Chapter 141. I Would Not Say That

The next day, after dropping Kim So-Eun off at kindergarten, Kim Do-Joon stayed home with Jecheon Seong and Siwelin. They were supposed to visit the Association that day. After all, besides guild matters, Kim Do-Joon needed to finalize the two’s identities.

“Wait a second,” Jecheon Seong said, interrupting Kim Do-Joon as he was getting ready to leave. "Let's talk for a moment."

Curious, Kim Do-Joon followed him to the table and sat down.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Take a look at this."

Jecheon Seong opened his palm, and suddenly, a blinding light filled the room, forcing Kim Do-Joon to close his eyes. When he opened them again, a white flame flickered gently above Jecheon Seong's hand.

“This is...”

Kim Do-Joon’s eyes widened as he felt the powerful energy emanating from it.

"I received it from Vulcanus," Jecheon Seong explained.

It was the Heart of Flame, the core of Vulcanus’ power, and the source of all Fire Spirits. Even though Kim Do-Joon had never seen it before, he was sure of it. The Flame Heart’s Fragment, embedded within him, also stirred violently.

“You received this from Vulcanus? How, why?” Kim Do-Joon’s mind was racing with questions.

The Heart of Flame was, simply put, everything to Vulcanus.

"Vulcanus said he had hidden it somewhere deep within the World Tree, but he was worried it could be taken at any moment. The tree is a dangerous place, after all."

Jecheon Seong recounted the conversation he had with Vulcanus. The Heart of Flame had been stored in a secret location known only to Vulcanus. However, since Vulcanus had intended to leave to search for the next Water Spirit King, he needed to find a safer place. So, he decided to hide it in another dimension—Kim Do-Joon’s homeworld. Vulcanus couldn’t leave the World Tree, so he entrusted it to someone reliable.

“And that reliable person was you?”

"More accurately, you," Jecheon Seong replied. "I was chosen because I’m your family, and also because there’s no one stronger than me here."

Coming from Jecheon Seong, they were merely a statement of fact. Kim Do-Joon nodded, starting to understand. However, as the realization hit him, he abruptly stood up, slamming his hand on the table.

“Wait! If that’s the case...!"

"Calm down," Jecheon Seong said, trying to ease his excitement. "Let’s think this through."

How could Kim Do-Joon calm down? This power could be the key to healing Kim So-Eun’s condition! After all these years of searching, the solution had finally appeared right before him.

Jecheon Seong gently pushed him back into his seat, speaking calmly, “It’s not as simple as you think.”

“Why? Is there not enough power to cure her?” Kim Do-Joon asked, his voice trembling with desperation.

The energy coming from the white flame was on a whole different level. He could hardly believe something like this existed in the world.

If even this couldn’t heal my daughter, what hope did I have?

However, Jecheon Seong shook his head reassuringly.

“No, this is enough. You can heal her.”

“Then let’s—”

“But it’s not the right time.”

“... What?” Kim Do-Joon was confused.

Jecheon Seong’s calm tone finally began to cool Kim Do-Joon’s excitement.

He sat back, listening carefully as Jecheon Seong continued. “To get straight to the point, yes, you can cure her with his power. You could do it right now if you wanted. However, if you do, she may not be able to stay in this world.”

“What... what do you mean?” Kim Do-Joon asked, his excitement giving way to confusion.

“This power,” Jecheon Seong explained, “is deeply connected to Vulcanus’ realm. It may be here right now, but eventually, it will return to its origin. If you use this energy to heal Kim So-Eun, she may end up tied to that place.”

“You mean, she could be bound to that other realm?”

“Exactly.”

Jecheon Seong’s explanation was clear. Just as Vulcanus couldn’t leave the World Tree, and Nereid couldn’t come directly to this world without using Elsar as an intermediary, Kim So-Eun could lose her connection to Earth.

“But...” Kim Do-Joon hesitated.

“I understand how you feel,” Jecheon Seong said, his voice gentle. “You want to cure your daughter’s illness as soon as possible. But would you really be okay with shackling her to another world for the rest of her life?”

Kim Do-Joon immediately shook his head.

“There’s still time,” Jecheon Seong reassured him. “You’re here with her. Siwelin is here and I’m here. There’s no need to rush this decision.”

“...I get it,” Kim Do-Joon said quietly, nodding.

Jecheon Seong was like Kim So-Eun’s personal physician. Kim Do-Joon had never gone against his advice without a good reason, and he was not about to start now.

However, Kim Do-Joon couldn’t help but add, “But if things get worse...”

“Yes,” Jecheon Seong said with a nod. “If that time comes, I won’t hesitate.”

The two men exchanged a firm look of understanding. They talked a little longer, mainly about what to do with the Heart of Flame. In the end, they agreed that Jecheon Seong would continue to hold onto it since he was the stronger of the two.

“If you ever manage to beat me in a duel, I’ll hand it over,” Jecheon Seong added with a grin.

Kim Do-Joon chuckled. He didn’t care who kept it as long as it was safe, but he couldn’t let that comment go unchallenged.

“One day, I will beat you,”

“I look forward to it,” Jecheon Seong replied, his eyes gleaming with competitive spirit.

The tension between them rose, the air growing thick with unspoken challenges. If left unchecked, they could have started sparring right there.

Suddenly, the door burst open, and Siwelin walked in. She sighed deeply, clearly unimpressed. Without a word, she pulled out her phone and showed them the time.

"Oh no," Kim Do-Joon muttered.

“Looks like we’re going to be late,” Jecheon Seong added.

The tense atmosphere quickly deflated.

***

"Congratulations! Looks like you're officially a guild master now. Is this the name you're going with for the guild?" asked Son Chang-Il.

"Yes, I like it,” Kim Do-Joon replied with a slight nod.

"And for you two as well," said Son Chang-Il, handing over two envelopes to Jecheon Seong and Siwelin. "Your identification cards and Hunter licenses are all set."

As they opened them, the soft crinkling of paper filled the room. Inside were a few documents and two cards: a standard identification card and the coveted S-rank Hunter license.

"A guild with three S-ranks, huh?" Son Chang-Il muttered, leaning back into the sofa with a grin. "That's something worth seeing."

Kim Do-Joon couldn’t help but smile as he fidgeted with his newly issued S-rank Hunter license.

"I owe you a lot for this, President. I feel like I’m always in your debt," Kim Do-Joon said, with a hint of gratitude.

This is highly unusual... It must have taken a lot of effort behind the scenes to make this happen.

"Nonsense! It’s me who should be thanking you," Son Chang-Il waved his hand dismissively.

Truthfully, Son Chang-Il could’ve wrapped things more smoothly with more time. However, there was one complication he had not accounted for.

"Excuse me."

Suddenly, without any prior notice, a man entered the room. Son Chang-Il frowned and sighed deeply. It was Gao Lin, who had recently arrived in South Korea, and also the reason why Son Chang-Il had to rush the issuance of three S-rank Hunter licenses.

I bet he’s here for recruitment or something similar.

His intentions were clear enough. Gao Lin had probably already spoken with the Chinese government, ready to offer everything such as citizenship, housing, you name it, to lure top Hunters to China.

We can’t let another one slip away like Ko Cheong-Cheon.

That was why Son Chang-Il had promptly met Kim Do-Joon’s request and even issued the extra S-rank licenses without being asked. However, despite his efforts, Son Chang-Il was still uneasy. If China or the United States decided to pour resources into recruiting these Hunters, there was only so much he could do.

"Who is this?" Kim Do-Joon asked, narrowing his eyes at the unexpected visitor.

Son Chang-Il let out a long breath before introducing him.

"This is Gao Lin, a Hunter from China. He’s one of the top three in the world."

"Not just top three," Gao Lin interjected with a puff of pride. "I’m the strongest."

Kim Do-Joon glanced at Jecheon Seong, who remained silent with his eyes closed.

"Nice to meet you," Kim Do-Joon said coolly. "So, what brings you here? Do you have business with the President?"

"What if I said yes?" Gao Lin replied with a smirk.

"Well, we were in the middle of a conversation. Maybe you can come back later," Kim Do-Joon shot back, his tone hinting at a challenge.

Gao Lin stared at him for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"

Haha!

I’m just messing with you. Actually, I came to see you," Gao Lin said, taking a seat without waiting for an invitation.

He casually pulled out an envelope from inside his jacket and tossed it onto the table. Kim Do-Joon eyed it warily.

"And this is?"

"I’m here to make an offer," Gao Lin said with a grin.

Son Chang-Il tensed up. The moment he had been dreading had finally come. Still, he didn’t expect Gao Lin to be so brazen.

Kim Do-Joon calmly opened the envelope and took out the papers. However, to everyone’s surprise, it wasn’t a recruitment offer.

"A request for support?" Kim Do-Joon raised an eyebrow.

Gao Lin was asking for the help of an S-rank Hunter like Kim Do-Joon. Gao Lin smiled, clearly enjoying the moment.

"Well, a large S-rank dungeon has appeared in our territory. Rather than keeping it to ourselves, we’ve decided to make an open call for assistance worldwide."

Normally, each country’s Hunters were expected to handle their own dungeons. Sometimes, less developed nations, with not enough Hunters, would request outside help—but that wasn’t the case with China.

"The official announcement will be made soon, but we wanted to gather the top S-rank Hunters from each country first. Sure, when we go public, plenty of Hunters will show up. But frankly, I don’t believe we can clear it with just the average lot. What really matters is having enough top-tier S-rank Hunters," Gao Lin explained.

"I see," Kim Do-Joon replied thoughtfully.

Kim Do-Joon nodded in agreement, a gesture that brought a subtle wave of relief to Son Chang-Il. Yet, Son Chang-Il wasn’t about to let his guard down. If Kim Do-Joon accepted the request, it could easily turn into an opportunity for recruitment later.

After all, Ko Cheong-Cheon had only intended to assist with a U.S. S-rank dungeon, but ended up getting swept into the Mercenaries group.

Unaware of Son Chang-Il’s worries, Kim Do-Joon browsed through the documents with an intrigued expression. Among the papers was a detailed list of items discovered during the initial dungeon exploration.

Even at this early stage, the item list was impressive. Rare and higher-grade artifacts filled the pages, but one item in particular caught Kim Do-Joon’s eye.

A colony of divine plants?

They had even found a small patch of the mythical divine plants.

So this is what an S-rank dungeon looks like

...

The massive forest they had dealt with before was not a real dungeon—it was more like a breach, where the dungeon’s energy had seeped into their land. As a result, there had been no treasures to discover, only towering trees.

Despite all his past experiences, which included the subjugation of the Giant Woodland and fighting Nereid, Kim Do-Joon had never entered an actual S-rank dungeon. His focus had been strictly domestic, and no other S-rank dungeons had appeared in Korea recently, except for the forest breach.

Suddenly, Kim Do-Joon recalled his earlier conversation with Jecheon Seong, as well as his long-standing goal.

I need to find a rare elixir, something like the inner elixir of the Ten-Thousand-Year Dragon or one that is comparable to the eternal flame.

If such a miraculous item existed, It would have to be in the most difficult dungeons.

“Alright, I’ll go,” Kim Do-Joon said firmly.

“Thank you. Your help will be invaluable,” Gao Lin replied with a smile, extending his hand for a handshake.

Kim Do-Joon accepted the handshake, but in that moment, something flickered in Gao Lin’s eyes—disappointment.

Kim Do-Joon... After hearing all the hype about him in Korea, I came to see for myself. But what a letdown.

Gao Lin had expected to sense the same sharpness he felt from China’s top S-rank Hunters, those who constantly honed their skills, never letting their guard down. In comparison, Kim Do-Joon seemed too relaxed, even during the handshake. Gao Lin could see too many openings.

If I were an assassin, I could have killed him a dozen times by now.

𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

He smirked inwardly, concealing his thoughts hidden behind a friendly facade.

So, this is the level of an S-rank from such a peaceful country.

However, suddenly, Gao Lin felt a chill—a sensation so overwhelming that it sent shivers down his spine. The source was obvious. It was the old man, Jecheon Seong, sitting quietly behind Kim Do-Joon. His gaze was heavy, like the weight of the earth itself, making Gao Lin feel as if the ground beneath him had just shifted.

So, that power was real!

Gao Lin’s excitement flared. He remembered the video his government had obtained covertly. It was footage of Jecheon Seong slicing through the roots of the World Tree and splitting the sky with a single strike.

Gao Lin had come to size up Kim Do-Joon, but the real reason for his visit was to witness the legendary swordsman up close. He hadn’t even harbored any serious hostility, yet the old man detected his faint intent and issued a silent warning.

In contrast, Kim Do-Joon had not even noticed a thing.

Of course he didn’t. I was suppressing my aura entirely. No one could have detected it.

The fact that Kim Do-Joon had ascended to S-rank in such a short time was mildly interesting, but beyond that, he seemed to be a rather dull man.

"Well then, I’ll be going," Gao Lin said, releasing the handshake and heading for the door.

As he left, he glanced once more at Jecheon Seong, who had returned to sitting with his eyes closed, unmoved by the storm that had just passed through.

Until next time, Old Man.

Once Gao Lin was gone, Son Chang-Il let out a long, heavy sigh.

"At least he didn’t cause any trouble. I was worried he might stir things up, but he left quietly," he said, relieved.

Kim Do-Joon chuckled lightly.

"Quiet? I wouldn’t exactly call that quiet."

"Huh?" Son Chang-Il looked at him, puzzled.

Kim Do-Joon shook the hand he had used for the handshake and sat down. "A large S-rank dungeon, huh..."

An open call, S-rank Hunters from around the world, regular Hunters flocking to the site, and even Gao Lin himself made the upcoming trip to China promised to be an intriguing experience.