Chapter 35: The Way a Veteran Grows (2)

Chapter 35: The Way a Veteran Grows (2)

Tingling sensations.

As if pricked by needles, the two people took several steps back due to the murderous intent.

"This is really something... I put quite the effort into preparing this stage, and now it's completely ruined."

The man who had taken on the appearance of Han Sang-jin let out a bitter laugh.

His voice was tinged with disillusionment.

"Seriously. Where did you catch on?"

The irritation was evident in the voice of the female employee as well.

They had spread a 'Dimensional Distortion' barrier throughout the entire Awakener Association building and used 'Personnel Duplication' magic to even replicate appearances.

Furthermore, they had analyzed each individual's stats and unique abilities to reconfigure the entire system.

This was to ensure that even those who possessed 'Insight,' 'Mind Reading,' or even 'Eyes,' would not pose an issue.

However, for some inexplicable reason, their supposedly perfect plan had been exposed.

And so very anticlimactically.

They hadn't anticipated that Jinhyuk would use 'Soul Branding' to silence the person in charge. Perhaps they had assumed that at the very least, even if his identity was concealed, he would have made a secret deal with the association president.

There was no reason for him to insist on a lower rank by forfeiting an advantageous position through such backdoor dealings.

Moreover, what they hadn't considered was that Jinhyuk's 'Eyes' were an outlier to their standards.

The barrier they had created failed to replicate the system's 'Copy Conditions,' which allowed Jinhyuk to sense an odd sense of discord from the start.

[The 3-star 'Dimensional Distortion' barrier is weakening.]

[Remaining time: 0h : 2m : 59s]

The barrier, damaged by a dagger, began to waver.

It was due to the destruction of its core part.

'A 3-star Dimensional Distortion barrier...'

It was something worthy of being deployed by a boss monster in a lower-level dungeon.

It was indeed regrettable.

The coins and mana spent on creating such a stage would easily exceed the monthly budget of a mid-sized guild.

Jinhyuk cocked his head towards the two of them.

"It looks like this little show of extravagance is over. Now tell me, why did you approach me?"

"Hmm, wouldn't asking about our identity come first, rather than our motive?"

"Why ask that? I already know who you are," Jinhyuk replied indifferently.

At that, the eyebrows of the two twitched.

"Oh? You claim to know our identities?"

"Just bluffing. You're fishing for answers."

Bluffing?

With the information already at hand, guessing their identity was not difficult.

Wealthy, with exceptional intelligence networks, unscrupulous in means—there was only one organization desperate to recruit talents yet to surface.

"You're Mages, freshly finished with your job quests, judging by your mana levels."

"......!"

"......!"

Their pupils shook as if an earthquake had hit them.

The man and woman momentarily failed to control their expressions.

"Ha... Really not your everyday average guy. This is a bit of a shock."

"It makes sense why the higher-ups were so interested in recruiting him. I wondered why the association was spending so much of its resources on recruiting just one person, and now, I see why."

They had made contact with various promising individuals before.

There had been a ranker who made a name for himself in the [Tower of Trials] in the past.

Even rookies who had just started to make a name for themselves in the new reality.

But among them all, no one had ever identified them on the first encounter.

"Cut the amazement and get to the main point."

Jinhyuk had only one reason to indulge in this meaningless conversation.

He was curious about what kind of interesting offer these secretive individuals would present.

He glanced at the ceiling briefly.

About 2 minutes remained.

The moment the dagger drops, having disrupted the barrier, will mark the end of this discussion.

"Don't glare at me like that. Seems like you have some misconceptions about Mages, but it's not all true."

"Hmm. The very same people who first established coin farms trying to clean up their image now?"

"Call it pragmatism. Of course, if you're one of those idiots who believe you can't exchange human life for anything else... then this conversation will be pointless."

"Interesting. Continue."

"First off, if you join us, instead of a sign-on bonus, we'll give you this."

The man pulled out a jewel emitting a crimson glow from his pocket.

Could this possibly be...?

Jinhyuk's brow furrowed.

He recognized the item.

'Twilight Dew.'

A treasure belonging to 'Queisha,' a half-beast, half-bird spirit and one of the sovereign beings.

Healing, regeneration, enhancement, detoxification, and more.

Below the 10th floor of the tower, it was considered almost a miraculous tool,

It could even be used to de-ice the 'Frozen Tears.'

But.

"You're just going to give this away?"

If put up for auction, it wouldn't be an hour before someone offered to trade a holy artifact for it.

"I personally find it a pity, but the higher-ups are of the opinion that resources should be used when necessary. I'm sure, if you officially join us, you'll be offered benefits far beyond this."

The man shrugged his shoulders and immediately tossed the Twilight Dew towards Jinhyuk.

Thump!

The solid sensation transferred to his palm.

Jinhyuk firmly clenched the fist-sized jewel.

Wow.

They really are generous.

With such a hot offer, I'm looking forward to the second condition.

"So, what's the next condition?"

"Secondly, we'll take care of one person of your choosing."

"Anyone will do?"

"Yes. As long as the target is human... anyone."

Their tone was full of confidence.

Indeed, while not reflected in the official rankings because they were Mages, their abilities were on par with the top rankers.

'It means they really would get rid of the target.'

In essence, a blank cheque guaranteeing success.

At that moment.

Huh?

Wait a minute...

A flash of lightning struck Jinhyuk's mind.

"What happens if you fail to kill the target?"

"What?"

"I mean, what if?"

"There won't be such an occurrence."

"Right. The Assassination Squad is composed of players far stronger than us."

Both were adamant as if driving a nail through wood.

Clearly, you just said it yourselves.

Guaranteed success.

"Then, if you fail, this contract becomes void, right?"

"That, that is...!"

"Why? Have you lost confidence now? The second condition itself is a testament to the absolute power of the Mage Association. If you fail, wouldn't that be a contradiction?"

Jinhyuk teased them playfully, his smirk an added touch.

The man bit his lip hard.

"...Fine. But if the request succeeds, you must immediately come with us to meet the executives."

"Let's do that."

As Jinhyuk nodded, he pulled out his smartphone.

He clicked on the contacts list, where photos and names were stored, and showed it to the two people.

"This guy is the target."

"Never seen him before."

"Me neither. Is he really that difficult to handle?"

"Just mediocre... but he doesn't show his face outside much, so he's probably unfamiliar."

Probably, there aren't many that know of him.

Perhaps only Jinhyuk, Yun Yuhwa, Lee Tae-min... and no more than a handful of others?

"Got it."

"Next time we meet, it will be as colleagues. Be well until then, handsome."

Timely.

Clink!

The dagger embedded in the barrier dropped to the ground.

The time had completely elapsed.

As Jinhyuk retrieved the dagger, he scanned his surroundings.

'They're already gone.'

The two people were no longer in sight.

The original scene of the Awakener Association, which had been disconnected, started to reveal itself amongst the buzzing sounds.

Now it was finally possible to receive the second test completion certificate.

Ah! But before that.

There was one more thing to do.

Jinhyuk quickly opened the chat window.

[The Whisper function has been activated.]

- Hey, you got a moment?

He waited after sending the message.

Then came a response.

- What is it?

A terse, annoyed voice came through.

The person Jinhyuk had reached out to was none other than Chun Yuseong.

As expected, cold as ever.

- You said you wanted to become stronger, right?

- What's with this nonsense all of a sudden?

- Just answer. Did you, or did you not?

-...I might have said that, yes.

- Then, I'll tell you a secret to getting stronger. You need to gain as much real combat experience as possible with powerful foes.

- What?

- Fight, then fight some more, and keep fighting. You need to face death-defying dangers to grow stronger. This is a secret training method only I know of, but I'll share it with you because I care.

- Have you lost your mind? What did you eat that was so bad?

- Love you, future Sword Saint. I believe in you, bro. But don't come looking for revenge if you get badly injured, okay?

- Hey, you...!

Jinhyuk cut off the one-sided conversation.

Phew.

He had given a fair warning, so the rest was up to Chun Yuseong to handle.

But now.

'What would happen if the Sword Saint and the Mages fought each other?'

To be honest, it was worth the price of admission...

It was just a shame he couldn't witness it.

***

Was it about an hour later?

After securing his second test completion certificate, Jinhyuk stepped outside the association building.

But then he saw another person next to Lee Tae-min and Yun Yuhwa.

It was Kim Heewoong and Elis, who had asked him to deal with the Black Crow Guild.

"Woah. Sister, you say these people know brother?"

"Brother, isn't that person the Black Crow Guild's secretary chief?"

Lee Tae-min and Yun Yuhwa asked with anxious expressions.

To them, the Black Crow Guild held nothing but unpleasant memories.

I understand.

Without the full context, it was natural for them to react this way.

"Don't worry. I know them."

Now that things had come to this, it was a chance to become acquainted with each other. There was also the need to discuss future schedules.

Jinhyuk quickly introduced everyone.

Of course, some information was cherry-picked.

For example, they said Elis was a player who had come over from Northern Europe, concealing her true identity.

'If the truth about Elis came out, it would cause an uproar.'

Initially skeptical, Lee Tae-min and Yun Yuhwa seemed to adapt as time passed, nodding their heads.

"The guild matters will be handled by this friend, Heewoong. Yun Yuhwa and Tae-min, contact him when you're free. He can help with dungeon reservations and various conveniences."

"Yes. Leave it to me. If it's for acquaintances of Mr. Kang, I will take full responsibility to assist."

Kim Heewoong clenched his fist with conviction.

Having been overworked and undervalued under Shin Gunsoo, he seemed much happier now that he was free from that life.

"Wow... So, brother is actually the master of the Black Crow Guild?"

"Technically, it's this guy. But I'm the one who actually runs it."

"No way, brother... In just a few days you've conquered relics and taken over a guild. Are you even human? How do you..."

Lee Tae-min trailed off, at a loss for words.

He already knew that Jinhyuk had rebooted.

But this was continually surpassing any imagined limits, wasn't it?

Insane.

There was nothing else to say but that it was truly insane.

Simultaneously, his heart began pounding at the thought of truly knowing such a monstrous veteran.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

'Meeting brother was a once-in-a-lifetime stroke of luck.'

While major guilds and rankers around the world strutted around, thinking highly of themselves,

Compared to Jinhyuk, they were a laughingstock.

Like bragging about learning calculus from Stephen Hawking?

'No matter what, I'll trust and follow him to the end.'

Lee Tae-min had firmly resolved to do so.

***

While Kim Heewoong engaged in conversation with the two,

Jinhyuk's gaze turned to Elis.

"And for you... Sigh."

It was hard not to sigh at the sight of her pouting.

"Never mind. Let's not talk about it."

"Why! What! I didn't plan on going that far. But they provoked me!"

"Does calling you a child justify leveling a building?"

When he heard the full story from Kim Heewoong, he had doubted his ears.

All that for such a petty reason...

Dammit. If Koreans all had a temper like hers, the Miracle on the Han River would be a joke, and the Korean peninsula would regress to the Stone Age within a year.

"How can you not handle such a provocation after living for thousands of years?"

"Well, that's because... no one has ever provoked me before."

"...I'm speechless. Seriously."

Whether it's the wayward queen or the doting subordinates.

It's not without cause that vampires are known to be prideful, prone to prince syndrome, and princess syndrome.

Shaking his head, Jinhyuk readied himself to move.

"Get into the ring already. We're going hunting now."

"Huh? You should be fine hunting alone, shouldn't you?"

"This time, I need support for drive hunting. And don't worry. If you help me out this one time, I'll let you rest easy for a while."

He needed Elis's efficiency this time, but after that, he could handle things alone.

"In that case, sure. But is there really a place for drive hunting left? I heard all the guilds have taken over up to the third floor."

The Tower of Trials was known to have 50 floors.

Without the fourth floor opening, there should be no hunting ground unknown to others.

Everyone thought that.

But the truth was that the Tower of Trials had more than just 50 floors.

The corners of Jinhyuk's mouth lifted.

"I'll show you why veterans are veterans."