After overcoming the huge mountain that was the Grand Overlord, Seong-jun gave his party a day off.
Now, he was facing Choi Sangjin. With both the watcher Kang Ji-sang and the Grand Overlord Alexander gone, Choi Sangjin was much freer in his movements.
“My goodness! I can’t believe you, Kim Seongjun, actually defeated the Grand Overlord Alexander. He was an Assassin class, called the natural enemy of magic users, and above all, he had entered the Realm of Transcendence.”
Choi Sangjin looked at Seong-jun, who had eliminated both the Grand Overlord Alexander and the Monarch Roberto, and let out a fresh sigh of admiration.
Even though he had provided information to Seong-jun, he never thought the Grand Overlord Alexander would lose.
“He was certainly strong. If I had tried to face him alone, it would have been hard to guarantee victory. Fortunately, my comrades performed better than expected. But now that the dispatched Grand Overlord here has been eliminated, Revolution won’t just sit still, will they?”
“They’ll report to headquarters after a few days’ grace. However, if they learn that the Grand Overlord Alexander was defeated, they’ll likely deploy a much stronger force next time. Will that be all right?”
This time, only one Grand Overlord, Alexander, had been dispatched.
Of course, Roberto Kang Ji-sang, who was next to Choi Sangjin, had joined, but he was originally Choi Sangjin’s cooperator and watcher, not a force sent to deal with Seong-jun.
But if it became known that the Grand Overlord Alexander not only failed to assassinate Seong-jun but was instead taken down?
They would either completely drop their hands for a while, or, if not, deploy a more certain force to eliminate him thoroughly.
“I don’t know when that will be, but I need to make my own preparations. By the way, aside from Kang Ji-sang, is there no one watching you, Mr. Choi?”
“Well, there could be a watcher among the executives that I don’t know. But at least within Korea, other than Kang Ji-sang, there’s no organization member who isn’t under my control.”
All Revolution members active in Korea were under the branch chief, Pascal—that is, under Choi Sangjin’s control.
The only one not under his control was Roberto Kang Ji-sang.
With Kang Ji-sang eliminated, there was no one left in Korea to stop Choi Sangjin.
“I see. Then until Revolution headquarters sends additional personnel, I can move freely.”
At Seong-jun’s words, Choi Sangjin nodded.
“I don’t know how long this freedom will last, but for now, that’s the case. That reminds me: my father holds a banquet periodically. It’s an event attended only by family and a few close acquaintances, and it’s taking place next weekend. Could you come to that event? You said that if I joined hands with you, I would form a connection with Korea’s Saint, Kim Seongjun. Let’s take advantage of that connection now.”
At the mention of family and a few close acquaintances, Seong-jun asked curiously, “Family and a few close acquaintances? May I ask what kind of banquet this is?”
No matter how small the banquet, if the chairman of a major corporation is hosting it, it’s not just for fun.
There must be some purpose, and if Seong-jun knew that purpose, he could prepare accordingly.
“On the surface, think of it as a light gathering where people chat and enjoy themselves. But that’s only how it looks on the outside. Behind it, there’s an intention to show off one’s connections. My father believes connections are a kind of ability. So whenever such an event is held, not only the siblings but even cousins bring the best connections they can muster. And among the connections I know right now, you’re the best, Kim Seongjun.”
As the representative of Shinwha Electronics, his network wasn’t weak.
Of course, compared to his other brothers, he might be somewhat behind, but he still had connections across various fields.
However, no connection that Choi Sangjin, his brothers, or cousins had formed could compare to Seong-jun.
“So I’m being invited as a showpiece for your connections, and all I have to do is make it clear that you and I are very close, right?”
“Simply put, yes.”
Choi Sangjin readily admitted.
“Fine. But if I’m going to help, I should do it properly. I’ll prepare a gift that will be useful to you, in my own way.”
“Haha, this is exciting. I wonder what gift you’ll prepare.”
Choi Sangjin had more personal assets than Seong-jun.
He didn’t know what kind of gift would be helpful to someone like him, but since it was from Seong-jun, he couldn’t help but look forward to it.
“Haha, you can look forward to it.”
What could be the best gift a Hunter could give a businessman?
Seong-jun smiled with that promise.
—
At the office of loan shark Go Jae-seong.
Since quite a few people recognized Seong-jun these days, he visited the office wearing a mask and a hat pulled down low.
“Haha, you’re here.”
“Is the disposal going well?”
As Seong-jun got straight to the point, Go Jae-seong smiled and answered, “Don’t worry. There’s a deep-sea fishing boat leaving Incheon Port tomorrow dawn. I’ve loaded them on it. I’ll dispose of them the same way I handled Park Yoon-su.”
Park Yoon-su had been subjected to some unpleasant treatment before being sunk deep in the sea.
These ones were already dead, so they wouldn’t suffer the same unpleasantness, but they would also be sunk deep in the sea.
“I trust you’ll handle it cleanly.”
With that, he handed over a bag full of Holy Water.
“And this. The Holy Water I promised. I put in a generous 100 bottles. When do you plan to handle the remaining place?”
Of the three loan shark offices Seong-jun had commissioned, only the largest one was left.
To his question about when it would be dealt with, Go Jae-seong checked the bag of Holy Water and replied, “I plan to handle it as soon as I confirm the boat sets sail safely tomorrow dawn. By the way, this Holy Water… it’s no joke. Just as you said, Healer Kim Seongjun, there are no side effects at all. Thanks to that, I swept both places without a single casualty.”
No matter how low-grade an Awakened’s ability, it was still something ordinary people couldn’t handle.
Rather, it would have been stranger if using the Holy Water’s power had caused casualties.
“Of course. Did you think I would mess around with my name on the line? Anyway, so everything will be cleanly finished by tomorrow?”
“Haha, that’s right. Everything will be wrapped up tomorrow.”
Once the last loan shark fell tomorrow, all the loan sharks commissioned by Ookami would be eliminated.
Of course, they still had to be careful, but it meant at least a little more freedom for Takahashi Mamoru.
“Don’t let your guard down until the end. Please handle it cleanly. Contact me when it’s all done. I’ll take care of the remaining balance.”
With that, Seong-jun stood up and left the office.
“Take care!”
In a fluster, Go Jae-seong stood up and bowed deeply toward Seong-jun’s back.
—
At Shinwha Hotel, a five-star hotel operated by Shinwha Group.
Director Feltry Jefferson and the working-level staff of O Company, who had entered the country to collaborate with Shinwha Electronics, were thrown into an emergency due to the sudden situation.
“What do you mean? That the chairman won’t be returning for a while?”
At Director Feltry Jefferson’s words, Marie Basmann sighed and said, “Hah, tell me about it. I was also taken aback when I was abruptly informed. He said he had urgent business to take care of and wouldn’t be back for a while. He mentioned it might take longer than expected.”
Marie didn’t know what her father’s urgent business was, but she could guess it had to do with his other identity.
However, she couldn’t bring that up with the company people here.
As far as they knew, Daniel Vasman was just an ordinary businessman.
“Hmm, could it be that something happened to the chairman?”
“I’m not sure, but his voice on the phone was no different from usual.”
Daniel Vasman had tried to sound as normal as possible during the call so his daughter wouldn’t worry.
So she couldn’t imagine any threat to his safety and simply thought he had other important matters.
“Then we’ll have to handle the negotiations with Shinwha Electronics at the working-level. Did he say anything else?”
Since he said he’d be away for a long time, Feltry believed he must have given some work-related instructions.
At his question, Marie replied, “Father said he’d be away for a long time, so he asked you to act as interim representative, Director. And he told me to learn from you.”
At Marie’s words, Feltry Jefferson’s eyes widened. “Interim representative to me?”
Daniel Vasman had appointed Feltry Jefferson as interim representative because he was the most loyal among the directors.
At least he wouldn’t do anything foolish in his absence, and he was trustworthy enough to leave his daughter with.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but seeing that he made the director interim representative, it doesn’t seem like something that will end in a short period.”
“Ha! What in the world… But I’m worried. Urgent business that requires setting aside company affairs. I hope he hasn’t gotten caught up in something bad. Should we hire people to look for him?”
Feltry Jefferson was worried that Daniel Vasman might have gotten involved in something bad and encountered trouble.
“I’m just as worried, but there’s nothing we can do right now. For now, I think we should focus on handling the work as Father asked. And I’m against hiring people. I don’t know exactly what Father is doing, but hiring people might put him in a difficult position. I trust my father. He’ll definitely finish his business and come back healthy.”
Marie suspected that his other identity was not exactly legal.
That was why she couldn’t share these concerns with the company staff, but one thing was certain: her father was different from ordinary people.
The superhuman ability she had once glimpsed was definitely the kind only high-ranking Hunters could display.
That was why she opposed using people to find him.
It might reveal that her father was involved in illegal activities or that he was an unregistered Hunter.
“Understood. Then I’ll lead the negotiations along with the working-level staff. And Marie, once you return to Switzerland, prepare to come to work. I’ll arrange a suitable position for you right away. Since the chairman told me to teach you, I can’t take it lightly.”
He didn’t know what was going on, but since the chairman had entrusted the company and even his daughter to him, he intended to handle it responsibly.
—
Having roughly finished his errands, Seong-jun returned home.
It was a little past 6 PM, an early hour, but he took a shower early and sat down at his computer.
Then he opened a can of beer and took a gulp as he turned on the computer.
Gulp!
‘As expected, a beer after a shower is the truth. Kkyeu.’
‘Anyway, I’ve overcome one big mountain. The problem is that there are still mountains to climb… I don’t know when I’ll have to face the Grand Overlords again, so I need to move up to the next rank as quickly as possible.’
He had overcome the big mountain that was the Grand Overlord Alexander.
But even higher mountains still existed.
First, the one called the leader of the Grand Overlords seemed to have far greater abilities than the others, and the Master, a Dark Elf, possessed overwhelming power that couldn’t be compared to even that.
Since that Dark Elf Master wouldn’t come to the forefront immediately, setting that aside, now that Alexander had been taken down, two Grand Overlords might move together, or if not, a Grand Overlord along with several Monarch-level figures could move.
The problem was that in such a case, his current abilities might not be enough to handle it.
To solve this problem, he had to rise to the next rank, SS-rank. Once that happened, it would be the same as all his party members reaching SS-rank, so they should be able to withstand Revolution’s offensive.
‘From now on, I’ll focus on A-rank dungeons, so experience will build quickly. Plus, I have two bottles of Holy Water of Experience Growth. The problem is whether I’ll get a rank-up at the next level.’
He had two bottles of Holy Water of Experience Growth, and since he would be tackling A-rank dungeons from now on, it wouldn’t take long to reach the next level, level 6.
The problem was that he was still at level 5, and there were three remaining ranks: SS, SSS, and EX.
That meant there would be a gap between level 6 and level 10 where he might not rank up.
And the issue was that he didn’t know exactly where that gap would occur.
‘At least I hope I can go straight to SS-rank. If not, it’ll be very difficult to deal with the Grand Overlords.’
Even with all debuffs applied, Daniel Vasman had shown himself to be Seong-jun’s equal or even superior.
If a Grand Overlord with similar strength to Daniel Vasman and another presumably even stronger one attacked simultaneously—and if multiple S-rank Monarchs joined in—there was no way to win in his current state.
To overcome this, he had to reach SS-rank.
To do that, he had to rank up at this next level increase.
‘Tch, worrying won’t solve it. Let’s just take the Holy Water of Experience.’
Seong-jun took out the two bottles of Holy Water of Experience Growth he had stored in his Subspace.
He opened the caps and downed them immediately.
Gulp! Gulp!
The two bottles of Holy Water of Experience Growth swiftly entered his mouth.
‘Hmm, it’s still not enough, I guess. I’ve tackled A-rank dungeons and cleared many B-rank dungeons, so I had a slight hope, but…’
Disappointingly, even after drinking two bottles of Holy Water of Experience Growth, he didn’t level up. But he felt something full, as if he wasn’t far from the next level.
‘Well, I’ll just have to grind dungeons hard for a while. For now, reaching the next level is the top priority.’
Even if he didn’t reach SS-rank at the next level, leveling up itself would make him stronger than now, so Seong-jun planned to focus on dungeon clearing for a while.
Just then.
Ring ring ring ring~
His phone rang.
“Huh? The Association President at this hour?”
Though it wasn’t very late, it was still evening, not daytime, so Seong-jun looked puzzled.
“Yes, this is Kim Seongjun. What brings you at this hour, President?”
As Seong-jun answered, the President’s voice came from the phone.
-Haha, Healer Kim Seongjun.
Can you spare a moment for a call?
“Yes, I’m home, so it’s fine.”
-Oh!
I see.
Well, the International Awakener Association has been pressuring me about your Irregular evaluation.
They keep urging you to visit the United States as soon as possible.
The reason the President contacted Seong-jun was because of the International Awakener Association’s push.
“Ah! That Irregular evaluation. I thought it was over since I sent them my footage and data. I believed the rest was for them to decide.”
-Usually that’s the case, but for some reason, they want to conduct additional tests and are requesting a visit to the International Awakener Association.
I missed the timing to tell you earlier, but the demands kept coming.
Since Healer Kim was very busy, I held off, but they’ve been persistent.
So, would you be willing to go to the US?
Since it concerned Seong-jun, it was natural to ask his opinion.
“Hmm. I wasn’t particularly concerned about receiving Irregular approval anyway, so I haven’t paid it much attention. Is it really necessary to get it?”
-If you want to be registered as an Irregular, it would be best to comply with their wishes.
However, if you don’t mind not being an Irregular, you can ignore it.
Being registered as an Irregular came with various benefits.
And it also increased influence.
But that only applied to ordinary Hunters; for Seong-jun, who already wielded considerable influence, those benefits weren’t particularly attractive.
“I see. But if I were to undergo the additional test, when would I have to visit?”
-When I first received the contact, they mentioned a one-month window.
Two weeks have passed since then.
They want you to visit the US within next week at the latest.
When he heard they wanted him to visit within next week, Seong-jun sighed and said, “Next week? Haa, I’m afraid that’s hard. I need to focus on other things right now. I don’t have the bandwidth to run around here and there. Just give up on the Irregular evaluation. Treat it as never happening.”
With Revolution’s Grand Overlords possibly descending at any moment, he couldn’t afford to waste time on an Irregular evaluation.
He wasn’t particularly attracted to the Irregular title anyway.
In this urgent situation where he had to achieve level-up quickly, he couldn’t spend time so aimlessly.
Well, after reaching SS-rank later, it might be nice to visit the Holy Emperor too, but they asked him to come next week, so what could he do?
-You…
You’re giving up?
“Yes, as I said, I can’t spare the time right now. If I had enough time, I’d consider it. But if I have to go by next week, I think it’s better to give up on the Irregular evaluation.”
At Seong-jun’s words, the President spoke in a flustered tone.
-Heh heh, Healer Kim, is that really okay?
From the atmosphere, it seemed like you would be approved as an Irregular if you just took the additional test.
If that’s your decision, I’ll convey it to the International Awakener Association, but…
In truth, the President wasn’t happy about Seong-jun going to the US.
He could clearly see their intention to lure Seong-jun there.
But since Seong-jun himself said he’d give up, he was inwardly relieved.
“It’s fine. This is an important time for me. Anyway, please pass that on to them.”
-Understood.
Then I’ll inform the International Awakener Association that you are withdrawing from the Irregular evaluation.
After finishing the call, Seong-jun frowned slightly.
‘Tch. An Irregular at a time like this, my foot.’
Nothing occupied Seong-jun’s mind except leveling up as fast as possible.
—
I Became an EX-Class All-Rounder Priest Episode 126
E-book publication date: 2025.11.14
Author: Kim Hyeon-jun
Publisher: Heo Heung-beom, Park Geon-won
Published by: Poten
Address: [04783] 10F, 8 Yeonmujang 11-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul
Phone: 02-6320-8500
Fax: 02-6320-8585
ISBN: 9791175302167
Price: 100 won
c Kim Hyeon-jun 2025
This e-book is a protected work under copyright law.
This e-book is published under a contract with the author; unauthorized reproduction, copying, distribution, or sharing is prohibited without written consent from both parties.
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