Chapter 34: I Am a Dragon
Bzzzt.
The loan shark was returning after finishing several meetings with investors.
Ring.
His smartphone rang.
The screen displayed "Chairman."
Chairman Im Seok-jun of SJ Capital & Holdings.
"Yes, Chairman."
-It's me.
The loan shark's eyes narrowed.
"What can I do for you, Chairman?"
-What can you do for me? Do I need some special reason to call you? Let's see each other. Come to that place.
Click.
The call ended one-sidedly.
The loan shark stopped his car and stared out the window before turning around.
Not long afterward, he arrived at one of Chairman Im Seok-jun's favorite room salons.
The moment the loan shark entered, Im Seok-jun, who had been drinking, raised a hand.
"Oh, you're here. Sit down."
"It's good to see you, Chairman."
Im Seok-jun poured whiskey into his glass.
Then the smile disappeared from his face.
"Why didn't you let me into such a huge deal?"
His tone was calm.
But there were thorns hidden beneath the question.
Im Seok-jun continued.
"The East Sea oil field. If you'd dropped me even a few hints, I would've put some money in. You hurt my feelings."
"It was difficult to believe. Even I wasn't certain until the oil was actually discovered."
"Difficult to believe. Sure, that's true. But you're not the type to move without any confidence."
That was true.
Why had the loan shark entered the private lending business in the first place?
Because he was confident he could collect the money he lent.
He suddenly remembered the question his subordinate had asked before.
Why did you go all-in on this? Is there really oil in the East Sea?
Why?
Because his instincts told him so.
They told him to bet.
That was essentially what he'd answered.
But he hadn't merely been speaking vaguely.
The loan shark glanced at his status window.
[Intuition (S)]
My intuition told me.
And right now, that S-rank intuition was telling him something else.
There was no longer any reason to kneel before Chairman Im Seok-jun.
"Chairman."
"What?"
The loan shark spoke politely but firmly.
"There is no debt left between us anymore."
Im Seok-jun's face instantly turned red.
"What did you just say? Have you forgotten how much I looked after you from the moment you first entered this business?"
"I believe I've repaid you more than enough for everything you've done."
"What?"
Im Seok-jun set his glass down with a trembling hand.
Then he glanced toward the bodyguards standing in the corner of the room.
"I'm disappointed. Seems you still haven't come to your senses. Then I'll have to help you."
Three A-rank bodyguard Hunters in suits moved simultaneously.
"So you insist on seeing blood."
"Anyone who betrays me and stabs me in the back sees blood. You know that better than anyone."
"But, Chairman, you don't know everything about me."
The loan shark calmly stood.
The instant the Hunters placed their hands on his shoulders...
BAM!
One punch.
"Ugh?"
BAM! CRACK!
Two kicks.
"Ugh!"
"Urk!"
One strike for each man.
All three slammed into the walls and collapsed.
They had been knocked unconscious so quickly they couldn't even scream properly.
"...Y-You bastard. You were a Hunter?"
Im Seok-jun was stunned.
He had always felt that the loan shark was hiding something.
But he had never imagined he had enough power to defeat three A-rank Hunters in an instant.
C-Could he be S-rank...?
It seemed impossible.
But knocking out three A-rank Hunters in one blow each, barehanded and without equipment?
Only an S-rank Hunter could realistically do that.
Im Seok-jun's face went pale.
The loan shark brushed off his clothes and bowed.
"Thank you for everything, Chairman."
After giving him a respectful farewell, he left the room.
Tower of Fate, Floor 52.
After passing through the Gate, I watched the situation for a moment.
Hunters were fighting everywhere.
This place is a complete mess too.
The most noticeable thing was the tags above everyone's heads.
High-Rank Soldier, NCO, NCO, High-Rank Soldier...
It had become difficult to find anyone below [Mid-Rank Soldier] in the Floor 50 range.
The minimum was usually High-Rank Soldier.
More than half were NCOs.
Two factions fighting?
They were probably fighting over who got the boss.
Conflicts over hunting grounds and bosses are becoming established power struggles.
It probably wasn't just Korea.
I'd seen similar things in Japan.
Then...
"What are you standing around staring at?!"
A nearby [Mid-Rank NCO] suddenly swung his sword at me.
Let's try taking the hit.
In the past, I would've desperately run.
But I'd already done the calculations before entering.
A Mid-Rank NCO probably has most of the accessories except the Badge. Around 20% bonus damage against humans.
If he wasn't [High-Rank NCO], buying the Badge would be difficult.
And even if he had one, his bonus would only be around 30%.
Not enough to break through my 140% damage reduction.
If he had prioritized armor instead of accessories, then he had even less chance.
I deliberately stood still.
"Idiot. Too scared to move? Hahaha!"
His sword struck my side along with his mocking laughter.
[Dodge!]
Maybe it was the Silent Assassin title.
I hadn't even moved, yet a Dodge judgment appeared.
His sword definitely touched my waist, but it felt like it had passed through empty air.
"...Huh?"
The man widened his eyes.
"I definitely hit you."
The [Mid-Rank NCO] stared in confusion.
Then...
Splaaash!
"Ugh!"
Blood suddenly burst from his side.
He collapsed.
Huh? Could it be...
Was reflected damage applied even when Dodge activated?
"Y-You... What the hell did you do?!"
He stared at me in horror.
"Hey! What's happening?"
"That bastard!"
His nearby allies charged me at once.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Weapons struck from all directions.
But nothing actually touched me.
[Dodge! Dodge! Dodge!]
"Aaagh!"
"Ugh!"
Each time the Dodge message appeared, the Hunters attacking me inexplicably coughed blood and collapsed.
Watching them fall helplessly filled me with a rush of exhilaration.
Thump. Thump.
"Haha... Hahahaha!"
I could no longer hold myself back.
I jumped directly into the middle of the battlefield.
"Come on! All of you, come at me!"
"Who the hell is this guy?!"
"Where did he come from?"
"Is he ours or theirs?!"
"Nobody knows him, so he's the enemy! Kill him!"
Weapons and abilities flew at me from every direction.
There were so many people mixed together that even their rank tags became difficult to read.
[Dodge! Dodge! Dodge!]
The people attacking me fell like autumn leaves instead.
[Total Contribution Points: 6,810,400]
Naturally, I didn't just stand there.
I threw Shadow Dagger at the highest-ranked Hunters I could find and raced through the battlefield.
[Total Contribution Points: 7,550,800]
I had no idea how much time passed.
The number of Hunters steadily decreased.
More and more survivors began realizing something was wrong.
"What the hell is that bastard?!"
"Which team is he with?!"
"I don't think he's on either side!"
"Then what is he?! Why can't all these people kill one guy?!"
"Is he an S-rank Hunter?!"
Some survivors finally looked above my head.
[First-Class Officer]
"F-First-Class Officer...?"
"My God."
"Impossible!"
They rubbed their eyes in disbelief.
"How the hell...?"
At that exact moment, Hunter Inventory was exploding.
[Title: Someone Says They Just Saw a First-Class Officer on Floor 52. Is This Real?]
[Author: PorkBellyWithSoju]
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Everyone's freaking out because there are only a few Third-Class Officers in the whole world, but First-Class Officer??? How is that possible?
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[Comments: 2,104]
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For real? If true, this is literally a historic event for humanity.
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Maybe it's some kind of bug? The Tower has a system, so maybe it glitched?
┗ lol why are you looking for bugs like the Tower's some game
┗ But it's obviously weird. The Contribution Point gap between Third-Class and First-Class Officer has to be several times over.
┗ That's why everyone's freaking out. He broke through that gap. Your logic is backwards.
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100% boosting. Dude definitely abused some loophole.
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Countless posts about the mysterious First-Class Officer began receiving recommendations and climbing to the top of the board in real time.
[Title: "Assassin Class Is Best for PvP" Theory Returns / Recommendations 1,181]
[Title: "The Assassin Part Isn't Important. His Attacks Are Being Reflected" / Recommendations 5,594]
[Title: "I Just Died to the First-Class Officer's Reflect Damage. Is This an S-Rank Ability?" / Recommendations 3,749]
[Breaking: Korean Hunter Association Releases Official Statement: "We Congratulate the Rise of a First-Class Officer. Proof That Korea Is an Advanced Hunter Nation."]
[Title: Assassin Weapon Prices Are Going Insane LOL]
[Author: StockGallery]
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A-rank Crescent Dagger tripled in price in 10 minutes lol. Every Assassin weapon B-rank and below is completely sold out lol.
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[Comments: 4,015]
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Just checked the market. It's literally a war zone. Even low-grade daggers sold out.
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Everyone trying to cosplay the First-Class Officer?
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Wow the dagger I bought yesterday tripled. Free money.
┗ Bro, don't sell it. Keep holding.
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When Hyunwoo had killed Rice Crumbs on Floor 41, a post claiming someone had seen a Third-Class Officer had appeared on Hunter Inventory.
At the time, everyone dismissed it as a joke and the post quickly vanished.
But this time there weren't just one or two witnesses.
And what the rumored First-Class Officer had done was simply too absurd.
The Hunter Association was also suffering a headache over this unprecedented situation.
"So what ability does he have?"
The Hunter Association Chairman had ordered every available employee to collect information about the rumored First-Class Officer.
"Confirmed abilities include damage reflection and teleportation. There are also claims that he is surrounded by some kind of concealment field, but those remain unverified."
The employee continued in a tense voice.
"However... the First-Class Officer's teleportation ability strongly resembles the Shadow Dagger previously owned by Hunter Lee Jin-ho."
"And the First-Class Officer uses a dagger as his main weapon, correct?"
"Yes."
"Hunter Lee Jin-ho died, and not long afterward his son Lee Geon-ho also disappeared. Then someone appeared using Lee Jin-ho's weapon..."
The Hunter Association knew about Lee Geon-ho's disappearance.
It was extremely suspicious.
"Chairman."
"What?"
"Since we're discussing this... something came up while investigating Hunter Lee Geon-ho's whereabouts."
The employee handed over a report containing Lee Geon-ho's debts before his disappearance.
He had inherited Lee Jin-ho's estate.
Along with an enormous debt.
"The debt collection agent was Friends Capital?"
"Yes."
"Friends Capital... Wait."
Something flashed through the Chairman's mind.
It sounded like the name of an ordinary private lender.
But he vaguely remembered seeing it in the news recently.
"Yes. It's connected to the F&C Refining Corporation that's currently making headlines."
"The company that discovered oil in the East Sea?"
"Correct."
Rumors had spread that the CEO of F&C Refining had originally been a loan shark.
That was true.
But private lending itself wasn't necessarily illegal.
And now the man was being praised as a national hero for discovering oil.
Political and business leaders whose names were known across the entire country were desperate to meet him.
The CEO of F&C Refining was rapidly becoming one of the most powerful people of the era.
It feels like there is a connection here.
The Association Chairman had no idea how he should approach it.
