The Civil Servant Who Concealed Their True Strength Turns Out to be a Master of Possession - Chapter 123

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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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A Civil Servant Who Hides His Strength Is Exceptionally Good at Possession – Episode 123
Jeong-an City.
It was a special location that appeared only in this novel.
And ‘that incident’ happened in a dungeon located in Jeong-an City.
The Hunter Association classified that dungeon as a ‘high-rank dungeon,’ but in reality, it was a low-rank dungeon with only magic stone mines and low-level goblins.
Then how did it receive a ‘high-rank’ classification?
I stared at the apple box in front of me… no, the ginseng box, and pondered.
‘That’s the method right there.’
The Association members had been colluding with each other.
They labeled it high-rank and monopolized low-risk, high-profit dungeons for major guilds, while pocketing the dungeon byproducts in return.
Those byproducts were naturally divided among the Hunter Association’s internal members, especially within the member guild headquarters.
You could call this a form of ‘extortion.’
Since the Hunter Association controlled dungeon distribution assignments, guilds had to bring bribes to the Association if they wanted to be assigned low-risk, high-profit dungeons.
But the problem was that the dungeon they entered thinking it was low-rank turned out to be a genuinely ‘high-rank’ dungeon.
‘And it was A-Rank at that.’
A dungeon gate capable of obliterating an entire city had opened, and the city was reduced to ruins.
Naturally, the cause was the delayed response from Hunter Association employees who didn’t want their collusion exposed and the Han-seong Guild that was assigned this dungeon.
‘They thought it was low-rank from the start, so they didn’t even assign high-rank hunters. They must have figured they’d be screwed if it was discovered.’
Nearly ten thousand casualties occurred before the situation was finally contained, and naturally, Choi Se-a and even the Han-seong Guild Master were arrested in succession.
But surprisingly, Choi Jun-gu wasn’t mentioned at all in this incident.
The reason was—
“I thought I should resolve my daughter’s mistake with my own hands.”
Because Choi Jun-gu resolved this incident personally.
Surprisingly, the first to arrive at the scene wasn’t Hunter Management Office staff, nor were they prominent hunters from the three major guilds—it was Hunter Association Chairman Choi Jun-gu.
As a result, that aged first-generation hunter even received praise for risking his life to resolve the matter.
‘Even thinking about it now, something feels off…’
Wasn’t it the Hunter Association’s fault in the first place? And Choi Jun-gu is the Association Chairman?
Well, anyway, our regressor who had already experienced such things, our protagonist!
After regression, Choi Woo-jin made efforts to minimize this incident to prevent Choi Jun-gu’s heroification.
“How about being a bit more careful with this matter? The atmosphere these days seems unusual.”
He even warned Choi Se-a at the risk of exposing his identity, but it didn’t work at all.
“My father isn’t the type to tolerate such things. There’s a lot the Han-seong Guild can gain from this. But when did you start taking interest in Association matters?”
In the end, Choi Woo-jin made his final choice.
‘That choice was quite unexpected.’
Choi Woo-jin, whose motto was to fight evil with evil, evacuated the people of Jeong-an City.
Naturally, using his abilities.
After infiltrating Jeong-an City, he took control of a local broadcasting station and broadcast the massive Dungeon Break in real-time on regional television.
‘It was an extremely dangerous choice.’
Because of this, he nearly got caught by Kwon Ik-seong.
At that time, Kwon Ik-seong noticed Choi Woo-jin’s identity but simply let him go.
“It’s sunset. We can’t conduct a search. We’ll withdraw for today and return tomorrow.”
That principled statement was actually meant to protect Choi Woo-jin.
‘That’s what made him even more attractive….’
My love. My favorite. Kwon Ik-seong.
And he was telling me to use him.
‘…There’s no way that could happen.’
Tch.
He even said he liked me in the most ambiguous way possible.
In any case, through Choi Woo-jin’s efforts, Choi Se-a’s incident was minimized.
The casualties were reduced from tens of thousands to merely a hundred or so, and nearby guilds had time to launch rescue operations.
Choi Jun-gu’s heroization disappeared, but Choi Se-a’s punishment was also reduced.
The Han-seong Guild Master and Choi Se-a dragged the case through three trials before ultimately receiving a suspended sentence.
‘A frustrating ending.’
It was a realistic and absurd conclusion, but for our protagonist, stopping Choi Jun-gu was the most important task, so the objective could be considered achieved.
Besides, we saved a lot of people.
‘I’ll give him that.’
Choi Woo-jin did well on that front.
I gazed at the ginseng before me while thinking such thoughts.
It was when no one could readily pick up the ginseng.
Kim Eun-kyeong—no, Pee So-won—stepped forward first.
She picked up the first box and spoke.
“I understand what you’re saying, so let’s proceed quickly.”
With Pee So-won’s words, Kang Han-geul stepped forward with a gentle smile.
“Our new recruits are indeed sharp. Aren’t they?”
“They are.”
Choi Se-a answered with a slight smile.
After everyone took their boxes, I picked up the heaviest one.
“So I just need to take the wave detector and measure the dungeon’s wave output, right?”
As I asked, Choi Se-a nodded.
I tried to read something else in her relaxed expression but failed.
Her eyes contained only the habitual boredom unique to those who work.
I tried to remember the hundred or so victims who died in the original story not as people, but as numbers.
They’re just nameless extras in a novel.
No matter how much I tried to console myself, my mood didn’t improve.
‘I’m just a nameless extra in a novel too.’
It was the product of the damned conscience my mother and father had passed down to me.

* * *
Pee So-won, Kwon Ik-seong, and I gathered once more in the subspace with Captain Hong.
Each of us carrying a box of ginseng.
It was Pee So-won who broached the subject first.
“It’s hush money. One hundred percent. There’s something in the Jeong-an City dungeon.”
Something’s there, all right.
An A-Rank Monster….
I swallowed those words back down.
“But they only asked us to measure the wave frequency.”
Captain Hong muttered as if pondering something.
I offered my opinion carefully.
“Couldn’t they manipulate the wave detector to adjust the dungeon’s rating?”
The timing was suspicious enough that such questions were warranted.
“Adjust the rating?”
I deliberately stammered as I spoke.
“They disguise a low-rank dungeon as high-rank and hand it over to a major guild. In the process, they receive certain gifts from the guild. Something like this.”
I pointed to the ginseng box as I spoke.
Pee So-won nodded as if the logic made sense.
“If that’s the case, we can just take the wave detector and measure it ourselves.”
“That’s not the point.”
Captain Hong interjected then.
His brow was deeply furrowed.
“Then what? They just claim the detector broke down and that’s it, right? They say they thought it was genuinely high-rank, and boom—case closed.”
“They accepted a bribe.”
Kwon Ik-seong, who had been quiet until Pee So-won objected, opened his mouth.
“The ginseng was originally supposed to be distributed to headquarters staff, so it’s difficult to classify it as bribery in the course of duty.”
Exactly.
Perhaps the Association had distributed the ginseng boxes from the start precisely for this reason.
‘The opportunity is perfect.’
This is why Choi Woo-jin couldn’t prevent the disaster caused by Choi Se-a in advance, even knowing it would happen.
The system is too solid to stop preemptively.
There isn’t no way to stop this solid system—
‘It’s just a bit tricky.’
“First, collect as much evidence as possible at the scene, and preserve the documents as evidence too. You said you could access Choi Se-a’s office, right?”
Captain Hong spoke while looking at Kwon Ik-seong.
“Yes, she usually works from her private office.”
Like a sexual harasser!
I ground my teeth while thinking that.
“Then search Choi Se-a’s office thoroughly. If money changed hands, there’s a high probability she laundered the funds to Choi Jun-gu.”
“Understood.”
Evidence of money laundering.
If such evidence existed, Choi Woo-jin would have known about it from the start.
The fact that Choi Woo-jin didn’t know in the original story means that no matter how hard we dig, we can’t uncover it either.
Then there’s only one method left.
I concluded the meeting, which had ended anticlimactically without any real progress, and climbed back into Ha Ye-seul’s car.
Inside the vehicle hung photographs of a fabricated husband and child.
I gazed at those pictures with an indescribable feeling before pulling out my phone.
And just as I was about to make a call, the phone rang.
“…?”
[You were about to call me, weren’t you? Perfect timing, right?]
It was Choi Woo-jin.
And irritatingly enough—
“Yeah. That’s right.”
I had something to tell Choi Woo-jin.

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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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