Chapter 09 - Solo Awakening as an Ex-Rank-Munchkin
Na Dan-sik dodged the creature's hand and cast [Munchkin’s Domain].
Within a 100-meter radius, mana erupted, and the ground shook. Lava surged upward, raining down a concentrated barrage on the creature's core.
CRASH!
With that sound, the Magma Giant exploded.
Watching the creature crumble, Na Dan-sik landed on the ground.
Tiring!
[Congratulations, you have cleared the hidden stage.]
[As a reward for clearing the hidden stage, you have received Essence of Lava and 2 Intermediate Magic Stones.]
[You have succeeded in clearing the stage in the shortest time.]
[An additional reward will be given.]
[You have received 2 Intermediate Magic Stones as an additional reward.]
[You have received the Magma Giant's Core as an additional reward.]
He received a lot of rewards this time, too.
When the return gate appeared, Na Dan-sik hurried out.
As Na Dan-sik exited the gate, the administrator looked at him with a surprised expression.
“You're out already?”
“Yes.”
“And you've already cleared the boss?”
“That's right.”
It was at that very moment.
[Power Inflation has been applied.]
[The Grade 1 Gate will be upgraded to a Grade 2 Gate.]
The administrator was visibly flustered.
Just as he was about to hurry, return the watch, and bolt, someone blocked his path.
It was a woman in a neat business suit.
“Hello, Mr. Na Dan-sik.”
“Do you know me?”
He was on guard.
Knowing his name meant she was someone who had investigated him.
“Ah, I haven't introduced myself. I'm from the Association.”
She offered a business card, and he took it.
Her name was Jin Seon-hui.
Team Leader of the Korean Awakened Association's Scouting Team.
“It's a bit awkward to talk while standing. Shall we go to a café for a cup of coffee?”
Since she said she was from the Association, he had a good idea of what this was about.
With every gate he entered automatically upgrading, it was likely that the Association or the guilds were keeping an eye on him.
“Alright.”
He decided to talk with her, at least.
He wanted to hear what she had to say.
He got into the car driven by Team Leader Jin Seon-hui, and they went to a quiet nearby café.
After ordering coffee, they began their conversation in earnest.
“The reason I contacted you is······.”
“Isn't it because of the gate upgrades?”
“You catch on quick.”
Jin Seon-hui took out a tablet and showed it to Na Dan-sik.
The screen displayed information on the upgrades of the gates Na Dan-sik had cleared so far.
“All of the gates listed here have been upgraded to Grade 2.”
It was the truth, so he couldn't deny it.
He figured this might be a troublesome situation for the Association.
“I understand this must be troublesome for the Association.”
“Troublesome? Not at all.”
“Pardon?”
“It's not troublesome at all.”
“It's not?”
“No.”
“Then, the reason you came to see me is······.”
“To ask for your cooperation.”
Jin Seon-hui looked at Na Dan-sik and spoke politely.
“The Association would like to establish a friendly relationship with you, Mr. Na Dan-sik. Of course, this isn't compulsory.”
“A friendly relationship, you say······.”
“It means we would provide you with assistance.”
“Isn't that a one-sided relationship? Shouldn't I be of help to the Association as well?”
He had to be frank about this.
He had no intention of becoming the Association's dog.
As if she had been waiting for the question, Jin Seon-hui answered.
“It's nothing much. We'd just like you to upgrade the gates we designate.”
“The gates the Association designates?”
“Yes.”
“Our country has far more low-grade gates than high-grade ones. And that's a bit of a headache.”
“Because they aren't profitable?”
“Exactly, they don't make money. You need to grow, Mr. Na Dan-sik, and we need to deal with these troublesome gates. It's a win-win, don't you think?”
Jin Seon-hui operated the tablet and showed him the screen.
“Take a look at this. In the Gyeonggi Province area alone, there are over 50 Grade 1 Gates. The maintenance costs run into the billions.”
Looking at the dense list of gates, Na Dan-sik was astonished.
“Even if we just raise 30% of these to Grade 2, it would be a great help.”
This was because the rewards were different.
Grade 2 Gates offered much better rewards than Grade 1.
The higher a gate's grade, the better the compensation.
This was also why Hunters aimed to clear high-grade gates. Just selling the high-grade magic stones from them could earn you hundreds of millions.
That was why Na Dan-sik was also aiming for high-grade gates. Since he had started as a Hunter, he wanted to succeed.
“Team Leader, I don't plan on sticking to only Grade 1 Gates.”
“Of course. You can't just go from one Grade 1 Gate to another.”
Gates are divided into low, mid, high, and special grades.
Low-grade refers to Grades 1 to 3, mid-grade is 4 to 6, high-grade is 5 to 7, and special-grade is Grade 8 and above.
If a Grade 9 or 10 appears, it's considered a national disaster.
“You'll be taking on mid-grade and high-grade gates as well, not just low-grade ones, but we would be grateful if you would clear Grade 1 Gates for us from time to time. We plan to offer incentives for that as well.”
“Incentives?”
“Naturally, we'll have to compensate you. How does 100 million won per Grade 1 Gate sound? And if you can upgrade a Grade 2 to a Grade 3, we'll pay you three times that amount.”
“I haven't tried a Grade 2 Gate yet, so I can't promise anything.”
At his current level, Grade 1 was appropriate.
According to what he'd looked up on Hunter Net, opponents tough for beginners started appearing from Grade 2. Even Grade 1 was difficult for a novice, but Grade 2 was said to be even harder.
But the Association's offer was tempting.
The more money, the better.
“Mr. Na Dan-sik, I have one more proposal.”
“What is it?”
“How about registering as a member of the Association?”
“A member of the Association?”
“It's a type of freelance contract. No set work hours, you get paid based on performance instead of a monthly salary, and we provide equipment support.”
“Even the Hunter Choi Kang-in works with us under a freelance contract.”
Choi Kang-in wasn't affiliated with any guild.
He also cooperated with the Association, focusing on solo play.
“Could I see the documents, by any chance?”
Jin Seon-hui took out the documents and showed them to him.
Na Dan-sik opened them and reviewed the contents.
The terms weren't bad.
Jin Seon-hui asked with a gentle smile.
“The guilds are in an uproar trying to find you… you've seen it, haven't you?”
“Yes, I've seen it.”
Honestly, he thought guilds and the Association were all the same. Organizations were the same everywhere you went.
“Guilds are very controlling. They have mandatory clear quotas and complicated profit-sharing schemes. But the Association has none of that. In fact, you can operate freely and still receive support.”
Jin Seon-hui was truly a smooth talker.
That must be why she was the scouting team leader.
He could easily be swayed if he wasn't careful.
“And if you sign a contract with the Association, we'll give you a signing bonus.”
“A signing bonus?”
“How much are you offering?”
“It depends on performance, but considering your unique circumstances, Mr. Na Dan-sik, we can offer 500 million won.”
“500 million?”
When he worked at the company, his annual salary was 30 million won.
This was an amount he couldn't have saved even in over ten years.
This must be why everyone wanted to become a Hunter.
It was starting to feel real, but there was something he had to clarify.
“Team Leader, I'm still a beginner. Even for a freelancer, isn't 500 million a bit much for a novice who just had his Awakening?”
The minimum signing bonus for an A-Rank Hunter is 100 million. For an S-Rank Hunter, the offers start at a minimum of 1 billion.
Yet he was still an unverified Hunter.
Jin Seon-hui smiled brightly.
“Of course. We're offering a 500 million signing bonus, but there's a condition.”
“A condition?”
“You must successfully upgrade the low-grade gates designated by the Association within three months. If you fail to meet the target, you'll have to return a portion of the signing bonus. Since you would have broken the promise.”
That made sense.
Na Dan-sik's deliberation grew longer.
Jin Seon-hui didn't drag it out either.
“It seems you need some time to think, so I'll be going now. And here's my card. Please think it over and contact me anytime. You don't need to rush your decision.”
She really wasn't forcing him.
She had simply laid out the Association's strengths.
“Thank you, Team Leader.”
“Oh, and the Association President would like to meet you.”
“The Association President wants to meet me?”
“Yes, *that* Association President.”
Kang Cheol-man, the President of the Korean Awakened Association.
He was an extremely famous figure.
After all, he was one of the original A-Rank Hunters who had once led South Korea. Now retired, he had become the Association President.
His record as an active Hunter was incredible.
And a man like that wanted to meet him.
“There's no need to feel pressured.”
“I understand. I'll think about this as well.”
“Alright. Well then.”
And with that, Na Dan-sik and Jin Seon-hui parted ways.
On his way home, Na Dan-sik thought it over carefully.
“A contract with the Association, huh.”
The Association's freelance contract wasn't a bad deal.
There were other Hunters who worked that way.
But it wasn't a contract just anyone could get.
Honestly, he was a bit dazed.
To think the Association would offer him a freelance contract.
It wasn't a bad feeling.
***
As soon as she got into the driver's seat, Jin Seon-hui immediately called Kim In-ho.
RRRR-
- How did it go?
“He's a cautious person. Said he'd think about it.”
- Did you try using your emotion skill?
“No, I didn't.”
- Why?
“The moment I saw him, I felt like I shouldn't use the skill. I had a premonition that he would see me in a bad light if I did. I can't afford to do that when I'm trying to make a good impression.”
- I didn't realize you rated Mr. Na Dan-sik so highly.
“This man is the real deal. We absolutely have to bring him into the Association.”
- Did your Appraisal Skill activate again?
“That's right. My Appraisal Skill told me. That's why, in addition to the gate deal we discussed with you, Mr. Vice President, I also offered him a freelance contract.”
- What?
“You'd better prepare a hefty signing bonus.”
- Did you decide on your own again? I told you, freelance contracts need to be approved by the higher-ups first! Are you really going to keep doing things this way?
“When has the Association ever suffered a loss from me doing things my way? Or have you forgotten that I was the one who landed the freelance contract with the strongest Hunter?”
- Well······.
“Just trust me this time, too, Vice President.”
- For now, I'll report it to the Association President.
“Thank you.”
- You find this funny?
“Scouting exceptional talent is always a pleasure.”
- Just brilliant, absolutely brilliant.
“Thank you for the compliment. Well, I have to drive now, so I'll hang up, Vice President. Please put in a good word for me with the Association President.”
She ended the call with a charmingly sweet tone.
She started humming to herself.
***
Back home, Na Dan-sik met up with Yu Il-sik.
Yu Il-sik had called first, and they had agreed to meet at the house.
They ordered some jokbal, sat facing each other, and had a glass of soju.
“What's up?”
“What do you mean, 'what's up'? You haven't forgotten, have you?”
“Forgotten what?”
“I knew it.”
“What is it?”
“We were supposed to go to the orphanage together tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?”
“Yeah, tomorrow. We made that promise a month ago. Didn't you save it in your phone?”
“Ah··· sorry.”
A lot had happened recently.
He'd quit his job, had his Awakening, and had been completely absorbed in clearing Gates.
“I'll come pick you up at 10 a.m tomorrow, so don't go anywhere. Just wait, got it?”
“I'm not going.”
He laughed and downed his glass of soju in one go. Yu Il-sik did the same.
“Il-sik.”
“Yeah?”
“The Association offered me a freelance contract.”
“What?”
Yu Il-sik stared at Na Dan-sik, completely shocked.
End.
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