Master Smith Under Ministry of National Defense

078 – Crisis Meeting

“The government must withdraw the enforcement order!”

“Withdraw! Withdraw!”

“A wicked law that kills Awakener! We oppose it!”

“We oppose! We oppose!”

In front of the Liberal Clan headquarters in Sejong City, now turned into a sacred place for the Awakener, many people gathered, passionately chanting slogans in front of the firmly closed shutters.

Among them were both Awakener and non-Awakener, but their unified slogan was only one, the cancellation of the ‘New Enforcement Order’ announced by the government. Watching the scene through the CCTV attached to the outer wall of the building, Myung-jun muttered quietly as if talking to himself.

“Everything’s fine, but why here in front of our clan?”

Responding to Myung-jun’s question, Arin, who was swaying next to him, said,

“This place is symbolic for the Awakener active in South Korea. Besides, it also signifies the liberal clan’s involvement.”

“Why are you here?”

“Soo-jeong unnie allowed me. Why? Is it not allowed for me to come?”

“What about clan activities? Aren’t you busy being a promising core member?”

“I’m under disciplinary restraint because of what happened in Manaus City. I can’t participate in any operations for two weeks.”

The reason for Arin’s disciplinary action was simple, she requested help from the Liberal Clan without the Clan Master’s permission. It was a decision by the clan’s upper echelon to ensure the clarity of the command structure, but to Myung-jun, who disagreed with the decision, it seemed like an unnecessary fuss.

“I don’t understand. In the end, Orléans himself requested support, didn’t he? The result was the same at that point. Why punish you for requesting it first?”

“Arbitrary judgement, and that’s a rookie bringing another clan into an operation without proper consultation. Originally, Mr. Orléans opposed this discipline. I was the one who accepted it.”

“You did?”

“I needed time to organize my thoughts.”

“So why organize them here?”

“Because I got permission?”

“Permission doesn’t mean you were invited. It means you voluntarily asked the senior if you could come. So why are you here, drinking in the temporarily closed clan headquarters during this sensitive time?”

“Well, this seems to be the most exciting hotspot in the current situation. Those people must be demonstrating it here, knowing that, right?”

Watching Arin speak naturally, Myung-jun shook his head and said,

“Well, if the senior allowed it, I won’t oppose it. But, is the senior allowing this even during the competition time?”

As Myung-jun asked this question, Soo-jeong entered the conference room as the door opened. Listening to the conversation between Myung-jun and Arin through auditory sharing, she responded with a bright smile to Myung-jun’s question.

“Yeah, I think it’ll be okay.”

“But today’s meeting will also discuss the last time’s meeting about the newly opened abilities…”

“At that time, Arin will also avoid her seat. Right?”

As Soo-jeong said that, winking at Arin, Arin nodded and said,

“Yes. Unnie.”

“Let’s think of it as a kind of preliminary tour for the scout proposal.”

Nodding, Myung-jun sat in the central seat of the conference room. As he did, the members of the Liberal Clan, who had been watching the demonstration crowd, started to take their seats at the tables one by one.

Once everyone was seated, Arin, sitting farthest from Myung-jun, began scanning the members seated at the tables.

‘These are the strongest Awakener forces in existence… members of the Liberal Clan…’

The first person to catch her eye was Cha Myung-jun, the Clan Master of the Liberal Clan, who was known as the ‘Master of the Turret’ and acclaimed as the strongest Awakener in the world.

Next to him was Soo-jeong, also known as the ‘Goddess of Knowledge’ or ‘Mad Science Princess’, and on his right sat Ho-chang, known from the Brazil operation as the ‘Unbreakable Shield’.

‘Then the person sitting on the left must be Byung-tae.’

While not on the same level as Myung-jun or Ho-chang, Byung-tae, also known as the ‘Hell Driver’, was a well-known figure in the Awakener industry.

Other members, regardless of whether they joined any clan at the moment, were individuals who could confidently hold a mid-level position. Among them, the person who caught Arin’s attention the most was a boy, Ito Kei, the youngest Awakener member and one of the world’s top Seekers, known as ‘Mastiff’.

However, Arin couldn’t help but see the boy more as a cute dog than a Mastiff.

‘Elementary school student? Middle school student? I don’t know his age, but he looks really cute…’

At that moment, Kei, sensing Arin’s gaze on him, asked Soo-jeong.

“Who is that noona?”

“Seo Arin. She’s a Seeker like you, though the classes are different.”

“Oh! Seeker!”

Since the common term for calling the person in charge of the exploration team in gate conquests was ‘Seeker’, as Soo-jeong said, Kei and Arin could be considered the same Seeker. However, if you go into specific class distinctions, their types were completely opposite.

Arin, a Pathfinder class, used her overwhelming drone control skills to scout enemy locations, assess their strength, and modify party strategies. On the other hand, Kei was a Tracer class, using his overwhelming sense of smell acquired through Awakening to track not only the present but also events from the past in a particular location.

Especially as a world-class Tracer, Kei boasted the extraordinary ability to discern events that happened several months ago just by smelling the scent of the target.

“Sniff, sniff. Hm… I can smell the scent of unique plants in the Amazon region, the smell of explosives from the leader’s turret, and even the scent of Shadow Hawk. Did you participate in the Brazil operation?”

“What?! That was a few days ago, and I’ve taken several showers since then. Can you really tell that just by the smell?”

“That’s my ability. If I set my mind to it, I can list every meal you’ve eaten for a month…”

Then, Soo-jeong intervened and stopped Kei’s words.

“Kei. I’ve said it before, reading someone’s past without permission…”

“Invasion of privacy… right… I’m sorry. I guess I got a bit excited when I saw a new face.”

Finding Kei’s sulking expression cute, Arin spoke.

“Impressive…”

Suddenly, another member sitting nearby raised his foot on the table, drawing everyone’s attention. The man, who seemed to exude a free-spirited temperament, looked at Kei with a displeased expression.

“Could you fix that habit of sniffing? If it’s too hard, wear a nose plug.”

“Even if I wear a nose plug, I will still smell it? Oh well. How many were there yesterday? Sniff, sniff… Four? If I keep doing this, will I really get stabbed in the back someday? A woman’s grudge is frightening, you know?”

“It’s okay. As long as the opponent isn’t an Awakener, even if I get stabbed, I won’t get hurt.”

The man, speaking casually with his feet on the table, reassuredly said.

Arin already knew his identity.

The man who used to come to the 1st-floor shopping area multiple times a day, openly flirting with her before she received the drone as a gift from Myung-jun, was none other than him. At that time, Arin, who had no interest in gate conquests, didn’t know the man’s identity as he flirted with her openly in public while she was still a minor in school uniform. However, as an Awakener now, she was well aware of who he was.

‘Blaze Spear Edward Taylor.’

Sven, who is famous for his ice axe in Arin’s clan, was the man who sang that he wanted to compete against him at least once. Arin thought that Taylor was the opposite type compared to Sven. While Sven had no interest in getting stronger or anything other than gate conquests, Taylor seemed more interested in having fun and socializing.

And as if to prove her thoughts, Taylor, looking genuinely like an elementary school student, was engaged in a heated argument with Kei.

“Hey, you brat. I told you not to disclose information you got from smelling?! What if that pretty lady over there misunderstands?!”

“If you don’t like it, then stop acting like a playboy! What’s with that! You don’t even think about the staff who suffer because of the calls you make looking for your beloved every day! If you went on a date, at least meet her three times!”

“No, what can I do if the resonance of the soul doesn’t come! What? Do you think it’s easy to meet your destined partner like the boss over there? Even if you meet four people a day, it’s only 1,460 people a year! Considering the days we can’t date due to gate conquests, it’s barely 500 people in a year! What? Meeting slowly, how are you supposed to find your soulmate among 3.5 billion people!”

“Ugh. Just wait. Someday, a stronger Awakener than you, who hasn’t sent you an After-service yet, will appear and give you a sharp lesson.”

“Are you reading the future through smells now? Okay. How can you discuss life with a kid like you? You’ll understand when you grow up.”

“Okay. I don’t want to fight with my brother over this all the time. Instead, like last time, if you say let’s do gate conquest, but intentionally fill the rest of the party with female members who have no gate conquest experience, I won’t party with you again!”

“Hey, but back then, I did everything alone!”

– Clap! –

As the conversation was getting more childish, Soo-jeong clapped her hands with a small gesture. The two who had been making loud noises until a moment ago suddenly became quiet as if they had never argued. Soo-jeong looked at them and spoke with a mischievous tone.

“The guest is here, and you’re going to act like this today? Or maybe you want to experience a pain.ful.scene?”

“We’re sorry!”

“Sorry!”

Watching the world-renowned strong awakeners bow down at Soo-jeong’s words, Arin began to wonder if the real powerhouse in this clan might be Soo-jeong. Seeing Arin looking slightly frightened, Soo-jeong reassured her with a gentle smile.

“Arin, just to make sure there’s no misunderstanding, Taylor may be a playboy, but he’s not a flirt. He spends most of his waking hours hitting on women, but in the end, he falls asleep alone in his room every night.”

Arin couldn’t believe it.

While there might not be many women who wanted to date a playboy, Taylor’s appearance was too handsome to be rejected every day. Taylor, a blond young man with a refined appearance like a nobleman from England, stood at a tall 190 cm, had a well-built body, and was literally a ‘catch’ style of man.

The fact that Taylor, despite numerous attempts, went to sleep alone every night was objectively unreasonable. Arin had no choice but to ask Taylor about it.

“Are you lying?”

“No, no. Maybe if it’s just a difference before the date, but most of them like it until the date. They just break up after the date and don’t contact each other again.”

“Why bother approaching and repeating the first date if you’re going to break up? Why?”

“Because the resonance of the soul doesn’t come. Since coming to Korea, I’ve been looking for a soul mate…”

“Oh, okay.”

“By the way, Taylor believes that he can definitely recognize his soul mate on the first date…”

Arin, having heard Soo-jeong’s additional explanation, spoke with a bitter smile.

“I hope for good results.”

“Huh?! Then how about a date with me…”

“Not happening.”

“Darn it.”

Then, Soo-jeong looked at Taylor, who expressed disappointment, and said to Arin.

“By the way, let me tell you, Taylor once asked me out on a date.”

‘Is he really stupid?!’

Arin couldn’t help but admire Taylor’s passion for asking out the lover of the world’s strongest human. It was practically like risking his life to ask for a date. Arin cautiously glanced at Myung-jun and asked Soo-jeong.

“So, what did you say?”

“I said if he could beat Myung-jun in a fight, I’d go on a date with him. That’s the main reason Taylor is still in the Liberal Clan. Even if you look around the whole world, there’s no clan that can get stronger faster than here.”

“Have you actually fought him?”

Hearing Arin’s question, Taylor raised both hands and said.

“So far, 38 fights, 38 losses. The best record is 48 seconds. I’ve never exceeded a minute. Our leader is a real monster.”

“Oh, have you seen such a handsome monster?”

When Arin heard Soo-jeong talking while embracing Myung-jun’s head, she could sense a momentary feeling of envy passing over Taylor’s face.

‘Maybe this wind is the recoil created by unrequited love.’

At that moment, Myung-jun adjusted his posture and spoke to the clan members.

“The story is getting off track. Let’s have a separate talk about our recent situations, and for now, let’s have the meeting.”

“Yes, leader!”

Seeing every member putting on a serious expression without missing anyone at Myung-jun’s words, Arin was inwardly impressed. It was a world with a completely different atmosphere compared to the Awakener clan she knew.

Although the Servihum Clan she belonged to was led by a powerful individual named Orléans, the atmosphere during the Servihum Clan’s meetings was not like this. As a gathering of individuals with the explosive potential of human beings, the Awakener clan was always unpredictable.

Moreover, since each individual had different expectations from the clan, Orléans couldn’t completely control the clan despite his outstanding skills. The moment he failed to narrow down differences in opinions, anyone could leave the Servihum Clan and join a competing clan at any time.

However, what Arin saw in the Liberal Clan was fundamentally different. Each clan member seemed ready to throw their lives at the leader’s command. It was an overwhelming level of ‘absolute trust’, considering the Liberal Clan had only been established for about a year.

Now, silently opening his mouth, Myung-jun began discussing the agenda for today’s meeting.

“And it turns out the government messed up in the end.”

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