Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Market Feast and Association Friction
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“Crazy.”
“Ah, I’m even hungrier now!”
I was pretty surprised too, since it had been ages since I last visited Gwangjang Market.
I’d always thought of it as just a spot packed with tourists.
But unexpectedly, Koreans made up way more of the crowd.
“There’s so much food.”
Delicious aromas and sizzling sounds filled the air from every direction.
And the three hellhounds, hyped up by all the grub, soon started growling and snapping at each other.
“I want tteokbokki!”
“Idiot, we need real food. Like yukhoe bibimbap!”
The twins kicked it off.
“Lee Yu-eul, you’re the idiot. Rice digests faster, you know that?”
“Oh, right. But we eat tteokbokki all the time anyway!”
Jang Su-ho, who’d been swallowing nonstop, groaned like he was in pain.
“That bindaetteok smell is killer...”
“Haa.”
A sigh slipped out on its own.
What was I gonna do with these kids?
I hadn’t said a word, but they’d all naturally assumed they could only pick one thing.
Old habits from hard times, I guess.
The pent-up rage from my days scraping by on pennies came flooding back.
I whipped out my wallet and said,
“Hey, eat whatever you want.”
The next day.
We arrived at the Awakener Association, right in front of Seoul City Hall.
The very place where I’d done my first awakening registration.
Our group today totaled five.
Han Ji-seong had been under the weather since morning, coughing his guts out, so we’d left him at the guild. Everyone else mobilized.
“Let’s do proper training at the association today.”
No more sprinting along Cheonggyecheon like yesterday.
Not that I hated the bike ride or anything.
Real training facilities would be ready soon enough, but I wanted to borrow the association’s gear ahead of time. Help the guild members gauge their current states and get a feel for future plans.
“Let’s head in.”
We followed Kang Han through the association’s main gate.
We even passed through those turnstile-like entry gates I’d only gawked at from outside last time.
Beep!
Once the dedicated hunter zones came into view, I couldn’t hold back an awed gasp.
“Whoa, this is insane.”
I’d always wondered where all those mandatory association taxes from dungeon raids and item trades went.
Turns out it was all pooled right here.
Item info windows flooded my vision, making my head spin.
‘System, turn off item info for a bit.’
The place was so massive that the map showed five training grounds in total.
After double-checking the signs a few times, we finally reached the First Hunter Training Ground.
“These facilities are ridiculously top-tier.”
It was like a showcase of perfection, built strictly for awakeners—especially high-rank hunters.
Barbells specially crafted from dungeon materials that could handle tons, high-speed treadmills tough enough for a cheetah, even a hologram agility course.
“They’ve been hogging all this.”
While our crew was jogging streams and mountains.
A twinge of annoyance hit me, but the three hellhounds were just thrilled.
“Whoa, starts at 150kg base. Now we’re talking workouts!”
That was Jang Su-ho.
“Agility test looks fun.”
Lee Yu-eul.
“Targets go out to 500m. Worth a shot.”
Lee Yu-chan.
“I’m hitting that calf massager over there.”
Me.
Kang Han scoped out the machines briefly before heading to a leg press.
He sat, pumped a few reps, then dropped the pin to the very bottom.
Max weight the machine could handle.
“Hellhound and their boss, huh.”
Fitting, for Kang Han.
Instead of shock like yesterday, I nodded in understanding and fired up the vibration belt machine.
“Gah! My legs!”
Were combat types’ calves made of steel?!
I barely avoided erasing mine altogether.
Dialed it down to minimum intensity before it was tolerable.
“Ahh, feels good.”
I could feel yesterday’s bike-stiffened calf muscles loosening up.
I basically rented out the massager and watched the guild train.
Felt like a parent at a kids’ cafe, overseeing playtime.
But even indoor playgrounds for kids have their bullies.
“Hey, C-grade, scram. B-grades are waiting to train.”
A sleazy-looking guy picked a fight with Lee Yu-eul, who was deep into racking up agility scores.
She’d been seconds from her personal best when interrupted, so irritation flashed as she turned.
“Oh, you’re B-grade?”
“Can’t you tell?”
“Nope. It’s not stamped on your pork arms or anything. How should I know?”
Ah, she’d grown up well. Proud of you, Lee Yu-eul.
“Besides, there’s an identical machine over there. Go use it.”
“I like this one. See that top score? Mine.”
“Oh, that?”
She glanced at the leaderboard, like a punching machine’s rankings.
“I’d smash that easy.”
“What? For real?”
“Got it, mister. Use this. I’ll head over there.”
They’d come at her, but somehow they ended up soul-crushed.
Similar run-ins happened a few more times after that.
I was about to kill the massager power and step in—too pissed to just watch—when a guy in a black suit entered the training hall.
Ignoring the hunters’ puzzled stares, he beelined straight for Kang Han, mid-workout.
“Guild Master Kang Han, the president requests you.”
“...Hoo.”
Kang Han stopped without a word.
Going again just because he’s called?
I could guess why, though, so I didn’t try to stop him.
Just approached and asked,
“Want me to come along?”
There’s a reason they call it the Refund Expedition Team.
Having someone by your side in awkward spots makes all the difference.
But Kang Han just looked down at me for a moment.
He shook his head, even as his affinity ticked up.
“Take care of the rest of the guild.”
Fair enough. Someone had to keep an eye on the hellhounds.
I stepped back without argument.
“I’ll make sure they behave. Go worry-free.”
Watching Kang Han and the staffer walk off, it hit me.
“Oh crap, maybe I shouldn’t have promised no trouble.”
Shouldn’t jinx it with guarantees I can’t back up.
The hefty door to the Korean Awakener Association president’s office thudded shut behind him, like a show of power.
Kang Han’s thick brows furrowed faintly at the overly opulent interior.
The president wasn’t alone.
“What’s this?”
“Seemed like you forgot to register your new status window after that skill reawakening.”
The president flashed a fake smile, stroking the backrest of the status scan chair.
“I’m aware reawakening scans aren’t mandatory.”
“Oh, I know full well. But you awakened better skills—shouldn’t we make it official? Show off that we’ve got such an amazing S-rank in Korea, right?”
The Jo Gye-young that Kang Han knew had zero interest in national pride.
He moved solely for personal gain.
“Sama Guild?”
Jo Gye-young’s grin deepened at the blunt question.
“Knew and asked anyway? Would’ve been smoother if you’d just joined Sama quietly. No messy drama.”
Sama Guild’s obsession with Justice stretched back decades.
Ever since Sama Young’s grandfather was ousted from the guild by Kang Han’s grandfather, they’d craved Justice’s submission.
Current leader Sama Young especially aimed to dismantle Justice and seize the next group chairman seat. Kang Han knew the scheme inside out.
But Nayeo-ju’s arrival derailed it at the finish line, so they resorted to this petty harassment.
Kang Han fixed his deep green eyes on the relocated scanning chair and the staffer beside it.
Misreading the stare—or enjoying it—the president stepped closer with glee.
“So, which is it? Endure the humiliation of a forced rescan, or join Sama now before it’s too late?”
Re-scans were exceedingly rare, outside initial awakenings.
Your second status—changed from the mandatory first one shared with the association—could be your secret ace.
“If outright joining Sama rubs you wrong, Justice could become a Sama Group subsidiary. Looks better on paper, doesn’t it?”
It sounded reasonable at a glance, but Justice—once the pillar of Korean hunters—would still end up Sama’s.
“Didn’t want to go this far, but... you snagged a dungeon auction lately?”
With Kang Han stone silent, President Jo Gye-young tsked.
“Planning to keep that up? One word from me, and Justice won’t win a single auction. You know that, right?”
The president had no official power for that.
But Jo Gye-young was exactly the type to pull it anyway.
Finally, Kang Han’s sealed lips parted.
“Fine.”
“Smart choi—.”
“I’ll do the rescan.”
He shrugged off his gym jacket and strode to the chair.
His combat boots thudded across the office floor.
He sat and told the staffer,
“Let’s begin.”
“Y-yes. Initiating scan.”
The flustered president said nothing, but the staffer caved to the S-rank pressure and activated the machine.
Moments later, the linked printer spat out two copies of Kang Han’s new status window.
He scanned the handed-over printout with impassive eyes, then asked the staffer,
“Registered to the government system too?”
All awakeners’ statuses were stored in association and government databases.
The association’s fell under the president’s control, but not the government’s.
“Yes, auto-registers instantly upon scan.”
Kang Han nodded once, then turned to the president.
“I cooperated with a non-mandatory rescan. Association upholds its duties.”
“Duties? What?”
“For C-grade+ hunters who rescan, the association must publicize the new status to the media. Correct?”
“W-well, technically... but that’s no win for you either?”
“On the contrary.”
Kang Han slipped his jacket back on.
“Everyone will know. Justice Guild is rising again, and my reawakening is the opening shot.”
The president instinctively knew “everyone” meant Sama Young and Sama Group.
“If the association won’t, Justice will release it publicly.”
With that, Kang Han opened the office door himself and left.
And in that moment, Nayeo-ju’s smiling face crossed his mind.
“These motherf***ers.”
Trouble had finally blown up.
I glared at the four blocking my path, grinding my teeth.
Then shoved my face right up to the big guy—smaller than Jang Su-ho but still burly.
“Pissed? Then throw down.”
But apparently not keen on the rep of punching a non-combatant, he just huffed.
No balls to actually swing, the prick.
I could’ve de-escalated without clashing, but I was too fed up to stand by anymore.
I leaned in even closer and fired my parting shot.
“Scaredy-cat?”
If you’re chicken, just drop dead.