Chapter 85
Chapter 85
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: A New Deal
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The next day.
Suppression Corps Headquarters, Office of the Chief of Information Operations.
Two men were talking.
One of them was Kim Hwan-soo, the former commander of the Chilgok Unit, and on his desk sat a nameplate with his name written in Chinese characters.
"So that's what happened to Park Do-hwan?"
"Yes, sir. This morning, we confiscated all evidence, including his bank accounts and call records."
"What's Park Do-hwan's condition?"
"It seems there was a bit of a scuffle during his arrest. His face is badly damaged, but his life isn't in danger."
"Well, he bit off more than he could chew for someone with no real talent."
Kim Hwan-soo replied nonchalantly.
He and Park Do-hwan had joined at the same time, but they had never been close.
Kim Hwan-soo hadn't paid it much mind, but Park Do-hwan had always compared himself to Kim Hwan-soo, fostering a strong sense of rivalry.
However, lacking comparable ability, he had always been overshadowed by Kim Hwan-soo, and their encounters were often filled with jealousy.
"What are your orders, sir?"
"What do you mean? They don't have a vice commander. Promote the 1st Team Leader to commander."
Kim Hwan-soo sat back down at his desk, a faint smile on his face.
*Serves him right.*
In fact, Park Do-hwan had been the most gleeful when Kim Hwan-soo was assigned as the commander of the Chilgok Unit.
Though he hadn't shown it, Kim Hwan-soo's pride had been a little bruised.
No matter that Park Do-hwan was beneath him, how could he not feel offended when the man smirked and looked down on him every time they met?
Now, he was the Chief of Information Operations, a key figure in the Suppression Corps, while Park Do-hwan was just a criminal. Kim Hwan-soo felt a sense of satisfaction.
"There is something else, sir."
"Go on."
"While investigating Commander Park Do-hwan, the name Lee Do-jae kept coming up."
"Lee Do-jae?"
"Yes, sir. He was the former leader of the Chilgok Unit's 3rd Squad before being transferred to headquarters. Do you have any idea what this might be about?"
Kim Hwan-soo thought of Do-jae, who was currently on leave.
He knew Do-jae was interested in the Transcendence Stone and had used that to lure him to headquarters, intending to place him under his command.
*What did he get into with Park Do-hwan?*
Kim Hwan-soo didn't think Do-jae could have initiated anything.
Even for an A-rank Awakened like Do-jae, meeting with Park Do-hwan of the MID would have been difficult.
Therefore, Park Do-hwan must have been the one to approach him first, and Kim Hwan-soo suspected some scheme had gone awry, leading to this situation.
"Are there any charges related to Lee Do-jae?"
"A full investigation hasn't begun, but currently, there's nothing. He just returned from China yesterday."
"China?"
"Yes, sir. He was accompanied by Shim Young-jin, but we found no connection between him and Commander Park Do-hwan either. Since he was also formerly with the Chilgok Unit, I'm asking before we proceed with the investigation."
Kim Hwan-soo scratched his head with his pen.
He wondered why Do-jae and Shim Young-jin had gone to China together.
They didn't seem close enough to go on a trip together.
"Then I'll meet with him. He's under our command now, after all. Make sure the investigation into Park Do-hwan is thorough."
"Yes, sir!"
The man saluted Kim Hwan-soo with a crisp motion and left the room.
Kim Hwan-soo took out his smartphone and looked for Do-jae and Shim Young-jin's contact information.
Just as he was about to make a call, there was a knock on his office door.
"Come in."
The person who entered was Kim Hwan-soo's personal aide.
He wore a troubled expression and only spoke after Kim Hwan-soo nodded.
"My apologies, sir. I'm here to report that someone has shown up unannounced, demanding to speak with you."
"Who is it? Who would come looking for me so rudely?"
"He says he's Lee Do-jae from the Chilgok Unit, where you served, sir. Should I send him away?"
"Lee Do-jae?"
Kim Hwan-soo immediately put down his smartphone and said,
"Send him up."
"Yes, sir!"
He had just been about to contact Lee Do-jae anyway.
While the way Do-jae had come to see him, now the Chief of Information Operations, was rather impolite, Kim Hwan-soo suspected it was about Park Do-hwan and decided not to make an issue of it.
*Knock, knock—.*
*Creeak—.*
"It's been a while, Commander Kim Hwan-soo."
"It has, Squad Leader Lee. Did you enjoy your leave?"
"Thanks to you, I did."
"Hmm. Your tone is strange."
"Is it? Then, what I came to say is..."
"Have a seat. I have something to say as well."
Kim Hwan-soo rose from his desk and walked over to the sofa.
There were things he wanted to ask Do-jae about Park Do-hwan.
And also about the complete change in Do-jae's aura.
*He's giving off the same kind of energy as Kang Young-chan, isn't he?*
***
*Thud—.*
Do-jae placed his name tag on the table.
"Are you serious right now?"
Then he pushed his Suppression Corps ID, bearing his name, toward Kim Hwan-soo.
"Yes."
This was the reason Do-jae had come to see Kim Hwan-soo.
He no longer needed to be in the Suppression Corps.
"Have you had a change of heart? To suddenly want to quit the Suppression Corps."
"There's been no change of heart. I've simply achieved my goal."
"Your goal? Is this related to Park Do-hwan?"
"Yes. I got the Transcendence Stone back from Park Do-hwan—no, from the MID. I have no reason to be in the Suppression Corps anymore."
Do-jae told Kim Hwan-soo everything honestly.
He already had the other half of the Transcendence Stone, and there was no way for Kim Hwan-soo to take the stone from his subspace.
"Ahem... This is a bit surprising..."
Kim Hwan-soo stood up and began to pace around the room.
Do-jae sat still and waited; he didn't care if Kim Hwan-soo suddenly tried something because of the Transcendence Stone.
After all, Do-jae had already far surpassed Kim Hwan-soo's abilities.
"The MID isn't an organization that would just let the Transcendence Stone be taken. It's not like you single-handedly destroyed the entire organization. How did you do it?"
Kim Hwan-soo asked with a genuinely curious expression.
Do-jae once again told him the truth.
"I made a deal. I agreed to exchange a sample of the Mana Accelerator for the half of the Transcendence Stone they possessed."
"Mana Accelerator? I've never heard of it."
"You can ask the MID's 1st Team Leader. To put it simply, it's a drug with slightly weaker effects but higher stability."
"So that's why you went to China? To get a sample of the Mana Accelerator."
"Yes, that's right. There was some trouble with Park Do-hwan in the process, and I simply made the best choice for myself."
Kim Hwan-soo returned to his seat.
He pushed the name tag that had been on his side back toward Do-jae.
"Alright, then I have all the more reason not to accept this."
"What? I have things to do. I don't have time to waste in the Suppression Corps."
This time, Do-jae pushed the name tag further toward Kim Hwan-soo.
But Kim Hwan-soo pushed it right back in front of Do-jae.
"What do you think the Suppression Corps is? It's not a place you can just come and go as you please. You still have to complete your mandatory service period, don't you?"
"That's why I came to see you, Commander. For someone like you, firing one person should be a simple matter, wouldn't it?"
"That's a scary thing to say. Is that how you see me, Squad Leader Lee?"
"No, it's not like that..."
Do-jae was at a loss.
Being tied to the Suppression Corps would be a nuisance, but Kim Hwan-soo kept refusing.
Whether he knew Do-jae's feelings or not, Kim Hwan-soo began to explain the current situation of the Suppression Corps.
"Right now, the Suppression Corps is not in a good position, neither internally nor externally. It's been a long time since it was founded, so some stagnation is inevitable, and people like Park Do-hwan emerge. On top of that, the Association's interference is getting worse by the day. If that were all, it would be fine. Problems between humans can always be resolved one way or another. But the real issue is the one caused by monsters."
Kim Hwan-soo brought several sheets of paper from his desk and spread them on the table.
They were covered with diagrams, graphs, and maps.
"This is the number of dungeons over the past few months. And this is the number of dungeon breaks. See? It's increased dramatically, hasn't it?"
The graph Kim Hwan-soo showed was a steep upward curve.
It was clear the rate of increase had grown significantly compared to before.
"On the other hand, the number of Suppression Corps members keeps dropping. We're at a point where we have to leave minor dungeon breaks to the guilds."
The next graph he showed had a much gentler curve.
Although the graph was trending upward, it was nearly horizontal compared to its starting point.
"In a situation like this, do you think I'd let someone like you go? I even think of you as the future of the Suppression Corps."
"...Still, my mind is unchanged. I want to enter dungeons and hunt monsters beforehand, rather than dealing with the aftermath of a dungeon break."
Do-jae wanted to focus solely on hunting monsters.
Dungeons had somewhat established raid routes, and their size and monster types were known.
But when a dungeon break occurred, it was difficult to predict how wide an area the monsters would spread across or what kind would appear.
If he stayed in the Suppression Corps, he could end up wasting time hunting monsters like goblins or zombies when he should be hunting high-level monsters to gain experience.
"I do feel apologetic toward you, Commander. You taught me a bit about the sword and even brought me to headquarters. But I have no reason to remain in the Suppression Corps."
"Hmm..."
Kim Hwan-soo began to ponder.
Fearing Kim Hwan-soo would try to hold him back again, Do-jae left the name tag on the table and stood up.
"Well, I'll be on my way. Please take care of my discharge papers..."
"Wait. If I grant you everything you want, will you stay in the Suppression Corps?"
"What I want is to leave the Suppression Corps."
"No, not that. Do you want free time? If you want it, I'll give it to you. Do you want dungeons? If so, I'll provide those too. I just want you to stay in the Suppression Corps."
Do-jae stopped and looked at Kim Hwan-soo.
Free time and dungeons.
Both were tempting offers.
In truth, leaving the Suppression Corps and finding dungeons on his own wouldn't be easy.
Not only was it expensive, but dealing with brokers was also a huge hassle.
But the offer of free time and access to dungeons swayed him a little.
"Are you serious about that?"
"If there's anything else you want, tell me. I'll grant it all."
"Um... I need a teacher. Someone who can teach me what I want to know."
"The Suppression Corps has many skilled individuals in various fields. I'll grant that as well. If there's anything else, speak now."
"...There's nothing else. I just hope you keep your word, Commander."
"Is that so?"
Kim Hwan-soo handed Do-jae a piece of paper and a pen.
"Write down all the minor details there, and my aide will take care of everything. But since you're staying in the Suppression Corps, you'll have to do some work, won't you? Ah, don't worry, it won't interfere with your free time. In exchange for granting all your conditions, I think it's fair for me to set one of my own, don't you?"
Kim Hwan-soo rummaged through his desk drawer and pulled out a business card.
He handed it to Do-jae and said,
"Go here. I'll contact you when the time is right."
Do-jae accepted the business card, signifying his agreement to Kim Hwan-soo's condition.
And on it was written:
[Guardian]
[Guild Master: Jeong Hoon-hyeon]