The Only Enhancer - Chapter 96

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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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Episode 96
96 – Trait Enhancement (1)
0.
The Cheongwadae, where there hadn’t been a peaceful day in recent times due to the constant turmoil.
The highest-ranking official there received reports as usual and exhaled a deep sigh.
“Siiiiigh.”
He was sighing so heavily it seemed the very ground itself might lift away.
The National Assembly was in chaos as well, and President Jang Seong-yoon found himself equally troubled.
Though he understood why his approval ratings were dropping despite the parliament’s decisions and orders, he couldn’t help but feel wronged.
Of course, he was doing his utmost to make contact with Min-jun.
Above all, he was investigating from every angle to create reasons for Min-jun to remain in Korea.
‘Kim Min-jun—the problem is I can’t figure out what he needs.’
It wasn’t a joke; it was genuinely true.
A man with the ability to accomplish whatever he desired whenever he desired it.
That was Min-jun.
If he needed money right now, he could simply hunt Disaster Level 5 monsters in Germany and craft a few Tier 6 items to sell instead.
Just looking at what he’d distributed to all the guild members, enhancement didn’t even seem difficult.
Yet he could strengthen items all the way to the limit level here.
Perhaps it would be easier to figure out what Min-jun didn’t want.
It was a situation that naturally invited sighs, but somehow he had to persevere to the very end.
So that the government could at least hear that it had done what it could.
‘Full tax exemption is only natural.’
Some people complained that this would be a massive loss to the nation, but that was entirely wrong.
Though the amount Min-jun generated was enormous, exempting his taxes wasn’t a loss.
Rather, Min-jun’s very presence created tremendous added value.
Safety from Disaster monsters, enhancement of domestic hunters.
These two factors alone could justify value exceeding the taxes he would pay.
And beyond that.
‘Each time he hunts a Disaster Level 5 monster in Germany, the nation receives a minimum value of 500 million euros?’
Hearing about one’s own citizens from a distant land like Germany was humbling to one’s pride, but they had made their own mistakes.
Could they truly satisfy such a formidable figure?
‘I’ll have to grant the guild members tax exemptions as well, and provide them with various other benefits.’
No other thought came to mind except to accommodate everything he desired.
He almost wished Min-jun had emigrated instead, but now that was no longer possible.
Originally, he had felt secure knowing Ma Hyun-seok would remain even if Min-jun left, but Jang Seong-yoon could only lower his head upon recalling the contact he’d received just yesterday.
None other than Ma Hyun-seok’s retirement announcement.
And he’d been notified of it in writing.
“Ugh.”
Upon hearing that Ma Hyun-seok would be joining the Reinforce Guild after his retirement, President Jang Seong-yoon had no choice but to find a way to retain Min-jun.
As a result, he suddenly recalled that Min-jun enjoyed raids, wondering what might appeal to him.
‘Should I give Min-jun the territory of North Korea, which has become a monster’s land?’
When the era of great upheaval arrived, North Korea’s isolationist stance left it with no choice but to walk the path of destruction.
Most of North Korea’s leadership perished at the hands of monsters without escape, while the citizens naturally fled to Korea or China and were absorbed into those nations.
And though merely a formality, Korea had successfully claimed that territory as well.
It was a blessing that China hadn’t grown greedy over land already consumed by monsters.
Especially with that monster at Baekdu Mountain.
So why not hand over North Korea’s territory—a veritable monster paradise—to Min-jun, who loved raids?
At that thought, I let out a chuckle.
‘Good heavens, he’d probably love that.’
Laughing at myself for entertaining such a ridiculous notion, I shook my head.
There were other matters to attend to, so I’d have to shelve this for later.
Besides, Korean negotiators had just departed for Germany.
Wouldn’t discussions naturally unfold from there?
Most unfortunately, President Jang Seong-yoon had no conscious awareness that his instincts had brought him remarkably close to the truth.
1.
Berlin’s night scenery was quite worth seeing.
A city where gleaming modern buildings coexisted among ancient structures.
The blend of history and modernity that characterized European cities appeared romantic, and Min-jun found himself appreciating it as well.
Through that night landscape, a crimson Ferrari roared past with a thunderous engine note, dominating the road.
Several passersby gazed in admiration at the Ferrari Roma’s elegant form.
“Today was really fun.”
“Yeah, it really was.”
Gwen seemed satisfied too, her expression pleasant to behold.
While I focused on driving, I noticed she appeared considerably more relaxed than usual, and I nodded in agreement.
Playing with a peer felt like something I barely remembered doing.
As I gazed at the rapidly flowing night scenery, I suddenly recalled something.
The reason I’d brought Gwen out today.
‘I’ve been so caught up in having fun that I completely forgot.’
Now that I thought about it, I’d forgotten to mention something.
‘I forgot about discussing trait enhancement.’
I still needed to have her sign a lifetime contract and hear the remaining conditions for reaching Level 6.
I’d forgotten because playing had been so enjoyable.
Not long ago, I wouldn’t have forgotten something like this, but gradually I was reclaiming the appearance of someone my actual age.
Not that this meant I’d only play, of course.
Work was work, after all.
While I was thinking this way.
Meanwhile, Gwen had enjoyed herself in her own way, though there was something she found disappointing.
She’d wanted to appear different from the image she’d shown so far.
But judging by Min-jun’s reaction, there were no signs of that, which was regrettable.
‘W-well, we’ve gotten a little closer, so it’s not completely disappointing…’
If anything, it felt more like he had awakened in me a romance for supercars.
While his attempt to refresh his image had failed, I was quite satisfied that we had grown closer.
If things continued to improve little by little like this, wouldn’t that be enough?
It was at that moment Gwen was thinking this.
Min-jun finished his thoughts and spoke to Gwen.
“So Gwen, do you happen to have any pre-arranged schedules or reservations set for this vacation?”
He was suddenly asking about her schedule?
Gwen nearly slammed on the brakes at his words without thinking, but she barely managed to restrain herself through the superhuman patience of an Awakener.
Still, she couldn’t understand what he meant, and her face flushed crimson.
She was grateful, though.
Who knew the brake lights of the car ahead would be so helpful.
Thanks to them, her reddened face wouldn’t be noticeable.
Instead, Gwen made every effort not to look to the side.
If she did, her real expression might crumble.
It could be something else entirely, not what she was thinking, right?
‘Yes, that must be it.’
With Min-jun, it was always that way.
Thinking that, she answered.
“Uh, I don’t have anything scheduled.”
Her speech was more drawn out than usual, and she wondered if she’d been caught.
Her nervousness was plainly evident.
But Min-jun smiled faintly regardless and spoke.
“Then what conditions remain for reaching Level 6?”
At his question, I realized it was indeed a business matter and let out a sigh.
Then, startled, I quickly provided an answer.
“Phew. Oh! Um, absorbing mana from Disaster Level 5 monsters is what’s left. Since it’s up to 10 times and I’ve already absorbed it 3 times, 7 remain.”
Min-jun wondered why Gwen was acting that way, but figured it was because she was driving and let it pass.
Hearing that 7 monsters remained, he paused to consider.
He had already conveyed his intentions to the German Government.
He had asked them to tell him if any country in the European Union wanted to eliminate Disaster Level 5 monsters.
But it was somewhat awkward to hunt them before permissions and negotiations were finalized.
Where would he hunt 7 monsters?
That was important, but he already had something in mind.
‘The Alps Mountains have quite a few areas with unclear territorial boundaries.’
And nearby, there were also Disaster Level 5 monsters that had established their domains.
While there weren’t quite 7 of them, hunting those would be sufficient.
“Then let’s go hunt Disaster Level 5 monsters together.”
“Ah. Of course. Whew.”
Seeing Gwen let out a small sigh, Min-jun sensed something was off, but what could he do?
It was a good thing for Gwen too.
Besides that.
‘I’m so curious what will happen if the trait gets strengthened.’
I felt a bit sorry toward Gwen, so I decided I should give her extra vacation days beyond what she hadn’t used this time.
Though that wasn’t really the important part.
Without realizing why Gwen had been disappointed, I pondered for a moment and decided I should give her a gift later.
With that settled, we agreed to meet again tomorrow and each returned to our rooms.
“…W-well then, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Thank you for driving today. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
“Yes! Please get some good rest!”
Gwen said that and suddenly remembered something as she walked back to her room.
Wait?
‘Isn’t the two of us going hunting together also an opportunity?’
The moment that thought crossed her mind, Gwen’s mood brightened again.
Unlike the other guild members, she possessed the same tremendous mental fortitude and stamina as Min-jun.
Gwen psyched herself up, thinking she needed to grow closer to him this time.
2.
It was rare for the European Union to hold an emergency assembly over a simple matter.
Even rarer if it wasn’t a regular occurrence.
But this time was an exception.
A massive circular table with one representative from each European nation seated around it.
All those who had come to represent their nations were watching the German representative, who stood among them.
Though they had heard the agenda beforehand, the concentrated attention made the air feel heavy.
The German representative, upon whom all eyes were fixed, could have been nervous, but spoke to them as if unbothered.
“Mister Reinforce Guild has made a proposal to the European Union. As we informed you in advance, he is requesting compensation in exchange for eliminating the Disaster Level 5 monsters stationed in each country.”
“Hmm.”
“The amount isn’t without burden, but if we can eliminate those troublesome Disaster Level 5 monsters, it actually seems quite favorable.”
That was exactly it.
Everyone agreed with that statement.
“In fact, it’s not just good—the value derived from it would be difficult to even calculate.”
“Five hundred million euros isn’t exactly a cheap price, but considering the target, one could argue it’s actually a bargain.”
Everyone nodded at those words.
Five hundred million euros. Roughly over 700 billion Korean won.
If calculated per monster, it was certainly an enormous sum.
The question was how many they would eliminate.
There existed an upper limit to the amount each nation could provide.
“How many Disaster Level 5 monsters are currently in all of Europe?”
“We can’t know for certain, but rough estimates suggest there are about twenty.”
“If we calculate just by rough numbers, that’s about ten billion euros, isn’t it?”
“Phew, that’s enormous.”
“But it’s definitely worth paying, in my opinion.”
Everyone agreed to the proposal.
It would be best if the European Union pooled its resources to provide the funds upfront, with those unable to pay later settling their debts accordingly.
Just as I was about to approve this arrangement.
Someone burst through the conference room door in urgent haste.
The representatives from each nation turned their attention toward the newcomer, curious about what had transpired.
The person approached the German representative and whispered something into his ear.
His complexion drained to a sickly pallor.
As the representatives began to wonder what had happened.
The German representative spoke first.
“It appears that Mister Reinforce Guild has already taken action and is currently subjugating the Disaster Level 5 monsters in the Alps Mountains.”
“What, what!??? Already?”
“So quickly like this?”
“Did he already know what we would decide?”
“Or perhaps he simply disregarded our opinions entirely.”
Each representative fell into their own misunderstandings, but there was no Min-jun to correct them.
It was Min-jun’s own oversight—he had never anticipated that they would compensate him even for monsters in borderline territories.

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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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