Became a Mechromancer - Chapter 106
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 106.
Coveted
At Na Manager’s declaration, Park Soon-kwon crossed his arms.
“Na Manager, so what are you suggesting? You’ll use his resignation letter as leverage to force through a subordinate’s contract?”
“I’m simply stating the facts.”
Park Soon-kwon leaned forward.
“I’ve read your report.”
“…!”
“Lim Doo-ho has accomplished remarkable things, and we’re even receiving offers from outside. Isn’t that the point?”
“Then why haven’t you given an answer?”
This guy.
“Have you only been in this organization for a day or two? It’s natural that reviews take time.”
Park Soon-kwon’s tone shifted.
He even adopted the expression of a superior crushing a subordinate beneath him.
But here’s the thing.
‘Has the director forgotten I’ve been a civil servant for years?’
Na Manager felt no impact whatsoever.
With Seo Woo-jin already committed to leaving without hesitation, he had nothing to lose.
Park Soon-kwon posed a question to him.
“I won’t deny that Lim Doo-ho is useful. But you know as well as I do—what’s the biggest problem facing the Hunter Management Bureau right now?”
“…Hunters.”
Exactly!
“The Hunter Management Bureau lacks Hunters.”
Na Manager immediately countered.
“But Director Park, we haven’t fallen behind Yeouido just recently, have we?”
Park Soon-kwon’s eyebrows rose irritably.
Regardless, Na Manager continued.
“That’s why we reorganized the department around Lim Doo-ho and have been delivering consistent results.”
He projected a hologram onto the table.
『Copycat Crimes Related to Green Stones』
“Green stones appear in other Abysses too. We confirmed them at the 22nd Floor in overseas Abysses, but at the 20th Floor here.”
As everyone showed interest, Na Manager emphasized the gravity of the matter.
“Since Chiko Island, five copycat crimes have occurred. It’s still just a small spark, but the moment word spreads that there’s no way to stop it, the incidents will multiply exponentially.”
Na Manager continued his explanation while advancing through the data.
“Therefore, when we determined that shielding technology has sufficient market potential, the domestic market projection is a minimum of 100 billion coins.”
“100 billion?”
“That’s the domestic estimate.”
Na Manager displayed the next data.
『Overseas – Estimated Projection: 1 Trillion』
Ha.
Park Director laughed at the sight.
“Preposterous.”
“I don’t think so at all. That’s why I’ve been conservative with the estimates.”
This time, Kim Tae-sung Director posed the question.
“So what’s the point?”
Na Manager studied the expressions of the leadership before speaking.
“We invest in Lim Doo-ho’s shielding technology. The condition is a long-term contract with the Hunter Management Bureau for him.”
Ma Jeong-seok’s gaze remained fixed on the holographic projections.
He looked as though he’d glimpsed a new hope.
Na Manager seized the moment.
“I’ll meet with Lim Doo-ho’s father directly and persuade him to stay with the Hunter Management Bureau.”
That’s when Park Soon-kwon crossed his arms.
“You’re saying we’ll visit an employee’s family and make an emotional appeal? The Hunter Management Bureau?”
“It’s not an emotional appeal. It’s about building trust.”
“Fine words, certainly.”
Park Soon-kwon pushed the hologram across the table with his fingertip.
“But that’s only if things go well.”
He looked toward Ma Jeong-seok.
“What the Hunter Management Bureau needs isn’t possibility, but concrete results we can report immediately. Director.”
Park Soon-kwon’s gaze turned back to Na Manager.
“Actually, there’s something I’ve been negotiating on my end since Chiko Island.”
He drew a short breath.
“I’m trying to bring an A-rank Hunter into the Hunter Management Bureau.”
At the mention of Chiko Island and an A-rank Hunter, Na Manager’s brow furrowed.
Surely not?
No, it couldn’t be.
Park Director broached the subject.
“The negotiated salary will be around 2.5 billion won.”
2.5 billion won?
Lim Doo-ho’s salary was 150 million won.
Allocating 2.5 billion won from the Hunter Management Bureau’s budget meant funds would have to be diverted from elsewhere.
But listening to this, Na Manager thought he knew who the other party was.
“…Is it Go Gyeong-taek?”
Park Director nodded.
Simultaneously, Na Manager exhaled sharply.
Ah.
This is too much.
An absurdly higher salary than someone approaching the lower S-rank tier like himself.
‘Are they openly dismissing me?’
Should I just quit when Lim Doo-ho leaves? What’s the point of staying?
Maybe I should buy a small farmhouse in Gapyeong and start preparing for early retirement?
All manner of negative thoughts swirled through his mind, but—
He steeled himself once more.
“There are persistent rumors that Go Gyeong-taek keeps many secrets even within the Changtian Clan. To bring such a person into the Hunter Management Bureau….”
That’s irrelevant!
“It’s not your call to make—it’s ours. And when an A-rank Hunter volunteers to join the Hunter Management Bureau, what reason do we have to refuse?”
Na Manager didn’t back down.
“So you’re spending 2.5 billion won on a single person, Go Gyeong-taek? Wouldn’t it be better to scout promising talent and use the remaining funds to support our existing Hunters?”
“Is this because he’s getting more than you?”
“…!”
At Park Director’s blunt remark, Na Manager’s pupils trembled.
‘Is that truly how you see me?’
In that very moment.
Kim Tae-sung Director’s eyes narrowed fiercely. His expression showed he’d decided Park Director had crossed a line.
“Hey, Park Soon-kwon!”
Kim Tae-sung Director radiates oppressive pressure as he glares at Park Soon-kwon Director.
“Is that all you know how to say?”
“What? Park Soon-kwon?”
Park Director responds in kind, releasing a thick killing intent.
Seeing Park Director like that, Kim Director speaks harshly.
“Kind words beget kind words. How would you feel if people said you’re obsessed with recruitment because you don’t have a single decent Hunter under your command?”
“You, what did you just say?”
“If Na Manager had been under your command, would you even be talking about recruitment like this?”
“You, you…!”
Finally, Ma Jeong-seok, the Director-General, stepped in.
“Enough!”
But Park Director bursts out in frustration.
“…Bringing Go Gyeong-taek here is conditional on the naturalization of Yuk Ji-ho, America’s top Hunter!”
“…!”
Kim Director and Na Manager doubted their ears.
‘Why would America’s greatest Hunter…?’
No, that’s not it.
What about the San Francisco Abyss?
Park Director, flushed red, speaks again.
“The condition includes his active cooperation with our Hunter Management Bureau!”
Then Park Director quickly turns to Ma Director-General.
“If Yuk Ji-ho naturalizes, establishes a guild, and forms a cooperative relationship with our Hunter Management Bureau, the Hunters of Yeouido will have no choice but to respect the Management Bureau again!”
Ma Director-General strokes his chin, his expression lost in contemplation.
He was somewhat surprised as well.
At that moment, Park Director shot a glance at Na Manager.
“It’s not just Go Gyeong-taek alone—it’s the entire operation behind him that I’m looking at!”
Na Manager bit his lip hard.
‘Damn it.’
Park Director’s Yuk Ji-ho card was something I hadn’t anticipated.
But I couldn’t back down now.
“I understand investing resources in that direction. But leaving Lim Doo-ho unattended is a different matter entirely, isn’t it?”
Park Soon-kwon Director opened his mouth.
“Na Yong-seok, Manager.”
“…Yes.”
Hmm….
“You said you only had ten months left.”
Park Director continued, touching the hologram on the table with his fingertip.
“From our perspective, within the allocated budget, we still have ten months remaining. Once the Go Gyeong-taek matter is settled, we can bring the Lim Doo-ho matter to the table then, can’t we?”
Na Manager’s vision darkened in an instant.
‘Ten months from now will be too late!’
Only those who witnessed it firsthand on Chiko Island understood this instinct.
Lim Doo-ho’s growth rate.
External interest.
What if overseas parties offered astronomical sums in ten months?
Sigh….
‘Damn it, it’s all over.’
It was at that moment he lowered his head slightly.
Buzz.
Ma Jeong-seok’s smartwatch chimed. Ma Jeong-seok raised his wrist to check the caller, then furrowed his brow.
“I’m in a meeting. We’ll talk later.”
After saying that to the other party and cutting the channel, it rang again immediately.
Ma Jeong-seok made an annoyed expression and stood from his seat.
“…Let’s take a brief break.”
He connected the channel and moved to another location.
* * *
The waiting room next to the conference room.
Ma Jeong-seok connected the channel.
A small hologram materialized above his wrist.
“Director Seo. You said you were in a meeting….”
But the answer that came back was unexpected.
-I’m outside the Management Bureau Reboot Center right now.
“…Where?”
-Getting old, my hearing’s going. I came here because they said they’d work on items, and I called because I wanted a cup of coffee you’d buy me.
Ma Jeong-seok blinked rapidly.
‘This… this bastard is insane? He came to the Hunter Management Bureau on his own?’
The head and representative of the Seo Jin Family, one of the Five Major Hunter Families.
Seo Woo-jin.
He already had exceptional item craftsmen belonging to his family.
‘Yet he came to the Management Bureau Reboot Center to request repairs?’
Then a young man’s voice came through the hologram.
-About that repair request you mentioned.
Seo Woo-jin tilted his smart watch slightly.
Someone appeared beyond the hologram.
It was Lim Doo-ho.
But Ma Jeong-seok didn’t know exactly who he was.
Then Seo Woo-jin turned the hologram back toward him and smiled slyly.
-Jeong-seok. You’ve got quite the talent. You’ve got a disciple of the Document hidden away here?
‘Document… disciple?’
Ma Jeong-seok tilted his head in confusion for a moment.
Ah!
That guy from just before…!
Only then did Ma Jeong-seok realize it.
Seo Woo-jin hadn’t come to request repairs.
He had come to see Lim Doo-ho.
In an instant, Na Manager’s emphatic words flashed through his mind.
「Only ten months left until the contract expires!」
「There was a recruitment offer from the Haewon Group.」
And the conditions were absurdly better than what the Hunter Management Bureau offered.
“…I’ll head down shortly.”
Ma Jeong-seok ended the call.
He fell into thought for a moment.
「We still have ten months left.」
Those were the words Park Soon-kwon had spoken just before.
But.
‘Is that really the case?’
And there was something else that troubled him.
If we take in Yuk Ji-ho, would America really stay silent?
No.
When a successful Hunter tries to move to an inferior place, there’s always a reason for it…
Could it be.
* * *
Ma Jeong-seok opened the conference room door and stepped inside.
He immediately looked at Park Soon-kwon.
“Director Park.”
“Yes, President.”
“That… Go Gyeong-taek matter. Have it reviewed again.”
“Yes. Yes?!”
Director Park’s eyes widened in shock.
“But sir, it’s Yuk Ji-ho we’re talking about!”
“Which is precisely why I want it reviewed.”
President Ma spoke to Director Park, whose mouth hung half-open.
“Find out if Yuk Ji-ho has perhaps developed cold feet about the Abyss expedition.”
Ha ha.
Director Park let out a hollow laugh.
“That doesn’t make sense. He’s conquered up to the 86th Floor. He’s preparing for the 87th Floor expedition as we speak. We’ve only managed the 80th Floor.”
When reasoning failed, President Ma rubbed the bridge of his nose and asked.
“Then tell me—can you proceed with this matter with your director position on the line?”
“Yes. Yes??”
Director Park startled again.
President Ma then pointed to Na Manager.
“Na Manager is already throwing his position into the ring, isn’t he?”
“…!”
Director Park clamped his mouth shut.
A director’s position and a manager’s position weren’t the same thing.
They were different ranks.
Yet an uneasy feeling crept over him.
‘What if President Ma is right? What if Yuk Ji-ho is experiencing choking symptoms?’
Then it would truly be irreversible.
No matter how seasoned and powerful Yuk Ji-ho was, he would crumble at the critical moment.
“…I’ll have it reviewed.”
“Check discreetly for any psychiatric counseling records or equivalent documentation—substance dependencies, that sort of thing.”
“That is… well…”
At that moment.
“If you entrust it to me, I’ll look into it.”
It was none other than Kim Director.
Kim Director raised and lowered his eyebrows at the flustered Park, then smiled faintly.
“That’s my specialty, after all.”
“Is that so?”
“Two days is all I need.”
Director Park felt a chill run down his spine.
‘If this really is choking, won’t I be the only one who looks bad?’
So he was about to quickly volunteer himself.
“Then Kim Director will handle it.”
With those words, Ma Jeong-seok spoke.
This time, he looked at Na Manager.
“You’re coming down with me.”
“…What?”
Ma Jeong-seok continued.
“Actually, Seo Woo-jin is downstairs.”
Everyone’s eyes widened in shock.
“You mean the Seo Woo-jin who said he wouldn’t even piss in the direction of the Hunter Management Bureau?”
“Has the sun risen in the west?”
No one was more bewildered than Na Manager.
‘He came, but why with me?’
Ma Jeong-seok, reading Na Manager’s expression, wore a troubled look.
“Right now… he’s at the Reboot Center meeting with Lim Doo-ho.”
More precisely, he had come specifically to meet Lim Doo-ho.
Everyone’s gaze turned cautiously toward Na Manager.
It couldn’t have been otherwise.
What they had just considered excessive in Na Manager’s actions was now proven before their eyes.
Na Manager’s expression twisted.
Finally….
Snap.
Na Manager’s fury had reached its peak, and his grip on reason finally snapped.
He opened his mouth with a heavy voice.
“Director Kim. You said the review would take time.”
“No, what I meant was….”
“But Seo Woo-jin already has a sense of things and came to take Lim Doo-ho away?”
“….”
“You want to put it on the table in ten months?”
Sigh….
This is why the Hunter Management Bureau never progresses.
He shouted toward the leadership.
Even then!!!
“Do you think Lim Doo-ho will still be here!”
Bang!
And Na Manager burst through the conference room door and rushed out.
Necromancer
Author |
Gungang E
Publication Date |
February 25, 2026
Publisher |
TalesYX
Homepage|
https://talesyx.com
Email|
[email protected]
ⓒ Keongang E, 2026
This publication is protected by copyright law and may not be reprinted or reproduced without permission.
UCI|
G720:N+A277-20260210015.0106
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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