Chapter 21

Chapter 21

[Episode 05] Proof (1)

Today was overall quiet.

Perhaps because of that, my turn came quickly.

[Customer number 13, please come to window number 1.]

“What business can I help you with?” “I would like to request an update of Salvation Points.”

“Understood. May I see your Explorer registration card?”

Explorer registration card.

A card shaped like a resident registration card, and it could also be used as a debit card.

“Here.” “Confirmed. Nice to meet you, Explorer Kim Jaehyun. Now if you share the Status Window, I will assist with the Salvation Points settlement.” “Status Window open.”

A simplified Status Window appeared in the empty air.

[Name]: Kim Jaehyun

[Affiliation]: Korea [Salvation Points]: 100,102

“Yes, Explorer-nim. Salvation Points...?”

The window person in charge staring at the Status Window with both eyes wide open.

“Eh? This...?”

The appearance of being confused while alternating between the monitor and the Status Window in the empty air.

It was understandable.

Because the information about me inside the monitor would be displayed like this.

【Explorer Kim Jaehyun】 [Grade]: F [Cumulative Salvation Points]: 1

Information of a person who had just become an Explorer no matter who looked.

There would also be a record of when I registered as an Explorer.

They would have expected at most dozens of points to increase.

But with a six-digit number stuck in the Status Window right in front of the eyes, cognitive dissonance comes.

“Please wait a moment.”

The person in charge hurriedly left the seat.

100,000 points.

The reason I set this as the standard was simple.

Even among [Normal] grade or [Rare] grade Explorers, there were quite a few who earned tens of thousands of points.

Those who had the capacity to carry lower floor Explorers on the bus like Seo Tae-woong’s party.

In short, Explorers with high floors could do it.

But.

‘100,000 points is different.’

The number of Explorers who can earn points of this unit can be counted on one hand.

Moreover, the case of being able to earn this many points within less than a month is only one.

‘In the case of a Unique-grade Awakened.’

Therefore, this soon becomes evidence that I am a Unique-grade Awakened.

A short while later.

“Nice to meet you, Explorer Kim Jaehyun. I am Jo Man-sik, Seoul branch head of the Explorer Management Center. I will guide you inside.”

The branch head came personally.

Like that, following his guidance and going inside, a place called the VVIP reception room came out.

A thick solid wood table and luxurious sofa.

Is it okay for such a place to exist in an administrative facility?

Then the branch head offered me the seat of honor.

“Please sit.” “...Thank you.” “Coffee? Tea? What would you like to drink.” “Water, please.”

Caffeine is not good for the heart.

Now that I have Awakened it probably doesn’t matter particularly, but since it has become a habit from childhood, I didn’t feel like wanting to drink coffee or tea.

And I also didn’t want to waste time with small talk.

I opened my mouth wanting to go straight to the main point.

“I am currently climbing the [Unique] grade dungeon.” “······!” “At first I was in the middle of climbing the [Normal] grade dungeon, but one day the [Unique] grade Tutorial suddenly started and I ‘Re-Awakened’.”

Anyway it was something they would come to know.

I cleanly burst it first.

***

Shim Kang was walking down the corridor with an uncomfortable expression.

The fact that the person who called her was not a very welcome opponent didn’t even bother her.

What was filling Shim Kang’s mind completely right now was the survival status of one man.

‘He is alive, right?’

Already five days had flowed.

Given his personality, he would have challenged the dungeon as soon as noon the next day.

Even assuming he endured as long as possible, it was normal to give up in a day or two.

Because from the 11th Floor to the 20th Floor there was no fountain so there was no way to obtain drinking water.

Even if enduring somehow with grit and spite, the limit would have been about three days at most.

Even if greatly disheartened due to the first clear failure, it was normal to come to one’s senses by now.

‘Now it should be about time for him to come find me...’

Since there was still no news at all, I felt like I would go crazy with anxiety.

While thinking of going to find him directly once more, I soon shook my head.

Thinking of the fact that except when receiving the [Emergency Escape Right], he never opened the window to the end, it was not an atmosphere of welcoming that much.

‘No way, he didn’t forget to take the [Emergency Escape Right], right?’

All sorts of miscellaneous thoughts came.

Did he die falling into a trap without even having time to use the [Emergency Escape Right]?

Or is he stubbornly proceeding with the dungeon clear without being able to abandon that unique stubbornness to the end?

Leading a mind and body exhausted by the maze and traps and continuing the clear beyond that was no different from going to die.

‘As expected, should I have forced a party even by force.’

If pushing with force, it would have been sufficiently possible.

The Chain Lightning he showed was certainly powerful, but that was evidence that he invested all the bonus points obtained from dungeon clears into Mana.

As long as there was an overwhelming difference in Strength, Agility, and Stamina which control physical ability, forcibly pushing was not a particularly difficult matter.

It was just that the future relationship would be greatly distorted, so I didn’t do so.

But that was also better than the worst situation of Kim Jaehyun dying.

‘I judged wrong. It won’t do. Even if I incur hatred, I should go find him directly.’

Thinking that this time I would form a party even using force, at that time I arrived at the destination.

Knock knock knock—

“Shim Kang.” “Please come in.”

Opening the door and entering, the old man with a familiar face greeted her.

“It seems we are meeting often recently.” “Please keep the business brief. Because there is a dungeon clear after.” “Understood.”

The old man opened his mouth while fixing his gaze on the tablet.

“Is it possible for a [Unique] grade Awakened who has just Awakened to gather 100,000 points in 2 weeks?”

The moment hearing his question, Shim Kang burst out a hollow laugh.

Because it was nonsense.

‘The Management Bureau also seems quite urgent.’

The negotiation with the US side fell through or something.

I knew it as a deal of temporarily naturalizing an Explorer who possesses 3 million Salvation Points for a while.

Changing the Explorer’s nationality temporarily at the time of Salvation Points settlement and purchasing the Salvation Points he possesses.

Of course, sending him back again right after settlement.

However, the US also knew Korea’s situation well, so it seemed they were trying to receive as much as possible.

‘They must be pinning hopes on the newly appeared [Unique] grade cultivation side.’

But no matter how generously supporting, telling a person who has just Awakened to gather 100,000 points in 2 weeks?

It is a crazy act.

“Come to your senses, Director. Just raising the floor every day right after Awakening is already amazing. To earn about 100,000 points a week, one would have to arrive at the 33rd Floor, are you thinking of carrying the bus?”

The surviving [Unique] grade Explorers right now are four including Shim Kang.

Among them, the three who are fine are forming a party and struggling every day to earn as many points as possible.

Really proceeding with dungeon clears without resting even a single day.

If pulling one of them out, the balance would collapse immediately so the loss is too great.

And originally, telling the newly appeared rookie to earn 100,000 points in only 2 weeks itself is far too harsh.

I shouted containing such meaning, but for some reason the old man was smiling.

He said.

“Yes. It is an impossible matter. But what if that matter actually occurred?” “Yes...?”

At first I thought if this old man had come to have a delusion due to stress overload.

But.

In Shim Kang’s mind, one person’s name floated up.

The man who had Awakened exactly 2 weeks ago.

And suddenly the words heard five days ago came to mind.

(In about a week, I will go to the Management Bureau to report Salvation Points.)

“!”

No way.

“Kim Jaehyun. Is the name Kim Jaehyun?” “Hm? How do you know?”

As expected.

Shim Kang froze as is.

The head spins tightly.

‘But how?’

100,000 points in 2 weeks.

No matter how much calculating, it was physically impossible.

Even if raising the floor every day from the first Awakening until now, is that a possible figure?

‘No way...’

The only method that can be thought of is just one.

Sweeping all monsters inside the dungeon from the lower floors and coming up.

Especially the 14th Floor.

If able to sweep the place where the skeleton group appears in droves, how might it be barely possible?

‘No. That is impossible.’

Originally the 14th Floor’s core is escaping while fleeing from the flocking skeletons and handling the target monster.

Especially he is a solo player.

If hunting the flocking skeletons one by one, he would have died from Mana shortage not long after.

At that moment, the scene of that day floated up again.

The appearance of Kim Jaehyun who had just cleared the 10th Floor and become Level 11 handling the Kelican group that only appears from the 20th Floor and above in one strike.

Thinking of the characteristic of Chain Lightning specialized in sweeping trash mobs—

‘······It might be possible.’

Then a shocking secret flowed from the old man’s mouth.

“According to his claim, he said he did ‘Re-Awakening’.” “Re-Awakening?” “Yes. Previously he was a [Normal] grade Awakened, but he claims he Re-Awakened to [Unique] grade. And it matches the actual document records.” “!!!”

In an instant, the puzzle pieces scattered in Shim Kang’s mind were completed into one picture.

The fact that Mana was strangely strong from the first meeting. Chain Lightning of absurd power for Level 11. An attitude overflowing with confidence.

If he is a ‘Re-Awakener’ who appears in webtoons or movies, it is not that it doesn’t make sense.

No, rather it makes sense only then.

The old man opened his mouth.

“He is the last hope of the Republic of Korea. We wish to provide all support we can.”

It was a natural matter.

“So, personnel who can support him who is a precious national asset and if possible guarantee safety even ‘inside’ the dungeon are needed.” “······.” “Please take good care of it.”

***

“So that side came?” “...Precisely, you can see it as the team that was exclusively in charge of me coming to support Jaehyun-nim as is. And I became the team leader of that team.” “Hmm. The world is quite narrow.”

With this much, it should be seen as fate.

“We will match all conditions as Jaehyun-nim desires. Here is the contract.” “Contract?” “It is a nominal contract, if you look there is nothing Jaehyun-nim has to take responsibility for.”

Looking at the contract, it was as Shim Kang said.

There was not even one harsh content like ‘private use of Salvation Points’ like the contract written when first Awakening as an Explorer.

Rather than that, what was visible was.

「Party B shall immediately pay Party A the amount of ten billion won (10,000,000,000) as the consideration according to this contract.」

Just by signing the contract, they deposit 10 billion won.

“Is this real?”

“It is real. Because Jaehyun-nim has proven the qualifications. Besides that, if there is anything needed, you may request as much as you like. We will provide all conveniences needed such as provision of items possessed by the nation, viewing of all clear information, party play, etc.”

There is one strange thing mixed in.

“I don’t need party play.” “...It was a story for when Jaehyun-nim wishes.”

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