Chapter 310 – Part 2 – Cunning Subordinate

Song Chi-hyeon swirled his wine glass while riding in the limousine back to the dormitory.

‘I wonder if Choi Seong-min is getting along well with the group members?’

As Choi Seong-min had expected, Song Chi-hyeon already knew.

That the group leader Moon Yong-taek was being domineering and oppressive toward the group members.

‘He’s someone I picked, but he really has a nasty temper.’

He was a direct subordinate chosen purely for loyalty and skill without considering personality from the start.

Because of that, he was acting as group leader due to his high combat power and crushing the spirits of the group members, but it didn’t matter at all.

‘Subordinates just need to have good skills and be loyal to me, that’s all.’

He had no intention of intervening in emotional fights between subordinates.

He was just curious.

‘Whether Choi Seong-min can handle Moon Yong-taek’s temper…’

Since a D-rank had entered a C-rank team, from Moon Yong-taek’s perspective, Choi Seong-min would be a thorn in his side.

‘I knew from reading his thoughts before leaving earlier. That something would happen.’

Even knowing trouble would arise, Song Chi-hyeon left Choi Seong-min alone and went to attend to his business.

No, to be precise, it wasn’t abandonment but a test.

A test to see what kind of reaction Choi Seong-min would show.

‘Of course, it’s a test without a correct answer.’

Whether he submitted to the domineering group leader or rebelled against him, the result didn’t matter in the end.

‘I’m just curious. How he’ll respond.’

It was the same principle as putting a puppy among a group of monkeys and wondering what would happen.

‘Given his personality of being respectful to superiors, he’ll probably tuck his tail and endure…’

Song Chi-hyeon’s honest wish was for a result different from his expectations.

‘That would be much more interesting.’

When Song Chi-hyeon finally arrived at the dormitory, he couldn’t help but be inwardly surprised by the unexpected situation.

The wish he had made in the limousine had actually come true.

“So… you two made a bet?”

“Y-yes, that’s correct.”

Song Chi-hyeon laughed incredulously while listening to Moon Yong-taek’s explanation of the situation.

To think they would be making such bets while he was away telling them to get along.

“So, who proposed the bet first?”

“The newcomer proposed it.”

Song Chi-hyeon looked at Choi Seong-min with inner surprise.

‘This guy… could it be?’

Song Chi-hyeon asked questions to both Choi Seong-min and Moon Yong-taek for a while to understand the detailed situation.

As a result, he discovered that everything was a situation Choi Seong-min had intended.

‘Choi Seong-min, this guy is a much more impressive specimen than I expected?’

Being able to make C-rank in one day wasn’t particularly surprising.

The fact that Choi Seong-min’s skills were already at C-rank level was something he knew from watching the sparring match.

‘He knows that himself too.’

What was truly impressive about him was that he was controlling the situation in the direction he wanted.

‘Despite Moon Yong-taek’s threats to voluntarily leave the team, Choi Seong-min provoked him and instead made him agree to a bet he couldn’t help but win.’

To use Moon Yong-taek’s easily excitable personality to create a situation advantageous to himself?

‘If he wins the bet, he can not only flatten Moon Yong-taek’s nose but also gain some recognition within the team.’

Reading Choi Seong-min’s thoughts, he could tell that he had proposed the bet considering such situations.

‘Like when he thought of the qualification exam to be recognized as team leader last time, and this incident too… He’s leading every situation to be advantageous to himself.’

He had thought he was a gentle dog loyal to his master, but now he could see he was actually a cunning cat.

From Song Chi-hyeon’s perspective, who liked simple subordinates, cunning was rather a negative factor, but.

‘This guy is fine. At least his loyalty to me is genuine.’

He could tell by reading his thoughts.

That Choi Seong-min was going to such lengths to demonstrate his worth in order to look good to himself, the Great Hero.

‘Choi Seong-min almost deifies me. In terms of loyalty alone, he’s number one among my subordinates.’

As long as loyalty and skill were certain, it didn’t matter whether he was cunning or not.

‘Rather, since he creates advantageous situations on his own, he should be considered much more capable than simple subordinates.’

Through this incident, Song Chi-hyeon raised his evaluation of Choi Seong-min once more, but conversely felt great disappointment in Moon Yong-taek.

‘Stupid fool. Getting provoked and handing over a sports car worth over 400 million won.’

Song Chi-hyeon was already treating Choi Seong-min as the predetermined winner of the bet.

If he just created an environment where combat power could be raised, reaching around 30,000 in one day would be achievable.

‘I told him he beat someone with 60,000 combat power, but he still looked down on him for being D-rank and readily accepted the bet.’

Having a stupid subordinate and a cunning subordinate in one place inevitably led to comparisons.

“So, you’re asking for permission to go solo?”

At Song Chi-hyeon’s question, Choi Seong-min bowed his head.

“Yes. I apologize, but if you could arrange for solo play for just one day, I will definitely achieve C-rank.”

“Hmph, C-rank my ass.”

Moon Yong-taek, who had been snorting, quickly shut his mouth at Song Chi-hyeon’s glare telling him to be quiet.

“Good. I’ll arrange a dungeon so you can go solo. I don’t care how the bet turns out, but if it’s something that helps my subordinate’s growth, I can’t not help.”

“Thank you, Great Hero-nim.”

Thus the bet was finalized with the Great Hero’s permission.

‘Stupid fool. I don’t know what his current combat power is, but raising 10,000 in a short time is difficult.’

Moon Yong-taek sneered inwardly, but both the Great Hero and Choi Seong-min knew.

That it was a bet he absolutely couldn’t help but win.

* * *

Ownership of dungeons belongs to the country.

Therefore, when using dungeons, it’s legally mandated to always bring a supervisor.

Because taxes had to be collected through the ratio system.

This applied only to D-rank dungeons and below, and from C-rank dungeons onward, you could enter without a supervisor.

That meant Choi Seong-min, being D-rank, still had to bring a supervisor.

But around him at the dungeon entrance, there was no one who could be called a supervisor.

Only the manager guarding the dungeon.

‘As expected, even if he’s at the bottom, a Great Hero is still a Great Hero?’

Normally, D-rank and below dungeons require a supervisor, making dungeon soloing impossible, but there was exactly one exception.

When a Great Hero intervened.

‘With one word from Song Chi-hyeon, I can enter dungeons without a supervisor.’

If the country owns the dungeons, then the Great Heroes own the country.

In short, they were beings above the law, so anything was possible.

‘Come to think of it, is this my first time soloing in this world?’

Excluding hidden dungeons where you could enter alone, this was his first time soloing in an official dungeon.

‘I got permission to solo as much as I want for today, so I should hunt to my heart’s content.’

Choi Seong-min had no intention of stopping just because he exceeded his target combat power of 30,000.

He planned to make maximum use of this privilege given for one day.

‘I need to clear at least ten places today.’

The dungeon he would enter was the D-rank Little Snake dungeon.

Since it was a place that dropped Agility runes, he had to maximize his gains.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes. I’ll enter now.”

Under the dungeon manager’s watch, Choi Seong-min threw his body into the portal.

* * *

At the time Choi Seong-min entered the dungeon.

Song Chi-hyeon was walking down the corridor with an unusually worried face.

Because there had been a summons from Kwak Min-cheol.

‘What business does this bastard have calling me?’

When he received contact saying there was something to discuss and to come directly to the Association President’s office, Song Chi-hyeon had to feel an inexplicable anxiety.

Knock knock-

“Is that Song Chi-hyeon?”

“Yes.”

“Come in.”

The fact that a Great Hero had to knock might have hurt his pride, but Song Chi-hyeon opened the door and entered as if accustomed to it.

“You’re here?”

On both sides of Kwak Min-cheol were scantily clad women acting coquettishly.

This too was a familiar sight.

“You girls go out for a moment.”

“Yes, Great Hero-nim.”

When Kwak Min-cheol dismissed the women, Song Chi-hyeon sat on the sofa as if he had been waiting.

“What business did you call me for?”

“This bastard jumps straight to the main point as soon as he sits down. No human warmth.”

“…I apologize.”

“Try guessing what business I called you for. Since you can read thoughts, you should be able to tell.”

“…”

Though he said to guess, the thoughts Song Chi-hyeon could read were limited.

-Guess, you moron.

Only mockery and curses directed at himself, a Great Hero.

Knowing he could read thoughts, he was controlling them, so he couldn’t read his true intentions.

‘Damn bastard…’

Kwak Min-cheol wasn’t doing this just to humiliate him for no reason.

It was a kind of warning.

‘That someone like me is no match, so I should conduct myself well.’

The ability to read thoughts was an enormous strength, but it only worked on those who didn’t know about it.

In front of an opponent like Kwak Min-cheol who already knew, it was no different from being powerless.

“I told you to guess?”

“…I don’t know.”

“Kek kek, as expected, you can only read thoughts that are deliberately thought. When you look at it, it’s really a trash-like trait.”

“…”

“Ah, sorry. I didn’t need to say that out loud. Ah, even if I say it internally, you’d read it, right?”

“Did you call me here to mock me?”

“Whoa whoa, why are you making such a scary serious face? Relax your expression, relax.”

Kwak Min-cheol, who had been waving his hands and laughing as if telling him to calm down, brought up the main point.

“I just called because there’s a rumor I’ve been hearing lately that I wanted to ask about.”

“A rumor?”

“I heard you fired a team leader from the Hunter Management Department and put your direct subordinate in that position… Why did you do that?”

Song Chi-hyeon wasn’t flustered.

Because he had expected it would reach Kwak Min-cheol’s ears someday.

Rather, he responded calmly as if what was bound to come had come.

“Didn’t I have the authority to change team leaders?”

“That’s true, but putting a mere D-rank trash in a team leader position is too much, isn’t it? Even if you’re a Great Hero, that’s an abuse of authority.”

“I put him in that position because he has the ability for it. I even had him take a qualification exam in front of people.”

“Hmm, if that’s the case, I acknowledge it. But since when have you been taking D-ranks as direct subordinates?”

“Whoever I take as a subordinate should be my decision.”

“Even so, D-rank is too low.”

“He’ll be C-rank by tomorrow.”

“Really?”

Kwak Min-cheol squinted his eyes as if trying to see through his intentions, then grinned.

“You’ve been increasing your direct subordinates lately, haven’t you? Putting them in Team Covert or whatever and raising them.”

“It’s Team Covert.”

“Whatever.”

“Is it not allowed to have my subordinates hunt?”

“No, it’s not that it’s not allowed. I was just wondering if you might be harboring other thoughts.”

Though it hit close to home, Song Chi-hyeon didn’t show it.

If he failed to manage his expression here, his position as Great Hero would be over.

“How could that be?”

“Hehe, right? I thought you might be raising subordinates to oppose me.”

“…”

“If that was your intention, it would be better to give up early.”

Killing intent briefly rose in Kwak Min-cheol’s eyes.

“I don’t need disobedient dogs around me.”

“Of course not.”

When Song Chi-hyeon bowed his head respectfully, Kwak Min-cheol smiled with satisfaction.

“That’s all the business. Now go.”

Song Chi-hyeon, who bowed his head and turned around, clenched his teeth tightly.

‘Fucking bastard. Someday I’ll cut off your head.’

To do that, he needed to quickly strengthen his forces.

‘Who should I focus on raising?’

Song Chi-hyeon, who had left the room, suddenly thought of Choi Seong-min.

He was the subordinate he had the highest expectations for recently.

‘If I quickly raise him and keep him by my side, it would be quite reassuring.’

It was the first time a mere D-rank subordinate felt reassuring to him.

‘Just win the bet. Then I’ll give you unlimited support.’

Whether items or skill books, he was willing to support anything for growth.

Even an environment where he could go solo if he wanted.

‘So hurry up and reach C-rank.’

Song Chi-hyeon urged him internally, but there was no need.

At the current time, Choi Seong-min had already achieved C-rank.