Chapter Index





    Ch.113Clan Recruitment – 2

    “Seojin Baek, Arbiter. The Chancellor is calling for you.”

    I was planning to visit the Chancellor’s office after finishing my work anyway.

    Somehow our Chancellor sensed this and called for me first.

    And he even called me with 40 minutes left before the end of the workday!

    Man, this is why they say he’s the greatest powered individual Korea has ever produced.

    Not only is he skilled and accomplished, but above all, he’s a person of character!

    As anyone in the know would understand, calling someone to talk 40 minutes before the end of the day?

    That’s his sacred way of allowing a legitimate 40-minute salary heist!

    ‘If it had been that bastard of a boss, he would have called me 5 minutes before leaving and rambled for 30 minutes.’

    And to top it off, he would complain that I made him leave work late.

    Clearly he was the one who called me, and I was the one whose departure was delayed.

    Every time that happened, I really wanted to stab him in the middle of the forehead with a pen.

    Knock knock—

    “Chancellor. This is Arbiter Seojin Baek.”

    “Come in.”

    The boss from the past is gone now. Not here, not at my original workplace.

    Even if he somehow manages to cling to his position when I return.

    In the end, he won’t survive the disciplinary action and will fall away on his own.

    Yes, that’s right. Why should slackers hold civil servant positions?

    If you can’t handle it, either work harder or learn something.

    Why are you occupying positions meant for young people and going on about “back in my day”?

    “I specifically called you 40 minutes early. I imagine we’ll finish our conversation right at the end of the workday.”

    “I’m extremely grateful for your consideration, Chancellor.”

    Hakjun Ma bursts into laughter at my response and gestures for me to take a seat.

    “I heard about yesterday. You encountered The Elder again.”

    “Just as you heard.”

    “Are you injured? I know Rina Lee was the one who engaged in combat, but injuries can still occur regardless.”

    Though he’s speaking indirectly, what Hakjun Ma is really asking is:

    Did you take any splash damage from Rina’s antics?

    “I’m fine, Chancellor.”

    “That’s good. And it had to be Sujin Hyun of all people. She’s as problematic as Hyuk Kwak. No, perhaps even more so.”

    According to Sujin Hyun, she was falsely branded a traitor through manipulation.

    I wonder how things might have turned out if she had stepped forward to deny it herself.

    Whether due to her desire for revenge or something else, she never made any significant denial.

    As a result, everyone who was close to Sujin Hyun now believes her to be a traitor.

    ‘Should I casually leak the truth about Sujin Hyun?’

    I considered it. And while I’m at it, the truth about this body too.

    But if, as Sujin Hyun said, all evidence has already been erased.

    If they’re fully prepared to bury whatever comes out.

    Acting rashly could put me in an extremely awkward situation.

    ‘Later. Not now.’

    If you want to create waves, it’s best to hide within them first.

    What I’m aiming for is to use the coming period of chaos.

    When that happens, even those at the top will be distracted by all sorts of issues.

    Using that moment of carelessness to approach them might work.

    Bad guys never completely destroy evidence because they’re insecure.

    To others, it might seem they’ve thoroughly eliminated everything.

    But from their perspective, having evidence in their own hands can be advantageous.

    So despite knowing it could become a weakness, they tend to keep something hidden away.

    “Arbiter Seojin Baek?”

    “Ah, yes. I apologize. I was thinking about yesterday’s incident.”

    “You must have been quite shocked. Well, I understand. Sujin Hyun—that one. No one can match her stealth. She’s unusually adept at handling shadows for someone in the Magic Class, which made things quite difficult.”

    The conversation that followed was similar to what I had with Rina.

    Why did Sujin Hyun appear? What did she talk about?

    She proposed that we join her. We refused.

    That’s how our question-and-answer session proceeded.

    “…I see. That one still hasn’t given up on her plans for overthrow, it seems.”

    “Her grudge runs deep.”

    “Her fiancé died suddenly from an unreasonable mission, so it’s understandable.”

    “You seem to understand, Chancellor. Everyone else calls her a traitor.”

    Even the good-natured Jiyoon Han cursed Sujin Hyun as a traitor.

    Since they were close, she seemed to feel an even greater sense of betrayal.

    I heard she even took three days of leave to track down traces of Sujin Hyun?

    “Of course I was disappointed in her. I had to be. But it’s true that both she and her fiancé were subjected to excessive attention and unreasonable schedules.”

    At that time, villains had formed a large coalition and were wreaking havoc across Korea.

    Suppressing all of them while simultaneously dealing with monsters and gates.

    Even someone with nerves of steel would have been exhausted by such a schedule.

    Hakjun Ma continued with a bitter smile.

    “And. Love is just like that, isn’t it?”

    “What do you mean…?”

    “A perfectly sane person goes mad, and conversely, a madman suddenly becomes normal. If you simply attribute it all to ‘love,’ it somehow makes sense.”

    Is this what they call wisdom from experience? Hakjun Ma’s words truly resonated with me.

    Not just about Sujin Hyun, but mainly because of Rina and Soohyun.

    Both are women whose madness is unrivaled.

    The Yellow Madwoman and The Crimson Witch. Strangely, both seem normal around me.

    I’m not sure if that’s good or bad, but that’s how it is.

    “Let’s stop here. I didn’t mean to create such a heavy atmosphere. Anyway, I’m glad you’re alright. You need to keep holding those students in Bronze going forward.”

    “Ah… I heard the news. That there are more Bronze-ranked students now than ever since the Academy was established.”

    “Interestingly, that’s the case.”

    A feeling of guilt suddenly creeps up on me.

    Although it was a necessary choice for both the students and myself.

    From Hakjun Ma’s perspective, as the one in charge of the Academy, it can’t be welcome news.

    “Don’t think strange thoughts.”

    “Pardon?”

    “Actually, now is very good. Those who aren’t satisfied with their current state—they’re the ones who hold the potential to become stronger most quickly and effectively. The current students are exactly like that.”

    So just keep doing what I’ve been doing diligently.

    Don’t forget why he placed me at the Academy so directly.

    With Hakjun Ma’s encouragement, I once again resolved to do my best in my role as the Gatekeeper.

    “Um, actually, Chancellor. I have something to ask as well.”

    “What is it?”

    “The Mage Tower Clan has been contacting me consistently. It seems they want to recruit me into their clan, but I’m currently affiliated with the Academy, aren’t I?”

    “Oh my. Didn’t you know that professors also have their own clan affiliations?”

    Ah, what? Professors are also affiliated with clans? I didn’t know that.

    “Being affiliated with the Academy doesn’t restrict clan activities.”

    “I see.”

    “Was that what you were worried about? You could have just asked the professors first.”

    How embarrassing. Why didn’t I think of that?

    I’ve been mingling with higher-ups so much that I failed to consider that possibility.

    “More importantly, the Mage Tower Clan. Despite you not being in the Magic Class, if they’re contacting you to that extent, they must really want you.”

    “It seems so.”

    “They probably want to create a complete support team, aiming for absolute perfection.”

    After saying that, Hakjun Ma suddenly added something strange.

    Whether it was good or bad, he wasn’t sure.

    I wanted to ask what he meant by that.

    But Hakjun Ma just glanced at the clock.

    “Hmm.”

    Following his gaze, I saw that there were still a little over 10 minutes left until the end of the workday.

    Since there was still time, I was about to ask again about what he had just said.

    “You may go.”

    “Chancellor?”

    “I’ll give you those 10 minutes as a special favor. Go home, Arbiter.”

    Really, wouldn’t it be fine to dedicate my life to working under such a boss?

    Indeed, the Academy was my best workplace ever!

    “Arbiter!”

    As I clocked out and headed for the main gate, Hana Kang was waving at me.

    She had mentioned that we could go straight to the meeting place together.

    “My father just arrived, he says. Shall we leave right away?”

    “Yes. But before that….”

    I hope Soohyun isn’t watching from somewhere nearby.

    It would be good to explain the situation before any unnecessary thoughts arise.

    “You don’t need to worry about Soohyun. I explained everything.”

    “You… Hana Kang?”

    “Yes. And she just started sparring with junior Hyunwoo Lee a little while ago. It will probably last about an hour, so you don’t need to worry about Soohyun.”

    Hana Kang gets into the car first and gestures to the seat beside her.

    After I sit down, the security guards close the door and start the car.

    “I didn’t expect you to explain to Soohyun.”

    “I’m not insensitive. I know how much Soohyun cares about you, Arbiter.”

    I’m worried that her care might turn into obsession.

    …No. Perhaps it’s already become obsession.

    “It might be a bit burdensome, but please understand. As you know, Soohyun lost her mother early. After that, she never easily let anyone get close. She was afraid. Afraid of losing someone again. So she kept her distance, but not with you.”

    She explained that because Soohyun kept such distance, she might react very sensitively to losing someone again.

    So if I could just watch over her a little longer, things would surely get better.

    With a gentle smile, Hana Kang asked me to take good care of Soohyun.

    ‘She’s a good older sister.’

    “Ah! What did the Chancellor say?”

    “He said it’s possible.”

    “I thought so. It seemed strange since professors have their own clan affiliations.”

    “It would have been good if you had told me, Hana Kang.”

    Hana Kang gives an awkward smile at my words.

    She says she also thought it wasn’t allowed, thinking only of my time as a civil servant.

    But later, when she thought about it, she remembered the professors.

    *

    Upon arriving at the Sky Lounge, the meeting place, Inbeom Kang cleared his throat.

    Nervous, he took a sip of water and fidgeted with it.

    As the Clan Master of “Mage Tower,” one of Korea’s top clans.

    There was a good reason why such a man was nervous.

    “You want to recruit Arbiter Seojin Baek. Hmm… he might be suitable.”

    Somehow having heard the news, Minseong Kang had called him.

    A short call, neither long nor particularly detailed.

    But for Inbeom Kang, that brief conversation still remained vivid.

    He didn’t particularly care whether the recruitment succeeded or not.

    But he owed this person several favors.

    So regardless of how things turned out, the underlying message was to treat him well.

    ‘No wonder I can’t help but be nervous.’

    Officially, Seojin Baek is a B-rank powered individual.

    For someone of that rank, the proper procedure would be for the HR team to conduct interviews and tests.

    It’s not at all the kind of situation where the Clan Master himself would get involved.

    Of course, his actual skills and the people around him were by no means those of a B-rank powered individual.


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