Chapter 61

< Preparation Complete (1) >

Han Yuhyeon and Seong Hyunje are looking at me. Yuhyeon has a look that says, "Let's just talk separately," while Seong Hyunje has a look that says, "Spill it out quickly."

After sitting down and pausing for a moment, I opened my mouth.

"Perhaps it's an unexpected topic, but what do you think about the Awakening Center?"

"Awakening Center?"

Their expressions clearly ask, "Why bring this up all of a sudden?"

"Yes. There's about three months left until the opening, right? They must be in the middle of the internal construction now. If possible, could you give me an explanation of the Awakening Center's facilities?"

Of course, I'm not unaware. How many times has it been explained in detail on TV? After exchanging glances, Seong Hyunje spoke up.

"The core of the Awakening Center is the A-grade item, Illusion Labyrinth. It's a mental item that shows the target illusions indistinguishable from reality. However, like most mental items and skills, it doesn't work if the mental stat is even slightly high. Even at the E-grade level, one can feel the discrepancy. However, for non-awakened individuals, it can safely provide a realistic threat to awaken them."

The awakening method at the Awakening Center is simple: show them an illusion of being attacked by monsters to awaken them. While there are occasional mental impacts, it's a relatively safe and reliable method. Naturally, most people awaken with combat skills or combat-support skills, as the awakening is for surviving monsters.

"The average time for one person to awaken is within 17 minutes, but there's a 30-minute time limit due to the risk of mental issues. Currently, the association has five Illusion Labyrinths, each capable of applying illusions to up to thirty people at once."

"So, about 150 people can awaken every 30 minutes."

"It's not 100%, so in reality, it's a bit less, but I heard the plan is to awaken 1,000 people per day initially, and 3,000 within half a year."

Even if it's just 1,000 people a day, that's 10,000 in ten days, 30,000 in a month. If the future ratio holds, one in a hundred, or 200 people, will obtain Hunter qualifications.

Even the initial 1,000 people took only a couple of days. With people clamoring, the number quickly rose to 3,000, 4,000. They didn't even take holidays. The news headline at the time: "Awakening Center's First Month Exceeds 100,000 Awakenings!"

That means 1,000 new Hunters poured out in just a month. As someone who was at the center of that chaos, I couldn't help but frown.

"Isn't that too many? Dungeons are already being managed safely."

"Even if 30,000 people awaken each month, only about ten might be useful. In reality, it's not that many."

...Right. That's true. From his perspective, B-grade is the minimum to be useful. Socially, C to D grades are considered "real Hunters." Even I, an F-grade, am tainted by the stereotype of "just an F-grade." What more can I say?

"Even so, hundreds of new people obtain Hunter qualifications each month. It means a flood of new, low-level Hunters entering the dungeons."

It would be fortunate if they gave up on being Hunters with mediocre abilities. The problem is when they don't. Especially in the early days of the Awakening Center, almost no one gave up. Everyone around them encouraged them, and TV shows boasted of success.

"The quality of education will inevitably drop, and there will be a shortage of low-grade items."

Awakening at the Awakening Center doesn't come with a registration bonus, and the basic program is paid. Initially, it was a week-long camp, but it soon shortened to three days, and finally to one day.

"I understand what you're worried about."

Yuhyeon said. Seong Hyunje, who had been folding his arms, relaxed them slightly.

"Amateur Hunters will flood in, and many will die in the dungeons. But Han Yujin, there's nothing we can do about that. Anyone can easily become an awakened individual. It's a great story."

Indeed. The long lines in front of the Awakening Center, people waiting for days, show how appealing it is.

"But to limit it moderately? Of course, 100 people a day is a reasonable number for safety. That would mean about 30 new Hunters a month, which can be managed stably. However, if we limit the facility, which can awaken up to 3,000 people, to just 1/30th, the support rate will plummet."

Support rate? Is this a political issue?

"We can't lie and say only 100 people a day can be awakened. Many Hunters already know the effect of the Illusion Labyrinth. Even if the Awakening Center imposes limits, once the awakening method is known, private Awakening Centers will inevitably appear. While the association manages C-grade and above mental items and skills, will everyone strictly follow the rules? Ultimately, it's impossible to prevent a flood of unprepared low-level Hunters."

"But if so many people get hurt or die, there will be significant social repercussions. Major guilds are likely to be implicated."

Indeed, that happened.

"We know. That's why we plan to offer a scapegoat."

Yuhyeon said.

Scapegoat. The first thing that comes to mind is MKC. In the original future, they held on for three years, but... The two of them must have been planning to use MKC as a sacrificial pawn.

'Yuhyeon. Originally, my guild and Hae Yeon were involved.'

Of course, Hae Yeon didn't go bankrupt, but I remember she was beaten up by representatives of three large guilds. The guilds monopolized easy dungeons, secured advantageous positions, and neglected support for newcomers. The government and association blamed a few guilds for exploiting low-level Hunters, and sensational articles flooded the media.

I was too busy being beaten up to remember much else.

MKC would make a great punching bag.

"Besides the election issue, it's necessary to produce many awakened individuals from the Awakening Center."

Seong Hyunje said.

"While dungeons are managed safely, it's uncertain how long that will last. As you know, the ratio of high-level Hunters is extremely low. To produce a sufficient number of high-level Hunters, many low-level Hunters are inevitable."

Yuhyeon added.

"The government and association want many high-level Hunters. The dungeon-related industry is rapidly developing. Valuable byproducts mainly come from high-level dungeons. While domestic high-level dungeons are well-managed, except for a few high-value ones, they aren't consistently cleared on reset. There's a shortage of high-level Hunters. It's a waste, and soon, foreign dungeons will be open for bidding. To target countries that can't properly manage dungeons and Hunters, they want to increase the number of high-level Hunters as quickly as possible."

Both of them see it as a necessary sacrifice for the future.

Right. The first year was chaotic, but it stabilized. The number of high-level and mid-level Hunters increased dramatically, and the dungeon industry flourished even more.

I sighed involuntarily.

"Brother, don't worry—"

"If we can make people stop going to the Awakening Center on their own and find more high-level awakenings faster, there won't be a problem."

Seong Hyunje's eyes, which had been looking at me like a child throwing a tantrum, showed a glimmer of interest. Yuhyeon, on the other hand, was visibly flustered.

"Wait, brother! What are you planning?"

"It sounds like Han Yujin is saying he can do it."

"I heard you correctly."

Clunk!

"Brother!"

Yuhyeon jumped up from his seat. He must have guessed what I was about to say. His expression suggests he's ready to drag me out by the collar. It's a good thing I said this in front of the guild leader.

"Calm down and sit. I was going to reveal it anyway."

"But—"

"Your reaction makes me even more curious."

It's nothing serious.

"I plan to create a special Awakening Center."

I gestured for Yuhyeon to sit. After glaring at me, he finally sat down, his lips tightly pressed, looking sulky.

"Special Awakening Center?"

"Yes. As the name suggests, it's a specialized Awakening Center for those with special skills. The association's Awakening Center currently only allows combat-related awakenings."

"Is that possible?"

"Yes. My skill allows me to know the awakening stats and optimal initial skills of non-awakened individuals. Knowing the optimal initial skill makes it not too difficult to awaken them accordingly."

"Brother, really."

Yuhyeon grumbled like a groan. I didn't originally plan to reveal this, but the situation demanded it.

"Can you know this without any limits?"

"Of course, from F-grade to S-grade and above, without any limits. However, I can only guess the effects from the skill names."

Seong Hyunje's expression became serious.

"Did Hunter Park Ye-rim discover her skill this way?"

"Let's say it was a coincidence before I obtained the skill. For my credibility. In fact, discovering an S-grade Hunter is almost a coincidence, isn't it?"

"So, you plan to use the special Awakening Center to deter people from going to the general Awakening Center?"

"Yes. The method is simple. Limit the number of people the special Awakening Center can accept to about 100 per day. Additionally, inform them that if they awaken at the general Awakening Center, they won't get their innate special skills."

Of course, there's a possibility of obtaining a 10-level skill, but it's not easy. To level up, they need to go through dungeons, which naturally focuses on combat skills. Therefore, even 10-level skills are usually combat-related.

"There's still time before the Awakening Center opens, so I plan to gather special skill awakeners before then. Ideally, I want people with low stats but high special skills. Most awakeners are F-grade. If they had a general awakening, they would be ordinary F-grades. But by awakening with their innate special skills, they could become C or B grades. That's the story."

General Awakening Center? It buries your hidden talents! You might be B-grade, A-grade, or even higher! Look at this SS-grade skill blacksmith, who was once an F-grade Hunter. Of course, you want to be an awakener. But a hasty choice could make you lose a world-renowned SS-grade special skill forever!

Something like that.

"Still, with a limit of 100, quite a few people won't be able to wait."

"Once the data accumulates and the system is established, we plan to announce an increase in the special Awakening Center's capacity. I'll quickly check the skills, and others will handle the consultations. This will increase patience."

Checking the status window takes less than ten seconds. If the process is computerized, with data entry, skill analysis, and consultations handled by others, we can check over 100 people per hour. After all, only a few out of a hundred will need consultations for special skills.

"If we can prevent the initial rush, it won't overheat in the future. And we'll keep the association's Awakening Center capacity limited to 1,000. Make sure they follow legal holidays and leave at 5 PM. Or, make it 10 to 4 with a two-hour lunch break."

A dream job.

"To do that, we need to offer something to the association."

"Set up in a high-traffic area. I'll find high-level Hunters for you. You can also discover special skills that might disappear at the general Awakening Center. Just look at me. How tempting is that? I can even go on overseas trips occasionally. If I offer this much, I should be the one receiving it."

Monster taming skill. While it doesn't actually exist, if it did, it would rival a new S-grade. What about Myung-woo?

Among the F-grades who will be aimlessly awakened and disappear, there might be hidden gems. I'm offering to find them and go through the trouble.

"If the government and association are smart, they should run public service ads encouraging people to visit the special Awakening Center first."

"You have a point."

Seong Hyunje chuckled. Yuhyeon sighed deeply.

"Fine. There will be some leftovers. Especially, the overseas trips are appealing."

"That's too dangerous."

Yuhyeon frowned. I agree that going overseas is too much. I got carried away while talking.

"Let's just share domestic awakener information. We can take turns by date."

"Leaving it to chance? We need to set a proper date and discuss it thoroughly. Can we exclude Breaker and Han Shin?"

What a greedy man. For me, it's better to involve both of them.

"Also, I plan to include sponsoring low-level Hunters as part of the reward for promoting Ki Seung-su. Both domestically and internationally."

They both look surprised. I'm not going to carry money to the grave. Instead of the reward, I want to do some welfare. Proper education and equipment can save lives.

An easy task, no reason not to do it.

"Me too, Chief!"

A goblin suddenly appeared in the middle of the night.

"This is a gift!"

With a cheerful voice, he handed me a stuffed animal. It was red-furred, fox-like, with a golden horn... Piyak?

"That's the 30cm regular edition, and mine is the 50cm limited edition!"

Whether it's a regular or limited edition, what is this? The tag suggests it's from Japan.

"Could this be...?"

"Piyak stuffed animal! Isn't it cute?"

"It is cute, but why did you buy it in Japan? Making and selling monster stuffed animals, is that even allowed?"

"They were selling it as a Flame Horned Lion cub, you know, 'Aww, it's so cute.'"

If you insist it's a monster, there's nothing to say. But Japanese people... They might even make Piyak stuffed animals.

At the goblin's request for a follow, I entered his SNS account. The first screen showed a photo of him wearing a bear mask.

"Disney...?"

"Didn't get to Universal Studios, though!"

No wonder it took so long. He had a full tour.

"Looks like you had fun."

"Yep! Of course, I worked hard too!"

The goblin handed me a tablet. While his SNS showed him working during his play, checking the data revealed he had filled it thoroughly. He surveyed a considerable number of dungeons. Good job, working and playing well.

"That's Piyak! Tteokbokki!"

-Piyak!

"Addicted to magic stones and in love with Tteokbokki! Look at this!"

-Piyak Piyak Piyak Piyak!!

Huh? Why is Piyak suddenly making a fuss... Looking away from the tablet, I saw the goblin offering Piyak a piece of magic stone. It was silver. An A-grade magic stone.

"Hey, wait!"

-Piyak!

As soon as Piyak heard my voice, he quickly swallowed the piece of magic stone. You glutton! What if something happens?

"Don't give it!"

"Why? He's eating it well. Are you starving Tteokbokki?"

-Piyak!

Piyak, as if answering, cried and ate the remaining magic stone. That little... I lifted Piyak to check him. His status window and appearance were fine, fortunately.

"You're an F-grade, and you're eating A-grade magic stones. What if something happens?"

-Piyak!

"It's not Piyak. While it might be frustrating, I'm doing this for your safety. We don't know much about monster ecology, so we need to be careful. We don't know the proper treatment methods."

-Piyak!

You don't understand at all, do you? Right, what can you expect from a child.

"Goblin, you can't just scatter A-grade magic stones around. You can't give food to other people's familiars without permission. You need to ask and get permission first. Understand? This applies to other monsters, pets, and children too."

"You sound like my grandmother."

Grandmother? What grandmother? Is this goblin going to become a grandmother after a keyword trigger, following the grandfather?

Anyway, this is all set to catch Seok Hyeon.

< Preparation Complete (1) > End

ⓒ Geunseo