Yoo Harin's Provocation
The next morning.
I realized all over again just how much had happened the day before.
The Gangnam Central Tower incident, the contract with Sercia, and then the maid outfit affair after visiting Yoo Harin's house.
And finally… the moment I had awakened Yoo Harin's sexual desires.
Today, too, looked set to be just as packed as yesterday.
Above all, today was the day I was supposed to go to the Association.
Knock knock.
The ones who opened the door and stepped in were the two dragons who had already finished preparing to go out—Cardia and Sercia.
Cardia spoke first.
"Master. Is this place called the Association not dangerous?"
"It won't be as dangerous as the Tower, but we'll still have to be careful."
"Then this humble one shall accompany you."
In the end I decided to take both dragons with me, tucking them into the Subspace Pocket.
A short while later.
I was riding in Yoo Harin's car, heading toward the Association.
Perhaps because of what had happened yesterday, she looked even more tense than usual.
"Um… are you all right?"
At my question she flinched as if she had been shocked.
"Y-yes?!"
"You just seemed a little nervous."
"N-no, I'm not!"
A moment later she spoke again, her voice laced with worry.
"Actually… I'm a little worried about you, Jiwoo-ssi."
Her hands tightened on the steering wheel.
"Depending on today's test results, a lot of things could change."
Korean Hunter Association Headquarters.
A towering skyscraper standing right in the heart of Gangnam.
I had felt it during the previous evaluation as well, but today the Association building seemed even larger and more oppressive.
The moment I stepped out of the car, countless eyes turned toward me.
"No way… is that him?"
"Looks like it."
"The one who vanished with that being that wiped out those S-Class hunters back then…"
I felt my shoulders stiffen for no good reason.
Yoo Harin quietly took my arm and whispered calmly,
"Don't mind them."
"Thanks."
Soon we entered the building.
The grand lobby with its marble floors, and the throngs of staff moving across them, came into view.
The receptionist at the front desk shot to her feet the instant she spotted us.
"Hunter Yoo Harin!"
"Please show us to the Association President."
"Yes! I'll prepare it right away!"
A short while later.
We rode a private elevator all the way to the top floor.
The moment we stepped into the Association President's office, the middle-aged man seated behind the desk rose to his feet.
Former S-Class hunter and current President of the Hunter Association, Kang Taehyuk.
He strode over and offered his hand.
"A pleasure. Glad to finally meet the man I've only heard about in rumors."
"It's an honor to meet you as well, Mr. President."
Kang Taehyuk's intense gaze studied me carefully.
After a moment he spoke again.
"The reason I called you here today is simple."
He held up two fingers.
"First—re-evaluation of your rank and abilities."
I had already expected that much.
"Second… we'll talk about that after all the tests are finished."
A little later I headed with Yoo Harin to the Awakened Rank Assessment Room.
A place that remained crystal clear in my memory.
The exact same place where I had once been judged E-Class.
The place where, even after awakening the power of a Dragon Tamer, I had been ranked at the very bottom because I possessed no combat ability of my own.
Three staff members were waiting inside.
All three were the same people I had met back when I received the E-Class judgment.
The moment they saw me, their expressions hardened.
"We will begin the examination."
The tests took far longer than I expected.
Mana measurement, physical ability tests, reaction speed, resistance checks, various aptitude assessments.
It was incomparably more complex than the process that had once labeled me E-Class.
After hours of testing, only the final stage remained.
The very machine that had played the biggest role in branding me E-Class in the past.
Right now my heart was pounding like mad.
What rank would I receive now that I carried the powers of two absolute beings—Disaster-Class Dragons Cardia and Sercia?
A-Class? Or maybe even S-Class was possible?
Thump! Thump!
"Please place your hand on the device."
Wooooong!
The instant I set my hand on the mana measuring device, a deep vibration rose from inside the machine.
The staff watched the monitors with tense faces.
Yoo Harin beside me held her breath as well.
And then, a moment later—
Beeeeeep!
[UNMEASURABLE]
"Huh?"
One of the staff blinked.
"An error?"
"Could you place your hand on it again?"
They re-measured.
And again came the same message and warning tone.
Beeeeeep!
The three staff members' faces went rigid.
The third try, the fourth, the fifth—every result was identical.
The monitor displayed the same message the entire time.
[UNMEASURABLE]
"…"
A heavy silence settled over the assessment room.
"Unmeasurable?"
One staff member swallowed dryly, face blank.
"Th-this is the first time we've ever seen this!"
I asked him,
"Is it a machine error…?"
"No."
Another staff member answered firmly.
"The equipment is functioning normally."
"Then?"
"…"
After exchanging glances, one of them carefully spoke up.
"It means your power far exceeds the measurable range to begin with."
S-Class?
No.
The equipment had judged me an existence "beyond specifications."
A phenomenon with no precedent anywhere in the world was unfolding right here in the Korean Association.
"This can't be…!"
One of the staff muttered under his breath before he could stop himself.
And that news spread through the entire Association in an instant.
Thirty minutes after the measurement ended.
I was summoned back to the Association President's office.
The moment I opened the door and saw Kang Taehyuk's expression, I understood.
Things were taking a serious turn.
His face was far graver than when we first met.
He pointed to the sofa beside his desk.
"Have a seat first."
I sat quietly with Yoo Harin.
After a stretch of silence, Kang Taehyuk spoke.
"It was you after all."
"…?"
A glint flashed in his eyes.
"We have been searching all this time. For the world's first…"
He fixed his gaze straight on me and added,
"…person to clear Nightmare difficulty."
My heart dropped.
Kang Taehyuk continued.
"When we cross-referenced the Association's database, the Tower records, and the results of today's measurement…"
He spoke slowly.
"Every piece of the puzzle fell into place."
Kang Taehyuk went on with absolute certainty in his eyes.
"It is you, isn't it? The world's first hunter to clear 'Nightmare Difficulty Floor 1.'"
The air inside the Association President's office grew heavy.
In that moment I understood.
Any further attempt to hide it was meaningless.
The Association President’s eyes gleamed as he asked quietly,
"This 'Dragon Tamer' ability of yours. Can you tell me exactly what it does?"
Having already decided to accept the situation, I summoned the two dragons from the Subspace Pocket.
Shuuuuuuung—!
The next instant, Cardia and Sercia stood inside the Association President's office.
Of course their outfits… following my advice, had been kept as "ordinary" as possible.
A strange light rose in Kang Taehyuk's eyes.
"Th-this can't be…?!"
Kang Taehyuk recognized Sercia's face as well.
There was no way he wouldn't know the absolute being who had casually defeated five S-Class hunters with a single gesture.
His trembling gaze soon shifted to the Red Lotus Dragon Cardia standing beside her.
I explained quietly.
"These are the dragons under my command. Both of them possess equal power and authority."
I added further explanation.
"And the reason I ended up with such absurd abilities is because, through the contracts with them, we are in a state of 'shared authority.'"
For a while the Association President could only stare back and forth between the two of them, speechless. At last his eyes returned to me.
"Then allow me to speak of the second matter I mentioned earlier."
I swallowed dryly and waited in silence for his next words.
"As you know, Korea's Hard Difficulty raid team is currently facing serious difficulties. They keep failing to defeat the boss monster on Floor 43, so they cannot advance to the next floor."
He continued in a heavy voice.
"Do you remember the Break incidents that once occurred in China and India? Cases where a single floor remained unconquered for far too long and the monsters inside the Tower spilled out into the outside world."
I nodded.
It was one of the most infamous events that had taken place after Towers appeared across the globe.
The Association President went on.
"If the Floor 43 raid continues to stall, the Association estimates a high probability that the same phenomenon will occur in Korea within six months at the latest."
Listening quietly, I finally spoke.
"So… you want me to help clear Hard Difficulty Floor 43…?"
Kang Taehyuk nodded.
"Exactly. I would like you to join that party of S-Class hunters as a 'Special Advisor.' And if possible…"
He drew a breath and added,
"…continue clearing the subsequent Hard Difficulty floors, and Nightmare Difficulty as well."
In the end, I had no choice but to accept his proposal.
Above all, the conditions he offered were simply too extraordinary.
In particular, the promise that the Association would directly purchase any by-products I obtained while climbing the Tower was an offer I simply could not refuse.
How could anyone turn down an additional twenty percent above market price?
On top of that, he even offered to have the Association handle everything from tax issues to asset management.
After the conversation with the Association President ended, I was sitting with Yoo Harin in her private office, drinking coffee together.
Yoo Harin spoke to me with a bright smile.
"I'm really glad, Jiwoo-ssi. More than anything…"
She lowered her head shyly and added,
"I'm happy that you're finally receiving the proper treatment you deserve."
"Thank you for saying that."
Before long, the look in Yoo Harin's eyes began to heat up.
And what happened next left me stunned.
She undid the black dress she was wearing herself.
H-here… this is an Association office?!
The next moment, words far too provocative to believe came tumbling from Yoo Harin's lips.
"Why? Are you worried someone might walk in?"
Yoo Harin… was she always this aggressive??
