Chapter 78

EP.78 Reward (2)

[The Garden of the Split Earth] is an Epic Rune that can handle earth-elemental magic attacks.

The earth magic used by the Imugi in the wild mountains when it faced us seemed to all originate from this rune.

By obtaining this rune, I have now acquired my seventh Epic Rune.

In particular, it was an earth-elemental rune following fire and water, making it the fourth elemental magic rune if we include lightning.

“Somehow, I feel like I’m becoming a mage…”

With runes of this grade in the magic power category, I now possess talents that surpass most mage-type holders.

If I were to properly learn the arrangement, manifestation, and application of magic power, and obtain core runes for mages such as [Magic Amplification] and [Spell Enhancement]...

I might even be able to take on the role of a mage in the party.

But I shook my head with a bitter smile.

“Still, my main focus should be on using weapons.”

Even though I obtain a tremendous amount of runes as a [Rune Hunter], my main rune is still [Master of Martial Arts], which involves using various weapons.

Not only is the proficiency and level of this rune high...

But related derivative runes like sword techniques and other auxiliary runes mostly affect physical combat.

If I have to choose and focus on something,

it would be more efficient to develop physical combat runes.

Moreover, even without learning magic,

there are many ways to use magic power runes during battles.

For example, wrapping flames around a sword or manipulating water to create variables on the battlefield.

These runes are already sufficient with my current abilities.

“Power Break is... also a good skill.”

[Power Break] is the most fitting derivative skill for the rune with the descriptor 'split.'

It delivers a massive shock to the ground where the user stands, shaking the earth within a certain distance from that area.

At first, it seemed a bit ambiguous when I read the skill information, but as I read on, it seemed to have endless possibilities.

It can be used to escape when surrounded by multiple monsters during solo play, or to create variables by using it as a first move in a one-on-one situation.

A skill that can be used for both attack and defense.

A skill that can change the battle formation and turn the tide of combat.

However, the range is not as wide as expected, and the cooldown is a full day, similar to [New Wave].

It seems I need to use it cautiously depending on the situation.

“...I’m done now.”

I ran to the bed and lay down.

I want to lightly check the ultimate skills of [Piercing Heaven Sword] and [Flowing Water Sword] that were just unlocked, and the stats that grew from the dungeon run...

But honestly, I’m so exhausted that I don’t want to do anything.

It’s only been four days since I joined <Flame Judgment>.

I immediately went on a mission to conquer an undiscovered dungeon and faced a boss monster of at least A-rank...

And even caught a spy among the team members.

Too many things happened in just four days.

That’s why...

Even though I only organized the information of the newly acquired runes,

my head already hurt.

“Tomorrow, tomorrow.”

I handed over the pending tasks to my future self and immediately went to sleep.

It was the sweetest sleep I’ve had recently.

* * *

The next day.

I went to the clan with a refreshed mind.

The air in Yoido, which I encountered on my way to work, was surprisingly refreshing.

The morning at <Flame Judgment> is always full of energy.

The ladies at the front desk on the first floor were always busy on the phone, and the new guards were reliably guarding the entrance.

“You can’t do that. Entry is not allowed without an access card.”

“Hey... guys? I told you, I’m Jo Kye-hyuk, the team leader of the scouting team. The front desk is busy, and there’s no one to vouch for me. I’ve been here for a long time, can’t you let me in?”

“Entry is not allowed without an access card.”

“Hey, I just came back from a mission, and you don’t recognize me...”

...Is this déjà vu?

It seems quite familiar.

Why don’t team leaders carry their access cards?

They are reliable teammates during operations and battles, but they are the most troublesome clan members in everyday life.

Arriving at the 25th floor of the clan tower via the elevator.

The Hunting Team 5 office.

Papers and various items are scattered everywhere.

Even though I was only away for a day,

it feels quite welcoming to see it again.

I opened the office door and announced my arrival with a light greeting.

“Good morning, seniors.”

The gazes of those who were busy with their work converged on me.

Many team members had already arrived early in the morning.

I came quite early, but there were many diligent team members.

“Oh, intern, good morning. You’re here early?”

“Do Jae-hyun is here.”

“Hello, Do Jae-hyun...!!”

Lee Su-mi, Choi Dong-wook, and Shin Yu-na greeted me one by one.

When I first joined this clan and became part of Hunting Team 5, the team members were awkward and distant...

But now, we exchange morning greetings as colleagues.

Someone once said that the fastest way for holders to become close is through party hunting.

That was exactly my case.

The dungeon run in the forest covered in snakes.

After one mission with Hunting Team 5, I quickly became close with the team members and easily understood how the team operates.

That’s why operational OT is less important than business OT.

“Has the team leader not arrived yet?”

I heard that the C-rank members of the team were dispatched to Bukhansan Field.

So, the B-rank members would be in the office today.

Including me and Shin Yu-na,

it’s just the team members who went on the dungeon run yesterday.

Among them, Kim Sung-chul, Kang Ju-yeon, and the team leader Kwon Oh-jun have not arrived yet.

“Hmm, the team leader is on the 10th floor.”

“10th floor?”

I repeated without realizing it in response to Lee Su-mi’s answer.

10th floor...

Where is that?

Due to the interruption when Kang Ju-yeon was introducing me on my first day, I still didn’t know the exact structure of the clan tower.

I did take a casual tour the next day, but with a lot to do and immediate mission preparations, I didn’t check everything.

Since I went on a dungeon mission without knowing much about the clan,

it would be a shocking story for new clan members.

Seeing my puzzled expression, Shin Yu-na whispered from the next desk.

“It’s the office apartment in the clan tower. You can stay there.”

“Oh...”

I remembered hearing about it from Kang Ju-yeon once.

It’s a lodging facility provided for the clan’s guests and members on special missions.

The office apartment in the clan tower.

It seems to be on the 10th floor.

I leaned in again to Shin Yu-na, who had returned to her desk.

“Did he not go home yesterday? Why is he staying in the office apartment?”

“Ugh...”

“Oh, sorry.”

Shin Yu-na’s face turned slightly red.

I leaned in to listen to her whisper, but it seems I got too close.

She fanned herself with her hand for a moment and then answered.

“Hmm... It seems he worked overnight on that incident. He came to the clan tower right after the mission to handle the business as per the master’s instructions.”

“Oh... that incident...”

She’s talking about the Min Chae-hwan incident.

Specifically, the incident where Min Chae-hwan, acting as a spy, tried to involve all the members of the <Villain> clan’s Gangnam branch to attack Hunting Team 5 and claim the reward for the forest covered in snakes dungeon.

<Flame Judgment> detected this in advance and launched a counterattack, but if they had been attacked, they would have lost the reward and even risked their lives.

Min Chae-hwan’s acting skills and planning were that meticulous.

I tilted my head and asked her.

“So, was that incident resolved well?”

“I don’t know. It was handled by the team leaders and the clan’s top management... It’s too high-level information for new clan members like us.”

The <Villain> clan is an anti-social group officially declared as a criminal organization by the government.

Naturally, most of its members are wanted, and if caught, they will be punished.

<Flame Judgment> will likely handle it well in coordination with the government, but the media will be controlled, making it difficult to get information.

In any case, the fact that a spy infiltrated the clan

is not a good piece of news to be made public.

“So, he might not come to work today. He must be sleeping now after working all night.”

Actually, I planned to meet Kwon Oh-jun right after arriving to have a talk.

For the reward from the forest covered in snakes dungeon,

I wanted to apply for the boss’s magic stone.

‘That guy definitely seems like a young dragon.’

The Imugi in the wild mountains.

Although not exactly the same as the young dragons I’ve encountered, it had a very similar appearance.

The name Imugi itself means a young dragon that hasn’t become a dragon, and its rune abilities were in the magic power category dealing with natural elements...

I thought there was a possibility that its magic stone would fit the [Forgotten Young Dragon’s Slate].

‘So, I planned to apply for it today...’

The rewards for team missions are generally automatically distributed according to the clan’s instructions.

Sometimes they are settled in cash based on contribution, and other times they are given as various items or magic stones.

However, in cases like mine and Kang Ju-yeon’s, where we made significant contributions, we can directly apply for the desired reward.

The team leaders compile these applications.

So, I planned to meet Kwon Oh-jun to apply for the magic stone reward...

But since he was resting after working overnight, it seemed I would have to postpone it.

However, Shin Yu-na shook her head.

“No, he’ll probably wake up before lunch. All the members who went on the mission yesterday are scheduled for a meeting with the master.”

“What? All the members who went on the mission?”

I was surprised to hear this for the first time.

A sudden meeting with the master.

And if all the mission members are included, that means I’m also part of the meeting?

“Yes. The difficulty of this dungeon exceeded our team’s capabilities, and there were many external variables like the spy and the <Villain> clan’s intrusion... The master will personally conduct the meeting and provide additional rewards.”

The master will conduct the meeting and provide additional rewards.

In other words, I can directly apply for the magic stone reward from the master.

I asked Shin Yu-na again.

“When is it? In the afternoon?”

“No, it’s happening right now. Kim Sung-chul is up now. Your turn will probably come soon.”

...It’s happening right now?

What?

The meeting started right after work began.

Shin Yu-na’s words made my face turn incredulous.

But did her words come true?

Ding-ding-ding

Ding-ding-ding

My intercom, which had never rung since I joined the clan as an intern, suddenly rang.

I made eye contact with Shin Yu-na for a moment...

and cautiously picked up the phone.

“Yes, this is clan member Do Jae-hyun from Hunting Team 5.”

-This is the master’s secretary’s office. Holder Do Jae-hyun, you have a meeting with the master in 10 minutes. Please come to the 37th floor of the clan tower.

The message was concise.

The secretary hung up right after delivering the message.

As Shin Yu-na said,

the next person after Kim Sung-chul was me.

I swallowed hard, slightly nervous.

The first time I saw the clan master was in the Inwangsan field yesterday.

This would be my first one-on-one meeting with Kang Woo-hyun.