"Is that true?"
A snake.
He wore the face of a snake flicking its tongue. How could so many different expressions come from the face of a young man not yet twenty? Baek Jeong-dae swallowed his question and answered desperately.
"Yes. I promise you on my title. Whatever your demands are, Hunter, I will do my utmost to accommodate them."
At some point, the upper hand had completely shifted. No, come to think of it, had Vice Chairman Baek Jeong-dae ever truly had the upper hand? He had merely been deluding himself into thinking he was in a superior position.
"Hmm…"
Cheon Hae-seon crossed his arms and fell into thought for a moment. In reality, he had already prepared what he was going to say, but he deliberately dragged it out. He wanted to make Baek Jeong-dae, who was already swallowing dryly, a little more anxious.
"Well then, shall I start?"
"An excellent decision."
Cheon Hae-seon, who had been leaning back in his seat, pulled his upper body forward. Naturally, his sharp gaze came closer into Baek Jeong-dae's view.
"First, exempt me from the Multi Ability Test."
"Exempt…?"
"I mean just pass me. You know I don't trust the Association, right?"
"Yes… I know."
"I don't know what tricks the Association might pull during the Multi Ability Test, so I'm asking you to just add the ability."
"That's…!!"
Baek Jeong-dae wanted to protest. To ask who at the Hunter Association would dare try to harm him now. And to ask what was so troublesome about stepping into a chamber and using an ability once.
But he couldn't. Hadn't his own predecessor, the former Vice Chairman, hired someone to assassinate the man before him? It was only natural that Cheon Hae-seon didn't trust the people of the Association.
"Ah, since we're on the topic. I heard there were people who opposed letting Supervisor Pyo Hyeok-gyu handle the press conference?"
"There… were… such people, but…"
Baek Jeong-dae couldn't help but avoid Cheon Hae-seon's gaze. He himself was among those who had opposed the press conference. However, given the gravity of the situation and the threat that 'if it's not Pyo Hyeok-gyu, I won't reveal anything,' they had no choice but to reluctantly back down.
"Well, I understand. The Association isn't some corner store."
And you know that full well, yet you act so unreasonably. Baek Jeong-dae felt a surge of anger for a moment, but he didn't let it show.
"If you need evidence, I can send it to you. I have a recorded video."
At the mention of a recorded video, Baek Jeong-dae's eyes shot up.
"You, you had a video of you catching Kang Hyeon?!"
"No. I was talking about the video from when I caught the Kraken."
"Ah…"
A voice mixed with equal parts disappointment and realization escaped him. How had Cheon Hae-seon captured Kang Hyeon? And what were the circumstances of Yoo In-won's death?
These were matters the Hunter Association was investigating from all angles. When they asked Cheon Hae-seon if he had combat footage, he had said that 'due to the tangled Ether during the fight, nothing but the conversation was recorded.' Of course, this was a blatant lie.
In truth, Cheon Hae-seon had incinerated not only Kang Hyeon but also Yoo In-won with Poison Flame. So that not even a handful of ash remained. However, since nothing good would come from revealing that he had killed a high-ranking member of the Hunter Association, he had simply said they were swept away during the battle.
The public was questioning the competence of the Hunter Association, which had failed to obtain any information despite the death of such a major figure. In the midst of that, Cheon Hae-seon had offered to release combat footage, so Baek Jeong-dae couldn't help but be pleased. Unfortunately, Cheon Hae-seon had no intention of giving them what they wanted.
"You don't need the Kraken video? If not, then never mind."
"Ah, no. We also need some kind of explanatory material… If you send us a video that can prove your multi-ability, we will process it immediately."
To date, fewer than five people had been registered as Multi Ability Hunters in the Republic of Korea. Historically, the most powerful was Kang Hyeon, and the other Hunters were evaluated with ranks ranging from A to S. And all of them had undergone a rigorous Multi Ability Test before receiving official certification from the Association.
No matter how strong a Hunter was, no one had ever skipped that step. In that sense, the 'exemption' Cheon Hae-seon was now demanding could be seen as an unprecedented special favor. Any special favor granted to Cheon Hae-seon would have to be bestowed by him, the Vice Chairman.
Why was that brat making things difficult for the Association, and for him? As they say, you see what you want to see. Baek Jeong-dae concluded that Cheon Hae-seon's demand was him just being difficult.
He judged that Cheon Hae-seon wanted to be registered as a Multi Ability Hunter but had no intention of cooperating nicely, so he was being contrary.
'Damn brat…
There's a limit to throwing tantrums…!!' Rage began to simmer on Baek Jeong-dae's toad-like face. But considering his position as Vice Chairman, it wasn't an impossible task.
No, rather, if letting him get his way with this childish tantrum would appease his anger, then it was a worthwhile trade.
"Hmm… Then I'll take that as your acceptance…"
Cheon Hae-seon pretended to scratch his cheek, hiding his expression. 'This is going more smoothly than I thought.' His reason for wanting to be exempted from the Multi Ability Test wasn't to be difficult or anything of the sort.
The moment Cheon Hae-seon stepped into the Record Device again, the abilities he possessed would be revealed like a flood.
Healing Ability. Psychic power.
And even physical strength. If that happened, the Association would naturally think of someone with similar abilities. The 'Poison-type Hunter' with the most abilities in the Republic of Korea, Kiril.
That was the hidden reason why Cheon Hae-seon wanted to be exempted from the Multi Ability Test and add only the 'Esper' ability. As soon as his first demand was accepted, Cheon Hae-seon brought up his next condition without giving him a moment to breathe.
"The next condition is, I'd like to be an examiner."
"An examiner… Do you mean for the Hunter Qualification Test?"
"Yes. Because of what I went through before, it seems a fair examination is needed. Thinking of the hell I went through to heal the Imperial Tiger… Hah…"
Watching Cheon Hae-seon shake his head, Baek Jeong-dae was left speechless. It had been an examination process so compromised in its fairness that the examiners on site had immediately raised questions. Any applicant other than Cheon Hae-seon would have found it difficult to display their abilities.
Baek Jeong-dae had to admit that he had no way out this time either. However, his expression was much brighter than before. 'This isn't impossible either.'
It wasn't uncommon for an active Hunter to participate as an examiner in the qualification test. Hadn't Maria been an examiner when Cheon Hae-seon took the healer exam? Baek Jeong-dae nodded readily.
"It's possible. We will arrange for you, Hunter Cheon Hae-seon, to be an examiner for the healer qualification…"
However, this proposal was also not as simple as Baek Jeong-dae thought.
"When did I say that?"
"Pardon?"
Is this bastard toying with me? Two deep lines formed on Baek Jeong-dae's brow.
"You clearly said you wanted to be an examiner…"
"Yes. But I never said it was for the healer exam."
"???"
"I want to be an examiner for the Esper exam during the upcoming Hunter Qualification Test."
"What?!"
What is this now? Why would a healer want to examine Espers? Is this guy really messing with me?
But Cheon Hae-seon raised his index finger as if he were being perfectly logical and continued.
"Since I took down both Kang Hyeon and the Kraken, my psychic power level won't fall below S-rank, right?"
"…Probably not."
"Then I'll be granted the qualification of an S-rank Esper, so there shouldn't be a problem with me becoming an examiner right away."
Sigh.
Baek Jeong-dae composed his breathing.
That's right.
It was infuriating, but he wasn't entirely wrong. Being S-rank in any type meant you were an expert in that ability. Everyone expected Cheon Hae-seon's psychic power level to be at the S level.
But, even though everything he said was correct. 'Why am I getting so angry?' It was clear the punk was being difficult, but there was a strange logic to it, so he couldn't even argue.
Baek Jeong-dae was lost in thought for a long while. But this time too, he had no choice but to raise the white flag.
"You are correct, Hunter. I will prepare for you to become an examiner for the Esper qualification test."
"Thank you, and…"
"Is there more?"
"Yes. Why?"
Looking at Cheon Hae-seon asking back with such an innocent face, Baek Jeong-dae clenched his fists. Under the table, of course.
"Hahaha. Not at all. I will actively accommodate you, so please, feel free to say more."
"Hehe. Thank you."
And just a few minutes later, Baek Jeong-dae felt the urge to slap his own cheek. Because if the first two conditions were the punk's tantrums, the final condition was something that promised quite a significant impact.
Knock knock.
"Come in."
Gu Geon-yi answered the door with a low, subdued voice. With nothing going his way recently, his once-smooth skin had become quite haggard.
"I've been told that Lady Maria has left the healing chamber."
"Oh, really?"
A ray of light shone on his darkened face. How long had he waited for this news? After a long vacation and a void in the healing chamber, Maria was finally resuming her activities.
Moreover, the news that followed was also what he had been desperately hoping for.
"She has requested a meeting with you, Representative, through a guild employee."
"We must!! We must, right now!!"
Gu Geon-yi, who had been wearing a long face just moments before, laughed heartily as if nothing had happened. Wasn't this the same Maria who had been looking at him with contempt recently? For Maria, who had been avoiding even making eye contact, let alone working with him, to request a meeting herself.
It truly felt like a painful tooth had been pulled.
"Tell her to come to my office right now! No. I'll go myself."
Gu Geon-yi shot up from his seat and strode forward. The strongest power in the Glory Guild and a figure symbolic of the Hunters of the Republic of Korea. Maria greeted Gu Geon-yi with a placid expression.
"You're here, Representative."
"Yes, Ria. You've been through a lot."
Gu Geon-yi replied with his lips pressed firmly together. He was managing his expression in advance, lest any sign of excitement show.
"I'm sorry for being away for so long. I had a lot to think about…"
'When was it ever quick?' Gu Geon-yi's gaze drifted to an irrelevant spot.
"Thank you for coming back. So many people were waiting for your return. As it happens, we have a 7-star dungeon raid scheduled for tomorrow, let's go together."
"Yes. I'll do that."
Watching Maria nod obediently, Gu Geon-yi let out a sigh of relief. It seems she has truly sorted out her feelings. Considering she agreed to participate even though she's probably not keen on dungeon raids.
As the thought that everything had returned to normal set in, Gu Geon-yi's heart felt much lighter.
"I have a favor to ask."
"Hm? Of course. Tell me anything."
Maria's expression remained unchanged. Just like when he had first seen her today. But for some reason, Gu Geon-yi felt a strange sense of unease from that constant expression.
"I want to participate in the Hunter qualification examination."
"You mean… like that time before?"
"Yes."
Gu Geon-yi nearly mentioned 'that bastard's' name. Because the day Maria participated in the examination was the day 'that bastard' became a Hunter.
"That's unexpected. You haven't said anything about it since then, so I thought you weren't interested."
"It's not so much about interest… I feel like I need to get to know people from all walks of life."
That much is not difficult at all. No, it was something he wanted to ask of her. Serving as an examiner was a way of helping the Hunter Association, and this would contribute to the cooperative relationship with the Glory Guild.
"Alright. I will make a formal request to the Association."
Gu Geon-yi accepted her request, feigning an air of importance.
"Thank you, Representative."
As Maria bowed her head slightly, a strange light glinted in her eyes. Until that moment, Gu Geon-yi thought her request was simply for a change of pace. If he had known what Maria's true intentions were, he would never have accepted her request.
Events that would startle the world awaited the Glory Guild.