NOVEL NEXT Chapter 10
The media has been in an uproar.
Articles pouring in one after another.
<“The label ‘(Solo)’ is gone, Perfect Clear announcement.”>
└Why is it a foreign country? It could be from our country.
└If it were from our country, the government would be promoting it as a major achievement, making a big deal about it.
└Could it still be in the contact stage?
└Common sense, do you think our country would be more competent? Or the agents from the advanced countries like the US, China, or Japan? It’s obvious who would have made the first contact.
└Ah, I see.
└What’s this? Why is Japan involved?
South Korea, which had only been hearing about the loss of talent.
Everyone was filled with anxiety.
└What is the government doing? The 10th Guilds!
└Are we going to lose again?
└This is really bad. If the superconductors were lies, now these two are the only hope for South Korea.
└If we lose either the S-Class Mage or Perfect Clearer, I’m seriously going to the management headquarters with a knife.
It wasn’t a solo, but the progress had gone up just the same.
South Korea (22 days remaining): 92.94001%
The government promoted these numbers to calm the public, but as a result, the desire for the Perfect Clearer awakener grew, and so did the sense of crisis.
It ended up having the opposite effect.
The people of South Korea were extremely sensitive.
The continuous brain drain.
The resulting drop in progress rate.
Progress directly affects the people’s lives.
It’s the most fundamental indicator connected to the lives of the citizens.
If progress isn’t completed, everyone will die.
It doesn’t just indicate future risks.
The anxiety or sense of stability that comes from progress.
This affects foreign investment, economic fluctuations.
Even birth rates.
All kinds of indicators follow suit.
Progress doesn’t just become a problem if it isn’t completed within 6 months.
The speed of that number affects the daily life directly.
Because of that, the team leader of the 3rd largest guild in South Korea, Seonghwa.
Yoo Chayeong and her team’s faces grew more serious.
“…We can’t lose it like this.”
“But the government is controlling the information.”
“I know. There’s a limit to what we can do on our own.”
This wasn’t the time for pride.
Yoo Chayeong’s glasses glinted calmly.
She found Manager Choi’s number in her contacts.
“As long as we don’t lose it to a foreign country, we’re fine.”
“Pardon?”
“Even if we first subordinate a government awakener, we can still aim for a future recruitment.”
It was a difficult decision.
‘That person’s too tense, I find it burdensome…’
Yoo Chayeong, who preferred calm people like herself.
But in the end, this was the true path for Seonghwa.
“Phew… From now on, I’ll fully cooperate with Section Chief Choi Young-ho.”
The two most competent headhunters in South Korea.
If Yoo Chayeong and Choi Young-ho teamed up.
Finding the Perfect Clear awakener was just a matter of time.
###
Late evening, at the academy.
Kang Hyun, unaware of the chaos he had caused.
He focused only on the box in front of him.
[Would you like to open ‘Random Box (+2)’?]
“Shall I open it now?”
“This is always the most exciting part!”
The thrill of opening a random box.
This was a special reward from Perfect Clear.
Every item that came out was of a completely different caliber compared to regular rewards.
“The system really is great.”
The feeling of growing through sheer luck.
The thrill that he never experienced in his past life.
Kyle’s strength was built on blood and sweat.
“This time, what will it be?”
“Let’s go!”
[Opening ‘Random Box (+2)’.]
Light and sound effects erupted.
BAM!
[You have received ‘Dried Shincheonsu Elixir’.]
Aden clenched her fist.
“Another one!”
A potion appeared in the air before Kang Hyun.
He immediately took it into his mouth.
Yum.
[Your ‘Mana’ has increased. (F+ → E-)]
“Phew. Alright, I’ve reached E- rank!”
“Congratulations!”
“Now that my mana’s full, let’s head for another dungeon!”
“Let’s go!”
Whether the country was in chaos or not.
They headed for the next dungeon.
###
Section Chief Choi’s face was drained.
‘They found it before us?’
Section Chief Choi, always sitting upright with perfect posture.
But this time, he couldn’t stop shaking his legs in anxiety.
Thud, thud, thud, thud—
“Uh? J-Jumu-won! Is the desk shaking? An earthquake?”
“No, it’s the Section Chief.”
“Huh?”
Losing Perfect Clearer?
Dark clouds were about to hang over the country’s future.
His heart raced in anxiety.
He had to find it today.
But the employees’ work hours had to be respected.
That’s the regulation.
“E-Everyone, please head home… I, I’ll stay tonight…”
“Eh! The shaking’s getting worse!”
“Section Chief! We’ll stay too, so don’t worry!”
Fortunately, Choi’s trembling stopped thanks to his team’s patriotism.
Thus, as the outside darkened.
Everyone else went home.
Only Section Chief Choi stayed in the office.
‘I can’t let it slip away. For the country’s sake!’
A cup of coffee, fueled by his staff’s patriotism.
One shot!
Still, his hands didn’t stop flipping through documents.
Shchhh!
While flipping through the awakeners’ profiles, he found a familiar face.
‘Ah, it’s him.’
Kang Hyun.
The man who came with A-class Aden before.
But the information was odd.
‘Hmm? F-rank?’
Even the registration date was recent.
What’s going on? This can’t be right.
He’d definitely sensed an A-class fighter’s aura from him.
Was the data wrong?
He couldn’t just let it go.
Let’s investigate a little further.
‘Aden was a magic-type, and he was said to be A-Class mage’s master… so he must be a mage too.’
He searched through his contacts.
Found a well-connected mage acquaintance.
He made the call.
The result:
[Oh, that scammer?]
“Scammer?”
[People who know him know. He was all the rage for saying he could teach them Word Magic, but do you know what happened?]
A chuckle echoed through the phone.
[Well, apparently, he turned down Oh Hyuksoo, the current leading A-class candidate, saying he had no talent.]
“Oh Hyuksoo? You mean the B-class Oh Hyuksoo who’s a current A-class candidate?”
Hearing the whole story, a sense of emptiness washed over him.
‘A scammer…?’
This can’t be.
He’d definitely felt something big from him.
He’d trusted his instincts.
‘No, wait. He said he was A-class’s master.’
If he was a scammer, why would Aden stay as his disciple?
Did Aden fall for a scam too?
Something didn’t add up.
‘Could he really be a scammer?’
It felt like if he just probed a little, he’d figure it out.
Section Chief Choi made his decision.
He dialed Kang Hyun.
Beep beep beep—
‘Ah, he must be in a dungeon.’
The characteristic interference sound from a dungeon.
When you’re in a dungeon, the signal doesn’t reach properly, and you hear strange noises.
But soon after, a call came back through.
“Yes, Kang Hyun.”
“Correct, I called. Are you busy?”
“Good. It’s about Aden’s new identity registration… I need to ask something…”
At that moment.
Footsteps running down the hallway.
Thud thud thud.
Bang!
“S-S-Section Chief !”
One of the employees, who was heading home, rushed back.
He didn’t even finish work yet.
What’s going on?
Section Chief Choi quickly muted the call.
“Please wait a moment. I’m currently on the phone…”
“Perfect Clear has just appeared! It just showed up!”
Perfect Clear.
Right now.
And just now, Kang Hyun had left the dungeon.
“…!”
At that moment, a chill ran down his spine.
“C-C-Could you please leave? I’ll talk to you later!”
“Pardon? Ah, yes. Understood.”
Why is he stuttering?
Was he talking to someone important?
The employee left, and the door closed.
Section Chief Choi stood up, almost knocking over his chair.
He wildly searched through the scattered papers.
‘Dungeon clear records. Reporter: Kang Hyun, Kang Hyun, Kang Hyun…’
His hands shook.
And then.
‘This is it!’
Awakener Kang Hyun.
Yesterday’s self-reported dungeon clear records.
‘F-, F, F+. And today, one more F+.’
It matched.
His heart raced so much that it felt like it was going to burst.
‘I found it.’
The one and only.
The world’s first six consecutive perfect clears.
Section Chief Choi snapped out of his daze.
“Yes, yes! Can you hear me?”
“Just a moment, I’d like to talk about Aden….”
First, let’s make an appointment.
“Yes, yes! Whatever date works for you… Ah, yes. I’ll meet you then, Mr. Kang Hyun.”
He hurriedly wrote down the appointment details with trembling hands.
“Master, the electricity bill came.”
“Just leave it there.”
Kang Hyun, barely noticing the commotion caused by himself, continued focusing on the stones in front of him.
“What are you doing?”
“Counting magic stones. It’s time to exchange them.”
“Oh, is all of this money?”
He had only done six dungeon runs, but he’d done them solo without a team.
So he had accumulated all the magic stones himself.
There were a lot of them.
An amount that a typical F-rank awakener would have accumulated after at least 30 runs.
“How much do you think it’ll be?”
“When you get the money, please repair the academy’s broken toilet.”
“That much should be fine, right?”
“It’s fine, but… seeing the broken toilet just makes me sad.”
“…Right.”
Actually, Kang Hyun felt the same way.
‘But I’m an ex-hero, I should live a bit more luxuriously.’
Now, he wasn’t poor.
“Let’s treat ourselves a bit! Buy more snacks, and get a bidet installed! I can slowly pay off the debt.”
“Eh? We have debt?”
“Yeah? Oh, wait.”
The people he killed were those who sent people after him to collect debts.
Should he even pay this debt?
‘Those guys are dead now, so it’s like the slate’s clean.’
Even if he paid it back, they would probably send assassins after him again.
‘This is South Korea. I can’t just go and kill them all. I can’t keep getting beaten up either.’
He needed to meet with the head of the creditors and settle things.
Maybe he could use this opportunity to get rid of the debt.
“Good suggestion, my disciple. This kid’s got a good head on him.”
“Hehe. Is that so?”
It seemed like a conversation with the loan sharks was in order.
The hero way.