In the end, the Association failed to provide an answer before the Holy Emperor arrived in Korea.
Although 14 billion won might not be a massive sum for the Awakened Association, which represented every Awakened in Korea, they could not justify spending that much on a broken device that had already lost its functionality and proven nothing.
However, since they couldn’t just stand by and watch it fall into the hands of a foreign guild, they appealed to Seong-jun’s patriotism, asking him to make a noble decision for the sake of Korea.
Unfortunately for them, that tactic didn’t work on him.
It was slightly past 2:00 AM.
“Haha, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am William Kreft, the Guild Master of Holy Emperor. This is our second team leader, Reina Jeffros, and this is our third team leader, Sarah Berin.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Reina Jeffros.”
“I can’t tell you how shocked I was to hear that Carl could get his arm back. I’m Sarah Berin.”
Normally, given the late hour, they should have headed straight to their hotel to rest.
However, because William, the Guild Master, had strongly requested to meet Seong-jun, the encounter took place well past midnight.
“Yes, it’s a pleasure. I am Kim Seong-jun. These are my teammates, Gwang-taek and Yuseon.”
At Seong-jun’s introduction, Gwang-taek and Yuseon bowed slightly in greeting.
“I’m the Tanker, Gwang-taek. It’s an honor to meet the world’s top Hunters.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Yuseon.”
After the brief introductions, they took their seats.
William brought up the main topic first.
“I heard an unbelievable story from Carl on my way to Korea. Did you really discover a device that can artificially manipulate a dungeon?”
Since it was late, he skipped the small talk and got straight to the point.
“I have circumstantial evidence, but no absolute proof. However, I am certain that the anomaly that occurred in the dungeon was caused by this device.”
As he spoke, Seong-jun pulled the device from his coat and placed it on the table.
*Thud!*
William picked up the device and examined it closely.
His expression soon turned serious.
“A Mana Stone Amplifier. I didn’t expect to see one of these here.”
Judging by William’s reaction, he seemed to know something about the device.
Seong-jun asked with a curious look.
“A Mana Stone Amplifier? Do you know about this device?”
“Rather than the whole device, I know about this specific part attached to it. Do you see this section? This is a Mana Stone Amplifier, which serves to temporarily boost the mana contained within a Mana Stone. However, it was far too unstable to be practical. Despite repeated research, they couldn’t improve it, and the experiments were eventually halted.”
A Mana Stone Amplifier.
It was a device designed to amplify mana so that low-grade Mana Stones could temporarily produce the same effects as high-grade ones.
However, because of its instability, various side effects occurred.
Even after investing massive amounts of capital and time, they couldn’t solve the issues, and the project was scrapped.
Yet, that Mana Stone Amplifier had reappeared here.
“Carl didn’t seem to recognize it.”
“It was a project conducted by the Department of Defense, and it was only disclosed to the mega-guilds to ensure a stable supply of Mana Stones. It wasn’t exactly a top-secret project, but at that time, Carl had just lost his arm and was in despair, so it’s natural he wouldn’t know. Back then, Carl wasn’t interested in anything.”
The reason Carl didn’t know about the device was that the project occurred during his period of seclusion right after losing his arm.
Afterward, he was too focused on rehabilitation to pay attention to anything else, and by the time he rejoined the guild, the project had already been scrapped.
“I see. That means the person who made this device might be the same person who created the Mana Stone Amplifier.”
“That is a possibility. After the project was scrapped, all the core figures who led the research disappeared without a trace. However, for some reason, I don’t think he created this entire device. He was probably just an assistant.”
Since the Mana Stone Amplifier was attached to the device, one might assume its creator was the one who built the whole thing.
But William Kreft felt that wasn’t the case and viewed them as a mere collaborator.
“Is there a reason you think so?”
In response to Seong-jun’s question, William showed one side of the device.
“Do you see these characters? I once discovered some ruins while clearing an A-rank Dungeon, and these are very similar to the characters I saw there. That means there’s a high probability these aren’t characters from Earth. Furthermore, Dr. Jessica Voltron, who led the research at the time, had no interest in ancient scripts, let alone otherworldly languages. In other words, the person who carved these characters into the device is likely someone other than Dr. Jessica.”
Seong-jun hadn’t looked closely at the device since retrieving it, but upon checking, he saw uniquely shaped characters engraved on it.
‘Otherworldly characters found in dungeon ruins are engraved on the device? That means knowledge from another world was used. Either someone obtained that knowledge from a dungeon, or something from another world crossed over to Earth through a dungeon.’
Through the Residual Thoughts of Hermia Jaylin, Seong-jun knew that humans existed in other worlds and that knowledge based on entirely different concepts existed there.
Thus, he hypothesized that someone had either gained that knowledge or that someone from another world had arrived on Earth.
“I think the former is more likely than the latter, but we can’t rule out the possibility of the latter. Regardless, this device is certainly worth studying. I will deposit the promised 10 million dollars immediately.”
The presence of the Mana Stone Amplifier was suspicious enough, but the addition of otherworldly characters seen in dungeon ruins sealed the deal.
William concluded that, just as Seong-jun and Carl said, there was a high probability this device had influenced the dungeon.
“Ah, yes. But if you happen to find out anything through this device, could you let me know? Of course, only within the limits of what you’re allowed to share.”
Since he was handing over the device for money, asking for the information they uncovered could be seen as an excessive request.
However, William readily agreed.
“You’re the person treating Carl’s arm, so I can certainly do that much. I’ll have to investigate first, but if we discover anything, I’ll let you know. In exchange, please do your best for Carl’s treatment.”
To William, Carl’s treatment was more important than the information from the device.
As long as Seong-jun did his best to heal Carl, he was more than willing to share whatever information they found.
“Haha, don’t worry about that. It will just take some time, but I’ll take responsibility for making Carl’s left arm whole again.”
The Diagnosis had confirmed a full recovery was possible, and the arm was already being reconstructed bit by bit.
It was simply a matter of time.
After completing the transaction, Seong-jun chatted for a while longer before getting up to leave.
It was late, and they had to prepare for tomorrow.
***
After leaving the hotel where the Holy Emperor guild members were staying, Seong-jun’s group headed out in their car.
Since Gwang-taek and Yuseon lived nearby, he planned to drop them off together before heading home.
“By the way, Brother Gwang-taek, Yuseon, aren’t you guys going to move?”
Seong-jun had already signed a contract for an apartment with a great view and started renovations, so he was moving in soon. Since Gwang-taek and Yuseon hadn’t mentioned moving yet, he brought it up.
“Oh? Moving? I should. Actually, I’ve been looking for a good place. Wait, instead of that, should I just move to your apartment building, Seong-jun? Are there any units for sale?”
“To my place? Well, I don’t mind, but I’m not sure if there are any listings. I’ll stop by the real estate office on my way out tomorrow and ask.”
It wasn’t a bad idea for Seong-jun if Gwang-taek moved into the same building.
If an emergency occurred, they could group up quickly.
Yuseon’s eyes sparkled as she spoke.
“Oh! That’s not a bad idea. I should talk to my mom and see if we can move there too.”
Seeing Gwang-taek consider it made Yuseon feel it was a good idea as well.
However, unlike Gwang-taek who lived alone, she lived with her mother, so she had to ask for her opinion first.
“Haha, sure. Come on over, everyone.”
As they talked about moving, Gwang-taek suddenly spoke to Seong-jun.
“Seong-jun. About that device. For some reason, I feel like it was a waste to let it go like that. Hearing Guild Master William talk, it sounds like they’re going to find something out. I know 10 million dollars isn’t a small amount, but if they discover something, won’t that itself be worth far more? I can’t help but feel it might have been better to keep it, even if we couldn’t figure anything out ourselves.”
A device that can manipulate dungeons.
If that were true, its value would be tens of times higher than 14 billion won.
At the very least, if they could learn even a minor detail from it, it would hold immense value.
Gwang-taek felt a lingering regret about giving it up so easily.
Looking at Gwang-taek, Seong-jun gave a smirk.
“You could certainly think that way. If that really is a device that causes dungeon manipulation, we could have used it to plan for the future just by holding onto it. But Brother Gwang-taek, do you really think this is a one-time thing?”
At the unexpected question, Gwang-taek looked puzzled.
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Carl said this whole incident felt like a field test. I agree with that to some extent. But if this was just a field test, like Carl suggested, do you think it would end after just one time? The way I see it, there will be at least a few more tests.”
At Seong-jun’s words, Gwang-taek nodded as if he understood.
“Ah! I see. Usually, a test never ends after just one try. So you think there will be additional tests?”
“Probably. Of course, there’s no guarantee the next test will be in Korea, and even if it is, we won’t know which dungeon it’ll be. But if we investigate the dungeons that have been converted into Closed Dungeons, we might be able to acquire another device.”
The reason Seong-jun could give up the device so easily was that he judged there was a good chance of getting another one.
Normally, the first of anything has intrinsic value, which is why he could sell it at such a high price.
Once a second or third device appeared, the value would inevitably drop.
He had sold it for as much as possible before that happened.
“As expected, you’ve thought this through.”
“By the time we get our hands on another device, the Holy Emperor will have figured something out. If we can just share that info, we get the results without doing any of the hard work. Even if they don’t find anything, it’s not like we lose anything.”
They might find nothing, but he believed the Holy Emperor would at least find some small clue.
Seong-jun’s judgment was that as long as they could share that clue, they could learn even more from any new device they acquired.
Even if nothing was discovered, Seong-jun’s group wouldn’t suffer any loss.
“Is that why you asked him to let you know if they find anything?”
“Well, that’s part of it. Oh! By the way, what did the building owner say? Did the talk with the tenants go well?”
Seong-jun suddenly remembered and asked about the building.
Although Seong-jun was the one buying the building, Gwang-taek was checking the progress regularly.
Since Gwang-taek’s friend, Gyu-taek, was close with the owner, it was decided that Gwang-taek should handle the check-ins.
“The building? Yeah, they said they agreed to vacate soon. It’ll be empty within fifteen days at the earliest, and a month at the latest. By the way, we’ll need to renovate too. Should we expect that to take about four to five months?”
Even if they vacated soon, it would take at least fifteen days to a month, and considering the renovation, he estimated it would be at least four to five months before they could fully use the building.
However, Seong-jun planned to utilize the building as soon as the sale was finalized, regardless of the renovations.
“The renovation will only be for the ground floors. I don’t plan to do much to the underground parking lot or the private space on the second basement floor. If anything, I’ll just touch up the entrance leading from the first basement to the second. So, regardless of the renovation, we can use the secret space as soon as the building purchase is complete.”
Since the renovations were only for the upper floors, he didn’t plan to touch the basement.
That meant they could use the secret basement space the moment they bought the building.
“Oh! Now that you mention it, that’s true.”
“That means we can generate a dungeon as soon as the building is bought? If that’s the case, then that’s great. Not only will our growth be faster, but we can even snag one-of-a-kind rewards.”
At Seong-jun’s words, Gwang-taek and Yuseon smiled with satisfaction.
Although they were already receiving the massive benefit of full tax exemption for their team, being able to take an entire dungeon for themselves and receive the First Entry Benefit every time was a huge advantage in itself.
“Anyway, Brother Gwang-taek, please keep checking on it.”
“Yeah, will do.”
While chatting, they arrived at their destination, and he dropped Gwang-taek and Yuseon off.
Then, he headed straight for his own home.
***
The next day, Seong-jun headed to the Association with his team.
They had a scheduled meeting with the Holy Emperor.
“Welcome.”
When Seong-jun’s group entered the Association President’s office, the President greeted them with a smile.
“Yes, but it seems the Holy Emperor’s side hasn’t arrived yet?”
“I just received word that they’ve departed. But before they get here, I have something important to discuss with Healer Kim Seong-jun.”
When the President said he had something to say before the Holy Emperor arrived, Seong-jun looked confused.
“Something important?”
“Yes. Actually, I received a call yesterday from Lord Ookami in Japan. It seems Asumi Kato, who is known as Japan’s Saintess, wants to see Healer Kim Seong-jun. So, a request came in for you to visit Japan. I was too preoccupied yesterday to mention it.”
What was this about?
Why would Japan’s Saintess, Asumi Kato, want to see him?
“Asumi Kato from Ookami wants to see me? Why?”
“I’m not sure about the details. Perhaps she wants to make a recruitment offer, or maybe she’s just curious because Healer Kim Seong-jun has recently been called a Saint in Korea.”
Asumi Kato, the Guild Master of Ookami and an S-rank Healer, received absolute support from the Japanese people, to the extent of being called a Saintess.
While Reina Jeffros and Sarah Berin of the Holy Emperor were also S-rank Healers, there were gaps even within the S-rank, and Asumi Kato was evaluated as being a level above Reina and Sarah.
And such a person had suddenly asked to see Seong-jun.
“Hmm, Japan isn’t that far, so I could go, but I think it might be difficult right now. I have the schedule with the Holy Emperor, and there are several other things I need to handle. Tell them I’ll drop by once I’ve cleared my current tasks and have some breathing room.”
Visiting Japan wasn’t hard, but Seong-jun had immediate tasks at hand.
Beyond the schedule with Holy Emperor, he had the building purchase, the apartment move-in, and testing the dungeon generator.
He had a lot to handle.
Thus, he couldn’t go immediately and told the President to relay that he would go later when he was free.
“Ah! Is that so? That’s good. Honestly, I thought it would be better to play hard to get anyway. As you know, our relationship with the Japan Association isn’t great, and isn’t Healer Kim Seong-jun called a Saint in Korea? It wouldn’t look good if the Korean Saint went running just because the Japanese Saintess called. Hahaha.”
The Korean Association, the Japanese Association, and the Chinese Association did not get along.
There had always been friction between the three nations, and that extended to their respective Associations.
China, the strongest nation in terms of Hunters, naturally looked down on both Korea and Japan, and Japan, the second strongest in Asia, also openly looked down on the Korean Association and its Hunter community.
However, since Korea’s actual power didn’t match China or Japan’s, they couldn’t openly cause trouble.
If a situation occurred that Korea’s Hunter force couldn’t handle alone, they would inevitably have to ask for their help.
In such a situation, the Japanese Saintess was calling for the Korean Saint.
The President had secretly hoped Seong-jun would play hard to get, so he was delighted when Seong-jun said it would be difficult to go right away.
“Haha, is that how it works? Anyway, I can’t go right now, so please relay that to the Japanese side as you see fit.”
“Yes, I will. Oh! By the way, that device. Did you happen to hand it over to the Holy Emperor?”
The President brought up the device in a subtle tone.
Seong-jun nodded and replied.
“Yes, they brought it up as soon as we met yesterday. It’s a useless item for me to keep anyway, and since the Association’s reaction was lukewarm, I just handed it over.”
There was nothing to be done.
It had already left Seong-jun’s hands and was now in the possession of the Holy Emperor.
“I see. *Sigh*, it’s a shame. No matter how much I am the Association President, I can’t make arbitrary decisions when it comes to spending funds. It can’t be helped.”
Even if he couldn’t be sure the device was related to the dungeon anomaly, the President was still filled with regret.
“Haha, yes. Oh! By the way, if a dungeon is converted into a Closed Dungeon, does the Association get notified immediately?”
At Seong-jun’s sudden question, the President nodded and answered.
“Yes. Unless it’s a newly generated dungeon that hasn’t been discovered yet, Association staff are dispatched to every Dungeon Portal. They are instructed to report to the Association immediately if anything unusual happens. But why do you ask?”
“If a dungeon happens to be converted into a Closed Dungeon, could you let me know? There’s just something I’d like to check personally.”
Seong-jun didn’t mention the device and just brushed it off by saying he wanted to check something.
“A Closed Dungeon? Hmm, it’s not difficult, so I can do that, but what exactly are you trying to check…?”
Once a dungeon was converted into a Closed Dungeon, no one could enter from the outside.
Either the Hunters inside had to clear it, or they all had to die for it to open again.
So what on earth was he going to check?
“It’s nothing big. Just a bit of personal curiosity? Anyway, if you help me out this time, I’ll help the Association once when you need it later. Of course, within the limits of what I can do.”
The world was built on give-and-take.
Since it was basic to give something in return for a favor, he promised to help the Association once in the future if they helped him now.
The President’s eyes lit up at those words.
“Oh! Really? This feels like I’ve gained a wish card. Very well. If any place is converted into a Closed Dungeon, I will notify you immediately.”
Since it was a very favorable deal for the Association, the President agreed immediately without hesitation.