NOVEL NEXT Chapter 20
“…That was a foolish question on my part. I apologize.”
“Master, wow… Your response just now was so heroic.”
“Heroic? Anyone would’ve said the same thing.”
What are these people even talking about?
“And I won’t act recklessly, either.”
I was alone in my past life.
But now, I have a family.
And the world is still at peace.
Why would I rush into danger?
“I’ll only eliminate the executives listed in the ledger and their demon lackeys.”
“Understood. I’ll prepare accordingly.”
The discussion wrapped up smoothly, but Chief Choi was at a loss.
‘He’s far more powerful and extraordinary than I imagined.’
Not only perfect clears, but also abilities rivaling A-rank villains.
Kang Hyun’s value skyrocketed again.
‘I should’ve secured the contract back then, no matter what.’
A sense of urgency bubbled up.
Perhaps what he’s shown so far isn’t even the full extent of his abilities.
He might advance even further beyond reach.
‘I need to lock this down as soon as possible….’
Then, Aden interjected abruptly.
“Chief Choi! If you’re worried about Master being in danger, why not secure a strong ally for him?”
“A strong ally?”
“Yes! The fifth-ranked guild is the threat, right? Then why not aim higher and join the third-ranked guild, Holy Flame?”
Wait a minute.
Chief Choi felt a sense of foreboding.
“Th-there’s no need for that—”
“I’ve already told Yu Chae-Young, unnie, everything!”
“What?!”
A thunderbolt out of nowhere.
Chief Choi’s heart pounded furiously.
“Chae-Young unnie said she’d gladly accept Master into the guild!”
“What? Are you sure? An E-rank?”
“Yes!”
That cunning Yu Chae-Young!
‘She went for Aden first!’
Completely oblivious to Chief Choi’s inner turmoil, Aden excitedly laid out all the perks of joining the guild.
“You’ll be free from tedious administrative work!”
“You can receive state-level support, complete with parliamentary-level privileges and aides!”
“There’s a salary on top of dungeon clear bonuses!”
“And if you become a public servant Hunter, you’ll even get a pension! Job security for life!”
“But public service Hunters have too many restrictions!”
“I-I’ll fix that somehow! Just give me one… no, two years!”
Kang Hyun, however, remained unimpressed.
“I’m not interested in either option.”
Chief Choi was beaming with excitement.
Aden pouted her lips.
“Aw, Master! Please, teach me more while we’re working together!”
“Hahaha! Aden! While it’s unfortunate you can’t have Kang Hyun as your teacher, don’t worry! Once you’re hired, you’ll have the elite training of the third-ranked guild waiting for you!”
In other words, go by yourself!
Leave EX out of this!
But Chief Choi’s words only piqued Kang Hyun’s curiosity.
“Elite training?”
Did he just say elite training?
How curious he had been all this time.
What was this “elite training” that his peers teased him about so much?
They always said:
If I had trained in a prestigious martial art, I would have rewritten the history of swordsmanship.
If I Had received proper support, I would have been much stronger.
If I Had gone to the Magic Tower, I would have unified all the towers and monopolized their resources.
‘Fine, if I’ve decided to grow the easy way, I might as well commit to it.’
He was tired of banging his head against the wall.
In his previous life, he had rolled and rolled until he was exhausted.
Rolled so much that he ended up with vocal cord nodules.
Just then, Chief Choi began explaining with enthusiasm.
“Haha! The strength of the nation’s top 10 guilds, especially the third-ranked Seonghwa Guild, is remarkable!”
“Hmm…”
“Even without Kang Hyun, Aden alone will grow sufficiently there!”
“Hrrmmm…”
“Elite colleagues from major companies, systematic team play, advanced training techniques, veteran expertise, and more!”
“Hmmm…mm…”
“Especially decades of accumulated research data and the support teams from big corporations—these fundamentally change the quality of growth for an Awakened.”
“Okay.”
This, I can’t resist.
“Let’s give it a shot.”
“…Pardon?”
“Wow!”
There was a clear divide in reactions.
“Yes! I get to join the same guild as Master!”
“Wh-why…!”
At that moment, Chief Choi felt a deep sense of defeat to Yoo Chae-young.
How far had she gone to lay the groundwork for this?
‘No, this can’t be happening!’
At least the talent wasn’t being snatched by a foreign country.
But this shifted the balance of power entirely to the guild.
Moreover, corporate turnover rates were much higher than those of public servants.
Who knows? He might be lured away by an advanced country someday.
“Wait!”
In the end, Chief Choi made a desperate decision.
He began to plead fervently.
“You still dislike being tied to contracts, right?”
“Well, yes.”
“I’m sure Seonghwa’s contract will have at least minimal restrictions.”
“Unfortunate, but it can’t be helped.”
“What if it could?”
“Come again?”
Chief Choi pulled out a piece of paper from his bag.
He started writing a contract by hand.
“Become a free mercenary for Korea.”
“A mercenary?”
“I’ll send you to Seonghwa on a dispatch basis. I’ll even secure a completely unrestricted termination clause.”
Oh.
How did he know about my mercenary background?
‘Let’s hear him out.’
###
The next day, Korea was in a festive mood.
[Perfect Clear Awakened! Secured for Korea! Contract signed with the nation!]
[Effectively an S-Class candidate! A one-of-a-kind talent!]
[Korea advances as a gate-conquering powerhouse!]
[Who is Choi Young-ho, the man who uncovered and secured this talent?]
[Choi Young-ho! From a new A-Class to a Perfect Clear Awakened!]
└ “The management bureau actually pulled it off!”
└ “If that Perfect Clear Awakened had gone abroad, I’d have protested in front of the Blue House.”
└ “You think you’d be the only one? The whole country would’ve gone.”
Everyone sighed in relief and celebrated.
└ “Season 2 of room-temperature superconductors? Is ‘Great Korea’ really happening?”
└ “If we find an S-Class Word Mage, it’s game over for the world.”
└ “Cheers! Another round, barkeep!”
└ “Those who said the bureau wasn’t working hard should hang their heads in shame.”
Kang Hyun’s discovery was credited to Chief Choi.
Rightfully so.
‘He handled things so cleanly.’
This was a small reward for his exceptional work.
“Master!”
“What’s got you so excited now?”
“Does this mean I can finally brag about you?”
“No. Keep my identity secret.”
“What? Ugh.”
Even the government had decided only a select few would know.
Chief Choi, a few trustworthy subordinates, and the director. That was it.
Not even the president or the defense minister would know Kang Hyun’s identity.
“What if the president insists on knowing? Could he keep it secret?”
“I’ve already taken precautions.”
The news echoed the same sentiment.
[Low-tier Perfect Clear Awakened. Identity concealed due to recruitment approaches and terrorism concerns.]
└ “Of course, they should keep it hidden! That’s our national treasure!”
└ “Please raise them to S-Class while keeping them under wraps.”
└ “I’d love to see them, though.”
└ “And what would you do if you saw them? Stop a terrorist attack?”
└ “Do you think they’re handsome?”
└ “God is fair. They’re probably not.”
“Why do people care about someone else’s looks?”
“That’s just how it is with star Awakened. You’re basically a celebrity now.”
“I’m not doing that. You do it.”
In truth, Aden was already a celebrity.
It was common.
Rising stars among the Awakened.
The media and public naturally spotlighted and idolized them.
It was profitable.
And fostering Awakened individuals benefited national interests.
“Everyone at Seonghwa will recognize your face.”
“Uh, that’s a bit awkward…”
“Then should we not go?”
“No! Please come with me!”
Both were brimming with anticipation for their Seonghwa debut.
###
Awakening Management Bureau.
Chief Choi arrived at work with a glowing expression.
The security guards recognized him right at the entrance.
“Good morning, Chief Choi!”
“Good morning!”
Was it just his imagination?
The greetings seemed especially crisp and booming today.
“Thank you for your great service to the nation!”
Ah!
‘It’s not my imagination!’
His cheekbones felt ready to shoot up into the sky.
Suppressing them was almost painful.
The overly enthusiastic and cheesy greetings might have been a bit much, but…
Wasn’t that just how passionate people in physical roles were?
‘Overflowing patriotism! Beautiful!’
The looks from people in the hallways were also different.
No, they weren’t just different—they were extraordinary.
There were so many more people making eye contact than usual that he was exhausted from returning all the greetings.
Even his senior, always known for dad-joke reactions, said:
“Choi Young-ho~ Another big hit after the A-Class, huh!”
“You’re too kind, sir!”
The pretty officer who was always by the vending machine at this time also chimed in.
“Chief, morning coffee?”
“Ah, I’m sorry. The Director called me in immediately.”
“Aww, I wanted to hear the story.”
What a beautiful world this is!
It was the longest commute to his desk ever because of all the greetings.
When he opened the office door…
His team rose and applauded.
Clap clap clap clap clap!
“Our chief is the best! Hooray!”
“I knew it would happen when you said you’d go yourself!”
“Chief! Are we getting bonuses for this? Hehe.”
“Ugh, Kang, what did you even do to earn a bonus!”
“Hey, I made the chief’s coffee deliciously for him!”
Ah!
‘Glorious!’
It truly hit home that he had accomplished something significant for the country.
I am a proud public servant of Korea!
Though he wanted to bask in this patriotic atmosphere forever…
Though he wanted to sip coffee while telling war stories…
“I’ll go see the Director now!”
“Yes, sir! Good luck!”
He left his bag behind and headed straight to the Director’s office.
Knock, knock.
“Come in.”
Chief Choi stood confidently.
The Director of the Awakening Management Bureau approached, patting his shoulders.
“Choi, I believed in you.”
“It’s thanks to your trust, sir!”
He bent deeply, ever humble before his superiors.
The two sat down comfortably.
“Ha… Do you know how much trouble I had dealing with Congress and public opinion?”
“Indeed, sir. You’ve been through a lot.”
“No, no, the hard work was all yours. Coffee? What kind of beans do you like? Colombia? Guatemala?”
The Director, making coffee himself?
This was unprecedented.
Patriotism truly makes the impossible possible!
“Maxim, please!”
“Huh? Oh, Choi, you don’t like bitter coffee, do you?”
Slurp.
Maxim is the way to go.
“Now then… Let’s hear about this EX you brought in.”