Chapter 28: The Thread of Fate （4）
For Jeong Min-hyeok, it was a very perplexing situation.
Kang San.
Why on earth was that name being brought up here?
Moreover, with a recommendation from Jeong Chan-woo, the son of a high-ranking executive at Cheonsang.
Just as he was unable to make a hasty judgment, the former team leader of Castle Management added an unwelcome remark.
“If I remember correctly, I heard his skills were really terrible back then. That’s why we tried to recruit him but ended up canceling it, didn’t we? How could someone like that reach a level worthy of being recruited by Cheonsang in less than half a year?”
‘D*mn it.’
That remark.
Jeong Min-hyeok was trapped.
What if he agreed to recruit Kang San?
As the team leader said, it would clearly make him look like an incompetent person who reversed his decision in less than half a year. Think about it. He was E-rank then, and he’s still E-rank now. Wouldn’t the logic be lacking to prove that the person he had harshly criticized then had become worthy of recruitment by Cheonsang in such a short time?
There was only one answer.
To oppose it.
Seeing the atmosphere that wasn’t very welcoming to Kang San, it seemed that there would be no problem if he just stopped the recruitment.
And he himself was convinced that Kang San wasn’t at that level.
“Ahem. As I said then, it’s true that Kang San showed good performance in the E-rank promotion test. But that’s all. As you can see in Kang San’s profile, he barely received an F-rank in his late awakening at the age of 20. He has virtually no talent as a Hunter, and it took him years to reach E-rank. If we were a common small or medium-sized management company, it would be fine to recruit him just to fill the numbers, but he’s absolutely not suitable for the prestige of Cheonsang.”
“So, his skills aren’t that great from the beginning?”
“Yes. And aside from his skills, he’s a guy who doesn’t know his place. It’s very unusual for an E-rank Hunter to be managed by a ‘management’ company, but Kang San was very arrogant when we approached him under the name of Castle Management. He even refused our offer as if he didn’t need the help of a management company. I think he rejected Cheonsang’s offer for similar reasons.”
“Really? Then there’s no reason to recruit him at all. Why on earth did you recommend this guy?”
The team leader of Team 5 frowned.
“So, we’ll reject him based on your opinion?”
Suddenly.
Jeong Min-hyeok’s eyebrows twitched.
Saying they would reflect his opinion meant that they were trying to shift the responsibility rather than valuing his opinion.
Anyway, he’s the son of a high-ranking executive.
They didn’t want to actively oppose Jeong Chan-woo’s opinion.
Jeong Min-hyeok, who was cornered, had no other choice.
“Yes. If someone like Kang San is recruited under the leadership of Cheonsang, it will remain a case that tarnishes Cheonsang’s honor.”
He went on the offensive.
No matter the reason for the recommendation.
Jeong Min-hyeok was convinced that if Kang San’s skills were poor, there would be no problems because of this.
✦✦✦✦✦✦
The meeting was over.
Shin Jeong-geun immediately contacted Jeong Chan-woo, and upon hearing the results, Jeong Chan-woo reacted as expected.
『No, really. I’m telling you, Kang San-nim is worth recruiting. I should have attached an action cam to him if I knew it would be like this. If the manager-nim had been at the scene of the battle, you would have definitely agreed with me.』
Whatever he says.
The result was already out.
Shin Jeong-geun could answer lightly.
“I agree with you, but what can we do? We can’t force it through after the team meeting rejected it. It’s unfortunate, but let’s wrap this up.”
『You’ll really regret it if you miss him. Just look at the Taesan Jang Deok-bae incident. Who would have guessed that he would become such a great Tanker when he was lingering at E-rank? Back then, it was Shield, a small management company, that recognized Jang Deok-bae’s talent and recruited him, and now they’re known as one of the top 10 guilds in Korea. Kang San-nim is exactly like that. I’m sure of it. And above all, if it’s a Tanker, not any other position, isn’t it worth investing in the future?』
“……Yes, yes. I’m sure you’re right. But there’s no way to reverse the situation now that the decision has been made.”
In the end.
Kang San’s recruitment fell through.
Kang San’s profile was so dismal that even Jeong Chan-woo’s reputation couldn’t save it. Of course, there was the achievement of surviving the ant den, but Shin Jeong-geun put more weight on the fact that it was the work of ‘D-rank Hunter Yeon Woo-bin’ rather than Kang San.
Click.
He hung up the phone.
Shin Jeong-geun looked down at his phone and sneered.
“You spoiled brat. You don’t even know what Cheonsang is because you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth, and you’re recommending an E-rank? Come on, kid. If he was that good, would the entire Team 5 strongly oppose it?”
Unanimous opposition.
It was a result that erased any lingering doubts.
He had wondered if there might be something he didn’t know because Jeong Chan-woo was arguing so strongly, but all the experienced managers in this field opposed it. Especially the new recruit of Team 5, who said he had a personal relationship with Kang San, proved that both his personality and skills were the worst, so there could be no disagreement.
It was the right decision.
For a huge organization like Cheonsang to move forward in the right direction, they couldn’t listen to every word of a fool.
“Those parachutes are the problem anyway.”
Thud.
He threw the documents into the trash can.
He had investigated Kang San thoroughly, but now that the recruitment had fallen through, there was no value in keeping these documents.
As Shin Jeong-geun walked away.
At that time.
Not only Shin Jeong-geun but the entire Cheonsang Team 5 were convinced that they would never hear Kang San’s name again.
✦✦✦✦✦✦
Meanwhile.
Unaware that his name had become a hot potato, Kang San was checking the harvest he had gained this time.
『Kang San』
━ Strength: 37
━ Agility: 45
━ Divine Power: 21
━ Reaction Speed: 12
━ Toughness: 8
The Sixth Trial.
As a reward for desperately surviving the ant den, his Strength, Agility, and even Divine Power had increased by a total of 5 stats.
The rewards of the Trial were definitely sweet.
It takes a tremendous amount of effort and time to raise even a single stat, but to see 15 stats increase in a single Trial was proof of that. However, he wasn’t entirely happy. Goosebumps popped up on his forearms as he recalled the moment he was thrown into the ant den and struggled for his life.
‘This Trial was different from the previous ones. There would have been absolutely no way for me to survive the ant den on my own.’
The previous Trials.
They were limited to individual abilities.
If Kang San showed adequate ability, it would have been enough to succeed, but the difficulty of the Sixth Trial was the worst. If Yeon Woo-bin hadn’t awakened his ability. It would have been an absolute failure. That was a variable that Kang San couldn’t control, and with the condition of having to save everyone, Kang San wouldn’t have been able to escape alone and would have been torn to pieces by the ants.
‘The Trials reflect complex factors. Just like Yeon Woo-bin being included in the raid party, if a Trial is given in a disaster situation, there may be variables that I can’t handle. I’ll have to be more thorough to protect this special ability.’
Give up?
He didn’t even consider it.
The rewards of the Trials were the only lifeline illuminating his bleak life, and he couldn’t let go of what he had grasped, no matter what risks he had to take. The price of giving up was a misfortune greater than the days he had lived. Besides, now that he had experienced hope, he knew that he couldn’t go back to his old self, even if he died.
However.
There was a dilemma.
Whether it was individual or party.
There was a fundamental question of whether it was right for him, who had to take risks every time, to form a party.
‘The reason this party was able to survive the ant den was entirely due to my abilities. If I hadn’t been able to hold the front properly, Yeon Woo-bin wouldn’t have had time to cast his magic in the first place. But can I say that I saved people? They survived because of me, but they also suffered hardships they couldn’t handle because of me. If it weren’t for me, they wouldn’t have fallen into the ant den in the first place.’
It was a matter of priority.
Kang San fell into deep thought, as both sides of the argument made sense.
He couldn’t operate alone forever.
Even with the powerful weapon of the Blood Demon Sword Technique, there was a clear limit as a Tanker compared to Yeon Woo-bin’s firepower. The skills he possessed were also suited for protecting someone. Then, forming a reliable party was the ideal direction, but that party would definitely face the same difficulties as him.
But then.
Would the difficulty of the Trials decrease if he went solo?
That wasn’t the case either.
Judging from the pattern of the Trials, it was clear that even alone, variables like Yeon Woo-bin’s awakening would occur.
For example, in a situation where many people were being attacked, he might be given a Trial to join forces with the people on site.
He chewed his lips.
It was a problem that couldn’t be solved.
That’s why he couldn’t accept the gratitude of Yeon Woo-bin and his party with pleasure.
No matter how much he thought about it, it was a problem he couldn’t solve right away.
That’s when it happened.
『Are you available for a call?』
He received a text message from Kim Myeong-min.
✦✦✦✦✦✦
The call was short.
It was a call that lasted just over a minute, but Kang San’s expression was filled with complex emotions after he hung up.
“……What should I do with this.”
The content was.
It was related to the Ranger mission.
Kim Myeong-min mentioned that he had returned to the Ranger team a while ago, and that a Link isolation incident had occurred 30 minutes ago.
Link isolation literally meant being trapped in the Other World.
People who couldn’t get out from inside sent a rescue request, and usually Rangers were dispatched in such situations. To be honest, it wasn’t a very difficult mission for Kim Myeong-min. The Link isolation occurred in a D-rank hunting ground, and the ‘Ranger Team’ formed with B-rank Hunter Kim Myeong-min at the helm had the firepower to clear even a B-rank hunting ground of the same level without any problems. Kim Myeong-min had contacted him for that very reason.
『How about joining us for the experience? As a Ranger, even mercenaries can receive benefits if they have performed a mission at least once. I think it will be a good opportunity to see exactly what Rangers do and in terms of practical rewards. Since it’s a Link isolation in a D-rank hunting ground, there won’t be any difficult problems.』
He was troubled.
Ranger.
It was a proposal he had accepted involuntarily.
He knew it was an unavoidable fate, but ‘Azmoon’s Trials’ didn’t show any reaction to Kim Myeong-min’s proposal.
It meant he had to choose for himself.
If he was a mercenary with freedom of choice, sacrifice wasn’t welcome, but as Kim Myeong-min said, it seemed like a good opportunity. A situation where he would have to carry out a Ranger mission someday. If he could figure out exactly what Rangers do and what level Kim Myeong-min’s team is at, it would help him in the future.
Furthermore.
‘It might solve the problems I’m worrying about right now.’
Trials.
Disasters.
These were familiar words with Rangers.
They were people who, like Kang San who accepted Azmoon’s Trials, always threw themselves into dangerous situations. Because of that, he had heard that the benefits of being a ‘Ranger’ were great. Since it was a profession where people often died as national merit recipients rather than retiring, it was clear that it was in a similar context to his own.
That’s why he wanted to experience it.
Recurring danger.
How should he live, knowing that?
Whether he should dig a hole and live alone, or be with others but cultivate the power to protect them.
A choice was absolutely necessary.
Unlike his past life where he didn’t care about the lives of others, Kang San, as a person, knew the value of life and didn’t want anyone to d*e because of him. That was human dignity. If humans were beasts who only followed their instincts without contemplating life, they wouldn’t have achieved the civilization they have today.
Kang San made up his mind.
『So, where do I have to go?』
A text message sent to Kim Myeong-min.
Soon, he received a set of coordinates from Kim Myeong-min.
