LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 32
Grabbing Mar’s face, someone pushed it away.
Her head was small enough to fit in one hand.
“Hey, you know, I’m your superior!”
“So what?”
The call with Yoo Chae young ended like that.
“What the hell! What happened!”
“Why don’t you ask your favorite Chae young-unnie? I can’t say anything because I don’t know what’s supposed to be a secret.”
All I did was pass along the list of abnormal dungeons.
I didn’t get involved further. Too much hassle.
From now on, Seonghwa would handle it on their own..
“Jeez, you’re really a T, Mister!”
(Tl Note: “T” might refer to a specific trait, like “thick-headed” or something else depending on the context.)
“…? A tiramisu?”
She kept whining, so I ordered a tiramisu cake for her.
###
In just a few days, the crisis became visible in statistics.
Economic impact.
Loss of lives due to dungeon collapses.
Damage to awakened combat power.
Dungeon abnormalities caused countless issues.
But the biggest problem was something else entirely.
└ Success rate drop? Then what happens to progress?
└ Oh yeah, how does progression work now? The new season just started.
└ Wait, huh?
└ ?
└ LOL
└ It’ll be fine soon, right?
└ riiiight lmao
If the progression isn’t completed, it’s over.
Every dungeon in the country floods simultaneously.
The government?
Silent.
The problem was too catastrophic to announce, for fear of inciting panic.
└ Ignoring it won’t help; what’s the plan for progress…?
└ Can’t Perfect Clear fix it?
└ Uncertain. Experts say Perfect Clear alone needs at least C-rank progress.
└ Aren’t there other awakened ones?
└ Who’s gonna enter a dungeon in this chaos….
The threat was so massive, people refused to see it for what it was.
└ Korea’s not a developing country; it’ll be fine.
└ Worst case, get foreign aid.
└ Who’d help? All our dungeons are ticking time bombs; no one’s stepping in.
└ Huh?
└ Are you not getting it? The country’s collapsing in real time.
Fear accumulated like lava in a dormant volcano.
Quietly, beneath the surface.
And then—
All awakened individuals in Korea saw a message.
Ding!
[World Quest has been issued.]
[Quest: Defend Against Dungeon Abnormalities]
[The Black World Tree is scheming evil plans. Stop their wicked plot and protect South Korea.]
[Quest Completion Conditions:
Resolve the dungeon abnormality crisis 0/1
Identify the mastermind behind the scheme 0/1
Reward: Under evaluation….]
A World Quest.
An alert so rare it had only appeared a handful of times globally in the past century.
Its meaning was clear:
A critical threat exposed the majority to dire peril.
A blatant warning from the system.
└ Did anyone else get that?
└ I got it too.
└ Wow, we’re screwed lol.
└ ? What’s going on?
└ Threads are blowing up everywhere now.
└ Did Perfect Clear get updated? Does progression work now?
└ Packing my bags; leaving Korea. Peace out.
Panic erupted.
Everyone glued themselves to online forums for updates.
Emergency supplies in supermarkets sold out.
Riots broke out in rural areas.
The streets outside the Blue House filled with protesters.
“Resign! Government incapable of addressing dungeon abnormalities!”
“Take responsibility for the World Quest!”
“President, step down!”
Fear spread like wildfire.
Watching it all unfold on TV from the academy, Kang Hyun and Aden spoke.
“Wow… Master, this is a serious crisis for the nation.”
“The quest conditions are so simple.”
“Resolve the abnormalities and uncover the mastermind… Who’s going to do that?”
“Resolving it, sure, but the mastermind….”
Kang Hyun propped his chin on his hand.
Isn’t this that?
Quietly, so Aden wouldn’t hear, he muttered to the system.
“It’s that Abyss guy’s doing, isn’t it?”
Ding!
[World Quest completion conditions updated.]
[Quest: Defend Against Dungeon Abnormalities]
[The Black World Tree is scheming evil plans. Stop their wicked plot and protect South Korea.]
[Quest Completion Conditions:
Resolve the dungeon abnormality crisis 0/1
Identify the mastermind behind the scheme 1/1 (Completed)
Reward: Under evaluation….]
“Uh, uh! Master! One of the two conditions just got completed!”
“Huh.”
What the—
###
The uncontrollable spread of fear.
The government hurriedly prepared countermeasures and statements.
Ding!
[World Quest conditions have been updated.]
[Quest: Protect Against Dungeon Anomalies]
[The Black World Tree faction is scheming an evil plan. Stop their sinister plot and protect South Korea.]
Quest Completion Conditions:
Resolve the dungeon anomaly situation: 0/1
Identify the mastermind behind the scheme: 1/1 (Completed)
Rewards: Currently being calculated…
An Awakened being holding a loudspeaker stood at the forefront of the protesters.
As he passionately shouted slogans, his voice suddenly faltered.
“The government must take responsibility for this… huh?”
The protests halted.
The government’s emergency meetings paused as well.
Everyone was dumbfounded.
Hadn’t it been less than a day since the quest notification appeared?
└What is this?
└Who did this?
└Could it be? Is the Korean government more capable than we thought?
└As if.
└If it were the government, the opposition would be using it for promotion. The fact that they’re silent means they’re just as confused.
└Seriously, who’s responsible for this?
The atmosphere completely shifted.
News outlets were quick to spread the story.
At the press conference, the Vice guild leader stated:
“We’ve developed technology to detect dungeon anomalies and are currently operating it on a trial basis. While it’s not yet perfected for commercialization, we’re prioritizing the safety of our guild members by implementing it early.”
The deputy guild leader didn’t fully understand the situation himself, so he chose his words carefully.
Yet public response was enthusiastic.
The criticism aimed at Seonghwa Guild disappeared, and public opinion turned overwhelmingly positive.
└They fixed the issue as soon as it became a problem.
└As expected of a major guild.
└It’s not just any major guild—it’s the No. 3 guild among the top 10.
└Let’s just call them one of the Big Three from now on. Top 10 is overrated.
└I’ve failed to join Seonghwa five times now. I really want in…
└Please make the tech commercially available. Rooting for you!
Seonghwa Guild, now the center of public expectation, had unintentionally become a beacon of hope.
The orchestrated smear campaign lost its impact and backfired, further boosting the guild’s reputation.
Upon wrapping up the press conference, the Vice guild leader immediately sought out Yoo Chaeyoung.
“Kang Hyun, you say? That man caused a stir on his first day by taking down Seongmin, and now he’s an expert in theory too!”
Normally reluctant to face reporters, his face now beamed with joy.
“I should’ve trusted your judgment from the start, Chaeyoung. Ha ha ha!”
“I didn’t do anything. He’s simply a remarkable person.”
“But you’re the one who recognized his potential!”
Chaeyoung smiled quietly to herself.
The truth was, Kang Hyun had been appointed as part of a national initiative.
However, she had seen his potential early on and supported him when others overlooked him.
This narrative spread within the guild, painting Chaeyoung as the one who “discovered” Kang Hyun.
Despite this, Chaeyoung didn’t feel entirely pleased.
Yoo Chae-young approached Kang Hyun.
“I’m sorry for leaking the anomaly detection information.”
“It was an inevitable step.”
Kang Hyun had no desire to be in the spotlight. However, he held no grudge against Yoo Chae-young.
She had tried to handle the matter discreetly, but the leak had been almost impossible to prevent. After all, he had suddenly distributed the anomaly dungeon list to guild members.
“This much is fine.”
Kang Hyun was concerned about attracting attention, as it could lead to assassination attempts or sabotage. Still, this time, his name was making waves not for his combat skills but for something else entirely, which made it less troubling.
Before long, the guild members had started calling him “Professor,” even though he held no actual degree.
“At least I made sure the public doesn’t know your name, Kang Hyun.”
“That was well done.”
While the leak was unavoidable, the follow-up was handled smoothly.
“That said… I feel bad asking this, but would you consider stepping further into the spotlight?”
“Step further in?”
“We’re getting bombarded with requests from other guilds.”
“Oh, for anomaly detection at their gates?”
“Yes.”
Kang Hyun hesitated. He had stepped in this time only because Seonghwa Guild was like family. He wasn’t keen on taking on more responsibilities.
“I’ve already discussed this with the vice guild master. Any payment for anomaly detection will go entirely to you, and you’ll also receive 10% of the profits from clearing those dungeons.”
“Seonghwa won’t take a cut?”
“No. Just stepping in boosts our guild’s reputation significantly.”
It made sense. Yoo Chae-young’s proposal didn’t seem motivated by greed but rather a necessity to maintain appearances.
“But 10% of dungeon profits? That’s unexpected.”
“Tempting, isn’t it?”
Kang Hyun knew how lucrative dungeons could be, but this offer was on another level. High-grade dungeon detections, especially A-rank ones, could yield billions in revenue. Taking a 10% cut would mean a hefty sum.
“It is tempting, but…”
He wasn’t thrilled about the idea of becoming busier. He already had plenty on his plate.
“Oh, here’s your share for the latest achievement.”
“Huh? What’s this? A case designed to make someone’s heart race?”
It was a familiar item, something he had received countless times in his previous life. A wooden box made from Terraze wood, typically used to store elixirs.
“It’s a mana elixir. It increases mana by 1 within the E-range.”
“Wow!”
Nice! He was already reaping rewards just a week after joining the guild. Without hesitation, he popped the elixir into his mouth.
Yoo Chae-young flinched but quickly composed herself. This wasn’t the first time she’d seen him do this.
Ding!
[“Mana” has increased. (E- → E)]
“…Could you stop startling people like that?”
He spat the empty container into a nearby trash can.
“Ugh, it has that healthy taste.”
“How can you consume an elixir like that? I’ve never seen or heard of anyone doing it that way.”
“It works, doesn’t it?”
“Are you sure it’s safe? No side effects?”
“It’s fine.”
After all, wasn’t he an expert on elixirs?
In any case, his mana was now E.
‘Just one more step to go.’
Soon, he’d be able to use the cultivation technique from his past life—Kyle’s cultivation method. That would accelerate his growth.
‘Right on time for dealing with that loan shark.’
It was perfect timing. With his increased stats, handling them would be much easier.
“Also, if you provide anomaly detection services to other guilds, there could be additional support like this in the future.”
“An offer I can’t refuse. Alright, I’m in.”
While it meant a busier schedule, he had made sure to leave enough time for Perfect Clear. As for taking out loan sharks? That could be handled at night. A little extra cash wouldn’t hurt. Plus, it would help raise Yoo Chae-young’s standing.
‘Above all, I’ll have to stay involved for a while.’
This was due to the World Quest. Rumor had it the rewards were exceptional.
‘What will I get? Maybe something as game-changing as the inventory skill?’
The thought already excited him.
‘If I expose Blue’s involvement, does that complete the quest?’
He decided to leak the information to the media. The dungeon anomalies were a collaboration between Palan and the demon race. It was time to see how the quest responded.
###
There were two conditions for the World Quest.
One had already been fulfilled by an unknown figure.
└So who is it?
└An S-rank Word Mage?
└Maybe a Perfect Clear Awakener?
└How? I heard they’re still in the E-range.
└How did they resolve one already? Some unique skill?
└The government should collaborate with them to resolve this crisis quickly!
The government was frantically searching for him, eyes wide open and running in all directions.
The dungeon anomalies had not yet been resolved.
The nation’s fate was still hanging by a thread.
His help was absolutely crucial in resolving this crisis.
It would be even better if they could recruit him as a civil servant.
Chief Choi felt the same way.
He immediately made a call.
“Is this Mr. Kang Hyun?”
“Yes?”
W-what, who is this person?