Chapter 100: A Reciprocal Gesture (1)

Episode 100: Repaying a Favor (1)

“He accepted the proposal?”

Moscow, Saint Winter’s headquarters, the Guild Leader’s office.

Sergei Mavrodi sat at his desk, stroking his angular jaw.

Since Jin Wijeong already knew his true nature, Sergei no longer needed to maintain the pretense of being a “kind, charismatic, and gentlemanly” Guild Leader. As a result, his mannerisms and speech had grown considerably rougher.

“Yes, he did,” Jin Wijeong replied calmly, his face projected onto the holographic projector on the desk.

“He accepted without even weighing the pros and cons? The joint expedition proposal for A-72 Gate?”

“Yes.”

“That old man, the Nine Heavens Bone King, must have given him a hint.”

Sergei frowned deeply, lost in thought.

To be honest, he had fully expected Lee Taejun to reject the joint expedition proposal.

Go Geonho was certain that he could influence Taejun’s decision.

That bastard cares for his disciple enough to reverse his retirement announcement.

Saint Winter’s had proposed the joint expedition.

The moment Go Geonho confirmed that the Mercenary Guild leading the expedition was led by Sergei—the same Sergei he had condemned long ago—he likely saw through the scheme.

That’s why, before sending Jin Wijeong to Hwiryong, Sergei had already recruited several Korean media contacts to leak information about the upcoming meeting.

Even if the news only focused on Taejun’s rejection of the joint expedition, it would be enough to cast doubt on Taejun’s abilities and, by extension, the Nine Heavens Bone King’s judgment.

Having manipulated public opinion in this way, Sergei had planned to…

…continuously approach Hwiryong, waiting for an opportunity to exploit and cling to.

Taejun’s immediate acceptance of the proposal completely derailed the first plan from the outset.

But Sergei’s lips soon curled into a smirk.

This might actually be for the best.

In truth, a joint expedition to the A-72 Gate was the best possible outcome.

Of course, there were still hurdles to overcome.

“Lee Taejun has a separate proposal?”

Apparently, Taejun wanted to revise certain clauses in the contract proposed by Saint Winter’s.

“Yes. First, he wants to change the distribution of essence stones acquired during the A-72 Gate Expedition from a fixed ratio to a performance-based system.”

”…Essence stones?”

But the moment Jin Wijeong murmured his reply, the tension that had gripped Sergei’s face instantly dissipated.

“So, the only contract term he wants to revise is the distribution method for essence stones?”

This wasn’t the usual system where essence stones were distributed equally, regardless of individual contributions during the expedition.

Instead, they would earn essence stones proportionate to the monsters they killed and their contribution to defeating Boss Monsters.

Naturally, this arrangement favored Saint Winter’s.

No matter how skilled Taejun might be, it was impossible for him to outperform the Saber Tiger Team and Jin Wijeong, both elite units within Saint Winter’s.

The same applied to the Hwiryung Guild members, who possessed no exceptional qualities aside from their Necromancer status.

“Anything else?”

“While there aren’t specific changes, Saint Winter’s also expressed their expectation that we dedicate our utmost efforts to this expedition.”

Dedicate our utmost efforts.

Sergei immediately grasped the true meaning behind this request.

“They want us to assemble the expedition team with our most elite operatives?”

“That’s correct.”

“Ha, why? Do you think that by joining our elite agents, you’ll get a free pass even if you fail miserably on this expedition?”

Jin Wijeong didn’t reply.

Sergei chuckled and nodded.

“What a fool. You’ll only end up being compared even more harshly.”

“What should we do?”

“There’s no downside for us in this proposal. After all, your Saber Tiger Team is Saint Winter’s elite unit. We might as well accept the essence stones.”

“Understood.”

The leader of Saint Winter’s swirled the vodka in his glass, a smile playing on his lips.

The ice cubes clinked against each other, making a crisp, ringing sound.

“Already trying to lay the groundwork? The Nine Heavens Bone King’s judgment must have withered completely. To accept such a spineless coward as his Blood Magic Heir and honorary disciple…”

“Anything more to report, Team Leader Chen Weiting?”

After a long silence, Chen Weiting finally spoke.

”…No, sir.”

“Then proceed with finalizing the contract and return.”

A faint glint flickered in Sergei’s eyes.

“After all, we must prepare for the most crucial expedition in the history of Saint Winter’s.”

Millennium Hilton Hotel Suite Room, Seoul.

”…I seem to have misjudged him slightly,” Jin Wijeong murmured to himself.

Click.

The holographic projection screen vanished.

“Though he’s never shown his true capabilities before, Lee Taejun clearly possesses far more potential than I imagined.”

Jin Wijeong’s voice was barely audible.

The Saint Winter’s leader, who had previously mocked Lee Taejun with such glee, had nearly voiced his true thoughts to his superior.

Jin Wijeong was a man with keen instincts. It was this intuition that had allowed him to narrowly escape the Heavenly Flow Society—where expulsion meant certain death—and to evade his Senior Brothers’ clutches, eventually securing a position within the Far Eastern Mercenary Guild.

All of this was possible because his intuition far surpassed that of others.

That intuition was now warning him:

The moment he shook hands with Lee Taejun…

Be wary of this man.

Of course, it wasn’t solely due to intuition.

I never imagined there would be someone against whom my Body Search Technique would fail.

The Body Search Technique was an S-Rank Skill that allowed him to inject a microscopic strand of mana, finer than a silk thread, into a target’s body. By doing so, he could instantly ascertain their stats, mana reserves, and current physical condition.

The instant Jin Wijeong shook hands with Taejun, he seized that fleeting opportunity to activate the skill.

He was confident.

No, it wasn’t even a matter of confidence.

The Body Search Technique was his unique secret technique, undetectable by any other detection skill.

Even the most renowned High-Rank Hunters had failed to notice the single strand of Mana flowing into their bodies.

Until now, only one person had ever resisted his Secret Technique:

The Heavenly Flow Society Leader, one of China’s only five Dragon-Rank Hunters: Sword Saint Jeong Il-ryong.

And yet…

By a Korean Hunter who had just been promoted to B-rank.

Moreover, before he could even fully assess a fragment of Taejun’s ability after releasing the Mana.

He was certain it wasn’t merely being detected, but neutralized. The reason was simple:

The Qi he had sent toward Taejun had been repelled, flowing back into his own body like a rebounding wave.

But it didn’t stop there.

The Mana, now beyond his control, rampaged through his blood vessels with frenzied fury.

The excruciating pain, like an electric current coursing through his veins, was enough to shatter even Jin Wijeong’s poker face.

As his vision swam from the agony, he heard Taejun’s absurdly casual remark:

“I apologize. I’m just prone to static electricity.”

The moment his vision cleared, Taejun’s gaze remained fixed on him, their hands still clasped.

It was as if Taejun were looking down at Sun Wukong trapped within the Buddha’s Palm.

”…”

Jin Wijeong forced down the creeping unease that slithered up his neck.

Yes.

Now that he’s accepted the offer, he’s no more than a rat caught in a trap, drawn to the bait.

It’s fine.

It will definitely be fine.

“Hunter Taejun, Saint Winter’s has contacted us. They’ve accepted the conditions you proposed.”

“Is that so?” I replied casually, my smartphone wedged between my shoulder and ear.

It was 9 AM.

After reviewing my ‘proposal,’ Jin Wijeong had said he would report to the Saint Winter’s President and provide a response within three days. The fact that they’d contacted us less than 24 hours after our meeting ended meant they were moving remarkably fast.

Of course, the proposal offered Saint Winter’s no drawbacks whatsoever.

I’d anticipated their acceptance, but still.

“Ah, yes.”

At my lukewarm response, Ko Youngmin’s voice on the other end of the line grew slightly petulant.

But only briefly. He continued his report.

“And since the estimated creation date for Gate A-72 is about fourteen days from now, he urged us to quickly finalize our expedition plans.”

“Ah.”

“But are you sure about this, President? To me, this feels like a hundred percent trap…”

A trap it is.

And a glaringly obvious one at that, even Ko Youngmin could see right through it.

But instead of answering, I countered with a question.

“President, even if it’s a trap, do we have any other opportunities right now to receive a joint expedition proposal of this scale, given Hwiryong’s current standing?”

“Uh.”

“A-72 is a 2nd-tier Gate, potentially rising to 1.5-tier. Moreover, according to the International Headquarters’ observation records, the monsters that cross over carry quite valuable byproducts too.”

“Right, of course. That Gate alone had a winning bid of over 10 billion won.”

“Do you think Hwiryong currently has any chance to participate in an expedition to such a Gate? And not under an unfair 9:1 slave contract, but one where we can take the essence stones and byproducts based on what we hunt?”

Ko Youngmin replied in a subdued tone.

“No, we don’t. With our guild’s current financial situation, we can barely afford to bid on 4th-tier Gates.”

That was the truth.

Although the dark tumor that was Jo Yongtae had been removed, and recent expedition results had improved remarkably, Hwiryong was still barely breaking even.

There was no way they could even dream of bidding on expeditions to 2nd-tier or higher Gates, which yielded all sorts of rare items, byproducts, and essence stones.

Moreover,

“Personally, I really don’t want to miss this opportunity.”

The International Headquarters uses a “Star Rating” system to classify Guilds by their level. Saint Winter’s is the highest-ranked 5-Star Guild.

For reference, the only 5-Star Guild in Korea is Hongik, the undisputed number one power ranking.

Why am I suddenly explaining all this?

The International Headquarters grants qualification to enter the “Ten Great Labyrinths”—Out-of-Standard Dungeons—to those who have participated in high-level Expeditions alongside 5-Star Guilds from other countries, upon verification of their contributions.

Normally, Expeditions to Out-of-Standard Dungeons require an A-Rank or higher. However, with this qualification, one can join such Expeditions regardless of their current rank.

This is exactly what I’m aiming for through this Expedition:

Conquering the Ten Great Labyrinths.

Considering the scale of the expedition and the known rewards, it should have significantly boosted my stagnant Synchronization Rate.

In fact, I had already easily conquered one of the Ten Great Labyrinths using a feature of my Current Status Window.

I was absolutely convinced I could reap the benefits effortlessly.

But since I don’t even qualify to apply for the expedition in the first place…

In the end, all I could do was suck my thumb and lament my situation.

Of course, Hwiryong wasn’t the kind of Class that would collaborate with a Five-Star Guild.

And it would have been the same even if I belonged to Hwarang, Cheongyeon, or Shinwa.

Hwarang never participates in joint expeditions with foreign guilds.

And Cheongyeon and Shinwa also shy away from large-scale expeditions with foreign Five-Star Guilds due to issues like essence stone distribution.

That’s why I rushed the A-Rank Promotion Examination—to quickly lift those restrictions.

But now, an opportunity had arisen to easily resolve one of the very restrictions that had compelled me to rush the examination.

A thoughtful hum drifted through the receiver.

I quietly continued, “Don’t worry. If it seems genuinely dangerous, I’ll cancel the expedition midway.”

Growth was important, but I couldn’t jeopardize the Hwiryung Guild Members for it.

Besides, I had no intention of crawling into a trap so perilous it would cost me my life.

Only then did Ko Youngmin’s voice relax slightly.

“Ah, President, you can handle that yourself.”

…Excuse me?

I had no intention of handling such trivial and bothersome tasks.

Besides…

“I’m quite busy at the moment, you see.”

Huh? No, what exactly are you doing right now? It sounds quite noisy around you—are you outside?

Instead of answering, I shouted loudly:

“Boss, can I get 600 grams of pork shoulder here, please?”

Pork shoulder? Huh?

With my smartphone wedged between my shoulder and ear, I glanced up ahead.

The bustling butcher shop in the market, rows of vivid, crimson pork cuts displayed in all their glory.

My hands overflowing with bags stuffed with groceries—vegetables like scallions poking out—I answered confidently,

“I need to cook a meal for someone.”