Chapter 202
Chapter 202: Return (2)
“Yoo Ji-han!”
“Kim Si-hu!”
Min Yu-ri was feeling very troubled as she looked at the throng of reporters approaching them.
There were simply too many to respond to individually.
‘So all of this is because of our party?’
The reporters wore expressions that seemed to beg for any comment from the silent Yoo Ji-han party.
Yoo Ji-han stared at the phones and microphones thrust toward his lips.
“Yoo Ji-han!”
“Yoo Ji-han….”
“Everyone! Please calm down for a moment.”
Unable to endure the chaos any longer, Yoo Ji-han raised a finger to his lips as a gesture for silence.
Gradually, the noise from the reporters began to dwindle.
Only when a quiet stillness fell before the Hero Department did Yoo Ji-han lower his finger.
Scratching the back of his head, he spoke.
“We just finished a battle, so we’re a bit out of it. I don’t quite understand why everyone is swarming us; could someone briefly explain the situation?”
“I-I’ll explain!”
A female reporter raised her hand eagerly.
Yoo Ji-han pointed to her and asked,
“Why is everyone gathered here?”
“We received information that the Yoo Ji-han party, which went on an expedition, is returning to Seoul. So….”
“No, before that, why are you looking for us?”
“Ah! You don’t know? HST Studio released an action movie about your expedition!”
The reporter thrust her phone screen, which displayed the movie of the Yoo Ji-han party bubbling with activity.
It was a movie that ran over four hours long.
Just as Ha Seong-tae had said earlier, it seemed they edited the original footage to preserve it as much as possible.
“Since the movie was released just a few hours ago, it’s causing a huge sensation, not just in Korea but worldwide!”
“…Worldwide?”
“Yes! And in real-time!”
Yoo Ji-han, Min Yu-ri, and Kim Si-hu all rounded their lips in surprise.
It felt strange that so much attention was suddenly focused on them.
But if it had drawn global interest, it began to make some sense.
‘The effect is amazing.’
It seemed the advance release of the video had a tremendous impact.
In a situation where information about the expedition was scarce, they had quickly leaked somewhat refined information well ahead of anyone else.
People curious about how the situation developed were probably searching for that.
“Can we ask some questions?”
“As I mentioned earlier, we’re a bit overwhelmed right now.”
“Ah….”
“But I will say this.”
It was the hero’s role to provide reassurance to those in anxiety.
Yoo Ji-han directed his gaze towards the biggest camera in the room and spoke.
“There are still remnants left, but we have defeated the people from another world who were the main cause of this incident.”
“Does that mean…”
“This expedition was a victory for our expeditionary force.”
“……!”
Pabababababash—!
As soon as the words fell, flashes erupted like a firework display.
While Yoo Ji-han was quietly staring at the camera, he noticed heroes in suits coming out of the Hero Department building.
“Reporters, please step aside!”
“Yoo Ji-han party! Please come this way.”
A suited man welcomed the Yoo Ji-han party.
Seeing his face, Kim Si-hu remarked,
“Ah, you’re the one from the Rank 4 sparring assessment?”
“I see you recognize me. Long time no see?”
“Yes!”
He was Bang Yoon-sik, the assessment officer during the Yoo Ji-han party’s rank-up to Rank 4.
After exchanging warm greetings, he turned to the people standing behind Yoo Ji-han and asked,
“Who are these people…?”
“This is Happy Time’s healer, Lee Dong-gil, and the rest are the people from another world and executives from the IUPC.”
“……Impressive. We’ll hold those guys in custody.”
“Please don’t handle the woman at the front carelessly.”
“And why is that?”
“I’ll be personally requesting leniency for her.”
Yoo Ji-han pointed out Jerry among the captured people from another world.
At that, Jerry winked at him, closing one eye with a playful expression.
She still seemed quite relaxed.
“Please take Chilla to the treatment room.”
“We’ll escort him to the pet-special treatment room. The others, please follow me.”
“Wait a second!”
“Just one more question…!”
“Whoa! Let’s not keep the tired people here!”
While blocking the reporters, Chilla was escorted to the treatment room, and the Yoo Ji-han party followed Bang Yoon-sik into the Hero Department building.
As they had prevented outsiders from entering in the first place, it became very quiet once the door closed behind them.
“You’ve arrived!”
Inside, Yang Ji-cheol was waiting.
He rushed forward and firmly grabbed Yoo Ji-han’s hands.
“Thank you for all your hard work.”
“Yes. It was a bit tough this time.”
“Let’s head to the treatment room first! We’ll talk afterward.”
“The treatment room? We don’t have serious injuries aside from getting fatigued.”
“Special instructions have come down to report on your health status.”
“Who issued such an order…?”
“Many important figures are paying attention to you.”
The Hero Department and government hierarchs were keeping a close watch on the Yoo Ji-han party.
As they were the ones who played the biggest role in the recent expedition and had increased their visibility through the movie.
Ensuring their health and safety was considered a top priority.
‘A special treatment, huh.’
Regardless, it showed that they were being taken care of.
Yoo Ji-han felt somewhat positive about it.
“This way, please. Let’s go inside.”
Following Yang Ji-cheol, they arrived at the treatment room.
But…….
“You’re here.”
“Huh?!”
Inside the treatment room was a man seated in a wheelchair, waiting for them.
Yang Ji-cheol, leading the way, recognized him and froze in place.
“Minister!”
None other than Jo Du-jin, the Minister of the Hero Department, who had been on leave for health reasons, was waiting for them.
His first appearance in three months since halting all external activities.
As the secretary pushed the wheelchair forward, Jo Du-jin came closer to Yoo Ji-han.
“So, you’re Yoo Ji-han.”
“That’s correct.”
“…….”
Jo Du-jin stared intently at Yoo Ji-han’s face.
Yoo Ji-han gazed back at him.
‘I’ve only seen you in textbooks and the news.’
Despite sitting in a wheelchair, he didn’t lose any of his imposing presence.
Though he appeared to be middle-aged, the strength behind his gaze was no less than that of a young person.
It was easy to nod along in agreement, knowing he was a retired hero and the current head of the Hero Department.
“I’ve seen a bit of your movie and heard reports from below. As the Minister of the Hero Department, I truly appreciate your hard work.”
“Yes. However, the situation isn’t completely resolved yet.”
“Isn’t it true that the biggest problem has been eliminated?”
“That’s correct.”
“You were at the center of it all.”
“I won’t deny that.”
A very satisfied smile appeared on Jo Du-jin’s lips.
He was genuinely happy to meet such outstanding junior heroes.
“Cough cough!”
“Minister.”
“Ah, I’m fine.”
As a rough cough escaped Jo Du-jin’s lips, his secretary handed him a handkerchief.
His health had still not completely recovered.
He had braved the conditions just to meet the Yoo Ji-han party.
Clearing his throat, he spoke again, now facing Yoo Ji-han.
“The heroes participating in this expedition will receive appropriate rewards.”
“Understood.”
“I promise you the best rewards.”
“I’ll be looking forward to it.”
“Ha! What a good attitude.”
Yoo Ji-han couldn’t help but smile brightly.
There was no reason to dislike having the most elevated figure of the Hero Department directly promise to give them good rewards.
“Is there anything you personally want?”
“Well, if we could get as much money as possible…”
“Hah, of course, there will be monetary rewards! But, if there are any items you’ve always wanted but couldn’t get, now’s the time to ask. You can even request artifacts or rare potions.”
“Really?”
“Of course, why would I lie to you?”
It seemed Jo Du-jin would freely grant even requests for extremely hard-to-find items.
Yang Ji-cheol looked at Jo Du-jin in shock as he awaited an answer.
It was the first time since he became Minister that he had made such an outrageous proposal to an individual.
“How many can I ask for?”
“You can tell me, and I’ll decide. I’m not that stingy, so don’t worry too much.”
“So, I can take multiple items.”
“As long as they’re not excessive demands.”
While he wasn’t sure what qualified as excessive,
it seemed like Jo Du-jin would be generous enough to take into account whatever seemed reasonable.
“Let’s leave it up to him to decide.”
“I share the same sentiment.”
Min Yu-ri and Kim Si-hu handed all the decision-making to Yoo Ji-han.
They wouldn’t hold any objections to whatever he chose to request.
‘Something I’ve always wanted…’
After asking Jo Du-jin for permission, Yoo Ji-han fell deep into thought.
He hadn’t anticipated receiving such an offer suddenly.
He needed a brief moment to gather his thoughts.
‘The level of items held by the Hero Department is quite high.’
While the largest guild in Korea would likely hold the best artifacts,
the artifacts stored by the Hero Department must be equally impressive.
Because they participated in the global auction market each year with their allocated national budget, purchasing artifacts or potions.
The items bought could sometimes be resold at even higher prices later on.
They could be distributed to heroes within the Hero Department or lent out in a private capacity to civilian heroes, too.
‘Should I ask for an artifact?’
The artifacts that were treated as expensive were those that considerably enhanced physical abilities just by wearing them.
Most heroes preferred them, and even the least valuable ones would typically be worth a minimum of hundreds of millions.
Given the Minister’s authority, he might indeed be able to receive those.
This would also serve as excellent reference material for Nam Ho-yeol, who would manufacture other artifacts in the future.
‘Potions could also be nice.’
Considering the effects of the ghost ginseng that had significant results with only one dose.
If he requested potions said to be better than the six-year-old ghost ginseng he received from the Hero Academy,
it might serve as a stepping stone for even greater growth.
‘……No.’
As Yoo Ji-han was on the verge of selecting various items, he shook his head.
Rare artifacts or potions could be obtained with enough money and time anyway.
In comparison, Jo Du-jin’s offer seemed to be an opportunity that might not present itself again.
If the people from another world were to threaten Korea again,
even if the Yoo Ji-han party were to play a role in it, such an offer might never come again.
‘Let me think.’
Things that are difficult to obtain with money.
Items that even a Minister of the Hero Department might hesitate to hand over.
Yet simultaneously, items that wouldn’t matter if they disappeared from the Hero Department’s storage.
“I’ve made my decision.”
“Let me hear it.”
“I would like to request Dreamium.”
“……!!”
Dreamium, also referred to as the metal of dreams.
An item that couldn’t be processed by any means and had been stored in the Hero Department for over 20 years.
Having made up his mind, Yoo Ji-han said the name of the one item that is singular in all of Korea.
At that, Jo Du-jin and even the secretary holding his wheelchair’s gaze widened in surprise.
Everyone present, including Min Yu-ri and Kim Si-hu beside him, gaped at him.
“Ji-han! No matter how you look at it, that’s too much!”
“Isn’t that too excessive a request?”
“I understand if the Minister declines.”
Knowing full well that he might be turned down with his request,
Jo Du-jin squinted at Yoo Ji-han.
“Do you have a reason for wanting that?”
“I believe I can make good use of it.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Without a hint of hesitation, he earnestly replied.
Asking for the most precious item among the things he could request would require him to show confidence.
‘Perhaps a tremendous weapon could be born…’
If he could use Dreamium in a new piece of equipment,
it might even surpass the highest-grade artifacts.
“Throughout history, those who made such requests have all given up.”
“If I can’t use it, I’ll gladly return it.”
With the condition of returning it laid out, Jo Du-jin looked down at the floor in thought.
After a couple of minutes passed,
he finally nodded and said,
“I’ll accept your request.”
“Thank you.”
Having secured permission, Yoo Ji-han smiled subtly.
