Chapter 69

Perfect cleared the S-rank Yellow Dungeon in 155 hours. A total of 33 members participated, and there were no casualties. It was an incredibly successful record.

Seokyoung announced the list of byproducts they had obtained, along with the news that everyone had returned safely without any sacrifices. The byproducts were so valuable that their total worth rivaled half a year's budget of an entire nation.

What they officially disclosed to the media was simply that their assets had grown even stronger, nothing more. However, starting that night, rumors began to spread on the internet. The claim was that Seokyoung's guild experience points had dropped below 100 million.

The rumor was true. When Kwon Jihan, who had defeated the boss, used 'Teleport to Guild Stone' while holding Yoon Seo in his arms as the cave collapsed, their experience points had taken a massive hit. Losing experience points for one person was already significant, but with two people, the reduction was enormous…. Up until now, even if two people were in physical contact, only the person activating 'Teleport to Guild Stone' would be transported. What had happened was nothing short of a miracle.

And as a result…

[Current Guild Experience: 87,051,000]

Even after adding the experience points earned from clearing the dungeon, they had only 87 million left. They had originally had over 10 billion….

In other words, the experience points Seokyoung had accumulated over ten years had vanished entirely….

Before the merger, the Guild of Leaves had 84 million experience points. Now, Seokyoung's experience had instantly dropped to the level of a minor guild like them. They would recover after running A-rank and S-rank dungeons for a few years, but for now, it was undeniably a loss.

"What. So, are you going to scold me for it?"

In front of Seokyoung's executives, Kwon Jihan sat in a relaxed posture, one leg crossed over the other, shamelessly asking the question.

Yoo Juncheol pressed his forehead, and Do Deungsoo twitched his cheek, barely holding back a laugh. Others sighed or shook their heads. Among them was Tae Jaesik. The one being interrogated in the center was Kwon Jihan, yet Tae Jaesik looked more anxious and uneasy. It was natural, he understood that this meeting wasn't just about the guild's experience points.

"Hunter Kwon Jihan, still, your attitude is too casual for an official setting."

"You didn't call me here just for the experience points, did you? Let's get to the point. I need to go visit my hyung in the hospital."

"Hey, Jihan."

"Guild master, Hunter Kwon Jihan is right. The lost experience points can't be helped, and more importantly, lives were saved. Besides, the information we gained from this is worth far more than a mere 10 billion experience points."

Do Deungsoo brought up the real reason for this emergency meeting.

"Hunter Yoon Seo was Seo Chaeyoon."

"..."

"..."

Seokyoung's executives fell silent. That reaction alone showed how heavy this truth was.

The senior members gathered here were all A-rank hunters who had been active since the Great Cataclysm 12 years ago. Some had fought monsters alongside Seo Chaeyoon when he was wearing a mask. They had all worked toward peace during the era of great chaos, and they knew that right now, the loss of 10 billion experience points was not the real issue.

They had found Seo Chaeyoon.

The new guild leader had even formed a tracking team, putting in so much effort, and finally, out of all the Seo Chaeyoon candidates, the real one had appeared.

With the Great Dungeon incident looming, what a relief it was.

The executives turned their attention to the one person in the room whose face looked troubled, Tae Jaesik, his mustache neatly groomed.

"Tae Jaesik Director, do you have anything to say?"

"I have nothing to say."

The only people who knew Seo Chaeyoon's identity were Tae Jaesik and La Bijina. Due to their 'contract,' they were unable to speak about Seo Chaeyoon. No matter how much the others discussed him, Tae Jaesik, the person who knew the most about Seo Chaeyoon, had no choice but to keep his mouth shut.

"Moreover, that's not the only thing we gained."

Do Deungsoo continued in a confident tone.

"Originally, 'Teleport to Guild Stone' only allows one person per dungeon. But Hunter Yoon Seo and Hunter Kwon Jihan moved simultaneously. That was because of Gaia's Blessing…. Receiving Gaia's Blessing means possessing a Gaia Skill. Hunter Yoon Seo is Seo Chaeyoon, and Seo Chaeyoon is the Gaia Skill holder we've been desperately searching for. What does it mean that we now know of two Gaia Skill holders right before the Great Dungeon event?"

Do Deungsoo's voice grew more passionate as he spoke.

Gaia Skill.

The Chosen One.

And the Pioneer of the Universe.

[Gaia System bestows a skill upon you.]

[Gaia System chooses you as a pioneer of the universe.]

Kwon Jihan obtained his Gaia Skill two years ago. It happened exactly one day after Grace Elysia prophesied the Great Dungeon. He hadn't hidden the message that appeared upon acquisition and had immediately informed Yoo Juncheol, who decided not to disclose it to the public.

After that, Seokyoung secretly searched for other Gaia Skill holders but failed to find any. Even La Bijina had no information.

Then, last month.

'After defeating the Great Dungeon boss, a black portal appeared… and then… it disappeared before our eyes.'

'I didn't see it myself, but they said a message appeared just before it vanished…. Something about… lacking certain conditions. I can't remember beyond that….'

After hearing La Bijina's testimony, they speculated that the entry requirement for the black portal might be related to Gaia Skills. Right after the Great Dungeon prophecy, an Awakened received the Chosen One trait, and the acquisition message specifically stated that they had been selected as a pioneer of the Universe. Considering that, their hypothesis made sense.

"Damn it, why does this damn guild always tell me important things so late?"

Tae Jaesik sighed repeatedly in frustration.

If he had known that the search for Seo Chaeyoon was for such a grand purpose, he would've gone straight to Yoon Seo and said, "Hey, the world got a prophecy about the Great Dungeon. It's time for Seo Chaeyoon to show up." Then this would've been resolved cleanly. As a bonus, he could've cashed out his stocks in advance, built a bunker for his family, and shared the information with his trusted online friends so they could prepare ahead of time.

Of course, Tae Jaesik didn't realize that this was exactly why Seokyoung had never told him.

"Hunter Yoon Seo has not woken up since clearing the dungeon yesterday. We don't know his total mana capacity, but considering the typical total mana and natural recovery rate of an S-rank hunter, he should recover from mana exhaustion by this afternoon. I worry that his memories might be disoriented, has anyone here experienced mana exhaustion before?"

"I have, a long time ago. Don't worry, there's no memory confusion as a side effect. It just makes you incredibly irritable and feel like crap."

Since Seokyoung's senior members had been active for twelve years, they were useful in times like this.

"Executive Director Tae Jaesik, please provide some advice as well. You've known Hunter Yoon Seo for a long time. You can at least talk about Yoon Seo, even if not about Seo Chaeyoon, correct?"

"Ahem. Well, as much as I can."

Tae Jaesik stroked his mustache.

"Don't rush at him the moment he wakes up. As far as I know, that guy has an S-rank or higher space movement skill. If he seriously wants to hide, we'll never find him again. He's an extremely meticulous person, so taking care of him gently, like tending to a baby bird, should be the priority."

"An S-rank or higher space movement skill…?"

"Yeah, that's a Gaia Skill."

Gaia Skill…!

My god….

He really was a Chosen One….

What a loose-lipped guy…

The executives murmured among themselves.

Tae Jaesik casually blurted out heavy information and then acted smug.

"Thank you. We'll be careful. Is there any other information?"

Tae Jaesik shook his head.

"He'll be extremely sensitive, so you really need to handle him well. That's all I have to say."

"Don't worry. I'll take care of hyung personally."

Kwon Jihan spoke with a smile that looked like it could shatter Yoon Seo's mental state.

Tae Jaesik broke out in a cold sweat.

"Yoon Seo relies on me a lot, so I should stay by his side."

"Alright, everyone heard that? End the meeting quickly. I need to go see hyung."

"Ahem, Hunter Kwon Jihan. Yoon Seo needs me…"

"But is there even a need to keep me in a meeting like this? I don't know anything about the black portal dungeon, just like you guys, and I'm just waiting for Yoon Seo hyung to wake up."

Kwon Jihan stood up. Since he had already shared everything he knew, he had a point.

"What if hyung wakes up and immediately escapes with his incredible Gaia space movement skill? I'm the only one who can stop him."

"Hunter Kwon Jihan, do you have a skill that prevents skill activation…?"

Someone asked, and Kwon Jihan shamelessly smiled.

"No."

"…What?"

"I'll stop him with cuteness and begging."

"..."

Kwon Jihan answered smoothly and strode toward the door. No one stopped him as he walked out. Even among those who had been through countless battles, he left behind an unprecedented sense of absurdity as he exited the conference room.

A long moment passed before Yoo Juncheol finally spoke.

"Let's continue the meeting. We should start with the easy topics. How much media exposure should we allow?"

"..."

Seo Chaeyoon. The Great Dungeon.

It was obvious which one was easier to announce.

***

Seo Chaeyoon Returns After 10 Years… Official Statement from Seokyoung Guild

"Survivor Revenger" Who Is Seo Caheyoon? Youngest S-rank Hunter, The Strongest Shield…

Seokyoung Insiders: 'Existing Spirit' May Have Connected Seokyoung and Seo Chaeyoon

Seokyoung's Recent Suspicious Actions. Were They for Recruiting Seo Chaeyoon?

Seo Chaeyoon Remains Silent….

Seo Chaeyoon's Return. How Did 'Survivor Revenger' La Bijina React?

"Let's Go See Seo Chaeyoon" Crowds Gather at Seokyoung Guild Headquarters

The Seo Chaeyoon Effect? Korea-bound Flights Sold Out, The Whole World Comes to See a Hero

These were the news headlines floating on the U-Pad.

Every single article was about Seo Chaeyoon.

"..."

Yoon Seo glanced at the white wall, wondering if he should slam his head into it and pass out again.

Just then, Kwon Jihan, who was reading the U-Pad next to him, spoke.

"Why are you looking at the wall? Don't tell me you actually want to knock yourself out again. You still getting self-harm urges?"