Chapter 40

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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: A Four-Way Meeting
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The news that two L-Class Awakened had come face-to-face sent the Association into a state of high alert.

This was especially true given that it was a meeting between Kang Sejun, who would smash a reporter’s camera without hesitation, and Seong Jarim, who had returned alive from a dungeon and reached L-Class on her own.

However, their concern was entirely unnecessary.

“Hmm, the elasticity of this rubber band isn’t bad.”

In a corner of the office that no one was paying attention to, Yoon Seora, an F-Class in name only, was casually flicking the rubber band of her EX-Class slingshot.

The message was clear: *If you cause trouble and ruin my chances of leaving work on time, I will not forgive you.*

The two L-Class Awakened, the only ones who understood her silent threat, showed no signs of erratic behavior and quietly extended their hands to each other.

“Kang Sejun.”

“I’m Seong Jarim.”

The moment they shook hands, their eyes met and exchanged a rapid-fire conversation.

‘Hey, you too?’

‘Yeah, me too!’

The two L-Class Awakened, both being blackmailed for having discovered Yoon Seora’s true identity, felt a deep sense of kinship.

Unaware of this, the office staff sighed in relief at the amicable atmosphere. As they say, life is a comedy when seen from a distance, but a tragedy up close.

“Welcome, Mr. Kang Sejun, Ms. Seong Jarim.”

Do Junyeong greeted the two of them.

“The Daegwallyeong Dungeon has been dealt with. Nothing out of the ordinary, and the damage wasn't significant.”

“Thank you. But for you to come in person for a report you could have made over the phone…”

“I wanted to see what kind of person she was.”

Kang Sejun’s gaze, which had been sweeping over Seong Jarim, flickered for a moment toward Seora in the back.

“…Fortunately, she seems like a good person.”

In more ways than one.

Jarim, the only one who understood the unspoken meaning, nodded with a serious expression.

“Ms. Seong Jarim, the Association President has ordered me to have a brief conversation with you. Is that all right?”

“Is that strong unni not here?”

“She is currently away, as the Blue House requested a meeting regarding your situation, Ms. Seong Jarim.”

“The Blue House! So cool! Do I get to go?”

“No.”

Jarim’s face fell at once.

“May I listen in as well? If it’s not a private conversation.”

“I don’t mind.”

“Then Mr. Kang Sejun will join us as well. And…”

Do Junyeong’s expression twisted slightly. After hesitating several times, he finally turned his head. His eyes met squarely with Seora’s, who had been subtly glancing their way.

‘Ugh. A bad feeling.’

An office worker’s intuition sent a shiver down her spine. Seora immediately bowed her head, but it was too late.

“Ms. Yoon Seora, you’ll come with us too.”

“M-Me? Is this a meeting a low-level employee like myself should be attending…?”

Seora put on a frightened expression, as if she were scared and burdened. Unaware that Kang Sejun and Seong Jarim were staring at her strangely from behind, Do Junyeong shook his head.

“It’s an order from the Association President. She said that since you’ll be spending time with Ms. Seong Jarim for a while, it would be best for you to understand the situation beforehand.”

The Association President…!

To think she would be betrayed by Song Hanna!

As if having a Returnee to her left and a Regressor to her right wasn’t enough, she was now facing an S-Class disguised as an A-Class.

* * *

The four-way meeting began.

‘I feel like I’ve been in a similar situation before. Is it just my imagination?’

She was instantly reminded of the time she was with three S-Class hunters and Park Jinyong. That was better, in a way. At least back then, she was at the center of the incident.

But now, I’m just a lowly F-Class grunt who’s supposed to be waiting on an L-Class, so why am I here?

“We were thinking of releasing some information about you, Ms. Seong Jarim, to the public. Would that be acceptable?”

So it was about that. Something that had absolutely nothing to do with Seora. So why was she needed?

“What, that I was a missing person from five years ago, and that I’ve now returned, alive?”

“We plan to review that part a bit more. We need to verify many things, like how much to reveal and what the repercussions might be.”

“Then?”

“We need to at least state that you have made contact with the Association and that we have secured your safety. That should reassure the public.”

She was an L-Class Awakened, one of only a handful in the entire world. The public’s sense of security would depend on whether the state had definitively identified her or not.

“And we were also considering revealing your specialization as a healer. Do you consent to that?”

“Huh? Uh, umm…”

Seong Jarim glanced at Seora. Having heard about Seong Jarim’s abilities the night before, Seora knew what that look meant. She was technically a healer, in that she could restore her own stamina, but…

‘Can you really call that being a full-fledged healer?’

Seong Jarim’s precise specialization was a combat healer. She hadn’t been a healer from the start, so there were conditions attached.

‘What should I do? Am I a healer?’

Seong Jarim asked Seora with her eyes.

Seriously, you think asking me will solve anything?

But for the sake of the old lady who was old in age but not in worldly wisdom, Seora ultimately took the lead.

“I think it would be best not to reveal that Ms. Seong Jarim has healing abilities.”

Do Junyeong and Kang Sejun looked puzzled.

“Among the country’s top rankers, Guild Master Yoo Su-eun is the only healer. People would be even more delighted to learn of Ms. Seong Jarim’s existence.”

“Ms. Seong Jarim is closer to a combat type. So…”

Seora glanced at Jarim, who nodded for her to speak freely.

“She wasn’t born a healer, so I don’t think she can perform the kind of complete healing that Guild Master Yoo Su-eun can.”

“Yeah, that’s it! That’s right! This unni explains it so well!”

Seong Jarim, who had been watching nervously, clapped her hands. It really was hard looking after this old lady.

“Then it would be best not to mention her healing abilities at all. We will only announce that she is a combat-type Awakened. I assume she does have combat skills, correct?”

“Oh, definitely. Just don’t bring any injured people to me. I need to meet certain conditions to heal, and that’s not always possible.”

“Understood. Then let’s move on to the next matter.”

“What, there’s more? Are you going to ask about what we discussed yesterday?”

About the gates and dungeons.

But Do Junyeong shook his head.

“The Association President will ask you about that. In fact, this is the bigger problem.”

“Did something happen?”

Seora asked cautiously. But strangely, Do Junyeong was looking not at Seong Jarim, but at Seora with a very pitiful expression.

“Director?”

This was very ominous. As an uneasy Seora stared at him with trembling eyes, Do Junyeong opened his mouth cautiously, as if he were truly sorry.

“A high-ranker from the United States has expressed their intention to visit.”

“…”

“…”

Both Seora and Kang Sejun fell silent. Only Jarim, not understanding the situation, had a puppy-like expression on her face as she smiled, “Heheh?”

“W-Why?”

“They say it’s to foster a close relationship between Korea and the United States, but…”

“That’s bullshit.”

At Kang Sejun’s coarse words, Do Junyeong rubbed his temples wearily. Now that she looked, his face seemed to have aged considerably in just one day.

“It’s obvious. Two L-Class Awakened have appeared, so they want to keep an eye on them. The US has three L-Class Awakened, solidifying their position as the world’s strongest nation.”

If just one more appeared in Korea, they would be on equal footing. It was bound to be a cause for concern.

So, what would they try to do?

“Their goal isn’t just surveillance, is it?”

“No. The reason the US was able to maintain its prestige in the age of Hunters is because they tenaciously recruited hunters from other countries.”

Taking hunters of A-Class or lower was never an issue. In fact, an individual’s decision to immigrate or naturalize was respected.

But S-Class and above were different. Each one was directly tied to a nation’s power, so they could never be lost to another country.

“Until now, Korea has been protected from losing hunters to the US or China thanks to the massive umbrella that is Song Hanna. All of Korea’s S-Class hunters wanted to be under her protection.”

“But the two of you are different. You’re stronger than the Association President.”

Wiping a hand over his face, Do Junyeong looked at Seong Jarim and Kang Sejun with a serious gaze.

“The Association President left a message for you both. Not as the President, but in her name as Song Hanna.”

“What is it?”

“I won’t try to stop you, since I couldn’t anyway. But at the very least, choose a place that treats you as a human being, not a tool. That place will be your nation.”

Kang Sejun and Seong Jarim’s eyes widened as if they’d been struck.

Yoon Seora clamped a hand over her mouth.

‘That is so cool…!’

An association for the Awakened. And the woman who led it, Song Hanna.

Even in a situation like this, her spirit didn’t fade in the slightest; instead, it shone brilliantly.

There were many who served their country or its people. So shouldn’t there be at least one place that served the Awakened?

‘This is why all the other S-Classes want to be under the President’s wing.’

Hey, you foreign bastards, you don’t have a leader like this, do you?

“Even if this is President Song Hanna’s personal opinion and not that of the Association, I am under her command, so I will follow her wishes.”

“…”

“Someone from the US will arrive within the next week, so you can make your decision by then. And…”

Do Junyeong’s gaze turned back to Seora. Seora, who had been internally chanting ‘Hanna the Radiant,’ grew anxious again at his look.

What is it? Why does he keep looking at me like that? Is this finally my cue to resign?

“Director?”

“Ms. Yoon Seora, please report anything you need at any time.”

“Pardon?”

“…You’re in for a tough time for a while, staying by Ms. Seong Jarim’s side.”

*I’m sorry.* Seora didn’t even hear Do Junyeong’s unspoken words.

A devastating realization struck her, and she froze as if she’d been hit by lightning.

Right. I’m Seong Jarim’s monitor, aren’t I? Does that mean I’ll have to keep dealing with the American rankers too…?

“S-Sorry.”

Jarim, finally understanding the whole situation, looked terrified and immediately fled behind Kang Sejun. But Seora no longer had the energy to glare at her.

Resignation letter… I need to write my resignation letter again!

“Director, I’m just going to quit. I don’t need the extra pay or the S-Class weapon anymore!”

“I’m sorry. The Association President gave strict orders not to accept any resignation letters from you…”

The news of Song Hanna’s betrayal came as a huge shock to Seora. Faced with such a strong will to prevent her resignation, she honestly wanted to faint on the spot.

【Administrator: (ᗒᗨᗕ)و ̑̑】

To top it all off, the Administrator she thought was on her side was cheering her on.

This was it. She couldn’t put it off any longer.

‘I have to contact Guild Master Jeong Hoyoung. I need to get a ritual done right away!’

She desperately wanted to meet her and ask just what kind of curse had been placed on her life.

Seora made a firm resolution to call Jeong Hoyoung the moment she got out of here.