Chapter 88

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]

Chapter 88: Government (1)

Boarding the government vehicle, they headed towards the Blue House.

‘What on earth could this be about?’

The system occasionally sends messages to governments.

The contents vary, but they’re usually not trivial.

‘It must be something significant.’

Messages tend to be relayed when something important is happening.

‘And I might be involved in it.’

He wondered if it could be some kind of competition or event. As far as he could remember, the system hasn’t caused any trouble around this time before…

‘But considering it’s at Level 6…’

Even if there are some changes compared to before, it wouldn’t be too surprising. He’ll have to meet with the president to find out more details.

Before long, they arrived at the Blue House.

“Welcome. I’m President Lee Kanghoon.”

“I’m Kim Minwoo. It’s an honor to meet you.”

“Hehe, the honor is all mine. Please, have a seat.”

President Lee Kanghoon appeared to be in his 50s, but his actual age was close to 70. He just looked young because he was an awakened person.

‘I’ve always thought of him as a quiet person.’

If he were to describe him, it would be as bland as bland can be.

Regardless,

As they sat down, the president spoke with a serious expression.

“Mr. Kim Minwoo, you’ve probably heard about it.”

“Yes. I heard that a message from the system was relayed, but…”

“Yes, that’s correct. The content is straightforward. It’s the Super Rookie Selection.”

“The Super Rookie Selection?”

The president nodded and handed me a piece of paper.

“Take a look.”

[Announcement of the Super Rookie Selection]

[Organizer: The System]

[Duration: One month from now]

[Qualifications]

[1. Must be between level 151 and 499.]

[2. Participation limited to 50 countries.]

[3. Each country can send a maximum of three participants.]

[4. Participants are selected by each country.]

[5. Death during the test is possible, and individuals are responsible for it.]

[6. Special rewards for 1st to 3rd place.]

‘The Super Rookie Selection?’

This is the first time he had heard of such an event.

He looked back at the president.

“This message was sent to the government recently. According to this, we’re planning to nominate three people from Korea.”

“Did you call me here to inquire about my willingness to participate?”

“Yes.”

President Lee Kanghoon nodded.

“With a competition of this magnitude, the rewards are undoubtedly significant. However… there are risks involved. It explicitly states that death is possible during the test.”

“The level range is also quite wide.”

“Yes. From D rank to A rank… but with a level of 499, one could practically be considered S rank.”

The president’s expression turned serious.

“At first, we considered sending someone other than you, Mr. Kim Minwoo. Just in case something goes wrong…”

Kim Minwoo nodded.

As the eldest son of Ilsung Group, he is an Awakened who is starting to make a name for himself not only in Korea but also in the world.

Does he have a high level?

No.

It must have been burdensome for the president to consider his participation.

Considering that other countries typically have Awakeneds with levels above 400 participating, the pressure on the government must be immense.

It could lead to criticism like mishandling promising talents or bureaucratic negligence.

“I understand.”

“Yes. If I hadn’t seen that duel video back then, my thoughts wouldn’t have changed.”

“Did you watch it too, Mr. President?”

“Hehe. I’m also a human being. It’s natural to pay attention to such issues. Anyway, seeing an Awakened of that caliber being dealt with so easily changed my perspective. Or, to be honest, it made me greedy. Sending just any A-rank Awakened won’t make it to the top ranks, after all.”

Once again, Cho Pilwook proved helpful.

Between participating and not participating.

Kim Minwoo’s answer was already clear.

“I definitely want to participate.”

It’s not something small-scale.

It involved 50 countries.

With rookies from all over the world participating.

‘Of course, the rewards must be good.’

While it was uncertain what rewards this event would offer, it was clear it wouldn’t be something trivial.

“I want to participate. I’ll take full responsibility. Let’s even write a will.”

“Hehe. No need for that. As I said, I’m also greedy. So, we’ll share the responsibility.”

With a nod, President Lee Kanghoon’s eyes sparkled as he spoke.

“Now I can vividly recall my youth. Even back then, Korea was undoubtedly a powerhouse of Awakeneds. I hope Kim Minwoo can reclaim that glory. For that, the government will spare no support.”

With a firm gaze, Lee Kanghoon spoke.

Trustworthy.

‘I bet you’d like to try walking over here.’

50% stake in clearing A+ rank gate.

He even toyed with 300-level awakened like he were a toy. This proved that he was not just a top player but a top player who could actually deliver.

His potential was skyrocketing.

It was no wonder the president was making such a statement.

After all, this was a world where a single successful awakened person could change the image of a nation.

“Have you already selected the remaining two members?”

“Not yet. However, we prioritize Mr. Kim Minwoo’s opinion. Do you have anyone in mind?”

The president exuded an aura of solid support.

It would be best if the team members were of the same nationality.

Hence, it seemed like he was even offering the right to select candidates.

“Just a moment. Can I take a quick photo? I’d like to show it to my guild members.”

“Sure. As long as you don’t leak it.”

“Thank you.”

He opened his phone and entered the guild group chat.

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]

[Kim Minwoo]

―I’m at the Blue House right now, and I’ve received a proposal.

[Park Siwoo]

―Wow, the Blue House… Hyung, did you really meet the president?

(Anxious emoticon)

[Seo Yerim]

―What’s the proposal?

(Smiling rabbit emoticon)

[Kim Minwoo]

―Yeah, I met the president, and they have received a message from the system about this matter…

(Attached photo)

Apparently, there’s this kind of competition. Do you all intend to participate?

[Park Siwoo]

―Wow. Count me in!

(Eyes sparkling with excitement emoticon)

[Seo Yerim]

―Siwoo, have you reached level 151?

[Park Siwoo]

―I’m currently at 143, but with a month left, I think I can make it, right? And won’t you join too? You’re at level 420.

[Seo Yerim]

―Okay. I’ll participate too.

Be careful since it might be dangerous.

Such warnings were unnecessary from the start. They were already included in the photo, and being an Awakened inherently meant risking one’s life.

“The remaining two, both of them would be from my guild.”

Lee Kanghoon nodded.

Sword of Justice Seo Yerim already had overflowing qualifications for participation.

The other two were the same.

Kim Minwoo and Park Siwoo.

Despite their lower levels, they were known as super rookies who had S-rank achievements. It was possible that these two were even stronger than some A-rank Awakened.

After all, S-rank achievements were no joke.

“Good. Then we’ll finalize the three members from your guild. There will be a verification process later”

“Verification process? What do you mean?”

“We will screen the Awakened through a preliminary round. Then, the three selected Awakened will have a sparring match with the three of you.”

Ah, so that’s how it is.

Just skip all the preliminaries and go straight to the finals.

‘That’s fine.’

It was impossible to select the members completely privately anyway.

There are a whopping 50 countries participating.

With a whopping 50 participating nations, it was inevitable that some countries would opt for a transparent selection process.

This meant revealing the selection criteria as well.

Skipping the entire process and directly nominating the guild as a final candidate would have sparked all sorts of rumors and accusations.

For instance, people might have suspected collusion between the government and the guild.

Instead of dealing with such gossip, it was better to showcase their skills and prove their worth.

Fortunately, they could skip the hassle of the preliminaries altogether.

“All right. Oh, but I want to visit a gate.”

“What gate are you talking about?”

“The Demon’s Castle near Incheon.”

“Oh, you mean that B-rank gate?”

He nodded.

Its official name was the Demon’s Castle, but it was commonly referred to as the Demon’s Gate since there weren’t many gates in Korea that spawned demons.

“If that’s the case… the clearance time shouldn’t be too long.”

“I’ll probably be back around the end of the preliminaries.”

The Demon’s Castle isn’t that large.

It’s just packed with monsters inside. Basically, it’s not a gate that typically takes a long time to clear.

Of course.

‘That is if I don’t trigger a Hidden Piece.”

Activating hidden piecess might change the stage inside the gate a bit.

‘But it still won’t take too long.’

Anyway, it won’t be that long.

At that moment, the expression on Lee Kanghoon’s face turned serious.

“The international situation these days is not reassuring. While the United States might not be concerned yet, Japan and China are likely keeping an eye on you.”

He nodded.

Both countries were geographically close to Korea and had a tense relationship similar to a growling standoff.

There had been several attempts to lure him away. Offers of tens of trillions if he changed his nationality or similar proposals.

Currently, they were all being ignored.

Why bother when the US wasn’t interested either?

“An assassin might come after you. If you wish, Mr. Kim Minwoo, our government can help.”

“No, it’s fine.”

He shook his head.

It wasn’t because the government’s help was useless. Various capable awakeners were scattered throughout the government.

They were well-paid and being a civil servant offered stability.

Moreover, they could use scanners when entering gates to prevent unauthorized access.

But…

‘It’s a bit difficult right now.’

The Demon’s Castle.

As befitting a demon gate, the conditions for activating hidden pieces were quite sinister.

Sacrifices were needed.

Quite a lot of them.

When he played as Kim Minwoo before, he had discovered this fact after assassins broke in.

They were all killed, leading to the discovery of the hidden piece.

But what if the government helped?

It becomes difficult to obtain sacrifices.

But then, are they worth using?

“… Are you sure about this?”

“Yes. I’m sure.”

An awakener’s experience points are several times that of monsters of the same level. Even each corpse can be turned into money.

And since they were originally here to kill, there’s no hesitation in offering them as sacrifices.

“There are likely suitable candidates.”

The shadows.

The ones who were supposed to come after a month.

The deadline was approaching. What if he firmly rejected them when they returned?

Kim Minwoo didn’t see them just leaving him alone to grow comfortably.

If they had any brains, they would start moving to deal with it.

Especially considering his rapid growth.

‘I’ve already shaken the wasp nest.’

They’ve advertised themselves as a pretty lousy group. The more they grow, the more their world will be turned upside down.

They couldn’t just let him go through the gates comfortably.

‘I’ll kill them all here.’

The difference in power between when he first met Han Baekgil and now was like night and day.

With the Command Sword’s growth and obtaining the second legion commander, it’s quite a leap.

‘We’ll gain achievement points too, it’s a win-win.;

S-rank assassins?

Bring it on.

He’ll devour them in return.

Ant Hell.

[TL/N: “Ant hell” implies a strategic plan or trap that Kim Minwoo intends to use against the assassins. It’s Korean metaphor that the author used]

It was time to set up that board.

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]