Chapter 37: 10th Floor Stronghold!(3)

As soon as he answered the phone, a worried voice came through.

— Your father’s business was in the monster industry, wasn’t it? —

“I heard they already reached out to him.”

— …I’m sorry. —

“It’s not your fault, Section Chief. It’s those lunatics in the government who screwed up.”

— Tell him to hold on just a little longer. The Director already went to block them. —

Min-hyuk also worked at the Monster Bureau, so he knew better than anyone that even if a resolution came, his father’s company would likely be in a state of ruin by then, suffering massive losses.

In reality, many companies with political connections used these tactics to absorb their competitors.

Like any enterprise, stopping a factory’s production resulted in catastrophic losses.

While undergoing an audit, the idle machines drained money in real-time.

Even if the owner tried to sell, no company would buy at a fair price when they could wait and snatch it up for a pittance later.

‘Starving them out.’

How many companies had vanished this way?

The government did make an effort in its own way.

They periodically conducted internal audits to catch those at the top and struck down companies that merged through unfair audits.

But did it really matter?

The paltry compensation given to a company that had already been pulverized only fueled more resentment.

“Whew…”

Min-hyuk tried to suppress his rising anger.

He wasn’t a saint.

Honestly, if it hadn’t been his father’s business, he might not have stepped in.

But this time, he had to act to protect his father.

And if he was going to take a stand, couldn’t he expand his boundaries a bit?

What if he helped other small and medium-sized businesses while protecting his father’s company?

What if he also helped the victims within the Monster Bureau while he was at it?

‘If I’m going to reveal myself, I might as well go all the way.’

With that thought, Min-hyuk spoke to Park Min-hye.

“Section Chief, do you have a moment?”

— Huh? I’m free now, but… uh… when? Should I go to you? —

Her voice sounded flustered and rambling, but Min-hyuk simply told her he would head toward the Hunter Bureau and hung up.

Striking while the iron was hot, he headed straight for the Hunter Bureau, intending to finish everything within the rest period granted by the Tower.

***

“Min-hyuk…?”

“It’s been a while.”

Park Min-hye, who had been waiting for him and was about to wave, stared at him blankly.

It wasn’t the unstable flow of mana typically seen in those with Mana Poisoning.

There was only one explanation for this phenomenon.

“Did you… awaken…?”

“I got lucky.”

After saying he was lucky, Min-hyuk immediately got to the point.

“Can I see the Director?”

“…The Director?”

Park Min-hye tilted her head.

It wasn’t an impossible request.

Min-hyuk’s insights, having seen all sorts of corruption in the mess that was the Monster Bureau, would be helpful.

The reason her head was filled with questions was the disconnect between this and the Min-hyuk she had known.

He wasn’t the type to make requests that might burden others.

Min-hyuk smiled at her.

“You wrote on my post that I should feel free to visit anytime.”

“What?”

As Park Min-hye stood there with a puzzled expression, something flashed through her mind.

“…Wait, could it be?”

When she looked at him with an incredulous expression, Min-hyuk just smiled quietly.

Min-hye’s eyes widened, and she stared at him for a long time with her mouth agape.

Seeing her mouth open and close several times as if trying to find words, Min-hyuk laughed.

“I’ll wait here, so please take your time.”

At those words, she hurriedly stood up and began making a phone call.

While Park Min-hye was away, several people began to glance at him.

It was extremely unusual for the normally cold Park Min-hye to greet someone with a smile.

Feeling like a spectacle, Min-hyuk watched as Min-hye approached him after finishing her call.

She asked cautiously, “You came here personally because you intend to reveal your identity, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then… may I assign agents to your family?”

Min-hyuk nodded slightly at Min-hye’s concern about villains targeting them.

“I was actually going to ask for that.”

The moment he revealed his identity, villains would try to contact him by any means necessary.

They wouldn’t hesitate to use dirty tricks, like disguising themselves as lovers to drag someone into villain society or targeting family members.

Some would even wander around disguised as civilians, administer poison gas, and then use the antidote as leverage to kidnap someone.

“You should take that; it seems like an urgent call,” Min-hyuk said, noticing her phone ringing incessantly.

“No, I should focus on you first…”

“I have some overdue work to catch up on while I’m here anyway. So, please, feel free to take the call.”

“Overdue work?”

As Park Min-hye tilted her head, Min-hyuk pointed to one side.

There, new hunters could be seen arriving with excited expressions to register.

“With your level, the procedure…”

“I want to follow it.”

Min-hyuk spoke firmly.

Whether or not to register with the Hunter Bureau was a personal choice.

Those who didn’t register paid the price by accepting certain disadvantages.

However, skipping the registration procedure was a different kind of privilege.

“You know very well when the Monster Bureau started to rot.”

At Min-hyuk’s words, Park Min-hye sighed softly.

It started with granting small privileges.

As those accumulated, they became treated as custom, until they finally crossed the line.

The most prominent example was the discrimination between Awakened and non-Awakened individuals.

What began as a well-intentioned effort to support promising Awakened individuals and nurture talent for the Korean Monster Bureau had turned into a custom that justified discrimination against non-Awakened people.

Min-hyuk, having refused special treatment, spoke with a firm expression.

“I’ll be back soon.”

He left Park Min-hye behind and entered the Awakened Registration Center.

Watching him go, Park Min-hye let out a small smile.

“He’s still the same.”

Even with his powerful strength, he was exactly as he had been in the past.

After watching him enter the center for a moment, Min-hye picked up her phone again and began making calls.

Now that Min-hyuk had decided to go public, there was much to be done.

***

Left with a mountain of work to handle, Min-hyuk entered the registration area, took a number, and waited.

He saw people who looked absolutely terrified.

“I’m so nervous.”

“Me too. I heard even Slimes are surprisingly tough.”

The young hunters, likely friends who came together, chatted with trembling expressions.

Nearby, other hunters were watching a screen with tense faces.

‘Is it because of that?’

Min-hyuk looked at the large screen installed on one side, just like the other hunters.

[New Hunter Registration Practical Procedure Established! Slime Hunting]

This procedure was created because of hunters who entered the Tower blindly and then ran away in fear.

While it had been optional before, it was now a mandatory “Level 1 taste” since Min-hyuk had highlighted the importance of the lower floors.

They received brief training on basic mana manipulation and how to deal with Slimes before being sent into actual combat.

Even so, most of them were trembling and failing to respond properly in the beginning.

‘That’s probably normal.’

He was relaxed because he had awakened as an EX-class, but what if he had awakened at the lowest rank, like F-class?

He might have been trembling like that, too.

Because of that, he offered a single piece of advice.

“You just have to dodge the first attack. After that, the tension breaks, and you can respond better to simple attacks.”

A young man looked at him skeptically.

When the people listening nearby also looked at him with disbelief, Min-hyuk pointed toward the screen as if showing them would be faster.

“Watch closely when I go in later.”

Just then, his number appeared.

“Please present your ID and place your hand on the scanner.”

The employee, who had been responding mechanically with a tired face, suddenly tilted their head.

“Is this an error? I’m sorry. Please try one more time with this one.”

The employee bowed their head in embarrassment and handed over a different scanner.

Min-hyuk smiled and measured again.

When the result showed EX again, the employee tilted their head and checked the number next to it: Level 10.

“Wait, could it be…?”

As if something had clicked, the employee looked back and forth between the scanner and Min-hyuk, their eyes shaking uncontrollably.

“May I go to the practice area now?”

“Yes… Yes!”

“Is the registration…”

“It’s… it’s finished!”

Min-hyuk took his ID back from the flustered employee and stood up.

He gestured for the new hunter he had advised to watch the screen and headed to the practice area.

With the signal to begin, the released Slimes lunged toward Min-hyuk.

He dodged the Slimes’ attacks by simply taking a single step back and then struck them with a club.

He repeated this, dodging the next Slime with only half a step.

After a few repetitions, he finished the practice by providing a precise carving demonstration as a bonus.

When he stepped out of the practice area, the new hunters who had been staring blankly at the screen all turned to look at Min-hyuk at once.

“See? It’s easy, right?”

At the question of whether they believed him now, all the new hunters nodded in unison.

Right then, as if they had been waiting for him to emerge, Park Min-hye approached him with someone in tow.

“I am Park Young-hwan, the Director of the Hunter Bureau.”

“I am Choi Min-hyuk.”

“Did you… perhaps plan this situation?”

Choi Min-hyuk smiled and nodded at Park Young-hwan’s question.

Since many Hunter Bureau employees had seen him, the news that his identity was “Unknown” would spread like wildfire if he revealed it publicly like this.

“I thought this would be cleaner than making a deal behind the scenes.”

There was no need to explain why he had been critical of the Monster Bureau’s issues or why he chose to reveal himself at this particular time.

People would speculate on their own, and they would pressure the political world on his behalf.

“For the record, I haven’t given a final confirmation that I will remain active in the Korean Tower.”

As long as it was within one month of registering with the Hunter Bureau, moving to another country’s Tower was relatively easy.

Min-hyuk spoke loudly, ensuring everyone could hear.

Having completed his calculated actions, he headed toward the Director’s office.

Reporters who had been waiting for a potential scoop immediately began to spread the massive news.

[The “Unknown” Has Finally Officially Registered!]

People initially dismissed the unbelievable news as a hoax, but subsequent articles confirmed its truth.

The question was: why now?

If he were afraid of villains, he could have waited until he was stronger.

The reason was soon revealed.

[The Identity of “Unknown” is Choi Min-hyuk, a Former Non-Awakened Monster Carving Master!]

[Family presumed to be in the monster industry. It appears he came forward as “Unknown” to express dissatisfaction with current government policies…]

[Is he still dissatisfied that many individuals involved in the Monster Bureau’s corruption have been excluded? Choi Min-hyuk decides to hold off on his official registration in the Korean Tower!]

“It’s burning quite nicely.”

When Min-hyuk smiled while checking the articles in the Director’s office, Park Young-hwan, sitting across from him, also offered a deep smile.

“Are you satisfied?”

When the Director asked as if it were their collective masterpiece, Min-hyuk nodded with a laugh.

His identity would have been revealed eventually, but the fact that his personal information was made public in such detail within a few hours was entirely the work of the Hunter Bureau.

“However, I will still hold off on deciding whether to stay in the Korean Tower.”

“Of course! Take your time. You can take as long as you need.”

Despite the words, they both wore broad smiles as if they were in perfect agreement, clinking their teacups together as if they were making a toast.