Acquired the Scam Rune in the Academy Chapter 79

CH.79 Reward (3)

Ding-

I got off the elevator and entered the lobby.

The 37th floor of Clan Tower was more splendid than any office within the building. With its elegantly designed interior and various decorations hanging on the walls, it exuded simplicity yet sophistication. Moreover, there was a fiery pattern, unmistakably the <Judgment of Fire>, that could be recognized at a glance.

From the entrance to the secretary’s office and the master’s office, there wasn’t a single interior that didn’t exude luxury. 

‘They must have spent a fortune here’, I thought. I had felt this way when touring the offices within Clan Tower before, but it seemed even more extravagant here on the 37th floor. Kang Juyeon, the heiress of this clan, appeared different to me.

‘I’ll do my best, Kang Juyeon.’

 I always tried my best, but for some reason, I felt more reverent now. Come to think of it, I hadn’t seen Kang Juyeon since this morning. She wasn’t in the Hunting Team 5 office, and I hadn’t seen her on my way up. Since she’s the clan’s heiress, she probably wasn’t discussing compensation with her father. Maybe she was busy with work related to yesterday’s incident, similar to Kwon Oh-jun. She seemed more elusive in the clan than she had been at the academy.

“Excuse me.” 

I informed them as I entered slowly, knocking on the door of the secretary’s office.

 “Hello, I’m Do Jae-hyun from Hunting Team 5. I’m here because you called me earlier.”

“Oh, just a moment.” 

The secretary who had notified me of the meeting picked up the internal phone again. From what I gathered, it seemed like she was confirming my arrival with Kang Woo-hyun. She hung up shortly and told me, “Yes, you can go in after knocking.”

The door to the large room that occupied most of the 37th floor’s interior space. It felt like entering the office of a CEO in a big company. I felt a strange sense of pressure as I slowly knocked on the door.

Knock-knock-

“Come in.”

In response to my knock, a voice that seemed to say, I’ve been waiting, came through. I opened the door slowly and stepped inside. As soon as I entered, I had to stop in my tracks.

“Wow…”

The master’s office, consisting of several sections of wide space, left me in awe. The first section, with its expansive view of Yeouido, was impressive. The clean and well-organized interior allowed one to enjoy the beautiful view. Several paintings, of which the worth was immeasurable, hung on the walls, and elegant sofas with a classic design were placed in the center. Finally, high-end fireplaces with flickering flames were positioned throughout the office, giving it a sense of the <Judgment of Fire>.

“Haha, you seem quite overwhelmed.”

As I momentarily lost myself in admiration, a voice came from somewhere. It was Kang Woo-hyun, the owner of the office and the clan master.

In response, I quickly bowed and greeted him. 

“Master, it’s an honor to meet you. I’m Do…”

“Haha, that’s enough. Even though you’ve joined as an intern, aren’t you friends with our leading lady from the academy? Don’t be too formal. If you act so rigidly, I’ll feel awkward.”

Kang Woo-hyun laughed and gestured for me to sit. It was a bit awkward for me as well, as I rarely put on such a polished appearance. However, fortunately, Kang Woo-hyun wasn’t as stern as I had imagined, and he didn’t seem like an FM personality who emphasized strict rules excessively. Thanks to that, I could interact with him comfortably.

He had a completely different personality compared to Kang Juyeon. I wondered how his daughter, who was so different, had come from such an easygoing father. Did she take after her mother?

“Let’s sit down for now.”

“Yes, of course!”

I quickly took a seat on one of the sofas at Kang Woo-hyun’s gesture. He sat in his chair, and I sat beside him, establishing a comfortable seating arrangement. A secretary entered, knocking and bringing us tea. It was a tea with a warm, golden color.

On top of it, there were finely broken pieces of nuts.

“It’s ginger tea. I often enjoy it.”

“Oh, yes…”

I stared blankly at the ginger tea. Usually, they would ask, “What kind of tea would you like?” Unfortunately, there were no such options for my meeting with Kang Woo-hyun.

“Do you happen to dislike it?”

“No, not at all. I’ll eat anything that’s good for my health.”

My response was completely opposite to what I usually would have said.

…I couldn’t really ask for a different tea now.

Sip-

After taking a sip of ginger tea with a pleased expression, Kang Woo-hyun began to speak.

“I’ve heard a lot about you from Juyeon. I did grant permission for you to join as an intern, but who would have thought it’d be just a two-month internship. Haha. You must be quite talented.”

Kang Woo-hyun started the conversation with praise, and it flowed naturally like water. I nodded lightly.

“You flatter me. We’ve been on dungeon raids together before, and it seems Holder Kang Juyeon thinks highly of me.”

“It might not be as simple as that.”

Kang Woo-hyun chuckled slightly.

“Once, I asked my daughter if there were any good Holders in her year. I was looking for potential talents to recruit into the clan as successors. To be honest, I didn’t expect much after I told her that, but since then, Juyeon has consistently recommended you. I wonder how exceptional your skills are that she kept talking about you so often. I’m curious enough to want to have a sparring match myself.”

“…Huh?”

I was momentarily startled.

A sparring match… with him?

Due to the nature of Runes, I did carry a greatsword, but Kang Woo-hyun is an S-grade Holder who had reached the pinnacle in fire magic and special magic. He reigned supreme among the flying and soaring Holders, even within the ranks of magic users. Within that group of formidable Holders, he was the one who ruled alone. Naturally, there were very few Holders in Korea who could challenge him, and even in battles against warriors or assassins, he displayed an overwhelming difference in power.

There were only five S-grade Holders in the country. In other words, it meant…

He was one of the top five strongest individuals in Korea.

In other words, if I were to spar with him right now, I would likely be charred to a crisp within the first second.

So, even though I knew he was joking, my voice still trembled a bit.

“I-I know it’s a joke. How could I possibly spar with the Master? It’s out of the question.”

“Haha. Why are you so flustered? As you said, it’s just a joke.”

…One joke could cost a person their life. For some reason, he gave off the scent of a commanding officer.

But still, I felt more relaxed. When I first came to the Master’s office, I was worried about making a mistake or what to say, but it had been a while since I stopped worrying about such things. Kang Woo-hyun skillfully combined appropriate jokes and conversational techniques, lightening the atmosphere of what could have been a stiff meeting. Thanks to that, my tongue was quite loosened, and the conversation flowed smoothly. Truly, it was the art of a clan master.

“There are many things I’m curious about personally, but… we have some matters to attend to, so let’s get to the point.”

“Yes.”

I replied briefly, and Kang Woo-hyun took a document from the table. It was the report that the secretary had brought with the tea. Rustling through it, Kang Woo-hyun’s face became more serious. The document contained the report of Hunting Team 5 regarding their progress in the ‘Forest Covered by Snakes’ quest. When did they even make this?

Team Leader Kwon Oh-jun mentioned that he worked overtime yesterday, and it seems he not only dealt with the Min Chae-hwan incident but also wrote this report.

“We’ve already received a report on your performance. You’ve exceeded your rank in your respective field and showed the ability to adapt quickly to team tactics during dungeon raids.”

“…I’m honored.”

I wonder who wrote that evaluation. If they were in front of me right now, I’d want to give them a big hug.

“Especially, your performance in hunting boss monsters was outstanding. I was also impressed while reading the report. A twenty-year-old C-grade Holder using two ultimate skills… If an article about you comes out, I think Korea will be buzzing again. It’ll be like the emergence of a top-tier prodigy.”

“…Thank you.”

While the praise might seem excessive, it’s a good thing when it comes to performance evaluations. It means that you’re being recognized. Moreover, if he’s praising me to this extent…

I was genuinely looking forward to what kind of reward I would receive.

After Kang Woo-hyun placed the documents on the table, he looked at me.

“Intern Clan Member Do Jae-hyun. Your performance and rating on this mission are top-notch. The common evaluation from Team Leader Kwon Oh-jun of Hunting Team 5, Senior Clan Member Kang Juyeon, and myself as the Master.”

Top-notch performance.

At that word, I almost dropped my jaw. It was the highest achievement possible on a clan mission.

“In the case of a top-notch performance, you’ll receive additional performance bonuses according to the spoils of war, one Epic-grade equipment of your choice, and the option to request specific spoils.”

With that, Kang Woo Hyun pressed the bell on his table. The door opened again, and the secretary came back in. In her hands, she held a sword.

“It just so happens that you use a sword, so I prepared suitable equipment for you. Normally, these items are distributed automatically through the supply team, but I personally picked this one for you. I hope you like it.”

“This is…”

Kang Woo-hyun received the sword from the secretary and handed it to me. I cautiously accepted it, but my eyes were wide open from the moment I saw it. I knew exactly what this weapon was.

From the hilt to the blade, it was a sword that radiated a brilliant light. The light was so intense that it was almost impossible to look at with the naked eye. It was an equipment item that looked extremely familiar.

‘This is… Penitent’s Sword, isn’t it?”’

After hunting the Swamp Leviathan, it had been the first item to be auctioned at the Daegu Auction House. The auctioned item was called the [Penitent’s Sword].

The [Penitent’s Sword] was a sword that received bonuses from strength and divinity. The higher the divinity value, the stronger the sword became, and it had a 50% bonus performance against undead opponents. It even had the rare intrinsic skill, [Divine Slash].

At the auction, it had been sold for nearly 30 billion won, and now it was in my hands in the <Judgment of Fire> clan.

It seemed that the auction winner at the time was in charge of the <Judgment of Fire> clan’s auctions.

In the end, the [Penitent’s Sword] had come back to me.

Seeing this, I couldn’t help but feel amazed.

“It seems you like it, which is fortunate. The additional performance bonus will be paid within a week, and you can request specific spoils through the supply team.”

“Thank you, Master. It’s a reward that I’m very pleased with.”

When it came to requesting spoils, I just needed to ask for boss monster magic stones. It was exactly what I needed.

Thinking about how to make the best use of the [Penitent’s Sword] was already on my mind. Although it might appear to be primarily a weapon for recovery knights, its versatility would prove limitless depending on how it was used.

‘Since it an epic level weapon… I would ask Choi Yoo-mi to make it mainly for armor.’

“Now that we’ve wrapped up the reward discussion here. Do you have any other questions?”

“No, Master! Thank you!”

I quickly replied, fearing that the rewards might change.

“Is that so?”

However, when I responded confidently…

Kang Woo-hyun’s expression suddenly changed. It wasn’t the answer he was expecting, and his face displayed a hint of disappointment. Then, he smiled slightly and continued.

“I do have something I’m curious about…”

“Yes? What is it…”

Oh no. Why is he like this again? I can’t help but sigh. Kang Woo-hyun has a habit of dragging things on like this. He’ll pretend to be serious and then break into a playful tone. But I still have to play along. He’s giving me boss monster magic stones and the [Penitent’s Sword], after all.

I put on a show of pretending to be tense and waited for his question. However, this time, it was different. It wasn’t just a ‘playful question’. It was a question that I really needed to be nervous about.

“What exactly is your relationship with my daughter?”

…Oh, boy.

The clan master’s reward discussion has turned into a full-fledged interrogation as a dad.

The investigation for the trap case had officially begun.