NPLLD 29

Chapter : 29

Meritocracy (Survival of the Fittest)

Just from looking at his eyes, Cha Seok-hyun was certain.

‘This is a rabid dog sent by Park Gwang-su to bite me.’

……or at least, that was what he believed—because in his mind, he was the king of Ulleungdo, and anyone who opposed him was unforgivable.

Until now, no one sent by the Management Bureau had ever managed to dethrone him.
They were either demoted, killed, or absorbed into his faction. Those were the only outcomes.

‘He’s just a young brat who doesn’t understand the world yet.’

Cha Seok-hyun chuckled and said to Seoyul.

“If you need anything, feel free to ask. I am your direct superior, after all. I’ll make sure you can work comfortably here.”

Seoyul smiled faintly.

“I appreciate the sentiment. But you seem to be under a misunderstanding. Our Rescue Division is going to be separated from the Ulleungdo branch soon. So you don’t really need to concern yourself with us.”

“What did you just say?!”

Cha Seok-hyun’s face twisted for the first time.

Even the Rescue Division members looked confused. Seoyul, however, continued with a faintly mocking expression.

“An official document will be issued soon. Budget and other adjustments can be discussed, but personnel management will not be under your authority. Please keep that in mind.”

“That’s impossible.”

“Ulleungdo will be declared a disaster zone. In emergency situations, it is possible to separate departments under special authority.”

“I’ve received no such notice.”

Seoyul didn’t even look at him. He glanced at his watch and muttered.

“A call will come at 2:00 PM. Three… two… one.”

Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5—Fate—suddenly rang out from Cha Seok-hyun’s phone.

“Pfft.”

Of all things, that ringtone.

Seoyul couldn’t help but laugh at the absurd timing.

Cha Seok-hyun, realizing the call was truly from Park Gwang-su, stiffened.

“Yes, Director.”

A long explanation flowed from the other side.

“…Understood. I will visit Seoul later.”

After ending the call, Cha Seok-hyun stared at Seoyul for a moment and spoke coldly.

“We’ll prepare a welcome reception for you soon. I hope you’ll attend.”

“Sure.”

That was the end of it. Cha Seok-hyun turned and left the Rescue Division office.

Cha Seok-hyun’s Office

As he walked toward his office, all color had drained from his face.

That old man… Park Gwang-su had completely lost his mind.

Even the Director of the Management Bureau wasn’t untouchable. If he pushed this too far using legal authority and failed, he would be politically ruined and forced out.

The only reason he hadn’t acted like this before was because he wasn’t sure whether past appointees could succeed.

But this time was different.

One man—just one Rescue Division chief—was being given absurd authority.

‘We still have about thirty Awakeners on Ulleungdo… and half of them are in the Rescue Division.’

Half their force had just been taken away.

‘It’s fine. I’ll just keep Cha Do-hyun controlling the internal unit.’

But there were still problems.

Ulleungdo required immediate response for low-level Gates, and coordination with mainland guilds for higher ones. Cha Seok-hyun had been secretly harvesting mana stones from these operations and trading them with Overcross for massive profit.

Without the Rescue Division manpower, that system was in danger.

Back in his office—

“I’ll never forgive this damn old man!”

BANG!

He kicked his desk over.

“Contact Overcross Vice Director Baek Jun-hwan immediately.”

“Yes, sir!”

His secretary ran off in a panic.

Cha Seok-hyun picked up a document with Seoyul’s profile photo and—

CRUNCH!

He crushed it under his foot.

“You bastard… daring to mess with me.”

Meanwhile, Rescue Division Office

All eyes were on Seoyul.

In just half a day, he had overridden even Park Gwang-su’s authority and seized control of the situation.

But doubts remained about his ability.

Seoyul calmly began his presentation using a PPT.

Images of Ulleungdo’s harsh conditions appeared on screen.

“As you all know, Ulleungdo’s biggest weaknesses are isolation, lack of Awakeners, and lack of attention from the Management Bureau.”

Everyone looked indifferent.

Then Seoyul continued.

“First, we will restructure salaries, welfare, and equipment procurement. Funding will come from selling mana stones obtained during operations. 15% of the profit will be used as salary increases.”

“?!”

Their eyes widened.

That was an unheard-of policy.

“Hey!”

Cha Do-hyun tried to intervene, but no one was listening to him anymore.

Seoyul moved to the next slide.

“We also need raid training. Unlike the mainland, Ulleungdo has unstable Gate conditions, so we will restructure team formations.”

On screen, the old formation appeared:

Front: tankers
Middle: damage dealers, healers
Rear: support, ranged DPS

Then Seoyul’s new formation appeared:

Front: scouts, ranged DPS
All-around: tankers, healers

“……”

Everyone raised objections immediately.

One of them, Kim Yong-su, spoke up.

“If a ranged DPS makes one mistake, isn’t everyone dead?”

Seoyul shrugged.

“That’s only the default formation. In actual combat, positioning will depend on the leader’s judgment. The advantage is faster elimination of enemies and fewer casualties if executed properly.”

Then he added.

“I also prepared equipment to support ranged DPS.”

He opened a case.

Inside was a single monocle-like device: Long Vision Lens.

An advanced artifact developed by the Wizard Kingdom of Britain, capable of auto-correcting aim and tracking moving targets.

Still—

Skill would ultimately determine success.

Seoyul emphasized.

“It’s only a support tool.”

The team fell silent.

Then Seoyul continued.

“And the most important role is the scout.”

“A scout? We don’t have that role.”

Everyone looked confused.

Seoyul pointed to himself.

“Who else would it be?”

“…We’ve heard you’re top-tier in scouting abilities domestically, but—”

“Remove the ‘domestic’ part.”

Emergency Alert

[EMERGENCY ACTIVATED]
[A Level 2 or lower Gate has appeared near the village. Immediate response required.]

The atmosphere shifted instantly.

Seoyul smiled faintly.

“Good. A chance to prove it.”

At the Gate Site

A Gate crack formed near coastal reefs. Thick fog made visibility nearly impossible.

“It’s about to break.”

“We can’t approach it.”

“Do you want to get swept away and die?”

Seoyul calmly said:

“Of course we shoot it. Position set.”

The team followed his instructions.

The two ranged attackers raised their crossbows, now equipped with the new lenses.

Click.

Tension filled the air.

Seoyul activated his abilities.

[Synesthesia activated.]
[Silent Wave activated.]

Through the fog, shapes became visible.

Harpy-type monsters emerged from the Gate.

“Coordinates: 43° northwest, altitude 50. Fire.”

“I-I can’t see it.”

“Fire.”

At that moment—

A harpy appeared exactly at the predicted point.

Two bolts fired simultaneously.

FWOOSH! THWACK!

Direct hits.

“KYAAAK!”

The harpy fell from the sky.

The hunters stared in disbelief.

“That… wasn’t even visible… how did he hit that?”

Another muttered:

“He didn’t just detect it… he predicted its coordinates…”

They slowly realized Seoyul’s strategy.

Instead of reckless engagement, he was turning the battlefield into a controlled sniping zone—waiting for optimal strikes.

Seoyul raised his hand again.

“Second harpy. Same coordinates. Altitude 40.”

The next shots fired.

Perfect hits again.

No one could object anymore.

They began to understand:

This wasn’t luck.
It was precision warfare.

And Seoyul had already turned Ulleungdo’s weakest unit into a calculated strike force.