In the Chairman’s office of Mirae Group.
Chairman Lee Seongtak expressed his astonishment as he looked over the report.
“Hah! They really traded B-rank monster corpses and Mana Stones? And that even includes elite and boss monsters?”
He had heard that they would be trading B-rank monster corpses and Mana Stones, but he had harbored doubts about whether the transaction would actually take place.
Even if it did, he questioned if the quantity would exceed two thousand, as it had the last time.
However, according to the report submitted by the Chief of Staff, the number of B-rank monster corpses and Mana Stones exceeded 2,532.
Furthermore, just like before, elite and boss monsters were included.
“Yes. The corpses purchased this time are B-rank Demon Warriors. Excluding the boss and elite specimens, the regular monster corpses and Mana Stones alone total exactly 2,532. They also mentioned that a third trade of this scale will take place again next week. Naturally, with B-rank monsters.”
At the Chief of Staff’s words, the Chairman’s expression turned to one of surprise.
“Goodness, I had my doubts, but for a trade of this scale to actually happen… This means they’ve effectively cleared an entire B-rank Dungeon. But where? Has any guild cleared an entire B-rank Dungeon recently?”
The Chief of Staff shook his head at the Chairman’s question.
“I checked the entrance records for B-rank Dungeons just in case, but there is no record of a single guild clearing one entirely.”
It wasn’t that there were no cases where a single guild monopolized and cleared a dungeon.
However, such instances were extremely rare and were usually limited to cases where one of the Top 10 Domestic Guilds discovered a newly formed dungeon and obtained the First Entry Benefit.
Most cases involved mid-sized guilds that couldn’t handle a solo clear or individuals who discovered them and reported them to the Association.
“In any case, can we consider the continuity of this supply confirmed?”
“Yes. They stated that unless something extraordinary happens, a trade will take place once a week. However, while the continuity is confirmed, it’s too early to guarantee stability. We have zero information regarding the source. If the Association ever finds out about this back-alley deal, they could impose sanctions in various ways.”
Although such trades weren’t exactly illegal, publicly, they were only conducted through the Association.
Large corporations or organizations of significant size were forced to use the Association to ensure a consistent and stable supply of corpses and Mana Stones.
But what if one of them was caught making back-alley deals by the Association?
While there were no legal ways to punish them, the Association could impose various sanctions on the supplier, starting from dungeon entry restrictions.
Meanwhile, they could drastically reduce the supply to the purchasing company or cease trading with them altogether.
For Mirae Group, which needed a steady supply of monster corpses and Mana Stones, such a situation would inevitably deal a significant blow.
“It’s true that such risks exist, but considering the economic benefits we stand to gain, we can’t give this up. Besides, using this allows us to secure a stable slush fund. Unless it seems like the Association is onto us, continuing this trade is more profitable for now. So, keep a close eye on the Association’s movements and ensure the trades continue.”
Despite the risks, it was difficult to give up the deal easily because the profits were so substantial.
Moreover, because it was a secret back-alley trade, it was perfect for creating a slush fund.
Therefore, the Chairman ordered the Chief of Staff to monitor the Association while striving to maintain the relationship.
“Um, regarding that, they’ve sent us a warning.”
‘A warning?’
At the Chief of Staff’s sudden words, the Chairman looked puzzled.
“A warning? About what?”
“It seems… the Mirae Research Institute asked them to reveal their source. They responded by saying that if we ask again or try to investigate them behind their backs, they will stop trading with us. They claimed they have plenty of other routes to trade with besides us.”
At those words, the Chairman’s brow furrowed deeply.
“What? I’m sure I told them not to poke around concerning the people behind it for the time being. Did you not tell the Mirae Research Institute?”
He had specifically ordered them not to investigate or stir up trouble regarding the source for the sake of long-term trade.
Hearing that the Mirae Research Institute had ignored his words was bound to put him in a foul mood.
“I did, of course. Despite that, they likely acted on their own initiative to look good in your eyes, Chairman. I will personally give a stern warning to the Research Institute.”
In the end, the attempt to find the source was not a group-wide decision but an independent judgment by the Mirae Research Institute.
“Tsk. As you know, the number of monster corpses and Mana Stones consumed in various fields is enormous. Especially for high-rank monster corpses and Mana Stones—the supply from the Association isn’t even enough. In that regard, this trade gives us an advantage over other companies. But what if this deal goes to someone else? Do you think this is a problem that can be judged simply as a financial loss?”
These weren’t just low-rank monster corpses; they were corpses of B-rank monsters.
And they even included elites and bosses, which were hard to come by.
At a time when the demand for high-rank monster parts was increasing and they were struggling to secure supply, they had found a breakthrough.
If they lost it just because they were trying to dig into the source?
It would be a massive loss that was hard to calculate in mere monetary terms.
“Then how about we exclude the Mirae Research Institute and have the main office lead the trades directly?”
The Chief of Staff asked if they should manage the deal at the corporate headquarters level.
The Chairman shook his head.
“No, if the trading partner suddenly changes, they might feel pressured. For now, it’s better to approach them calmly while trading through the Mirae Research Institute. Instead, from the next trade, attach someone reliable from the secretariat. Even if the main entity of the trade changes later, having a familiar face would lessen the burden they feel.”
The Research Director had provoked the other party by doing something he wasn’t asked to do.
Perhaps because of that, the Chairman decided he couldn’t trust them with the deal anymore and wanted to manage it himself.
However, a sudden change might make the supplier uncomfortable or even cause them to cut ties.
Therefore, he planned to plant one of his own people to get them accustomed to the face before naturally shifting the lead of the trade.
“Understood. I will handle it that way.”
“Keep this in mind. Trading B-rank monster corpses and Mana Stones on this scale every week is not a matter to be taken lightly. I’d like to push this forward properly at the group level, but since we don’t know where the Association’s eyes and ears are, we’re just using the Mirae Research Institute. So, tell them to stop being meddlesome and just focus on their assigned tasks until our preparations are fully complete.”
With 2,500 monsters a week, that totaled ten thousand a month—an enormous quantity.
It was a trade scale significant enough to be handled directly by the group.
The only reason they went through the Research Institute was that they didn’t know where the Association might be watching.
The Chairman told the Chief of Staff to tell the Research Director to stop causing unnecessary problems and stay quiet until they were ready to take over the initiative.
***
From this trade, Seong-jun earned nearly thirty billion won, while Gwang-taek, Yuseon, and Chang-su each earned over ten billion won.
Perhaps because of this, their faces were beaming with joy.
“Hehehe. Hahaha.”
“Heehee! Hehehe!”
As if they had lost their minds, they did nothing but giggle aimlessly all day.
“Ugh, stop it already. You guys look scary, like you’ve lost your wits.”
At Seong-jun’s words, Gwang-taek looked at the balance on his phone and spoke.
“Hehehe. I want to stop too, but I just can’t help but laugh when I see my bank balance. What should I do? Hehehe.”
Seong-jun sighed and shook his head at the sight.
“Sigh, you’ve got it bad. You’re going to keep getting that kind of money regularly from now on. Are you going to act like this every time?”
“That’s a problem to think about when the time comes. Hehehehe.”
Knowing that talking wouldn’t solve it, Seong-jun simply sighed.
Watching him, Lee Seon-hwa spoke up tentatively.
“Seong-jun. Preparations to resume the research are coming along, starting with the experimental equipment. But I haven’t been able to secure the most important thing.”
Seong-jun tilted his head at Seon-hwa’s words.
“The most important thing? What is it?”
“A Drake’s corpse and Mana Stone.”
That was it.
The core of this experiment was the Drake’s corpse and Mana Stone.
Since she was bonded with a Drake, her corpse and Mana Stone were absolutely necessary to resume the experiment.
“Ah! A Drake’s corpse and Mana Stone. Now that you mention it, we do need those. I’ll look into it through the Association first. But it won’t be easy. There haven’t been many cases of A-rank Dungeon clears in Korea recently, and I heard there have been no reports of clearing aerial monsters like Drakes in particular.”
A-rank Dungeons were hard enough to clear, but those featuring aerial monsters were often excluded from clear targets.
They were simply too difficult to handle.
As such, unless they looked abroad, it might be very difficult to find a Drake’s corpse and Mana Stone within Korea.
“Still, it’s essential to resume the experiment. I hate to pressure you with this, but I’m asking for your help.”
What else could he do?
She had already kept her promise to Seong-jun by actively helping with the Demon Warrior hunts.
Now it was Seong-jun’s turn to keep his promise to her.
“Don’t worry. If I can’t get them through the Association, I’ll even enter a Drake Dungeon to get them for you.”
For now, he planned to try his best to get them through the Association, but if that failed, he was prepared to enter a dungeon himself.
Although they weren’t at the level to clear an A-rank Dungeon yet, it seemed possible if they only dealt with a small group of one or two.
“But were there any Drake Dungeons in Korea?”
“There might be one among the newly formed dungeons. Well, if there truly aren’t any, we can go on an overseas expedition, even if the procedure is a bit complicated.”
At Seong-jun’s words, Chang-su asked curiously.
“Can’t we just open a Drake Dungeon with the Dungeon Creation Device?”
Seong-jun shook his head at the question.
“If we were at a level where we could clear an A-rank Dungeon on our own, we would have done that already. But it’s impossible for us to clear an A-rank Dungeon alone. Gwang-taek can’t tank if even four or five of them swarm him. And we can’t just catch one or two and leave it, can we? We have to supply B-rank monster corpses and Mana Stones periodically, but if we do that, we can’t open a new dungeon until the A-rank one is cleared.”
One couldn’t open a new dungeon unless the previously created one was cleared.
In other words, the moment they created an A-rank Drake Dungeon, they wouldn’t be able to open B-rank Dungeons until that one was finished.
That would cause a serious disruption in the supply of B-rank materials.
“Ah! I see that’s an issue.”
“The best way is to get it through the Association. If we can get even a small amount, we can last for a while. The problem is if we can’t—then it’ll be hard to find an alternative other than going abroad.”
If they could get it through the Association, there would be no cleaner or easier way.
But if that failed?
Things would get complicated.
The fact that they couldn’t get it from the Association meant there were no Drake corpses in Korea.
If that happened, they would have to look overseas, which required permission from the relevant country’s Association.
Since that process could be tedious, getting it domestically was the best-case scenario.
Seon-hwa spoke as if it were no big deal.
“It’ll take at least a month or two to get all the equipment ready and prepare for the experiment anyway. So you don’t need to feel too rushed.”
Even if they got the Drake materials right now, they couldn’t start the experiment immediately.
The equipment had to be set up first, and there were many other things to prepare afterward.
That was why Seon-hwa said there was no need to hurry.
“There’s no rush, but I should prepare in advance. Anyway, I’ll look into that separately, so don’t worry. Aside from that, the Association has agreed to forge a new identity for you. Just so you know, you might have to go to the Association with me soon.”
Seon-hwa looked surprised at the mention of the identity forgery.
“The Association is going to forge an identity for me? Really?”
“I’m doing enough for the Association to warrant that. But even if you get a new identity, it would be best to refrain from outside activities for a while. It’ll be a headache if any problems arise.”
If Seon-hwa’s faked death was discovered and the Ministry of National Defense found out, they would almost certainly move to secure her.
Therefore, Seong-jun judged it best to lay low until everything was certain.
“I plan to. I don’t really have any reason to go out anyway. Regardless, thank you. Asking you for help seems to have been a stroke of genius.”
Even while asking Seong-jun for help, Seon-hwa hadn’t been sure if her choice was right.
But now, she could confidently say it was the best decision she had ever made.
While they were talking, Seong-jun’s phone rang.
“Huh? Why is the Association President calling at this hour?”
Confirming the caller, Seong-jun tilted his head and answered the phone.
“Yes, this is Kim Seong-jun. Pardon? Right now? Hmm, is it urgent? Sigh, alright. I’ll be right there.”
After finishing the call, Seong-jun spoke to the group.
“The Association President wants to see me. It must be urgent. I’ll be back in a bit.”
After asking for the group’s understanding, Seong-jun left the hideout and drove to the Association.
At that time, the Association was in a state of emergency.
***
“Hah! The Holy Emperor leaves, and now the Saintess of Japan is coming?”
This was because Kato Asumi, the Saintess of Japan, had notified them of her intent to visit Korea.
“Didn’t Healer Kim Seong-jun decline her invitation? She’s likely coming to Korea because of that.”
“No, I mean, why is she so desperate to meet Healer Kim Seong-jun? The Holy Emperor was here for Karl Buckman’s treatment, but why Kato Asumi?”
No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t fathom the reason why she was going this far to meet Seong-jun.
If it were simply for recruitment, there was no reason for someone as proud as her to come all the way to Korea.
“We haven’t been able to figure that out yet. We didn’t even imagine that the heavy-seated Kato Asumi would move herself.”
“Damn it, she’s famous for having strong far-right tendencies, so I didn’t think she would ever come to Korea. I feel like I’ve been blindsided. Anyway, when did she say she was coming?”
Kato Asumi was famous as the Saintess of Japan, but also as a far-right figure.
Naturally, she tended to look down on Korea.
Since she was that kind of person, they assumed she would never visit, so her sudden announcement was bound to be flustering.
“She is scheduled to enter Korea in four days and stay for five days.”
“Tsk, this is going to be a nuisance. Regardless, prepare thoroughly. There must not be a single oversight in how we treat her.”
When looking at the guilds alone, the Ookami Guild was far inferior to the Holy Emperor.
However, the story changed when it came to the Guild Master, Kato Asumi.
Since she was among the top healers in the world, they couldn’t afford to treat her poorly.
Furthermore, because Kato Asumi enjoyed absolute support from the Japanese people, if they made a mistake, it could potentially worsen the national sentiment between the two countries.
It was a headache-inducing situation, different in nature from the one involving the Holy Emperor.
Just then, the intercom rang.
When the Association President picked up the receiver, his secretary informed him of Seong-jun’s arrival.
—President, Hunter Kim Seong-jun has arrived.
“Oh! Tell him to come in at once.”
Soon, the door opened, and Seong-jun walked in.
As he entered, the official who had been there voluntarily left to give them space.
“I’ll be going now.”
“Right. As I said, prepare thoroughly and make sure we don’t give them anything to complain about.”
“Yes. Then, please have your conversation.”
Once the official left, the Association President spoke to Seong-jun.
“Please, have a seat.”
As the President offered him a seat, Seong-jun sat on the sofa and asked, “What’s going on?”
“Well… sigh, it’s quite sudden, but Japan’s Saintess, Kato Asumi, says she’s coming to Korea to see Healer Kim Seong-jun.”
At the President’s unexpected words, Seong-jun also looked taken aback.
“Pardon? Kato Asumi is coming to Korea? And to see me? Hah! I told her to come, and she’s actually coming.”
A few days ago, Seong-jun had told the person from Japan to have her come to Korea herself if it was that urgent.
It wasn’t that he meant it; rather, he said it because he thought she would never come to Korea, essentially telling her to just wait.
He had never expected her to actually show up.
“What do you mean? You told her to come to Korea?”
“Ah! A few days ago, Kato Asumi sent someone to see me separately. She asked me to come to Japan as soon as the Holy Emperor returned to the United States. But I told them it would be difficult for me to leave right now, so they should wait until my urgent business was finished. Then, half-joking, I told them to come to Korea themselves if they were in that much of a hurry. I didn’t think she would actually come.”
At Seong-jun’s explanation, the President asked with a serious expression.
“So that’s what happened. Then, do you happen to know why she wants to meet you, Healer Kim Seong-jun?”
He asked hoping to find out her intentions, but there was no way Seong-jun would know.
“I’m not sure. I don’t know either. Well, I’ll find out when I meet her.”
Unless he met her in person and used his Divine Eye, he didn’t have the talent to perceive the intentions of someone all the way in Japan.
‘Why does she want to see me so badly? Now I’m the one curious to meet her.’
The repeated invitations were one thing, but to come to Korea herself?
Just what was the reason she wanted to see him that badly?
Now, even Seong-jun was becoming curious about her intentions.
I Became an EX-Class All-Rounder Priest Chapter 89
E-book Publication Date: 2025.11.14
Author: Kim Hyeon-jun
Publishers: Heo Heung-beom, Park Geon-won
Published by Poten
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Phone: 02-6320-8500
Fax: 02-6320-8585
ISBN: 9791175302167
Price: 100 won
© Kim Hyeon-jun 2025
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