The rank reassessment was carried out swiftly.
Because his basic stats were incomparably high even for a typical S-rank, there was a brief commotion, but the fact that he was S-rank remained unchanged.
Thus, Seong-jun received his S-rank registration card and returned to the hideout.
“Wow! So this is an S-rank registration card? The A-rank one looked impressive, but S-rank is just on another level.”
Gwang-taek looked at Seong-jun’s S-rank registration card with amazement.
‘It’s just a registration card, anyway. By the way, Seon-hwa.’
At Seong-jun’s call, Seon-hwa looked over, puzzled.
“Huh? What is it?”
Looking at her, Seong-jun pulled Harpy carcasses and Mana Stones out of his subspace.
“This is for you.”
*Thud! Clatter!*
A total of fifteen Harpy carcasses and Mana Stones spilled onto the floor.
“Oh! Harpy carcasses and Mana Stones! But why so many? I told you I only needed five of each.”
Seon-hwa had originally requested five carcasses and five Mana Stones.
However, Seong-jun had arbitrarily brought fifteen of each.
“They might not be enough. It’s better to have leftovers than to run short, right? We don’t know when I’ll go hunting Harpies again.”
“That’s true. Thank you. I can experiment freely now.”
Since it was better to have a surplus than a shortage, Seon-hwa thanked him.
Seong-jun then pulled the rest out of his subspace.
“And this is the boss’s carcass and Mana Stone.”
It was the carcass and Mana Stone of the boss, the Harpy Queen.
Though Seong-jun’s party was exempt from taxes, he still had to record the hunt.
So, he had presented the boss’s carcass and Mana Stone to the Association first and then stated that he wouldn’t sell them because he had a use for them.
After all, the sale of monster carcasses and Mana Stones was up to the individual Hunter.
“Whoa! A boss carcass and Mana Stone? Oh! This is an unexpected situation. A B-rank boss would be stronger than an A-rank normal monster, wouldn’t it? Strictly speaking, would it be around an A-rank Elite? Anyway, since it’ll be stronger than a normal Drake, I might be able to change my appearance and significantly increase my combat power.”
The reason Seon-hwa wanted to research Harpies was entirely because of their appearance when fully transformed.
Since the difference between B-rank and A-rank was so significant, the Drake’s combat abilities were much better, excluding appearance.
However, having the carcass and Mana Stone of the Harpy Queen changed things.
Even if she was B-rank, as a boss, she would naturally be much more powerful than a normal A-rank monster like a Drake.
“Is that possible? The current base is a Drake, so can you replace it with the Harpy Queen’s?”
When Seong-jun asked out of curiosity, Seon-hwa replied with a smile.
“It won’t be easy. Since the Drake DNA is already integrated, I won’t be able to remove it completely. But if I minimize the Drake DNA and fill the gaps with the Harpy Queen’s DNA, I think it’s entirely possible. Of course, I’ll have to experiment to be sure.”
Even though it was an experiment she was performing on her own body, Seon-hwa spoke casually, as if she were talking about someone else.
In fact, she reacted with a curious and expectant expression, which made Seong-jun feel a momentary sense of disconnect.
“I see. By the way, when will all the equipment needed for the experiment be ready?”
The equipment he had ordered was arriving one by one, but many items had yet to come, so there was no set date for when the experiment could begin.
“I told you. It will take at least two months before we can start in earnest.”
Seon-hwa estimated that it would be two months before everything was perfectly ready to begin the experiment.
It wasn’t just about the equipment arriving; she also needed to set up the appropriate environment.
“Hmm, I see. Then I’ll put the Harpy carcasses and Mana Stones back into my subspace for now.”
If the experiment wouldn’t start for another two months, there was no reason to leave them on the floor.
Storing them in the subspace would prevent them from rotting or spoiling, making it better for long-term storage.
“Yeah, I’d appreciate that.”
Seong-jun put the Harpy carcasses and Mana Stones back into his subspace.
“By the way, Seon-hwa, do you happen to have knowledge in areas other than biotechnology?”
At Seong-jun’s sudden question, Seon-hwa looked puzzled.
“Other areas?”
Seong-jun then pulled out the device he had secured from the dungeon.
“This. I’ve obtained a similar device before, but this one seems a bit different. Is it an upgraded version? Anyway, this is a device that can arbitrarily manipulate a dungeon. When this works, Elites appear even if the Clear Rate hasn’t reached 90%, and all the monsters in the dungeon flock to where this device is. Then, even the dungeon gets sealed.”
Seong-jun explained the device to Seon-hwa.
Her eyes sparkled with curiosity as she looked at it.
“Arbitrarily manipulating a dungeon? As far as I know, that’s impossible.”
“Right. Originally, it should be impossible. But that impossible thing actually happened. Moreover, this isn’t the first time; it’s the second. I handed the first one over to the Holy Emperor, and this is the one I got today. Oh! And see this part? According to Guild Master William Kreft of the Holy Emperor, it seems to be a device called a Magic Stone Amplifier.”
Seon-hwa took the device from Seong-jun and began to examine it with interest.
“This is interesting. Can I research this?”
A device that made the impossible possible regarding dungeons was bound to pique Seon-hwa’s interest.
“I was actually going to ask you to do that. The Holy Emperor said they’d let me know if they found anything, but it’s awkward to just wait for them. It seems to be a one-time thing; once it stops working, it doesn’t work again. If we can make this work whenever we want, the paradigm of dungeon raiding will completely change.”
A device that could gather all the monsters in a dungeon into one place would be perfect for Seong-jun.
If he could gather and kill them all at once, he felt he could clear two or three, no, even three or four dungeons a day.
“I’m not an expert in this field, so I can’t guarantee anything, but I’ll try researching it. I have a brilliant friend in this field, but I can’t really bring anyone else into my current situation, so I’ll have to try it alone first. Is it okay if I break this while researching?”
To conduct research, she would have to perform various tests on the device.
In the process, the device could be unintentionally damaged.
She judged that if the device must not be damaged, it would be better to entrust it to someone famous in the field or just keep it for later.
However, Seong-jun didn’t want to do that.
“It’s fine, so please just do it, Seon-hwa. I want to solve this internally if possible. At the very least, knowing what the main material is, whether it’s from Earth or only from dungeons, would be a huge help.”
If he entrusted this to someone outside, the existence of the device might be revealed to the world.
Of course, since the Holy Emperor had one and the Association President knew about it, he couldn’t keep it a secret forever, but he wanted to keep it as quiet as possible until then.
He also judged that even if she couldn’t figure out the operating mechanism, discovering what the main material was and where it could be obtained would still achieve a significant goal.
“All right. Then I’ll investigate it whenever I have time.”
When Seon-hwa agreed to try, Seong-jun smiled.
“Then I’ll leave it to you.”
Seong-jun then spoke to the rest of the group.
“Anyway, I have some business to take care of, so I should get going. Everyone, get some rest and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
After saying he had other business, Seong-jun said goodbye to the group and slowly left the hideout.
***
A luxury restaurant in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu.
After leaving the hideout, Seong-jun made a phone call and then drove straight there.
The restaurant was his destination.
Guided by a staff member into a private room, he saw a woman wearing a hat pulled low, hiding her face with sunglasses and a mask.
As the staff member left, Seong-jun sat across from her and smiled slightly.
“I told you we’d see each other again.”
The woman took off her sunglasses and mask, glaring at Seong-jun.
“How on earth did you survive? The device was definitely working properly.”
She was Choi Joo-yeon, the main vocalist of Red Spirit.
From the moment the dungeon was sealed, the device could be considered to have worked properly.
That meant he had defeated a wave of B-rank monsters, caught the boss, and walked out proudly.
She couldn’t help but wonder how this was possible.
“The device worked fine. It’s just that the B-rank monsters weren’t exactly a threat to me.”
He said it like that, but if he hadn’t leveled up because of the experience boost potion at just the right time and reached S-rank, he would have had to fight a very difficult battle.
Thanks to the combo of Radiant Wind and God’s Wrath, he had been able to sweep them away without much danger, but if he hadn’t had that, he might have survived somehow, but it would have been a significantly harder fight.
However, he didn’t feel the need to mention that.
“Not a threat? Thousands of B-rank monsters? How can you say something so ridiculous…”
Toward Choi Joo-yeon, who looked dumbfounded, Seong-jun spoke with a smile.
“Because it’s true, we’re facing each other right now, aren’t we? Well, let’s stop the small talk and get to the point. Tell me everything you know about the organization you belong to.”
When Seong-jun told her to talk about the organization, Choi Joo-yeon glared at him with sharp eyes.
“You don’t seriously think I’m going to tell you that, do you?”
In response, Seong-jun pulled a USB drive containing the recording from his pocket and shook it lightly.
“You don’t have to. Instead, I’ll take this to the Association.”
Taking the recording to the Association meant revealing her true identity to them.
Perhaps because of that, Choi Joo-yeon’s expression distorted rapidly.
“Are you threatening me right now?”
“Threatening? Well, it might sound like that. But don’t think of this as a simple threat. I really intend to do it. If you’re of no help to me, there’s no reason for me to keep your secret, is there?”
At the sight of Seong-jun speaking with a relaxed expression and even a smile, Choi Joo-yeon looked furious.
“…”
Toward her, who was just glaring without saying anything else, Seong-jun continued.
“Think carefully. Depending on what decision you make here and now, your fate will change. Whether you want to lose everything you’ve worked so hard for and become a fugitive, or maintain everything by entering a win-win relationship. It’s your choice.”
He didn’t know exactly what kind of organization Choi Joo-yeon belonged to, but one thing was certain: it wasn’t a normal organization.
Strictly speaking, should it be seen as a Villain organization?
Naturally, Choi Joo-yeon, who belonged to that organization, was hardly a normal Hunter either, so he didn’t feel the need to be lenient with her.
“Darn it, if I tell you about the organization, will you let me go? Are you saying you won’t involve yourself with me anymore? You’re not, are you? You’re going to keep harassing and trying to control me, aren’t you?”
Choi Joo-yeon had an intuition that she wouldn’t be able to sever her relationship with Seong-jun through this one instance.
And Seong-jun also admitted that she was right.
“Didn’t you expect this to happen when you accepted my proposal in the dungeon? You don’t look stupid enough not to have expected that much. But don’t worry. As long as our relationship is maintained, I’ll definitely keep the secret.”
Choi Joo-yeon, her fists clenched so tightly they were trembling, eventually let out a sigh and spoke.
“Sigh, even if you keep the secret, if we continue to meet like this, it will eventually arouse their suspicion.”
Even as an executive of the organization, she wasn’t free from surveillance.
If these meetings continued, she would eventually be caught by the organization.
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll try to create a situation where we can meet naturally. And I won’t ask for a meeting unless it’s absolutely necessary. So, what are you going to do?”
Seong-jun was pushing for her decision, but he could roughly guess what choice she would make.
And as he guessed, Choi Joo-yeon made the decision to maintain everything she had now.
“Fine, I’ll tell you. But I don’t know much about the organization either. Even if I’m an executive, I’m only an executive of the Korean branch. The only one who knows the organization in detail is Pascal, the branch manager. He’s someone dispatched from the headquarters to manage the Korean branch.”
Even if she was an executive, she was only an executive of the Korean branch.
Therefore, she only knew limited parts of the organization.
“Pascal?”
“It’s not his real name, but his nickname. My nickname is Nipper. When instructions come from the headquarters, Pascal, the branch manager, gathers the executives and delivers the orders. The mission currently assigned to the Korean branch is to test the Dungeon Activation Device.”
Choi Joo-yeon began her explanation within the limits of what she knew.
“Is that device a Dungeon Activation Device?”
“Yes, it’s a name given in the sense that it arbitrarily activates stationary and stagnant dungeons. But that’s just the beginning. As far as I know, they’re also developing a device that causes a forced Dungeon Break.”
When she said they were developing a device to cause a Dungeon Break, Seong-jun looked surprised.
“A forced Dungeon Break? Does that mean they can arbitrarily explode a normal dungeon, not a Break Dungeon? Is that possible?”
“Devices that can arbitrarily manipulate dungeons didn’t exist before either. Just because it was impossible in the past doesn’t mean it will be impossible in the future, right? From what I know, a test version of the Dungeon Break device will be out soon. Ultimately, the Dungeon Activation Device and the Dungeon Break device will be combined into one.”
Both the Dungeon Activation Device and the Dungeon Break device were incredibly dangerous things.
But if those two were combined?
The current form of Dungeon Breaks involved monsters steadily pouring out over a significant period.
But if those two devices were combined, as soon as the Dungeon Break happened, thousands of monsters would pour out all at once.
It would be a completely different kind of Dungeon Break than before.
“What is the organization’s goal? For what purpose are they making such devices? Are they trying to throw the whole world into chaos?”
At Seong-jun’s question, Choi Joo-yeon shrugged.
“Goal? I don’t know that either. But Pascal might know. Even though we are ostensibly equals, if Pascal, the branch manager, delivers instructions from the headquarters, we have to follow them. Strictly speaking, Pascal is above us.”
Although the branch manager and the executives were ostensibly equals, in reality, Pascal the branch manager was the one with the authority to command, and the other executives were essentially underneath him.
“So, to find out the details, I have to ask the branch manager named Pascal? Do you know his true identity or where he lives?”
When asked about Pascal’s identity, Choi Joo-yeon shook her head.
“No. We executives don’t even know each other’s true identities.”
Choi Joo-yeon and the other Korean branch executives didn’t know anything about each other’s true identities.
Strictly speaking, it was more accurate to say they weren’t interested.
They didn’t want to cause trouble by revealing each other’s identities.
“Hmm, I see. By the way, both last time and this time, the device worked in the dungeon where I happened to be. Was it a coincidence? Or was there some intention?”
Since Seong-jun was in the relevant dungeons both times the device worked, he wondered if there was some intention if it wasn’t a coincidence.
At Seong-jun’s question, she shook her head.
“The first time was a coincidence. But the second time was intentional. However, the target was Karl Buckman, not you, Kim Seong-jun.”
When she said they were targeting Karl Buckman, Seong-jun looked puzzled.
“They targeted Karl? Why?”
“The upper management doesn’t want the Holy Emperor to get deeply involved in Korean affairs. The Magic Stone Amplifier attached to the Dungeon Activation Device. Since the Holy Emperor is involved with it, they think that if the device falls into the Holy Emperor’s hands, they might be caught in some way. Therefore, they tried to sever the connection between the Holy Emperor and Korea by eliminating Karl Buckman through an accident in the dungeon. But things went wrong because of you, Kim Seong-jun.”
Choi Joo-yeon told Seong-jun exactly what she had heard from the branch manager, Pascal.
“So, they tried to make the Holy Emperor back off from Korea by eliminating Karl? Since they failed this time, they might try again.”
Seong-jun didn’t mention that the device had already fallen into the Holy Emperor’s hands.
No matter how much of a weakness he held over Choi Joo-yeon, he couldn’t be careless.
There was no need to give away information by saying unnecessary things.
“I don’t know. They might try again, or they might just let it go.”
“Either way, doesn’t that mean the executives might gather again regarding this matter? Good. Then, if another meeting is scheduled, contact me first, whether by message or phone. Just tell me the location and time, and I’ll handle the rest.”
When he asked her to contact him with the location and time if a meeting was scheduled, Choi Joo-yeon asked with a wary look.
“What are you going to do?”
Looking at her, Seong-jun smiled.
“Don’t worry. Nothing will happen to harm you. I’ll just watch from a distance without being noticed.”
He also had professional personnel who were experts in tailing and surveillance.
Specifically, the personnel from Gyu-taek’s detective agency.
Of course, since the targets were Awakened who might be villains rather than ordinary people, he would have to ask Gyu-taek if it was possible first, but he thought it would be entirely possible if they just tracked movement from a distance rather than making direct contact.
“All right. Instead, I hope you don’t look for me for a while. It’s not easy to sneak out like today.”
Choi Joo-yeon, who agreed to do as Seong-jun said, asked to avoid meeting for the time being, just in case.
“Got it. Then I’ll be going now, so finish your meal before you leave.”
Having said that, Seong-jun slowly stood up and left the room.
Left alone, Choi Joo-yeon finished her meal with a slight frown.