I Inherited the Basement of the Tower - Chapter 44

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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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Inherited the Basement 1 of the Tower – Episode 44

The Association Headquarters Auditorium was packed with a sea of humanity.
The space was normally spacious enough to rarely fill, but now it was so crowded that even removing chairs wouldn’t create enough room.
Of course, everyone’s purposes were different.

“Finally, the day has come.”
“Which guild will win the bid?”
“Sigh, I just hope whoever wins can clear it. We discovered it in our own country—I hope it doesn’t go overseas.”

Some were spectators who came to watch the winning bidder.

“Check the camera battery carefully. If it dies at a crucial moment, you’ll be writing an apology report. Today, let’s get Hunter Daily News a scoop.”
“Yes, senior. But, it looks like Kang Ha-jin isn’t coming?”
“Hey, you brat. Is Kang Ha-jin Hunter your friend? Use proper titles.”
“But you call other celebrities by their first names just fine….”
“It’s different, damn it! I recently scraped together a loan and barely bought a house! But if the Tower collapses, what then? These are the people who prevent that.”
“You used to call Ahn Jae-jun a complete bastard before….”
“Hey! If he doesn’t clear it, is he even a Hunter? And he still gets all kinds of benefits!”
“Senior, senior! Your voice is too loud.”
“So what, will anyone even hear in this huge place?”
“Huh? Senior, look over there—Taesan!”
“Kyaaaah!”
“…No wait, it’s the Aristocrat Guild. The youngest son? Should we film him?”
“-You brat. Do you have time to joke around? Just hold the camera straight, damn it.”

Mose-min, a reporter for Hunter Daily News whose hairline was receding despite being in his thirties, muttered to himself.

“I need to beat a Hunter once. All day doing interviews and making magazines while pocketing all the bonuses—tsk. Maybe if something breaks down, they’ll finally realize how hard we field reporters work.”

Mose-min was full of inferiority complex despite being from the same media conglomerate.
He gazed forward through the camera’s screen.
There, prominent Hunters who came to bid on today’s clearance rights were lined up.
Just adding up the market value of the Hunters captured in the frame would amount to half a year’s budget for a small nation.

“You’ve prepared well enough, right? This bid must absolutely go to our Aristocrat Guild.”

A man with his hair slicked back opened his mouth.
He wore a neat suit, though the taut muscles beneath couldn’t be concealed.
He was the youngest son of ‘Aristocrat,’ a corporate-style guild.

“Yes. I’ve thoroughly cleaned out every speck of dust from the guild warehouse, so rest assured.”
“Dust? Why did you bring that back? Get rid of it and come back.”
“Oh, that’s not what I meant…. Yes, understood.”

The attending secretary standing beside him let out a long sigh.
Then he made a vague gesture of discarding something.
Only then did the youngest son of Aristocrat’s expression brighten.

“Well done. Remember, dust isn’t money.”
“Yes, my apologies, Young Master.”
“Don’t be sorry. I learned that in my successor training too. There’s no shame in not knowing. Ignorance is what’s shameful.”
“Those are the same thing… Hmm, no, you’re right. Young Master, you’re truly capable.”
“Haha! Of course. It’s definitely better for everyone that I inherit the company over my older sisters. This conquest of the Special Dungeon Layer will drive the final nail into the succession structure.”

And nearby.

“…There are far too many people.”

Crack.

She wore a traditional hat on her head, and her clothing was martial robes that looked straight out of a wuxia novel.
He wore a traditional Korean hat on his head, and his clothing was martial arts robes that looked like they came straight out of a martial arts novel.

“…Please calm yourself, Guild Master.”
“…Please calm down. Guild Master.”

She too wore martial robes matching her guild master’s attire.
She was also dressed in mourning clothes, following my guild master.

“First, the auction concludes. Demands come after.”
“First, the successful bid. Demands come after.”

There were those who muttered broken Korean, and what appeared to be a fellow Hunter among them.
The fact that they had their faces slightly covered was suspicious.
But the massive crowd provided perfect camouflage.
-Among them were not just spectators, but those aiming to win the bid.
I couldn’t hear the entire conversation from moments ago due to the noise.
But I captured it all on camera.
For such prominent figures to gather in one place.
Even without any substantial content, just running a story would generate considerable views.
Mose-min tapped his junior’s back.

“Hey. You got good shots, right?”
“Huh. I had the lens cap on….”
“…sigh.”
“I-I’m sorry, senior.”
“…No, it’s fine since I didn’t check either. Just open it back up and shoot again.”
“Yes, yes!”

Man. It’s been a while since I’ve craved a cigarette.
Mose-min carefully brushed back what little hair remained on his head.

“Huh? Isn’t that the Sage Guild Master over there?”

His junior—the one he wanted to punch—asked.

“Sage Guild? They’re alchemists. There’s no way they’d bid at a Special Dungeon Layer auction… huh?”

It was true.
Park Min-hu, the Sage Guild Master, came into Mose-min’s view.
He was constantly wiping his bald head.
The distance made it impossible to hear their conversation, but he was steadily saying something to the person beside him.

“Who’s the person next to him? They look kind of similar.”
“His son.”

Any Hunter reporter worth their salt would know this gossip.
Park Jin-woo had a suitcase in his hand. There was no way he’d bring valuables to a place like this.
Was he here to do business?
With the strategy team members?

‘Ah. Now that I think about it.’

There was information.
Research results that Jeong Min-hee the alchemist had left behind when she departed.
Items related to divine power, apparently.

Ssshhh—

Mose-min’s journalist instincts activated.
I couldn’t say exactly what situation was unfolding.
But the scent of a scoop was unmistakable.

“Hey. Just in case, keep tracking the Sage Guild’s location continuously.”

That was when it happened.

[The Association President is entering.]

A voice boomed through the speakers with resonant clarity.
Instantly, the entire venue fell silent.
This was Association President Yun Tae-sik’s second official public appearance—rumors had swirled endlessly about whether his first one was an AI-synthesized video.
The first event had only journalists present, but now there was a large crowd of spectators.
They swallowed hard, held their breath, and fixed their eyes on the podium.
As one of the heroes of the past, Yun Tae-sik still commanded considerable respect even in retirement.

“Hey, get this! Get this! Don’t miss Association President Yun Tae-sik no matter what else you miss!”
“Understood!”

And finally.
Association President Yun Tae-sik appeared at the edge of the podium.

Thump, thump.

His appearance was far healthier than before, his stride confident and assured.
It evoked memories of his golden years in the past.
Many in the crowd trembled with awe simply at the sight of him.

[I am Association President Yun Tae-sik.]

Snap snap snap snap snap!

The moment the Association President began speaking, flashes erupted from the cameras.
The Association President waited a moment, tapped the microphone a couple of times, then opened his mouth.

[If you’ve come this far, I believe you’re already aware of the details. Therefore, without further explanation or lengthy remarks, I’ll proceed directly with the auction.]
[The Association has planned a raid team of 10 members. Ah, but I’m designating one additional hunter as a hitman, making it 11 total.]

The hall stirred with murmurs.

“That must be Kang Ha-jin.”
“So the collusion rumors are true.”
“Will there be a question period later?”
“The designation announcement is today anyway, so let’s wait a bit.”

Yun Tae-sik, noticing the commotion, let out a dry chuckle.

[While I say 11 members, the selection criteria isn’t soccer skill—it’s money.]

The hall fell silent at the flat joke.
Had the joke fallen flat?
Given Yun Tae-sik’s grave demeanor, even this seemed calculated.

“By the way, senior.”
“Yanma. Stop talking and just keep filming the Association President.”
“Yes, sir.”
“…What is it.”
“Is Hunter Kang Ha-jin not coming today?”
“How would I know that.”

Mose-min grumbled while scanning the surroundings.
He really wasn’t here.
If he had come, all eyes would have turned toward him.

‘Then again, he probably already knows he’s the target of the designation. Maybe there’s no need for him to attend the auction.’

But I still didn’t know for certain.
The Association President had never given a definitive answer about the designation rights.
Even during the press conference, there had only been speculation that it would be Kang Ha-jin.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it seemed likely enough.
That was when it happened.

[Well then, shall we begin the auction… hm?]

Someone suddenly rushed up onto the podium.
Even Mose-min, who kept track of all the key figures within the Association and could rattle off the names of hunters down to the B-rank line, was seeing this face for the first time.

‘Is this someone who recently rose to prominence as the Association President’s closest confidant?’

“Hey, get a shot of that person who just came up there.”
“Huh? Well, it looks like they’re just here to deliver a message to the Association President.”
“That’s exactly why I’m telling you to get the shot. Among the people who report directly to the Association President, there’s no one I don’t know—at least not during official schedules. But I’ve never seen this person before in my life. Get it.”
“Yes, sir!”

Mose-min’s veteran journalist instincts were telling him something.
That in the future, he would learn about important Association matters through this person.

[Hmm, then there’s nothing to be done. I understand.]

Only after the Association President finished hearing the report.
Did the man hurriedly dash back down.
Then the Association President spoke again.

[I apologize, but I must postpone the auction we were about to begin. It seems our distinguished guest has not yet arrived. They should be here shortly, so I ask for your patience.]

The hall immediately erupted into commotion once more.

“Ugh, I can’t stand this.”
“This won’t do, Guild Master!”

Some expressed displeasure at the auction delay itself.

“What’s going on?”
“Who could be important enough to delay the auction?”
“Is the President coming?”
“In the age of Great Hunters, what does a president matter?”
“Wait, could it be…!”

Creak—

The doors to the Grand Hall swung open.
Despite the chaos in the venue.
Even though the sound of the doors opening should have been drowned out.

“Wait. Hold on.”
“What is it?”

Thrum, thrum, thrum, thrum—

An undeniable presence descended upon the hall.
Whether awakened or not, everyone slowly turned to look behind them.
Soon, a voice mixed with delight and amusement flowed from the speakers.
It was the Association President speaking into the microphone from the podium.

[Ah, you’ve arrived. Hunter Kang Ha-jin. Please take your reserved seats with your companion. Right this way.]

A handsome man and beautiful woman entered through the open doors.
This was the first time Kang Ha-jin had officially appeared before the public since his return.
There had been interview footage before, but his status had risen even higher since then.
The silence that had blanketed the hall was only momentary.

“…Hey. What are you doing? Shoot.”
“Yes?”
“I said shoot!”

Mose-min snatched the camera from his junior’s hands, who had been standing dazed.
Setting aside how handsome and beautiful they were.
I needed to write articles to put food on my table.
And the photos I took now would significantly contribute to Mose-min’s income for some time to come.
In fact, every reporter and YouTuber in that hall was thinking the same thing.

Flick-flick-flick-flick-flick-flick!

Flashes erupted from all directions.
The center of attention grimaced at the barrage of light.
He cast a silent glance toward the Hunter Master on the podium.
Then, moments later.

[Enough. Those who wish to see the auction results through to the end are asked to refrain from further photography. Hunter Kang Ha-jin is sensitive to light, you see. Ahem, Jang-hun.]

The Association President spoke.

Click.

“Stop.”

Someone seized Mose-min’s arm.
The grip was no ordinary strength.
As Mose-min swallowed hard and slowly lifted his head.
A giant loomed above him.

“The VIP dislikes bright light, so please refrain from using flash.”

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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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