NPLLD 30

Chapter : 30

Meritocracy (2)

Although many Awakened officials had been dispatched to Ulleungdo over time, none of them had ever managed to bring about significant change.

There were two reasons for this.

First, Cha Seok-hyun’s entrenched faction—the de facto local power—was something no single newcomer could possibly handle alone.

Second, most of the dispatched personnel simply lacked the capability to adapt to Ulleungdo’s harsh environment.

Even the Director of the Management Bureau, Park Gwang-su, who vaguely understood Cha Seok-hyun’s corruption, refrained from directly interfering for this reason.

If even the only force barely holding the island together collapsed, there would be no viable way to protect its civilians.

But recently, Cha Seok-hyun had begun to feel a sense of crisis.

Late at night, in his office, he poured himself a glass of whiskey while reviewing a performance improvement report sent by Cha Do-hyun regarding the Rescue Division.

[Performance Improvement Report]

1. Rescue success rate: 50% → 98%
2. Survival rate: 61% → 100%
3. Average response time to threats: 30+ minutes → 10 minutes
4. Civilian trust index: 40% → 80% (significantly increased)
5. Monster elimination rate: 55% → 100%

“……”

Sweat trickled down his spine.

How… how could they achieve this in such a barren environment?

All of this had been accomplished within just one month since Seoyul was appointed as Rescue Division chief in Ulleungdo.

‘So this is why Park Gwang-su backed him so openly? Damn Cha Do-hyun… what the hell are you doing managing your subordinates?!’

What infuriated him most was the note attached to item 4.

[There is currently a petition on the Blue House bulletin board requesting Seoyul’s appointment as Ulleungdo Branch Director. Public consent has exceeded 10,000 signatures.]

CRACK! BANG!

The whiskey glass shattered in his grip.

Ulleungdo’s population was only around ten thousand. That meant even people on the mainland—relatives, acquaintances—were actively supporting Seoyul.

That realization made Cha Seok-hyun deeply uneasy.

He could feel it in his bones—his influence, built over decades, was starting to shake.

“Ughhh!”

Unable to contain his rage, he screamed.

Brrr—

At that moment, a call came in.

[Baek Jun-hwan – Director]

The long-awaited call.

He immediately answered.

“Director! It’s been a while!”

“Seok-hyun hyung. I’m relieved to hear Ulleungdo has been changing so much lately.”

The tone was hard to read. Cha Seok-hyun hesitated for a beat.

Then Baek Jun-hwan added:

“But seeing the island welcoming a new master like this… I wonder if your position is still secure.”

Cha Seok-hyun exhaled sharply, eyes narrowing.

“Master? You mean that Seoyul bastard? Are you calling just to mess with me?”

Jun-hwan continued calmly.

“You’ve worked hard protecting Ulleungdo all this time. But don’t you think it’s time to reconsider? Ever since Seoyul arrived, isn’t the island gradually slipping out of your control?”

“Hey!”

His roar echoed through the office.

Gone was his usual formal tone.

Even though Baek Jun-hwan clearly held the upper hand in status and power, Cha Seok-hyun didn’t care.

“I don’t know what your organization is planning, but if you keep pushing me like this, I won’t stay quiet.”

“You can already see it, can’t you? I feel exactly what you feel toward that man. We originally intended to push him into a corner and pressure him—but instead, you’re the one getting shaken.”

“So what are you going to do about him?”

“Why are you asking me that? I don’t care if Seoyul stays on Ulleungdo for the rest of his life.”

“What?”

Cha Seok-hyun froze.

Baek Jun-hwan finally revealed his true intent.

“I don’t care about Ulleungdo or its residents. As long as Seoyul stays somewhere beyond Overcross’s reach, that alone is acceptable.”

“You… you—”

Before Cha Seok-hyun could protest, Jun-hwan cut him off.

“Of course, understand that this is not the outcome I want. I don’t assume you intend to abandon Ulleungdo. But reality is reality—you’ve already lost control of the island’s atmosphere. If you want to keep cooperating with us, then prove your worth. Do you expect us to keep babysitting you forever? If you continue showing incompetence, should we handle it ourselves?”

“……”

The words cut like a blade.

It was a thinly veiled threat—if Cha Seok-hyun became useless, he himself could be removed.

After the call ended, Cha Seok-hyun trembled with both hands on his head.

If he did nothing, he would die—politically or literally.

“I have to bring that bastard down somehow…”

Then—

A report from the mainland Management Bureau GPS system appeared.

A strange Gate energy had been detected in a rugged cliff region. Investigation was requested.

Cha Seok-hyun’s eyes sharpened instantly.

Click.

He deleted the message.

If this Gate was left unchecked, a major disaster could occur—but there was already madness in his gaze.

‘If a dungeon break happens and civilians are hit, Seoyul won’t survive either. And I’ll be able to retake the Rescue Division.’

A satisfied grin spread across his face.

Rescue Division Training Ground

After separating from the Ulleungdo branch, the Rescue Division was operating out of a temporary container office surrounded by a makeshift fence carved out of overgrown grassland.

But their eyes burned with determination.

It was hard to believe these were the same people who had recently been drinking, gambling, and partying.

At the center of this transformation was Seoyul.

He stood watching Jang Geun-soo and several instructors from the Martial Arts Association.

The instructors glanced toward Geun-soo, who was leading the training.

The Management Bureau had requested assistance from the Korean Martial Arts Association for training purposes.

In the capital region, most training was handled by Weapon Master Kang Tae-san alone, but in regional areas, his disciples served as instructors.

Ulleungdo had originally been excluded due to danger levels, but since Seoyul—Kang Tae-san’s direct disciple—had been dispatched there, the Association had voluntarily sent instructors.

The Rescue Division members whispered among themselves.

“Just how strong is our chief…?”

“Kang Tae-san’s disciple…”

“What I envy most isn’t even that…”

Their eyes drifted toward the female administrative staff squealing and staring at Seoyul.

“So annoying.”

“Isn’t it cheating that he’s that good-looking too?”

Jealous murmurs spread.

Seoyul sighed internally.

‘It’s just my body constitution…’

Due to the “Manhondo-hwa physique” he gained after consuming Queen Scepter’s royal jelly, pheromones were constantly leaking despite his attempts to suppress them.

The members whispered again.

“Ugh, gross.”

“Hope he steps in something nasty.”

Seoyul’s eyebrow twitched.

“…Shall we begin?”

“Y-Yes!”

They snapped upright immediately.

Instructor Jang Geun-soo stepped forward.

“Then we’ll begin practical training on responding to monster appearances on Ulleungdo.”

His tone was firm.

“Because there are no guilds stationed here, we handle 2-star Gates ourselves. Higher-level Gates require barrier containment and reinforcement from mainland guilds. Today, I will teach you mana refinement techniques for defensive combat.”

He raised his hands and gathered mana.

“The key is refinement. Imagine your mana flowing like water—soft and flexible.”

Even though everyone knew the theory, practical execution was difficult.

Geun-soo demonstrated.

“Now.”

“Can I hit him seriously?”

One trainee hesitated, holding a war hammer.

Geun-soo smiled calmly.

“It’s fine. Go ahead.”

BOOM!

The hammer struck his abdomen.

Gasps erupted—

But a wave of mana absorbed and dispersed the impact.

Geun-soo revealed his uninjured torso.

“This is a technique called Yupa (Flowing Wave). It disperses and redirects force.”

Everyone was stunned.

Even Seoyul smiled faintly.

Then—

Cha Do-hyun stepped forward.

“Hmph. That looks easy.”

He immediately activated the technique successfully.

“Wow!”

People reacted in surprise.

Do-hyun smirked.

“Now hit me. I’ll deflect it better than the instructor.”

‘This guy is really asking for it today.’

Seoyul watched silently.

The instructor raised the hammer again.

“Then I’ll proceed.”

WHOOSH!

“Wait—!”

Before anyone could react—

Seoyul stepped in and swung the training hammer, striking Cha Do-hyun’s body with brutal force.

“Guh—?!”

CRASH!

Cha Do-hyun collapsed instantly.

The Rescue Division froze in silence.