Chapter 57

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– You mean a brown-skinned elf?

Do-joon called Son Chang-il first. He was receiving reports about elves from the association, and Son Chang-il was the head of the association.

When he told the story that he just heard from the students, Son Chang-il listened seriously and spoke.

– I see. But don’t take it too seriously.

“Why?”

– Elf-related reports have been pouring in since it was announced in the media. But when we went to check it out, most of the cases were either a mistake or prank calls.

“Really?”

Does that mean there are many false reports?

– But we can’t ignore it, so we’re continuing to use the manpower around. I’m also working with the police to strengthen patrols. Still, there is no result. Well, it’s good to have no results in this kind of work.

That was right. If something was found, it would be rather an incident.

– Still, brown skin is a new report. I’ll put an official notice at once.

“Alright.”

That was how the call ended.

Do-joon’s expression as he hung up the phone was subtle. Did the student really see it wrong?

Or could it be a story that was moderately made up with the pretentiousness characteristic of adolescence. He was attacked by an elf, an issue that was in full swing these days, is it something worth the attention of children of their age at once?

‘It’s good to be careful.’

There may be brown-skinned elves. Do-joon left the academy with only this thought in his head.

A week after that.

Watching over the shop, practice and training, or digging and selling poison sacs from the Orc labyrinth.

Do-joon was quite busy. In the meantime, he kept checking the news, but nothing special came up.

The disposition of an elf that seemed to hate humans, and its unique ears that were hard to cover with a hat.

And considering what they were presumed to be from another world called Stems, it would be impossible not to notice.

But does that mean that nothing happened and the student was mistaken?

‘Is it something to worry about?’

He may have been fussing over something trivial. However, the uncomfortable feeling did not go away.

Then, the phone vibrated and a message arrived.

It was a message from Lee Ji-ah. Do-joon, who was puzzled, sent a reply.

An expedition.

Do-joon knew it too. This is because he heard something from Son Chang-il a few days ago, and the media was also broadcasting about this Stem exploration every day.

Along with the elf incident, it was one of the top issues in recent years, so he couldn’t be ignorant of it.

President of the association?

Do-joon thought for a moment. His eyes flickered towards his skill window. There, the entry skill of the ‘Sky Road’, along with all the cooldowns completed, was activated.

‘I was originally going to stay in bed this evening.’

The special promotion test will be scheduled around next month. So until then, he was going to relax and focus on the labyrinth.

Sky Road, he thought it would take time in a different way than the Orc Labyrinth.

‘About two days will be fine.’

If he went in this time, he would be there for quite some time, so it wouldn’t be bad to watch the expedition team depart before that.

Come to think of it, has he ever seen the “Stem” that appeared in Hwaseong with his bare eyes?

Do-joon, after short consideration, sent a message to Lee Ji-ah.

Looking back, he thought that it had been a long time since he had met Lee Ji-ah. He hasn’t been to the dungeon lately, so he hasn’t met much for work.

‘Small event… … .’

She says it’s a small event, but it probably won’t be small at all.

Not only the media, but also the guild officials, their families, and other spectators would come.

In addition, considering the people of the association who will be in charge of the event and the military in case of any unforeseen circumstances, the scale could not be small.

Tak.

Do-joon put his cell phone down on the table. And then.

‘I’ll have to spend two days training.’

He pulled out the spear.

* * *

Lee Jin-wook, 33 years old.

He was a reporter for the magazine, Daily Hunting.

Wee hours. Still breathing in the cold air, he hurriedly arrived in front of the stem. He came down to Hwaseong yesterday and took a nap at a nearby accommodation and came out right away.

“Whoo… … .”

There were already a lot of people there and preparing this and that. Like setting up a temporary tent and bringing tables.

Probably the employees of the association that organises this launching ceremony.

“Wherever you go, the bottom end suffers.”

He shook his head. Then, with a frown, he looked up at the stem in front of him.

A stem surrounded by barricades and being watched by soldiers. On the outside, it only looked like a black pillar.

But it was too big to be just a pillar. And it was high.

“Hunters must have a hard time, too. They have to go into a scary place like that.”

Lee Jin-wook trembled. No one knew what might be inside. There was nothing more frightening for people than that.

Because the ultimate fear comes from the unknown.

Most people only envy the wealth and honour that hunters enjoy, but Lee Jin-wook was different. Knowing a little more about the hunters’ lives as a reporter, he never envied them.

‘Even if I get awoken, I will never do anything like a Hunter.’

He doesn’t have money nor does he have status, it’s hard but this was better. Rather than a life in danger.

He picked up his camera and began filming the stem over the barricade. Not only that, but there were also several reporters who came out to shoot similarly.

“…….”

The soldier guarding the post glanced at such reporters, but did not stop them.

Lee Jin-wook did not stop there, but filmed several scenes of preparation for the event along with nearby scenes.

As he was filming like that, the sun gradually rose and people began to gather.

“Have all the Light Ones arrived?”

“There’s only a few people here yet. On the knight guild side… … Ah! Hunter Oh Tae-jin!”

“You all are working hard.”

The people of the association, who were busy talking, saw a man and tensed their bodies.

Oh Tae-jin. He is the acting guild leader of Karma and is considered to be the closest to an S-class among domestic A-class hunters.

He took on the role of the sub-leader of this expedition, and he might be promoted to a real S-class if he successfully completes the expedition.

‘Amazing!’

When Lee Jin-wook saw him, he began to press the shutter like crazy.

He’s not wearing equipment yet, so he is wearing a normal suit. However, he was holding a crude Claymore in one hand.

It was Oh Tae-jin’s dearest so much that he hated even touching it by anyone other than himself.

‘Whoa~ That’s cool.’

The crude sword that wasn’t too flashy matched the suit outfit strangely. By the way, isn’t a man’s dream a sword?

Many guilds and hunters, including him, gathered.

Wherever he looked, they were all famous hunters whose names he had heard of. The level of this expedition was so high that the lowest level was B-class.

Of course, the most famous among them is definitely Oh Tae-jin and Shin Yu-seong, the leader of this expedition.

‘Where is Shin Yu-seong?’

However, Shin Yu-seong was nowhere to be seen.

If he appeared anywhere, people would flock to him, but if he doesn’t see him, it means he hasn’t come yet.

While walking around in full swing, he sat in the suitable place for a while and rested.

Now, when the ceremony begins in earnest, it will be a battlefield, so he had to rest a little.

“Do-joon, you are here?”

“Long time no see.”

Then, a man and a woman appeared not far away.

Looking at the name tag around the woman’s neck, she was an employee of the association. And the man on her side… … .

‘Who is it? It’s familiar… … .’

For some reason, he felt like he had seen it somewhere.

Lee Jin-wook squinted his eyes and fell into thought. Then he suddenly realised.

‘Ah! Isn’t that the man who was the top in the Hunter exam last year?’

Last year’s Hunter exam. A man who quickly knocked down Kang Je-joon, who was already a hot topic, and took the top spot.

A man who received love calls from all kinds of guilds, but has kicked them all off and still does not belong anywhere.

Because of his unusual career, he was a person who was often talked about by seniors even now.

‘I would have gone and listened to even a single word normally.’

However, Lee Jin-wook smiled and shook his head.

It is true that he is a topic of discussion, but it is different from the importance of this place now. No matter how top he is, he would be around E-class at best now.

On the other hand, this place is full of hunters whose lowest class is B, and is almost close to A even on average.

In such a place, what would be amazing about being an E-class who only did a little well on the test.

“Oh? Isn’t this Hunter Kim Do-joon? Are you going to participate in this expedition?”

“No. I’m just a visitor.”

“I see.”

But suddenly, there was a man approaching the two. Lee Jin-wook’s eyes widened when he saw him.

‘Isn’t that Rune Mage’s Baek Hwi-soo?’

Rune Mage, one of the 4 major guilds, and Baek Hwi-soo, the first team leader there. He approached Do-joon with a friendly smile.

“How is it? My proposal is still valid. If you come to Rune Mage, we’ll push you to the highest level.”

“I’m sorry, but my answer remains the same.”

“That’s very unfortunate. Come to think of it, I heard that you also received an offer to join the association… … .”

“I refused that too.”

When Do-joon answered that, Baek Hwi-soo laughed haha. Next to him, Lee Ji-ah was smiling bitterly.

“That’s a relief. Because I wasn’t the only one rejected.”

After laughing like that, Baek Hwi-soo left. Watching that, Lee Jin-wook inadvertently pressed the shutter.

He admired him quite a bit inside.

‘Hey~ It’s been a year now, and you already know Baek Hwi-soo? Do you have any background?’

No matter how top, considering the value of Baek Hwi-soo’s name, that alone cannot be explained.

Rune Mage’s first team is the elite among the elite. Because the word “team leader” there means the right arm of the guild leader.

However, Lee Jin-wook’s astonishment did not end there.

“You’re already here. How about this? If you change your mind even now, I will arrange a seat for you.”

“It’s the launching ceremony in an hour. Isn’t it too late?”

“Even though it’s a little late, what’s important. Your intention matters and that’s more important.”

Son Chang-il. The president of the Awakened Association personally walked to meet Do-joon.

‘Cra-, crazy.’

Lee Jin-wook frantically took the shutter with trembling hands. A two-shot between a first-year new hunter and the president of the association. It wasn’t something one could rarely see.

This was amazing. Lee Jin-wook who felt that way.

His mind was filled with thoughts of getting an interview with Kim Do-joon for timing.

The reason why his hair turned white.

“How are you? We’ve met before, right?”

It was when a man wearing sunglasses as if covering his face approached Do-joon.

Who the hell is it this time? Looking at the body type and the shape of the face out of curiosity,

‘Shi-! Shin Yu-seong!’

Isn’t this the leader of this expedition, Shin Yu-seong, one of the three masters in Korea!

“What? Did you two know each other?”

“Oh, yes. I happened to see him when my daughter was registering as an awakened child.”

What was more surprising was Do-joon’s reaction.

Isn’t his expression rotten after seeing Shin Yu-seong? As for a hunter, even if it is a newcomer with a shorter career, the status of the S-class name is the same as the sky.

……He had no choice but to do so. In Do-joon’s eyes, the impression of Shin Yu-seong was of a mould, who was targeting So-eun, that has not yet disappeared.

Whether he knew it or not, Shin Yu-seong talked with a friendly smile.

“How is your daughter these days? Is she doing well in developing her skills?”

“Yeah, what… She is learning from a good teacher.”

“Oh, a teacher……. Just in case. What would it be like to have a better teacher?”

“A better teacher?” Where is it?”

Shin Yu-seong smiled silently and pointed his finger at himself. Do-joon’s lips protrude.

“Well, I have no idea which side is better.”

“Hey, Mr. Father is very good at playing hard to get. Haha.”

At this point, does he not know if the cheekiness is good or not.

Do-joon shook his head.

And Lee Jin-wook.

‘…….’

He was so surprised that he didn’t even think of pressing the shutter.

It is common to see the association president and Shin Yu-seong together. But is there an E-class hunter in there?

Moreover, isn’t that E-class hunter at the centrepiece of it right now?

If he told this to his seniors, he would get hit on the back by telling him not to talk nonsense and just clean up the desk.

Then he suddenly saw a female employee of the association who had been beside him from the beginning.

Come to think of it, she also had her eyes wide open, and she had a face that was a mixture of absurdity and embarrassment.

It was Jin-wook who felt a certain sense of unity with her.

After Son Chang-il and Shin Yu-seong actually left.

“Do-joon… … .”

“Yes?”

“You’ve made some great acquaintances in such a short period of time.”

Lee Ji-ah said with a blank look.

She knew that he was acquainted with the president of the association, but Baek Hwi-soo and above all, Shin Yu-seong were really unexpected.

Who could have imagined such a thing in the first place? The imagination that the E-class hunter you are in charge of knows a S-class hunter.

“That happened somehow.”

Do-joon answered insignificantly. Baek Hwi-soo got to know Hwang Hyun-woo through a dungeon he entered, and Shin Yu-seong got to know him because of his daughter.

It was really a fate that he ended up with somehow.

Although it was still shallow to call it a connection.

Lee Ji-ah looked at Do-joon, who answered like that, with new eyes.

Is this person really the owner of the store she knew? She even had that thought.

At that moment, Do-joon felt a certain kind of gaze.

When he turned his head to look, he saw a man holding a camera in a slouchy position.

When their eyes met, the man got up in a panic and left hurriedly.

However, Do-joon’s gaze did not follow him.

It was nailed to the man holding a large sword behind him.