Chapter 9

The Returning Archmage Is a Max-Level Player Chapter 9

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“Please increase the budget for supporting Awakened.”

The National Assembly’s plenary chamber.

Han Seungjae, President of the Korea Awakened Association, stood before the lawmakers.

“South Korea’s current level of support for Awakened ranks among the lowest of the major nations. In the United States, annual support per Awakened is dozens of times greater than ours, while China and Japan likewise provide extensive support.” His tone was logical and calm.

His intention to persuade them with figures rather than emotion was clear.

However.

“I believe the current support is already sufficient?”

Opposition leader Park Jungho took the microphone.

A middle-aged politician who looked at least ten years older than Han Seungjae. A sly smile hung beneath his sharp eyes.

“I agree. I believe any additional support would constitute excessive preferential treatment.”

“That’s right. It all comes from the taxes paid by the people, so shouldn’t we use it carefully?”

Seeing several lawmakers nod in agreement with Park Jungho’s opinion, Han Seungjae bit down hard on his lower lip and suppressed his anger.

‘It would have been enough if you bastards weren’t lining your own pockets.’

Han Seungjae knew that whenever a budget for Awakened support was allocated, no small amount of money disappeared along the way.

But revealing that here would never make them acknowledge it.

If anything, it would only backfire.

For now, he had to bow his head.

“I’m not saying the benefits are severely lacking. However, compared to other countries, they are clearly insufficient. Please reconsider.”

He spoke as politely as possible.

But Park Jungho merely snorted lightly and shot back.

“Isn’t that unavoidable?”

“Unavoidable?”

“Isn’t it simply that Korean Awakened lack ability? Look at the records set by foreign Awakened. Their results themselves are different.”

“That’s because they haven’t received proper support. If Korean Awakened were given appropriate support as well...!”

He knew he had to bow his head.

But he could not hold back, and the words burst out.

As expected, the result was not good.

“Enough!”

Park Jungho’s voice rang through the plenary chamber.

“Stop making excuses. Didn’t the Association President himself just say that the benefits are not severely lacking? If so, then if you’re unable to produce results under the circumstances you’ve been given, isn’t that because you, Association President, lack ability!?”

“That’s right. You need to prove yourselves with results.”

Other lawmakers backed up Park Jungho’s words.

Buoyed by their support, Park Jungho pressed Han Seungjae even harder.

“Isn’t it a fact that Korean Awakened ultimately aren’t producing proper results?”

“From the 1st Floor onward, which is an official floor, external equipment can be brought in, so support is necessary for them to enter the rankings...!”

“That very mindset is what’s wrong with you!”

Park Jungho raised his voice and cut him off.

Han Seungjae’s fists trembled.

He wanted to flip him over.

But if he failed to get the budget approved here, Korea’s Awakened would sink even deeper into the mire.

He gritted his teeth.

“...I apologize. It is because I lack ability. I will correct it.”

“That’s a very good attitude.”

A satisfied smile spread across Park Jungho’s face.

There was a sense of superiority in the gaze with which he looked down at Han Seungjae, whose head was bowed.

“I wouldn’t exactly call it compensation, but I’ll make you one promise.”

Han Seungjae said nothing and looked at Park Jungho.

“If an Awakened appears who achieves meaningful results on an official floor, the 1st Floor or higher, then we will review the benefits and support funding you mentioned, Association President.”

“Isn’t that the same as saying you won’t provide them?”

“What do you mean, we won’t? We merely intend to invest the people’s precious tax money somewhere with future potential.”

Anger surged within him, but opposing them any further would only worsen the situation.

“...Understood.”

Han Seungjae barely managed to suppress his rising fury as he left the plenary chamber.

He ground his teeth as he walked down the corridor.

It was infuriating.

But it was not as though there was no way forward at all.

If they found the person ranked first in the tutorial and provided them with full support, they could certainly produce results on the 1st Floor or higher.

‘Park Jungho probably said that because he doesn’t know about the new first-place entry in the tutorial.’

In other words, he had set that condition because he believed it was impossible.

But.

‘I’ll succeed right in front of his face and make absolutely certain he keeps the words he spat out today.’

With that firm resolve engraved in his heart, Han Seungjae left the National Assembly building.

____________

It was immediately after a single bolt of lightning pierced through the corridor.

Ding-!!

-User ‘Kim Dohyun’ has cleared the 1st Floor.

-Converting progression speed and combat method into points and beginning settlement.

-...

It was the same as before.

The results did not appear immediately, and a brief silence followed.

At first he had found it strange, but now it was within his expectations.

‘Probably because the record was unexpected.’

If so, the rewards should be considerable, just like during the tutorial.

Kim Dohyun’s prediction was completely correct.

Ding-!

-You have achieved the fastest clear time!

-The basic reward will be multiplied by 10.

-You have acquired 20 ‘F-rank Mana Cores.’

-Highest-point clear! As an additional reward, all stats increase by 0.2!

-You have achieved 1st place on the 1st Floor!

-An astonishing achievement!

-As a reward for achieving this feat, you will receive the special reward ‘Token of Conquest.’

‘Good.’

At first glance, the rewards appeared similar to those from the tutorial.

But they were clearly different.

Now that he had reached the 2nd Circle, the increase to his Mana stat was still the same 0.2.

Numerically, it appeared identical, but considering the density and total volume, the actual efficiency was several times greater than it had been during the tutorial.

If he continued maintaining first place like this.

‘The increase is going to be enormous.’

He even knew that from a certain floor onward, the base increase itself would grow.

By then, the efficiency would reach a level difficult to calculate with the current numbers.

‘Babel. This really makes clearing it worthwhile.’

As a satisfied smile formed on Kim Dohyun’s lips.

Another message appeared before his eyes.

-Please select whether you wish to be listed in the ranking.

-If desired, your selected setting can be automatically applied to future ranking registrations.

There was no need to think about it.

‘Private. Automatic registration.’

He made his selection immediately and wrapped things up perfectly.

Now all that remained was.

‘Return.’

Having learned the sequence through the tutorial, he waited for the return message that should follow.

But instead, something unexpected happened.

-We would like to make one proposal to user ‘Kim Dohyun,’ who possesses an extraordinary record.

‘What...?’

Kim Dohyun’s brow furrowed.

During his week in the hospital. And throughout the past three days, he had researched Babel fairly thoroughly.

That was why he understood just how exceptional this situation was.

‘I’ve never even seen a case like this.’

The Archmage’s insight went to work.

‘...It probably isn’t completely unprecedented.’

The message that had just appeared was enough to make an inference.

The condition for Babel to initiate contact. It was achieving a record above a certain level.

‘Among active Awakened. Especially among those called rankers, there must be people who have received such proposals.’

It was likely that the information had not been made public because it was important. Or perhaps restricted.

Which meant.

This proposal, received on nothing more than the 1st Floor, possessed tremendous value.

That was why he carefully examined the message that appeared.

-It has been determined that Babel’s current difficulty is unsuitable for user ‘Kim Dohyun.’

-We intend to increase the difficulty of all floors up to the 5th Floor that you will climb in the future.

-This proposal may be declined.

-If accepted, rewards equivalent to the fastest clear time and highest score will be guaranteed through the 5th Floor, and upon clearing the 5th Floor, you will be granted one ‘Question Right.’

Kim Dohyun’s eyes narrowed.

“A Question Right?”

Since it was something he had never heard of before, the question naturally slipped out.

Babel immediately elaborated.

-We will answer any one piece of information accessible under user ‘Kim Dohyun’s’ current authority.

-If a question falls outside your authority, it may be rejected, in which case you may ask another question.

Curiosity appeared in Kim Dohyun’s eyes.

“Interesting.”

The proposal itself was certainly appealing.

He already had a mountain of questions about Babel, and it had essentially presented him with an opportunity on its own.

But there was danger in accepting it merely out of interest.

‘High risk. High return.’

That was Babel’s fundamental principle.

In exchange for raising the difficulty, it guaranteed rewards equivalent to the fastest clear and highest score.

On top of that, it was even offering something called a Question Right, which he had never heard of before.

Naturally, the increase in difficulty would not be ordinary.

‘Being greedy without any countermeasures isn’t wise.’

In the worst-case scenario, even the fundamental design of the floors could change.

That would mean the information already made public could become almost entirely useless.

An Archmage was one who prepared and made contingencies.

But a higher-difficulty Babel was unknown territory.

Entering a battlefield for which he could not prepare was not confidence, but recklessness.

‘What should I do?’

His thoughts deepened.

Normally, he would have declined.

However, he could sense no malice whatsoever in this proposal.

Emotionless.

It seemed to be offering the proposal simply because it had made a rational judgment.

‘Even so... the risk is definitely real.’

The Token of Conquest awarded as a ranking reward.

He still did not know its purpose, but since his Archmage’s intuition was giving him a positive signal, it certainly had some use.

And on top of that.

‘I made a promise to my family too.’

He had readily promised them that he would not push himself too hard, and choosing to raise the difficulty felt like breaking that promise after only a single day.

It would be a lie to say he felt no guilt.

“Hmm...”

One minute. Five minutes. Ten minutes.

Kim Dohyun continued deliberating for quite some time.

-It has been determined that this matter requires sufficient consideration.

-Babel respects user ‘Kim Dohyun’s’ choice.

-This proposal may be placed on hold, and you may make your decision upon entering the 2nd Floor.

‘Good.’

If he did not need to decide immediately, he could conduct additional research outside.

When he had gathered information before, he had not seen anything related to proposals from Babel, but if he changed the direction of his search, he might at least find a clue.

Having made his decision, Kim Dohyun spoke.

“I’ll give you my answer the next time I enter.”

-Deferral confirmed.

-The 1st Floor clear is ending.

-Returning to Earth.

_____________

“Haa...”

Han Seungjae let out a deep sigh and pressed his temples.

A headache was coming on.

“Did you really have to make him do it?”

Standing in front of Han Seungjae, who spoke in a reproachful tone, Choi Doyoung lowered his head and answered.

“I apologize.”

Han Seungjae shook his head once, then fixed his gaze on Choi Doyoung.

Strategic Analysis Director Choi Doyoung was more levelheaded than anyone.

There was no way he would fail to understand what would happen to the association’s reputation if one of its executives publicly behaved like this.

‘Probably... because it was the Operations Support Director.’

It was an open secret within the association that the two did not get along because of their completely opposite personalities.

But it was not simply a difference in personality.

After working with them for so long, there was something he had instinctively noticed.

Choi Doyoung and Lee Jaeyoon were especially hostile only toward each other.

Since it was their private life, he had no intention of digging deeply into it, nor did he intend to investigate.

That was why he had merely mediated whenever necessary, but this time they had gone somewhat too far.

An incident born from personal emotions had been recorded on video and was becoming a hot topic on BabelNet.

[Brother Choi Doyoung! I’ll never act up again! Brother Choi Doyoung! I’ll never act up again!]

Even now, the video was playing repeatedly on the smartphone sitting on Han Seungjae’s desk.

It clearly showed Lee Jaeyoon wearing a full-body skintight suit and sprinting through the middle of Yeouido while shouting until his throat was raw.

“Please. Keep in mind that every executive is a representative face of the association when you act.”

Both Choi Doyoung and Lee Jaeyoon deserved to submit written statements over the matter.

No, considering that they had failed to maintain the dignity expected of senior executives, it was grounds for disciplinary action.

But because the people involved were Choi Doyoung and Lee Jaeyoon, he could not discipline them easily.

‘They’re both core figures in the association.’

Strategic Analysis Director Choi Doyoung was the brain of the Korea Awakened Association.

Operations Support Director Lee Jaeyoon was the association’s sword.

They were talents who produced irreplaceable results in their respective positions.

He could not afford to lose people like that over something like this.

Most fortunately of all, an even larger issue had broken out, causing the video to be buried quickly.

And that issue was also more important to Han Seungjae than anything else.

“...Private. Have you still been unable to identify the person?”

Han Seungjae’s expression grew even more serious.

Choi Doyoung straightened his posture accordingly and raised his head.

There was not a trace of playfulness in his eyes.

“We are doing our best, but... they seem to be an extremely cautious person.”

“As you know, first place on the 1st Floor ranking has changed as well.”

“Yes. It has become the biggest issue on BabelNet as well. Since the 1st Floor’s first-place entry is also registered privately, both public opinion and the Awakened Associations of other countries suspect there is a high probability that it is the same person from the tutorial.”

Han Seungjae’s brow furrowed.

First the tutorial, then the 1st Floor. They had taken first place consecutively and were still hiding their identity.

“...A cautious person indeed.”

“Yes. To be frank, among all the Awakened I have analyzed so far, this individual is the most thorough.”

It was not empty praise.

For the three days since the first-place tutorial entry appeared, Choi Doyoung had not gone home at all.

In order to find someone who had left virtually no trace due to being registered privately, he had devised every possible method and continued investigating.

In fact, Choi Doyoung had checked everything from whether the timing of Awakened registration matched the tutorial ranking change to alterations in their history before and after Awakening.

In addition, he had thoroughly investigated the Mana Core sales records of every person who had completed Awakened registration within the past three months.

He had dug into it day and night, but unfortunately, no individual could be identified with certainty.

“You haven’t even found any candidates?”

“That’s not the case.”

Choi Doyoung slid a prepared file in front of Han Seungjae.

“I narrowed it down as much as possible to ten people.”

Han Seungjae opened the file.

He began examining them in order from the first candidate.

“Park Minhyeok. Lee Sujin. Kang Hyeonwoo...”

Each time Han Seungjae turned a page and read out a name, Choi Doyoung calmly continued his explanation.

“I determined that the number of Mana Cores awarded for taking first place in the tutorial would be incomparable to that of an ordinary Awakened. I selected individuals whose sales volume was high relative to the number of floors they had cleared as candidates.”

It was sound reasoning.

But it could not be called overwhelming evidence.

For someone who had received the first-place reward, even this was insufficient.

“Hmm...”

Eventually, he reached the final page.

The name written there was.

“Kim Dohyun...”

Mana Cores sold. One.

Only one.

It was absolutely not a number that stood out.

But there was no way Choi Doyoung would have included a meaningless person among the candidates.

Naturally, that raised a question.

“Why did you include this man as a candidate?”