###
More than ten gold bars piled up in front of him.
They were loot taken from raiding a loan shark’s branch.
This should fetch a decent amount of money, right?
‘Let’s not sell it right away.’
Before Kang Hyun became a modern-day man, he was a wandering mercenary.
He knew the value of gold well.
‘It’s always good to stash some gold away.’
It wasn’t like he didn’t have cash.
He had some breathing room financially.
‘Ah, thinking about stashing gold reminds me of home.’
He had buried a literal mountain of gold back there.
It couldn’t have been stolen, right?
He’d have to retrieve it later, after securing a diplomatic post.
“Disciple, we’ve got some money now. Want to order something nice to eat?”
“Why order expensive food? I’ll cook for you.”
“What? You know how to cook?”
That was unexpected.
Given her background from a prestigious family, he thought she wouldn’t know how.
“Of course, Master. Do you know how long I’ve been living on my own?”
But now that they had some money, wouldn’t it be fine to splurge?
She was the one who wanted to indulge not too long ago.
‘So snacks are an acceptable luxury, but takeout is beyond her limits, huh.’
Her threshold for indulgence was impressively low.
It seemed she was deeply ingrained with the habit of frugality.
Aden pulled out a portable gas burner and darted off to the lounge.
“Just wait a little while, Master!”
While waiting, Kang Hyun reviewed his schedule.
There was a meeting with Seonghwa tomorrow, although it was less of a meeting and more like officially joining their ranks.
‘I’d like to raise my stats a bit more before joining, if possible.’
Let’s do a dungeon today.
He was already looking forward to the reward.
“Here you go! Enjoy!”
Aden proudly brought over a pot.
She seemed very confident.
“Let’s see… Hm?”
It was a watery porridge—no, a soup.
Hardly deserving to be called cooking.
It reminded him of the bland, thrown-together soups he’d grown sick of during his mercenary days.
“Go on, Master! Eat before it gets cold!”
“…”
Fine, he’d try it.
Slurp.
“…Bring me some cup noodles.”
He set his spoon down.
“What? Why, Master?”
“Bring me cup noodles!”
Wow, it was incredibly bland.
And it even had that unpleasant, mixed odor typical of poorly made stews.
‘I had forgotten.’
Forgotten how utterly terrible Thea’s food culture was.
On Earth, there’s a joke.
< The thinnest books in the world are the German Joke Book and the British Cookbook.>
The implication being that British food is infamously bad.
But even British cuisine paled in comparison to the food from Thea.
“Try it again, Master!”
“Get rid of it! Just pour water into the cup noodles!”
“Ah, Master just doesn’t understand the true taste of cooking!”
“I said, get rid of it!”
What kind of mixed stew is this?
This wasn’t a campsite!
“You’re supposed to be from a well-off family—what kind of food did you grow up eating!?”
Though Kang Hyun knew the truth.
He, too, was from Thea.
Still, he’d long since awakened to the wonders of flavor.
Modern Earth had exceptional culinary culture.
There was no going back to Thea’s miserable standards.
He handed Aden an internet recipe for tomato spaghetti.
“If you’re determined to cook, just follow this exactly.”
“Why does it need so many ingredients? Water, salt, and something to chew on should be enough.”
“…”
He held his head in despair.
“Just pour water into the cup noodles…”
“Salty food isn’t good for your health, Master!”
“Ugh! Don’t make me repeat myself for the fifth time!”
At this rate, he’d need to use words to get through to her.
“Forget it—I’ll pour the water myself!”
He poured water into two cups of noodles.
Slurp!
“Mmm!”
This salty, stimulating flavor.
This was it.
“Salty, stimulating… How can this be delicious…?”
“Quiet. Eat and let’s head to the dungeon.”
“Yes, Master…”
Next time, they’d just order food.
###
The progress for South Korea had been reset.
The six-month cycle had ended, and a new season began.
The results?
[South Korea has successfully achieved 100% progress.]
[The invasion of the Black World Tree has been successfully repelled.]
[The protection system applied to South Korea remains active.]
They had achieved 100% completion early.
└ Without Perfect Clear, it would’ve been close.
└ Even if Korea’s outdated, it’s not that weak yet.
└ Last season, they barely made it with seven days to spare. It’s been declining every year, so no one was sure this time.
└ South Korea’s progress speed was plummeting, like its birthrate.
└ What’s clear is that two more seasons would’ve spelled definite doom.
└ Well, not anymore~
The speed at which progress is gained.
The speed at which progress filled up was called ‘Progress Speed’.
Countries with low Progress Speed faced existential threats.
Progress Speed directly influenced national credit, stability, and diplomatic power.
Naturally, there were rankings.
South Korea ranked in the lower-middle among safe nations.
Safe nations were those that could achieve 100% progress independently without foreign aid.
There was a time when South Korea basked in the glory of being upper-mid-tier.
That was during the Miracle on the Han River era.
But the Korean War, ongoing brain drain, and low growth had rapidly pushed it into the lower-middle tier.
At the same time, how about Japan, Korea’s competitor back then?
Even after the bubble economy burst, it remained among the top-tier nations.
A stark contrast to Korea’s faded glory.
But now, things were different.
Everyone was hopeful for this new season.
<New Season Begins, What Will Be the Government’s Next Progress Strategy?>
<The Arrival of the Perfect Clear Awakened: A Game-Changer?>
<Will the Nation Surge Ahead to Showcase Its Strength, or Focus on Stabilizing the Perfect Clear Awakened’s Growth?>
└ This season is seriously exciting.
└ Let’s not get greedy. What if something happens to the Perfect Awakened?
└ We must cherish our talents! We can’t end up like North Korea!
└ Even if we just perform decently, our rank will go up a lot compared to last time. ㅇㅇ.
└ The ruling party must enforce the “3 Perfect Clears a Day” policy! Enlist the Perfect Awakened and nationalize Perfect Clears!!!
└ Someone lock up the old fart above.
Everyone discussed the hopeful future of the new season, unaware of what might actually unfold.
###
Aden carefully touched the cross-section of the stone monster.
“Woah… How did you do this, Master?”
The boss mob, Stone Ant, lay defeated, neatly sliced in half.
It was an exceptionally clean cut, satisfying to look at.
“Now this is what I call a proper fight.”
Indeed, the thrill of unlocking a new Word of Power was unmatched.
“Let’s head out now. Huh? Where are you?”
“Over here!”
Aden was already by the roots of the World Tree.
“Master, can’t we take this root with us in the inventory?”
“Hm?”
“They say the roots of the Black World Tree are the finest weapon materials in existence.”
It was a well-documented fact, often highlighted in movies.
The rarity was absurd—it was a material of dreams.
But who could possibly harvest it?
Crossing long, dangerous frontlines.
Reaching the World Tree, often called the Demon King.
And chopping at its roots?
Such materials were only harvested during massive wars, and even then, only rarely.
“If we sell it, becoming millionaires would be a breeze.”
“Your idea is sharp, but it won’t work.”
Dungeons left nothing behind except mana stones, the core energy source for mob creation.
“This is an illusory space.”
Naturally, the roots of the World Tree were no exception.
Even if cut down, they would disappear upon clearing the dungeon.
“But technically, aren’t the roots real?”
“Huh? Now that you mention it…”
“The World Tree extends its roots across dimensions to create dungeons for its invasions. Doesn’t that mean this is a real root?”
“True.”
The energy emanating from the root was undeniable.
It wasn’t an illusion but a genuine root of the Black World Tree.
“Nothing to lose. Let’s give it a shot, Master!”
“You know, your ideas are surprisingly sharp sometimes.”
She resembled Mila, his disciple from a past life, in this regard.
“Hehe, r-really?”
Intrigued, Kang Hyun cut the root.
He quickly grabbed it and attempted to store it in the inventory.
And then—
“What?”
A reaction he’d never seen before.
The space rippled.
The inventory rejected the root.
Wooong—
“This is…?”
If it had been an illusion, storing it would’ve simply caused it to disappear.
This was an extraordinary phenomenon.
The root contained dimensional distortion energy, creating interference when met with spatial magic.
“Oh, the space is rippling? Did it work, Master?”
“…”
“Master? Hello?”
But Kang Hyun wasn’t focused on the original goal anymore.
His attention was captured by the rippling boundary of space.
The waves emanating from the boundary.
‘Residual traces of spatial magic, caused by subspace magic.’
It was something even his past life hadn’t afforded him the opportunity to witness.
A wave of inspiration surged through him.
‘Once more.’
He attempted to store the root again, observing the waves.
It was coming.
That elusive feeling.
The sensation of nearing the essence of the world.
A revelation.
‘Just a bit more…’
Ding!
###
The familiar sound effect snapped him out of his thoughts.
The dungeon had already been cleared.
[Perfect Clear! (Solo)]
[A tremendous achievement! You have completely thwarted the invasion of the World Tree!]
[Due to your achievement, a ‘Blessing’ will be bestowed upon the surrounding area! Everyone will praise your achievement!]
“Ah…”
A sigh of regret escaped him.
He’d cleared the dungeon.
The revelation hadn’t fully arrived yet.
‘Should I tackle another dungeon?’
Though low on mana, preventing another Perfect Clear, he could still complete a normal dungeon.
‘…No.’
He had a feeling.
The understanding still eluded him.
Even if he tried to observe the phenomenon again, nothing would change.
‘Still, I’m so close. I’ll take my time and reflect on it through meditation.’
He had glimpsed a new realm.
His heart raced as he clenched his fist.
‘But for now.’
It was reward time.
[Opening the ‘Bronze Box.’]
Fwaaah—!
Ding!
[You have obtained ‘Garam Butterfly Wing Pair’.]
“Huh? What’s that? Don’t tell me it’s just trash loot…?”
“Just look at it. It has to be something good, right?”
A small jewel case.
Inside, a pair of blue earrings appeared.
[Garam Butterfly Wing Pair]
[A pair of earrings to be shared by two people.
Allows you to send emergency signals to the other person without distance constraints.]
The effect seemed underwhelming for a Perfect Clear reward.
But they were stunningly beautiful.
“Wow… What is this? It looks extraordinary!”
“Damn… It’s incredible!”
Was it a Perfect Clear reward just because of how pretty it was?
‘I’m selling this.’
System-generated “items” were inherently rare and valuable.
And this one was gorgeous, with an effect suitable for ordinary users.
It would undoubtedly sell for a fortune.
‘This dungeon yielded great rewards.’
He’d taken a step closer to enlightenment.
And obtained an expensive item.
The system was the best!
###
The day of the meeting.
At the entrance of Seonghwa’s headquarters.
“Please, can I get your autograph?”
A female passerby held out a notebook.
Aden looked flustered.
“Huh? Me? Are you talking to me?”
“Yes! You’re Aden, the A-rank Awakened, right?”
“W-Well, I am… But an autograph?”
The initial surprise didn’t last long.
Her face lit up with a radiant smile.
“H-Hehehe. Of course! Here, give it to me!”
Though she didn’t have a proper signature, she wrote her name neatly.
And even posed for a photo.
“Say kimchi~!”
“Heheh, kimchi~!”
Click!
“Thank you! You were so cute when you got flustered on the TV! I’ll keep cheering for you!”
The passerby left.
Kang Hyun, watching the entire spectacle, shook his head.
“Unbelievable.”
“Did you see that, Master? This is your disciple! A wildly popular A-rank Awakened!”
He’d heard that Awakened individuals were as popular as celebrities.
It certainly seemed true.
“By the way, wow… This building is enormous.”
The sheer scale of it was almost intimidating.
The prestige of a top-tier guild was palpable.
“To think I’d ever step foot in the headquarters of Korea’s 3rd-ranked guild…!”
“Stop being dramatic and let’s go inside.”
“Yes, Master!”
Aden strode forward confidently at first.
But as they passed more people in suits and pristine interiors, her energy diminished, and she reverted to her timid demeanor.
“…What’s wrong now? Why are you back in undocumented-immigrant mode?”
“I… I can’t help it. Whenever I’m in an important place like this…”
Who would believe she was an A-rank Awakened?
Yet the reactions from the guild members passing by were entirely different.
They glanced over and whispered amongst themselves.
“Is that Aden? The Aden?”
“Wow, she’s ridiculously impressive….”
“Why is she here? Could she be joining our guild?”
“The HR team really outdid themselves this time. Their incentives must be insane. I’m jealous….”
The flood of attention and praise.
But Aden was spiraling further into a panic.
“W-Wahh… Master! Everyone’s looking at me suspiciously! They’re going to find out!”
“Find out what, you fool.”
The idiot had nothing to hide, yet she kept babbling nonsense.
“Should I stick your ID to your forehead? Or write ‘not undocumented’ on your face to put you at ease?”
“P-Please do, Master!”
“Argh! Stand up straight, you fool!”
Smack!
A sharp slap to her back made her jump.
“Eek!”
They finally reached the meeting room.
“Hello there~”
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, they got straight to the point.
“You’ll proceed with the test shortly. The team leader assigned to oversee both of you will arrive soon.”
“Are we doing it today?”
“Yes. That’s the scheduled plan, but if you’re not feeling up to it, we can make adjustments.”
“Hm… No, let’s just do it now.”
The staff member made a call.
“Yes, Team Leader. I’ll bring them to the Gate right away.”
