“Would you like some coffee?”
“No, thanks.”
“How about tea then?”
“Well, um… What do you have?”
‘Everyone treating me so well.’
Currently, Jeonghyun was in another room within the underground headquarters of the Association, inside the Investigation Department 3.
When Seokwoong asked about his physical condition and he replied that he was fine, they immediately brought him to this place. Perhaps it was a place for him to fill out the forms Seokwoong mentioned.
It was a cozy and comfortable space, unlike the interrogation room. However, the constant smiles from unfamiliar employees as they passed by made the atmosphere quite awkward for Jeonghyun.
Why are they all so polite?
“Well, there’s a variety here. The director cares about employee welfare. But it seems like she buys these for herself… Oh, this is a secret by the way.”
While saying that, the employee displayed various teas from the shelf. From various herbal teas to green tea, oolong tea, and even some exotic ones, it was beyond just “various.”
“Um, could I have oolong tea?”
“Sure, oolong is good for the eyes.”
Saying this, the employee brewed the tea and placed it in front of Jeonghyun.
By now, several employees had already come and gone, bringing tea, cookies, slices of cake, snacks, and gum. It was literally a collection of every pastries one could imagine for a tea time.
It seemed like everything that could come out had already come out, and there was no sign of anyone else coming in.
‘Should I take some of this with me?’
Eating everything in the seated position was too much, and it didn’t seem like cheap products either. So, the thought crossed his mind discreetly.
‘Now, what’s next?’
It was awkward when people were bustling around, but now that no one seemed to be coming in, Jeonghyun started feeling bored.
Even checking his phone didn’t spark any interest.
Then, in that moment, the thought of the 10 coins he had received but hadn’t used yet crossed his mind.
“Ah.”
Before facing Jucheol, he hadn’t properly examined the list when he used the 3 coins. Usually, when he was filling up the slots one by one, he didn’t pay much attention.
However, now that he had some time to kill, it seemed like shopping was the only option.
“Attributes Shop.”
[Shop List (Coin Cost for Refresh: 2)
“Worthy Kick” (F, Lv.1), 1C
–
“Mediocre Healing” (F, Lv.1), 1C
“Reasonably Agile Body Movements” (F, Lv.1), 1C
“Worthy Punching” (F, Lv.1), 1C
Current Coin Balance: 10]
Still, just ordinary attributes.
Considering that the appearance of E-rank attributes had a whopping 25% probability, and it had only appeared once so far, Jeonghyun couldn’t help but feel that he was quite unlucky.
“Well, at least now I have two E-rank attributes.”
It was a result that turned such matters into trivial complaints.
After examining the list once, Jeonghyun chose one without hesitation.
‘Let’s go with some body movements for now.’
Having already evolved a attribute from F to E, he knew the taste of it.
When overlapping attributes, it was advantageous to put down duplicates. Now, he had two copies of “Reasonable Agile Movement.”
If both the grades of the two synergistic attributes rose, there was a possibility that the synergy itself would be enhanced. There was no need to hesitate.
‘But still, no adaptation pain when the grade goes up, huh?’
The adaptation pain that had tormented him each time he filled a slot. However, there was no pain when the combat sense attribute went up to E-rank. If there had been pain in that case, he would have been in agony beneath Jucheol’s axe.
Looking back, aiming for a rank increase and using coins was also risky.
“Hmm…”
While contemplating, he looked through the list again, but the remaining attributes were of no use. There were no empty equipable attributes slots, and there was no merit in piling them up.
‘Then it’s time for a refresh.’
Anyway, there were probably 9 coins left.
Normally, he might have hesitated to use 2 coins for a refresh, but his sense of saving coins was a bit dulled at the moment.
And at the moment when 2 coins were deducted for a refresh.
[The Proficiency Level of “Attribute Shop” (EX) has increased from 1 to 2.]
Contrary to the usual dry message, a rather flashy effect accompanied the increase in the proficiency level of the Attributes Shop.
“Ugh!”
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Surprised by the sudden burst of bright light, Jeonghyun almost fell back in his chair, but he managed to regain his composure.
He was momentarily disoriented, but in the end, the situation was simple. The Attribute Shop had reached level 2.
“Right, spending 10 coins would level it up.”
Although he hadn’t paid much attention, the coins he had used so far had already amounted to 9 coins.
This time, with 11 coins, leveling up would happen.
For a moment, he was watching the repeated effects absentmindedly, but he quickly went to read the information about the shop.
“Attribute Shop Information.”
[Attribute Shop (Lv.2)
Coins Needed for the Next Level: 29
Equipable Attributes: 3
Saveable Attributes: 8
Attribute grade probability: F 62%, E 30%, D 4.5%, C 2%, B 1%, A 0.4%, S 0.1%]
“Whoa!”
This time, for sure. Jeonghyun had to forcibly regain his balance, almost stumbling backward after he jump in surprise.
What on earth was this brilliant information?
While it might be considered trivial, each small change had a significant impact on Jeonghyun.
“S-rank… S-rank probability exists?”
The most noticeable thing was, of course, the probabilities. A slight chance emerged for A-rank and S-rank attributes, 0.4% and 0.1%, respectively.
If winning the lottery jackpot had an odds of about 1 in 8 million, the probability of getting an S-rank was 8,000 times higher than winning the lottery.
“Worth trying… it’s worth trying.”
His expression became slightly dangerous.
Jeonghyun had been on the verge of spilling saliva due to futile desires.
Suddenly, as if awakening from a trance, he looked around and cleared his throat.
Apart from the A-rank and S-rank probabilities, which were a 0.5% in total, there was another more practical change – the decrease in F-rank probability to the 60s%.
Even though the probability would significantly drop with higher ranks, getting a D-rank attribute wasn’t entirely unrealistic.
Jeonghyun pondered over the possibilities of obtaining new attributes at each level-up and whether the increased odds would be applied.
A light smile appeared on his face, realizing that the desire to draw new attributes was always enjoyable, especially if it had the potential to change his life.
“Hehehe…”
As Jeonghyun chuckled, a voice suddenly spoke beside him.
“It seems like you’re in a good mood.”
“Naturally… Ah!”
Jeonghyun, about to answer without realizing, was startled by the unexpected words coming from someone standing next to him.
A woman had appeared by his side, seemingly looking at a status screen similar to his.
She matched her gaze as if comparing the information. For a moment, she gazed at Jeonghyun with innocent eyes, then lightly smiled and moved to the opposite seat.
“It seems you’ve leveled up your proficiency in your attribute. Well, after all, you two managed to defeat a D-rank villain.”
“…!”
How could she deduce that just by looking at him? Although it was not entirely accurate.
Smiling faintly, Yerin spoke again.
“I’m sorry if I surprised you. I gave enough signals, but you didn’t seem to notice.”
“Um… it’s okay.”
“I’m Cha Yerin, the head of Investigation Department 3.”
She placed her laptop down and took out a business card from her pocket.
“Head of Investigation Department 3?”
As Jeonghyun read the business card, a person came to mind.
The back view of a woman dealing with reporters in front of the gate. Come to think of it, her clothes and hairstyle were similar.
Even so, it was surprising that someone so young could be the head of a department.
Moreover, she had fair skin and was, to Jeonghyun’s aesthetic preference, one of the most beautiful people he had seen.
It didn’t match the typical image of an investigation officer.
As Jeonghyun hesitated, alternating between the card and Yerin’s face, she asked with a sly look.
“Did you think, ‘Is this young and pretty woman really a department head?'”
“…!”
How could she figure that out with just a glance?
Although he had been drinking a sip of the iced tea, he almost choked as he heard her words.
“Cough, cough. No, not at all.”
“Seems like it. It’s okay. People often think that way when they see me because I’m young and pretty.”
‘What is this person?’
From the very first encounter, Jeonghyun couldn’t shake off the chills from Yerin’s attitude, as if she could read his thoughts.
Understanding her being younger, he couldn’t believe how she casually commented on her own beauty.
‘Is this how investigators operate…?’
Jeonghyun recalled a TV show where a professional detective deduced celebrities’ secrets as if peering into their minds. It seemed like a similar scenario was happening now.
Jeonghyun corrected his posture. He hadn’t done anything wrong, and technically, the Association should be thanking him. There was no reason to be swayed.
“Anyway, I will be preparing your documents, Jeonghyun. Thank you on behalf of the Association.”
“Oh, no, it’s nothing…”
Nodding in acknowledgment, Yerin’s polite greeting made Jeonghyun unintentionally bow his head as well.
If it were a stern-looking gentleman who entered, this might not have happened, but he was struggling to adapt to this unexpected situation.
Meanwhile, Yerin, appearing relaxed, looked at the piled-up food in front of Jeonghyun and smiled faintly.
“It seems like our colleagues are really grateful to you, Jeonghyun. And they have reasons to be. Those guys were troublemakers from the start.”
“Is that so?”
“They are D-rank hunters who changed their appearances and committed crimes, specifically choosing lower-rank hunters from vulnerable groups. It’s impossible to conduct a nationwide investigation for every gate incident… Ah, if you can’t finish it all, feel free to take it with you.”
“Thank you very much.”
As if she could read Jeonghyun’s mind, Yerin’s permission to take the leftover food was appreciated, and Jeonghyun swept the remaining food into his bag.
Although he was now at a point where he didn’t worry about having enough to eat, old habits back when he was poor weren’t easy to let go of.
“Now, shall we start? Let’s talk about how you encountered those guys.”
Yerin, who seemed to have accurately read Jeonghyun’s thoughts, had transformed from a chillingly creepy, accurate investigator to a friendly guide. Jeonghyun didn’t hesitate and began narrate the story.
“Well, it happened like this…”
