Chapter 102
Chapter 102
Chapter 102
Screech.
A car with dark-tinted windows stopped in front of the association building. The man who got out of the car looked at the person who had come out to greet him.
"Welcome, Guildmaster Park Yoon-sung."
"…"
Park Yoon-sung nodded silently. Today was an unofficial visit, so he came quietly without the reporters knowing, but he felt there was no need to worry. There wasn’t a single soul in sight around the Association; it appeared they were still strictly limiting access.
Park Yoon-sung clicked his tongue inwardly, and followed the association staff member into the building. He asked Yeon Seung-won, who was walking beside him, in a small voice.
"What about Jin Sang-hyun?"
"We're still looking into it."
"It's taking a long time."
The whereabouts of Jin Sang-hyun, Guildmaster of the Tyr Guild, remained unknown. Park Yoon-sung had just found out that he did not participate in the Muspelheim dungeon raid. It was pathetic.Park Yoon-sung's eyes shone with wariness as he bit his lip. The raid team was already in the middle of conquering the dungeon, and with Kang Yoo-hyun joining them late, the possibility of something going wrong was low. But Park Yoon-sung kept feeling anxious for some reason.
Raisu. It was clear that he had intervened. Jin Sang-hyun's sudden disappearance could very well be his doing. And there was no way the Association was unaware of this. Park Yoon-sung's grey eyes darkened further.
"Please wait a moment."
"…Alright."
The association's guide, with a stern expression, left Park Yoon-sung and Yeon Seung-won behind in the small meeting room.
How on earth do they select their personnel? All the members of the Association were expressionless, like dolls. That guide's way of speaking was also stiff, making it feel like he was dealing with a machine, not a human.
Park Yoon-sung sighed softly and loosened his necktie. It was strangely uncomfortable to breathe inside the association's building. The stifling air pricked his skin.
Click.
It didn't take long before the meeting room door opened. A woman in a dark brown suit entered the room alone, her eyes immediately fixing on Park Yoon-sung.
"Sorry for keeping you waiting, Guildmaster Park Yoon-sung."
"…"
Director Na Ye-rim, the head of the Seoul branch of the Korean Hunter Association, was the person he had anticipated. Park Yoon-sung rose and offered a slight bow to her.
“Long time no see, Director."
"Nice to see you after a long time."
Na Ye-rim responded bluntly as she approached Park Yoon-sung. Standing composedly in front of him, she nodded, and they both sat down simultaneously. The simple iron chair creaked.
"What brings you to the Association today?"
"Ha…"
Park Yoon-sung smirked as he watched Na Ye-rim feign ignorance. Despite knowing everything, she remained shameless.
However, this was not the first time the Association had acted like this. Park Yoon-sung suppressed his boiling emotions and asked Na Ye-rim.
"Where is Jin Sang-hyun?"
"…"
Na Ye-rim quietly looked at Park Yoon-sung in response to his straightforward question. Park Yoon-sung frowned as he looked at her expressionless face. Then, her lips slowly opened.
“I don’t know why you are looking for the Guildmaster of the Tyr Guild at the Association.”
"…Director."
"I'm sorry, but I have nothing more to say."
"…"
Park Yoon-sung gritted his teeth as he listened to Na Ye-rim sharp words and kept her mouth shut. He had anticipated it, but it still left a bad taste in his mouth. Park Yoon-sung frowned and opened his mouth again.
"As I expected."
"…”
"You must know that Han Yi-jin's younger brother, Han Do-gyul, has awakened to S-class."
"…!"
A small crack appeared on Na-Ye-rim's stiff face. She maintained her impassive expression as she stared at Park Yoon-sung.
"You also know that he's a mental ability user."
"That's…"
"You may not know this, but his main abilities are all mental. Han Do-gyul-kun."
"…"
"Which means he can see through any lies you tell, including all the dirty secrets that the Association has been hiding."
"…"
Until now, Korea still lacked hunters with top-level mental abilities. However, Han Do-gyul's awakening as an S-rank hunter changed the game.
Of course, he couldn't be immediately deployed into actual combat; he was still young and lacked training, but that was something the Association did not know about. Park Yoon-sung just smiled casually.
"Hu…."
Na Ye-rim sighed with a slight frown on her face. She glanced down at the desk for a moment before lifting her head again. Before long, her face had returned to its impassive expression.
"I really don't know where the Guildmaster of Tyr is."
"Don’t know ‘where’?"
"…Yes."
Park Yoon-sung repeated the sentence, emphasising the subtlety of his tone, and Na Ye-rim nodded slightly. Then she continued her words as if she had no choice.
"But he's probably immobilised."
"…"
Unfortunately, Park Yoon-sung's Insight skill was A-rank, which meant it didn't work effectively against S-class hunters. He couldn't fully trust Na Ye-rim's words, especially since her expression was already unreadable. However, Na Ye-rim, who was concerned about Han Do-gyul's ability, wouldn't hastily speak falsehoods.
"How long will the Association condone his actions?"
"…"
“Do you really not know what would happen if Hunter Han Yi-jin fell into his hands?”
Na Ye-rim remained silent at the chilling question. Park Yoon-sung's eyes narrowed.
The Association had always been like this. They always turned a blind eye to the Laufey Guild's misdeeds, as if their weaknesses had been caught. It was unbelievable that an organisation that was supposed to be a substitute for the government would behave in such a manner.
Park Yoon-sung, who clicked his tongue internally, looked at Na Ye-rim as if waiting for her answer. Then, Na Ye-rim slowly closed her eyes for a moment and suddenly glanced out the window.
"The Norn Guild has released their next prophecy."
"…Yes?"
An unexpected and irrelevant response came from her. The way she spoke was completely out of character. Park Yoon-sung subconsciously opened his mouth in surprise.
"We haven't informed the other guilds yet."
"…Are you implying that the Norn Guild has once again issued a prophecy specifically about Korea this time?"
"…"
The Norn Guild had the world's only ability user with a prophecy skill. The Prophet's age and gender were unknown, but their prophecies quickly brought the world back to stability. Even Park Yoon-sung had no choice but to believe the words of this mysterious Prophet.
However, at some point, the Norn Guild's prophecies focused solely on Korea. With global media already fixated on the emergence of rankers in this small country, these prophecies only added fuel to the fire. Thanks to this, Korean guilds were able to achieve greater success. Na Ye-rim nodded and looked directly at Park Yoon-sung.
"They said the ‘Primordial Dungeon' will open in Korea."
"…!"
The Primordial Dungeon, the Yawning Void. It was the dungeon of beginning and end that the Prophet had consistently mentioned. They said they didn't know when or where that dungeon would open. However, of all places, that dungeon would open in Korea instead. Park Yoon-sung asked seriously.
"Is that true?"
"Unless the Prophet was lying."
"…"
"Soon, rankers from around the world will gather in Korea to conquer the Primordial Dungeon."
The Prophet indicated that the Primordial Dungeon would open to test humanity once the dungeon rating abnormality subsided. Thus, even the Prophet is uncertain about the exact timing of its opening.
If the rating abnormality was not resolved quickly, a Dungeon Break would occur, and things would spiral out of control. However, when the rating abnormality ended, the Primordial Dungeon, which could destroy the world, would open. It was difficult to slow down rating abnormalities or resolve them quickly.
"The Korean government plans to accept support from the alliance."
"…!"
Meetings had been ongoing for days regarding the prophecy, but ultimately, the decision was made to hasten the emergence of the Primordial Dungeon. It was an unknown and ungraded dungeon, but the Prophet had warned that if it were not cleared, a great disaster would occur. In response, countries pledged their full support, and Korea quickly became the centre of attention.
"But even so, the world's only SS-rank hunter and S-grade auxiliary skill hunter will inevitably be the main focus."
"…What are you trying to say?"
"…"
Na Ye-rim's calm gaze turned to Park Yoon-sung. At that moment, Park Yoon-sung swallowed hard unconsciously because of an inexplicable thirst. Na Ye-rim's eyes seemed endless, like an abyss concealing something unknown within.
"Can they clear the Primordial Dungeon now?"
"What do you mean…?"
Park Yoon-sung was momentarily speechless when he was asked directly. He felt a strange sense of déjà vu. Shivers ran down his spine as his face contorted.
"You guys couldn't possibly…"
Park Yoon-sung's lips twitched. Despite his incredulous expression, his eyes held a glimmer of conviction as his voice echoed throughout the small meeting room.
"Are you guys planning to use the Laufey Guild to enhance Hunter Han Yi-jin's skills?"