Chapter 60…
“Finally, it’s over.”
“Yeah, good work.”
At Kim Pyeong‑on’s words, I patted him on the shoulder.
A war doesn’t end just because you win.
It only truly ends when the post‑war cleanup is finished.
In that sense, the “war” we started with Malteon in the middle of the night only wrapped up around sunset the next day.
“Hyung‑nim, when this is all wrapped up, we get to rest, right?”
“…Why? You want to rest? Should I let you rest for the rest of your life?”
“That’s not what I meant. After all this work, we deserve some vacation time.”
“Ha… fine. If our one and only guild member wants to rest, then what can this poor small‑guild master do but obey?”
“Ah, hyung!”
I accepted Kim Pyeong‑on’s whining with a laugh.
He’s the one who handles all the little chores behind me.
Without him, this battle would’ve been a lot tougher.
“I’m not deaf. Stop calling me like that. Take tomorrow off at home.”
“Tomorrow… only?”
“Yeah. The day after, I’ll text you the time and location. Meet me there.”
“…Just one day off, huh.”
“If you don’t want to come, don’t. I was planning a beef dinner. Guess Rebecca will get your share.”
As I turned away with those words, Pyeong‑on hurriedly grabbed my arm.
His grip was urgent.
“I never said I don’t want to come, hyung‑nim.”
“Right? I almost misunderstood and thought you hated beef.”
“You’re my hyung‑nim, but honestly… you’re cruel.”
Past the pile of armored rat corpses, I saw Seo Byeong‑cheol and Seo Gyeo‑ul.
Gyeo‑ul spotted me and waved big.
I dipped my head slightly in response, then peeled Pyeong‑on’s hand off.
“Good. Then behave yourself.”
“….”
“And I’ll talk it over, so bring Krader to the dinner too.”
“The big guy? But the government—”
“That’s why I said I’ll handle it.”
Krader—there’s not a single cute thing about that bastard.
But as they say, “Give the brat you hate an extra rice cake.”
We fought back-to-back against the same enemy.
I’m not so petty that I can’t even buy him a meal.
“If he tries to run or act stubborn, tell him to keep the promise he made with me. He’ll understand.”
“…Ah. Understood.”
“Then take the kids and go ahead. I’ll have a talk with Chief Seo before leaving.”
“By any chance…”
At my words, Pyeong‑on smirked.
As expected of someone as talented as Rebecca—his intuition is sharp.
“Yeah. We’re talking rewards.”
“Hyung‑nim! Fighting— Ow!”
I flicked his forehead and walked away.
Tzipat—
A few leaps later, I landed softly in front of Seo Gyeo‑ul.
Chief Seo stood a little distance away, busy receiving reports.
“Sort the data on the agents used as test subjects first. Check the condition of any survivors.”
“Anyone without name tags—run DNA tests and identify them. Until they met Park Jong‑hwan, every one of them was serving the nation. So the responsibility is ours.”
“Is gate clearance confirmed? Don’t just trust the system message. Measure mana waves and confirm.”
A little while ago in his office, he looked indecisive and hesitant.
But now—not a trace remained.
He was completely dominating the scene with unwavering command and machine‑like administrative control.
It was like watching Seo Gyeo‑ul’s evolution.
“It’s nearly wrapped up, so he’ll have time to talk soon.”
As I glanced toward Byeong‑cheol, Gyeo‑ul spoke first.
She must’ve been worried we wouldn’t get to discuss compensation.
“Finished earlier than expected.”
“Well, since the chief came out personally, of course.”
“You trust your father, I see.”
“No. I trust Chief Seo’s capabilities.”
“…I see.”
Right… that family really…
Every strength has a downside, every downside a strength.
And their strict separation of public and private shines in crises like this.
“Before you speak with the chief about compensation, there’s something I must say.”
“…Oh. Go ahead.”
Suddenly, Gyeo‑ul folded her hands and spoke seriously.
It made me nervous.
‘Why is she like this? She’s scaring me.’
Even normally serious people become terrifying when they stand in perfect formal posture.
What was she about to say…?
Then—she bowed.
Deeply.
A full 90‑degree bow, forehead nearly visible.
“W‑Whoa… Gyeo‑ul, what are you doing?”
“Mr. Si‑woo. Thank you. Truly.”
“Hey—there are a lot of eyes around here… please stand up, I’m begging you.”
At my desperate plea, she straightened.
She looked me straight in the eyes.
“This request… you didn’t gain anything by helping. Yet you risked your life.”
Coldly speaking, she was right.
But this request held important meaning for me too.
A major turning point, even.
‘Revenge for the Garden of All Things—that was obvious.
But if I hadn’t killed that bastard today, the entire country might’ve fallen.’
In the past, I never knew.
Or rather—I didn’t care.
This place lost its meaning to me the day my mother died.
So I replied,
“No. This was important for me as well.”
“…What?”
“Malteon—no, Park Jong‑hwan—he was planning a final attack on the government.”
“You knew too.”
At that moment, Seo Byeong‑cheol approached.
He looked exhausted, but his eyes were sharper than ever.
“You’re right. According to what we found, the Psychic Security Bureau had already been taken over by him long ago. Today he planned to attack the VIP… that person.”
“So he intended to swallow the entire nation.”
“Yes. Which makes your contribution even greater.”
A bad thought crossed my mind.
Just a habit—the habit of not trusting people too easily.
“You’re not planning to ‘pay me with a medal’ or something, right…?”
“Now now, what kind of person do you take me for? Didn’t we sign a contract? I, Seo Byeong‑cheol, keep my word even if the sky splits open.”
His answer made me sigh in relief.
If the VIP ordered him to, he looked like the type who’d say, “Yes, sir,” without hesitation—that’s what scared me.
“So what happens next?”
I asked about the plan, since it would directly affect my reward.
“Many agencies took severe damage. Next, we must focus on restoration.”
And the key point—the one who leads the restoration controls the budget, priorities, everything.
If my prediction was right—
“And although it’s insufficient… the leader of the national restoration task force will be me.”
YES!
I cheered internally.
I was undoubtedly the biggest contributor to this operation.
Without me, none of this would’ve been possible.
‘And since he’s ridiculously fair, he’ll compensate me accordingly…’
The original contract listed:
[Reward Agreement]
-
Retrieve Miyamoto Daichi’s cursed tool.
-
Re‑issue a Phase‑2 Garden of All Things ticket.
-
Service fee: ₩1,000,000,000
Honestly—just formalities.
1 and 2 were things I was always meant to receive.
3, the one billion won, was just reused from the Ghost Signal job.
Considering the scale of the incident, this was severely lacking.
But—
I am Kang Si‑woo.
Our Mrs. Park Mi‑kyung’s son, Kang Si‑woo.
‘I prepared a special clause for this very reason.’
**[Special Clause]
“If the request is successfully completed, the contractor may demand an increase in compensation.”**
Meaning—I can negotiate with Seo Byeong‑cheol.
“Ahem.”
I cleared my throat.
“Then I suppose now is the right time to discuss the special clause.”
“Hahaha! I knew you’d bring it up. Officer Seo told me you absolutely would.”
I turned to Gyeo‑ul.
She nodded seriously.
‘Is she telling me to milk him dry? Works for me.’
I was about to make my first proposal—
But Seo Byeong‑cheol spoke first.
“I—”
“Ah, before you say anything, let me propose something first. If you don’t like it, then we can negotiate.”
Why was he being so proactive all of a sudden?
Nervous…
‘No—this is good. Hearing their proposal first is more advantageous.’
I calmed myself and nodded.
“All right. Let’s hear it.”
“Secretary Kim, bring the prepared documents.”
A neatly dressed man handed him a folder.
He was about to give it to me, then paused.
“Oh, and something I forgot to mention.”
“…What is it?”
“The business deal with BlueStone Corp. You’ve been selected as lead negotiator.”
“…Pardon? Me?”
Just like that?
Shouldn’t they discuss it more with the hawks?
Although… given the situation, the doves had overwhelming influence.
Even if the culprit turned out to be a disguised follower, the incident came from their faction.
“Most of the hawkish officials who opposed you died. Including the most critical—the Director of Tower Raid Administration.”
Ah, right. They did take heavy damage.
Losing their leader meant they couldn’t exert power for a while.
‘This guy is basically running the country at this point.’
Right now, only the VIP holds more power than Seo Byeong‑cheol.
Maybe not even.
Either way—it was good news for me.
“I see.”
“I trust you’ll handle it well. As you always do.”
“Well… I’m confident in combat, but I’ve never done negotiations.”
“…Hah? You?”
He scoffed as if incredulous.
Even Gyeo‑ul covered her mouth, laughing.
Laughing?
I think that’s the first time I’ve seen her laugh.
“In my office, you cornered me like that, and now you claim you can’t negotiate? Do you know how foolish that makes me look to Officer Seo?”
“N‑Not at all, I—”
“Enough. Just look at the documents.”
I opened the folder.
And I froze.
There was no reward list.
The first document was—
A deed of land and property transfer.
“…What is this?”
“I heard your guild office is still small.”
I checked the address.
A quiet area on the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province.
“Behind it is a large mountain. In front, wide fields. A villa. The mountain and fields are yours too.”
“…”
“You’re a tamer, aren’t you? Your beasts need room to run.”
Ah…
I was genuinely touched.
I didn’t expect this.
But I didn’t show it.
I deserved this much.
“Oh, and this must be the Garden of All Things ticket?”
Beside the deed was a bracelet made of leaves.
I thought it was a Phase‑2 ticket.
“It is—but that’s a Phase‑1 ticket.”
“…Excuse me?”
“You heard correctly,” Gyeo‑ul added.
“The VIP granted special permission after learning the details of the incident.”
“Ah…”
I couldn’t hide my reaction this time.
I wasn’t knowledgeable about the Garden, but even I knew how priceless this was.
“And finally, the ‘Miyamoto Daichi’s cursed tool’—our agent reported successful contact this morning.”
“Ah—so when will I receive it?”
“Likely when you take the podium at Arc Academy. He resides in a very high floor.”
Tch. I knew Miyamoto would be like that.
But at least contact was made.
When Gyeo‑ul finished, Byeong‑cheol stepped in.
“So? Do you like our proposal?”
His face radiated confidence.
As if there was no chance I’d refuse.
And—
‘Honestly… yeah.’
I closed the folder with a loud tap.
“I accept.”
Of course, we still had a lot more to discuss—
Krader,
the Ever‑Inverse Cult,
and other matters.
But for now—
‘I’m exhausted…’
I can handle the rest step by step.
For now, I just want to rest a bit.
