Chapter 30
Chapter 30
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Indirect Recruitment
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Ye Hyeong-seok let out successive sighs, his face full of anxiety as he rapidly tapped his phone with his index finger.
Across from him, Im Sa-yeol sat on the wide sofa and lifted his glasses.
"Your fidgeting is distracting. Can't you do something about that finger?"
"What can I do when I can't calm down? I just can't calm down."
Ye Hyeong-seok's expression was filled with impatience as he licked his lips with the tip of his tongue.
How desperate must he be for a man over forty, the head of Korea's largest guild, to shake his leg in unease? Im Sa-yeol, who could well imagine his feelings, clicked his tongue.
"Tch. If you're that urgent, why not go see him yourself?"
"Should I?"
It was the moment Ye Hyeong-seok shot to his feet.
A deep sigh escaped Im Sa-yeol as a chill emanated from his hand, freezing Ye Hyeong-seok's ankle solid.
It was astonishingly fast and a precise application of energy.
But Ye Hyeong-seok wasn't surprised.
This was Im Sa-yeol, after all.
Among Korea's countless Awakeners, he was one of the top experts even Ye Hyeong-seok acknowledged. It would be disappointing if he couldn't pull off something like this.
Still, he couldn't help but get angry.
"Hey, you joking? You just told me to go see him myself."
"That doesn't mean you should dash out right this second."
Im Sa-yeol sighed as he spoke.
He had decided to follow Ye Hyeong-seok because he admired that very decisiveness.
But this impatience was definitely a problem.
"We've already reached out multiple times. No reply means he has no intention of coming to Baekdu Mountain in the first place."
Im Sa-yeol calmly laid out his thoughts.
"So, we just sit back and watch him go to another guild? Let No Name slip away? Are you insane? How long are we going to let Baek Mu-hak jerk that bastard around? And you think Imugi and Cheonhye will just sit still? Those guys are as hot-headed as me."
No Name, Baek Mu-hak, then Imugi and Cheonhye—the names pouring out furrowed Im Sa-yeol's brow even deeper.
"First off, No Name is definitely Yang Su-hyeok."
"Obviously. Who else could it be but that guy you were obsessing over? Everyone who needs to know already does—besides you and me."
At least those from guilds who handled the previous batch of trainees would have figured out No Name's identity. The reason rumors hadn't spread yet was because no one wanted it getting out further. Not until they'd made first contact, signed a contract, and stamped it.
Baekdu Mountain felt the same; no other guild would be different.
"Even if it's not him, it doesn't matter. The potential Yang Su-hyeok showed is no less than No Name's."
"Don't drag this out. You know how impatient I am."
"Calm down and listen. I've told you and that vice president guy a hundred times to fix your hot tempers."
Ye Hyeong-seok, who had been about to snap back irritably, crossed his arms and nodded instead.
"Fine, let's hear it. You have a plan, right?"
As he'd said, Im Sa-yeol was the strategist.
Listening to him before acting had never led to a bad outcome so far.
And it would stay that way.
Faith shone firmly in Ye Hyeong-seok's eyes.
"No need to worry about your impatience. Yang Su-hyeok never paid much attention to personal connections even during training. Ignoring guild messages and calls is part of the same pattern. Even after 100 days—or a year—in this state, no one else will contract with him before us."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Action must be swift, but not direct. Such crude methods are for amateurs.] Im Sa-yeol lifted his glasses with his index finger, his eyes gleaming.
"Shar Cal Eluriate."
The unexpected name made Ye Hyeong-seok's body tremble slightly.
"Why her?"
"She was the instructor in charge of Yang Su-hyeok's training. She denies it, but I think they shared a fair bit of rapport."
Ye Hyeong-seok gave a wry smile and shook his head at Im Sa-yeol's words.
"No confidence in persuading her. She's not even human to begin with."
"I'm not saying persuade Shar, either. Just that Yang Su-hyeok wasn't the only trainee she handled."
Now the conversation was opening up.
Ye Hyeong-seok's eyes sparkled.
"Oh ho, she must've gotten close to the other trainees too?"
"Call logs. Not sure about the depth, but they seem to exchange messages."
Im Sa-yeol pulled a few sheets of paper from his pocket and set them on the table in front of the sofa.
Thud.
With that crisp sound, the ice block around Ye Hyeong-seok's ankle shattered like it had been sliced by a sharp blade and fell away.
At the same time, the papers on the table floated into the air and positioned themselves right in front of Ye Hyeong-seok's eyes.
Flip flip flip—!
The stack of papers flipped rapidly as if pushed by an invisible force.
Scanning them with his eyes, Ye Hyeong-seok uttered one name.
"Baek Yi-yeon."
A name he knew.
A rookie from the last batch that Baekdu Mountain was also considering for an offer.
Most calls to Su-hyeok went unanswered, but there was a call record with her.
Distinct from the other numbers that were just missed calls without proper logs.
"Excluding family, she's the only one. Worth reaching out to, no?"
"Reach out how?"
Ye Hyeong-seok asked Im Sa-yeol.
"Get her to sign with Baekdu Mountain Guild. She has plenty of potential. Even if it falls through, it's not a total loss."
"That opens the door to talk with No Name."
"Exactly."
Im Sa-yeol smiled.
"Heh."
Ye Hyeong-seok let out a small chuckle and sauntered back to the sofa with a relaxed gait.
His eyes on Im Sa-yeol brimmed with delight.
"You illegal, vicious bastard."
"Not a fan?"
"As if. Implement it immediately."
The boss gave the OK.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ 2.
As the hands reaching for him drew ever closer, Su-hyeok threw himself even more fervently into the hunt.
'One Thought Pierces Rock.'
With the ultimate technique of Iron Palm Strike, a massive mantis-like monster with a gaping hole torn through its body's core collapsed to the ground without even a scream.
Splat!
⚔ SKILL MASTERY ⚔ [A-rank Skill: Iron Palm Strike mastered.] A pleasant alert followed right after.
'Not pinnacle?'
No matter, Su-hyeok nodded, thinking the same thing.
One month.
In that short time, Su-hyeok's realm had leaped to another stage.
He had become a true peak martial artist whose control over qi was far more fluid.
At the peak of martial arts, one could temporarily manifest qi in a hazy tangible form. Until recently, this had been impossible without borrowing the power of his demon sword.
Of course, intangible and tangible qi differed vastly in quality. Even hazy, taking form meant concentrated power—master it well, and one could shatter a tiger's foreclaw barehanded.
Surpassing tigers with raw strength alone, without techniques—this realm marked the entry into superhuman territory.
But Su-hyeok was still thirsty.
The path ahead stretched far longer than the one behind.
Still, he'd just achieved a fine result.
As the alert indicated, he'd mastered Iron Palm Strike to pinnacle.
Meaning he could move on to the next martial art.
And he already had one in mind.
Though quite advanced, so mastering it perfectly would require one more breakthrough.
'If I prepare now, three months should suffice...'
With that thought in mind, Su-hyeok approached the fallen Mantechis corpse with indifferent eyes and began the disassembly.
To be precise, he swiftly severed both front legs and strapped them to his back.
Splitting open the head's core with his dagger revealed a blue magic stone.
"Lucky. Good fortune today."
Most of a Mantechis corpse was useless.
But those razor-sharp front legs were prized by artisans. A pair fetched ten million won, equivalent to a Rank-2 magic stone.
And now he'd gotten the stone too.
Clearing this portal had netted him over fifty million won.
"Nice, nice."
Humming a tune, Su-hyeok finished extracting the stone and turned his gaze to a pure white stone hidden behind the massive Mantechis bulk.
Surprisingly, the stone floated mid-air, emitting faint vibrations. For some reason, it looked pitiable.
"So that's this world's Cosmo Energy."
Even after defeating the dimension's boss monster, Mantechis, the world hadn't collapsed.
Instead, a pure white stone embodying the world's energy had appeared.
This near-origin of the world no longer hid itself, radiating pure malice toward Su-hyeok. Malice thick with resentment.
In short, this world hated Su-hyeok.
If it had power left to shape itself, it would've manifested as a horrific evil spirit.
Regrettable, but unavoidable.
Su-hyeok didn't ignore the emotion.
Without him, the portal's monsters would've burst into Earth, killing people.
Encounters between irreconcilable existences could only end in tragedy for one side.
All born from the terrifying link between dimensions.
Su-hyeok accepted those thoughts and feelings fully, yet indifferently hurled a single dagger.
"Well then, farewell."
His final goodbye to this world's Cosmo Energy, the pure white stone.
The stone, struck by the qi-infused dagger, began cracking in its pitiful trembling state.
Crack!
The sound heralded the world's collapse.
Su-hyeok leaped to the ATV hidden in the underbrush and revved it up.
Loaded with monster corpses and magic stones—valuable cargo—the ATV roared to life.
The thick scent of burning oil filled his nostrils.
Then the ATV surged forward, fleeing the crumbling world.
Vroooom!
The harsh engine roar brought wind that felt like it would tear his skin.
Su-hyeok wrenched the accelerator, gunning toward the distant portal exit.
Sudden dips in the terrain appeared, but the ATV ignored them. It absorbed the shocks, righted itself, and accelerated with even fiercer growls.
Crossing the shattering, twisting, collapsing portal world, it reached the exit over 4km away in just over a minute.
The instant he spotted the portal, Su-hyeok groped the ATV's side. The familiar hard plastic texture—a mask blending gold and red like an iron robot. He swiftly donned it, and the ATV shot out like a bullet.
Boom! Screeech!