Retire 572
by Cristae572 (Extra Story 39) Summoning_3
Among the agents dressed all in black, Kim Chaemin, in her bright dress, was impossible to miss.
And it was Kim Chaemin, after all.
Even the agents who had been glaring at Han Taekyung and Alex Hope, pressuring them to hurry up and talk, bowed their heads as soon as Kim Chaemin pushed them aside and sat down next to them.
That was the power of a great mage.
The youngest great mage alive.
With the other one still missing, Kim Chaemin’s status would only rise, never fall.
There were still some who tried to downplay her, saying her magic lacked firepower to kill monsters, or that she lacked dungeon raiding experience.
But that was all in the past. Even aside from the runes she continued to publish, what had happened in France and Las Vegas had engraved the name Kim Chaemin into everyone’s mind.
How many attempts had there been to replicate the large-scale resonance magic she had directed?
There were still many mages clinging to that magic. But no one had truly succeeded. At best, a handful could maintain it with just a single-digit number of mages.
If being young was a weakness, it was one she’d erased by joining Hong Seokyoung’s guild—now she was untouchable.
“Is everyone here?”
Kim Chaemin, unfazed by all the attention, addressed her guildmates with perfect composure.
Han Taekyung answered in a drowsy voice.
“Any countries missing?”
Of course, no one replied.
Han Taekyung shrugged.
“Looks like everyone’s here.”
“Hm.”
“No other problems?”
Because everyone’s attention was on Kim Chaemin, they only noticed belatedly the man in a suit following behind her.
He was a familiar face. He was the first person Hong Seokyoung had recruited when he’d finally formed a guild, after years as a solo. Whether the man himself knew it or not, he’d drawn a lot of attention for being brought in by Hong Seokyoung. Especially since Hong Seokyoung had introduced him as his disciple.
Like Kim Chaemin, he’d made a name for himself in France and Las Vegas, but opinions about him were still divided.
His name was Woo Huijae.
Everyone present knew his true identity.
No matter how well he’d covered his tracks, you couldn’t fabricate an identity without leaving traces. And hadn’t he gone through the Association? Anyone involved in the hunt for Henry Lehmann would know his background.
Whatever means Hong Seokyoung had used—coercion or persuasion—whether Woo Huijae’s name was real or not, the fact remained that he was connected to the Ark.
But because it was Hong Seokyoung, there was no problem. If it weren’t for him, Woo Huijae would never have walked in here so casually.
Everyone knew why Hong Seokyoung had started chasing Henry Lehmann. His only weakness was his family. If Woo Huijae hadn’t been trustworthy in that regard, he’d never have been allowed so close.
“I, Han Taekyung, always do my best at any task I’m given.”
“So, was there any trouble?”
“I did my best.”
“Only your best?”
“Come on. If I’d failed, would I be sitting here? I’d have disappeared long ago.”
“I told you not to talk like that.”
Kim Chaemin shot Han Taekyung a look.
He didn’t seem to care, but gave a sheepish grin and fell silent.
Woo Huijae sat naturally beside Kim Chaemin.
The seats in the old diner attached to the gas station were all the same. When Kim Chaemin shifted over to make room for Woo Huijae, Han Taekyung and Alex were pushed out of their chairs.
But neither of them said a word, simply standing behind Kim Chaemin and Woo Huijae. Their positions made the hierarchy among the four clear.
Woo Huijae’s current status was Hong Seokyoung’s only disciple. Even with his suspicious background, the fact that Hong Seokyoung had given him that title and kept him close meant he couldn’t be ignored.
But in the end, wasn’t he just the one handling Hong Seokyoung’s business at the school?
Most people here, including Sean Mori, assumed he’d come along as an insider to support Kim Chaemin.
Yes, that’s what most of them thought.
“Well then…”
Kim Chaemin folded a napkin on the table, fidgeting with her hands. Woo Huijae didn’t even glance at her as he began to speak.
“I know everyone here has a lot to say about our friend.”
Kim Chaemin didn’t interrupt him. If anything, the way she rested her chin on her hand and smiled at an angle signaled she wouldn’t get in his way.
“Our guild, Mimi, can’t be left out of this. You all know why, don’t you?”
Woo Huijae smiled faintly.
“I’m sure you all would have handled the Atlas Foundation just fine without us. But it was our master, Hunter Hong Seokyoung, who captured Herve Schneider… and there was what happened in Las Vegas… Considering all that, I think our guild has every right to speak here. Don’t you agree, Mage Kim Chaemin?”
“Of course.”
Kim Chaemin smiled brightly, then went back to folding her napkin.
…….
It was the opposite.
The one in charge here was not Kim Chaemin. In fact, it was the opposite.
She had come to support this man.
“…That’s everything we’ve discussed so far. Any changes?”
They’d been outmaneuvered.
Mori bit his lip. Most of the others were probably thinking the same thing.
To be caught by such a simple tactic meant Kim Chaemin’s name had grown that powerful. And that man had noticed and exploited it.
The names Kim Chaemin and Hong Seokyoung—those were Woo Huijae’s only cards. Even what he was saying now wasn’t anything new.
But Woo Huijae spoke as if he were the boss, and with Kim Chaemin and Hong Seokyoung’s names backing him, no one dared interrupt.
If there had been fewer countries here, it might have been all right. But with so many, any misstep would just lead the others to gang up on you.
He’d probably calculated all that. Of course. Only now did Mori realize why, despite being closer, he’d been called last. Since the investigation was happening in the U.S., they had the advantage, so they’d made sure he was the last to arrive.
“Any changes?”
Woo Huijae met Mori’s eyes. Mori ground his teeth and replied,
“…No.”
He knew he was being played, but there was nothing he could do.
With the incidents in San Francisco and Las Vegas, everyone knew Henry Lehmann was involved. And that connected to the Atlas Foundation’s cult village.
Of all the countries chasing Henry Lehmann, it was no accident that Han Taekyung and Alex Hope, handpicked by Hong Seokyoung, had been sent into the village. People talked about their skills and teamwork, but really, the point was that those two had no reason to steal the credit.
Was that a mistake?
What did Woo Huijae, Kim Chaemin—no, Hong Seokyoung—really want?
“Then let’s get to the main point.”
Woo Huijae nodded to Kim Chaemin. At last, she straightened up and spoke.
“You all want those materials, right?”
……
“How Henry Lehmann opened a dungeon.”
“…We still don’t know if that’s really possible.”
A British agent interjected hesitantly. Kim Chaemin smiled.
“Oh, come on. Our guild member already proved it.”
……
“Here, take a look.”
Kim Chaemin pulled a paper file from her handbag. It wasn’t thick. She took out a document from inside.
It wasn’t the original. It was a reprint of a scan of an old report. But Mori recognized the sketch of a dungeon gate, the old Atlas Pharmaceuticals logo, and a date from thirty years ago.
“This is proof that old Atlas illegally experimented with dungeons. Don’t ask how I got it.”
Probably through Woo Huijae. An insider.
“What I want is for everything found in that village to be destroyed.”
Kim Chaemin set the document on fire. The flames consumed the paper cleanly, leaving not a trace of soot. A few of the agents flinched in their seats.
Kim Chaemin turned to look at them.
“What? Isn’t it too dangerous to keep around?”
……
“Of course, it’s tempting. Even if you say otherwise in front of me, I know none of you will really let it go.”
She clicked her tongue and laughed.
“Honestly, I think it’s a shame to throw it away, too.”
“…So what are you proposing?”
“Let’s all study it together.”
Kim Chaemin said it firmly.
And Woo Huijae continued the explanation.
“Send researchers from each country. Mage, mana engineer, it doesn’t matter. Whoever you send, make sure they’re ready to study whatever materials are found in the dungeon.”
“They need to be prepared for research that could take who knows how long, with who knows what outcome.”
“…Who’s in charge?”
“Me.”
Kim Chaemin replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world, eyes wide.
“That’s—”
“What’s wrong?”
“What about Korea?”
“The Korean Association has no say in this. Neither does the Korean government. Both are completely out. Our master, Hunter Hong Seokyoung, guaranteed it.”
“Let’s be honest—hasn’t our master been cleaning up your messes all this time?”
Agents from countries that had worked with Hong Seokyoung often looked away.
But not everyone. An Italian agent frowned.
“That was a contract. Just because we owe Hunter Hong doesn’t mean we have to give in.”
“No.”
Woo Huijae shook his head.
“We’re asking you to trust the Hunter you’ve seen—Hong Seokyoung. If he gets annoyed, he can deal with everyone involved in the research.”
“Me included.”
Even at Woo Huijae’s chilling words, Kim Chaemin just laughed and raised her hand.
She then coughed, glancing at the still-serious agents and at Woo Huijae.
“Ahem, the research will be shared equally among participating countries. Honestly, I’d like to share it with everyone, even those not involved, but my vice-master said that would be unfair.”
Woo Huijae sighed.
Mori exchanged looks with his squad. There was no way they could decide this here. They didn’t have the authority.
Still, for his report—and out of genuine curiosity—Mori asked Woo Huijae and Kim Chaemin. He wanted to see which of them would answer.
“Why?”
“What do you mean?”
“Why go to all this trouble to call everyone here and propose joint research?”
Woo Huijae and Kim Chaemin answered in unison.
“Because it’s that dangerous.”
“It’s dangerous.”
“Are you, of all people, going to deny how dangerous it is after what happened in San Francisco?”
“No. I know, that’s why I’m asking.”
“You really think we’re proposing this just because we don’t want to throw it away?”
Woo Huijae twisted his lips.
“Some bastard’s bound to get greedy, so we might as well keep an eye on each other. See who tries to take the biggest piece.”
……
“Let’s keep watch on each other.”