NOVPUB
Chapter 80
“Suho! What in the world is going on?” A thunderous voice burst through the phone speakers.
Having taken the phone off his ear, Suho slowly brought it back to answer. “Hello, Uncle.”
“Hello? Is that all you have to say? I almost fell off my chair after seeing your face all over the news! Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”
“I’m fine.”
“Are you telling the truth?”
“Yes. I am. I’m perfectly fine.”
“Switch to video call!” A middle-aged man appeared on Suho’s phone screen. His face soon covered most of it as he leaned to scan Suho’s appearance. “Let me see. Your face is still handsome. Your body looks healthier than the last time I saw you. You’re in good shape!”
“I told you I was fine.”
“Thank goodness.” Uncle Jinho let out a deep sigh of relief. “You little rascal! I thought you were quietly drawing at school. When on earth did you become a hunter? If you had awakened, you should have told your dear old uncle right away.”
“I’m sorry. I’ve been so busy lately that I forgot to tell you.”
It wasn’t an empty excuse. Suho had been busy dealing with the constant stream of events erupting each day ever since he’d awakened. Even he found it hard to believe that he was a normal fine arts student a mere month ago.
Jinho clicked his tongue. “How could you forget to tell me something this important? Like father, like son. Being forgetful must run in the family! You haven’t told your grandparents either, have you?”
“I haven’t. What would be the point? I don’t want to disrupt their peaceful life out in the countryside. They’d be worried sick.”
“Well, I suppose that’s right. Can you imagine how freaked out they’d be if they saw you on the news? Their poor hearts. I thought I was going to have a heart attack when I saw you on TV. I had to postpone all my meetings for the day.”
“I’d say your heart is weaker than theirs, Uncle. I’ve never seen Grandpa or Grandma sick, not even once.”
“Whatever, you brat! Anyway, because of you, my schedule is completely empty now. What are you doing now?”
“Right now? Well, nothing.”
“So many people died in this recent disaster... I feel like my heart will only calm down if I see you with my own eyes. It’s been a long time, so let’s meet up. You know where I work, right?”
“You want me to come to your company?”
“Hm... Wait, no. Being outside right now will attract unwanted attention. I’ll send my driver to pick you up. Just throw on some clothes and hop in the car.”
The call ended, and Suho shrugged his shoulders. “Well, maybe it’s for the best.”
He hadn’t seen his uncle in a while, and it was a great opportunity to escape the eyes of the scouts outside his house. Suho threw on some clothes and prepared for his outing.
***
A black limousine soon arrived in front of Suho’s house.
“Mr. Sung Suho? The CEO sent me.”
Is he an awakened individual? Suho felt the familiar aura of mana from the driver. Did Uncle send a driver who doubles as a bodyguard?
Just like Dr. Min Byunggu, not everyone who awakened wanted to risk their lives entering dungeons. There were quite a few awakened individuals who preferred safer jobs as long as the salary was good.
“Please get in the back. I’ll open the door for you.”
“No. I can do that myself.”
As Suho politely stopped the driver from opening the car door, several voices called out to him.
“W-wait...! Stop right there!”
“Mr. Sung? Can we talk for a moment?”
The scouts who had been waiting for Suho to come out rushed forward and blocked his path.
“I’m a headhunter from the Black Tortoise Guild! I heard you’re still a freelancer. Could we have a brief conversation?”
“Hear our conditions first! You won’t find such conditions anywhere else for a C-rank hunter!”
“Hey now! Stop pushing me! Mr. Sung, why don’t we talk details at a nearby café?”
The scouts forcefully pushed their business cards toward Suho, then they tried to grab his wrist to lead him away.
“Scouts from large guilds tend to be like this. Especially when dealing with mid to low-ranked hunters. They think they’re in control and act arrogantly.” Que, accustomed to such situations, whispered to Suho so only he could hear.
“Why don’t you step inside?” the driver said. He then took off his sunglasses and stepped forward. “I’ll take care of this.” His eyes looked ruthless and determined.
Despite the driver’s stern appearance, the scouts paid no attention to him. Instead, they began pressuring him to get out of the way.
“Hey! Can’t you see we’re busy here? Get out of the way!”
“Do you even know who we are? You’re just a chauffeur!”
“I hope you realize that you are getting in the way of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!”
The scouts were also awakened individuals. They had to deal with hunters on a regular basis, so they needed to assert themselves early to gain an upper hand in the negotiations. The tension between the driver and the scouts was becoming fiercer by the second.
“It’s fine. We can talk.” Suho raised his hand to stop the driver and stepped forward.
The scouts’ faces looked smug as if they knew things would eventually go their way.
“Haha! Of course, we should talk!”
“The kid gets what we’re saying!”
“I guarantee you, once you hear our terms, a whole new world will open up for you...”
But all of a sudden, the scouts began to turn pale. The same people who were so eager to talk just moments before were now avoiding eye contact with Suho. His indifference was clear in his eyes. It felt as though they were falling into a deep abyss of disregard.
[Effect: “Fear” has been activated.]
[The target’s stats are reduced by 50% for 1 minute.]
“I don’t know what your terms are, but you can send them via email. If you managed to find out where I live, then you probably know my email address too. Next time, showing up unannounced like this...”
[Skill: “Bloodlust - Level 1” has been acquired.]
Suho had earned the skills from the numerous fierce encounters he survived over the last month.
“Driver, let’s get going.” Suho turned away from the scouts and got in the limousine.
The driver put on his sunglasses again and nodded. “Yes. We’ll be departing.”
As the limousine gradually disappeared into the distance, scouts finally let out a sigh of relief.
“Wow...”
“Wh-what was that?”
“The sheer ferocity in his eyes...”
“Is he really a C-rank?”
“I thought he was a summoner.”
As they looked at each other, their brains went to work on a new round of calculations. After his latest display of power, it seemed like Suho’s value was on the rise.
“Young Monarch, how did you just do that?” Beru asked, excited by Suho’s new skill. “Was that a new version of Rakan’s Fang’s Scorn of the Weak?”
“I just tried it, and it worked.”
“Wow! I’m so proud of you! You were a prodigy after all.”
Ignoring Beru’s excitement, Suho examined the newly acquired skill.
[Skill: Bloodlust - Level 1]
[Active Skill.
Required Mana: 100
Causes the designated target to be in a powerful state of fear for 1 minute. It can target multiple enemies.
- Effect “Fear”: All attributes -50%]
Suho seemed intrigued. Its details are the same as Scorn of the Weak. I suppose you could say it’s a more versatile version. Regardless, it probably only works on weaker opponents. Unleashing Bloodlust on a stronger opponent wouldn’t quite work the same way.
***
“We have arrived,” the driver said.
Suho stepped out of the limousine, and an opulent tall building came into view. It belonged to Ahjinsoft, the most successful gaming company in South Korea. It was the first company to develop and launch the first complete virtual reality game, and Suho’s uncle, Yoo Jinho, was the founder.
—Ahjinsoft’s Yoo Jinho: A miraculous success story of a young entrepreneur who rejected corporate succession!
Suho remembered the headline he saw as a little boy. The special feature marked the beginning of Yoo Jinho’s rise to fame, but no one at the time could have predicted how meteoric it would be.
Jinho, once the brash heir to one of the biggest corporations in the country, steadily built his gaming company to become the best in the country over twenty years. His first hit, a virtual reality game named “Beautiful World,” continued to enjoy steady popularity even after two decades with many middle-aged gamers.
“Please follow me. I’ll guide you to the CEO’s office.”
Suho walked behind the driver as he leisurely observed the sophisticated interior of the company. There’s always something new to see each time I come here.
As a company built on virtual reality games, state-of-the-art VR equipment was showcased in the spacious lobby on the ground floor. Suho, being a gamer himself before his awakening, took a keen interest in exploring the surroundings for any new equipment or games that had been released during his absence.
But something else caught his eye instead. Emanating a murderous aura, fully armored hunters were moving through the building.
Why are hunters wandering around the game company? There are no dungeons around here.
“I wonder if they are here because of the Young Monarch,” Beru said.
“I doubt it. None of them reacted after they saw him. Maybe they’re here for some other business?” Que suggested.
“Other business? What kind of business do hunters have at a game company?”
The hunters with keener senses noticed that Suho was a hunter, and they looked at him as if he were a competitor.
“Hey, who’s that half-wit?” one of the hunters asked.
“He’s not wearing any armor. Who does he think he is coming in like that?” another asked.
Suho had no idea why they were offended by his casual attire, and he became even more curious.
“It seems like you’re curious about those hunters,” the driver said, noticing his gaze. “They’re here because the company is planning a new game, and we need their advice. So many of them come and go these days.”
“They are here because of a game?” Suho looked even more confused.
“That’s right. If the game is a hit, the hunters who worked on it will receive a significant promotional boost. Anything beyond this is classified, so you can ask the CEO directly when you meet him. Speaking of which, there he is.”
Jinho, who was engaged in conversation with the hunters in the distance, came into view.
“Thank you for seeing us, Mr. Yoo. Now, I don’t have to tell you that the Black Tortoise Guild has the best reputation in the city. If you collaborate with us, the company will be beneficial in many ways—”
“The enthusiasm is appreciated, but you can’t just keep barging in like this. Like we’ve always said, our decision will be based on a set of fair criteria.”
“Yes, I’m sure they will be very fair. That’s why we wanted to showcase our armor and...” Lee Yeongho, a hunter from the Black Tortoise Guild, was trying his best to impress Jinho.
Just as Suho was about to approach, an armed hunter blocked his way.
“And who are you? Can’t you that they are having an important conversation?”
“Oh, Suho! Thank you for coming!” Jinho said, noticing his nephew’s arrival. He enthusiastically ran toward Suho with a wide smile.
The hunters were surprised by the show of affection.
