Chapter 94

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On the first day of work without a mentor, the chief was left alone at his desk. Still, no one deliberately poked at him except for Director Shin Gi-hyeon. Rather, the curious gazes that saw him as a celebrity had not yet been withdrawn.

Soram, who was enjoying his leisure by drinking two cups of the coffee he had bought, was assigned a task around 11 o'clock.

"Intern Jin."

"You called me chief, then intern. You're completely arbitrary."

"If the director tells you to do either of the two, you have to do it."

"Yes, yes, what do you want to call me?"

Soram got up from his seat and went to the director's seat.

"Do you see that senior waiting for a call over there?"

The person the director pointed to was a young hunter who seemed to be barely a year or two older than Ayoung. The person who was designated also startled, saying, "Me, me, me, me?!"

"Follow him, see what a senior does, and learn the geography of this area."

When Soram looked in that direction, the poor hunter fidgeted and lowered his gaze, unable to make eye contact. In the end, Soram spoke first.

"...I look forward to working with you."

"Uh, I, I look forward to it more!"

Coincidentally, it was the optimal opponent that Soram couldn't get angry at or slack off with.

The place they arrived at under the guidance of the ‘senior’ hunter was behind a warehouse in a traditional market. As they parked the car on the side of the road and went inside, police and people who seemed to be from the Reconnaissance Bureau were guarding the front of the rift.

"This area is a market where a lot of tourists come, so rifts occur once or twice a month. The Reconnaissance Bureau also considers it a place to watch out for."

"Aha. Even though it's a weekday morning, there are quite a few people."

"Still, um, since it's found in the back alley like this before civilians, there's not much confusion... Then I'll try to eliminate it now."

The ‘senior,’ who took out a broad sword in front of the rift, smiled awkwardly.

"One of my bucket list items was to give an opportunity to a junior, saying, 'I'll watch from behind, do you want to try hitting it once?' Haha. But in front of Chief Jin, it feels like I'm being tested on whether I'm good or bad. It's like I came out for an internship. Phew, I'm nervous..."

Soram looked at the person standing with the sword in a posture that still had some inexperience. Lee Gyeong-in. The 21-year-old young hunter who awakened as a 2nd-grade 3 months ago didn't particularly show the competitiveness with the headquarters that was seen from higher positions. Rather, he was excessively honest.

"I'm not that great either. Eliminating rifts is pretty much the same for everyone, so don't feel burdened and do it comfortably."

"No! When I followed the chief, I saw that the rift closed with a creak even though he didn't strike it like this, shak shak, very hard. He kept explaining while breaking the rift, but it was easy only for him, and I didn't understand what he was saying at all..."

"You're talking about Chief Seo Min-ki, right?"

"Ah, how did you know?"

"Because he's the person I know who handles rifts the most delicately."

That level of fine control was Min-ki's unique characteristic. Also, the chief who would never ignore a junior looking at him with sparkling eyes from behind and explain for a long time, even with his lack of eloquence, was likely to be him.

Chief Lee Gyeong-in, who said he would really try it now, raised his sword high.

Clang!

Ugh.

At the point where the sword and the rift collided, there was a sound of crushing a can, which was impossible to know how it was made. Soram casually blocked the force that bounced off to the side.

"..."

Soram, who had been silently listening to the clang! clang! clang! sound, finally approached, saying, "Excuse me..." It was clear that this was why the director had sent them together.

A little while later.

"Good work, Chief Lee."

"Yes. Ahahaha, thank you so much. If it weren't for you, Chief Jin, I might have gotten scolded for denting something again. I really can't improve this kind of control. Ah, oops. We passed lunchtime."

As he said, the time had passed 12:10. A message notification appeared at the top of Soram's phone as he was checking the time.

Han Tae-un: [Can you talk?]

It was a sharp contact that came in at noon, as if waiting for lunchtime.

"Chief Jin?"

"Ah, yes."

"You should go in right away. The director is looking for you."

"...Why? I don't like close relationships with my superiors."

"That's... what everyone would think."

Soram got into the car he had come in and put his phone in his pocket. The message from Tae-un was left unchecked. Even if he sent a reply, he wouldn't be able to say anything other than "No, I can't," so it was better to send it when he could at least mumble something in response to his interrogation later.

It seemed better for him to have a conversation after thinking a little more about what to say.

�

The place Soram was called to was not the office but the basement of the branch building. It was a floor used for the same purpose as the arena at the Seoul headquarters. The high dome-shaped ceiling and walls were flashing with bright lights and camera lenses.

"You're here."

In the middle of the arena, four hunters, including Director Shin Gi-hyeon, were waiting for him. There were a total of five 1st-grade hunters in the Busan Branch, and the ones present were the remaining people, excluding Seo Min-ki, who had gone out on a dispatch. The gazes of the four people were fixed on Soram, who had just entered.

This atmosphere... Soram opened his mouth.

"Am I going to be beaten up like a pitiful transfer student who got on the wrong side as soon as I arrived?"

And he crossed his arms in front of his chest, opening his eyes wide.

"What are you talking about? Is there any reason for it to be on the front page of the news tomorrow and for Director Park Jae-seon to come and grab me by the collar?"

Director Shin Gi-hyeon retorted absurdly.

"Chief Jin."

"Yes."

"You came here without telling me what your intentions are, and I don't know how long you'll stay, so I don't know how much I should teach you. It's a big concern for me. Chief Jin, wouldn't it be troublesome if something like this happened at the headquarters too?"

"When a newbie comes in, I take care of them with all my love without dwelling on the past, no matter who they are."

The next moment, Han Tae-un appeared in Soram's mind, turning his head with an expression that had a lot to say but was holding it back. However, he shamelessly erased it.

Director Shin Gi-hyeon, with his jacket draped over his arm, approached him again with a face that said he was going to nag.

"We can't just let go of this opportunity even though the headquarters' second-in-command, who throws cars and planes around, has come, even if you're a bit noisy. I'm trying to suck out some benefits to improve the skills of the hunters here, so what do you think, Chief Jin?"

"The second-in-command is not me, but Chief Kim Ga-eul, and I'm only the 8th-in-command at best, even if you're generous..."

"Even the 8th-in-command's benefits will have something if we squeeze them out."

"Oh my. What are you trying to do to the fragile Soram!"

Did he just refer to himself in the third person...? The expressions of the Busan Branch hunters facing each other blinked. It was a sentiment that would never work here, along with the stingy Seoul dialect. Of course, everyone at the headquarters also passed it over with hazy eyes.

"Since you're here, let's see the skills of the Seoul headquarters' Flight Team chief. I'll go easy on you, considering it's not your home turf, so don't worry."

In other words, to summarize it in one sentence,

"You're talking about sparring, right...?"

Soram scratched the back of his neck. Even though his words sounded scary, there was no bad intention. By putting him in a position like an instructor when his status and work were ambiguous here, they could save face appropriately while assigning him a task that would benefit the Busan Branch. The experience of fighting against a long-range type like Soram would be especially valuable for those who lacked it.

"Hmm."

Soram's gaze looked at each of the four people. The three with more years of experience returned his gaze without much emotion, but the remaining one, who looked a little younger, had tension in his shoulders.

Since there weren't many 1st-grades in the country, Soram also knew rough information about him. Do Jong-chan, 29 years old. A 1st-grade close combat type who was a former judo athlete before awakening. Befitting that, he had an intimidating physique even before becoming a hunter and still maintained it.

After a brief thought, Soram answered in a light tone.

"Okay. Let's do it."

"Oh, I thought you'd slack off and run away."

"I was the chief of the headquarters for the time being. If I don't do something that requires a little effort and get humiliated at the branch, I'll get scolded."

"I'll take that as a word that you can definitely save face if you spar."

Do Jong-chan, who had been looking at Soram, spoke with a slight provocation. However, his opponent smiled calmly, raising his lips.

"Of course."

"..."

Soram was the youngest among the five people here, but his awakening order was next to Director Shin Gi-hyeon. That self-confidence couldn't be mere arrogance. The director, who only knew Soram's lazy appearance, looked quite satisfied. It was only natural for a 1st-grade who would shoulder the future to show that level of spirit.

The director came forward and tapped the shoulder of Do Jong-chan, who was standing on his side.

"As you may have noticed, today's opponent is him. Even though his years of experience are far less than Chief Jin's, he's a hunter who has been trained hard by me. I heard that the person who taught Chief Jin when he first joined was Director-nim. I'll bet on Director Park Jae-seon's honor, so do your best."

"Huh? You can't do that."

Soram tilted his head.

"Director-nim's honor is too heavy to dare to be mentioned by someone else."

He was still smiling. However, the moment he mentioned Director Park Jae-seon, emotion definitely entered his voice.

"So please consider it as Deputy Director-nim's level."

"...Alright."

As the conversation became serious, the light in Do Jong-chan's eyes rose with a desire to win. When Soram heard the informal speech from the person he was going to spar with in a place like this, someone else came to mind again along with the memory of a certain day.

"It won't be easy for me either. I'll at least put a dent in the honor placed on you, Chief Jin."

Hmm, no. The two are not similar at all. Because Han Tae-un would never say such a thing even if someone told him to. Soram shrugged his shoulders.

"Although peace is the best, I have thoughts that arise when I receive such provocation at my level of experience."

And he tapped his chest pocket.

"You'll give me time to equip my weapon, right?"

Last spring, the most talked-about among the public training videos was undoubtedly the match between Jin Soram and Han Tae-un. The image of him flying several metal planes and relentlessly pushing his opponent without leaving a gap came to everyone's mind.

"I'll go and prepare."

Soram lightly bowed his head, smiled, and turned his back.