TL: Boko

Editors: Frost, StellarRain

Because he didn’t have a lot of luggage, moving didn’t take very long. He wanted to bring his father, Soo Hyuk, to live with him immediately, but he decided to wait as they hadn’t finished constructing the defense systems yet.

As soon as he finished moving, Sung Joon invited Jung Chul to his home because he had something to tell him.

“Congratulations moving into a new home. Do you like your new place?”

Jung Chul spoke as if he was a real estate agent, and walked across the garden into Sung Joon’s house. Sung Joon lead him into the living room and opened his mouth.

“It’s wide open. I like it.”

“That’s a relief. But aside from that, I’m sure you have something else you wanted to discuss with me other than giving me a tour of your house.. Is it about the defense systems you wanted built?”

“That’s exactly why I called you.”

Sung Joon smiled. He took out a floor plan from his chest pocket and placed it in front of Jung Chul. The floor plan already had places marked that Sung Joon considered important points for defense after deliberating with Rishubalt.

“These points look like places where you want to construct defenses.”

Jung Chul noticed immediately. Sung Joon nodded his head and spoke.

“Money isn’t an issue. Please install the nation’s top defense systems.”

“The best defense systems can stop an attack from a platoon of B-rank Hunters. Because the systems are so effective, you need permission from the government to install them. We can secretly install them, but there’s a high risk to that.”

Though the restrictions regarding weapons and defense systems had loosened after the Raids began, it was still South Korea.

Some weapons and defense systems were still restricted.

“If I get permission from the government can you begin construction immediately?”

“Yes. As long as you get permission, installing the devices or systems won’t be a problem. The more money you use, the more manpower we can get and the faster the construction will be.”

Jung Chul replied to Sung Joon’s question. There was nothing that couldn’t be done with money.

“Please prepare the labor force for construction. I’ll take care of the government.”

Sung Joon spoke with a voice overflowing with confidence. If he pressed them, there was nothing the Korean government could do.

Since he was South Korea’s first SS-rank Hunter.

“Then I’ll start acquiring the labor force for construction.”

After saying that, Jung Chul left Sung Joon’s mansion. Sung Joon ate dinner and then walked over to the terrace. Then, he took out his phone.

“Are you planning on calling Team Leader Kim Hyun Sung?” Rishubalt asked. Sung Joon shook his head. He was planning on calling someone with a higher position than Hyun Sung. Asking Hyun Sung wouldn’t be a bad move, but it would be a waste of time as Hyun Sung would have to relay the information to his superiors.

“I’m going to talk to the Bureau Director, Lee Seung Tae.”

Because he’d received Seung Tae’s business card at the Blue House, he knew Seung Tae’s phone number. Sung Joon unhesitatingly dialed Seung Tae’s number.

Seung Tae likewise knew Sung Joon’s number. Perhaps because of that fact, it didn’t take long before he picked up.

“Mr. Kang Sung Joon? This is the first time you’ve called me.”

“This should be our first time even talking over the phone. Probably.”

“Hahaha. You’re right.”

They exchanged light jokes with each other before Sung Joon went on to the main topic.

“You hate it when people don’t get to point immediately so I’ll tell you straight up, Bureau Director. I’d like to install the best defense systems at my mansion. Please give me permission,” Sung Joon said firmly.

“The best defense systems are able to repel a group of B-rank Hunters with a few A-rank Hunters mixed in. Are you preparing for some sort of battle?”

“I heard that Russia’s aiming for me as well.”

He’d coincidentally heard about Russia aiming for him when he had conversed with Jung Chul before.

“If you don’t give me permission, then I have no choice but to defect to America with my family for their safety.”

Sung Joon came out strongly.

America had wanted him ever since he was an S-rank Hunter. Since he was an SS-rank Hunter now, they would accept him without a second thought now.

“Alright. You have permission. Fortunately, I’m able to give you that permission.”

In the end, he gave in. He decided that it would be better to give Sung Joon permission, even if it was a bit of a hassle, than lose their first SS-rank Hunter. As they hadn’t yet established the armed intelligence agency, ‘White Tiger’ (Baekho), it would be better to give in to his demands.

“It seems like I won’t have to go to America for now. Thank you.”

“Of course. If there’s something you want, Mr. Kang Sung Joon, then we have to do our best to fulfill it.”

He spoke calmly and comfortably, but it seemed like he felt uneasy somewhere. But because Sung Joon’s request wouldn’t harm him, he just decided to let it go without being too worried about it. So long as he wasn’t personally harmed, he would indulge Sung Joon.

“Then, keep up the good work.”

“Have a good day.”

Sung Joon finished talking with Seung Tae and immediately called Jung Chul.

“I’ve gotten permission.”

As soon as Jung Chul picked up, Sung Joon relayed that he’d gotten permission.

“You’ve gotten permission? It’s to my understanding that they don’t easily give away permission to install the best defense systems. At least, it shouldn’t be easy.. as expected of you, Mr. Kang Sung Joon.”

Jung Chul was astonished. If the defense systems were modified just a little bit, it could be used as weapons, so the government tended to restrict access to them.

Considering how easily they gave Sung Joon permission to install them, it was quite easy to tell how much the government valued Sung Joon.

“It wasn’t very hard. There are no problems now, right?”

“Yes. Since we’ve gotten permission we can progress immediately once we procure the equipment, so long as it’s all paid for.”

“Don’t worry about money, and please move forward with it.”

“It’ll likely cost more than tens of millions of dollars,” Jung Chul said. However, Sung Joon didn’t waver. He’d even taken over a research facility for his father, so he had no reason to hesitate in spending millions of dollars for his father’s safety.

“Once again, it doesn’t matter how much it costs,” Sung Joon stressed.

“I understand. There are some things we need to order, but for a few of them, I have more than enough. We’ll start construction tomorrow morning.”

The normal auction house as well as the VIP auction house that Jung Chul managed were both equipped with top defense systems.

Therefore, he had some of the equipment in storage. Because Sung Joon wanted him to start construction immediately, he decided to use the components he had in storage.

“Could you please do so?”

“There are no problems with that. Since I have authority over it.”

“Thank you.”

The next morning.

The construction began. Sung Joon watched the workers transporting the equipment with a pleased expression. Rishubalt, who was watching TV to better understand modern times, approached Sung Joon.

“My lord. Didn’t you say that you were going to meet with Park Jang Hoon and Yoon Shin Chul?” Rishubalt asked, reminding Sung Joon. He had forgotten as he had been watching the ongoing construction. He opened his mouth with a calm expression.

“I’m planning on meeting them right now.”

Sung Joon sent a message to Shin Chul first. Fortunately, Shin Chul wasn’t in the midst of a dungeon assault, so Sung Joon got a reply within ten minutes.

[Anytime is good with me.]

It didn’t seem like he had an appointment for a dungeon assault either, so he was free. Sung Joon sent Shin Chul another message and told him when and where they’d meet.

They promised to eat lunch together, and Shin Chul and Jang Hoon were to come to Sung Joon’s mansion. A short while later, the two came to visit him by car. Sung Joon opened the front gate for them and the car passed by the sections undergoing construction and entered into the main building.

“It’s been a long time. It’s nice to see you again.” Sung Joon greeted first.

“We came right away after getting your call! Hahaha” Jang Hoon responded vigorously. Shin Chul smiled as well and opened his mouth.

“I heard that you bought a mansion. Are we the first to visit it?”

“No.”

“I see. It’s not much, but this is a housewarming present.”

“It’s wine. Thank you.”

Once the two finished giving him a housewarming present, Sung Joon led both Shin Chul and Jang Hoon to the living room. The two were awed by the vast interior.

Shin Chul and Jang Hoon were both A-rank Hunters so the house they lived in was quite large, but their houses wasn’t nearly as large as Sung Joon’s.

They ate a simple lunch.

“I’m curious as to why you called us over, Mr. Kang Sung Joon. I’m excited. I wonder what you’ll bring up this time,” Shin Chul said.

“You see me as too much of a troublemaker.”

“Hahaha”

It seemed as though Shin Chul thought what Sung Joon said was a joke, as he sported a smile and Jang Hoon also began to laugh vigorously. Seeing that, Sung Joon tilted his head and spoke.

“I’ll just get straight to the point. I’m planning on forming a guild.”

“I’d somewhat expected this, but it’s quite early. Have you gathered any people to join your guild immediately?”

Shin Chul asked something quite important. Sung Joon shook his head.

“I have plenty of funds but don’t have enough members. That’s why I have no plans of making the guild immediately.”

“Then are you saying..?”

Shin Chul’s eyes brightened.

“I’ll make a temporary assault team and increase the members step by step.. I invited you both here today to ask you two to become executives of my guild.”

“Executives? What are the conditions?”

“The details are written here. You can just consult these documents.”

Sung Joon took out a piece of paper detailing the conditions, and Jung Chul and Jang Hoon read it.

“The conditions aren’t bad. But will the guild really only take 10%?”

In exchange for the benefits a guild gives, the guild would take a portion of a Hunter’s rewards. Normally that amount was 30% of a Hunter’s rewards, but because Sung Joon was exempt from any payments to the nation with regards to guilds, he decided to take just a 10% share from Shin Chul and Jang Hoon.

“That’s fine by me,” Sung Joon replied as he smiled. Jang Hoon looked favorable to the idea, but Shin Chul was meticulous, so he read the conditions carefully.

“But there’s a condition that states that we have to live in this mansion. I’ve never seen this provision anywhere else before.”

“In addition to being executives of my guild, you’ll also be employed as my personal bodyguards,” Sung Joon said, and Shin Chul furrowed his brow.

“If we are to be your personal bodyguards, then our actions become really limited.. I don’t really like that.”

Like other Hunters, Shin Chul pursued independence.

“You’ll be my personal bodyguards by name only. All you need to do is live in a separate building of this mansion and help out if there’s an attack. And if the two of you join me.. then you can enter SS-rank dungeons,” Sung Joon said, and Jang Hoon and Shin Chul’s eyes shook immensely. All Hunters dreamt of assaulting dungeons with high difficulty.

“The conditions aren’t bad.”

“I’m for it!”

Shin Chul acted like he wanted to think about it some more, but Jang Hoon said he was in favor immediately. Shin Chul sighed.

“Ha! Well.. it doesn’t seem like there’ll be much of a problem with it.. I’ll accept your offer as well.”

“Thank you.”

“But I also have a request for you.”

“What is it?” Sung Joon asked.

“You can speak more comfortably[1] with us now. It’s not good to see an employer speaking so politely to his employees.”

“Alright,” Sung Joon immediately dropped the polite speech. Doing so wasn’t hard. Then, Jang Hoon’s eyes brightened and he asked.

“Can I call you hyung now[2]?”

He had called Sung Joon ‘hyung’ before, but had restrained himself afterwards. Sung Joon nodded his head.

“Do as you please.”

And Jang Hoon cheered.

[1] Dropping the honorifics.

[2] Hyung, or older brother.