CH.78 Reward (2)
The [Fragmented Earth Garden] is an epic rune capable of handling earth-element magic attacks. It’s the earth magic that was used to deal with us by the Mountain Serpent. They all seemed to possess magic derived from this rune. With the acquisition of this rune, I now have my seventh epic rune. Especially among the four elements, it’s the earth element, following fire and water, including lightning, making it my fourth elemental magic rune when considering expanded attributes.
“It seems like I’m becoming more of a magician…” I thought to myself.
With runes of this grade, I must have a talent greater than most magician-type Holders. Perhaps, when I properly learn the arrangement and manifestation of magic, and even acquire the core runes of magician types like [Magic Amplification] and [Spell Enhancement]…
I could really replace the role of a magician in the party. But I shook my head with a bitter smile.
“Still, my main focus is using weapons.”
As a [Rune Hunter], I acquire a tremendous number of runes, but my main rune is still [Master of Martial Arts], which utilizes various weapons. Its proficiency and level is high, also, related derivative runes like swordsmanship, mostly influence direct combat in the physical domain. If I had to choose and focus, it seemed more efficient to develop physical runes.
Moreover, magic-element runes offer many ways to be useful even without learning magic. For example, using flames on a sword or manipulating water to create variables on the battlefield. With my current abilities, these runes were more than enough.
“Power Break is… a decent skill too.”
[Power Break] is the most fitting derivative skill for the rune ‘Fragmented Earth Garden’. It delivers a massive shock to the ground in contact with the user, shaking all the earth within a certain distance from that area. At first, the skill information seemed a bit vague, but as I read it, it appeared to have endless applications. It could be used for escape when surrounded by multiple monsters during a solo play, employed as an opening move in one-on-one situations, or even to create variables. It was a skill capable of both offense and defense, capable of changing the course of battle by demolishing formations. However, its range wasn’t as wide as expected, and its cooldown was as long as a day, similar to [New Wave]. It seemed like I needed to use it judiciously.
“…I’m going to bed now.”
I headed straight for the bed. The ultimate skills of [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword] and [Water Sword Dance], which had their usage restrictions lifted this time, and the stats that had grown while conquering dungeons, I wanted to check them all casually, but honestly, I didn’t feel like doing anything.
It had only been three days since I joined <Judgment of Fire>, but I had already completed various tasks, from conquering undiscovered dungeons to facing at least A-grade or higher boss monsters.
There had been too many events in just three days.
Maybe that’s why.
Even though I only organized the information of the newly acquired runes, my head still hurt.
“Let’s do it tomorrow. Tomorrow.”
I entrusted the piled-up tasks to my future self and immediately fell asleep. It was the sweetest sleep I had had in a while.
***
Ippotranslation
***
The next day, I went to the clan with a fresher mind than anyone else. The air in Yeouido welcoming me on my way to work was surprisingly refreshing.
<Judgment of Fire>’s mornings were always lively. The front desk on the first floor was busy with phone calls every time I saw them, and the rookie guards responsible for security were firmly guarding the entrance today as well.
“You shouldn’t do this. You can’t enter without an access card.”
“Hey… guys? I already told you, I’m Scout Team Leader Cho Kyu-hyuk. Right now, the front desk is busy, and there’s no one to vouch for me. Do you know how experienced I am? Can’t you let me in?”
“You can’t enter without an access card.”
“No, I went on a mission and came back, and you guys still don’t recognize me…”
…Is this déjà vu? It feels like I’m seeing a familiar scene. Why do these team leader-level people never carry access cards? They are reliable teammates when we go on missions or fight, but on ordinary days, they are unruly troublemakers among clan members.
I arrived at the clan tower’s 25th floor via the elevator. It was the 5th Hunting Team’s office.
Overflowing with documents and various items, the office appeared quite welcoming, even though it had only been empty for a day. As I opened the office door and greeted my colleagues lightly, their attention converged on me.
“Good morning, seniors.”
Everyone who had been engrossed in their work turned their eyes toward me. Many team members had already arrived early in the morning. I was also among the early arrivals, but it seemed like there were quite a few punctual team members.
“Oh, intern, good morning. You’re here early, huh?”
“Has Do Jae-hyun arrive?”
“Hello, Do Jae-hyun…!!”
Lee Soo-mi, Choi Dong-wook, and Shin Yuna greeted me one by one. When I first joined this clan and entered the 5th Hunting Team, they had seemed awkward and distant as teammates. But now, we had become colleagues who exchange morning greetings.
Someone had mentioned that parties during monster hunting were the fastest way to become close with other clan members, and it seemed to be true in my case. After participating in a mission to conquer the Forest Covered by Snake dungeon as a member of the 5th Hunting Team, I quickly bonded with my team members, and I easily grasped how the team operated. That’s why operational team outings seemed more important than orientation.
“Hasn’t the team leader arrived yet?”
I heard that the C-grade members in our team had been sent on a mission to Iukhansan Field. So, today, only the B-grade members, along with me and Shin Yuna, were in the office. These were the team members I had joined for the dungeon raid just yesterday. Among them, Kim Seong-cheol, Kang Juyeon, and the team leader, Kwon Oh-jun, had not yet arrived.
“Um… the team leader is on the 10th floor.”
“The 10th floor?”
I inadvertently asked again in response to Lee Soo-mi’s answer.
The 10th floor… Where was that again? Because I had refrained from accepting an introduction from Kang Juyeon on the day I joined, I still didn’t have a clear understanding of the clan tower’s layout. I had briefly toured the building the next day, but I hadn’t checked everything thoroughly because there was so much work to be done, especially in preparing for the mission.
I didn’t even know the clan’s inner workings yet, and I had already gone on a dungeon expedition. It would be a huge surprise for the new recruits.
Seeing my puzzled expression, Shin Yuna, who was sitting next to me, whispered, “It’s an office hotel inside the clan tower, where you can stay.”
“Ah, I see…”
I remembered hearing about it from Kang Juyeon once. It was accommodation provided for clan members who were either guests or were performing special missions. An office hotel inside the clan tower. It seemed to be on the 10th floor.
I turned my head to Shin Yuna, who was still beside me.
“Weren’t you at home yesterday? Why are you staying in the office?”
“Uhh…”
“Ah, sorry.”
Shin Yuna’s face turned slightly red. I had leaned in a bit too close when I asked her, apparently. She fanned herself with her hand for a moment and then replied.
“Uhm… I stayed late last night working on that incident related to the assignment. The Master had given instructions, so he came to the clan tower as soon as the mission ended to take care of it.”
“Oh… that incident…”
I was referring to the Min Chae-hwan incident. More precisely, it was the case where Min Chae-hwan had acted as a spy, gathering all the members of the <Villain> clan’s Gangnam branch, attacking the 5th Hunting Team, and attempting to seize the rewards for conquering the Forest Covered by Snakes. Thanks to the <Judgment of Fire> clan detecting this in advance and counterattacking, we were saved. Otherwise, we would have been helpless, losing our rewards and even our lives, given how skillful Min Chae-hwan was in acting and planning.
I asked her with a sly grin, “Is that incident resolved then?”
“I’m not sure. It was handled by senior members and the clan leadership… It’s too advanced information for us new clan members to know.”
The <Villain> clan was officially declared a criminal organization by the government, so most of its members were wanted, and they faced punishment if caught. Perhaps <Judgment of Fire> had discussed it with the government to deal with the situation properly. However, the media and other sources were heavily controlled, making it difficult to obtain information about it.
In any case, the fact that a spy had infiltrated the clan was…
So it wasn’t good news to be disclosed to the public.
“So, you might not be able to work today. If you stayed up all night, you must be getting some sleep now.”
In truth, my plan upon arriving at work was to meet with Kwon Oh-jun. The reason was the recent dungeon conquest of the Forest Covered by Snakes. I intended to request the Boss’s Magic Stone as a reward.
‘The more I look at it, the more it seems like that guy is Sub-dragon.’
Sub-dragon from the Wild Mountain Clan. Although this individual wasn’t identical to the Sub-dragons I had encountered before, they had a striking resemblance. The name Mountain Serpent itself referred to a Sub-dragon, and its rune ability was in the natural magic category. So, I believed that the magic stone would likely fit into [Forgotten Stone of a Dragon].
‘That’s why I planned to request it today…’
Generally, rewards from team dispatches were automatically distributed according to clan instructions. They could be settled in cash based on contribution or given in various items or magic stones. However, in cases like mine and Shin Yuna’s where we contributed significantly to the clan, we could directly request the desired reward. Compiling these requests was the responsibility of senior personnel, usually at the team leader level. So, I intended to meet with Kwon Oh-jun to request the magic stone reward today.
But now that he’s taking a rest after working late last night, it seems like I’ll have to postpone it.
However, Shin Yuna shook her head in response to my words.
“No, I don’t think so. He’ll probably wake up before lunchtime. Everyone from the mission yesterday has a meeting with the Master, and the preparations are already underway.”
“What? Everyone from the mission?”
I was surprised by this new piece of information. Suddenly, a meeting with the Master? Furthermore, if it involved everyone from the mission, didn’t that mean I would have to attend the meeting as well?
“Yes. This time, the dungeon’s difficulty level exceeded our team’s capacity, and there were external variables like spies and the intrusion of the <Villain> clan. So, the Master decided to hold a meeting personally and provide additional rewards.”
After a meeting with the Master, additional rewards were given. In other words, I could directly request the magic stone reward from the Master. I asked Shin Yuna again, puzzled.
“When is that happening? In the afternoon?”
“No, it’s happening right now. It’s Kim Holder Seong-cheol’s turn at the moment. I think it will be your turn soon.”
“Right now?”
Wait, what? They’re doing it right now? No, this can’t be.
My expression must have conveyed my disbelief because Shin Yuna’s words seemed to make it a reality.
Rrrrrring—
Rrrrrring—
The internal phone at my desk rang suddenly. As an intern who had joined the clan recently, I had never received a phone call before.
I was momentarily taken aback but cautiously picked up the phone.
“Yes, this is Do Jae-hyun, a member of the 5th Hunting Team.”
-This is the Clan Master’s office. Holder Do Jae-hyun, please come to the 37th floor of the clan tower in 10 minutes for a meeting with the Clan Master.
The phone message was concise. The secretary delivered that one sentence and promptly hung up.
Just as Shin Yuna had said, it was happening right now. Kim Seong-cheol was next, and soon it would be my turn.
This wasn’t happening, was it?
I swallowed nervously with a slightly tense expression.
Yesterday, I saw the Clan Master’s face for the first time during the field mission at Inwangsan. This would be my first individual meeting with Kang Woo-hyun.
