Chapter 17: Corroded Cane

– Exam Ended –

The moment Do-joon eliminated the last team, the accompanying filming drone blared out an announcement.

Straightening his back, he surveyed his surroundings. The arena had shrunk considerably, now that it was near the end. Within it, a fierce battle was unfolding between no less than 5 teams.

14 people in a survival match in a cramped space. And the last one standing was Do-joon.

“Crazy… how many did he take down on his own?”

“They say even a 7-man assault couldn’t take him down?”

Two of the teams had even joined forces to rush Do-joon.

But it was no use. Even with their superior numbers, they were meeting for the first time and had no coordination.

On top of that, Do-joon was an expert at fighting against multiple opponents. Their clumsy teamwork was nothing to him.

Dusting off his shoulders, Do-joon looked at the 13 fallen participants. They all stared at him with the same expression.

It was the expression of ordinary people faced with an insurmountable wall of talent, something that no amount of effort could ever overcome.

Little did they know that while they were sparring in a controlled training facility, Do-joon had already experienced real battlefields where lives were on the line.

Of course, the difference in specs due to the additional options was also significant.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

The rescue team arrived and took them away.

Do-joon returned alone on a helicopter. As soon as he arrived at the main building, he was swarmed by people.

They were the guild managers.

“I’m Seongwoo from the National Team Guild! If you don’t mind, could I have your card…?”

“We’re the Barrier Guild! We may not be the best in the industry, but we have a long history…”

“Congratulations on winning first place, Mr. Kim Do-joon! Would you mind sparing us a moment?”

Just like with Kang Je-jun, they flocked to Do-joon.

In an instant, he was surrounded by a crowd. Do-joon stopped and politely accepted their business cards.

“Thank you all, but I’m afraid I can’t say much here. I’ll contact you later, so please let’s call it a day here.”

His words were polite, but his tone was firm. He was asking them to leave after giving him their business cards.

However, the managers took it differently.

‘As expected…’

‘He’s older, so he knows how to act unlike some people.’

‘His skills are backed up by his confidence and poise.’

Normally, they wouldn’t have thought this way. Do-joon’s reaction was nothing out of the ordinary.

However, having just witnessed his outburst at Kang Je-jun in the cafe, they found Do-joon’s usual demeanor to be mature.

“I’ll be going then.”

The managers watched him go, their eyes lingering on him. Lee Ji-ah naturally followed after Do-joon.

Just then, someone made a sudden move.

“Wait a minute!”

It was Oh Sang-jin, who had returned to the waiting room after handing Kang Je-jun over to General Manager Jang.

“Oh, my. I saw you taking the test. You did wonderfully, didn’t you?”

He approached Do-joon with a sly smile, acting much more familiar than the other managers.

Lee Ji-ah, who had a bad impression of Karma Guild, frowned, but Oh Sang-jin didn’t even glance at her.

“Who are you?”

Do-joon asked in the same tone he had used with the other managers.

“I’m Oh Sang-jin from Karma Guild. My father is the guild master.”

“You’re the guild master’s son.”

Do-joon feigned surprise. He knew Oh Sang-jin was from Karma Guild, but he didn’t know he was the guild master’s son.

Oh Sang-jin smiled at his reaction.

‘That’s right, that’s right. You should be surprised that I’m the guild master’s son. But your reaction isn’t bad. I was worried you’d be resentful.’

It seemed things were going to be much easier than he thought. Oh Sang-jin handed Do-joon his business card with a smile.

“Would you be able to spare some time to talk to me, Mr. Do-joon? It’s not about anything else, I just want to apologize on behalf of the guild.”

“Apologize?”

Do-joon tilted his head in confusion. He didn’t see the need for it.

Karma was the fifth-ranked guild in the country. Losing a single hunter by mistake wasn’t enough to deal a significant blow to them.

However, it was a big deal for Oh Sang-jin. He was the one who had given the order at that time, and he was already in bad favor with his older brother, the real power behind Karma.

‘If I’m caught making another mistake…’

He couldn’t even imagine what kind of hell his brother would unleash on him. He could even be kicked out penniless.

Knowing his brother’s personality, that was entirely possible.

“Yes, I would like to formally apologize. Would you be available to talk now? And…”

Oh Sang-jin glanced around cautiously before speaking in a low voice.

“I also have something to say about the recruitment offer. To be frank, the hunter you defeated, Kang Je-jun, has signed a contract with us for 2 billion won.”

This was a bait he couldn’t resist. He had used the apology as bait to draw Do-joon’s attention, and now he was driving the wedge in with the 2 billion won figure.

Of course, he didn’t intend to give Do-joon the full 2 billion. Once Do-joon showed interest, he would use various excuses to significantly reduce the amount.

But in Do-joon’s shoes, he wouldn’t be able to refuse.

‘This should be enough to reel him in.’

Oh Sang-jin smiled smugly. No one in the world hated money, and no one hated receiving an apology for a wrong done. With both of those things on the table, who could refuse?

And waiting for them at the place they would talk were his subordinates. Everything was perfectly planned.

However.

“I apologize, but my answer is the same as before. If I need to, I’ll contact you later. Please leave for now.”

“…Huh?”

Oh Sang-jin blinked as if he had misheard. But Do-joon didn’t repeat himself. He simply brushed past Oh Sang-jin.

“Wait a minute!”

Oh Sang-jin grabbed Do-joon’s arm. Do-joon turned his head and looked at him. In that instant, Oh Sang-jin flinched and let go of his arm.

Do-joon’s eyes were icy and emotionless.

“Wh, what…”

But when he looked again, that gaze was gone. Do-joon’s expression was back to its usual, ordinary state.

Oh Sang-jin, flustered and stuttering, was watched by Do-joon as he walked away.

Normally, Oh Sang-jin would have tried to hold him back, but an inexplicable chill prevented him from doing so.

Lost in a daze for a moment, Oh Sang-jin snapped back to reality at the sound of whispering. Other managers were mocking his disgraceful state.

Soon, his teeth were grinding.

“Fine, let’s see when you’ll call.”

While he could have ignored it if it was just about recruitment, the promise of an apology suggested he would likely receive a call soon.

He wouldn’t rush to complain to the press or post nasty things online. Even if he wanted to, he’d at least wait to hear what they had to say.

“We’ll see, mister.”

Nothing would change, now or later.

The smile that had been fixed on his face turned sinister.

* * *

“I had a great meal, thank you.”

“Not at all. You must be tired from driving.”

After returning to Seoul, Do-joon treated Lee Ji-ah to dinner as a gesture of appreciation for her hours of driving back and forth. It wouldn’t have been polite to just send her off without any gesture of gratitude.

After saying goodbye in front of the restaurant, Do-joon walked home alone, having declined her offer to drive him. He was enjoying the night air.

‘Guilds aren’t for me, not yet.’

What he pondered over was the business cards he had received during the day.

But the more he thought about it, the less joining a guild seemed the right choice.

‘Joining now would just make me one of many rookies. Even with support, it’s uncertain how much it would actually help.’

On the other hand, the benefits of not joining a guild were clear. Freedom from the constraints of time and organizational life, allowing him to focus on exploring dungeons whenever he wished.

While joining a guild might not be a bad choice if he wanted to focus more on dungeons, his interest lay more in dungeons.

He looked over the dozen or so business cards he had received today as he walked under a streetlight.

Then, one of the cards caught his eye.

It was from the Karma Guild.

“I don’t need this one.”

He crumpled Oh Sang-jin’s business card in his hand and flicked it away. He might have kept the other cards just in case, but he had no need for Karma’s.

An apology? They should have done it sooner if they meant it.

If they had paid even a little attention to that incident, they would have quickly found out that he had returned. They couldn’t have had no connections with the Association.

But the fact that there had been no contact until today, the day of the exam, meant that they either didn’t care about the incident at all or had no intention of apologizing.

Neither was a desirable attitude.

‘The 2 billion is tempting, but they didn’t exactly say they would give it to me.’

And then there was the 2 billion won figure, which was nothing more than bait.

If Do-joon was still a naive and inexperienced young man, he might have been tempted by it. But he wasn’t.

He knew how common it was in the world for people to dangle attractive bait and then switch it out for something else once they had caught their prey.

He wasn’t gullible enough to be fooled by empty words.

‘I guess I’ll have to send rejection letters to the other guilds. And ignore Karma.’

After all, it was the nature of the world that the one who was in a hurry would make the first move. Do-joon was in no hurry at all when it came to this matter.

Thud.

Under the streetlight where he had left, a single crumpled business card lay forlornly on the ground.

***

The next day.

[You have defeated a monster. Your Experience (EXP) has increased.]

Do-joon, who had slept in for the first time in a long time, entered the dungeon after a simple morning workout.

Tier 3 ‘Collapsed Temple’. A place where the compatibility rate for a single common monster was 37%.

Each one was stronger than anything he had faced so far, and they were so numerous that he had given up on clearing it in a short time.

However.

‘I can still raise my experience points by taking them down one by one.’

He could still hunt by targeting the ones that occasionally strayed from the group.

That was his limit for now. As a result, he hadn’t even been able to enter the huge temple in the distance and was just hanging around in the forecourt.

Fortunately, the forecourt was full of large pillars and small structures that looked like guard posts, so there was no shortage of places to hide.

‘Corrupted acolytes… They look like ghouls from the outside.’

The ‘Corrupted Acolytes’ wandering around the courtyard resembled zombies or ghouls from a movie. Their skin was rotten and oozing, and their eye sockets were empty. However, they were wearing tattered clothes that resembled those of monks.

‘Zombies wearing priestly robes.’

It wasn’t impossible, but it was a strange image.

Then again, there were movies where nuns were portrayed as demons, so it wasn’t that weird.

‘Maybe I should come back with a weapon that has holy power engraved on it…’

As he thought about various ways to  conquer the dungeon, he started looking for a place to hide, as he always did.

Then.

‘Huh?’

[Corroded Cane of Faith]

He found an item in a building that looked like a guard post.