NOVEL NEXT Chapter 277
A Clue (1)
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“Hehe. Congratulations, Jae-hyun.”
Just as I was taking in the sight of the enormous clan tower.
I felt someone hugging me tightly from behind.
It was Kim Chae-eun, who had now become a member of <Evil Hunter>.
I smiled and clasped her hand.
“When did you get here?”
“Just now. I rushed over as soon as I heard there was going to be our clan’s very first meeting.”
Today was the day the clan was founded and the first official meeting was to be held.All 83 clan members were to attend and discuss the future direction of the clan together.
Since half of the clan members were student Holders, the meeting time was set for the evening.
‘And it will probably be like that from now on.’
Although clan activities should be the top priority once you become a clan member, it’s inevitable that activity areas will overlap.
Until the student Holders, including myself, graduate from the academy, we had to balance this time allocation well.
This was especially something I had asked for understanding before recruiting clan members.
“Let’s go in first! The others will be here soon.”
Since I came early to look around the clan tower, there were still many clan members who hadn’t arrived yet.
“Hurry, hurry-.”
Kim Chae-eun grabbed my wrist and led me.
I smiled and followed her into the building.
“Wow… It’s huge.”
The <Evil Hunter>’s clan tower, known as the EH Tower, exuded grandeur and splendor from the inside.
From the high-end interior that immediately revealed it as a newly constructed building, to the neat reception desk, and the entrance equipped with an access card system.
It felt like seeing the <Judgment of Fire> clan tower for the first time during my internship last year.
“We greet the Clan Master.”
“Greetings to the Master!”
As we passed the reception desk and entrance, the guards and staff greeted us.
Honestly, I still felt awkward with the title of master and it made me a bit embarrassed, but the staff seemed thoroughly trained and greeted without any hesitation.
As we passed through the entrance, Kim Chae-eun nudged my side with a sly look.
“It’s really cool.”
“Don’t tease me.”
“Hehe, I’m serious. I go to sleep and wake up to find my boyfriend is a Clan Master? Sounds like a novel title, it’s fun.”
“Ugh….”
Hiding my embarrassment, I quickly turned towards the elevator.
“Still, they’ve hired really good staff. Even though there wasn’t much time.”
Kim Chae-eun followed closely behind, speaking.
I nodded in agreement and replied, “The friendly clans were a big help.”
In fact, the ability to organize the clan’s internal affairs so quickly was largely due to the help of the clans we had formed friendly alliances with.
The top 3 domestic clans.
Having maintained their top positions for so long, they had a lot of data on clan establishment and had built up considerable related infrastructure.
Under the name of friendly clans, they spared no support.
<Dragon Sword> sold the clan tower building and land at a low price, <Royal> helped with the selection of capable staff, and <Judgment of Fire> provided various items and equipment needed for operation.
From their perspective, it was supports to maintain relations as friendly clans, but for <Evil Hunter>, which was still in its early stages of establishment and had little prepared, it was truly invaluable support.
‘…It also helped with the image somehow.’
If the support became too excessive, we might have been seen as a subsidiary clan of the top 3 clans.
They are such large clans, and <Evil Hunter> is a newly created clan.
But the fact that we received help evenly from all three top clans changed the perception.
Since the support wasn’t biased towards any particular clan, it rather created an image of being under the protection of the top 3 domestic clans.
Thanks to this, <Evil Hunter>’s popularity was skyrocketing from the start of its establishment.
“We greet the Master.”
When we arrived at the 31st floor, the top floor, by elevator.
A secretary in neat office attire greeted us.
A beauty with both a smart image and intellectual charm.
…That’s right.
She was a beauty.
“What’s this?”
Kim Chae-eun beside me looked at me with narrowed eyes.
I panicked for no reason, even though I had nothing to feel guilty about.
“W-What?”
“Why is the secretary so pretty?”
“No, it’s a misunderstanding. To begin with, there were only female applicants. They were candidates screened by Royal.”
This is really unfair.
While I personally selected <Evil Hunter>’s clan members from the start, it wasn’t the same for the civilian staff.
I had sought advice and recommendations from <Royal>, who have expertise in this field.
Of course, I conducted the final interviews, but all the applicants were women to begin with….
But Kim Chae-eun seemed to have no intention of letting go of her suspicions.
“I was already feeling like I’m getting more competitors these days….”
“Huh? What did you say?”
I immediately asked about Kim Chae-eun’s voice that was barely audible, but she shook her head with a smile.
“It’s nothing. We’ll talk again when the others arrive.”
“No….”
Kang Juyeon and Moon Ga-eun are joining here too?
For a moment, I felt dizzy.
…Is this the fate of someone with multiple lovers?
“Um… Master?”
As I was bickering half-jokingly, half-seriously with Kim Chae-eun.
The secretary who had been standing at attention on one side addressed me.
Suddenly turning my head, I saw that she had a piece of paper in her hand.
‘…What’s this?’
I had already received a report on the clan schedule, but this seemed to be separate from that.
She slowly approached me and showed me the paper.
“This is an official document sent by the Korean Holder Association in the form of a request application. It just arrived, and I was about to contact you, but you happened to come up to the master room…”
“A request application?”
“Yes. It’s a request for investigation regarding the recent series of Holder kidnapping incidents in Jongno.”
I took the official document handed over by the secretary and checked it.
As she said, it was indeed a request application with the association president’s seal.
Of course, our clan isn’t a ‘mercenary clan’ that takes on and solves requests from others, but we had something we promised as a condition with the Holder Association from the establishment of <Evil Hunter>.
“…It seems the association has judged that this incident is related to the Ludenark Sect.”
That was precisely the Ludenark Sect.
To find clues about them who imitate evil, and if given the chance, to exterminate them.
This was also the primary goal of our clan at present.
***
Ippotranslation
***
[Web Transmission] This is the <Evil Hunter> secretariat. Due to an urgent matter within the clan, we wish to move the scheduled meeting time one hour earlier. Clan members who cannot attend at the changed meeting time, please contact the clan secretariat. Thank you.
“What’s going on?”
Park Jin-woo came straight to the clan tower as soon as his class ended after checking the message.
It was his first time seeing the clan tower, but…
There was no time to be amazed at its splendor.
He entered through the entrance and took the elevator to the meeting room.
The destination was the conference room on the 28th floor.
It was a large conference room where all 83 clan members could gather.
When he arrived, most of the other clan members were already seated, probably because they had no particular schedule.
Park Jin-woo found an empty seat at the back and sat down.
“Now that Holder Park Jin-woo has arrived, all clan members are present. Then, let’s start the meeting.”
A man in the center of the conference room picked up the microphone.
Though the name didn’t come to mind, it was a familiar face.
He was a member who had been part of the <Ripple Raid>.
Jin-woo had expected his friend Do Jae-hyun to explain, but he was seated in a corner slightly away from the center.
And next to him sat Yoo Eun-seol, the S-grade Holder who had been talked about since her recruitment.
“Greetings, fellow clan members. I am Han Sang-jin, a special category Holder who has been appointed as the temporary planning team leader of the Evil Hunter clan.”
Han Sang-jin was in the special category.
Among them, he was a Holder in charge of the taming category.
During the <Wolfenser> operation, Moon Ga-eun also awakened to the taming side, and the Raid force leader Do Jae-hyun also possessed an excellent contractor…
They were sometimes collectively called the taming category trio.
Han Sang-jin was a member who used to give good opinions with sharp analytical skills and quick judgment within the Raid force, and it seemed that Do Jae-hyun also highly appreciated these points and assigned him the temporary position of clan planning team leader.
“Actually, today’s planned meeting was supposed to organize future operation plans, department and position arrangements, and additionally celebrate the clan’s establishment, but…”
Han Sang-jin used a pointer to flip through the PPT.
<Data Related to Jongno District Holder Serial Kidnapping Incident>
A title that made one frown just by looking at it appeared.
Holder serial kidnapping incident.
Recently, as the disappearances of some Holders became frequent, there were ominous rumors about whether they might have been kidnapped…
This material seemed to confirm that as fact.
“It has been confirmed that a student Holder currently attending Seoul Academy is included in the Jongno District disappearance cases being classified as kidnapping incidents. And as the possibility of the Ludenark Sect being involved in this incident has been detected… This case has become our clan’s top short-term priority.”
The conference room immediately buzzed at Han Sang-jin’s shocking statement.
“W-What?”
“A student Holder?”
“Suddenly mentioning Ludenark…”
A student Holder has been kidnapped.
This was no longer just under the jurisdiction of the association and government, but also came under the jurisdiction of the academy.
Moreover, the fact that the Ludenark Sect, the clan’s top priority, was involved meant that <Evil Hunter> couldn’t just sit back and watch this problem unfold.
“Therefore, putting aside all clan priorities, we will proceed with temporary activities by grouping the currently gathered clan members into hunting teams. The temporary organization is as follows.”
Flip, flip-.
The PPT slides changed…
In an instant, the temporary department setup for clan members was completed.
All clan members are assigned to hunting teams, and the hunting teams are divided from Team 1 to Team 5.
“The Clan Master is Do Jae-hyun, and the Vice Master is Yoo Eun-seol. Also, the Vice Master automatically becomes the leader of Hunting Team 1 in the temporary organization.”
The founder of the clan and the clan’s absolute powerhouse.
It was only natural that they would be organized as Master and Vice Master.
“Next, Hunting Team 2 leader Lim Hyun, Team 3 leader Jeong Seon-young, Team 4 leader Kim Ah-reum. And…”
The speech paused for a moment, and Han Sang-jin’s gaze lingered at the back.
Park Jin-woo was blankly staring at the material.
It was the moment their eyes met.
“Team 5 leader Park Jin-woo. The clan members named above will be the executives who will serve as temporary team leaders and confirmed senior clan members. Team leaders, please check your team members and ensure there are no issues for upcoming operations.”
“……”
Park Jin-woo, listening quietly, thought.
‘Ah.’
Passing over all the veteran Holders…
To be chosen as a team leader-level executive.
It was the moment when that damn friend of his was stirring things up again.
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