Chapter 62
Just when people were about to forget it, that name stamped its presence across global headlines once again: the Job Center Director.
He had pulled off another massive feat.
[Large-Scale Hunter Rebellion in North Korea—What Is the Reason?]
[Awakened Net Interview Reveals North Korean Authorities Held Hunters’ Families Hostage—]
[The Mastermind, Rank 1 Park Mu-pal’s Rapid Climb up the Tower of Chaos. Behind Him Stood the Job Center Director Once Again.]
……
…
A rebellion broke out in North Korea?
The ringleader was their number one ranker.
He had originally been stuck on the 57th floor…
Yet word was that he climbed all the way to the 59th floor in just two days.
— They say the Job Center Director crafted a weapon for him… I’m seriously so jealous.
— Wait, is climbing the tower really that easy just by switching weapons???
└ No way… Unless you’re climbing the 10th floor and get a weapon with 30th-floor specs, it’s impossible…
└ On top of that, if the level gap is too big, you can’t even wield it properly LOL. You’d actually get debuffed instead LMAO.
— Just what the hell is that Job Center Director guy…
└ That’s why people call him a monster, haha.
Following Lee Bojun, Baek Hwarang, and Ralph Carter, now even Park Mu-pal.
The Job Center Director’s weapons were on an undefeated streak.
Naturally, global curiosity reached a fever pitch.
The Job Center Director.
Just what was his true identity…?
— Even if he were just good at crafting, it’d be totally broken, but that’s not even all.
— Agreed. The one who set the world record clearing up to the 61st floor of the tower was the Job Center Director too…
└ That record was mind-blowing, honestly. While others take over half a day, he cut through it in under an hour.
Crafting?
That was just the tip of the iceberg.
Whether it was clearing dungeons,
Or conquering the Tower of Chaos,
He was second to none in every single aspect.
— But hasn’t the record holder for the 61st floor of the Tower of Chaos still not been officially revealed?
└ Practically 100% the Job Center Director.
└ Exactly. Seeing how effortlessly he clears S-rank dungeons, how could anyone doubt it?
Yeah, the 61st floor.
Everyone had made a massive fuss about how different it was from the 60th floor…
Yet lo and behold.
Looking at the anonymous record, he cleared it in the blink of an Eye this time too.
Just like a certain someone who conquered S-rank dungeons in mere dozens of minutes.
— What kind of awakening could it possibly be?
— Doesn’t feel like an Archmage or a Sword Saint…
— Maybe an All-Master type? Since he’s good at literally everything.
— God <- might be this.
└ Crazy, LMAO.
Of course, these were all playful speculations.
There was no way to know for sure.
However, one thing was certain.
— It’s reassuring that he’s Korean.
— Fr fr…
— His actions truly feel like a hero’s, so watching him makes me feel proud LOL.
They said he cleared North Korea’s S-rank dungeon this time as well.
Was that all?
Not a chance.
[Following India and Egypt, Now North Korea. Beside the Powerless, There Was Always the Job Center Director.]
He came to the aid of a crisis-stricken China.
He personally stepped in to resolve the disasters of India and Egypt, nations that had completely collapsed.
— My Indian friend calls the Job Center Director a savior.
└ Makes sense… He literally revived countries that had fallen and vanished LOL.
— From now on, whenever I go abroad, I’m gonna ask everyone, “Do you know the Job Center Director?”
└ Please, don’t do that…
A hero—the footsteps of the Job Center Director.
This topic, which had set the entire world ablaze,
Naturally reached the ears of the person in question before long.
* * *
[Let’s Take a Look into the Hero Helping the Powerless: The Actions of the Job Center Director.]
“What in the world…?”
Yoon Ha-jun, 23 years old.
Job Center Director.
What he was currently doing:
Tilting his head while browsing the internet.
Wondering what had happened overnight.
Look here, and it was about him.
Look there, and…
“Still about me.”
What a mess to wake up to.
He immediately understood the reason.
The North Korean hunter, Park Mu-pal.
They said he had climbed up to the 59th floor.
He must have pushed himself hard.
Having received the weapon yesterday, he seemed to have climbed nonstop without a single break.
“Hero, my foot…”
A hero.
A title he could never have imagined back when working at manual labor sites.
Still…
Humans truly were adaptable creatures.
He wasn’t as flustered as he used to be.
“I’m just glad he climbed the tower safely.”
That was the only thought crossing his mind.
Then again,
It was a weapon made by our Rani, so of course it performed brilliantly.
[India Reclaims Roughly 20% of Its Territory, Commencing Reconstruction Efforts.]
[Cairo Within Sight: Tears of Emotion Shed by Hunters Gathered For Egypt’s Restoration.]
……
…
There was plenty of news about India and Egypt as well.
Those people…
Even though they had done all the heavy lifting themselves, they were now calling him a savior.
“Calling me a savior is a bit too much pressure.”
Normally?
He would have simply brushed it off with an “Ah, is that so?”
He would have forgotten all about it the moment he turned to the next page.
Peace in other countries?
What did that have to do with him?
He was already busy enough looking after himself.
And yet…
“Hmm… That worked out well.”
It felt a little strange.
Was this pride?
To think he would ever experience an emotion like this in his life.
[World Rank 1, Ralph Carter, Finally Enters the 69th Floor: Expresses Gratitude, Stating “All of This Was Thanks to the Job Center Director.”]
That guy had climbed quite a bit too.
Would he reach the 70th floor soon?
He had been curious about what would change beyond the 70th floor.
He would find out soon enough.
“If he’s too slow, well… I can just climb up first.”
He had to go up anyway.
Because he had a Mission.
[Mission List]
1. Conquer the 70th Floor of the Tower of Chaos
2. Upgrade the Request Point Shop
3. Open the Job Center
“Phew…”
Three Mission slots.
Just looking at them felt reassuring.
Of course, the required EXP had increased accordingly.
[(0/30)]
Well…
Even if there was a long way to go right now, he’d fill it eventually if he kept at it.
Besides, there were three at a time now.
It would be faster than before, so there was nothing to worry about.
“First, unless something unexpected happens, I’ll climb one floor of the Tower of Chaos per day…”
Upgrading the Request Point Shop:
That one was even simpler.
He just needed to purchase over a certain amount of points in the shop.
“Starting today, I’ll summon Intermediate and Low Grade workers to constantly run missions, so that’s only a matter of time too.”
The problem was the last one.
“The Job Center…”
One of the core functions of the Job Center Director.
Yet up until now, it had only been temporary.
Now he needed to open it officially.
Two things were required:
1. A spacious house.
2. The Job Center Expansion Blueprint from the Request Point Shop.
How much was it again…?
——-
……
…
Job Center Function Expansion Blueprint
– 100,000 P
…
……
——-
100,000 points.
Expensive.
Still, well…
“Combining the points I’ve steadily saved up… With what I earned from the two North Korean S-rank dungeon requests…”
He’d be able to buy it after running requests for just a few more days.
That solved one issue.
The problem was the spacious house…
“Todd said he’d look into it through the Eye of Truth.”
How did that go?
He should hear about that first.
* * *
All workers were summoned.
When he asked Todd among them, the man gave a lengthy explanation.
The conclusion was…
“The subcontracted party suggested that it might be a good idea to establish a connecting bridge between you, Director, and the Awakened Management Bureau.”
“Hmm…”
A connecting bridge.
Well,
Hearing the explanation, it did make sense.
In the first place, one of the Awakened Management Bureau’s roles was protecting awakened individuals.
On top of that, looking into it before revealed that high rankers were treated better than the president.
Exchanging all the magic stones and getting a house?
That would be a piece of cake.
“It doesn’t sound bad.”
The reason he hid his identity in the first place:
It wasn’t a big deal.
He just disliked excessive attention.
And he was worried he might be put in danger.
In fact, China had secretly made a move on him before.
Though he managed to fend them off Thanks to Lord Guan.
“Seems Todd is in favor.”
“That is correct. For starters, as long as the Job Center is upgraded, your safety is nothing to worry about, Director.”
True.
Safety wasn’t an issue as long as even one of our combat workers was around.
Other problems?
“Hmm…”
What else could there be?
The things he worried about in the beginning:
What if someone threatened him with force?
Things like that.
Back then, let alone world rankers,
He had trembled in fear before even the five major Korean guilds.
What about now?
“That would be absurd.”
With our workers around, who could possibly threaten him by force?
Utterly impossible.
Then what did the other workers think?
Making Eye contact with each of them one by one,
“It seems acceptable. As the saying goes, talent in a bag will inevitably pierce through; your identity is bound to be revealed eventually anyway. Rather than that, selectively revealing your identity and managing them through an intermediary would not be a bad choice.”
“Is that so?”
He was right.
It wasn’t bad.
However, there was a lingering concern.
There were no permanent secrets in this world.
Revealing his identity to someone?
Then it would leak from there, and leak again.
Eventually, everyone might find out.
“Then how about this approach?”
“What kind of approach?”
“Put the subcontracted party forward first. Have them act as the Job Center Director’s proxy, and then see how the Awakened Management Bureau responds. What do you say?”
“Oh?”
That sounded pretty good.
The subcontracted party, the Eye of Truth.
They knew who he was.
They had lent a hand during the China incident too.
Yet up until now, not a single shred of information had leaked anywhere.
At this point, they were trustworthy.
Furthermore, those folks
Hadn’t even told their former guild members.
That was why only the two of them were staying in China.
“Hmm…”
Not bad at all.
“Let’s proceed in the direction Lord Guan just suggested.”
“Yup, understood. What should we do about the house, Director?”
“Let’s think about that depending on whether we make contact with the Awakened Management Bureau or not. If worst comes to worst, we can just move to the countryside or a secluded area.”
“Understood.”
So, let’s just see for now.
What the best way forward would be.
* * *
One of the core power bases of North Korea:
The Organization and Guidance Department.
Its chief, Director Kim Yong-pil, listened to the report with a grim expression.
“We have combed through every nook and cranny like hunting mice, but they say he has not been found yet.”
“Still? What on earth are you all doing?!”
Failing to catch a single rat—what was all this chaos about?
He couldn’t understand it.
Combat Bureau Director of the Revolutionary Talents Unit, Colonel Park Mu-pal.
They had crossed paths a few times.
Just like the street urchin he was, he had been utterly clueless.
How long had it been since he rose to the position of Combat Bureau Director…?
Yet he still hadn’t shown proper deference or gifts?
To make matters worse, that insect-like punk even pushed back when given trivial tasks.
“I am not a Revolutionary Talent meant to carry out such tasks.”
Saying things like that.
Damn bastard.
What was so hard about beating up a few citizens and dragging them away?
“Tsk.”
Still, he had left him alone because he was useful.
Then, just in time, the child of an officer who always offered generous tributes reached the 52nd floor.
Of course, accompanied by a hefty tribute as well.
“Getting rid of Park Mu-pal is all that matters. By whatever means necessary, find him and eliminate him.”
“Understood.”
The other Revolutionary Talent bastards?
Spineless weaklings.
Bribing and appeasing them wasn’t even a challenge.
Besides, who would even take in those fools whose tower floors were completely mediocre compared to Park Mu-pal’s?
Go ahead and try running away.
He’d make sure they met their ancestors in their sleep.
“Ha… No matter how much I think about it, sending him away during the China chaos would have been the best move.”
The decision had been simple back then.
What if a problem arose after getting rid of Park Mu-pal?
Well,
He could just borrow China’s strength.
The backing Kim Yong-pil trusted:
The top brass of China’s Central Awakened Management Bureau.
They were quite close.
To the point of having sworn brotherhood.
As long as an appropriate price was paid?
They had promised to provide as much assistance as needed.
Of course, that price would come out of the party’s funds.
Since he could pocket a hefty cut in the process, it was all the better.
…That was how he intended to proceed, but
Lo and behold.
Things had gotten utterly tangled from the start.
“That damn brat, whether he’s a Job Center Director or whatever.”
Thanks to him, Park Mu-pal returned alive and in one piece.
No matter how lowly a street urchin he was, he wasn’t brainless.
He must have realized they were trying to get rid of him.
Since things had come to this, there was no turning back.
It was one of two choices:
Eliminate him, or quietly ship him off to another country.
Kim Yong-pil’s choice was the former.
If Park Mu-pal had remained completely oblivious, that might be one thing,
But why leave behind future trouble?
There was no reason to.
Just as he was preparing to send him off cleanly as usual,
An S-rank dungeon erupted near Pyongyang.
This was an even better opportunity.
He immediately issued orders to Park Mu-pal through the special forces.
If he went, he would die.
If he didn’t go,
He would be executed For disobeying orders.
He thought it was a guaranteed checkmate—
What in the world happened?
Park Mu-pal, whom everyone looked down upon as a street urchin, had far more grit than expected.
To think he fled, taking most of the Revolutionary Talents with him.
On top of that…
Even while on the run, his location couldn’t even be tracked down.
This made no sense.
Unless someone was helping them.
“South Korea? No, what reason would they have? Then it must be China or Japan…”
He needed to find out the mastermind first in order to negotiate…
Just as he furrowed his brows,
Ring, ring—!
A call came through from an unlisted number.
“What Is this?”
The phone number of Kim Yong-pil, a core party cadre:
Hardly anyone should know it.
And to block the caller ID on top of that?
Just what kind of bastards were they?
Furrowing his brows, he answered it For now.
“What? You know Park Mu-pal’s whereabouts? Go on, speak up.”
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