerful authority in South Korea, second only to the president himself.
“Would you place your hand on the stone?”
At his request, I casually rested my palm on the Awakening Stone.
Placing a hand on it didn’t trigger re-Awakening. It simply emitted light according to the Hunter’s current rank.
Sure enough.
White light…
I’d held onto a sliver of hope, but the moment my hand touched the stone, a soft white glow flowed out, once again confirming that I was E-class.
“It really is white light.”
“I told you. I’m E-class.”
“No. I said it was white light. I never said E-class.”
“Sorry? Isn’t that the same thing?”
White light meant E-class. What kind of wordplay was this?
“It might be easier to show you rather than explain.”
Director Lee carefully set the Awakening Stone aside as if he had anticipated this. He then laid out several prepared items on the table.
“Here we have two beakers. One is spotlessly clean, as you can see. The other is extremely dirty. This device is a bacterial detector from a certain company. When we test the clean beaker…”
Error
“As you can see, it shows an error. Now let’s test the extremely dirty beaker with the same device…”
Error
“What does it say?”
“Error… again?”
“Correct. Both the sterilized beaker and the bacteria-filled one register as ‘Error.’ Do you understand why?”
I honestly shook my head. Director Lee offered a gentle smile and explained.
“There is only one reason this device shows an error. Whether the bacterial count is far too low or far too high—when the quantity falls below or exceeds the measurable threshold—it displays ‘unmeasurable’… in other words, an error.”
At those words, my eyes widened as I glanced at the Awakening Stone that had been pushed aside.
“So what you’re saying is…”
“Yes. Normally, E-class individuals produce white light because their soul potential is too small to measure. However, in your case, Hunter Ahn Humin, we believe the white light appeared because your soul potential is so overwhelmingly vast that even the Awakening Stone cannot quantify it. Of course, this is the first time we’ve encountered such a case… In fact, after reviewing every recorded case worldwide, this appears to be unprecedented.”
“……”
It made sense. Honestly, there didn’t seem to be any other possibility.
If the Awakening Stone had emitted white light twice, the chance of it being a malfunction was extremely low. If both readings were accurate, then Director Lee’s hypothesis was the only answer.
But a potential so immense that even the stone used to measure SSS-class Hunters couldn’t handle it…
I really am something else!
What had once been a vague suspicion now felt like official recognition, as if the Director of the Bureau had personally stamped his seal of approval on my strength.
“With that in mind… have you decided which guild you would like to join, Hunter Ahn Humin?”
“Well… I’m still thinking about it. Not many people even know the extent of my abilities yet.”
“I’ll be frank. We believe your power is both dangerous and incredibly potent. It’s strong enough to completely shatter the current balance among the major guilds in the near future.”
“So you’re asking me to join the Bureau?”
At my direct question, Director Lee smiled kindly.
“If you choose to join the Awakening Management Bureau, we will spare no effort in providing every form of support we can offer. That includes not only you, but your family as well. We will handle all administrative and civil matters that guilds cannot manage. Of course, compared to the resources of a major guild, it might feel lacking.”
“Even so, is there a reason I should join the Bureau?”
Director Lee slowly shook his head at my question.
“I have no intention of pressuring you to join us. Given your talent and ability, I don’t believe the Bureau can offer support and benefits truly worthy of you. However, I would like to make one proposal.”
“A proposal?”
“We would welcome you with open arms if you join us, but you are free to decline. Instead, if you promise not to create your own guild and not to join any other guild, we will exempt you from direct taxes for life.”
“Direct taxes… meaning tax exemption?”
“That is correct.”
The offer was so outrageous I was momentarily speechless.
It wasn’t even a condition for joining the Bureau. I could stay completely independent, as long as I didn’t form or join a guild, and still receive such benefits?
This went beyond generous. It was downright absurd.
Just the income tax I’ll owe next year is already making my head spin. And they’re saying all of it would be waived?!
As I climbed higher in the Tower, my earnings would grow astronomically. Once I reached the upper floors, my annual income could rival that of a major corporation. After all, I would be able to monopolize most of those profits!
In other words, the higher I climbed, the more valuable the Bureau’s benefit became compared to anything a major guild could offer.
A privilege only a government institution could possibly grant.
“Can you truly promise such a benefit, Director?”
“I knew you would ask that, so I came prepared. This is the official contract bearing the national seal for the proposal I just made. Convincing the president took quite a bit of effort. Hahaha!”
Though he laughed heartily and acted playful, the contract was anything but a joke.
This wasn’t just any document. It carried the national seal of the President of South Korea. Doubting Director Lee’s offer at this point would be foolish.
In fact, the proposal was so extreme that I began to suspect there might be some hidden motive.
When I hesitated to sign, Director Lee seemed to read my thoughts and spoke again.
“The terms are so extraordinary that you’re having trouble believing it, I see.”
“Honestly… yes. You’re not forcing me to join the Bureau. You’re saying I don’t even have to join, as long as I don’t enter a guild, and you’ll still give me benefits this ridiculous.”
“That reaction is completely understandable. But for us, it is worth it.”
“Why?”
“As I mentioned earlier, you are already powerful. But considering your potential, you will grow to a level incomparable to your current self. To the point where a single individual could surpass even the largest guilds. Honestly, I’m thinking even beyond that… but for now, that alone makes you an enormous risk factor for us. The moment you join any guild…”
“You believe the balance of power will collapse.”
“It’s not a belief. It will happen without question. What guilds fear more than competition is dictatorship. If one guild grows too dominant, the others will choose to submit rather than resist. That would create a single super-guild rivaling the power of the state. The government would lose the ability to control them and would instead have to tread carefully or gradually surrender authority. In the end, the situation would become completely unmanageable.”
When a government agency could no longer control a private organization, the outcome was rarely a happy ending.
“If we can prevent such a worst-case scenario, this proposal is more than worth the risk. The president agreed with that assessment, which is why he affixed the national seal.”
“……”
I couldn’t help but be impressed by Director Lee’s words.
He had accurately assessed not only my potential but its true value. He had even calculated the risks involved and taken decisive action to prevent them in advance.
I was beginning to understand why he was considered one of the most capable directors in the Bureau’s history.
To be honest, as I had said before, I had no intention of joining any other guild.
Nor did I particularly want to create my own. I already had too many things to do, and I wasn’t the kind of diligent, clever person who could manage a guild on top of everything else.
Plus, it sounded like a massive pain in the ass!
After finishing a hunt, I barely had time to relax. If I had to spend entire days buried in guild paperwork, I’d rather die. I’d heard that the representative of a major guild—once famous as a handsome middle-aged man—had developed stress-induced hair loss in just five years and now wore a wig.
That story had made one thing very clear: running a guild was not something just anyone could do.
“I have a question, if I may.”
“Of course. Ask anything you like.”
“If I were to join the Bureau, would there be any specific duties I’d have to perform? Would I need to report in whenever summoned? Would I have to cancel holidays and come in during emergencies? That sort of thing.”
“Hmm… I’m not sure who you mean by ‘superiors,’ but if you join us, we plan to establish an independent special team exclusively for you, Hunter Ahn Humin. Naturally, you would be the team leader. Formally, I would be your superior. Your salary would start at the same level as a minister’s first-tier pay from your very first month. You may come and go as you please. While Bureau agents normally form official parties to clear floors of the Tower, you would be free to handle that at your own discretion. Any items or Mana Stones you obtain inside the Tower would belong entirely to you, unlike regular agents.”
“Would I be allowed to recommend or reject members for this special team?”
“Of course. Although it would technically fall under my department, the team would operate as an entirely independent organization. You and I would be in a horizontal relationship rather than a vertical one. Missions would be offered as proposals rather than orders. If you don’t like a mission, you are free to refuse it.”
“You’re really allowed to do that?”
“There is no such thing as ‘allowed’ or ‘not allowed.’ There are only people who cannot do something, and people who can. You, Hunter Ahn Humin, are someone who can.”
“……”
Just listening to him, the benefits were enormous. My daily life and profits would barely change, yet I would gain an absurd amount of additional advantages.
“Then what does the Bureau gain from this?”
“We gain you. Agent Ahn Humin of the Awakening Management Bureau. Simply having that title will be enough to make other guilds obey the government’s directives without resistance. And it will happen very quickly. That alone more than offsets every benefit we are offering you. Hehehe!”
“……”
Honestly, continuing to work alone while enjoying tax exemption wasn’t a bad option. But the benefits that came with joining the Bureau were just as tempting.
Above all, my workload wouldn’t increase significantly. If I could keep living the same way while receiving even greater rewards, it didn’t seem like a bad deal.
However…
“Ah, my goodness. I almost forgot to mention this.”
“What is it?”
“Regarding the direct tax exemption if you join the Bureau. It applies to all biological children, and up to two adopted children as well. I forgot to mention that. Here is the related contract. If you’re interested, please take a look.”
The director casually slid the contract across the table. I closed my eyes tightly, thought for a long moment, and finally answered.
“Could I have some more time to think it over and make a decision?”
“Of course. Contact me anytime. I’ll be waiting.”
Kicked out of the guild without knowing he was EX-class.