NOVPUB
Chapter 106
“Huh? S-Suho!” The icy expression on Jinho’s face instantly thawed. He immediately grabbed his phone and shouted in alarm. “Suho! Where are you right now? Pick up the phone! Pick up!”
“Y-you need to press the call button, sir...”
As Jinho returned to his usual calm demeanor, the secretary breathed a sigh of relief.
***
“Why is my uncle suddenly calling?” Now taking a break after having safely exited the Pyeongtaek dungeon, Suho was bewildered by the sudden call. He had only sent a single text related to a minor paperwork matter. Typically, this sort of issue would be handled by his uncle’s secretary. So why was he calling out of the blue?
“Hey, Suho. How’s hunting going? No accidents or anything, right...?” As soon as he picked up the phone, a remarkably calm, mature, and serious voice flowed from the other side.
“Yes, uncle. There was a minor issue, but I managed to handle it and get out.”
“Ah, a minor issue? I see. Very fortunate.”
Something about his tone seemed a bit off. “Is there a problem on your end, Uncle?”
“Haha! On my end? Hahaha, oh no. What could possibly happen to me? I’m safe.”
“Safe?” Unable to guess what this situation was about, Suho was merely baffled. It seemed it really was just a casual call after all.
Jinho repeatedly asked about his nephew’s well-being. But right before he was about to hang up, he added, “You may be getting a call from the Black Tortoise Guild soon. They’ll agree to most of what you need on your end, so make sure you negotiate.”
Just as the call ended, Suho almost instantly received another from the Black Tortoise Guild. And as soon as he pressed the answer button, a voice he didn’t recognize started shouting loudly.
“Our deepest apologies, Mr. Sung Suho!”
“Huh?” At first, Suho was puzzled. But then he suddenly remembered the face of Lee Yeongho, the manager he had encountered just before entering the demon realm.
Ah, I completely forgot. He fought against me and died at the hands of the demons, didn’t he? The battle in the demon realm had been long and arduous, and Lee Yeongho—the manager of the Black Tortoise Guild, who had brought a bunch of threatening-looking second-rate hunters to cause him trouble—had completely slipped Suho’s mind.
He reminisced, gazing off into the distance. He was quite the useful shadow soldier. Thanks to him, I managed to deal with the demons pretty efficiently. I wonder if he’s in a better place now... He spared a few moments of thought for the man who was killed by demons, became a shadow soldier, and then finally turned to dust. He offered a short and silent prayer for his soul.
Whatever the Black Tortoise Guild had heard from his uncle was enough that they were now calling to apologize profusely without offering any explanation first. “If it’s not too much trouble,” the voice on the line said, “we’d like to visit you in person and offer a formal apology. Would that be okay?”
“You want to meet in person?”
Dogyoon, who had been keenly eavesdropping on Suho’s call, began to vigorously nod with a spark in his eyes. “Absolutely! Meet them! You have to!” he whispered, continuing to nod frantically.
“Sure, that sounds fine.” Faced with such immense pressure, Suho eventually found himself nodding in agreement.
***
“We’re truly sorry!” The director of the Black Tortoise Guild bowed to Suho and Dogyoon, bending his waist at a full ninety-degree angle. “Though it was our employee who was in the wrong, it was our responsibility as the Black Tortoise Guild to manage him properly! Our deepest apologies, Mr. Sung Suho!”
“Hmm, I wonder how much weight a verbal apology can really carry.” Across from the man, Dogyoon sat cross-legged with an air of utmost haughtiness. He winked at Suho, seemingly signaling to leave the matter to him.
Suho could only chuckle helplessly in response. But as clueless as Dogyoon appeared, he was actually quite experienced. He was a few years ahead of Suho in the Department of Painting at Hanguk University, Korea’s most prestigious art school, where he had graduated at the top of his class. He was now pursuing a master’s degree and working as a teaching assistant. Which meant...
His perceptiveness is at max level. A teaching assistant was a profession where one had to be adept at dealing with professors’ massive egos. At the same time, one had to be able to manage students. It was a struggle for survival while being sandwiched between constant pressure from above and below.
Dogyoon would never even have the chance to meet someone so influential as the guild’s director, who was now groveling in front of them. But now, you’ve become our precious little underling, Dogyoon thought, snickering to himself.
As Dogyoon rubbed his hands together and wore a sly smile, the director paled. This won’t be easy, he thought. This man was backed by the CEO Yoo Jinho. Right now, he exuded the energy of a hero who had come out of nowhere. It was as if he were under the protection of the university president—no, the chairman, who was the school’s highest authority.
“Okay, Director,” Dogyoon said. “So you acknowledge that we originally reserved Pyeongtaek’s Third Dungeon?”
“Yes.”
“And you also acknowledge that Black Tortoise, a major guild, attempted to take it from us—just a group of small-time hunters?”
“W-we haven’t been able to get in touch with Lee Yeongho, so I’m not sure of the exact circumstances, but there must have been some misunderstanding in the procedure.”
“Of course. I’m sure it was all a big misunderstanding. That’s why I obtained the recorded footage from the CCTV camera in front of the dungeon.” Seeing the director twitch at his words, Dogyoon gave him an evil smile. “Shall we watch the video before we continue?”
Witnessing the man’s eyes, which were filled with vengeful satisfaction, the director immediately sensed his own defeat. How much are they going to squeeze out of us? What kind of grudge does this guy have against Lee Yeongho to be this infuriated?
Of course, he would never be able to guess the real reason for Dogyoon’s grudge. Up until recently, Dogyoon’s tormentor hadn’t been Lee Yeongho, but rather Ammut. He truly believed that if it hadn’t been for the guild’s manager, he would never have encountered the crocodile.
However, the CCTV footage was trivial in the end. It showed a mere minor scuffle between two parties in front of the dungeon.
After watching the video to the end, the visibly tense director’s complexion brightened. Is this really what got Yoo Jinho so worked up? That man’s excessive fussiness is really something. He sighed in relief, thinking that a bit of cash could easily put the whole thing to rest.
Just then, Beru returned from running an errand for Suho. “Young Monarch! I’ve brought the corpses, as you instructed.”
What the ant dragged in behind him was none other than the corpses of Lee Yeongho and his gang. The bodies had been kept in the Shadow Dungeon just in case they might be of some use. They were a mess, clearly having been mauled by magic beasts.
The guild’s director instantly turned pale. “No, these people couldn’t have died in the Pyeongtaek dungeon. How could this have happened?”
“Of course, this wouldn’t have happened if circumstances were normal. Unfortunately, in the course of ambushing us, they met with a tragic fate at the claws of magic beasts.”
***
In the end, Suho and Dogyoon got their compensation for the Black Tortoise Guild’s tyranny. Well, that much was a given. But in addition, they had gained something even more important—experience.
As Suho was looking to establish a guild, dungeons were even more crucial than money right now. He, Dogyoon, and Esil were essentially just a fledgling mercenary group consisting of only three hunters. Their most challenging task was to find dungeons to conquer and gain experience from.
Of course, it was possible to join other assault teams, but that came with its own set of problems. If Suho had to move at the pace of other hunters, his leveling efficiency would suffer and it would take even longer to conquer dungeons.
In this regard, the Black Tortoise Guild would provide their assistance. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say that they would be forced to assist.
“We will share ten dungeons from our holdings. Although none are particularly significant, they should suffice for acquiring experience to establish your guild,” the director said.
Dogyoon grinned. “You’re such a good man, director. Did you fall from heaven?”
If I came from heaven, where did you come from, you little... Despite his bright smile, the guild’s director wanted nothing more than to spit in Dogyoon’s face. He truly hoped never to deal with this individual again.
We’ve truly been had this time, he thought, grinding his teeth. After all, this entire mess was Lee Yeongho’s fault. That man’s foolishness had cost the guild an unfathomable amount. It wasn’t just about the monetary loss. The fact that this incident had pitted them against CEO Yoo Jinho made it an astronomical loss.
Well, let’s think of it as an investment, the director reassured himself. After all, accidents can happen whenever and wherever. Besides, all that matters is that things have been settled, right?
Having been proactive in offering compensation, he was confident that Yoo Jinho’s mood must have softened somewhat. That’s right. Let’s take this as an opportunity to make another request to be included in the Solo Leveling project.
With this in mind, the director casually broached the subject with Suho after they had wrapped up the discussion. “I truly regret what happened. Beyond this compensation, we hope to be of assistance to you in the future, Mr. Sung Suho. Please feel free to contact us anytime. And if you could kindly relay this to your uncle...”
Right at that moment, they heard a shout. “D-Director! Something huge has happened!”
Ah, what now? Just as he was about to get to his main point, an employee called out to him in a panic. The director tried to suppress his irritation. “I apologize. My employee seems to be quite out of line.” Turning to the employee, he asked, “What’s all the fuss about?”
The guild employee was undeterred by his boss’s glare and simply showed him a phone screen. “Look at this article. Look who just arrived in Korea!”
“How big can they be that you’re this worked up? Wait... what?” The director’s eyes widened as he checked the photo on the news website. He hastily grabbed the phone and looked closer.
Driven by curiosity, Suho and Dogyoon glanced down at the phone screen as well. They immediately saw some very provocative headlines.
—Goliath Lands in Korea!
—Why has the Guild Master of Scavenger Guild come to South Korea?
—The White-Haired Veteran, Goliath!
In the photos, a muscular old man with a mane of white hair and sunglasses was boldly striding through the international arrival doors of Incheon Airport. It was hard to imagine there was any hunter who didn’t know this old man’s name.
“Thomas Andre?!”
“Why is he suddenly in Korea?”
This man, a magnet for trouble wherever he went, had just arrived in their country.
