The Path of Success Starts with a Small Step
Following Cha Seo-rin's advice, we headed to the Awakened Management Bureau together with Elysia.
Since we had met all the guild establishment conditions, as she said, there was no way it wouldn't work.
“Is it possible? The requirement to have over a year of activity experience to become the guild master—that's the condition at the time of establishment.”
“Yes, but...”
“There are no conditions for transferring the guild master position, so please handle the transfer to Si-ho oppa right away.”
After the gates and monsters appeared,
Korea hurriedly created the Awakened Management Bureau to manage the Awakened and established corresponding rules.
However, given the chaotic situation, there were still many rough spots.
“First, I need to report to the upper management...”
Just as the guild establishment staff member was about to pick up the phone, a bulky man burst in.
“Let's follow what Miss Seo-rin said.”
“Hah, really?”
From his build and manner, it was clear he held a fairly high position at the bureau.
With just those words, the staff member began processing the guild establishment documents.
“Miss Seo-rin is already a guild member, so there shouldn't be any major issues.”
The man glanced subtly at Seo-rin, then his gaze shifted to me.
His eyes carried a mix of genuine curiosity and a touch of caution.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Si-ho. Department Head of Talent Management—Kwon Ho-yeon.”
Kwon Ho-yeon introduced himself right away with a professional business smile and offered his hand.
“Yes, nice to meet you. It seems you know me.”
“Of course. Before you awakened, you took down a goblin pack single-handedly with just one sword. You've already been under our radar.”
At that time, the fact that a non-awakened person had single-handedly cleared an F-class gate had quite an impact.
“Even if you call it talent... you're F-class, right? Well...”
“Class isn't fixed. Your potential can grow at any time, depending on your abilities, Mr. Si-ho.”
Ho-yeon gestured toward Seo-rin and continued.
“Miss Seo-rin here is also a perfect example of someone who raised her rank through relentless effort.”
Seo-rin puffed up with pride from the sudden praise.
“I never expected this. You've always insisted on operating alone without a guild, yet you and the two of you... what exactly is your relationship?”
To Ho-yeon's polite question, Seo-rin stepped closer to me and crossed her arms.
“He's my childhood friend! We hadn't contacted each other in a while, and since he's an Awakened, I want to team up with him.”
Seo-rin's eyes and words were directed at Ho-yeon, but
she seemed to notice Elysia observing the situation from behind.
Elysia maintained her composure, but her inner frustration was clear.
“I see. What a fateful connection... I look forward to your future contributions.”
Ho-yeon answered with a smile and crossed his arms, watching the atmosphere of the three of us.
“Great! Then let's establish the guild right away. But what name shall we choose?”
“What about 'Terda'?”
“Eeeh? That's way too lame.”
“...It was my name.”
“...Now that I think about it, it actually sounds pretty cool!”
As Ho-yeon continued our banter, after Seo-rin submitted the documents, he turned to me.
“It looks like the paperwork is finished. Mr. Si-ho, do you have any other schedule today?”
“No, nothing in particular.”
“Director Kim wants to meet you personally. If your schedule allows, how about dropping by right now?”
The bureau director wanted to see me?
I wonder what for.
“I'm fine with that.”
Either way, making connections couldn't hurt.
Finding the roots of the monsters appearing from gates was the top priority.
By building a good relationship with the bureau—the source of the most advanced information—I'd get an edge.
With that in mind, I followed Ho-yeon.
***
Top floor of the Awakened Management Bureau building.
Director's office.
After knocking and entering, a well-built middle-aged man welcomed me.
“Oh-ho! Nice to meet you. I'm the bureau director, Kim Chul-ho.”
He had a gentle and kind demeanor as he offered his hand.
The scars on his grip showed that he wasn't someone who led a comfortable life despite the peaceful aura he gave off.
“Nice to meet you. I'm Kang Si-ho.”
“Please sit. Let's chat over a cup of tea.”
The director pointed to the sofa and naturally offered me a seat.
Meeting the director.
For most other Awakened, this would be a tense situation.
But strangely, I felt no tension at all.
After all, I had met the king of a kingdom that ruled an entire continent in the other world several times.
Compared to that, the bureau director was just... a normal bureaucrat.
As if he sensed my relaxed vibe, he laughed boisterously and spoke up.
“Hahaha! You seem rather at ease. Like someone who has done this many times before.”
“Really?”
“Most rookie Awakened can't pull off this relaxed atmosphere. Your strong will is impressive.”
I took a sip of my teacup while playing along.
After some small talk, the director immediately brought up the main topic.
“By the way, I heard you have the ability to summon summons from another dimension. Is that correct?”
“Yes, that's right.”
“Not too long ago, I saw you exterminate thirty high-risk monsters descending from North Korea. That was quite impressive.”
The director's eyes sharpened.
He must have inferred my abilities from the incident where I had Elysia clear those monsters.
This was where the instincts and experience of a bureau director shone through.
“However, there's one question I have.”
“A question?”
“You're F-class, correct? That means your mana capacity is quite low...”
The director propped his chin on his hand and looked thoughtful.
“Contracting with such powerful summons would consume an enormous amount of mana. How was that possible?”
It was a question I had somewhat anticipated.
Of course, it made no sense to use F-class mana to command S-class summons.
In truth, I didn't fully understand the exact mechanism.
The status window simply summoned Elysia on its own.
But...
“Hmm.”
There was no need to tell the truth.
“It's business confidential, so I can't disclose it. Hahaha.”
It sounded plausible, like he was hiding something.
He cleverly evaded the question.
‘Somewhere... is the bluff working on the director?’
I decided to embellish my story to make him value my potential more.
This kind of light boasting to gain advantage had been used plenty in the other world.
So, a suitable strategy popped into my head right away.
‘Since I actually saw Elysia working as my summoned being, there's no room for doubt.’
The director's eyes widened slightly.
Then he chuckled loudly, thumping the desk with his rough hand.
“Hahahaha! Business confidential.”
He had fallen for it.
Not a bad reaction at all.
It seemed he had bought it.
“Yeah, that's right. Everyone has their own tricks, right? I almost caused you trouble there.”
The director's gaze subtly changed.
While curiosity still dominated, a strange mix of caution and anticipation now filled his eyes.
“But one thing is certain.”
The director leaned forward and spoke.
“It's clear that despite being F-class, you possess a rather special ability.”
“Well, my summons are strong.”
While feigning humility, my expression and tone remained confident.
This line was important.
Too boastful and it showed rookie signs. Too humble and I'd be underestimated.
“For an Awakened using the summon skill, the strength of the summons is essentially your own strength, right? Hahaha.”
The director's satisfied laugh faded, and his expression turned serious.
“Actually, the real topic of today's meeting is that I have a proposal for you.”
“A proposal?”
“A gate has appeared somewhere deep in the West Sea.”
A gate could open in the ocean?
“Our radar has picked up monsters approaching Songdo from the deep sea.”
The director spread documents across his desk.
Red dots marked a maritime map.
“They should reach land in about three days at most.”
There were quite a few dots.
Multiple gates must have opened simultaneously.
“That's why we've been approaching major Korean guilds and high-level individual Awakened to position our Awakened in advance before the monsters reach land.”
The director stared straight at me.
“I'd like to invite you to participate in this operation.”
“Me?”
“We already know Elysia's skills. As an S-class Awakened, she'd perform excellently in this mission. And with Cha Seo-rin joining your guild, this would be the perfect opportunity for your guild to build its first record.”
It was a decent proposal.
If I showed proper performance here, the director's respect would grow for sure.
That would allow me to secure high-level information in the future.
“Of course, it's not mandatory. But if you participate, you'll receive a substantial signing bonus and performance pay based on monster kills.”
The reward wasn't bad.
Plus, participating in such a large-scale operation would build a network with other guilds.
That would help me understand the world situation after ten years back on Earth.
I answered without hesitation.
“I'd love to. I'll participate.”
“Oh-ho, decisive and good! Excellent.”
The director smiled in satisfaction.
While doing so, he handed over the necessary materials.
“Then, there will be a detailed briefing on the operation tomorrow morning. Location: Incheon branch of the Awakened Management Bureau.”
“Understood. I'll see you tomorrow.”
After a satisfying meeting with the director, I left the office.
I had seemingly snagged a big deal for my first mission.
The path of success starts with a small step.
This operation would become the foundation for our guild's growth.
Thinking that, I joined back up with the waiting Seo-rin and Elysia.