Northward (1)

‘Spitfire Guild’s negotiation right recognized by the UK Public Safety Bureau is also S-rank, so there should be no problem.’

Negotiation right.

To put it simply, it was the right of a guild to request a dungeon conquest license for a dungeon they owned from the Public Safety Bureau.

When that happened, the Public Safety Bureau would determine what level of guild the requesting guild was, both internally and externally.

For example, a guild that was a criminal organization, excessively belligerent, or at war received an F-rank negotiation right.

Although a rank was assigned, they were essentially a target with whom negotiation was impossible.

And guilds that had committed hostile acts against the Public Safety Bureau or walked an unethical path received E-rank.

Negotiation rights were classified in this format, and the highest rank was S-rank.

Spitfire had good relationships with many other guilds and had no place it was at odds with.

That was why its reputation with the UK Public Safety Bureau was also good. From Kang-hoo’s position, it was the best card.

“A phone call would be better.”

Kang-hoo immediately made the call.

It was the secure contact number he had received directly from Ganiere in the past. This would probably be his first call.

The signal had not even rung a few times before the call was answered. Familiar English could be heard. It was Ganiere’s voice.

Since English conversation was as natural to Kang-hoo as Korean, he immediately continued the conversation.

“This is Shin Kang-hoo.”

-You finally contacted me. I was waiting. It seems I ended up contacting you first like this. I apologize for suddenly sending you an email.

It was an impression he had felt since the first time they met, but Ganiere was always polite.

For someone from one of the leading guilds in the UK, one might expect him to be prideful, but he seemed like a person with humility ingrained in his body.

“Not at all. It was a business proposal anyway. There is no reason to apologize.”

-I have been hearing quite a bit about you, Mr. Shin Kang-hoo. You are in a position incomparably higher than back then.

“A lot has changed.”

-Interest in you is high in the UK as well. In particular, many people seem curious about the fact that you are a capable assassin.

“I see.”

-I imagine there are many places looking for you. What do you think of our proposal? I am confident it will satisfy you more than any other proposal, but…….

The end of his words trembled, apparently worried that perhaps he had made an offer that did not satisfy Kang-hoo.

From Kang-hoo’s perspective, the important thing was whether he could go to the Hematite dungeon or not, so other issues did not matter.

“First, handling requests for all the dungeons you sent is impossible. I think I can begin with one urgent dungeon. I promise within ten days.”

Kang-hoo presented the time.

Looking at his current schedule, after returning from North Korea, he would go to China once for preliminary reconnaissance.

Immediately after that, he intended to visit the UK quickly. In that case, it would be around five days at the earliest.

He had said ten days by adding extra leeway just in case. He also had to account for travel time.

-You will take it on?

“Instead, I would like to request something other than the existing reward. It is also the key condition.”

-Please tell me.

“You must know the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow, correct?”

-Of course.

“I would like to obtain the conquest license for Dungeon No. 19 there.”

-If it is not rude, may I ask the reason?

At Ganiere’s question, Kang-hoo nodded as if he had expected it.

Of course he would ask.

That was because the dungeons beside the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow were nothing particularly special.

The bosses were ordinary, and the rewards did not have any unique points either. There was no issue that would draw interest.

Yet Kang-hoo had pointed it out specifically and requested the license, so from Ganiere’s position, it would make no sense.

He might also wonder why Kang-hoo was interested in a downgraded reward while leaving aside better offers.

“I simply want to go there.”

Kang-hoo gave an appropriate excuse.

He could not exactly say that there was a space buried with a large quantity of Hematite there, could he? Even if he did, there would be no meaning to it.

The dungeon abbreviated as “Glasgow - Dungeon No. 19” was a dungeon that had a unique fortuitous encounter created by a system error.

There were other dungeons with similar Hematite fortuitous encounters, but none were as good as this place.

Since it had the maximum number of Hematites obtainable from a single dungeon, he absolutely had to go.

And in terms of timing, it was also a dungeon that Jang Si-hwan might soon come to. If things were moved forward compared to the original work, it could be even sooner.

-Would that be enough?

“As long as the license rental is finished before I go to the UK, that will be enough. Then I do not need any other reward.”

-No, Mr. Shin Kang-hoo. I will proceed with the license rental separately, and I will also give you the 100 billion won reward.

“You are quite generous.”

-It is merely repayment to the benefactor of my son. In fact, it is still not enough. Please leave this part to me.

“Thank you.”

-I will wrap it up swiftly. Then may I send you the electronic contract? With the agreement being only for one dungeon that our guild considers the most urgent to conquer.

“Please do so.”

-Since our guild will personally stand as your guarantor, your UK entry procedure will proceed through the fast track.

“Ah.”

-In addition, we will immediately prepare a direct charter flight. You can coordinate the schedule directly with me.

“Thank you.”

The call ended like that.

Since he felt that Ganiere was carefully taking care of everything from start to finish, there was nothing for him to worry about.

The opening of the conversation had begun with a request, but in the end, it felt as though he had only received a great deal of consideration from Spitfire Guild.

Was it true that good deeds brought blessings after all? The truth handed down from the ancestors seemed unchanged even now.

After sleeping briefly, Kang-hoo immediately headed to the meeting place where he was to meet Ayane and Park Dong-jae.

It was the entrance just before entering Ground Zero. Since it was a place he had checked in advance, there was no problem.

And on the way there, he contacted Jang Si-hwan.

He reconfirmed whether it was possible to conquer Dungeon No. 17 in Nampo Direct-Controlled City. The result was that it was in a conquerable state.

Ayane and Park Dong-jae, who had arrived at the site first, brightened as soon as they confirmed Kang-hoo had arrived.

Especially.

“Kang-hoo……!”

He saw Ayane running toward him.

She had apparently been talking with Park Dong-jae about how to use a dagger, so the dagger she held in her left hand looked slightly threatening.

“Ah.”

Ayane, who had unconsciously run toward Kang-hoo in her delight and was about to hug him, flinched and stopped.

That was because she felt Park Dong-jae’s gaze staring intently from behind. She seemed to wonder if it would look too embarrassing.

Then Park Dong-jae, quick to read the room, seemed to understand the flow of the situation and suddenly stepped away while pretending to receive a phone call.

“Ah, yes. This is Park Dong-jae. Next week’s schedule? That is…….”

Ddan- ddarararara- ddanddan.

“……Ahem.”

He had thought it was a convincing act, but then an actual phone call came in, ruining it.

However, Park Dong-jae stubbornly continued his acting and slipped away from the scene together with the actual call.

He also did not forget the sense to disappear behind a nearby warehouse building at just the right time.

Kang-hoo, who watched the entire sequence, let out an empty laugh. It felt like he was watching a strangely lacking pair of siblings.

In any case, perhaps because the watching eye(?) had disappeared, Ayane lightly hugged Kang-hoo and said.

“I missed you.”

“You worked hard getting here. Did you unpack properly? I did ask Dong-jae to take care of various things.”

“Yeah. Dong-jae helped me a lot. The house is really nice too. And I learned all about the nearby facilities.”

“Does it feel awkward?”

“I’d be lying if I said it didn’t. But I think I’ll adapt quickly!”

Since Ayane had changed her stage of activity to Korea, it seemed her usefulness would increase going forward.

Because she was not bound by any interests, there would be no particular force she had to be mindful of.

Of course, he had no intention of using Ayane as a chess piece on the anti-Jeonghwa front or pushing her into the gap of conflict.

However, because there were many dungeons he could go to with her, he intended to use her as a valuable dungeon conquest partner.

It was a slightly mischievous thought, but he also thought it might be fun to go to a dungeon with Ban Se-yeong later.

When hunters of the same profession group were together, no matter how much they denied it, they could not help but be conscious of each other.

At that moment, Ayane slightly changed the topic and asked another question.

“Kang-hoo. Can I ask just one thing?”

“Why ask permission just to ask?”

“When you’re busy or somewhere else. Can I take Dong-jae and use him as a buffer?”

“Why wouldn’t you be able to?”

“No, well, it could be like that. Like Dong-jae absolutely doesn’t move unless he has your orders…… or he likes being bound by his master, something like that?”

“Ugh, what kind of picture are you imagining?”

“No, even when you’re not around, Dong-jae talks about you so much. I thought you two might be that kind of…….”

“Where did you get such a horrifying idea?”

“Then I’ll borrow Dong-jae when I need him?”

“As much as you want. First of all, more importantly, Dong-jae is not my ‘possession.’ Dong-jae is Dong-jae. Don’t worry about my opinion.”

Park Dong-jae was a talent who would grow rapidly as he accumulated experience. If there were opportunities, the more practical experience he piled up, the better.

And if it was Ayane, she could lead Park Dong-jae sufficiently even without Kang-hoo.

If he had the opportunity to coordinate with a high-level gunner like her, Park Dong-jae would also grow one step further.

That was because it was hard to find a gunner domestically who could surpass Ayane. Especially if it was the sniper position.

There were many mid-range firepower battle concepts like Ban Se-yeong, but long-range sniper gunners like Ayane were rare.

“But will it be all right when they say Ground Zero is in the Extreme Period? I kept worrying about that on the way here.”

“As long as we don’t enter a deathtrap, it’s actually an opportunity. Experience is amplified just as much as the strengthened monsters’ level.”

“In the community, they were scaring people a lot, saying that entering Ground Zero during the Extreme Period is perfect for getting killed?”

“That’s true. Though I feel like the premise of ‘knowing nothing’ should be added to that.”

“That’s why I think it’ll be fun.”

“That conclusion jumps in a strange direction.”

Kang-hoo laughed.

She had seemed to be full of worries, but then she reached the bizarre conclusion that it would be fun.

Ayane trusted him.

She trusted that Kang-hoo had not proposed this conquest without any thought or plan.

Just as Ayane had seen in the community’s reactions, research on Ground Zero was currently very lacking.

Even in the original work, the point when full-scale exploration and research on Ground Zero and the north of it began was much later.

It was when Jeonghwa Guild had almost finished organizing domestic forces.

At the earliest, it would be 2 years from now, and if considered generously, around 3 years from now. It was somewhere around that time.

However.

‘I know everything.’

As the original author, he already knew what plants to be careful of, what routes were dangerous, and what warning signs foretold danger.

That was why Kang-hoo was confident.

As long as they were careful not to act rashly.

Ground Zero in its Extreme Period was a land of opportunity where one could take all the milk and honey they wanted without anyone interfering.