The scene was spinning busily, but Song Ji-hu, the actual center of all that commotion, had his mind elsewhere.
Three or four steps away from the raid team. Song Ji-hu stretched his hand into the air.
[Name : Song Ji-hu]
[Level: 5]
‘From 1 to 5….’
Perhaps because he had cleared a B-rank Gate with special conditions, the reward was quite substantial.
But what caught Song Ji-hu’s gaze was not the level-up message.
In the top slot of the inventory window, next to an icon shaped like an old leather pouch, new text appeared.
[Acquired Item: Old Knight Commander’s Key]
[A key held by the Knight Commander of a fallen kingdom until the very end. It seems capable of opening a door somewhere.]
‘…What is this?’
Song Ji-hu’s ash-gray eyes narrowed. An ordinary dungeon reward was obtained in that dungeon, and that was the end of it.
A monster core, an unprocessed mana stone, or monster byproducts used when crafting equipment. Whatever it was, every reward had to be complete within that Gate.
But a key was a different story. If there was a key, that meant there was a door somewhere that could be opened with that key.
He had run more than several thousand dungeons, but this was the first time he had obtained an item linked to somewhere else. He did not even know where the door this key pointed to was.
At that moment, the compass inside his clothes vibrated gently. A pleasant tremor, as if telling him that it would show him.
‘Is it connected to the compass? I’ll keep it for now. I’ll find out naturally.’
But the variables did not end there. At the very bottom of the skill window, beneath the five skills, a new line had been added.
[New Skill Acquired.]
[Skill 6: Mental Link - C-rank]
“What a pleasant string of variables.”
“Did something good happen?”
At Eun Seo-jin’s question, Song Ji-hu shrugged.
“Have you ever heard of a skill newly appearing, rather than branching or deepening?”
“Uh, hmm… At least, I have never heard of such a thing.”
“Right. Because that’s an unchanging law. Just like mental contamination can’t be healed.”
With trembling fingertips, Song Ji-hu pressed the detailed skill information.
[Mental Link - C-rank]
– Temporarily share senses and intentions with 2 contacted targets.
– Sensory information such as sight, hearing, and touch can be transmitted bidirectionally, and intentions can be exchanged without speech.
– Targets: 2
– Effective range: 30m radius
– Consumes the caster’s mental power.
‘…Link, huh.’
Song Ji-hu looked at the spot where the Gate to Fortress of the Silent Sentinel had been, then mulled over the meaning of the skill.
‘It’s a skill with a lot of utility. If I share vision or senses with Eun Seo-jin, it means we can communicate even when separated.’
In other words, clearing dungeons would become much easier from now on.
“Pfft….”
A laugh he could not hold back burst through his lips.
Mental Detection, Mental Barrier, Residual Thought, Thought Projection, Mental Dive. And now Mental Link.
“Yeah… I more or less get it.”
Anyone could tell what role this life wanted from him.
In the previous six lives, Song Ji-hu had fought directly. He killed directly, bled directly, and broke himself directly.
He did have comrades, but Song Ji-hu had always stood at the front of them. And all six times ended in miserable failure.
But the seventh life was demanding something different. It did not want him to fight alone, but to piece broken blades together and swing them without hesitation at the optimal moment.
From the position of a true leader.
‘…Fine. If that’s the rule of this life.’
Song Ji-hu closed the skill window and lifted the corner of his mouth.
‘Yes. If it’s to kill the Abyssal Monarch, I’ll gladly accept any role.’
New variables. Unknown elements that existed only in the seventh life continued to increase.
An increase in variables during regression meant danger, but a positive variable was also a chance to break away from the path toward confirmed destruction.
***
Yoon Yeong-su collected the last Hunter’s body cam, organized the important points, and stepped aside.
Mental contamination level measurements. Measurement times. Measuring device numbers. Comparative data for each Hunter. No matter how many times he looked, the numbers remained the same.
‘…This isn’t something I can avoid reporting.’
Yoon Yeong-su took out his phone and pressed the first line in his contacts.
Ring- ring-
The call connected after two rings.
“Mr. President, this is an urgent report.”
– What is it?
Yoon Yeong-su delivered only the core points as concisely as possible.
B-rank Gate cleared. It was a special dungeon, but Hunter Song Ji-hu essentially resolved the clear condition alone. His combat ability also exceeded the category of C-rank. Formation restructuring and tactical judgment confirmed.
“And… the mental contamination levels of the Hunters who ran the dungeon with him decreased.”
Silence flowed from beyond the phone. It was quite a long silence.
– …What did you just say?
At the low, growling voice, Yoon Yeong-su swallowed dryly.
“We suspected equipment malfunction and measured again with spare equipment. The results were the same. Though the numbers are small, some Hunters’ contamination levels clearly decreased.”
A long silence followed, but Yoon Yeong-su calmly waited for the next instruction.
– Submit a written report first. Directly to me. Do not take it through the approval line.
“Understood.”
Park Jeong-ho’s voice had sunk lower than usual.
– And, Yoon Yeong-su.
“Yes.”
– Stay glued to that guy’s side no matter what. By any means necessary. You know this is an opportunity, don’t you?
Click-
Yoon Yeong-su put the phone in his pocket, took off his glasses, and wiped them with a handkerchief. There was not a single fingerprint on the lenses, but if he did not wipe them, he felt as though the trembling of his hands would show.
Opportunity. Park Jeong-ho had used that word.
Former secretary to the Association President. The frontrunner among his cohort. But the meaning of frontrunner was clear. If he was not going to remain a secretary forever, he would face the end within five years.
Association President? From the beginning, that was a position only former Hunters could rise to.
But that end just now.
‘…was breached.’
Yoon Yeong-su slowly shifted his gaze to Song Ji-hu. His profile as he exchanged a few brief words with Eun Seo-jin.
According to the records, less than a month had passed since he awakened. Yet it was strange. He did not show a single symptom unique to newly Awakened.
Things like exhaustion from failing to control output, or an adrenaline reaction after a first battle.
‘Where on earth did he pop out from? Is he really a new Hunter? Was he someone trained somewhere? Is there some organization the Association hasn’t identified?’
One by one, the files in Yoon Yeong-su’s head began recalling information about Song Ji-hu. Awakening record, residential registration, family relationships, academic history, medical records. Not a single thing looked suspicious.
That was suspicious.
Compared to the abilities he was showing now, his past was suspiciously ordinary.
‘First… let’s do what I need to do.’
Without realizing it, Yoon Yeong-su steadied his breathing and adjusted his tie with one hand.
After seeing what Song Ji-hu had shown in this dungeon today, it was impossible to think of him the same way as before.
‘An out-of-standard monster even the Association President cannot control.’
He would stay beside that man. By any means necessary. No matter how long it took.
‘Then the Association will have no choice but to obtain information through me.’
His position within the Association would rise beyond comparison.
‘That’s enough calculation.’
Yoon Yeong-su straightened his clothes and walked toward Song Ji-hu.
“Hunter Song Ji-hu.”
When Song Ji-hu turned his head, Yoon Yeong-su bowed deeply.
“I am Yoon Yeong-su, and I have joined Zero Point Guild. I look forward to working with you from now on.”
Song Ji-hu looked over Yoon Yeong-su with indifferent eyes. For some reason, Yoon Yeong-su was certain that this man already knew why he was here, what Park Jeong-ho wanted, and even what calculations Yoon Yeong-su himself was making.
“…Mm. Yes, I look forward to working with you.”
Even so, it meant he accepted him. Yoon Yeong-su raised his head and carefully took out his tablet.
“You must be tired, but there is a gift from the Association President. Would you like to confirm it now?”
“A gift?”
“Yes. He said that it is absolutely unacceptable for an S-rank talent of the nation to stay in such a shabby place. An S-rank-exclusive apartment near the Association has been assigned to you.”
Eun Seo-jin, who had been listening from the side, looked back and forth between Yoon Yeong-su and Song Ji-hu with a conflicted expression.
The first reason was that this man, who until just yesterday had lived with procedures and regulations on his lips, could change this much.
And the second was what Song Ji-hu had said after coming out of the meeting with the Association President.
“What are you talking about? It has been solved.”
He had not said a single word about housing, yet it really had resolved itself on its own. It made Eun Seo-jin wonder just how far this person was seeing.
“Hunter Eun Seo-jin.”
Yoon Yeong-su bowed politely to Eun Seo-jin as well.
“Hunter Eun Seo-jin’s residence has also been reassigned. It is right next door to Hunter Song Ji-hu. Would you like to move there right away? If you are tired, we can postpone it.”
Eun Seo-jin looked at Song Ji-hu. When Song Ji-hu lightly nodded, Eun Seo-jin nodded along with him.
“Let’s go now.”
Yoon Yeong-su opened the rear door of the black sedan he had arrived in with an affable smile.
“I will escort you in my car. After all, I am now a member of Zero Point as well.”
And just as they were about to leave.
“Excuse me! Hunter Song Ji-hu! When is your next raid?”
“A blank check is fine! Please just run a dungeon with us!”
“If you need Hunters to run a dungeon, contact us anytime!”
The attitude of the Hunters, who had been full of doubt before entering the Gate, had completely changed. They rushed toward Song Ji-hu like moths to flame.
‘I don’t have to worry about word of mouth.’
It was exactly the result Song Ji-hu had wanted.
“You cannot do this.”
Yoon Yeong-su stepped forward first and began organizing the situation.
“Dungeon applications proceed according to procedure. For joint raids, once they are organized separately, please apply according to procedure.”
He accepted the business cards the Hunters offered and noted down their contact information.
“No, but aren’t you an Association-dispatched official? Is the Association managing him?”
“Starting today, I am an employee of Zero Point Guild.”
Yoon Yeong-su skillfully answered the other Hunters’ questions and guided Song Ji-hu to the car.
“Do you have any scheduled activities coming up?”
“The guild was only recently created, so nothing has been decided yet. We will move according to the guild leader’s plans.”
At Yoon Yeong-su’s practiced movements, Eun Seo-jin looked at Song Ji-hu.
“Did you predict this as well?”
“Yeah. His practical ability is counted among the best even within the Association.”
And Yoon Yeong-su’s success-oriented nature would be satisfied enough here as well.
“I have finished organizing the situation. I will compile the information we just received and submit it as a report.”
After sorting out the surrounding situation and getting into the driver’s seat, Yoon Yeong-su continued his capable briefing.
“And… I have one additional report. The guild establishment procedure was completed as of today.”
“That is good.”
Yoon Yeong-su observed Song Ji-hu’s expression through the rearview mirror and began driving.
“Then I will escort you to your residence.”