Chapter 11

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***

There was still a little while left until the meeting, and that was just enough time for me to make one more raid into the Demon Castle. And, above the fortieth level, I sometimes started to come across particularly powerful demons that were as strong as my earth golems. But, there were too few of them to cause any trouble. So, up to the fiftieth floor I did not even once had to replenish my mana supply with potions, as my servants simply did not receive any serious damage. And I didn't spend much on costly skills myself.

Finally, I reached the boss.

On the fiftieth floor of the Castle, the passage to the next level was guarded by a powerful Archidemon. A huge massive carcass that sat on a stone throne. Next to him stood the demonic guards, who had an aura that was not inferior to Igris and Cyclops. Such a sharp transition from relatively weak demons with rare appearances of high-ranked monsters, sazu to a strong group of S-ranked monsters, simply stunning. The archdemon Vulcan himself outclassed even my strongest knights.

- So... are we sure we can handle it? - I sighed.

I had some desire to deal with these guys, since defeating them promised a lot of experience. Chances were there, but at the same time, it was a risk. The last time I took such a risk was at the class trial when I fought Bloody.

And, in the end...

Taking a deep breath, I retreated.

I would return here when I was fully confident in my abilities. Some part of me was panting with excitement, whispering that I might as well give it a try. The Monarch's possession would make my servants stronger, and I could compete with this group. Besides, I have the return stones. But, in a fight with such a monster, every moment counts and if things get really bad, I won't be able to use the stone in time. And as the fight with Igris showed, in the heat of battle, I can get carried away and take risks instead of retreating in time.

So I left the dungeon after all.

And while it was still time for the PTA meeting, I contacted the association. I could hear in Inspector Chul's voice that he was glad to hear my voice. This guy was encouraged by the prospect of recruiting a strong hunter in my person. Especially since after our last meeting, I had shown myself capable of almost single-handedly sweeping S-rang's dungeons like a conveyor belt, which already indicated a lot of strength.

I informed him of my desire to be re-certified for the rank, but asked him to conduct this operation without much fuss.

And for that, I was invited on a day off, just before the parent-teacher conference.

- Mr Jin Woo, please come this way. - The inspector himself met me at the association office.

With a nod, I followed him.

- You've been through this inspection before, so it will be the same now. We need to check how much your power level has changed since you were awakened.

A huge magic stone that was part of the device to test the hunter's magic power. Actually, even if the hunter is not a mage, but has a warrior class, his strength is still measured in the amount of mana. The abilities of warriors and mages have the same source, they just work a little differently. Basically, warriors' special skills are the same spells, usually.

- Please...

After touching it, the magic stone glowed and seemed to light up with a blazing darkness from within.

- E-this... - The checker sighed excitedly.

- I see. - Chul nodded. - I assumed it would be like this, but I didn't dare hope....

- What does that mean? - I asked.

Although I knew the answer.

- Your level of magical power exceeds the device's ability to measure it. You have crossed the threshold separating A-rank from S-rank.

- That's how...

Well, it was obvious enough. The last time we met, I was about the same level as Chul. But now, I was already noticeably stronger thanks to my upgrades. Even my servants, Igris or Goliath, had already surpassed the level of an A-ranked hunter and were able to compete with S-ranked monsters in human form.

- Your specialisation wasn't confirmed last time. - Chul remarked. - You have some special abilities, right?

- Yes. I nod.

I hold out my hand, and several ordinary warriors appear from the shadows.

- Magic class.

I grinned mentally. Yes, magical class, but I've only recently started to have intelligence prevail among the other characteristics. Even so, my strength and speed are in line with a warrior and assassin of my current rank.

- One more thing, Jin Wu-san... I've prepared your compensation that we agreed upon.

- Oh, that's good news

- One more thing... one person wishes to meet with you, if it's not too much trouble, we can have the meeting now....

- Hmm, that's fine with me.

And I was ushered into another room. A spacious office, where an elderly man in a black suit was waiting for me behind a monumental desk. The gold cufflinks glistened somehow even majestically on the completely black garment. And, from this man, there was a power to which the Monarch of Shadows' otherworldly fire sealed in me reacted. For perhaps the first time since I'd had the system, I felt a slight interest emanating from what was left of Ashborn. A slight shadow of recognition.

The head of the Korean Hunter's Association, and at the same time, the bearer of a particle of light from one of the Overlords. The beings who created the gate.

- Nice to meet you, Sung Jin-woo. - The old man smiled welcomingly, rising from the table.

He walked over to me and extended his hand to shake mine.

- It is also an honour to meet the chairman of the association. - I nodded and shook his hand.

- Congratulations on your S-rank confirmation.

- Thank you...

The man gestured for me to take a seat in the chair as he returned to his desk. At this time, the association's staff had brought several cases here and opened them on the desk. In one was a folded cloak that reeked of magical energy. And also in the other pieces of equipment, there was also a sense of power, but it wasn't that much. But still, the association was being extravagant, as if it wanted to give me gold dust in my eyes. Although it's not typical for this organisation to be wasteful. Even the hunters of the association receive combat equipment only for the duration of raids, but it does not become their property, remaining the property of the organisation.

In addition to the cloak, there were enchanted gloves, a headband, four rings, and a belt.

Generally speaking, for a gift, even for compensation, it's quite a lot considering the power of these items. Yes, I had found more powerful items in system dungeons before. But by the standards of the hunters, this was a royal gift.

- Your compensation, Mr Jin Woo.

- I'm fine with it... - I evaluated the items. - But, is that the only reason for this meeting?

- Of course not. - The chairman confirmed. - You probably already realise that I want to involve you in the hunters' association. I realise that any guild will offer you much more... if you're interested in wealth and fame. But we can help you too... in a different way.

I nodded in agreement.

- Anyway, it is the association that distributes the rights to the gate.

- That's right. - The chairman confirmed.

He seemed a little surprised, though. He didn't quite understand where I was going with this.

- Ahem... let me explain my position right away.

- Please be kind.

- I'm not against co-operation, but I also value my own freedom very much. If I'm going to wear a suit... it's because it really looks stylish, not because it's the dress code.

- Ahem... - Gun Hee hesitated.

- I mean, I have no desire to follow orders and write reports all the time. I also have no desire to participate in the life of the guild, at least as a member. But, as part of a mutually beneficial co-operation, I am quite willing to interact with the association or guilds.

The old man looked surprised.

- If there is any incident involving the gate, you can count on me. Not even that... I insist on being involved in resolving such incidents.

- I see... so you want to remain a free hunter?

- That's right.

If I had previously considered the benefits of joining an association or guild, at my current level I realised that it would not bring me any substantial benefits, only shackle me with unnecessary burdens. At the same time, remaining a free hunter would allow me to interact on an equal footing with the various large guilds. This would make it easier to negotiate, say, for me to join a guild raid. Or for gate work in another country. I won't have to look out for the interests of my guild, only my own benefit. And in the end, if I just feel like helping someone, I can just help.

- Also, if there are any problems with other S-rank hunters, I can support the association. - I added.

- Ahem... - The chairman tactfully coughed into his fist. - Thank you, but... aren't you the one having problems with a certain S-rang hunter? There is such a hunter, Dong-soo... I heard that you had some misunderstanding with him?

- It's not a big deal. - I waved my hand. - I just killed his older brother, but he hasn't made any claims against me yet.

- Ahem... - Grandpa was already naturally coughing.

- But, if he decided to take revenge, then don't worry, I'll deal with him myself. I'm quite capable of it.

- Ahem.

- Mr. Chairman? Are you alright? You're coughing so much... I heard... the Chinese have some new kind of flu, it's very dangerous for people your age.

- I'm fine. - The old man pulled himself together. - There's no need to worry.

- Then I apologise, but if that's all we've discussed, I'll leave you to it. My little sister's not fed at home.

- Ahem.

- Mr Chairman?

- It's fine. It's just... I'd like to prevent a possible conflict between the two S-rank hunters. Especially since Dong-soo is a scavenger hunter.

- Well, he'll have to find me first. - I grinned at him.

- Excuse me?

- I spend a lot of time training. - Explanation. - I can be gone for days and weeks. I'm not sure Dong-soo has a lot of free time, given his activities in America and the possible international conflict.

- If he shows up in Korea, you will be warned. - Chairman nodded.

- Thank you. - I nodded.

Although, it may well be that if I learn of his appearance, I will not avoid meeting him, but rather kill the bastard. But he's a very powerful hunter indeed. Although, I think I can handle him with the help of shadows. But his patron Andre will definitely be beyond me right now. But that's now. In a week, a month... things could change drastically. Especially after I visit the red gate.

In the meantime.

- If that's all, please forgive me, Mr Chairman... - I started to rise.

- My men will take you wherever you want to go. - He offered.

- Hmm... perhaps... I'd like to stop by the hunters' auction office.

- All right.

So, after meeting with the chairman, after spending some more time studying the equipment I had received, I logged on to the auction site via my phone while the association agents drove me to the office. Something I could order and something was available at the auction office. Considering my finances, I chose a few more rings with different effects, as well as a stylish watch that increased magical power.

But, I was much more interested in the service of creating magical equipment to order.

Only, to buy something really worthwhile here, it is necessary to spend so steeply that I simply do not have enough money.

Well, not until I got to the auction itself.

- Can you please appraise these items?

And there, I showed the appraiser some items obtained from the monsters in Demon Castle.

- Oh... this is simply excellent work... - The man with glasses said with a gasp as he looked at the spear.

I got it from one of the elite demons, the damage is quite low, well, by my current standards. But the effect is not bad, additional fire damage. But, in fact, I have accumulated a lot of different items of equipment that I did not need much. I sold the most expensive ones at the system shop. Now I decided to sell some of those items here.

After the spear, there were other items, armour and weapons.

And in the end, this transaction turned out to be a barter.

Simply because I wanted to spend the money I got from selling the artefacts to create exclusive equipment. We just skipped the bartering part. I only received a change of a few hundred million won, after which I was measured for a future suit.

In a way, it was a somewhat specific order. In the sense that I didn't ask them to make me a raid outfit, but a black business suit with a similar enchantment, entirely focused on increasing magic power.

But in any case, now I still have to wait about a month for the master to fulfil the order.

In the meantime...

I put four rings on the fingers of my left hand, feeling a slight increase in strength. The effects of two of the rings began to flow into my aura, increasing my resistance to fire and lightning magic, while increasing my natural resistance to natural heat and electricity.

- One more thing. I would like to buy those skill stones you have here now.

- Ah... yes...

- And I heard that some rare stones you don't put up on the website.....

Nodding excitedly, the man agreed to provide me with a more comprehensive list. It's just that he had already managed to realise that I would be able to pay for them. Yes, sometimes skill runes fall from monsters, and sometimes hunters don't use them, but sell them, as they cost a lot. Even the simplest and most common skills are valued quite highly. And the rare ones have colossal prices.

But, I still had some of the items from the dungeon, and I had some of Dae Shik's money in my inventory. Cash was also accepted here. Still, we bartered again, and I ended up gaining a few skills.

Fireball level 4

Throws a blob of magical flame at the enemy.

Strengthening grade 2

Increases physical defence

Furious Lunge level 1

Delivers a swift stabbing blow that deals extra damage to armoured targets.

Can only be used with one-handed and two-handed swords.

Vacuum Blast level 3

Creates a magical sphere that controls the flow of air.

Ant Power level 8

Increases physical strength and damage resistance by 40%.

It doesn't seem like much, only five skills, but it cost me a lot. And, in fact, there are few hunters who can boast even such a set of abilities. Especially since these skills have a significant disadvantage. By destroying a rune, I received a skill of a certain level. But, if I have these skills are pumped up, but in ordinary hunters this does not happen. Because of this, a weak hunter simply can not get a strong skill through the rune. And a high-ranked hunter, in fact, the benefit of a weak skill will not be much, even though in their hands even weak skills will work much stronger than in the hands of a low-ranked hunter, simply because of the difference in strength. Nevertheless, these runes are still in huge demand.

There are only four active skills, and one passive. The ant's strength must have been extracted during one of the raids on Jeju Island. That's where the S-rank gate opened about four years ago, and a colony of giant ant monsters poured into our world. Korea's strongest hunters were gathered to suppress this force, but they were unable to close the gate and a breach occurred. The insects flooded the entire island and established their colony there. As it turns out, Korea was then seriously considering a nuclear strike. But the problem is, back in the '90s, the country had given up on developing nuclear weapons. And, politically, it would be very... ambiguous if Korea asked another country to hit its island with a nuclear warhead. But even that option was considered. And it came down to leaving the ants alone for a while. People from the island were evacuated, and the ants themselves were not capable of crossing the Yellow Sea. The assumption was that sooner or later they would simply starve to death when they had eaten everything on the island.

No one realised then that monsters could develop and evolve.....

I'll be looking into this island later, but I haven't decided exactly what I'm going to do with it yet. I have a few options. In the meantime...

I was already eager to try out my new dungeon abilities.....

But not today.

- Now.

No, not home.

I'm getting a haircut. Jin-A might be upset if I show up to the meeting with a shaggy head. But actually, it seems like she's already too used to seeing Jin-woo as dishevelled and unkempt. Because of that, when I came home in an updated state.....

- Who the hell are you? - She stared at me.

- Hmm?

- Are you sure you're my brother? - The girl squinted her eyes. - What did I promise you when you took candy from me when I was eleven?

An unexpectedly dangerous moment!

- Actually, I got a haircut for you, you might appreciate it..." I mumbled. - And I didn't steal candy from you! No, I didn't. You made that up.

- Oh, I did? - Jin-A was outraged.

The girl tried to hit me. Well, not hard, but sisterly, just family abuse. But I just intercepted her fist.

- Hey, why are you fighting?

- Pfft!

She tried to kick me in the shin with her slipper, but I just took a step to the side and she missed. After that, after losing her balance, the girl almost fell down herself, and that was only because I caught her in time and Jin-A was in my arms.

- Careful sister, you'll hurt yourself.

- Ugh... let go of me!

On the contrary, I grabbed her and carried her to the living room.

- Don't be mad, do you want me to buy you a cake?

- Oh, you... mmm... cake?

When she realised what I was suggesting, she suddenly calmed down. And even made herself comfortable in my arms until I put her on the sofa.

- Let's have some cake. - She finally gave it away.

- Tomorrow, after the meeting, on the way home, we'll go to the bakery together.

- I want cake!

- Don't be naughty.

- Ahh.

- What's wrong with you today? You're so angry.

- I'm not angry. I was just trying to make a joke.

I just went to take a shower.

We talked a bit more that evening. We even played a game of racing on the console and, during that time, Jin-A became visibly animated. In fact, I don't really pay much attention to her, and yet the girl is attracted to me. When she noticed that I started jogging and exercising, she also wanted to join me. And, although she often teased me, she was clearly happy to have me home.

- Hmm, by the way, what do you think about buying a bigger house? - I asked.

- A what?

- A house. A big one. Moving.

- Yeah I get it... it's just... what's so stupid? Where are we gonna get the money for a new house, what are you talking about?

- Didn't I tell you? - Acting surprised. - I just closed a contract for 3 billion Won.

- What?

Jin-A flapped her eyelashes innocently. She just didn't get the meaning of my words yet.

But that's how it came to her.

- W-WHAT? - She widened her eyes.

Taking out my smartphone, I opened the association's website.

- Here it is.

- What... Sung Jinwoo... S-rank? What does that mean?

- Reawakening. I've become much stronger and can now participate in more expensive raids. But until my status was confirmed, I completed a one-man order to clear a few dungeons to increase my stats.

- You're... S-rank now? - The girl's mouth gaped open.

- ''Yeah, it looks like you're shocked...''

Jin-A jumped up from the sofa.

- What do you mean! What do you mean... no, wait, is it definitely true? Jin-woo! You're playing a joke on me, ha! You thought I'd believe such a stupid thing. For my brother to become an S-rank? Pfft...

She started to chuckle unsteadily, but just choked on her mockery when she saw a massive dark figure rise up behind my back.

- A class summoner. And there are so many of them I can summon.

The shadow knight bowed respectfully, hitting himself in the chest with his fist. After which, the elite warrior turned back into a shadow. Yes, all the remaining golem knights in my retinue evolved into elite warriors. The weaker ones I simply absorbed with the vestment skill to make room in the vault and, at the same time, strengthen my weapons and armour.

- Ah... wow..." Jin-A exhaled.

I waved my hands, saying that's how it is.

- And... three billion? - She clarified.

- I spent a little on new equipment, but there is money, and soon will be more. So we can afford a new place to live. How do you like a fancy mansion by the sea?

- Mmm.

It's not that the girl wasn't interested in something like that, she just couldn't fully realise that I actually had that kind of money yet.

- Although, I was thinking of a new place in the context of moving in with Ju Hee....

- With who?

After digging through my phone, I found a picture of the huntress.

- Here. That's my girlfriend. We used to work together a lot. - I'm showing it to my sister.

- Ah, so you weren't lying? You really have a girlfriend?

- Yes.

- So, you worked together?

I nodded yes.

- And when you suddenly became a high-class hunter, did she pay attention to you?

- Not really. She'd taken care of me before. We could have been a couple a long time ago if I hadn't been so focused on work. Hmm, I guess I'm just more confident now that I'm awake.

- Umm...that's how.... - The girl was impressed.

- Just think about it. But, if you don't want some stranger living with us, there's no need. We'll live apart for now.

- Huh? Well... I don't know... - The girl hesitated.

She was surprised again. Jin-A was a little impressed that I was more concerned about her comfort in this matter.

- Okay, it's getting late...

Glancing towards the window, I notice that it's already getting dusk outside.

- It's bedtime for the little girls. Baby time is over.

- Hey!

- Oaaah...I need my sleep, too.

But before I went to bed, I made one call.

The raid to the very gate that would be my jumping-off point for characterisation had already been formed. Just today, the roster was approved.

- White Tiger Guild Management Department. Ahn Sangmin. May I clarify the reason for your call?

- It's Sung Jin Woo. - I clarified.

- Ah! You, Mr Jin Woo! - The manager was clearly pleased. - What can I do for you?

- I would like to see... how guilds like yours work. I've never joined a guild before. And, I just came across information about your training raid tomorrow night.

- Would you like to participate? - A man was interested.

- Yes, is that possible?

- I think... I can arrange it!

- Just... don't want everyone to know who I am. I don't want the whole raid looking back at me.

- I-I got it.

So, everything was prepared.

Before I went to bed, I checked my inventory. In several boxes were placed bags, in which I put several sets of clothes, for different occasions. As well as supplies and potions. And I prepared not only for the transfer to the cold world, which was the red gate in the comic book, but also with the expectation that we can be transferred to the tropics or hot desert.

I even took some inflatable boats in case we hit the water world.

All in all, prepared.

*** 

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