The Commissioner's Desperate Plea
"Could it be that you are the one who conquered the Altar of the Apostle of Death, the Legendary-grade ruin that appeared recently?"
"..."
Just as he thought. Commissioner Yoo Jeongtae was asking about the Legendary-grade ruin. It was precisely what Jeon Jaewoo had anticipated before stepping foot into the Hunter Administration. Even without racking his brain, it was an obvious conclusion. If a South Korean citizen had suddenly claimed ownership of a Legendary-grade ruin, the Hunter Administration had every reason to verify it.
And from the Administration's perspective, it was honestly hard to swallow.
A newly awakened hunter, not an established veteran?
No matter how extraordinary a Transcendent-grade trait was, was such a feat even possible? To borrow an analogy from a wuxia novel, it was as if a rookie fresh out of the gates—blessed with the once-in-an-era physique of a Heavenly Martial Body—had strolled into the martial world and wiped out an illustrious noble clan like the Namgung or Zhuge Family single-handedly, even if he hadn't gone so far as to topple the Alliance Leader or the Heavenly Demon.
Yet whatever doubts they harbored, minor technicalities didn't matter. A hunter with a Transcendent-grade trait had surfaced out of nowhere right on the heels of a Legendary ruin's conquest. At this point, he was the most probable candidate by a mile. Commissioner Yoo Jeongtae was already practically convinced that the young man sitting across from him was the very conqueror of that ruin.
Man, this is intense.
Jaewoo did his best to dodge Yoo Jeongtae's burning gaze before cautiously parting his lips.
"Uh, a Legendary-grade ruin?"
"The Ruin System broadcasted an announcement, and it's become an international sensation. I have strong reason to believe that the hero at the center of that sensation is none other than you, Hunter Jeon Jaewoo."
"..."
To be honest, Jaewoo had initially intended to play dumb if anyone at the Administration brought it up. He figured that if he played his cards right, he might be able to gloss over it. But right now, the Commissioner was staring at him so intensely it felt like his eyes would bore holes through his skull.
Yeah, this isn't going to work. There's no way I can deny it under this look.
"Yes... I believe that was me."
In the end, Jaewoo gave in and nodded.
At that moment, Commissioner Yoo Jeongtae and the surrounding staff collectively gulped.
It really was him.
Now that the conqueror's identity had been verified, it was time to proceed.
Onto the next step.
Yoo Jeongtae signaled a subordinate standing behind him with a flick of his eyes. The staff member promptly placed a document onto the desk.
Jaewoo's eyes widened at the sight of the paper.
A contract?
His Hunter License hadn't even finished processing, yet they were already whipping this out?
"Hunter Jeon. As the Commissioner of the Hunter Administration representing all hunters of the Republic of Korea, allow me to speak candidly."
"Yes?"
"We desperately wish to work with you. Whatever treatment, whatever accommodations you desire—just say the word. If you happen to possess a criminal record, tell us immediately. Even if you're a serial killer, we can wipe your slate spotless."
"..."
Jaewoo momentarily doubted his own ears.
Is the head of a state agency even allowed to say something like that out loud?
Even the Administration staff standing behind him were glancing at their superior with flustered, bewildered expressions.
While he hadn't entirely ruled out an aggressive pitch, it was still startling. A quick glance across the contract revealed that the terms were of the absolute highest tier, naturally stacked in Jaewoo's favor in every conceivable way. While he couldn't deny that he was a rather... unique talent, he hadn't expected them to come on this strong on the very day he came to register.
Commissioner Yoo Jeongtae's eyes burned with fierce intensity—a look of sheer, relentless obsession driven by the determination to never let such an exceptional talent fall into outside hands.
Except I'm not a piece of property for anyone to take or lose in the first place.
Jaewoo slid the paper back toward the Commissioner and spoke.
"Ah, thank you very much for the offer, but I'll have to decline for now."
With that single phrase, Yoo Jeongtae's face visibly crumbled.
"Pardon? A-Ah, no, please don't be so hasty! If you could just give it a bit more thought..."
"It hasn't been long since I awakened, so my head is spinning. I really don't have the mental bandwidth to deliberate on this right now. As you mentioned, I'd rather head home for today, think it over properly, and contact you later."
He had assumed that saying this much would allow them to part ways amicably for another day. Instead, Yoo Jeongtae leaped to his feet and firmly clamped both hands around Jaewoo's.
"Hunter Jeon! Our Administration—no, the Republic of Korea desperately needs the power of an awakened hunter like you! Please, for the sake of the motherland, make a decision to save our country...!"
It wasn't as if they were in the middle of a war, so what on earth was he babbling about 'saving the country'?
Jaewoo smoothly slid his captured hands free and replied, "I know the terms are generous, and I'm truly sorry. But honestly, it feels a bit burdensome, so I'd rather not join the Administration."
"..."
Hearing those words, Yoo Jeongtae felt his vision swim. Fostering a good relationship was critical enough, yet the young man had flatly stated that he refused to join the Hunter Administration.
N-No, pull yourself together. Don't be shaken! You cannot give up!
Even setting aside the conquest of the Legendary ruin, this was the nation's very first hunter with a Transcendent-grade trait. Explaining why South Korea desperately needed him was an utter waste of breath. If only this man stood with them, the Republic of Korea could sweep every Legendary ruin that appeared month after month!
It's frustrating, but appealing to patriotism isn't going to cut it.
It wasn't that he hadn't anticipated resistance. The hunter might be playing hard to get to drive up his price, or perhaps it was simply because the younger generation was overwhelmingly individualistic, rendering such appeals ineffective.
In that case, I have to persuade him from a different angle.
He needed to dangle the most palpable bait of all: wealth, prestige, and power. For a young man in the prime of his youth, what bait could possibly be sweeter than the promise of riches, fame, and sovereign authority?
"If you will only join the Hunter Administration, I promise you compensation far beyond anything seen anywhere in the world. In fact, we can hand over several whole ruins of your choosing to you. I swear this on my position as Commissioner."
The employees standing behind him stared in disbelief. This was far more shocking than offering to cover up murder. Handing over state-owned ruins entirely to a private individual? That was tantamount to slicing off a permanent chunk of the national treasury and gifting it to one man!
Yet Jaewoo's reaction remained unfazed.
"I'm fine. I've already made more than enough money to live comfortably for the rest of my life."
"..."
After conquering just that one Common-tier ruin, he had more wealth than he could ever spend. While Jaewoo liked money, he wasn't obsessed with it. Conquering a ruin containing an entire golden palace had netted him a fortune rivaling that of a major conglomerate chairman; he felt no burning desire to amass redundant wealth he didn't even need.
"If you join us, you can become the paramount hunter and effectively place this entire nation under your sphere of influence!"
"I'm sorry, but I really have no desire to live under that kind of spotlight."
"..."
Now, the only card left to play was an appeal to raw emotion. Yoo Jeongtae clasped his hands together politely and bowed his head low.
"Hunter Jeon Jaewoo."
"Yes?"
"I beg of you. If necessary, I will get down on my knees."
"Wait, what are you saying all of a sudden...?"
"Right now, the Republic of Korea is in grave jeopardy! Our national strength has dwindled, and our record in conquering ruins has been abysmal."
"Uh... is that so?"
"It is! The entire nation of South Korea yearns for your presence...!"
With every word Yoo Jeongtae uttered, faint sniffling sounds escaped his lips. The staff wore stunned expressions at this unprecedented display from their superior. To think that the supreme authority of the domestic hunter world would be weeping and clinging to someone's pant leg!
The problem, however, was that his fake sniffling act was so laughably atrocious that it was glaringly obvious. Jaewoo and the staff were forced to endure the agonizing torture of holding back their laughter right in front of the Commissioner.
"I'm sorry. My decision stands."
"..."
Yoo Jeongtae's supposed trump card had fallen completely flat.
Even after that, Commissioner Yoo tried desperately to persuade Jaewoo using every line of reasoning in the book, but in the end, Jaewoo didn't take a single bite of the bait.
Anxiety and dread welled up in Yoo Jeongtae's chest once more. At this point, a horrifying new hypothesis—one he desperately wished to avoid—crept into his mind.
C-Could it be... is he planning to go overseas?
While joining the Administration was the ideal outcome, signing with a domestic Hunter Company wouldn't be the end of the world. Since domestic companies were still Korean enterprises, it would be relatively easy to seek Jaewoo's cooperation whenever the nation needed him.
However, if he signed a contract with a foreign power and left the country, everything changed. Given that he was stubbornly refusing such god-tier terms, there was no guarantee he didn't already have ties with another nation.
If a hunter who awakened a Transcendent-grade trait announces that he's emigrating...!
Yoo Jeongtae shuddered at the thought. If such a catastrophic disaster were to unfold, everything was truly finished—whether it was the future of the Republic of Korea, or Yoo Jeongtae's own neck.
Straining to mask the tremor in his voice, Yoo Jeongtae asked, "Um... please don't misunderstand, I don't mean anything strange by this, but... have you been contacted by China, Japan, or the United States by any chance?"
"No. I haven't told a soul that I awakened yet."
Still, the Commissioner cast an uneasy, skeptical glance, as if finding it difficult to believe. Yet even if he found it hard to swallow, what could a mere Hunter Administration Commissioner do about it?
Yoo Jeongtae decided to let go of his panic and regain his composure. Conquering a Legendary-grade ruin solo was more than enough to crown Jaewoo as the undisputed strongest among all hunters in South Korea. The Administration was well aware of that reality. Even among high-tier trait holders, hunters typically required time to grow and had to pool their strength to clear ruins. Looking across the entire globe, hunters possessing combat prowess overwhelming enough to conquer a Legendary-grade ruin alone could be counted on one hand.
Yet this man is different.
Did he really conquer a Legendary-grade ruin without a shred of outside assistance?
What was he supposed to do now? He couldn't simply let a Transcendent-grade awakened hunter walk away empty-handed. As the Commissioner's pupils trembled frantically in his cornered desperation—
"Ah, come to think of it, there's one thing I wanted to ask as well."
"Yes?"
"Do you also buy items here?"
"Yes. We do, but..."
Jaewoo abruptly pulled out a set of full plate armor from seemingly out of nowhere. It was an item obtained from clearing the Legendary-grade ruin—the armor once worn by the Skeleton Knight King.
The moment they saw the armor, the eyes of every employee in the room went wide. Yoo Jeongtae's gaze trembled even more violently than before.
"H-Hunter Jeon. Could this possibly be...?"
Even without summoning an appraiser, he could instinctively tell.
This aura easily ranks among the most potent magical energies I've ever felt from any magic tool!
Could this really be...?
"It's a reward I picked up after conquering the Legendary ruin. I don't really have any use for it, so I was thinking of selling it to the Hunter Administration."
In a flash, Yoo Jeongtae seized both of Jaewoo's hands once again.
"Thank you so very much for coming, Hunter Jeon Jaewoo! We will treat you to the absolute highest price!"
"..."