Chapter 302 – Part 2 – The Guest

In the office within the mansion.

Song Chi-hyeon was gnawing on his lower lip. It was his personal habit that emerged whenever he was deep in thought. And there was only one thing that could make Song Chi-hyeon fall into such contemplation.

‘To oppose Kwak Min-cheol, I need to build my own faction.’

Kwak Min-cheol, the ruler of Eastland, was the biggest obstacle that Song Chi-hyeon wanted to remove. 

‘If only that bastard wasn’t around, I could take control of Eastland.’

There was one more Hero besides Kwak Min-cheol, but that wouldn’t be a problem.

‘Kogo, that guy probably has no interest in this kind of thing anyway.’

However, for Song Chi-hyeon, who had the lowest combat power among the 8 Heroes, this was nothing more than an impossible dream. But that didn’t mean he could just sit still and take it.

‘Just in case, I should build my own faction as insurance.’

For that purpose, he needed talented individuals with real ability who could serve as his direct subordinates. However, hunters with B-rank or higher abilities were under Kwak Min-cheol’s watchful eye, making contact impossible.

‘If Kwak Min-cheol ever found out about this, I wouldn’t be safe either.’

To gather forces to oppose him, he would have to look among the lower ranks.

‘If I can find talented individuals among C-ranks and bring them to my side, they’ll become reliable assets in the future.’

He had already given orders to his direct subordinate to search for talent, so results should come soon. Sure enough, there was a knock at the door followed by a voice from outside.

“Great Hero, sir. This is Kang Chan-seong. May I enter?”

“Come in.”

His direct subordinate Kang Chan-seong entered, leading his massive frame.

“What is it?”

Although he already knew what it was about from reading his thoughts, Song Chi-hyeon deliberately pretended not to know. His trait was classified information known only to the 8 Heroes.

“Isn’t today the combat power update day? As you instructed, I’ve compiled a list of C-rank hunters whose combat power has increased significantly compared to last month.”

The report his subordinate handed over contained hunters’ names, their combat power increases, and even the grades of their investigated traits, all neatly organized.

“This is everything?”

“Yes, sir.”

Disappointment crossed Song Chi-hyeon’s face.

“The one who raised his combat power by 6,000 in a month is the one with the highest increase…”

It was certainly remarkable growth, but not enough to catch his eye.

“Disappointing. And all their traits are just A-rank too.”

When Song Chi-hyeon frowned, Kang Chan-seong hesitantly spoke up.

“Actually, there is one hunter showing remarkable growth, but…”

“If there is one, why isn’t he on the report?”

“Well… he’s D-rank.”

“D-rank means… his combat power is 10,000, doesn’t it?”

“That hunter currently has 20,000.”

“Haah…”

Song Chi-hyeon lowered his head and pressed his forehead as if he didn’t need to hear more.

“No matter how good his growth rate is, when will I be able to develop and use someone with only 20,000 combat power? How would having such trash as a subordinate be helpful?”

“Well… his combat power increase rate is overwhelmingly high.”

“How high could it be?”

“His combat power was 0 before the dungeons opened.”

As soon as he heard those words, Song Chi-hyeon raised his head. He stared intently at his subordinate, as if trying to read his thoughts to see if it was true.

“Really 0?”

“That’s what I found out.”

“How many days has it been since the dungeons opened?”

“It’s been one month and one week.”

That meant he had reached 20,000 combat power in less than 40 days.

“How long does it usually take to achieve 20,000 combat power?”

“Please wait a moment.”

His subordinate picked up a tablet and calculated something before speaking.

“According to past recorded data, reaching 20,000 combat power takes an average of 8 months, and at the fastest, 4 months.”

He had achieved in 40 days what normally takes 4 months at the fastest? This was tremendous growth that had never appeared in all the accumulated data.

‘Even Woo Seong-jae, said to be the strongest among the 8 Heroes, never grew this fast.’

In other words, he was a genius who had never appeared in history.

“What about his trait?”

“When investigated, he said it was S-rank himself.”

“Well, of course it would be S-rank to show this kind of growth rate.”

Of course, it wouldn’t just be his trait. His skills must also be backing him up to create such an incredible record.

‘I must secure him, absolutely!’

While trembling with excitement at discovering such an incredible talent, Kang Chan-seong casually asked.

“Are you interested?”

“More than interested! Someone like this must absolutely be brought to our side. Before anyone else can snatch him up!”

Song Chi-hyeon pushed aside the report he had been holding. There was no need to look at anyone else.

“Find out where he lives. I need to meet him immediately.”

“You’re not planning to visit him personally, are you?”

“That’s right.”

Song Chi-hyeon smiled.

‘That’s the only way I can know his thoughts.’

***

Sturdy men were loading luggage into a truck. His mother and Choi A-yeon watched this scene in a daze.

“I can’t believe it. We’re really moving…”

As soon as Choi Seong-min became D-rank, he immediately looked for a house. A 200 million won jeonse deposit place that allowed immediate occupancy.

‘A 200 million won house shouldn’t raise suspicion if we move. They’d think a D-rank would have tens of millions in hand.’

Even if it wasn’t enough, they’d think the rest was covered by loans. In reality, he had hundreds of millions in cash and didn’t need loans at all.

As soon as he found the house, he decided to leave the semi-basement and called a moving company immediately. He didn’t want to live in that place for even one more hour.

“We’ve loaded everything… Should we go ahead and start unpacking?”

“Please do. We’ll take a taxi and come slowly.”

When the moving truck disappeared from view, Choi A-yeon asked with a puzzled expression.

“Oppa, weren’t those people acting strange? They barely made eye contact with us and seemed nervous all the time.”

“They’re being careful because they’re commoners. If they accidentally stared at us high-status people and got in trouble, their boss would scold them too.”

“Ah…”

For family members who had been commoners until recently, it was natural to feel sympathy. Choi Seong-min, having experienced such times himself, understood the hardships of commoners.

‘I should give them extra moving fees later.’

Shortly after, a taxi arrived and the family moved to their new home. The new house wasn’t far away. He had chosen a place close to the school for his sister’s convenience in commuting.

“We’ve arrived, sir.”

After getting out of the taxi, they entered their new home.

“Wow.”

Exclamations naturally escaped from all the family members’ mouths. The clean environment and spacious living room were incomparable to the semi-basement. Nothing was lacking.

“It’s 23 pyeong in size and it’s a newly built building less than a year old. Do you like it?”

“Of course! I absolutely love it.”

He could have immediately gotten them a bigger and better house, but this was the limit of what they could publicly afford.

“Next time I’ll change it to an even better house.”

“Oh no, no. Mom thinks this house is already like a palace.”

“Well… compared to the semi-basement, it is like a palace.”

Choi Seong-min chuckled and handed his mother a white envelope.

“What’s this?”

“Moving fees. Please give this to those people when the move is finished.”

“The envelope seems thick, like you put in more than usual?”

“I put in twice the usual amount. You know how low commoner wages are, mother.”

It was a luxury he could afford because money was overflowing.

“How is our son so good at earning money and so kind-hearted? Mom feels so secure having a son like you.”

“It’s nothing much. Well, I’ll go ahead first. I have somewhere to stop by.”

“Alright, understood. While you’re gone, A-yeon and I will organize the luggage.”

Leaving his family behind, Choi Seong-min headed to none other than a hunter equipment store.

‘I’ve matched other equipment to D-rank, but I haven’t matched accessories yet.’

Entering the largest store among the clustered shops, Choi Seong-min asked the merchant.

“Do you also sell C-rank rings here?”

“Of course, Hunter sir. Please come this way.”

The merchant, thinking Choi Seong-min was a C-rank hunter, immediately showed a submissive attitude, but he was actually D-rank. He was looking for C-rank rings simply because of his Maintaining Dignity trait.

‘If I can wear accessories one grade higher, it’s better to change rings rather than the necklace.’

If he changed the D-grade Wind Necklace, he couldn’t get the set effect, so he decided to match rings to C-rank.

“Hunter sir, do you have any specific options you’re looking for?”

“I’d like options that increase agility and attack speed, or movement speed.”

“Ah, I have just the perfect one.”

The merchant soon brought a ring.

[Ring of Gale]

– Category: Ring

– Grade: C

– Effect: Agility +50, Attack Speed +20%

– Durability: 5,000/5,000

– Usage Restriction: C-rank or higher

– Description: A ring boasting fast attack speed with the energy of gales.

‘This is good.’

As soon as he saw the options, Choi Seong-min was satisfied. The Ring of Acceleration he was currently wearing had Agility 12 and Attack Speed 10%. The difference in options was clear, so there was no need to hesitate.

“I’ll take this one. And if you have a D-rank ring with similar options, that would be great.”

“Don’t worry about that. Our store has everything.”

The merchant soon brought a D-rank item called the Ring of Nimbleness.

‘Agility 24 and Movement Speed 15%… Not bad for D-rank.’

Choi Seong-min decided to purchase it, paid, and left the store.

‘Equip.’

[Set effect activated.]

[Applied Items]

– Wind Necklace

– Ring of Gale  

– Ring of Nimbleness

[Set Effect – Wind’s Blessing]

– Agility +40

– Attack Speed +20%

– Movement Speed +15%

When he equipped the purchased rings, the set effect changed.

‘Previously it was Agility 15 with Attack Speed and Movement Speed 10%, but now it’s enhanced by twice that amount.’

It seemed the set effect increased according to the ring options.

‘This means when Pack Instinct is applied, my Agility will exceed 600.’

Moreover, Attack Speed would be 60% and Movement Speed would increase by 50%.

‘At this level, the combat power written as 20,000 could actually reach up to 30,000?’

30,000 combat power would be C-rank. Reaching C-rank at next month’s combat power update was practically guaranteed.

Returning home with a satisfied heart, Choi Seong-min noticed the moving truck was no longer in front of the house.

‘The move must be finished.’

Without much thought, he entered the house where the door was open, but noticed unfamiliar shoes at the entrance.

‘Did someone come?’

Just then, his mother, who had been glancing toward the entrance, approached with delight.

“Perfect timing, Seong-min. There’s a guest here looking for you.”

“A guest?”

At those words, Choi Seong-min inwardly tensed.

‘Has what was supposed to come finally arrived?’

Knowing that Song Chi-hyeon was the only person who would come looking for him, he organized his thoughts. But the guest wasn’t Song Chi-hyeon.

“Hey there, Hunter Choi Seong-min.”

It was Yang Jo-young. Choi Seong-min was slightly flustered by this unexpected person.

“Ah, hello, Hunter Yang Jo-young.”

“If you moved, you should have said so, shouldn’t you? I almost made a wasted trip.”

“I’m sorry. I was going to report it as soon as the move was finished.”

“It’s not something worth reporting. Saying it like that makes it sound too formal.”

Seeing Yang Jo-young smile, it didn’t seem like he had come for bad news.

‘Could it be he came because he’s worried I might leave for another team?’

As expected, Yang Jo-young brought up words meant to win over Choi Seong-min.

“I heard from Team Leader Bang that you became D-rank this time. I confirmed it in the rankings too. To get promoted just one month after becoming E-rank. I thought I had discovered quite a talent.”

“You’re too kind.”

“Now that you’re D-rank alone, you probably don’t match the level of Team Crush members. You probably want to join another team and challenge higher dungeons. Honestly, I want to tell you not to do that.”

What would come next was obvious.

“If you promise to stay with our team until the end, I’ll give you appropriate treatment. I’ll adjust the ratio to 4:6 and give you one D-rank item of your choice as a gift. How about it?”

Although he asked “how about it,” Choi Seong-min had no choice.

‘If I refuse, immediate retaliation might follow.’

Yang Jo-young had the power to commit murder and cover up the incident. Perhaps the family members here might be in danger.

‘That’s probably why he came to the house. To give an unspoken threat that he could kill the family anytime if things went wrong.’

Although he understood the scheme, Choi Seong-min forced a smile. He had no other choice.

“I would be happy to form a team under Hunter Yang Jo-young…”

“Give your answer later.”

Until a third party suddenly interrupted.

Turning his head, someone had entered through the open front door. It was none other than Song Chi-hyeon.