<I can’t tell you.>
“…”
Silence.
Let’s hear it.
<I have located Oh Hyuk-jun. Additionally, his security has been significantly reinforced.>
“It doesn’t matter. You know I’m Ghost.”
<Can you handle three B-ranks?>
Kang Hyun flinched.
Three B-ranks?
All for one guy?
<Specifically, it’s three including Oh Hyuk-jun himself. He’s also a seasoned B-rank mage.>
I know. But if it’s a mage, they won’t be much of a match for Kang Hyun.
The problem is the other two.
“Is he some kind of president or something?”
<I’m surprised too, but it’s confirmed. They’re Palan’s elite forces.>
If they’ve deployed such strength, it must involve the guild master’s direct orders.
Things were getting complicated.
<Can you win? No, it’s unlikely. Even the Perfect Clear Awakened wouldn’t make it possible.>
“…”
It’s uncertain.
‘I can’t rely on just 【Die】 in a fight against such strong opponents.’
No matter how powerful the target,【Die】 works.
But 【Die】 comes with significant limitations.
There was no guarantee it would succeed in this battle.
‘What if I use everything I’ve got in my current state?’
He checked his status window.
[Stats]
Strength: E-
Agility: F-
Endurance: F-
Stamina: E-
Mana: E+
Two stats stuck at F-.
In short, pathetic.
‘Can I even beat a B-rank physical fighter like this?’
In a system-based world, the importance of stats is beyond imagination.
I’ve felt it countless times before.
‘And on top of that, they’re a team.’
The balance would be well-coordinated.
Even someone like Oh Hyuk-jun, who would have been an easy victory, transforms into a dangerous threat.
He’d be protected by the team,
firing off threatening B-rank magic from the rear.
If 【Die】 fails, I can’t win.
<I’m sorry. But for the sake of this country, for your sake, Kang Hyun, I cannot allow you to throw yourself into danger.>
“…Understood.”
<We will ensure your family is safe. Korea will take full responsibility for their protection.>
The call ended.
‘Damn it.’
The powerlessness of not being able to release his anger.
It had been a long time since he felt this way.
I know the reason for this feeling.
Because I’m weak.
‘I need to train.’
For now, I must retreat.
But it won’t take long.
From now on, I’ll grow stronger.
Very quickly.
Everything is already in place. It’s just a matter of time.
###
Returning to the office, Kang Hyun had to endure Aden’s chatter.
“But suddenly! Your gaze turned serious, and then you just said ‘Open.’ With just that one word, you tore open this hole in the air, like a scene from a movie, and walked right through it! I was standing right there, but even I—”
“Quiet, idiot. People will hear you.”
“Please teach me too!”
“Not yet.”
“I’ll work hard! I promise!”
She’d been at it for days.
“It’s not about you; it’s about my lack of skill. I only just figured it out myself, so I’m not ready to teach others.”
“Ah…”
“I’ll teach you later.”
“Really!?”
Magic is standardized word magic.
These had been created by Mila Roden, Kang Hyun’s apprentice, with his assistance throughout the process.
Naturally, Kang Hyun also knew how to transform Words of Power into magic, including spatial Words.
Soon, Aden would likely become one of only two spatial magic users across both Earth and Thea.
“Wow!”
“If you don’t train hard, I won’t teach you.”
“Ah…”
Her voice instantly deflated.
Kang Hyun continued walking, unaffected.
“By the way, aren’t you going out on a field assignment today?”
“I’m heading out.”
“When are you leaving?”
“Now.”
“Excuse me?”
He stopped at a secluded spot.
“【Open】.”
Shhhhhh-
“Whoa!?”
Aden jumped in surprise.
“I’ll be back.”
He stepped through the spatial tear.
Moments later—
“I’m back.”
“Excuse me? Already?”
It seemed he had traveled around the entire Korean peninsula.
He had completed more than a few days’ worth of assessments in one go.
Although it had drained his mana completely, the mana efficiency improvement from his skill level-up had made it possible.
“This is amazing. A whole new world.”
“Wow… I want to… I want to do that too!”
Aden’s eyes sparkled with excitement, utterly captivated by spatial magic.
‘Understandable.’
Even I think it’s incredible.
Spatial magic really is something else.
“Time to train now.”
“What!?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll train alone today.”
“Huh? What’s gotten into you?”
Kang Hyun called Yoo Chae-young.
“I sent over the list of abnormal dungeons. Check it.”
<Already? We haven’t even received a report that you left yet.>
“That’s irrelevant.”
<Huh? Why are there so many? Did you send the wrong… no, it’s correct? How did you manage this?>
“I’ll explain later. For now, I need your help.”
He secured two reliable members to assist him, including Mar.
“Hey, old man, you’re not going out today?”
“I’m tired of explaining. Did you hear what you need to do?”
“Guard duty, right? Who’s the target?”
“Me.”
“Huh?”
Mar and another guild member were tasked with his protection.
Kang Hyun intended to meditate.
“Guard me until I come out of the room. It’ll take a few hours.”
“You want me to just stand here? Are you joking?”
“This is important. I’m counting on you.”
His seriousness made her tilt her head in confusion.
“I don’t get it, but… fine. You can count on me!”
“Don’t let anyone in. No one touches me. Not even a finger.”
After firmly instructing them, Kang Hyun entered a private room.
From his belongings, he took out a glass vial.
[Elixir of Heavenly Moss]
[Moss grown by absorbing the spiritual energy of the Divine Spring. Extracted into liquid form. If consumed, raises mana by 1 if below B-. Requires the assistance of three mages above B-rank for safe use.]
This rare elixir was a reward for his evaluations of the abnormal dungeons.
It was an exceptionally valuable substance, unprocessed and stored in a special container to preserve its essence.
Even the glass vial alone was worth a fortune.
‘With this, I’ll break through the D-rank barrier today.’
He didn’t need the assistance of mages.
After all, he wasn’t just anyone.
Kang Hyun already knew how to consume the elixir, having used it before.
However, the reason meditation was necessary this time was different.
It was finally time to apply the cultivation technique from his previous life to this body—the one practiced by Kyle, the strongest, no, the absolute strongest.
‘I may not have had a solid foundation in martial arts, but when it comes to cultivation techniques, I’ve always been confident.’
This particular technique required a minimum amount of mana.
Consuming the elixir would fulfill that condition.
‘Everything’s ready.’
Without hesitation, he prepared to begin.
Just as he was about to open the elixir’s vial, a commotion erupted outside.
‘Step back! You’ve been warned!’
‘Just let me speak with him for a moment!’
‘If you come any closer, we will use force.’
‘Hey, I’m a civilian! You can’t do this!’
‘No, you’re the one who’s out of line!’
Kang Hyun frowned.
Was today just not his day?
He opened the door and stepped outside.
###
“What’s going on? I’ve barely been in there for a minute.”
“Ah, sorry, old man. This mission turned ridiculous real quick.”
Well, to be precise, it wasn’t exactly a failure.
If Kang Hyun hadn’t come out, Mar probably would have subdued the situation by force.
“Dr. Kang Hyun!”
“Who are you people?”
Three men were standing opposite Mar, clearly at odds.
Wait, did they just call him doctor?
“You know me?”
“Haha, is there anyone in the industry who doesn’t know Dr. Kang these days?”
“Fair enough.”
Even though Seonghwa tried to keep information under control, he had been moving around a lot.
His identity as the abnormal dungeon evaluator was now an open secret.
“So, what do you want?”
The three handed over their business cards.
All were scouts from the top 10 guilds.
Well, this wasn’t anything special.
“Did you get permission to come in?”
This was Seonghwa’s headquarters.
And Mar was part of Seonghwa’s guild.
But scouts from rival guilds?
What kind of nonsense was this?
“Haha, it wasn’t easy getting in.”
“There’s no way they’d grant access just because you wanted to meet me.”
“Adaptability is an essential part of our job.”
“So, you’re uninvited guests.”
This was crossing the line.
Why were these supposed top-tier guilds acting like this?
They had never been this brazen before.
“This is unpleasant.”
“Our apologies, but you hadn’t left the building since yesterday, and—”
“I’ve been busy.”
Why were they in such a rush?
“Why are you suddenly behaving like this?”
“Don’t you know? You really must have been busy. The dungeon abnormalities have become a global issue.”
Ah, Yoo Chae-young had mentioned it.
But he had brushed it off, too focused on his training plans.
“Your value is about to skyrocket, and we came to invest early.”
“You’re remarkably straightforward. Now let’s hear something equally honest in return.”
“Haha, of course.”
The three scouts confidently laid out their offers.
The conditions were truly impressive—so much so that even Mar, who was listening, looked stunned.
The terms were far better than what Seonghwa was offering, aligning with Kang Hyun’s rising worth.
“Mister, are you really going to sit here and listen to all this?”
“I’ve heard enough. Interesting stuff.”
“Haha, it’s a compelling proposal, isn’t it?”
“Not compelling, but entertaining. That’s all.”
“Excuse me?”
“Get out.”
Kang Hyun called Yoo Chae-young.
Within moments, the entire floor’s security forces mobilized.
From the sound of her voice, Yoo Chae-young was livid.
“D-Dr. Kang! We can find a compromise! I’m here with the guild master’s full authority—”
“Get them out of here!”
“Just give us one chance! Just one more chance!”
“Oh wow~ Mister, you’re cooler than I thought. A man of principle, huh?”
No matter where he goes, there’s no way it’ll be better than being here with Yoo Chae-young.
‘Yoo Chae-young has seen with her own eyes who I really am.’
Above all, these countless restrictions.
There’s no place as convenient as his current free mercenary arrangement.
‘More importantly, this is getting troublesome.’
The global expansion of dungeons…
This is no ordinary matter.
He’ll have to discuss this with Chief Choi.
“Can I borrow a car?”
<I’ll send an employee down.>
A staff member drove the company car to the building entrance.
It was the same woman who drove me during the first test—when he encountered the first dungeon expansion.
She’s grinning from ear to ear now.
Back then, she had a face like she’d bitten into something bitter.
“Hello! Long time no see!”
“Yes, you seem to be in a much better mood than before.”
“Well, back then, I didn’t know you were such an esteemed figure… I made a mistake…”
“Huh?”
So it wasn’t just that she was in a bad mood?
Well, I guess that can happen.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes! I’ll escort you comfortably~!”
The staff member opened the door to the backseat for me.
But just as I was about to get into the car, Chief Choi called.
“Ah, Chief Choi, I was just about to visit—”
<Kang Hyun! Come to the Awakened Management Bureau immediately!>
“What? I was heading there anyway—”
<Do not, under any circumstances, make contact with any scouts! Absolutely not!>
How does he know? Did scouts just show up?
Does he have some kind of CCTV monitoring me?
“Oh, come on, do you think I’d join another guild when I’ve got this kind of relationship with you?”
<That’s not it! This isn’t about guilds—>
At that moment, a white man dressed in black approached.
“Hello, Mr. Kang.”
“Huh? What the… Chief Choi, hold on a second, some foreigner’s asking for directions.”
<A foreigner…? Wait! No! That person is—>
I moved the phone away from my ear.
“I don’t know the way. I can’t speak English. Why. Go away.”
“Haha. You’re quite amusing.”
“Oh, you can speak Korean?”
The well-dressed white man handed me a business card with a kind smile.
Wait… CIA?
‘Like in the movies?’
I stared at the card in fascination and looked up.
The man confidently extended his hand toward me.
“U.S.A. Want you.”
“…?”
The Seonghwa staff member suddenly dashed off, frantically calling someone.
“Team Leader! Emergency! Ultra-emergency!”