GM Ch47

‘Hunter Kim Minjun is the only one who can do it. For the safety of the people, Hunter Kim Minjun must step up. All the numerous dungeons in Korea are cleared thanks to the dedication of hunters. It’s an honorable task.’

Just yesterday, Soohyuk had warned Minjun about this. Park Gyuyoung was now saying the exact same things. Minjun, with his phone pressed to his ear, widened his eyes and looked at Soohyuk.

Refuse.

Soohyuk mouthed the words silently with a serious expression, but Minjun understood immediately. In front of the guild leader who could predict the future, Minjun nodded earnestly.

“I’m sorry. This isn’t something I can decide on my own. I’ll need to discuss it with the guild, and they’ll get back to you.”

Minjun used the guild as an excuse to refuse, just as Soohyuk had taught him. However, Park Gyuyoung’s reaction was unexpected.

“Hunter Kim Minjun. Of course, the guild will oppose it. They need to protect their valuable members. But it is in times like this when we need to serve the nation and gain honor. If it’s revealed that you got in via personal connections to the guild leader, you’ll face public criticism. You’re a C-class who got into Team 1; that’s the ultimate privilege. You know this is dangerous, right? Do you know that reporters are digging into your background because you’ve become somewhat famous? One post on the internet, and it’s all over. So, you need to show your special abilities first. Do you understand?”

Park Gyuyoung lowered his voice as if sharing a secret, emphasizing the danger. But Minjun thought it was nonsense.

Even if he wasn’t the most perceptive, he could tell this was a threat. It meant that if he didn’t cooperate with the Poison Jar Dungeon raid, there would be posts online about his cronyism hire and privileges.

Minjun had met many people like this since he started working early. People who would latch onto your weaknesses and torment you.

If he were really a clueless twenty-year-old, he might have been scared. But inside, he was thirty-four, and this kind of threat was just laughable.

It was true that he got in via connections in a sense and had received privileges during the hiring process. But he was doing his job properly, so there was no problem. The raid time for the Grassland Dungeon had already been cut in half.

He didn’t want to explain this to Park Gyuyoung. He had learned from experience that it would be a waste of breath. Minjun was more concerned about the man smiling in front of him. Soohyuk seemed genuinely angry.

“I’ll discuss it with the guild first.”

“Hunter Kim Minjun, I’m telling you, it’s dangerous!”

Despite Park Gyu-young’s persistent threats, Minjun bowed and tried to end the call. But before he could, Soohyuk took the phone from him.

“Hello, Officer Park Gyuyoung. This is Hunter Yoon Soohyuk, guild leader of the June Guild. Could you please put Manager Kim Yongchun on the line?”

Soohyuk smiled at Minjun as he spoke to the officer on the other end. His voice was gentle, but the atmosphere was not.

Whether it was because the conversation partner had changed or because it was Soohyuk, Park Gyuyoung didn’t respond. A few seconds later, the call ended with a beep.

Minjun cautiously asked Soohyuk, who had a stern expression as he pressed the stop recording button.

“Is it always like this?”

“No. This guy’s just a weirdo.”

Soohyuk’s expression turned serious. It was common for the National Security Agency to exploit hunters under the guise of patriotism and honor. Usually, they would beg for help, claiming they had no other options. But outright threats like this were unheard of.

Fundamentally, the National Security Agency, the guilds, and the hunters had a symbiotic relationship. Even though Soohyuk had personal reasons for his stance, he understood the importance of the greater good.

With great power came great responsibility. If hunters started acting solely for their own benefit, society would quickly fall apart.

Traditionally, the director of the National Security Agency was known for lamenting the lack of budget. The agency itself was no different. They would plead and flatter hunters, but they never oppressed them for absurd reasons.

Of course, the agency’s policies and the personal tendencies of its officials could differ. Like any organization, there was always a certain percentage of crazy people.

Such people needed to be dealt with properly so they wouldn’t cause more trouble in the future.

Instead of returning Minjun’s phone, Soohyuk handed him the lock screen.

“Unlock it.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I need the recording. We need to deal with this guy. Hurry up.”

“Uh… Violence isn’t the answer.”

Minjun, while unlocking his phone, seemed to have some wild imagination and offered a serious piece of advice.

“If I were going to beat him up, I wouldn’t need the recording.”

“Then what?”

“I’m pretty close with the Director. Do you want an apology from the officer? I wouldn’t recommend it. Forced apologies from people like him just make you feel worse.”

“I know.”

An insincere apology was just empty words. Sometimes, the offender would even get angry, asking why their apology wasn’t accepted. It was better not to see them at all.

Fortunately, Minjun didn’t seem interested in receiving an apology.

“Alright then.”

“I sent the file.”

Soohyuk checked the recording file and smiled as he stood up.

“I’ll call the Director. Wait here for a bit.”

Despite his smiling face, Soohyuk’s aura was menacing as he left the café. Watching him go, Minjun clicked his tongue inwardly. Whoever Officer Park Gyuyoung was, he was about to pay dearly for his loose tongue.

***

“I barely managed to stop Yoon Soohyuk from filing a lawsuit! Is this how you plan to work? Seriously?!”

Officer Park Gyuyoung shrank under the Director’s scolding. Being summoned to the Director’s office with his immediate superior, he wondered what it was about. As expected, it was because Yoon Soohyuk had complained to the Director.

“Come on, Director. Team Leader Park was just trying to do his best, wasn’t he?”

“This hasn’t been going on all this time, has it? Team Leader Park Gyuyoung, have you been doing this to other hunters too?!”

Despite his immediate superior, Kim Yongchun, trying to defend him, it was no use. The Director’s wrath finally turned towards Park Gyuyoung. Bowing his head, the man did his best to explain.

“It was because of the Poison Jar Dungeon, Director. As you know, Hunter Kim Minjun has to ability to handle everything by himself. I was just a bit too eager since the manager was so worried.”

“Too eager, so you resorted to threats?”

“Threats? It’s all true, isn’t it? A C-class getting into Team 1 of the June Guild is definitely a special favor. If people find out, there’ll be an uproar.”

Park Gyuyoung didn’t think he was threatening anyone. He believed he was just asking for help more efficiently.

“Special favor? Do you even know how quickly the June Guild’s raid on the plains ended this time? It was cut in half. And that happened right after Hunter Kim Minjun joined.”

“That’s just luck…”

“How do you know that? Huh? How do you know? And so what if it’s a special favor? The June Guild is Yoon Soohyuk’s private company. He could put a dog or cat in Team 1 if he wanted to and it wouldn’t matter. Don’t you realize the mess you’ve caused? Sigh. We’ll start with internal disciplinary action. Take some leave and reflect on your actions. And don’t even think about posting anything online. If anything related to this goes up, it’s over for you.”

Despite Park Gyuyoung’s pleas, the Director’s decision was final. After being told to get out, he had no choice but to leave the office.

He also had to endure a scolding from his immediate superior, Manager Kim Yongchun, who questioned his sanity. Only after being thoroughly reprimanded was he allowed to leave.

The atmosphere in the office wasn’t any better when he went to pack his things. The rumors had already spread.

Without saying goodbye, Park Gyuyoung left the office and got into his parked car. Instead of starting the engine, he screamed at the top of his lungs.

“Fuck it! How was that a threat?!”

Park Gyuyoung felt like he was going crazy with frustration. He had just been doing his job as he was taught. He appealed to patriotism and promised honor. He even offered to cover up a scandal, but now he was being punished for threats? It made no sense to him.

The real problem was having to ask hunters for their consent for the sake of the country. The state should just issue orders and forcibly mobilize them.

“That bastard! Just a C-class, and he’s causing all this trouble.”

All his resentment was directed at Minjun, who had joined Team 1 of the June Guild despite being a C-class. He cursed Minjun for being a snitch with no patriotism.

Park Gyuyoung’s resentment stemmed from his own inferiority complex. He had passed the civil service exam at thirty-two and awakened as a B-rank ability user shortly after. But his joy was short-lived. His stats were below average for a B-rank, and his skills were too inefficient. Playing dead, holding his breath, and erasing his presence were useless in combat.

He thought he wouldn’t need to become a hunter and enter dangerous dungeons since he was a fifth-grade civil servant. He preferred to boss around hunters at the National Security Agency. But things didn’t go as he planned. More often than not, he had to beg for help from hunters ranked lower than him.

“Damn it, the June Guild leader always gets what he wants.”