Chapter 95
Chapter 95
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Visitor
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"Ah, excuse me!"
A man pushed his way through the crowd.
The man's name was Lee Jeong-soo.
He was a reporter for the Hunter division of the Hankyung Daily.
*'Those bastards, leaving without a word?'*
Lee Jeong-soo was irritated for several reasons.
Because his fellow reporters had all arrived here before him, leaving him behind.
Not only that, but his stomach was also acting up.
*'Of all the times to get enteritis...'*
News about Awakened beings, including Hunters, was a topic of national interest.
And the Hunter Association was the source and destination of all such news.
That's why Lee Jeong-soo, a veteran reporter, showed up at the Hunter Association every day, searching for a worthwhile story.
But today, a dual dungeon phenomenon had been observed, and a large number of the Association's A-rank Hunters had been dispatched.
Reporters from other news outlets, excluding Lee Jeong-soo, had quickly followed the Hunters out of the Association to write their articles.
So where was Lee Jeong-soo and what was he doing?
He had been sitting on the toilet, oblivious to what was happening.
While he was on his fifth trip to the bathroom that morning, emptying his bowels, all his colleagues had left. Only after emerging late did Lee Jeong-soo manage to piece together the situation and finally arrive at the dungeon.
*'I hope I'm not too late...'*
The area in front of the dungeon was already a sea of people.
People from the Hunter Association, newspaper reporters, broadcast journalists, Hunters from other guilds, and more.
They were all gathering in front of the dungeon one after another.
Knowing he could miss a scoop photo by a minute or two, Lee Jeong-soo pushed deeper into the crowd at a faster pace.
"Please, let me through! Excuse me!"
Lee Jeong-soo squeezed through the gaps in the crowd and finally managed to reach his colleagues.
The other reporters were already flashing their cameras nonstop, and a few broadcast stations had all their filming equipment set up.
"Hey, you bastard. You could have at least sent a text."
Lee Jeong-soo said, nudging his colleague in the side.
"Sorry, man. A dual dungeon isn't just any incident. I was on the phone with the chief. You got here pretty fast, though."
"You bastard. You're no friend of mine."
"Hey, hey, quiet down. Someone's coming out!"
At his colleague's shout, the surroundings fell silent for a moment, leaving only the sound of flashing cameras and whirring recorders.
*Thump— Thump—.*
The first to emerge were Park Kyung-min and an Association Hunter supporting him.
*Click— Click—!*
"What kind of monsters appeared!"
"What's the situation inside! How many survivors are there!"
"It's a survivor! Get a good shot!"
The reporters shouted at the Association Hunter one after another. In the meantime, more people emerged from the dungeon.
The second group was the Association's rescue team, carrying Gong So-eun and Ha Tae-sung on stretchers.
Afterward, the last Association Hunter to come out stood before the reporters and began to speak.
"The dual dungeon boss has been cleared."
The reporters were stunned by the Association Hunter's words.
It had been 30 to 40 minutes at most since the dual dungeon was observed.
And it hadn't even been ten minutes since the Hunters dispatched from the Association and guilds had entered the dungeon.
So, to hear that it was already cleared was nothing short of astonishing.
*'Which means... the raid party that was already inside this dungeon hunted the boss...'*
Lee Jeong-soo's fingers began to move quickly.
He had to find out which guild had attempted this dungeon raid and which Hunters had entered.
His fellow reporters had also caught on and were busy making calls or sending texts.
"Who are the Hunters that cleared the dungeon!"
And just as expected, a reporter raised his hand and asked.
The Association Hunter paused for a moment, then answered cautiously.
"We haven't confirmed that yet. I was on my way in when I learned the boss had been cleared, so I came back out to report. Our Association Hunters have gone to the boss room to assess the situation and count the survivors and casualties, so please wait a little longer."
Lee Jeong-soo started drafting his article while waiting for someone else to emerge from the dungeon.
*Bzzz—.*
Just then, a message arrived from a Hunter at the Association whom he was close with and had asked for a favor.
[Guild is Guardian. The list of Hunters who entered is Shim Young-jin (C), Song Ji-yoon (D), Park Kyung-min (E), Gong So-eun (E), Ha Tae-sung (E). No mages. Sent photos too. We good?]
[OK, thanks]
Lee Jeong-soo fiddled with his smartphone.
Looking at the members on the list, there seemed to be no way they could have cleared a dual dungeon. Lee Jeong-soo wondered if his assumption was wrong.
*'Could one of them have reawakened? The birth of a new S-rank? Or was there another Hunter who entered the dungeon? No, I already know the whereabouts of all the S-rank Hunters.'*
Just as he was racking his brain, trying to figure out how they could have possibly cleared a dual dungeon.
People started walking out of the dungeon.
"It's the Jangsang Guild!"
"And the EK Guild is behind them!"
"The Association Hunters are coming out! Looks like almost everyone is out now, right?"
The reporters' shouts erupted from all sides, and Lee Jeong-soo waited in anticipation to see who would come out last.
*'Hunters Park Kyung-min, Gong So-eun, and Ha Tae-sung are already out, so that leaves two. Hunter Shim Young-jin and Hunter Song Ji-yoon...'*
He pulled up their photos and waited, swallowing hard.
And the first person to catch his eye was Young-jin.
*Click— Click—!*
Following behind him was Ji-yoon.
*Click— Click—!*
*'There were no S-ranks. So, did one of those two reawaken?'*
Just as Lee Jeong-soo was etching Young-jin's and Ji-yoon's faces into his mind and thinking of a headline.
A new man, not on the list or in the photos he'd been sent.
Do-jae stepped out of the dungeon.
***
- The Emergence of a New Reawakened! Will He Become an S-Rank!
- [Breaking News] Dual Dungeon Cleared. 2 Seriously Injured, 3 Lightly Injured. 0 Fatalities.
- Guardian Guild Master Jeong Hoon-hyeon states, "He is our guild's treasure."
- F-Rank Lee Do-jae → C-Rank Lee Do-jae, What's Next?
......
Starting that evening, articles related to Do-jae flooded the news.
News of the successful dual dungeon clear became an instant sensation, with news channels broadcasting footage of it relentlessly.
Do-jae, who had become an overnight star, was swarmed by reporters and self-proclaimed fans, making it impossible for him to even go to the guild.
In a difficult position, Do-jae first called Kim Hwan-soo, worried that this might cause some problems.
- It's fine. Guardian isn't an illegal guild, and there's no connection to the Suppression Corps yet. You, Shim Young-jin, and Song Ji-yoon were all properly discharged, so there's nothing to take issue with. In fact...
Kim Hwan-soo was actually pleased.
He welcomed the situation, saying that Do-jae's presence could make the Guardian Guild grow significantly, which would ultimately benefit him.
He also reassured Do-jae, telling him to be patient as the hype would die down soon enough.
In the end, just as Kim Hwan-soo had said, the fervor subsided after about a week, and Do-jae was able to come to the guild.
However, there was another variable.
"Mr. Lee Do-jae! Could we speak with you for a moment?"
"We're from the Glory Guild. Could you spare us a moment?"
"We're the Westlake Guild! Just a moment..."
"I'm sorry."
Do-jae massaged his temples as he climbed the stairs to the guild office.
Once the reporters left, it was the other guilds' turn to cause a commotion.
It wasn't enough that they loitered in front of the building from early morning waiting for Do-jae; they would also sit around and try to talk to him whenever he had to go out, like at lunchtime.
*Creeak—.*
"You're here? Must be a pain, huh?"
As he entered the office, the guild members greeted him.
They welcomed him with awkward smiles.
"Sigh... Nothing's even been confirmed yet, so why are they making such a fuss?"
"The fact that you cleared a dual dungeon by yourself is just that impactful."
"So why did you go around blabbing about it?"
*Thwack—!*
Do-jae rapped Young-jin on the top of his head.
After the dual dungeon was cleared, Young-jin had gone around talking about Do-jae, which was why Do-jae had emerged as the hero of the raid.
"Ouch. What's the big deal? It's the truth that'll come out once you get re-evaluated anyway."
"I have no intention of getting evaluated. I'm already in a guild, so what's the point?"
Why did people get their Awakening rank evaluated?
Wasn't it to get into a good guild?
Since he had already decided to stay with the Guardian Guild, a re-evaluation was meaningless.
"Why don't you get properly measured and announce it to the press? Tell them you have no intention of joining another guild. Those people will keep coming, trying to recruit you."
Ji-yoon said, looking down at the people gathered below through the window.
They had gathered with the sole purpose of scouting and recruiting Do-jae.
If Guardian had been a large-scale guild, they wouldn't have dared to do such a thing, but unfortunately, Guardian was too small.
"Let's just wait a little longer. They'll all be gone in a few days."
Do-jae, drained by the unfamiliar attention, slumped into his chair.
*Creeak—!*
Just then, the door flew open violently, and Jeong Hoon-hyeon rushed in.
Then, with a gentle smile and a demure gesture, he ushered someone inside.
"Huh? Uncle?"
The first to react was Young-jin.
And the next person to be surprised was Do-jae.
Because the man who entered was none other than Song Deok-hoon, the Vice Guild Master of the great Manseong Guild.
"Uncle, what are you doing here? Don't tell me you're here to scout him too?"
Young-jin ran up to Song Deok-hoon and blocked his way.
In response, Song Deok-hoon rapped Young-jin on the head.
"Agh! Right where I was hit before..."
"You, go stand over there."
"Vice Guild Master Song Deok-hoon, this way. Vice Guild Master Lee Do-jae, you come into the room too."
Jeong Hoon-hyeon escorted Song Deok-hoon into his office. Do-jae couldn't refuse and followed them into the room.
Unlike the recruiters waiting for him outside, this was a visit from a Vice Guild Master himself.
"Would you like some coffee?"
"No, that's quite all right."
"Haha, then I'll be on my way. Please, speak comfortably."
"Thank you for your consideration."
As Jeong Hoon-hyeon quickly exited the room with a sycophantic laugh and gesture, Song Deok-hoon sat down on the sofa.
"For a room that looks like this, it's quite well-organized."
Song Deok-hoon said, looking around.
He had a very satisfied expression.
"It wasn't always like this. Your nephew cleaned it up nicely."
"Is that so? Young-jin may act like a child, but he inherited his mother's artistic sense."
"What brings you here? Are you also here to recruit me, Vice Guild Master?"
Do-jae asked as he also sat on the sofa.
"I like your directness. Well, I wouldn't stop you if you offered, but that's not why I came."
Do-jae was puzzled by Song Deok-hoon's words.
The first time they met, he had tried to scout him, but now he was saying that wasn't the case.
Then why had he come here?
"I wanted to see you again. I thought you'd contact me right away. To be honest, Manseong was more than you deserved back then, but I saw something in you. And you proved me right."
"Well, it's not that I didn't consider it. I thought about contacting you, Vice Guild Master, but something else came up."
"Is that so? Perhaps things would have been different if I had been more persuasive back then."
"Yes, perhaps they would have."
Song Deok-hoon leaned forward and began to observe Do-jae more closely.
Do-jae felt a bit pressured, but since there was no malice in his gaze, he held it.
"You've changed a lot. Back then, you seemed like you were being chased by something. But your confidence seems the same as ever."
"Is that so? I don't think I'm that confident."
"That's how I see it. Anyway, shall I get to the point?"
"What is it?"
Song Deok-hoon clasped his hands together.
And with a slightly more serious expression, he spoke to Do-jae.
"I have a favor to ask of you."