The Struggles of the #1 Rank - Chapter 26
Tae-jun rested his chin on one hand and twitched an eyebrow.
“I see.”
The atmosphere was quite different from when he had arrogantly explained why Joo-ah had been assigned to a higher-ranked group in the first place.
Perhaps the team assignment he had arranged without a proper plan had failed to generate as much discussion as he had expected.
He had wanted to find out whether Joo-ah was a Hunter who had formed a contract with a Constellation. Yet, because of her rank, she had never even climbed the Tower.
Tae-jun fell silent for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. His long fingers tapped lightly against the desk.
“Then let’s do this.”
He lowered the hand supporting his chin and leaned back deeply into his chair.
His black eyes swept over Higher-Ranked Group B standing before him before finally settling on Joo-ah.
“First, this team assignment is closely tied to orders from the higher-ups, so transferring you without a valid reason would be difficult. We need to present a reasonable justification to avoid unnecessary criticism.”
The corners of Tae-jun’s mouth curved smoothly upward. Joo-ah, who had been meeting his gaze, furrowed her brows.
He continued nonchalantly.
“I’ll give you five opportunities, Miss Seo Joo-ah. Follow your current team’s orders and respond to the emergency calls. Then report the details of your Tower-climbing records to me. Once you’ve completed five emergency calls, I’ll use those records to negotiate with the higher-ups.”
After listening to him, Joo-ah let out an incredulous laugh.
Tae-jun’s words flowed smoothly, but his true intentions were painfully obvious.
He was using the higher-ups as an excuse, claiming they had ordered the current team assignment. In reality, he wanted to examine Seo Joo-ah’s records to determine whether she had any connection to a Constellation.
Jae-rim asked in a polite voice,
“Would it be possible to reduce the number to three? Even one emergency call to a higher-level Tower could be extremely dangerous for Hunter Seo Joo-ah.”
Despite his request, Tae-jun let out a crooked laugh, his expression devoid of compassion.
“What exactly do you expect me to report after only three emergency calls? You should consider my position as well.”
Jae-rim had no choice but to nod helplessly. Yeon-joo, standing beside him, could only sigh.
Tae-jun’s position as Chairman of the Association was probably the main reason they couldn’t freely insist on their own demands.
“Why are you being so difficult? Just set the emergency tower at a lower level.”
Chan-hee, however, spoke his mind without the slightest hesitation.
He even used casual speech, as if he were talking to himself.
Tae-jun’s sharp gaze turned toward him.
“Each team is assigned a different Tower to climb. If Higher-Ranked Group B climbs a lower-level Tower than usual, other groups will have to take over the work that B would normally handle.”
Tae-jun’s rigid voice echoed through the Chairman’s office. Chan-hee listened quietly before snorting in disbelief.
“Don’t give me that nonsense, Chairman. Those people are already desperate to climb the Tower before the team that received the emergency call and kill the boss first. Do you really think they’d care about something like that?”
Joo-ah looked at Chan-hee in disbelief.
It wasn’t because of what he had said.
It was because of the way he was treating the Chairman of the Association.
“Why are you talking so strangely today? Your brain works just fine when it comes to useless things, so why has it stopped working now?”
It was unbelievable.
Even among higher-ranked groups, Joo-ah had never seen a Hunter speak so recklessly to Tae-jun. Not even when she had belonged to the elite unit in Eun-young’s body had she witnessed anything like this.
Tae-jun stared at Chan-hee with a frigid expression and issued a stern warning.
“Show some respect, Hunter Yoo Chan-hee.”
“I’m showing respect right now by answering you so politely, aren’t I, Chairman?”
Chan-hee shrugged casually as he replied. Tae-jun’s expression grew even colder.
Watching the two of them, Joo-ah leaned toward Yeon-joo and whispered,
“Do you think Hunter Yoo Chan-hee has lost his mind?”
Yeon-joo answered with an awkward smile instead of words. Joo-ah stared at Chan-hee, who stood at the end of the group, with genuine confusion.
“What are you looking at?”
He immediately noticed her gaze and picked a fight, raising an eyebrow. Joo-ah quickly turned her head forward.
Tae-jun ran a hand through his hair with an exasperated expression, revealing his smooth forehead. For some reason, it reminded Joo-ah of the time Chan-hee had slicked his hair back neatly at the banquet.
“Fine. For the next five emergency calls, I’ll select Towers at lower levels than those Higher-Ranked Group B usually climbs.”
He sounded as though he simply couldn’t be bothered to deal with Chan-hee anymore.
Looking considerably relieved, Jae-rim immediately spoke up.
“Then I’ll report Hunter Seo Joo-ah’s records.”
Tae-jun nodded as if granting permission and gestured toward the door with his chin.
“If that’s all, you may leave. I already have plenty of work to deal with today, and I’ve wasted thirty minutes here.”
He glanced at the expensive watch on his wrist and spoke irritably.
Jae-rim bowed first.
“Thank you for making time for us, Chairman.”
Yeon-joo and Joo-ah followed him, bowing before heading toward the door. Chan-hee, on the other hand, left without offering any greeting.
Click.
The sound of the door closing echoed through the quiet room.
“Does Hunter Yoo Chan-hee have powerful connections too?”
As Joo-ah walked down the corridor with her teammates after leaving the Chairman’s office, she asked with a puzzled expression.
Chan-hee was walking ahead of her. Although he had clearly heard her question, he merely let out a quiet, dry laugh without turning around.
Yeon-joo chuckled, finding the question amusing.
“Judging by the way Chan-hee treats the Chairman, do you think he has someone powerful backing him?”
“Yes.”
Joo-ah answered without the slightest hesitation. Chan-hee clicked his tongue and spoke as if she were hopeless.
“You really only think about things that way.”
Yeon-joo responded casually.
“Well, it’s not like Hunter Seo Joo-ah is wrong.”
The person who helped Joo-ah understand Yeon-joo’s remark immediately was Jae-rim, who was walking beside Chan-hee.
“Chan-hee is Chairman Yoo Tae-jun’s biological younger brother.”
“What?!”
Joo-ah stopped walking in shock. Yeon-joo stopped beside her and burst out laughing.
“Is that really so surprising?”
Jae-rim stopped as well and turned to look at Joo-ah.
“Chan-hee isn’t the type to go around telling people about things like this, so many people don’t know.”
However, since Jae-rim had told Joo-ah so casually, it didn’t seem like Chan-hee was particularly trying to hide it either.
Joo-ah stared at Chan-hee’s back with an incredulous expression.
She had heard that Tae-jun had a much younger brother. However, all she knew was that his younger brother was also a Hunter.
Tae-jun rarely brought up his brother, and Joo-ah hadn’t been particularly curious about him either. She had simply found it a little creepy that there could be two people like Tae-jun in the world.
Whenever she spoke with Chan-hee, he occasionally reminded her of Tae-jun for some strange reason. But she had never imagined the two of them were brothers.
“Are you coming or not?”
Chan-hee, who had continued walking ahead while the others stopped with Joo-ah, turned around with an irritated expression.
Looking at him, Joo-ah became even more convinced that the ill-tempered Tae-jun and Chan-hee resembled each other.
Chan-hee tilted his head slightly and met her eyes.
“Hurry up, D-rank. If you’re going to climb the Tower, you need to start special training today.”
Joo-ah furrowed her brows and resumed walking. Only then did Yeon-joo and Jae-rim start down the corridor again.
The special training Chan-hee had mentioned was no lie.
Joo-ah was barely managing to block the enormous hand of an A-rank virtual monster in front of her with her longsword.
“Your stamina keeps dropping. Cast Healing magic on yourself while blocking its attacks.”
Chan-hee, who was watching the situation from behind, spoke in a frustrated voice.
Joo-ah gritted her teeth and replied,
“If I could do that, I would’ve done it already.”
The monster’s massive hand attacked relentlessly. Unable to withstand its strength, Joo-ah was finally sent flying a long distance.
As she swallowed the intense pain, the monster charged toward her at incredible speed and pinned her body beneath its enormous foot.
“Ugh!”
It felt as though her breath was about to be crushed out of her.
【Stamina: 39 / 413 (-374)】
Her stamina was dropping rapidly. The monster gathered energy in the horn on its head, preparing to deliver its finishing blow.
White light blazed brilliantly as it prepared to explode.
Bang!
A bullet from the Taser Gun fired behind her struck the monster, making it disappear.
“If your rank has increased, you should at least have something to show for it.”
Chan-hee approached Joo-ah, putting the Taser Gun into his inventory as he held out a hand toward her where she lay on the floor.
Joo-ah glared at him irritably before reluctantly taking his hand. Chan-hee’s large palm wrapped firmly around hers, and he pulled her toward him in one swift motion.
“Well, E-rank or D-rank…”
With Chan-hee suddenly so close, Joo-ah’s eyes widened.
“You’re still equally pathetic.”
Chan-hee leaned toward her ear and whispered with a mischievous grin.
Joo-ah twisted her expression, released his hand, and stood up on her own.
“I’ll do it again.”
With a determined look in her eyes, she used Healing magic. Her stamina increased significantly.
Chan-hee straightened up and smiled, looking entertained.
He tapped the system window and summoned two A-rank virtual monsters.
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