Possessed an Academy Security Guard

83 – 083. The whole story. And deal. Or threats.

Iliana Faust prefers to get information from someone in writing rather than words.

It was because she had an artifact called ‘Cainspring’s monocle’ that could see through any lie once a day.

When the monocle’s ability is activated, people who are lying or texts with false information will appear purple. Therefore, it is better to obtain information in writing than verbally. You can know which part is true and which part is false just by skimming a long article like a statement. It was her artifact that was suitable for her career as a detective.

The only flaw is that she couldn’t see through the act of hiding some truths that weren’t outright lies, but that part was covered by Illyana’s own deduction skills.

So this morning, I wrote a statement about the truth about the double dungeon incident (except for the Kang Ha-neul’s ability) and handed it over to Illyana.

A few hours have passed since then. Illyana’s client, Midsummer, came to see me.

‘It would be safe to say that all the information passed on to Illyana has already been passed on to Midsummer.’

But it was still unknown if Midsummer knew about the relationship between me and Illyana. If she dared to consider the possibility, she would be right in thinking that she doesn’t know. If she had known that me and Illyana had already been in contact with her detective and her client, she wouldn’t have said things like ‘I don’t know by what means’ when she talked about Illyana.

‘I could uselessly give more information to Han Yeo-reum after saying the wrong thing. You’d better refrain from speaking on my side first.’

After a while, I decided on a guideline for action.

“I don’t understand the situation a little bit.”

“Which part?”

“Midsummer student is the older sister of Midwinter student. You probably know that Midwinter student blocked the media for me. Then you already know about my progress in the double dungeon, don’t you? But why did you even hire a detective…….”

“Ahn Soo-ho.”

Then Midsummer cut me off.

“I told you right? I hate wasting time.”

“… ….”

“Looking at the expression on your face, you seem to have a rough understanding of the situation, but let’s put aside the useless search battle and quickly get to the point. Why did I ask a detective to investigate you and why did I come to see you? Aren’t you curious?”

“I’m sure you’re curious.”

Actually, that was the most important fact at this place.

Why did Midsummer become interested in me, who had no contact with me?

As befits a woman who loathes wasting her time, the answer lies in her words that follow immediately.

“Do you know Hunter Han Yong-soo?”

At that, I nodded.

Han Yong-soo, an executive of the Black Dragon Association of the S-class guild. He is one of the only three S-class superhumans in the Black Dragon Society, and the superhuman who served as the leader of the knight’s tomb preceding expedition.

He was a character who often appeared as a supporting character in the original work, and his name was constantly mentioned in articles dealing with this double dungeon incident. Did he say that he fell into a critical condition of unconsciousness while protecting the expedition team at the end?

“If you know, the story is fast. That Han Yong-soo Hunter was conscious a while ago. And at the dungeon clearing meeting held on Saturday, he told me a new fact that hadn’t been revealed before.”

Perhaps the new fact has something to do with me.

I guessed that right away, but I couldn’t help but be shocked by the words of midsummer that followed.

“He said the dungeon boss is desperately looking for you?”

Midsummer said. The owner of the dungeon, the monster Wilhelm. He said that he fought with Han Yong-soo and cried out to him all the time. Bring back the thief who ran away and trampled on his own honor. To return the cross, the proof of loyalty to the lord.

Wilhelm said he didn’t mention my name. But in the end it was elimination. Before the expedition team entered, the only people who had contact with Wilhelm were me and Kang Ha-neul. Among them, I was the only one who heard the word ‘bastard’.

“I couldn’t understand most of what you meant, but I could tell that something was different from what you said in your statement to the association. So, on the way back from the meeting, I immediately commissioned the detective.”

“You move so fast.”

“I tend to do things right away when I think of them. Furthermore… ….”

As if midsummer was trying to find out the reaction from this side, she paused a little before speaking.

“Hunter Han Yong-soo said that the boss said that you were pathetic compared to that ‘thief’. Even if they are not specialized in combat, S-class superhumans are S-class superhumans. An academy guard who is more highly regarded than Han Yong-soo. You can’t be interested, can you?”

“…… He’s exaggerating too much.”

That’s what he said, but Wilhelm had an excellent eye for judging someone’s strength. If he said that I was stronger than Han Yong-soo, there was a 100% chance that he was actually like that.

‘Unexpectedly. No, should I say it’s beyond my imagination?’

The information gap between Han Yong-soo and me, the difference in situation, Kang Ha-neul’s ability, Talisman, the morning star’s breath, and so on.

There were numerous variables to objectively compare my strength with Han Yong-soo, but at least in that situation, it means that I surpassed the strength of Han Yong-soo, an S-class superman. It must mean that Kang Ha-neul’s ability is extraordinary, but there was another part that I paid attention to.

‘The principle of that ability is to bring out my potential to the limit. In other words… ….’

Under the premise of being assisted by several artifacts, a superman named Ahn Soo-ho can reach the level of an S-class superman. This personally surprised me quite a bit.

‘It’s thanks to the musculoskeletal alignment I received from Yeo In-hyeok.’

Originally, Ahn Su-ho’s body was so substandard that it would be a waste to say that he was a superman. I smiled as I thought of the white-haired old man who was probably still hiding in the magic storm at the top of Mt.

“Why are you laughing?”

“I thought it was very complicated. I hid it because I was good at hiding it, but I never dreamed that it would be exposed like this because of all sorts of coincidences.”

“It’s cunning… …. If it’s unfortunate, it’s unfortunate, and from your point of view, it’s probably unfortunate. But don’t be too discouraged. Few people know about this. At most, a few guild executives who attended the meeting.”

At least not yet.

The added midsummer stared at me with cold eyes.

“You blocked the media through Winter. And if you think about the false statements, do you think it’s difficult for others to see your strength?”

From Midsummer’s point of view, it was natural to think that way. But the reality was a little different.

First of all, I had absolutely no intention of doing the so-called ‘strength’. Of course, artifacts like Talisman would be hidden from others. If you have a trump card for a decisive moment, you will of course have to hide it. What I’m saying is that I won’t do things like pretending to be an E-class superhuman even though I have the strength of an A-class superhuman, hiding my strength in order to distract others and appear weak.

That’s because there’s no reason for that.

There are advantages and disadvantages to showing strength. Hiding strength also has its benefits and losses. Comparing the two, in my case, it was more beneficial to reveal my strength as it is. As a pitiful E-class superhuman, it would be difficult to even relate to the many characters who were active in the original work.

Therefore, I had no intention of hiding my strength. However, the current situation was a little different.

The power that Han Yeoreum, Han Yong-soo, superhumans from other guilds, and Wilhelm considered me to be An Su-ho’s natural strength was never my strength. It was, to the last, a temporary power obtained through the power of the river sky.

In such a state, if others arbitrarily mistake me for being strong, would anything but trouble happen?

So I thought it was fortunate when Min Chae-ryeong voluntarily censored Kang Ha-neul’s statement, and later, when I told the association about what happened in the dungeon, I intentionally underplayed my performance.

So the current situation was a difficult situation for me. The reason was completely different, but Hanyeoreum correctly understood that I was feeling uncomfortable in this situation.

“What would you do if I answered that I was in trouble? Would you like to help me?”

“Seeing what you do, there’s nothing I can’t help you with. It’s a deal, so to speak.”

“Sounds more like a threat than a deal.”

“However you take it, you are free. But I hope you choose carefully.”

“So. Midsummer student, what do you want me to do to offer you a ‘deal’?”

At my words, Midsummer replied with a smile.

“It’s simple. Please join us in this knight’s raid on the tomb.”

As the saying goes, it was a very simple request on the surface. However, what was inside was not at all simple.

“Ask the academy guards to participate in the dungeon raid. I don’t understand a little bit. Are you running out of power?”

“Yes. It’s not enough.”

It was an immediate answer. Han Yeo-reum pulled out the tablet she had left by her seat and she showed me a screen. It was a screen full of red dots on the entire map of the Korean Peninsula and various numbers listed.

“Hunter manpower has always been in short supply, but especially these days. For some reason, the number of dungeons increased dramatically from mid-February.”

“Definitely. The news said there was something wrong with it.”

Dungeons currently occurring in South Korea had a much higher number and grade compared to previous years. Knowing the future, I know that it is a sign of a large-scale dungeon crysis early next year.

“Because of the lack of manpower, there are even opinions in the association that retired hunters should be reappointed or PMC (private military company) mercenaries should be temporarily issued hunter licenses. Thanks to that, even though this knight’s tomb raid is an overrank dungeon, the number of people assigned is not as good as expected.”

“So you are asking me to cooperate.”

“I want to draw all the power that can be used. If the words of the dungeon boss are true, you are an S-class person no matter how low you think it is. As a participant in this dungeon clearing, I hope that at least one strong hunter will participate in the clearing…… That is a superficial reason.”

“Then what is the real reason?”

“Nothing special. You said it a while ago. I’m interested in you.”

Interesting. Just simple interest. A really light reason.

However, if the subject was midsummer, it was something that could never be taken lightly.

“I would say interesting. Exactly, out of curiosity. I am not curious about anything. It’s not like depression or lethargy, should I just say boredom? So, once the curiosity arose, I had to solve it somehow.”

“In other words, do you want to see me fight?”

“Yes. I want to know more about you as a superman.”

It was really a matter of personal interest, but Midsummer didn’t hide that fact at all and proudly showed it. She said that if she had a position of her own, she wouldn’t have to hide it.

“So are you going to accept it?”

At those words, I looked out the window at the slowly flowing city scenery and lost myself in thought.

‘An offer to participate in the overrank dungeon raid… ….’

It was not an easy decision. No, in hindsight, it was an offer that I had to reject right away without even thinking about it. No matter how much I became stronger than before, entering an overranked dungeon that was neither an A-rank nor an S-rank was reckless.

It was literally an accident during the last double dungeon incident, and even though he was in a hurry to escape, he was driven to the brink of death.

I am well aware of my current level.

From an objective point of view, Ahn Su-ho, a superman, is not at the level of participating in overrank dungeon raids. He must therefore refuse.

“… ….”

The reason I’m still thinking about it, even though I know that fact, is purely because I don’t want to miss this opportunity.

Numerous guilds participate in the attack on the Knight’s Tomb in the form of an alliance. If you can step foot in that scene, you will be able to make friends with the executives of a large guild that will help you in the later story.

Even with the Black Dragon, which supervises the attack right now, Seol Ah-hyun, the guild master, was a character that must be recruited as an ally. If possible, I wanted to take this opportunity to meet her somehow.

‘…… Come to think of it, it might not be that dangerous.’

The Knight’s Grave is a unique dungeon where normal monsters rarely appear. Therefore, when attacking the furnace, you only need to pay attention to the battle with Wilhelm that will take place in the deepest part.

It was a problem that Wilhelm was so strong, but with his current strength, he should be able to defeat him. Midsummer said there was not enough people, but the lack of people was worse in the second half of the original work, when the knight’s tomb should have appeared.

It was possible at my current level to put a spoon on an attack that was almost guaranteed to succeed.

‘The problem is that there’s no point in participating in the raid if it’s only a spoonful.’

In order to have a meaningful relationship with the other hunters who participated in the raid, I had to show them something that would interest me. For example, as Midsummer said, it was a mighty force comparable to that of an S-class superhuman.

For that to happen, Kang Ha-neul’s cooperation was indispensable. That was the point where it hit.

It was still an awkward atmosphere with Kang Ha-neul after the last meeting. Where is that? I have yet to uncover the identity of her river sky, and to make matters worse, she seems to prefer to hide her own powers. But even if I go ahead and say, ‘I want to participate in the dungeon raid, bet on me’, they wouldn’t be willing to help.

However, it was an opportunity that was too hard to miss to give up just for that reason.

“… ….”

I pondered for a long time while watching the flowing scenery. In midsummer, she waited patiently for me without rushing for an answer.

How much time had passed like that?

Midsummer’s secretary, Shin Ah-yeong, had almost reached the end of the 30 minutes she had originally mentioned. The scenery outside, which I had become accustomed to, suddenly turned into an alleyway in front of the studio where I live.

-Kiik.

The moment I realized that, the limousine stopped in front of the studio. When I turned her head to look at her midsummer, she was tapping on her watch.

“I think it will be difficult to wait any longer. I also have another schedule.”

So stop answering now.

Her unspoken pressure from her emanated from her, and I had to finish my long agony in a hurry.

‘…… Even if I can’t get Kang Ha-neul’s cooperation, there is a way for me to help in a meaningful way.’

I also had the option of providing them with information about Wilhelm, such as his abilities, skills, and attack patterns, as a workaround. However, if you use that method, you will not be able to avoid being suspicious.

‘But doubt is also interest.’

If, for whatever reason, the executives of a large guild show interest in me, we can form a relationship based on that interest. Even so, I was able to achieve my intended purpose.

…… Then there is no reason to reject this opportunity anymore.

“Good. Let’s participate in the dungeon raid.”

After much thought, I said that. Then Midsummer nodded her head softly.

“Good idea. Contact me soon through my secretary-“

“Just.”

When I cut her off, she looked at me with a slightly startled tilt of her head.

“I would like you to take part in the raid, but keep in mind that you may not be able to help in the combat aspect.”

“Yes? What is that-“

“However, even in that case, I will definitely contribute to the dungeon raid. In my own way.”

“Ha.”

Midsummer laughed at my words. It would be more accurate to say that she laughed.

“Really? I don’t know what it is, but it sounds like fun.”

But the expression did not look unpleasant.