Following the operations staff’s lead, I found myself in a spacious room with a plaque that read, “Chairman’s Office.”
“Is the Hunter Association Chairman coming?”
I asked the operations staff member who politely poured me tea.
He only gave me a faint smile and never answered.
Then an unfamiliar voice rang out from deeper inside the room.
“‘Coming,’ you say? The Hunter Association Chairman has been waiting for you for quite some time already.”
“…!”
THUD. THUD.
An elderly man with a sturdy build and a thick white beard walked out from the back of the room.
At the same time, everyone else in the room flowed out like the tide pulling back.
“It is tradition for the top passer in the Hunter Selection Assessment to have tea with the Chairman after the assessment concludes. Would you be willing to spare me a moment?”
“Yes. Of course.”
I whistled inwardly.
As expected, first place got different treatment.
A private meeting with the Hunter Association Chairman.
How much was this worth again?
Let me tell you an old story for a moment.
I had already met the Hunter Association Chairman in my previous life.
It happened around the time [System Observer] reached Level 2.
Back then, I went around tracking down Korea’s famous powerhouses and checking their Status Windows.
Maybe another ability would unlock if I fulfilled some hidden condition.
That expectation had no basis whatsoever, but at the time, I was strangely convinced of it, as though I’d been possessed by something.
Then I got an opportunity to meet the Hunter Association Chairman, who was considered one of Korea’s strongest Hunters.
[Having Lunch with the World’s Strongest Chairman.]
I think that was the event’s name.
At the time, the Korean Hunter Association had sold special event tickets that let you share a meal with the Chairman for only twenty million won.
I’d heard the proceeds were used to support retired Hunters in difficult circumstances.
Some investment-company chairman across the ocean in America supposedly charged billions for a single lunch.
Compared to that, this was practically a bargain.
That was how I justified it to myself before emptying out my savings to buy the ticket.
And so, for a little over an hour, I shared one meal with the sturdy old man now sitting across from me.
Ah, naturally, there had been no hidden condition or hidden Skill.
It took me nearly half a year of wasted money and time to accept that fact.
Still, thanks to that, I got to see the faces and Traits of just about every Hunter in Korea with some real influence.
Anyway, perhaps because of that memory, being first in the Hunter Selection Assessment felt like receiving an extra twenty-million-won bonus.
I was deeply pleased.
“What are you staring at so intently?”
The Chairman asked as he sat across from me.
He looked exactly the same as he had in my memories.
For a second, I wondered whether he had a Trait that prevented aging.
But that wasn’t it.
I already knew what Traits the Chairman possessed.
“Ah. It’s just fascinating to be meeting the Hunter Association Chairman.”
I took a sip of tea and checked the Chairman’s Status Window.
【Chairman】
【Level】: 127
【Traits】
└ [Enhancement] Superhuman Strength (LV 9)
└ [Space-Time] Deceleration (LV 8)
└ [Unique] Gatekeeper (LV 1)
【Encroachment Rate】: 45%
【Ranking】: 14
【Performance Score】: 770,698
Wow.
Even seeing it again, those numbers left me speechless.
Level 127, with a Performance Score of over 770,000.
But the values shown in his Status Window were barely any different from what I had seen in my previous life.
And that had been more than ten years from now.
In other words, the Chairman would remain at roughly his current strength for well over a decade without much growth.
Put positively, he had already reached his peak.
His Ranking proved as much.
“I rather like your eyes. They are calm and deep, not at all like someone your age.”
The Chairman abruptly complimented me.
I’d probably been squinting while checking his Status Window, so what did he mean by saying he liked my eyes?
I answered automatically.
“Thank you.”
“May I ask how many Levels you Cleared?”
He already knew how far I had gone.
The [Unique] Gatekeeper Trait he possessed was a Trait held by the manager of a particular Stage.
It was also called an inherited Trait.
It was an ability granted to the person who possessed the object that served as a Stage’s medium.
An Awakened with that Trait could open a particular Stage and examine the records of other Awakened who had acted within it.
But all of that was confidential information that a rookie Hunter who had Awakened only two days ago couldn’t possibly know.
Publicly, assessment results were said to be processed entirely based on the participants’ own testimony.
That was why the Chairman was asking me directly first.
“Level 20.”
“Oh?”
The Chairman narrowed his brow and let out a low exclamation.
This old man was a fairly good actor.
“The highest record until now was Level 15. From this point forward, your record will be Korea’s new record. Congratulations.”
“Wow! Really? Thank you.”
On the other hand, my acting was terrible.
But my lukewarm reaction seemed to provoke the Chairman in a different way.
His voice rose slightly as he continued.
“You may not know this, but many established Hunters of considerable caliber wish to enter this Stage outside the Hunter Selection Assessment as well. Yet none of them have been able to proceed beyond Level 15. Whenever they tried to advance, the Stage would forcibly end. My guess is that once an Awakened affected by the Easter egg reaches their highest Clear, that Level becomes fixed as the Stage’s maximum floor.”
That was news to me as well.
My voice naturally carried genuine surprise.
“Really?”
Perhaps pleased by my reaction this time, the Chairman smiled and lowered his voice.
“That is correct. It is classified information that only a few people within the Association know.”
“Is it really okay to tell me that?”
“Of course. Thanks to you, the Stage’s maximum floor has increased to Level 20. Naturally, you deserve to know.”
“In that case, thank you. I won’t tell anyone.”
“I would appreciate that. Our Kim Daram is as mature in thought as he is skilled. I would want for nothing if I had a grandson like you. Hahaha.”
The Chairman lightly patted my shoulder and laughed heartily.
I laughed along awkwardly.
Excuse me, Chairman.
Isn’t this a little too friendly for our first meeting?
Of course, he wasn’t acting this way simply because he wanted to get close to me.
I could roughly guess what he was after.
“By the way, do you know that our Hunter Association secretly operates an Awakened development program?”
Looks like we were getting to the main point.
“An Awakened development program?”
“Yes. You can think of it as a program that identifies Awakened with extraordinary potential, protects them, and provides them with comprehensive support for their growth.”
“I’ll be training with the Hunter Association for a year anyway—”
Before I could finish, the Chairman cut in.
“Of course. But didn’t I say it was operated in secret? You would still train alongside the other participants, but you would receive additional benefits separately.”
“Ah.”
“There is also a signing bonus. A substantial amount that you would normally need to be at least a B-grade Hunter to receive.”
“You’ll give me full support and a signing bonus too?”
I asked, tilting my head.
The Chairman flinched before clearing his throat.
“There is one condition. To receive support, you must work under the Association for a certain period. It is what we call an Association-exclusive Hunter position. As you know, the competition for those positions is fierce these days. But if you enter this program, that position is automatically guaranteed.”
“Ah, I see. How many years is the contract?”
I asked flatly.
“The, the contract? It isn’t long… Around ten years? Hahaha. The comprehensive support I mentioned costs a great deal, after all. We are not a charity organization. Still, you will only be thirty after ten years. That is still very young, isn’t it?”
“…”
When I didn’t answer, the Chairman continued with a rather serious expression.
“And do you know what percentage of Hunters who pass the Hunter Selection Assessment die or become disabled within a year?”
“…”
“It is as high as fifteen percent. Many young people enter this profession carrying dreams and hope, but the reality beneath it is never easy. Ah, that is confidential information as well. But if you join this program, I guarantee it. You will not die or suffer serious injury. The Association will take complete responsibility for managing you. What do you think? Once you complete the one-year training period, I will personally ensure that you can choose not only an Association-exclusive Hunter position, but even your own work location.”
So the Chairman was essentially giving me a sales pitch.
It wasn’t hard to understand.
If I were in the same position, I would have done the same thing.
The first Awakened in Korea’s five-thousand-year history to break through Level 20 was sitting right in front of him.
Of course he wanted me.
Normally, after completing the Hunter Selection Assessment, participants went through a one-year training program provided by the Association.
After that, they had various options: working under the Association, joining a corporate Hunter Guild or Hunter management company, or becoming a freelance Hunter.
As the Chairman said, becoming an Association-exclusive Hunter was not a bad choice.
Even among Association Hunters, those who bore the title of “exclusive” received exceptional treatment.
Usually, only a handful of top trainees earned those positions after completing the one-year program.
But Association-exclusive Hunters were required to report whenever they traveled abroad and leave records every time they entered a Stage.
That wouldn’t work.
I was a regressor with too many Stages I needed to enter in secret.
Before the Chairman could drag this out any further, I answered firmly.
“I appreciate the offer, but I’ll decline.”
“De-decline? Why?”
I couldn’t tell him the truth.
But if I offered a half-baked excuse, it would only leave the Chairman with lingering doubts.
So I pulled out a goal I’d set in elementary school, then forgotten after reality had crushed it.
A goal that had been closer to a dream than anything else.
“I intend to enter the top 100 in the Awakened Rankings within ten years, and reach number one within twenty. And I plan to establish my own Guild as soon as possible.”
“…”
“To do that, I don’t think I can work under the Association.”
“Are you serious?”
When I first set that goal, I was definitely serious.
A few years later, once I matured a little, I realized how absurdly unrealistic that dream had been.
But now that I said it again…
For some reason, it no longer felt completely impossible.
My thoughts were long, but my answer was short.
“Yes. I am.”
Had he understood how serious I was?
The Chairman backed down without resistance.
“Very well. I will not press you any further. But tell me anytime you change your mind. I will always keep this door open for you, at least.”
The Chairman drained the tea in front of him in a single gulp.
Watching him, a question suddenly came to mind.
“Chairman, may I ask you something?”
“Of course, of course. Ask anything you like. How could this old man hold back an answer when the future number one Awakened has something he wants to know?”
This old man had a bit of a sharp edge to him.
“Who placed second in the assessment? Could you tell me their name, if possible?”
“Hmm… Assessment rankings are confidential in principle. But top participants are bound to encounter one another in the curriculum, so I will tell you as a special exception.”
The Chairman made sure to emphasize the favor before answering.
“Second place was a participant named Lee Hasol.”
As expected, our Hasol.
Then was Sa Jeil in third place?
“Then will you offer the program you mentioned to Lee Hasol too?”
“Whew…”
The Chairman let out a long sigh before continuing.
“As a matter of fact, I already did. He also achieved the remarkable record of Clearing Level 15.”
Level 15.
Impressive, Lee Hasol.
“What did he say?”
“He refused without hesitation. He said he had to ask his friend first. Tell me, Kim Daram. At your age, shouldn’t you be past the stage of putting friends first?”
“Haha… Well, that depends on the person.”
I had no choice but to laugh awkwardly.
I could guess exactly who the friend Lee Hasol meant was.
“If you meet him later, try to persuade him for me. Opportunities like this are rare.”
“Yeah. Well…”
Sorry, Chairman.
But I’m taking Hasol.
He really is the kind of guy who will crack the top 100 within ten years.