Chapter 9: Preparation (1)

Silence fell upon the entrance of the Hunters Association headquarters.

Kim Ki-Rok glanced back and forth between the employee and Lee Ji-Yeon. Waving his hand, he said, "

Haha!

I've been a bit busy, that's why."

The Association employee was consulting with someone else to confirm if registering as an Awakened and establishing a guild was possible. Lee Ji-Yeon stood there with her mouth agape, dumbfounded after discovering that the Guildmaster, who she thought was an excellent Hunter, had not even registered as an Awakened yet.

But Kim Ki-Rok still had unfinished business and had no intention of stopping.

Clap!

Kim Ki-Rok smacked his hands together to gather everyone's attention back to him.

"Oh, and there are a few more things to discuss. Can I continue?" he asked.

"Oh, yes," the Association employee who first greeted him replied.

"First, we found a Gate."

"So, you want to report a Gate?"

"Yes. And we destroyed that Gate."

"Destroyed a Gate..." the employee absentmindedly parroted.

Customer service habits could be quite scary.

The employee tilted his head a few times before asking again. "Um, so you're saying you destroyed the Gate you found?"

"No. We found a Gate and left it without destroying it, and then we found another Gate and destroyed that one. Separately. To put it simply, we found two Gates."

The person who had found the Gate was not the one who had destroyed it.

"Oh, so it was a high-level Gate."

"No. The level range for entering was between 1 to 10.

Ha ha.

"

After a brief pause, the employee pressed on, "Can I ask about the difficulty level of the Gate you destroyed?"

"It was unknown—"

He suddenly raised his hand to cover Kim Ki-Rok's mouth. "Wait. Please give me a moment."

The employee was extremely dizzy and needed time to clear his head. After his thoughts were somewhat organized, he raised his head and looked at Kim Ki-Rok.

"So, you're saying that you found a Gate with the lowest difficulty grade but did not destroy it, correct?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"And you found an unidentified Gate with an unknown difficulty level and destroyed it."

"Yes, that's correct."

"You came to establish a guild. No, wait, I'm getting the order mixed up. You came to register as an Awakened first, then establish a guild. Is that correct?"

"Yes, that's correct. Oh, and..."

There was more?

Despite having been his companion, Lee Ji-Yeon wore a bewildered expression in light of this exchange, as did the employee. Undeterred by their reactions, Kim Ki-Rok continued, "I also came to donate."

"To donate?"

"Yes, to donate."

"Oh, so..." the employee trailed off.

What a handful.

He once again raised his hand to cover Kim Ki-Rok's mouth to mentally sort each of these matters individually.

A Gate report.

A Gate destruction report.

An Awakened registration.

Guild establishment.

Donation.

Okay, he was done organizing.

"S-so, there are five matters bringing you here today."

"That's correct. Five things.

Haha!

I thought doing them all at once would be more convenient, so I kept postponing, and it turned out like this."

"Uh, could you wait a moment?"

"I can wait as long as needed."

Where should he start? Gate discovery report? Awakened registration?

"Oh, by the way..."

By the way? Did he have more information to share? When the Association employee shot him an annoyed look, Kim Ki-Rok raised his index finger to his lips in a shushing gesture and took out his smartphone with a message written on it.

The name of the Gate was Treasure Goblin's Treasure Vault. I used the asterisks for emphasis.

This was absolutely astonishing. The Treasure Goblin's Treasure Vault? The Association employee who checked the smartphone screen widened his eyes and looked at Kim Ki-Rok.

"Yes. This is the name of the Gate I am reporting."

***

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Han Young-Jin, the head of the Hunter Management Team. I'm sorry, but may I ask you some questions about the Gate report first?"

"Yes. That's fine. I have multiple things to talk about anyway."

"Hmm! Then please start with the explanation of the Gate."

"The name of the Gate was Treasure Goblin's Treasure Vault."

"Treasure Goblin's Treasure Vault?"

"The difficulty level was from 1 to 10."

"So it was a Gate even an E-Class Hunter can destroy if they have the appropriate skills."

"Yes."

"But can you explain why you didn't destroy it?"

"It wasn't there."

Han Young-Jin raised an eyebrow and asked, "Excuse me?"

Kim Ki-Rok shrugged and replied, "The Golden Goblin. It wasn't there. That's why I couldn't destroy the Gate.

Ha ha.

"

Why did he laugh with such exaggeration? Or was that just how he laughed?

The head of the Hunter Management Team looked at Kim Ki-Rok with a strange expression, shook his head lightly, and put on a business-like smile again. "Ah, right. The Treasure Goblin is a monster capable of teleportation."

"Yes. That's why I merely looted it."

"I see. So you merely looted the Treasure Goblin's Treasure Vault."

"That's correct. I merely looted it."

"Then what was the reason for reporting that Gate?"

If he had looted the treasure vault, the purpose of that Gate would have been achieved. There was no need to report it, but Kim Ki-Rok did it anyway, revealing that he had a treasure despite the risk of having this information land in the wrong hands.

"There might be a problem if we use the auction." Kim Ki-Rok explained.

However, Han Young-Jin assured, "You can gradually put it up for sale at the auction, one at a time. As for artifacts, you can just use them yourself."

"But it will take a long time."

He wasn't wrong. Depending on the situation, time was more valuable than money. Manager Han Young-Jin understood this and summarized the situation.

"So, you reported the Gate because you need to prove that the treasure you've obtained from the Treasure Goblin's Treasure Vault was clean in order to sell it."

"Yes, that's correct."

"Even though declaring this could potentially put you in great danger?"

"That's why I visited the Association to donate."

It was a simple story. Kim Ki-Rok had obtained treasures from the Treasure Goblin's Treasure Vault, so he wanted protection.

When Manager Han Young-Jin huffed in disbelief, Kim Ki-Rok reached out his right hand and shook it vigorously.

"50%."

"What are you talking about?"

"I will donate 50% of the treasures obtained from the treasure vault."

Well, it was 50% of all the remaining treasures after removing the important items, but it was still a respectable amount.

Bang!

With a loud noise, the door to the VIP room opened. A man in his forties with a half-shaved head barged in. It was the first time Kim Ki-Rok had seen him in this Attempt, but that didn't seem like the case for Han Young-Jin.

The manager's expression subtly changed. "Finance Department?"

"Finance Department?" Kim Ki-Rok repeated.

"Oh, yes. That's Lee Sang-Tae, the Manager of the Finance Department at the Hunters Association." Han Young-Jin said.

Thinking that this was enough of an introduction about himself, Manager Lee Sang-Tae confidently walked up to Kim Ki-Rok, wearing an obvious sales smile.

"Hello. Nice to meet you. I'm a Manager at the Finance Department, Lee Sang-Tae," he said.

"Oh, nice to meet you. My name is Kim Ki-Rok. If you want me to increase the donation amount in exchange for handling the deputy sales, just say the word. I'll run straight to the Blue House for you.[1]."

Lee Sang-Tae's mouth snapped shut. He had vaguely overheard what had happened. Ultimately, one would have to use the auction house to exchange the treasure for money, but putting your name on the merchandise was risky. Excessive treasures could sometimes be dead weight. Although South Korea was considered to have good public safety, some people would resort to illegal activities depending on the amount of money at stake.

Lee Sang-Tae had barged into the room with plans to jack up the donation amount with this information as leverage, but was now left trying his best to control his expression.

"Oh. No way that would happen."

"Right. There wouldn't be such an ignorant and self-centered person working in the Hunters Association, Kim Ki-Rok commented."

"

Ha, ha ha ha

." Lee Sang-Tae laughed dryly as Kim Ki-Rok's words pricked him like needles.

"

Ha ha ha.

"

The two laughed, but Kim Ki-Rok suddenly stopped.

With a smile, he asked Lee Sang-Tae a question. "So, did the Finance Department come here to discuss the donation?"

"Yes."

"To ask for an increase?"

"No way. I came to say my thanks." Lee Sang-Tae defended himself.

"Is that so?"

"Yes," he insisted.

"A Manager came all this way to express his thanks?"

"

Ha ha!

Is there anything special about me being a Manager?"

"

Ha ha!

Is that so?"

"

Ha ha ha!

That's right."

"

Ha ha ha!

"

"

Ha ha ha!

"

One person just laughed exaggeratedly, while the other laughed through his sweat. The two laughing figures then turned to Han Young-Jin, who involuntarily burst into the same exaggerated laughter.

"

Ha... ha ha ha.

"

That concluded the end of the Gate report and the donation affair.

"Oh, then I will start the Awakened registration process." Han Young-Jin continued.

"It's finally happening," Kim Ki-Rok said.

"Yes. Finally..." he replied.

It seemed almost absurd that Kim Ki-Rok had discovered a Gate, stolen the loot from a monster, and destroyed a different Gate before he had even registered as an Awakened. And it had been a Gate with an Unknown level, no less.

"What is your awakened ability?" Han Young-Jin asked.

"Discernment," replied Kim Ki-Rok.

"Discernment?"

"Yes. If used on a Gate, one can discover the rewards as well as conditions for Gate destruction. If used on a person or a monster, you can detect their talents and awakened ability."

"It's an ability fitting for a Guildmaster."

Kim Ki-Rok, waved his hand.

"Ha ha!

That's too much praise." Contrary to his words, he burst into proud laughter.

"Then, could you tell me the class of your skill?"

"It's an A-Class skill."

In reality, it was an E-Class skill, Record, but there was no way they could have figured that out.

"May I ask your age?"

"I'm twenty-eight. In my prime."

"Yes. You're in your prime."

"

Haha.

Shit." Kim Ki-Rok cursed.

"What was that?" Han Young-Jin was caught off guard.

"Nothing, I just remembered that I only Awakened after completing my military service."

"Huh? Oh... I see..."

He sympathized with Kim Ki-Rok's sentiment, as would any Korean man who underwent mandatory service. Han Young-Jin continued filling his report, "Let's see, family rela... Hm!"

Before he had a chance to ask, Kim Ki-Rok chimed in, "They passed away exactly eight years ago. So, I'm not an orphan."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay," said Kim Ki-Rok, brushing it off as if it didn't bother him.

Han Young-Jin glanced at him for a moment and then returned to the report. Were there any mistakes on the report so far? Nope.

"There seems to be no issue so it should be registered within an hour."

"Shall we move on to the next matter?" Kim Ki-Rok followed up.

"Yes. We shall."

There were still two more things left on the agenda.

"You said you wanted to report a destroyed Gate?"

"That's correct. It was a Gate with an unknown difficulty level."

"Can you please provide its location?"

The Gate had already been destroyed, but traces of it would still remain. Kim Ki-Rok divulged where that Gate had been created, and Manager Han Young-Jin recorded the location using his tablet.

"What was the name of the Gate?" the Manager asked.

"Arcane's Tower."

"And the monsters?"

"They were Doppelgangers."

Doppelgangers were A-Class monsters that were difficult to face.

"My level is low." Kim Ki-Rok continued.

While Doppelgangers were an A-Class threat to high-level Hunters, their danger was only equivalent to that of C-Class threat to lower level Hunters.

Han Young-Jin continued, "Understood. Have you received your reward?"

"It's a secret," he replied shortly.

"I see. Were there any other species present?"

"There were none."

"Please provide a detailed description of the Gate's interior."

"I believe it was a tower consisting of seven floors. It must have been a tower, given the name 'Arcane's Tower.' Doppelgangers were summoned on each floor, and I mean, quite literally, summoned. Rather than waiting in ambush, the monsters would only appear when you set foot in the hall of each floor."

The manager recorded every detail of Kim Ki-Rok's explanation, which took about an hour. He then pounded his shoulder with a fist and turned his head.

"Phew. It's over."

"There's still one more thing left."

"Ah..." lamented the manager.

There was still one more thing Kim Ki-Rok had to do, and his purpose for the visit would not have been fulfilled without it.

"

Haha

, right. We still have that matter to discuss. I heard you are planning to establish a guild."

"Yes. The name is..."

Although "Delightful Goodies Guild" was very appealing, he couldn't use it because Lee Ji-Yeon was strongly opposed.

"DG Guild. I, Kim Ki-Rok, am the Guildmaster. The only current member is Ms. Lee Ji-Yeon, who is an A-Class Hunter."

"Miss Ji-Yeon?"

"Yes," he replied.

"Was she the one who accompanied you?"

"Yes."

"According to my information, it says that Miss Ji-Yeon is a C-Class Awakened with a Flame Contract?"

Kim Ki-Rok clarified, "She just became an Elementalist. You'll be able to check if I'm telling the truth, since she should have reported the new Gate by now."

After a moment spent staring blankly at Kim Ki-Rok, Manager Han Young-Jin quickly tapped on the tablet.

After another hour had passed, DG Guild appeared on the Hunters Association's guild list.

***

At a cafe near the Hunters Association.

"Here it is."

"Thank you."

Lee Ji-Yeon ordered an iced Americano while Kim Ki-Rok ordered an iced chocolate, with extra chocolate syrup, chocolate drizzle, and finally, a chocolate cookie to top it off.

"Isn't that too sweet?" she asked.

"It's fine. Eating sweet things relieves my stress. Would you like a sip?" he asked, pushing his chocolate drink that was a shade darker than coffee her way.

It was her first time seeing such a dark chocolate drink, even with whipped cream stirred into it.

Lee Ji-Yeon quickly shook her head. "No, it's okay."

"It's delicious because it's so sweet."

Shouldn't it be just sweet, not delicious?

She shook her head again while looking at Kim Ki-Rok.

"Are we going to see the guild building now?"

"Huh? No. It's still under construction," he responded.

Under construction? What does

that

mean?

After a moment of confusion, a wide-eyed Lee Ji-Yeon asked, "Under construction... Do you mean that it's being built right now?"

"Yes."

"Is that possible?"

"We have a lot of treasures gifted by our goblin friend."

"Didn't you report the Gate because you couldn't sell them?"

"I couldn't sell a large amount of treasure all at once, but selling bits and pieces was not difficult.

Ha ha ha!

" Kim Ki-Rok burst into laughter loudly.

He stood up as all eyes turned to him, bowed his waist in apology, then sat back down. "I received a call when I came out of the Association. They said it would take about half a month."

"Half a month."

"That's right, half a month."

"So, will we continue Gate activities until then?" she wondered.

"Yes. We will continue Gate activities for now."

For now?

Lee Ji-Yeon tilted her head at the words, then realized he had mentioned "Gate."

"Gate activities?"

He explained, "You are an A-Class Hunter. However, that Class has been raised by contracting with a Greater Elemental, so your level is still insufficient. You are aware of this, correct?"

"Yes. I am," she admitted.

"So, I'll ask this now."

Lee Ji-Yeon tensed up, expecting a very important question to come.

Taking a sip of his iced chocolate, Kim Ki-Rok smiled and asked, "What is your level?"

"

Heh... heh heh

," she chuckled.

He had registered her to his guild before investigating her stats. Thinking about how peculiar the whole situation was, Lee Ji-Yeon let slip her laughter and opened the status window to check her level.

"It's 58."

"Wowza."

It seemed she had been quite active in The Invaded Garden of Flames.

"By the way, what is your level at, Guildmaster?"

"Huh?"

"Your level."

"Uh, well..." Kim Ki-Rok repeatedly opened and closed his mouth unknowingly. As Lee Ji-Yeon's sparkling gaze fell upon him, he awkwardly mumbled, "Status window..."

[

Kim Ki-Rok

]

Level: 1

Strength: 1

Vitality: 1

Magic: 1

Willpower: 1

Skills: Record (E), Time Rabbit's Luggage (S), Mirror (D)

Only one skill was added to the status window.

"You must be very strong, right?" she inquired expectantly.

"Sorry?"

"You protected the Elementals who cannot use elemental magic and fought off monsters attacking the garden. It's already difficult to fight monsters, but you fought while protecting Elementals."

Lee Ji-Yeon's eyes sparkled once more.

Kim Ki-Rok just stared at her. "

Haha!

" He laughed weakly.

1. The Blue House in Korea is the equivalent to the White House in America ☜