Hyeonseok Is the Master

Hyeonseok was the Master.

Even Jo Paldeok himself had only learned the truth from his son that very day. Of course, he had run it through the proper verification channels at Headquarters as well.

The Vice Guild Master, however, clenched his teeth and refused to believe it.

"Now you're spouting every kind of nonsense under the sun."

"Approximately twenty minutes ago, the Hunter Management Headquarters formally confirmed it. Hunter Do Hyeonseok is the Master."

The Vice Guild Master's eyes trembled as if an earthquake had struck behind them. Only now, it seemed, was he beginning to understand that this was no bluff.

"Th-that's impossible…"

"Didn't you find it strange? That a single ordinary civilian managed to raise two SS-Rank hunters?"

Except he had never been an ordinary civilian. He had been the Master all along.

"N-no. It isn't… it can't be over yet…"

He faltered even as the words left his mouth. It had been over the moment he processed the dismissal. A clear, undeniable record now existed.

Jo Paldeok looked at the father and son standing before him.

"Hyeonseok. Hyeoncheol. Thank you. Thanks to you two, a tooth that's been aching for years is finally coming out today."

Hyeonseok glanced at his father — and flinched.

What's he thinking right now?

Do Hyeoncheol kept his mouth tightly shut, staring at his son. His pupils were dilated with shock, trembling faintly.

"That's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠not true… I didn't know! If I'd known he was the Master, I never would have—!"

"I'll say this one more time, Vice Guild Master."

An excuse like I didn't know was never going to fly with the guild members.

The Awakened Response Unit he had kept on standby stormed into the room.

In the immediate aftermath, the Vice Guild Master was arrested on the spot. The charges were classified as an awakened crime, and he was transferred to a special containment prison.

"Mmph, mmph! Mmph!?"

The former Vice Guild Master writhed inside a white full-body restraint. Every part of him except his nostrils was perfectly bound and sealed.

It was the exact same fate that had befallen his subordinate, the poison-attribute hunter Park Seongmin. Jo Paldeok paid him a visit.

"I'll do what I can to make sure you get the longest sentence possible. I am a Guild Master, after all. I have a few friends in the legal world."

"Mmph!? Mmph—!"

The man who had tried to drive Hyeonseok's father out of the guild would now live a hellish existence inside that special prison.

And a new Vice Guild Master was appointed immediately.

"Hyeoncheol. I'm going to need you to help run things."

"Me?"

"Who else is there?"

"Hey, Jo Paldeok. Are you telling me to sit there holding a pen and signing paperwork?"

He said it, but the corner of his mouth was already twitching.

"Just do it. Remnants of the Vice Guild Master's faction are still inside the guild."

They had not announced the former Vice Guild Master's crimes. Doing so would have required revealing that Hyeonseok was the Master. It also would have been terrible for Advance Guild's image — the implication being that they had been played by their own Vice Guild Master.

"They'll be watching to see who the new Vice Guild Master is. You're the only one who can shut them down."

"Ahem. Am I really that big a deal? I can't even lift my arm properly anymore…"

Do Hyeoncheol's symbolic weight was unmatched anywhere in South Korea. And even in decline, he still possessed more raw combat power than the previous Vice Guild Master.

That did not mean there was no pushback.

"Do Hyeoncheol as Vice Guild Master? How does he have the face to take that seat?"

"How much guild money did that guy burn through on rehab treatment?!"

"The former Vice Guild Master was excellent — both in character and in administration. How is a toothless old tiger who used to swing his fists around supposed to replace him?"

They wanted a justification. A reason Do Hyeoncheol deserved that position. A track record as a high-floor hunter, they insisted, was not enough on its own.

Hyeonseok did not like that one bit.

"Oh, come on. This is all just stretching it, isn't it? He's a founding contributor from the earliest days, and he once pushed Advance all the way to second in the nation. If that's not enough, who exactly would satisfy these people?"

The opposition faction had no idea what was actually going on. All they wanted was the former Vice Guild Master's return. Jo Paldeok simply smiled.

"Right, Hyeonseok. Can't stand the sight of them, can you? That's why I need your help."

"Sir?"

Hyeonseok's performance record since joining the guild was made public.

"W-what is this?"

"One person produced two SS-Ranks? By himself!?"

"What floor is this guy even on, that something like this is possible? And where did the guild even find someone like this?"

Advance Guild might have been fourth in the nation, but the man in question was, on paper, a has-been. Talent of this caliber would have been welcomed with open arms by any guild in the world. So why here?

"Wait a second. Do Hyeonseok? Why does that name sound… hang on."

"Wait. D-don't tell me?"

The instructor who had produced two SS-Rank hunters. His identity was revealed to be Do Hyeoncheol's son.

"Ah — so that's why he became Vice Guild Master…!"

"The credit for bringing Hyeonseok into the guild."

"Tsk. Well, if that's the case…"

"Wow. A tiger's cub really is a tiger."

"That Do Hyeoncheol — from the founding days right up to now, he's been carrying this guild's fate on his back."

The complaints evaporated. Hyeonseok was the master of Jo Youchan and Jeong Sangguk. The credit for bringing him in was beyond words.

Hyeonseok felt a shiver run through him at the whole situation.

Dad's riding my coattails…

A man once called a legend, a conqueror of the highest floors — basking in the glow of a shut-in who'd been unemployed in his bedroom.

You really do have to live a long time to see everything.

Was this what filial piety actually looked like? Not shoulder massages or helping with housework, but making it so thoroughly that you could give your parents a life of comfort. The satisfaction was incomparable to anything a game had ever given him.

Jo Paldeok's restoration campaign did not end there.

"Hyeonseok. What are you doing just standing there looking pleased with yourself? You're one of Advance's people now. Time to get to work."

"Sir?"

"You're getting promoted."

"Sir?"

Hyeonseok became Advance Guild's Special Advisor — a title conferred only upon veteran hunters, whose role was to counsel those struggling with their Tower climbs. It had originally been Do Hyeoncheol's position.

"M-me!?"

"You'll have authority equivalent to the support team leaders. Our guild members… no. They're your people now. I'm counting on you."

A sweeping personnel shakeup on the heels of replacing the Vice Guild Master. Naturally, it was not without noise. The logic was that no matter how you sliced it, he was still a new hire — and of course, that whining came from the former Vice Guild Master's faction.

But it was buried almost immediately. The achievement of producing SS-Rank hunters was already crystal clear, and the vast majority of hunters supported Hyeonseok with genuine enthusiasm.

"So, what do I have to do to get coached by that guy?"

"Hey, hey! There's an order to these things! Obviously the senior high-floor hunters go first!"

"Exactly. Korea's top-floor conquest is hanging by a thread. We need to climb first."

"And whose fault is that? The senior generation neglected training the next one, and now look at this mess. Maybe it's time you people woke up?"

"Excuse me?"

They had not even started handing out numbers yet, and the atmosphere was already on the verge of overheating.

Before long, the people at Advance who already knew Hyeonseok came crowding in to congratulate him. Starting with Support Team 3.

"Hyeonseok, congratulations! I knew from day one you were going to be this big!"

"I worked so hard training you, and the moment you get useful, you leave. That's just cruel."

"Haha. Team Leader, Senior. Thank you."

Jo Youchan and Jeong Sangguk came running as well.

"Master, congratulations! You're finally receiving the treatment you deserve!"

"I heard my junior failed to recruit you. A real shame. You're the kind of talent this country cannot afford to lose…"

"If this country were going to collapse just because I wasn't around, it would've collapsed a long time ago."

"Haha. That's exactly why it looks like it's about to."

"Sorry? Why would it collapse?"

"Tsk… it's still classified. There'll be an article soon enough."

Hyeonseok had no idea what that was supposed to mean, but today was a good day for Jeong Sangguk as well. It was the day he left Advance Guild.

Jeong Sangguk no longer needed to remain. A 40th-floor clear was all but guaranteed. He would return to practical duties, carrying out his official work while continuing to climb the Tower. Of course, the Advance Guild affiliation would stay with him.

"Guild Master, I truly owe you a great deal."

"I didn't do anything. Go thank Hyeonseok before you leave."

"Haha, I've already bowed my head so many times my back is about to snap."

Jeong Sangguk's return became quite the sensation.

People celebrated as if it were their own achievement.

The people of Advance Guild were drunk on their own brand of pride.

"So that guy's our guild's backer, basically?"

"More precisely, he's the Guild Master's and Special Advisor Do Hyeonseok's backer."

"At the very least, this guild isn't getting dragged into court and torn apart anytime soon."

"What's going on with this guild lately? Did we join at rock bottom? It's been nothing but limit-up days ever since."

They had just weathered the enormous upheaval of replacing a Vice Guild Master. And yet Advance Guild was stabilizing with remarkable speed.

In the process of verifying Hyeonseok's identity, a Master Clear announcement had gone out.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

By now, people should have been getting used to it. The public's reaction was as feverish as ever.

A talent who might one day become the strongest in the world. A talent who might yet save a South Korea that was gasping for air on the highest floors. Everyone hung on every scrap of news about the Master.

It was not an overreaction. A nation's top-floor hunter strength was its national power, its national prestige, and above all, the safety of its people.

But voices of concern rose alongside the cheers.

Whenever a capable talent appeared, this worry always followed. And it was not unfounded — they had lost people before, more than once or twice. This time, because it was the Master, the anxiety ran even deeper.

And then, in the midst of all that—

Just as they had when the first Master Clear announcement rang out, countless people poured into the streets to celebrate. Some pubs and restaurants even ran commemorative discount events.

But not everyone could simply be happy.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner."

"I, uh… I thought you'd be against it…"

Hyeonseok watched his father's face carefully. But his father remained expressionless. His feelings were impossible to read.

He's angry, right…?

Do Hyeoncheol, however, did not scold him right away.

"When and where did you learn martial arts?"

"I picked it up from watching Youchan and Mr. Jeong Sangguk."

"…Just from watching? It's been barely a month since you awakened. How does that make any sense?"

"Uh… it just did, though."

It was not defiance. That was genuinely what had happened. He was not wrong.

"And you're the one who pulled those two up to SS-Rank."

"We were just exchanging views on martial arts, and it sort of…"

Mid-conversation, Do Hyeoncheol quietly closed his eyes. He could not keep the emotion from leaking through his gaze.

The thing I dreamed of… is actually happening.

The fantasy of raising his son as his successor. The fantasy of climbing the Tower alongside a grown son. And the fantasy that one day, that son would surpass him, be called a new legend, and restore the glory of the past.

It was all actually happening.

Is this a dream, or is it real? If it's a dream, don't let me wake up.

But he could not simply be happy. The situation was not that simple. The thrill that his son had inherited his genius. The fear that the Tower's dangers might reach his son as well. And then…

With talent like that, I couldn't force him to stop even if I wanted to.

The anxiety that fact produced. The relief and the expectation he felt at the same time. A tangle of emotions, each one rationalizing the others, knotted together in a complicated mess.

Hyeonseok, who had been reading the room, broke the silence.

"So, um… Hunter Headquarters said they're considering whether to disclose my identity. Because of the Chinese operative incident."

"I heard. There was an assassination attempt. Being a hunter is a dangerous job, but the ones out in front are in a class of danger all their own. Your old man went through the same thing more than a few times."

"What? You did, Dad?"

"And you still want to do it?"

"Yes."

Of course he did. Do Hyeoncheol felt the corner of his mouth trying to lift at the same time as the throb of his old injuries.

"Alright. Then I'll be cheering you on."

"For real!?"

Do Hyeoncheol only nodded.

"Thank you!"

"But you are absolutely not allowed to overdo it."

"Of course not! I'll just keep doing Master Clears! Whoa — I'm heading into the Tower right now!"

Whoosh—

Hyeonseok, buzzing with excitement, vanished. Only once he was alone did Do Hyeoncheol finally allow himself to smile.

Today was a good day. Everything had gone well. Maybe that was why a different kind of thought occurred to him.

Alright. Let's try clearing this without taking a single step.

He stood still. Soon, the sound of arrows drew closer. Fwiip—

Now.

Whoosh—

The back of a head appeared right in front of him. A Veteran Elf Archer.

But surprisingly, this one was different from the others so far. The moment he took its rear, the elf reacted, slashing a dagger toward him.

Oh.

So veterans really were a different breed? In that case, he would just—

Shunpo again. Then he smashed the skull.

KR-RUMBLE—!

The 400% damage multiplier did not trigger. Plain Heavenly Exploding Strike was more than enough.

Throughout the entire sequence, he had not taken a single step.

Alright. Come at me again.

Arrows came flying, right on cue. Thoughtfully, all four remaining elves had clustered together to fire at once.

Skilled archers mostly match their formations, huh.

But then — Shunpo. Four backs of heads appeared in front of him.

Heavenly Exploding Strike.

He smashed them. KR-KRAKOOM—!

Once again, he had not taken a single step.

And then a welcome message rose before his eyes.

Oh!

Already that time, huh!

After Hyeonseok entered the Tower, Do Hyeoncheol went into his room. There was still other important business to attend to. He picked up the phone.

"Yeah, Jo Paldeok."

"I already know. You failed again, didn't you."

South Korea's current highest Tower floor was the 54th. And the collapse deadline was drawing near.

"When's the next attempt?"

"The mood in Korea was so good. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠It's going to sink right back down."

Conquering the 54th Floor took a minimum of two weeks. Preparation took another two weeks on top of that — time the team needed for supplies, fatigue recovery, treating injuries, and the rest.

In other words, a single attempt consumed a full month. And less than two months remained on the clock.

"Hah… I told you. We should have been scouting new talent from the start. The hunter scene turning into politics, money, rankings — all that backstabbing and gatekeeping — that was never the way."

As if Jo Paldeok had wanted to sit still. After Do Hyeoncheol left the team, even just holding the top-floor conquest together had been more than they could handle.

Hunters possessed too much wealth and too much power. That attracted vermin. Or sometimes, the hunters themselves became the vermin. The former Vice Guild Master had been a perfect example.

"I'm grateful for that, if nothing else."

He meant Jo Youchan, Jeong Sangguk, and Hyeonseok.

"Not a chance. His floor is way too low."

Hyeonseok was clearing nearly a floor a day. If he kept climbing at this pace, he might even be able to join the 54th Floor conquest team. It would be extremely tight — but if they somehow shortened the preparation window, it was not impossible.

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

But Do Hyeoncheol's expression hardened.

"That kid is going to climb the Tower at his own pace. I have absolutely no intention of pushing him. If it came to that, I'd rather take him and skip the country together."

Do Hyeoncheol growled.

This season, they would have to handle it themselves. If they could.

"The announcement of the failed attempt?"

An evacuation order would soon be issued for Seoul, where the Tower stood. They would request aid from other countries, of course, but there was no guarantee it would come. The 50th-floor range was special, after all.

"The team?"

"I mean the one who caused the failure."

"Tsk."

It wasn't like this when I was still active. Do Hyeoncheol thought.

"Anyway, this time we really have to…"

The call stretched on. And outside the Tower, listening at the door, was Hyeonseok.

Wait a second.

An idea flashed through his mind.

Come to think of it… I could just use Diagnosis on Dad.

The same way he had cured Jo Youchan's poison.