Chapter 79

EP.79 Reward (3)

Ding-

I got off the elevator and entered the entrance.

The 37th floor of the Clan Tower was more luxurious than any office in the building.

The interior was simply but elegantly designed, with various decorations hanging on the walls.

Moreover, the emblem of burning flames, which immediately revealed that this was the <Judgment of Fire>.

From the entrance to the secretary's office to the Master's office, there was not a single piece of interior that wasn't luxurious.

'They must have spent a fortune.'

Every time I toured the offices in the Clan Tower, I had this feeling, but this place was much more extravagant.

It seemed like they had spent several times more on the 37th floor's design compared to other floors.

Suddenly, Kang Juyeon, the heir of this clan, looked different to me.

'...I'll do my best, Kang Juyeon.'

I usually didn't do badly, but for some reason, I felt more reverent.

By the way, I haven't seen Kang Juyeon since this morning.

She wasn't in the Hunting Team 5 office, and I didn't see her on the way up.

Since she's the heir, she's probably discussing rewards with her father, but it seems she's busy with work related to yesterday's incident, like Kwon Oh-joon.

Somehow, she's even harder to see here in the clan than at the academy.

"Excuse me."

I slowly entered the entrance and knocked on the secretary's office door to announce my arrival.

"Hello, I'm Doo Jae-hyun from Hunting Team 5. I came because you called me earlier."

"Ah, just a moment."

The secretary, who had notified me of the interview, made another internal call.

From what I could hear, it seemed she was reporting my arrival to Kang Woo-hyun.

She then hung up the phone and said to me,

"Yes, you can knock and enter now."

The door to the large room that occupied most of the 37th floor.

Is this what it feels like to enter the CEO's office at a company?

I felt a bit intimidated and slowly knocked on the door.

Knock knock-

-Come in.

In response to the knock, a voice answered as if it had been waiting.

I slowly opened the door and entered.

As soon as I stepped in, I had to stop in my tracks.

"Wow…"

The Master's office, composed of several spacious areas, made me gasp in admiration.

From the top floor of the Clan Tower, the wide-open view of Yeouido was breathtaking, and the interior was neatly arranged to enjoy the beautiful scenery.

A few paintings, whose value I couldn't even guess, hung on the walls, and in the center were antique sofas.

Finally, throughout the office, there were high-end fireplaces with flickering flames, as if to reveal the identity of the <Judgment of Fire>.

"Haha, you seem quite impressed."

As I momentarily lost myself in the sight, a voice came from somewhere.

The owner of the office and the Clan Master, Kang Woo-hyun.

Seeing him, I quickly bowed and greeted him.

"M-Master, I'm Doo Jae-hyun, the new intern clan member assigned to Hunting Team 5…"

"Haha, that's enough, that's enough. Even though you're an intern, you're still an academy student and a friend of our Juyeon. Don't be so formal. If you're so polite, I'll feel awkward."

Kang Woo-hyun waved his hand with a smile.

...Actually, I felt a bit awkward too.

This was almost the first time I had been so formal.

Fortunately, Kang Woo-hyun wasn't as stiff as I had imagined, and he wasn't the type to overly emphasize discipline.

Thanks to this, I could approach him in a more relaxed manner.

His personality was the complete opposite of Kang Juyeon's.

I wondered how such a straightforward daughter could come from such a friendly father.

Did she take after her mother?

"Sit down first."

"Ah, yes!"

Following Kang Woo-hyun's gesture, I quickly sat on one of the sofas.

He took the seat of honor, and I sat next to him.

As we sat down, a secretary knocked and entered with tea.

A yellowish tea with steam rising, and finely crushed nuts on top.

"It's ginger tea. I often enjoy it."

"Ah, yes…"

I stared blankly at the ginger tea.

Usually, wouldn't they ask, 'What kind of tea would you like?'?

Unfortunately, there was no such option in my interview with Kang Woo-hyun.

For someone who loves sweet desserts like pudding, bitter ginger tea was a real ordeal.

"Do you not like it?"

"No, it's good for health, so I'll drink it."

The opposite answer came out of my mouth.

...I couldn't bring myself to ask for a different tea.

Puff-

After taking a sip of the ginger tea with a satisfied look, Kang Woo-hyun began to speak.

"Juyeon has told me a lot about you. I did approve the recruitment of an intern clan member, but I didn't expect it to be a two-month internship. Haha, it seems you're really talented."

Kang Woo-hyun started the conversation with praise, and the flow was as natural as water.

I lightly bowed my head.

"Thank you for the kind words. I went on a dungeon raid with her before, and it seems she evaluated me highly."

"Not necessarily so."

Kang Woo-hyun smiled slightly and continued.

"I once asked my daughter if there were any good holders among her classmates. I wanted to know if there were any talents worth recruiting as the clan's heir. Honestly, I didn't expect much, but after that, Juyeon consistently recommended you. I was curious about how talented you must be to be mentioned so often... I even wanted to spar with you myself."

"…What?"

I was taken aback.

Spar…?

Due to the nature of runes, I carry a greatsword, but Kang Woo-hyun is an S-rank holder who has reached the pinnacle in fire and special magic.

A mage with a multitude of powerful holders.

A man who almost reigns supreme among them.

Naturally, there were almost no holders in Korea who could match him, and he showed overwhelming power even against warriors and assassins.

One of only five S-rank holders in the country.

In other words, he was one of the top five strongest people in the country.

Frankly, if I sparred with him now, I would be roasted to a crisp in just one second.

Even though I knew he was joking, my voice still trembled.

"Y-You have a good sense of humor. How could I possibly spar with the Master? It's out of the question."

"Haha, why are you so flustered? It was just a joke, as you said."

...One joke could make a person collapse.

For some reason, he gave off the vibe of a battalion commander.

Still, I felt more relaxed.

When I first came to the Master's office, I was worried about making mistakes or what to talk about, but those thoughts had long disappeared.

Kang Woo-hyun mixed appropriate jokes and skilled conversation techniques to lighten the potentially stiff atmosphere of the interview.

Thanks to this, my tongue loosened, and the conversation flowed smoothly.

His words truly reflected the experience of a clan master.

"I have many personal questions for you, but I have work to do, so let's get to the point."

"Yes."

After a brief response, Kang Woo-hyun picked up a paper on the table and scanned it.

It was the document the secretaries had brought with the tea.

Rustle-

With a serious expression, Kang Woo-hyun flipped through the document.

The document, visible over his shoulder, contained the report of Hunting Team 5's "Forest Covered in Snakes" raid.

When did they make this?

Kwon Oh-joon, the team leader, must have worked overtime yesterday, not just on the Min Chae-hwan incident but also on the raid report.

"I've already received a report on your performance. It says you demonstrated abilities beyond your rank and quickly adapted to the team's tactics during the dungeon raid."

"…Thank you for the kind words."

Who wrote this evaluation?

If I could see them, I'd want to give them a kiss.

"Especially in the boss monster hunt, your performance was outstanding. I was impressed while reading the report. A C-rank holder at twenty using two ultimate skills... I think when the news about you breaks, Korea will be in an uproar. It feels like the birth of a legendary prospect."

"…Thank you."

Even though the praise was excessive, it was good for my performance evaluation.

It meant I was recognized.

Moreover, if he praised me this much...

I was also excited to see what kind of results would come out.

Kang Woo-hyun put the document back on the table and looked at me.

"Intern clan member Doo Jae-hyun. Your performance grade for this mission is the highest. This is a common evaluation from the team leader of Hunting Team 5, Kwon Oh-joon, senior clan member Kang Juyeon, and myself, the Master."

The highest performance grade.

I barely managed to keep my mouth from dropping open.

It was the best performance grade one could receive in a clan mission.

"In the case of the highest performance grade, you will receive additional performance bonuses from the loot settlement, one epic-grade equipment item, and you can request any loot as a reward."

After saying this, Kang Woo-hyun pressed a bell.

The door opened, and the secretaries entered again.

In their hands was a sword.

"Since I heard you use a sword, I prepared an appropriate piece of equipment. It would have been automatically issued through the supply team, but I picked it out myself because I was interested in you. I hope you like it."

"This is…"

Kang Woo-hyun took the sword from the secretary and handed it to me.

I carefully accepted it.

But my eyes widened as I looked at it.

From the moment I saw the sword, I had a surprised look on my face.

I knew exactly what this sword was.

A sword that glowed with a radiant light, from the blade to the scabbard.

A sword so intensely bright that it was hard to look at.

A familiar-looking equipment item.

This is…

'The Sword of Penitence?'

After hunting the Leviathan.

It was the first item to be auctioned at the Daegu auction house.

The [Sword of Penitence].

It was in my hands.

The [Sword of Penitence] is a sword that receives support from strength and holiness.

The higher the holiness value, the more powerful the sword becomes, and it provides 50% additional performance when fighting undead enemies.

It even has a rare innate skill called [Divine Slash], making it an epic item with god-like performance.

I remembered it being auctioned for nearly 300 billion at the time, and it was here in the <Judgment of Fire>...

It seems the winning bidder was in charge of the <Judgment of Fire> auction.

The [Sword of Penitence] eventually made its way back to me.

This just shows how unpredictable a holder's life can be.

Kang Woo-hyun smiled at my dazed expression.

"I'm glad you like it. The additional performance bonus will be paid within a week, and you can request any loot through the supply team."

"Thank you, Master. It's a wonderful reward."

If I requested the boss monster's mana stone as loot, it would be perfect.

These were exactly the rewards I needed.

I was already thinking intensely about how to use the [Sword of Penitence].

While it might seem like a weapon for paladins based on the item description, it can be used in various ways depending on how you use it.

'Now that I have an epic weapon… I should ask Choi Yumin to focus on making armor for me.'

The happiness of thinking about other equipment was a bonus.

That's how the conversation about the reward ended.

Kang Woo-hyun gathered the documents and lightly clapped his hands.

"Well, let's end the reward interview here. Do you have any more questions?"

"No! Thank you, Master."

I quickly answered, worried that the reward might change.

If the reward changed now, I would really cry.

"Is that so?"

But when I answered confidently...

Kang Woo-hyun's expression seemed oddly tinged.

It was a face that said, 'That's not the answer I expected.'

Then he smiled slightly and continued.

"I have a question, though…"

"Ah? What…."

Oh.

Why is this guy doing this again?

I sighed involuntarily.

Kang Woo-hyun's battalion commander-like speaking style, which appears just when you forget about it.

He would probably drag it out and then playfully resolve it.

Still, I had to play along.

He was like a benefactor to me, giving me the boss monster's mana stone and the [Sword of Penitence].

I pretended to be nervous and waited for his answer.

But this time, it was different.

It wasn't 'Here we go again.'

It was a question I really needed to be nervous about.

"What exactly is your relationship with my daughter?"

...Damn.

A clan master's reward interview disguised as a father's interrogation.

The trap investigation had officially begun.