NOVPUB"Bulbul!"
"Yeah, well done."
As expected of Bulgasari.
After rummaging through the crater for a while, it finally retrieved the items Su-ho had been looking for.
Su-ho patted Bulgasari’s head as it wagged its tail expectantly, then checked the information on the items it had brought.
‘Perfect. It got exactly what I needed.’
One of them was Seopji’s mana stone.
And not just any mana stone—an S-rank one.
After confirming the details, Su-ho stored the two items and attempted to reverse summon Bulgasari.
Or rather, he was about to—until he suddenly remembered something about Bulgasari.
For the first time in a while, he checked its status.
[ Bulgasari ]
– Lv. 100
– Traits
└ <Evolution▲> <Dominion Orb> <Summon-Type> <Dominion-Type>
– Skills
└ <Fear> <Iron Color> <Iron Consumption> <Iron Expulsion> <Storage> <Ultra Regeneration> <Ultra Enhancement> <Ultra Rotation> <Fire Resistance> <Earth Affinity>
Bulgasari had reached 1-star evolution.
Right.
Come to think of it, it had already hit its first singularity.
The proof was the <Evolution> marker in its traits.
Previously, he had been too busy to focus on evolving Bulgasari.
In his past life, he had never raised one, and raising it had never been part of his original plan.
However, rather than leaving it unattended, it was better to take this opportunity to see what its evolution required.
As Su-ho examined the conditions for evolution, his brow furrowed.
‘Huh? This is...’
His furrowed brow soon lifted into a smirk of anticipation.
There was a chance he could evolve Bulgasari right here in Jeju.
After reviewing the information, he patted Bulgasari one last time before reverse summoning it.
Then, he turned toward the exit portal.
***
"Huh? The gate line...?"
"Wait... no way?"
As soon as Su-ho cleared the Seopjikoj Gate, the gate line outside disappeared, as expected.
The onlookers’ eyes widened in shock.
Ahn Hyun-do was no exception.
'Wow... Even if he was personally scouted by the director, how can a swordsman-class hunter clear it alone...?'
It was beyond anything he could comprehend.
And to top it off, this mercenary was someone he had never seen before.
The other guild members were just as baffled.
"Whoa, he actually cleared it."
"But he went in alone?"
"Yeah, and he’s a swordsman, right?"
"That’s insane."
Advertisements
"I thought only a Sword Saint could clear this place."
"But who is that guy?"
"Beats me. First time seeing him."
"Is he a ranker?"
"I check the Grand Chart every day. His name was Kim Su-ho, right? Never seen it there."
Similar reactions echoed all around.
That was expected.
He had deliberately changed his face for this reason.
Before long, Su-ho stepped out of the portal, and Ahn Hyun-do quickly approached him.
"Great work."
"It was nothing. I’ll contact the director myself. Oh, and here."
Su-ho handed Ahn Hyun-do an item.
It was the S-rank mana stone that Seopji had dropped.
Ahn Hyun-do’s eyes widened even further.
"Wh-why are you giving me this?"
"I was only contracted to clear the gate. Besides, could I borrow a car for a bit? I’ll let the director know. I’ll return it once I’m done and contact you then."
"Ah, y-yes! Of course. Here’s the key."
"Thanks. See you."
Su-ho took the keys from him, nodded briefly, and walked off without hesitation. n𝚘𝚟𝚙𝚞𝚋.𝚌o𝚖
As he made his way to the parked car, his eyes briefly met those of the other hunters who had been sizing him up.
But he didn’t care.
Once inside the vehicle, he started the engine and dialed Bae Dong-hyeok.
– "Yes, Hunter An."
"Director, I just finished clearing the Seopjikoj Gate and handed the mana stone to the person in charge."
– "Already? But you didn’t need to give them the mana stone. Why did you?"
"I was only hired to clear the gate. No reason to be greedy over the loot. Besides, I made a separate request as part of our deal, so I had no reason to keep the mana stone."
– "Haha, I appreciate it. At least we didn’t waste the gate’s value. Is there anything I can help you with?"
"I borrowed a vehicle for my pickup. Since I’ll be staying in Jeju for a while, would it be alright if I used it while I’m here?"
– "Of course. By the way, I figured you’d pull it off, but did anyone recognize you? Ahn Hyun-do’s team is sharp-eyed."
He was referring to Reverse Morphology.
Su-ho had told him to keep his identity hidden and just introduce him as a mercenary.
Su-ho nodded.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
"No one suspected a thing. I used the name Kim Su-ho, and no one recognized me."
– "That’s a relief. I hope everything goes well with what you need to do in Jeju."
"Thanks. I’ll contact you once I’m ready to move forward."
Ending the call, Su-ho parked the car and took a moment to organize his schedule.
"Hm."
There were three major tasks he needed to accomplish in Jeju.
The first was clearing the Seopjikoj Gate.
The second was dealing with the 1-star Sealed Gate exclusive to Jeju.
And the third—recruiting a star player for Nexus.
The order wasn’t particularly important, but for efficiency’s sake, clearing the Seopjikoj Gate had been the best choice to start with.
Now, he just had to move on to the next task at his discretion.
After thinking for a moment, Su-ho settled on his next destination.
‘Alright. I’ll start there.’
With his new goal in mind, he started the car and drove off.
***
Su-ho arrived at the Great Hunters’ Association’s Jeju Branch, located in Jeju City.
After parking his car in the branch’s lot, he immediately headed inside the building.
The Jeju branch was smaller than he had expected.
As soon as he entered the first-floor lobby, a receptionist approached him.
"Welcome to the Great Hunters’ Association, Jeju Branch. How may I assis—huh?"
The receptionist, who had begun speaking politely, froze upon seeing Su-ho’s face.
His eyes widened in shock as he stammered out a question.
"A-are you... the Sword... Saint?"
Su-ho, unfazed, simply nodded.
"Yeah, that’s me. I’m here to meet with the branch director."
"The branch director... Oh! He’s in his office right now. You can take the elevator to the third floor."
"Thanks."
"Um, um!"
"Yeah?"
"I... I’m sorry, but could I get your autograph...?"
The receptionist laughed awkwardly.
Now that Su-ho got a closer look, the guy looked young—probably the right age to be a big fan of hunters.
"Alright. But I don’t have a pen."
"Wait just a second!"
The receptionist rushed off and returned with a marker. Then, to Su-ho’s surprise, he took off his vest and turned his back to him.
"Could you sign right here on my back?"
"...You really want me to sign your clothes?"
"Yes! My name is Park Seong-ho. If you could also write a short message, I’d really appreciate it!"
"Alright."
Su-ho signed his name and added a short note.
By the time he was done, a small crowd had gathered, but he paid no attention to it. He simply followed the receptionist’s directions, stepping into the elevator and heading up to the third floor.
When he knocked on the branch director’s office door, a female voice answered—it was the director’s secretary.
The moment he stepped inside, she recognized him and her eyes widened.
"Oh? Ah! Hello!"
"Hello. I’m An Su-ho, an officer from the Main Association’s Gate Division. Is the branch director in?"
"Y-yes, he is, but... P-please wait a moment!"
Since Su-ho hadn’t scheduled an appointment, the situation became a bit chaotic.
The secretary quickly went to inform the director, and soon the office door opened.
The branch director, Han Myung-ho, personally greeted him.
"Oh my, isn’t this Officer An?"
"It’s a pleasure to meet you, Director Han. I’m An Su-ho from the Gate Division at the Main Association."
Su-ho greeted him formally, and Han Myung-ho promptly invited him inside.
"Please, come in."
"Thank you."
There was no one else in the office.
A moment later, the secretary brought in two cups of tea.
Su-ho took a casual glance around the office before speaking.
"I apologize for the sudden visit without prior notice."
"It’s no problem. But what brings someone from the Main Association to the Jeju Branch so suddenly?"
Advertisements
Su-ho studied Han Myung-ho’s face as he asked the question.
Han Myung-ho.
With his friendly-looking demeanor, he wasn’t a Jeju native but an outsider. Like many other officials, he was also a non-Awakened.
However, despite # Nоvеlight # being an outsider and a non-Awakened, he had successfully managed the Jeju Branch without major issues for years—at least, until a certain incident.
That incident.
The so-called Jeju Branch Internal Disclosure Scandal.
In Su-ho’s previous life, Han Myung-ho had been exposed in a major whistleblowing case.
And not just exposed—the timing was terrible.
It happened right after the Great Hunters’ Association’s internal reforms, so as soon as the scandal broke, an internal audit was launched.
During that audit, a mountain of corruption was uncovered, the most damning of which was his collusion with local guilds.
‘It was an obvious outcome. Power always rots when left unchecked, and the fact that this was happening in an isolated island branch made it even worse.’
That was why Su-ho had come to meet Han Myung-ho first.
To accomplish his objectives in Jeju, he needed this man on a leash.
Su-ho responded to Han Myung-ho’s question using telepathic communication.
– "Mr. Han Myung-ho, you’ve been doing quite a bit of business with the local guilds, haven’t you? Did you really think the Main Association wouldn’t know just because we’re in Seoul?"
Han Myung-ho’s eyes widened in shock.
Su-ho hadn’t moved his lips.
Yet, his voice rang clearly in the director’s head.
– "Don’t be too surprised. This is a telepathic skill. And I’m doing this for your sake. If your secretary outside were to overhear this conversation, it wouldn’t end well for you, would it?"
"......."
Han Myung-ho’s expression stiffened for a moment.
Then, after making eye contact with Su-ho for a few seconds, he forced a smile.
"I must have misheard. Could you repeat that? So, what brings you to the Jeju Branch?"
"Haha..."
Su-ho let out a chuckle.
So, he thought this was just a bluff?
Interesting.
Su-ho smirked and spoke aloud this time.
"Director Han."
"Yes, Officer An?"
"Do I look like I’m joking?"
He tapped his index finger against his temple.
"You heard my voice inside your head. That wasn’t a hallucination. So, I suggest you think carefully before you act. Do you really want to test your luck when the current political climate is already so volatile? Do you want to go down with the higher-ups when they get purged?"
"I don’t know what you’re talking about..."
"Oh, man... Why do people always need a little persuasion before they listen?"
Su-ho clapped his hands together.
Two clone soldiers materialized beside him.
Han Myung-ho flinched, startled, but Su-ho ignored him.
He sat one clone soldier next to him, then used Reverse Morphology and Bone-Crushing Art on the other.
A moment later, an identical copy of Han Myung-ho stood before them.
Su-ho placed the clone in the director’s chair and said,
"Let’s start by giving you a little lesson."
Then, without hesitation, he lunged forward and pressed his fingers against Han Myung-ho’s temple.
[ Pressure Point Technique has been activated. ]
Instantly, Han Myung-ho’s world went black.
