ALL NOVEL Chapter 23
Chapter 23. Giant Cat Monster
Kim Si-hu froze in place, still holding the mouse.
With his eyes fixed on the monitor, he blinking slowly and finally said quietly, “I… I’ve ranked up.”
“Refresh it again.”
Yoo Ji-han, cutting straight to the point, requested a refresh.
He suspected it was a momentary glitch on the website.
Si-hu clicked the refresh button.
The view count for the announcement increased by one, but the same string of text appeared again.
‘It’s not an error…?’
He truly succeeded in ranking up.
The two found it hard to believe this fact.
‘I caused such a scene during the interview, yet they promoted me.’
He was aware that his behavior during the interview had crossed a line to some extent.
Kim Si-hu, a Half-Elf, couldn’t let go of the discriminatory questions he received from Lee Dong-ho, simply because of his race.
Had he just brushed it off, he might have felt reasonably confident about his promotion, given how well he performed in sparring.
But now, it was after he had fiercely confronted Dong-ho.
Even Yang Ji-cheol, who initially suggested the promotion, had severely criticized Yoo Ji-han.
They had no choice but to be suspicious about this turnaround result.
“Isn’t this a mistake?”
“It’s not entirely impossible.”
The guild that should be listed as promoted could instead have had the failed list written down.
Perhaps the staff writing the announcement made a mistake, or there had been misinformation within the Hero Department.
To clear his doubts, Yoo Ji-han ultimately picked up his mobile phone.
He immediately dialed the phone number for the complaint office made public by the Hero Department.
“Is this the Hero Department? I’m calling about the promotion results that were just posted…”
As soon as the other party answered, Yoo Ji-han inquired about the promotion.
He was told, however, that the person he was speaking to wasn’t in charge, and after a couple of transfers, he was finally connected to Yang Ji-cheol, who had personally participated in the interview the day before.
—Yes, you have indeed been promoted to Rank 4.
“Why is that?”
—Why would you ask? Don’t you like it?
“Everything’s fine, but I just don’t understand. You were there during the interview too, right?”
—I know exactly what happened! The spectacle between you and Lee Dong-ho.
“……”
—You guys were in such a fierce atmosphere that it felt like you were ready to stab each other at any point.
Hearing him mock the events of the previous day made Yoo Ji-han feel a tad embarrassed.
—Nevertheless, it was right to promote you. Congratulations on your rank up.
“I’m shocked, but… really, thank you.”
—By the way, it’s worth mentioning that Lee Dong-ho, who you clashed with, also agreed to your promotion.
“Excuse me? That guy?”
—Yeah. He even unusually mentioned the guild name directly.
Lee Dong-ho agreed to the promotion!
Moreover, he didn’t just agree but even mentioned the name directly in doing so.
Yoo Ji-han couldn’t wrap his head around this at all.
‘Should I consider that a relief?’
He worried that his past grudge might lead him to interfere with the next promotion evaluation, but those fears were unwarranted.
Based simply on character, he could very likely hold such grudges.
‘Could he be a tsundere?’
Or perhaps he’s the type known in Japan for having a facade different from his true feelings?
Imagining that for a moment sent goosebumps crawling down Yoo Ji-han’s arms.
He didn’t want to attract the attention of a muscle-bound man.
“Anyway, thank you.”
—The crystal trophy awarded to the promoted party will be delivered to the office within a few days.
“Oh… Did they say that changed since last year?”
—Since last year, it’s crafted from the shell of the West African crystal scorpion, not glass anymore, so the cost’s quite high. Many parties end up discarding the trophy without even realizing it, so please take good care of it.
*
Starting from the Hero Department’s announcement, news spread that the “Sweet Fun” party had successfully ranked up to Rank 4.
The first to react were Kim Si-hu’s peers from Hero Academy.
“Si-hu, it’s been a while! How have you been?”
“I heard the news! You’ve ranked up to Rank 4?”
“That unique guild name really sticks out.”
“Good for you! Let’s grab a drink when we meet again!”
…….
…….
Kim Si-hu received messages from different people at around ten-minute intervals.
All of them contained congratulatory messages about his promotion.
Being the top graduate and having good relations with his classmates, those who remembered the guild “Sweet Fun” he established after graduation were pleased for him.
Ding-dong!
As yet another call came in, Kim Si-hu groaned and flipped his phone over.
“Ugh! Seriously, why are there so many calls?”
“Isn’t this what you wanted?”
“There’s a limit, you know. And why do they congratulate me only to ask for money…?”
Kim Si-hu frowned.
He was receiving not just goodwill messages but also requests for loans along with them.
Parties of Rank 4 tend to make more money than those of Rank 5, so they would bring up old ties and ask for cash.
Bang bang.
Kim Si-hu slammed his palm on the desk, saying, “I got these desks cheap from someone clearing out their office, and I had mentioned I was a hero while dealing with that person, right? And he just texted me asking for a loan!”
“What? Is that someone you knew well?”
“Not at all! I met him just once months ago when I bought the desks. And he had the nerve to ask for that.”
Even a person he had met just once in a second-hand transaction had reached out!
Of course, despite their sad stories about struggling to pay medical bills for sick parents, being months behind on rent, etc., Kim Si-hu flatly rejected every single begging attempt.
‘It’s only going to get worse from here.’
If this is how it is after leveling up to Rank 4, it would surely be worse at Rank 3 or 2.
Who would dare to say such things to the powerful heroes? Yet people blinded by money don’t easily get intimidated.
Sure, once they see Kim Si-hu’s magic, things would change, but he couldn’t meet every individual personally.
Yoo Ji-han said to Kim Si-hu, who sighed, “Now that this has happened, why not clean up your relationships?”
“My relationships?”
“Keep only the people you feel are worth it in your contacts, and erase the numbers of those who pop up after a long time just to ask for money. If anyone calls back from those numbers, just act like you don’t know who it is.”
There was no need to cling to unnecessary relationships.
This was one of the little wisdoms Yoo Ji-han had gained as he climbed to Rank 2.
“Did you do that before too?”
“I did it a bit differently… but I’ve learned something.”
As a party member rather than the party leader, attention usually doesn’t come easy.
While the party of Kim Hyun-tae received attention after ranking up to Rank 3, Yoo Ji-han never found himself in situations as directly paralleled to Kim Si-hu’s current one.
But observing Kim Hyun-tae, Hwang Joon-ho, Lim Si-yeon, and Lee Mi-a closely had taught him a lot.
‘Hyun-tae used to curse like crazy too.’
It left a strong impression on Yoo Ji-han, especially the time Kim Hyun-tae exploded with profanities over a friend’s call asking to borrow money at the Kerose office.
Even someone who valued his image like Kim Hyun-tae couldn’t help losing it under pressure.
“At least now we can use the app.”
Kim Si-hu glanced at his phone.
He clicked on the app marked with the Hero Department logo.
[MA MAP]
The MA Map.
Also called the “MA Map,” it was a Hero Department service that allowed one to check past MA occurrences and newly declared MAs, as well as current statuses.
Since it provided MA recommendations based on party rank and their location, it was widely appreciated among parties.
Kim Si-hu waved the phone with the activated MA map towards Yoo Ji-han.
Thanks to their successful rank up, the “Sweet Fun” party was now displayed on the map as a Rank 4 rather than Rank 5.
“Rank 5 parties have to check this information directly on a computer or website, right?”
“Honestly, I don’t understand why they set that restriction.”
“Me neither.”
Strangely, the mobile version of the MA map could only be used starting with Rank 4 parties.
Thus, Rank 5 parties could only access related information via regular mapping services available to the public or through PC.
The Hero Department had not released an official comment on the reasoning behind this rank limitation.
However, it was vaguely speculated that they meant for heroes to work harder to rank up further.
‘I never got it installed myself.’
Yoo Ji-han, who hadn’t officially been recognized yet, couldn’t install the MA map app on his phone until now.
But now that their party had risen to Rank 4, it was no longer an issue.
Maybe he was finally starting to reclaim what he should’ve freely enjoyed long ago, one thing at a time.
“I just took a glance, and it seems there are quite a few MAs in the local areas too.”
“That’s probably why the Hero Department encourages outings to those places.”
Even in areas where the population was nearly extinct, MAs are declared.
However, there were significant issues arising from this, as the Hero Department, primarily active in the metropolitan area, declared MAs in those local areas. It indicated the monsters there most likely had already escaped beyond the barrier’s range.
Finding missing monsters one by one in those circumstances would be very difficult.
Could that be why there were frequent reports of those creatures hiding outside the MA and attacking people?
“For now, the large guilds, who are more capable, are sending out personnel to resolve those issues. Though, they still say there’s a severe shortage of manpower.”
“What if we go to the local areas?”
“We can’t, since there’s a lack of infrastructure, whether for crafting or monster management. You know that.”
“Yeah…”
“Unless one has a supporting background like a large guild, it’s very tough to operate locally.”
It’s extremely challenging for a small party to establish a base of operations in the rural areas.
Thus, most parties congregate in places like Seoul and Incheon.
This led to an increasing concern regarding the monsters emerging from the underpopulated areas in Korea.
No one knew what those monsters might do in the near future, having already grouped outside the MA.
People just wished for it not to escalate into a major incident.
“Let’s find some nearby places we can visit as a commemoration for the promotion.”
“Sure!”
Tap tap tap!
Setting the phone down on the desk, Kim Si-hu rapidly tapped the screen in a “hungry eagle” typing style.
As soon as he hit the search button, a flood of results poured in.
Thanks to their promotion to Rank 4, they had a significantly broader range of activities compared to when they were Rank 5.
As Kim Si-hu took time to compare several MAs, a sudden warning sound emitted from the app.
Beep—!
[In the vicinity of 3km, a Rank 4 MA has been declared!]
[Confirmed monsters: Giant Cat Monster]
[Distance from the current location to the MA: 721m]
[We kindly ask for the cooperation of many heroes for swift local stabilization.]
*
At the entrance of the Rank 2 MA held in Paju City, a crowd of reporters holding enormous cameras waited eagerly.
Meanwhile, a vehicle resembling a giant bus approached near the parking lot.
[KEROSE]
A stylish font displayed the Kerose mark along the side of the vehicle.
Upon seeing this, the reporters hurriedly adjusted their camera positions as if on cue.
Soon, automatic doors on the vehicle opened wide, revealing the Kim Hyun-tae party.
“They’re here!”
“Mr. Kim Hyun-tae! Please look this way for a moment!”
“Ahhh! Brother Joon-ho!!”
“Don’t crowd too much inside!”
“Reporters! Just take a step back, please!”
A wave of attention was directed at Kim Hyun-tae’s party.
Hero Department officials stood ready to prevent any civilians from entering the MA by blocking the entrance.
“Haha, thank you all for coming today!”
Carrying a large sword on his back, Kim Hyun-tae waved cheerfully at the crowd.
At just that moment, camera flashes went off all around, and a few of the female fans let out shrieking screams.
“Alright, we’ll be off now!”
After the Kim Hyun-tae party entered the MA.
Once the barriers blocked the view of the reporters and fans, Kim Hyun-tae, smiling, dug at his ear with his pinky finger.
“Wow, it’s truly loud as hell.”
“Seems like there are more people today than yesterday.”
“Joon-ho! Did you see that girl in a pink skirt just now? The one screaming among the reporters.”
“I missed her.”
“She looked ugly to the point it made me want to vomit. You should’ve seen her in person.”
Kim Hyun-tae mocked the fans who had come to cheer at the entrance.
The atmosphere starkly contrasted with when they were greeting everyone so brightly.
At that moment, Kim Kang-woo, who was just behind Kim Hyun-tae, chimed in.
“Hyun-tae! What’s your type of girl?”
“She absolutely has to be pretty. And I absolutely hate women over 55kg.”
“This weekend, I’ll gather girl heroes that fit that description and take you to a club.”
“Sounds good! You really know what you’re doing.”
“There are tons of girls who say they want to meet you lining up to talk to me.”
Kim Hyun-tae chuckled at the energetic Kang-woo.
Yoo Ji-han had been expelled from the party and was replaced by the official party member, Kim Kang-woo.
Compared to the rigid Yoo Ji-han, Kang-woo had a much better conversational rhythm and compatibility with Hyun-tae.
On the side, the mage Lim Si-yeon frowned slightly and said, “Can we stop talking about this with Lee Mi-a and me right here?”
“Oh, come on, Si-yeon. You can come along with me next time.”
“Why on earth would I go there?”
“There are tons of male models waiting just to see you.”
“Um… Really?”
“I’ll call only the really handsome ones!”
It seemed that Kim Kang-woo was trying to charm Lim Si-yeon with his words.
Meanwhile, Lee Mi-a didn’t seem to show any interest, keeping her mouth shut.
Kang-woo shot a glance at her but held back from approaching her, as he hadn’t completely figured out her personality yet.
“Hey, Kim Hyun-tae!”
“What? You’re here too.”
Just then, a party that had entered the MA before them approached the Kim Hyun-tae’s party.
The party leader, whom they occasionally encountered, was a peer from the Hero Academy.
“Wow, how long has it been since we’ve met here in the MA?”
“It was just two weeks ago at the bar.”
“That was outside.”
“It’s been a few months since we’ve met here.”
The man, who talked to Kim Hyun-tae, greeted his party members as well.
As he scanned the surroundings, he remarked, “Hmm? Where’s that guy?”
“Which one?”
“You know, the one with the mask on his face and a bag on his back, who used to follow you guys around without a word.”
“That guy? He quit a little while ago. This is the new guy we’ve brought in.”
“Nice to meet you! I’m Kim Kang-woo!”
The man who received Kang-woo’s introduction tilted his head.
“But why did he leave?”
“He probably had his reasons.”
“Oh? That’s too bad.”
“……Why do you care about that?”
When Yoo Ji-han was mentioned, Kim Hyun-tae narrowed his eyes.
However, the man didn’t seem to care much and said, “Did you not know? About a year ago, when you were nearby, that guy really helped us out.”
“What?”
“When monsters suddenly swarmed, the dealers almost got hurt, but he joined our side and managed to untangle the situation without saying a word.”
“…….”
“Wow, thinking back, that guy was something else. How did he move so well with such a big bag on his back?”
The man continued to praise Yoo Ji-han, who had helped their party escape a crisis.
Then Kim Hyun-tae replied, “……Are you done?”
“Huh?”
“If you’re done, I’ll be leaving.”
Leaving the man behind, Kim Hyun-tae started to walk ahead.
Hearing compliments about Yoo Ji-han made him feel uncomfortable.
Just then, the man shouted from behind, “If that guy who quit needs a place, have him contact me! We’ll take him in our guild!”
“……!”
Kim Hyun-tae froze for a moment.
His expression turned rigid, and it wouldn’t soften until he faced a monster.