Chapter 16
Monsters that had spilled out of the Gate.
Skeleton soldiers swarmed the streets of Seoul.
But the Awakeners weren't in a bad mood.
Acute Breaks tended to involve lower-level monsters.
They were no big deal if dealt with early.
…Of course, that didn't mean they were laughing and joking.
"If this were inside a Gate, we'd have taken the boss's head ages ago. Phew. This is driving me crazy."
"Can't be helped. It's better than having someone die because we rushed and seeing our stock price fall."
Outside a Gate, preventing civilian casualties was the top priority.
Even a stray arrow had to be treated with caution.
Fortunately, the level difference meant it wasn't difficult.
But there was no getting around how tedious it was.
That was why their eyes were dull as rotten pollock, but…
-Sshhk.
"Huh?"
At that moment, a spine-chilling sound rang out.
The Awakeners' eyes turned toward one place.
The boss monster's neck was dropping with a thud.
"Gasp!!!?"
'What the hell is that?!'
The guild members' eyes filled with shock.
Even these veterans froze, unable to understand what was happening.
Hwi-min, about 200 meters away, wore a look no one had ever seen on him before.
"Whoa."
'A one-shot kill against a Level 450? This thing is broken.'
Hwi-min's lips curled upward.
The Tier 3 Stigma he'd just obtained, Spatial Slash.
Its range and homing capability were already absurdly overpowered, and it even packed a punch.
The Myriad Daggers trait had clearly applied.
He liked it a lot.
'It doesn't even hurt.'
Even the only bit of conscience this insanely overpowered Stigma had—
the self-inflicted damage imposed by its restriction—
didn't even tickle Hwi-min.
After all, the performance enhancement was fivefold.
That meant the efficiency of the increased range was multiplied by five.
In other words, he took only 20 percent of the damage he should have received.
And if Dragon Armor, which reduced all damage by 80 percent, stacked on top of that…
'About 4 percent?'
Hwi-min took a mere 4 percent of the damage.
A Mythic-grade trait combined with a Stigma was this powerful.
'This really is a shamelessly broken Stigma.'
"…Which is why I like it."
He grinned.
Hwi-min's face filled with amusement.
'I was only planning to steal the boss, but since I've drawn my sword anyway, shall I provide a little service?'
"Spatial Slash."
Then, swoosh—!!!
Hwi-min's sword cut through empty air.
Four times per second.
At a speed where the blade couldn't even be seen.
To the other Awakeners, that fierce assault was a wholly incomprehensible miracle.
-Freeze.
"What is this!?"
The skeleton soldier the Arirang Guild members had been fighting.
Its sturdy skull split apart like tofu.
Several at a time, they tumbled down in a shower of fragments.
It was an overwhelming slaughter even Hwang Hee-chan, reputedly Korea's strongest, couldn't have achieved.
"Senior, what is this…?"
"If I knew, I'd be Cheol Gangmin, you bastard!!"
The guild members froze in place because of it.
Crack.
It continued until the last remaining minor monster died and crumbled into dust.
"This is insane. What the…."
"I'm heading out now~ Good work, everyone~."
Leaving the stunned Awakeners behind,
Hwi-min stored his sword in his Inventory.
He slipped into an alley, removed his hat, and withdrew the mana he'd infused into the necklace.
Clomp.
When Hwi-min walked back out onto the main street,
there was no trace of the powerful figure who had just gone on that rampage.
'They call me Easy-Difficulty Youth~.'
He then quickened his pace.
Despite causing such a commotion, he intended to go home calmly without showing a hint of it.
…Of course, that didn't happen.
"I don't know what kind of eccentric master you are, but find him at all costs!!!"
"He must still be nearby!!!"
The Arirang Guild members scattered in all directions.
The person who had just swept away the enemies on their behalf was probably a reclusive master hiding his identity.
If they could only recruit that overwhelmingly powerful figure, they would become Korea's number-one guild.
So bring him here, even if it meant promising a fortune.
It was the guild master's order after receiving their report.
-Scurry-scurry!
'Someone who looks like a likely candidate… Hmm?'
After that fervent search,
one Awakener caught sight of Hwi-min.
He was less than a kilometer away.
'That's…. '
The man's gaze examined Hwi-min.
At first glance, he looked ordinary.
But his shoes were unusual.
They were clearly armor obtained from the Tower.
'Were there Awakeners I didn't know about? The world sure is big.'
Impressed by the apparent quality, the Awakener instinctively became polite.
"Excuse me, sir? Would you have a moment?"
"Yes?"
The man stood before Hwi-min with his hands clasped.
"You're an Awakener, correct?"
"…Eek!!?"
Hwi-min's shoulders hunched.
Could that be an employee of the Management Bureau?
That was what had frightened him,
"Are you perhaps the person who just defeated the monsters in our place?"
"Ah."
'He's from the Arirang Guild.'
Hwi-min realized the situation and relaxed.
Of course, they still suspected his identity.
But he had already prepared for this.
"I am an Awakener, but I haven't even climbed the Beginner's Tower yet."
"…Pardon? But those shoes appear to be rather high-quality armor."
"You don't trust people, do you? Look at this."
Then, smoothly—
he naturally raised his phone.
"There's a picture here…."
"No, damn it. Why are you showing me your poop?"
"Ah, I flipped the page by accident! I'm sorry!"
There had been a brief exposure, but anyway.
Hwi-min checked the screen and held it out again.
A commemorative photo taken with Luka was displayed.
"Oh, the one who appears in the Beginner's Tower."
The man understood and nodded.
An Awakener couldn't change the Tower they had chosen.
In other words, he was from Easy difficulty, where anyone and their dog could clear it.
The wimpiest of wimps.
The man's lips twisted.
-Snicker.
'So that's why I didn't know him.'
"Well, I suppose that can happen."
An unconscious sneer slipped out.
He was from the Challenger's Tower on Normal difficulty.
There was no way Hwi-min wouldn't look pathetic to him.
It was such blatant contempt that even he could tell.
'Ah, this guy's looking down on me.'
An awkward smile settled on Hwi-min's lips.
It was a look he'd often received back when he worked at construction sites.
He knew exactly how to respond in situations like this.
'I can just look down on him, too~.'
"Anyway, if you have nothing else, I'll be going. You're clearly an important person, so I shouldn't waste your time on someone like me."
After tossing out a little self-deprecation,
-Whip—!
Hwi-min turned his back.
Then he walked away at a brisk pace.
With mana infused into the Necklace of Seclusion as well, he seemed to vanish into a dot in an instant from the guild member's perspective.
"Uh… tch."
'I feel kind of bad. He might be in poor health, and I looked down on him for no reason.'
The man scratched the back of his head a moment later.
His belated remorse was just a bonus.
…The problem was that the remorse was far, far too late.
-Rrrr.
'The Arirang Guild is hopeless. We need to give the guild members some lessons in basic decency.'
Hwi-min took out his phone again.
A notification that the VPN was on blinked brightly in the status bar.
A familiar nickname appeared on the screen as well.
[Awakener Minor Gallery]
Author: Cheol Gangmin's Awakener Analysis 2
Title: Arirang Today, Sigh
An Acute Break went off,
and those so-called Awakeners just stood there blankly,
merely watching.
Is this right?
If I were the guild master, I'd line them up and beat them with a bat,
starting with a full course in basic decency, seriously.
ㄴ Holy shit, what is this? It's the real Gangmin.
ㄴ But he's not wrong, lol.
ㄴㄴ We're ordinary people, so we'd just stand there spacing out, asking what the hell that was.
ㄴㄴ Awakeners shouldn't be doing that;;
ㄴ YUNA : But could that have been you just now, Teacher?
ㄴㄴ Cheol Gangmin's Awakener Analysis 2 : Yeah, I was testing the performance of the new Stigma I pulled.
ㄴㄴ What???????
ㄴㄴ No way, Great Cheol, is there anything you can't do?
ㄴㄴ Tell us about the Stigma alreadyㅣㅣㅣ
ㄴㄴ Breaking news) Cheol-pyeong rockets again lol
ㄴㄴ Scout17_Cheonghwa_Official : Teacher, please contact me…
"…Phew!"
After relieving his stress on the community,
Hwi-min set off with lightened steps.
There was no need to explain what kind of butterfly effect his post had caused.
-Bang!!!
"You bastards!!! Do you know how much of our stock price you wiped out today!!!?"
"Please calm down, brother!!"
"Calm down, my ass… Ah, ah. My blood pressure."
That evening, at the Arirang Guild headquarters,
the guild master's roar rang out.
He even clutched the back of his neck.
Of course, that did nothing to bring back the stock price that had plummeted.
Even Hwi-min was horrified by it, but…
[TreeWiki - Arirang Guild]
[Controversies and Incidents]
-Rrrr.
'It just keeps going even after I scroll down.'
They weren't exactly a guild known for good conduct to begin with.
In the end, it was self-inflicted.
Thanks to that, Hwi-min slept soundly with his legs stretched out.
"Dohwa, let's go to sleep~."
"Kyaeung…."
The eventful day ended safely, accompanied by soft pink fur.
At least for Hwi-min, it had been a productive day.
* * *
Though I had unintentionally sunk one corrupt guild, anyway.
From that day on, my life changed 180 degrees… well, not quite, more like 30 degrees.
Thanks to the 12 billion won.
"I'm here to look at a house~."
"This area is a bit pricey…."
"I'm an Awakener, you know?"
"Welcome!!!"
First, I found a house.
Once I cleared the third tier, my little sister would wake up.
I planned to move to Seoul for her—and into a nice apartment at that.
"Three billion…."
'It's so much that it doesn't feel real.'
I spent a ridiculous amount of money, but so what?
I had 12 billion won, after all.
It was worth spending for my sister.
'And besides that, the latest computer, furniture, and…. '
I spent money like water on other things, too.
Most of it was for Serin.
Of course, I did spend some on myself, too.
-Tearful.
"My goodness, I've really made it…."
Even so, all I did was add every topping to a Burger King hamburger and eat it.
But even that was a moving luxury for me.
Thanks to that, happy days continued.
"We've moved everything in~."
"Thank you!"
And at last, the move was complete.
By the time I finished this and that, nearly a month had passed.
The world had changed a lot in the meantime, too.
[Management Bureau Begins Official Search for Cheol Gangmin]
[Even Hwang Hee-chan Kneels, Saying He Wants to Meet Him at Least Once… Who Is He?]
For starters, the name Cheol Gangmin never left the news in Korea.
'There were plenty of offers to immigrate, too.'
Other countries, especially the United Kingdom, which had resolved the Seven Gates thanks to me, and so on.
Nearly every country sent me offers to come live there.
It got so bad that even the government issued a statement calling them out for putting strange ideas in our citizens' heads.
They were drinking kimchi broth before the rice cakes had even been offered, huh.
I couldn't help wondering what was wrong with them.
"Why would I go to another country? With money, Korea's such a great place to live. Right, Dohwa?"
"Kyaeung~."
"That's right, you know what's what."
After gently stroking Dohwa,
I reached out for my phone.
Brrring—
After the ringing continued, a weary voice soon came through.
[Yuna, a scout from the Cheonghwa Guild, speaking….]
"Senior, it's me. The artifact guy from back then."
[…Oh? Mr. Hwi-min?]
On the other end of the speaker, Yuna let out an exclamation.
Then she raised her voice.
It was filled with delight at hearing from him.
[You calling me means… could it be?]
"Yes, that's right."
I smiled back.
Then I drew in a breath
and slowly let it out.
Along with the words I'd held back for the past month.
"I think it's about time I got going. To the third tier."
Serin, it's time to come back.
Home.