Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Han Geon-woo sat holding his head in frustration.

Fuck. He seriously wants me to do that?

Seong-un's request had been absurd.

He wanted Han Geon-woo to draw everyone's attention by lying that he was the climber who had finished the Tutorial with EX-rank.

More precisely, he wanted him to do it once Seong-un's number was called and he entered the inspection area.

Joining a major guild was definitely tempting.

But how was he supposed to deal with the aftermath?

He's here. I should contact them...

After finishing the Tutorial, Han Geon-woo had returned to the guild office under orders to wait.

Not long afterward, they told him they needed to find that monster and ordered him to help.

They had even demanded that he return every item they'd given him except for his basic weapon.

They had practically taken everything away by force.

No... I have to catch him and prove myself.

Growing anxious, Han Geon-woo worked alongside the Human Resources staff to search for the monstrous rookie.

But without any real information, finding the man was practically impossible.

After suffering through the entire weekend, Han Geon-woo told them he knew the man's face.

He suggested camping out at the Association and waiting for him to appear.

If he contacted them the instant the man arrived, Cheonha could approach him faster than any other guild.

The employees apparently found that reasonable enough and gave permission.

So Han Geon-woo had been sitting in the waiting room since morning, watching everyone who arrived to register.

They took every single item back. Just like that guy said, maybe I really am disposable.

He possessed Indomitable, a skill capable of growing to A-rank.

He could probably knock on the doors of other guilds.

But Horus, the guild Seong-un had offered to connect him with, was ranked eighth.

One position higher than Cheonha.

If he could enter Horus, perhaps he could restore his crushed pride.

Fine. Cheonha, you crazy bastards. So this is how you treat me? Then I sure as hell won't let things go well for you either.

At that moment, Seong-un, who had been standing outside the waiting room, appeared to have his number called and entered the inspection area.

Let's do it.

Han Geon-woo stood with a determined expression.

He walked toward the main entrance, threw open the door, and shouted.

"I'm the climber who finished the Tutorial with EX-rank!"

His bombshell declaration sent the scouts into chaos.

"Is that true?!"

"But your inspection result hasn't come out yet!"

"Are you certain? What about your inspection?"

The barrage of questions made Han Geon-woo's mind go blank.

He had drawn their attention.

But what the hell was he supposed to do next?

"I-I haven't been inspected yet!"

Cheonha had prevented Han Geon-woo from receiving an inspection.

They wanted him sitting in the waiting room monitoring applicants.

So technically, it was true that he hadn't been inspected.

"Ah, so that's why you're revealing it beforehand. You want to hear the guild offers before the Association gets involved."

"Could you have coffee with us and talk for a few minutes?"

"It'll only take a moment!"

The scouts quickly reached their own conclusions and began courting Han Geon-woo.

"We're from the True Sword Guild! We can offer you better conditions than any other guild!"

At the words True Sword, Han Geon-woo's eyes shook violently.

True Sword was founded by Sword Saint Pyo Byeong-woo.

It was currently the number-one guild in South Korea.

And a guild like that was courting him?

Wasn't this incredible?

"...No thanks. I don't intend to join a guild yet."

He desperately wanted to sit down and talk with True Sword.

But Han Geon-woo wasn't EX-rank.

He was a dropout who had finished the Tutorial with an F.

Other people earned skills, Gold, and all kinds of rewards from the Tutorial.

But with a score of practically zero, Han Geon-woo had received nothing.

Those fucking Cheonha bastards. They were happy to take me in, and now they're trying to throw me away?

Fine.

Somehow, he would get into Horus, receive support, and start again.

"Mr. Han Geon-woo! What do you think you're doing?!"

At that moment, a familiar voice struck his ears.

The owners were none other than the Cheonha employees.

They stared at Han Geon-woo with expressions of complete disbelief.

Han Geon-woo bared his teeth and grinned at them.

"Shut up! I'm the EX-rank climber, you fucking bastards!"

After entering the inspection area, Seong-un showed his number ticket to an employee.

"Could I see your ID?"

"One moment."

Seong-un took his ID card from his wallet and handed it over.

The employee typed something with practiced movements.

A short while later, he returned the ID together with a sheet of paper.

"Could you fill in only the checked sections here?"

"Yes."

Seong-un completed the simple consent form and handed it back.

The employee stood from his seat.

"...I'm sorry, but could you follow me for a moment?"

"Pardon?"

Seong-un tilted his head.

After completing the consent form, he should've received a keycard and entered an empty inspection capsule for scanning.

"Nothing you're worried about will happen."

At the employee's polite attitude, Seong-un nodded.

Looks like they figured it out.

The employee guided Seong-un through the rear door of the inspection room.

They exited through the back and entered an elevator.

Fifth floor.

When the elevator doors opened, a middle-aged man who looked to be in his early fifties was standing there with several employees.

"Welcome. I'm Choi Hyeok, Chairman of the Association."

He offered Seong-un his hand with a friendly smile.

So that's the Association Chairman.

Choi Hyeok, the second Chairman of the Association.

This was the first time Seong-un had ever met him this closely, even including his previous life.

There was a simple reason.

Choi Hyeok had already died before Seong-un received his invitation.

Meeting someone he'd only seen in photographs felt strange.

"Yes. I'm Yoo Seong-un."

Seong-un shook his hand.

"First, I'd like to apologize for making you come all the way up here."

"Does that mean I can leave after completing registration?"

"Haha. I don't think that's possible. We can't simply send away the first person in the world to finish with EX-rank."

So they had figured it out.

Well, there was no way they wouldn't.

He had expected this, so Seong-un admitted it with a nod.

"How did you know?"

"When a trail gets long enough, it's bound to be followed."

"I see."

"I'd like to talk with you for a moment. Would that be all right?"

"Yes. That's why I came up here."

"Thank you for understanding."

Choi Hyeok dismissed the employees and entered the chairman's office with Seong-un.

He tried to lighten the atmosphere with casual conversation.

Seong-un simply responded with occasional nods.

The small talk ended once coffee and refreshments were placed in front of them.

"Then tell me why you brought me here."

"...Mr. Seong-un, is there a guild you'd like to join?"

Guilds.

One reason they could continue to exist was money.

But there were also Guild Points obtained from the Tower.

Guild rankings were determined through those points.

At settlement periods, the Tower distributed different rewards according to guild rank.

That was also why guilds desperately tried to recruit talented prospects.

They wanted to climb higher.

"No."

"Why? You could probably enter under the best possible conditions."

"Because I don't need one."

Choi Hyeok's eyes widened at the straightforward answer.

Then he burst into hearty laughter.

"Haha! I see."

"Though the Association would be a different matter."

Choi Hyeok's eyes lit up.

He hadn't arranged this meeting merely because he wanted to talk with Seong-un.

He had intended to build a relationship first, then later suggest that Seong-un join the Association.

But Seong-un had opened the topic himself.

There was no reason not to move directly to the main point.

"Are you considering joining the Association?"

"If you guarantee solo climbing, item support, comfortable housing, and the authority to establish my own guild, I might consider it."

If guilds represented growth, then the Association represented control.

Unlike guilds, which fiercely competed for rankings, the Association's role was to regulate guilds and climbers and maintain balance.

But that balance wouldn't last forever.

Talented climbers naturally gathered in guilds.

Even so, Seong-un was interested in the Association rather than a guild.

It would allow him greater freedom.

It would firmly guarantee his identity.

And it could also help him establish his own guild and build a foundation.

"Hmm. May I ask why you want to climb solo?"

For an inexperienced climber, solo climbing wasn't merely dangerous.

It also caused major losses.

There were first-clear rewards tied to clear evaluation.

The best way to grow stronger was to secure those rewards properly from the beginning.

That was why the standard method was to climb with assistance from people who had already cleared the lower floors.

"It's more comfortable alone."

Choi Hyeok was momentarily taken aback by the simple answer.

"Hmm..."

This wasn't merely someone whose confidence had risen because he'd achieved EX-rank.

His self-assurance had gone far beyond that.

"Would you mind if we conduct the inspection first and continue talking afterward?"

It wouldn't be too late to discuss the details after seeing the inspection results.

"Fine."

Seong-un followed an employee toward the inspection equipment.

What kind of rewards did EX-rank give him?

Assistant Manager Lee Gi-cheol kept stealing curious glances at Seong-un walking behind him.

He had been the one who checked Seong-un's ID and guided him to the Association Chairman.

The man you're currently dealing with should be taken directly to the Chairman.

The order from above had come immediately after Lee Gi-cheol handed Seong-un the simple consent form.

That was enough for him to realize the man before him was the one who had finished the Tutorial with EX-rank.

He didn't know what they discussed upstairs.

But the Chairman himself had gotten involved.

The offer must've been beyond anything Lee Gi-cheol could imagine.

"Do I just go in?"

Seong-un pointed toward the inspection equipment.

"Yes. We've already cleared the area in advance. You can enter and complete it comfortably."

"All right."

Only after Seong-un entered the machine did Lee Gi-cheol sit down and sigh.

Why did today somehow feel even more exhausting than usual?

"Assistant Manager."

While he rested, Hwang Chan-hee approached cautiously.

"What? No more applicants?"

"Well... things outside got a little noisy, so inspections were temporarily stopped."

"Stopped?"

Lee Gi-cheol tilted his head.

What in the world had happened badly enough to halt inspections?

"Well... there's an Awakened outside claiming he's the EX-rank climber."

"EX-rank?"

Lee Gi-cheol leaned out and looked toward the outer area.

It really was noisy enough to interfere with inspections.

The applicants who had been waiting were all gathered around the main entrance.

That must've been because of the Awakened claiming to be EX-rank.

"What the hell is going on? We haven't inspected anyone recently who could possibly claim to have finished with EX-rank."

If someone had achieved EX-rank, they should possess skills worthy of such a result.

But no one inspected over the past several days had shown anything like that.

"Right. Besides, isn't the actual EX-rank climber the person who just entered the machine?"

"That's what I've been told... But let's see the results first."

"I'm really curious. I wonder what will show up."

Thanks to the Awakened making a scene outside, they had a brief moment to breathe.

Hwang Chan-hee sat beside Lee Gi-cheol and waited for the applicant to come out.

[Inspection complete.]

The process finished quickly.

The machine opened.

Seong-un slowly stepped out.

"Is it done?"

"Yes. Please wait just..."

Lee Gi-cheol froze the moment he saw the result sheet.

"Hm? Assistant Manager? Are you okay?"

Hwang Chan-hee approached as though worried.

Then he glanced at the result sheet and froze as well.

W-What the hell?!

Could these results possibly be real?