NOVEL NEXT Chapter 18
Chapter 18. Rank 4 (2)
“Promotion…”
Yoo Ji-han was quite surprised.
Who would have thought that the Hero Department would directly encourage a party promotion!
He had considered that a promotion would be necessary at some appropriate time.
This was because moving on to a higher rank was essential to enter a MA exceeding Rank 5.
However, he never anticipated that such a request would come from the outside just two weeks after entering a MA.
Yang Ji-cheol hastily added, “However, this is not the official position of the Hero Department. This is merely the gathered opinions of me and the other staff managing the field…”
“I still need to go through the basic promotion procedures, right?”
“Yes, yes. I’m really sorry about that.”
He slightly lowered his head, truly seeming apologetic.
While he thought it would be great if a party that was performing well enough to draw complaints from other Rank 5 Parties got promoted to Rank 4, it was still just the opinion of the individual staff members.
Generally, a party has to follow the procedures for promotion.
They couldn’t overlook the basic procedures just to promote them.
“I understand what you’re saying. But we’ve only just started hunting. Can we really be promoted…?”
“Since you’ve hunted mutations, I believe you’ll easily pass the promotion assessment. And as a reference, I am participating as both an examiner and final judge in the promotion assessments for parties ranked from 4 to 2 this year.”
“…!”
“Woo.”
Yoo Ji-han and Kim Si-hu widened their eyes.
Yang Ji-cheol scratched his cheek a bit, looking a little embarrassed at their reaction.
‘This person is an examiner.’
One of the examiners from the Hero Department responsible for party promotions.
A person in a significant position is requesting a promotion for a Rank 5 Party.
It was hard to believe that this person had suffered a severe head injury.
They really had to take this seriously.
‘This might actually be possible.’
Yoo Ji-han fell into deep thought.
Globally, MA declarations for Rank 3 and Rank 4 were the most common, followed by Rank 5, Rank 2, and Rank 1.
A hero’s rank corresponds to the rank of their affiliated party.
As ranks increase, so do the risks, but along with that, the rewards also rise.
Thus, many guilds wish for their affiliated parties to reach higher ranks.
Sweet Fun was no exception.
‘Even Kim Hyun-tae’s party, which promoted quickly, took over a month.’
Keroes’ Kim Hyun-tae’s party took over a month to promote to Rank 4.
That was also considered pretty fast compared to other parties.
But Yoo Ji-han received a promotion request in just two weeks.
“This isn’t a forced decision. The Hero Department will respect your opinions.”
“I understand. Still, it seems that everyone on site shares similar opinions, so we will seriously consider it.”
“Thank you!”
Having said what he needed to say, Yang Ji-cheol left the office, mentioning he had other schedules.
Yoo Ji-han and Kim Si-hu returned to the table after seeing him off to the door.
“….”
“….”
The two sat in silence, looking at different places while seated.
The suddenly dropped topic of promotion had everyone deep in thought.
Then, Yoo Ji-han’s gaze landed on a gift box he received.
‘Shall I give it a taste?’
As he tore open the wrapping, he pulled out two packs of black juice from inside.
He handed one to Kim Si-hu.
Receiving it, Kim Si-hu said, “Have you tried this?”
“I’ve only heard rumors about it.”
Kim Si-hu cut the edge of the pack with scissors and brought it to his mouth.
And the moment he took a sip,
“Woo—”
The taste was so gross that it made him gag.
With juice smudged on his lips, he looked at the remaining juice with a grimace.
Yoo Ji-han, who had also cut the edge of his pack, muttered, “It’s 100,000 won per pack at the lowest price on Maibor Shopping.”
“100,000 won?! For this crap? No way!”
“It’s true. Plus, it’s said to be good for vitality and a hero’s magic.”
“That’s just exaggerated advertising. Those scammers.”
“We can’t throw it away since it’s a gift. Just eat it for now.”
Holding his nose with one hand, Kim Si-hu poured the remaining juice into his mouth.
After releasing his nose, he scrunched his face up at the smell rising from his stomach.
As he tossed the empty pack into the trash, he asked, “So, hyung, what are we going to do about the promotion?”
“Why are you asking me?”
“Huh?”
“The guild representative isn’t me; it’s you. At least you should make the decision regarding the promotion.”
“I know that too. But I still want to hear the opinion of someone who’s reached Rank 2. I’m unsure if we should challenge for a promotion right now…”
While unofficial, Yoo Ji-han had been a party member of Kim Hyun-tae’s party that had climbed to Rank 2.
Kim Si-hu wanted to hear the perspective of such a hero.
“And wasn’t your party treated almost like a semi-Rank 1?”
“Was it?”
People active in internet communities sometimes wrote about the rankings of parties.
It was a ranking that didn’t follow the official announcements from the Hero Department and often contained a mix of jokes.
In that ranking, Kim Hyun-tae’s party hovered between Rank 1 and Rank 2.
Although they weren’t officially a Rank 1 party, netizens recognized Kim Hyun-tae’s party as a party close to Rank 1.
‘Kim Hyun-tae’s party is Rank 1.’
Rank 1.
The highest honor that can be called a level for a hero.
Currently, there were only 10 Rank 1 heroes in Korea.
As long as there was just one Rank 1 hero in a party, that party could be referred to as Rank 1, which made various guilds actively seek to recruit them.
The weight of the number one was significantly heavy.
In fact, due to this, there have been instances where perfectly good parties have been torn apart.
‘That seems like an overrating.’
Promotion to a Rank 1 party isn’t the same as a standard promotion.
To be precise, there weren’t any specifically defined promotion criteria.
The only known requirement was that both the nation the party belongs to and neighboring nations must recognize them.
So, the heroes currently labeled as Rank 1 are quite remarkable.
They are the true ‘heroes’ who maintained peace during crises that even people from beyond the continent remember.
‘But if the opportunity arises, who knows.’
Kim Hyun-tae’s party had not risen to Rank 1.
Perhaps not in other countries, but Korea has been peaceful for the last few years without any significant incidents, leaving no opportunities to challenge for Rank 1.
Kim Hyun-tae had been quite irritated, even considering long-term overseas business trips because of this, while Yoo Ji-han felt relieved.
It was much better that the country didn’t face any major crises, even if the party didn’t rise to Rank 1.
Yoo Ji-han sucked the remaining juice from the pack and began organizing his thoughts.
“Personally, I think it’s a bit early. There are only two of us, and it’s just been two weeks since we properly started our activities. Generally, it’s rare to get promoted under such conditions.”
“That’s probably true…”
“But that Yang Ji-cheol who just came to the office said he’s an examiner for the promotion assessments. And that examiner directly requested a promotion for Sweet Fun today.”
A direct request for promotion from an examiner for the promotion assessment…
How many parties would receive such a request?
Certainly not that many.
<—The probability of me and Kim Si-hu getting promoted to Rank 4 in the next promotion assessment.>
The sampling didn’t indicate the probability.
Yoo Ji-han looked confidently at Kim Si-hu’s face.
“You’re wanting to try it, aren’t you?”
“…How did you know?”
“What do you mean, how did I know? It’s all written on your face.”
As Yoo Ji-han said, Kim Si-hu wanted the party to be promoted to Rank 4.
It was only natural for the guild leader to aspire to a higher position.
And there was also a very personal reason.
“Among my upperclassmen at Hero Academy, quite a few have moved up to Rank 4.”
Kim Si-hu, who had been anxiously pacing after failing the MA entry assessment.
Even with the good title of premier graduate of the academy, it held no significant meaning if he couldn’t perform any activities.
Yet heroes he had trained alongside were moving up to greater heights.
He felt a sense of urgency from that.
“…”
And the person who heard that was Yoo Ji-han, whose entire career in Keroes had been stripped away.
Typically, after graduating from Hero Academy, classmates often engage in discussions about their respective guilds and parties.
However, as he couldn’t casually mention anything about his affiliated party, he gradually lost contact with most of his classmates over time.
Nonetheless, it was unavoidable to hear about their news through the media or social networks.
Therefore, he could somewhat understand Kim Si-hu’s feelings.
“Then… Shall we give it a try?”
“Yes!”
“Your answer is really quick.”
Kim Si-hu’s eyes sparkled with excitement as he responded energetically.
Meeting his gaze, Yoo Ji-han laughed softly.
*
Park Joong-seob of Keroes was seated at his desk, handling paperwork as usual.
After signing various documents for about 30 minutes, he set his pen down.
Looking up at the wall clock, it showed 4:58 PM.
Soon, it would be time for an important report.
Knock knock.
As 5 PM approached, someone knocked on the door to the office.
Upon gaining permission, the person who entered was an employee from the management department.
One of the several contacts affiliated with Kim Hyun-tae’s party.
“I’m here to report on the current status of Kim Hyun-tae’s party today.”
“In one sentence, summarize the key points briefly.”
“…….”
The male employee, momentarily stiffened by Park Joong-seob’s request, finally spoke.
“It seems we will need more time to adapt due to changes in the party members.”
“That sounds similar to yesterday’s report.”
“If I may borrow Lim Si-yeon’s words, there have been instances of mismatches during battles.”
“Of course, that’s natural since changes have only recently been made to the party. By the way, how is our Kang-woo doing?”
By the time Park Joong-seob finished speaking, his tone had softened considerably.
Kim Kang-woo, who had newly joined the party as a formal member, replacing Yoo Ji-han.
He was the son of a close friend of Park Joong-seob.
“It seems Kim Kang-woo is showing somewhat unstable behavior in the party…”
“…Who said that?”
“Lee Mi-a.”
“Tsk.”
Park Joong-seob clicked his tongue.
He had suspected it might have been her word since she was close to Yoo Ji-han.
“Give her a stern verbal warning. It’s not good to convey incorrect information to the guild with personal interests involved.”
“Understood.”
“What about other matters?”
“This is the important information for now. Should I detail it further?”
“No. Just send the report by email and you can leave.”
Park Joong-seob was once again left alone in the office.
Interlocking his hands behind his head, he sank into his chair.
‘The Kim Hyun-tae party should stabilize again soon… I need to focus on developing other parties quickly.’
Keroes had indeed greatly expanded its influence, but development for other parties was somewhat slow, excluding the central Kim Hyun-tae party.
Including the Kim Hyun-tae party, only three parties had reached Rank 2.
And over a hundred other parties mostly occupied Rank 3 or Rank 4.
This was the result of pursuing quantitative expansion rather than qualitative development, which would leave those well-versed in the guild’s internal structure feeling quite disappointed.
Thus, moving away from relying solely on the achievements of the Kim Hyun-tae party became one of Keroes’ recent challenges.
Ding ding!
His mobile phone on the desk rang.
The caller was from the Hero Department.
“I received your call.”
—Guild Master Park Joong-seob, how are you doing?
“Ah! It’s been a while.”
This was a call from someone he had previously met in person at the Hero Department.
As Park Joong-seob exchanged warm greetings, he asked, “What brings you to call?”
—I contacted you because I had a few questions regarding Keroes.
“Feel free to ask anything.”
—Are you aware of the hero ‘Yoo Ji-han’ who had been affiliated with Keroes just a few weeks ago?
“…Yoo Ji-han?”