When I Returned to Farming, National-level Big Juniors Flock - Chapter 22



Only Krnovel

22. Identifying the topic

Wheeee!

A cold wind blows past the windows of the house.

Quite some time has passed since the last incident, autumn has passed and winter is quickly approaching.

I could feel the air getting noticeably colder.

There wasn’t really any change in what he had to do.

In general, farmers had to be sensitive to the seasons and would have had a lot to prepare for winter.

However, he did not have to worry about the crops in the field, as the fire spirit was warming them and taking good care of them.

If it were snowing heavily, there would be work to be done to sweep the yard, but it is still too early for that.

Huruk.

Oh Hyeon-seong sat on the floor and drank tea.

A teacup with steam rising from it.

The warm air entering my stomach on a chilly day feels hot.

‘I didn’t drink it when I was young, so I don’t remember… but this is what real tea tastes like.’

Oh Hyun-seong felt drowsy as the fragrant scent of tea rose gently.

As the weather got colder, Oh Hyeon-seong had just started growing tea leaves.

Originally, he was not familiar with cars.

A junior of mine lived next to me and he was curious so I asked him to drink it a few times, but I would spit it out every time and never touch it again.

If it’s coffee, it at least has a stimulating effect thanks to the caffeine, so I couldn’t understand why people would drink tea, which just tastes so bad.

However, the tea leaves touched by the spirits had a different scent than factory-made tea leaves.

Unlike synthetic tea leaves that are made by adding additional pigments and forcibly adding fragrance because the leaves that are produced alone are not enough, this tea leaves have a deep fragrance that can be felt even with just the leaves that grow naturally.

A natural scent that is neither artificial nor foreign.

The direct taste was, of course, incomparable.

I had been given the luxury car as an expensive treat, but it tasted like the embodiment of nausea.

‘I’m very satisfied with this challenge. I should try making a few more types.’

Oh Hyun-seong began to narrow down the candidates from the vast variety of teas.

You may wonder why there are people who drink tea these days, but coffee, too, is surprisingly in demand.

Of course, if they try this tea even once, they will not want to touch any commercially available tea.

Oh Hyun-seong, who had enjoyed the fragrance and atmosphere and had completely emptied the tea in the teacup, stood up from his seat.

The previous reservoir exploration is still on hold.

There is no use for it right now.

It was sad that I couldn’t eat the spicy fish stew or grilled food I had been looking forward to, but for now I decided to focus on farming.

Anyway, even if it was just the fields, there was still a lot to expand.

Besides, Oh Hyeon-seong had a new job since then.

“Then shall we begin?”

Although it was a cold winter day, he took off his coat and stood in the yard wearing only a light t-shirt.

Then he put the weight bags he took out from the warehouse on his entire body.

A heavy feeling weighs down my body.

It was a training equipment for hunters that was on a whole other level than the typical sandbags or fitness equipment, and it boasted an overwhelming weight compared to its volume.

Ugh.

First, he stood upside down with one hand on the ground to stretch.

Repeat the process of slowly going up and down while carrying the luggage on your back.

Although the weight of twice the weight of the weight bag that Joo Ji-hye had been carrying was hanging from her entire body, she still hadn’t shed a single bead of sweat.

This is mainly because Joo Ji-hye is not a martial arts hunter, but it is a weight that would be difficult for a hunter of the average rank to even imagine.

‘As expected… I still have a long way to go. It’s only 2 Joo Ji-hye.’

Oh Hyun-sung was able to figure out the weight that would allow him to achieve maximum efficiency during training with just light training.

And I was not at all satisfied with the current level.

Compared to the prime of his life, he was at the level of a worm.

Of course, this alone is a huge improvement.

When he first started full-scale rehab, his optimal weight was only 1.5 weights.

If you just consider the period, it has increased quite quickly.

‘It’s definitely effective. No matter how much rehabilitation I did at the hospital, my body was stressed and I couldn’t get any better. Now, the upper limit of recovery has increased.’

He confirmed with Jihye last time that the spirit crops have special powers.

Moreover, its effectiveness was being proven in self-rehabilitation as well.

I don’t know the theoretical reason, but I’m sure it wasn’t just because of the feeling of breathing in the fresh air of the countryside.

It has clear effects not only on the mental aftereffects but also on the physical.

There may be a chance that even permanently damaged legs can be healed.

His primary goal was to at least recover enough to run properly, although he wasn’t sure if he would ever fully recover to his previous state.

To do that, all he has to do is eat properly and devote his remaining time to rehabilitation training.

‘Let’s work hard today too.’

Oh Hyun-seong gradually increased the intensity of his training.

I was gradually getting out of breath and sweat was dripping down my forehead.

Repeat the process of pushing with incredible intensity, as if squeezing all the muscles in your body.

Stronger, stronger.

Just as he did with Joo Ji-hye, he is applying training to himself that pushes him to his limits.

Phew, phew.

Although it seemed like extreme hardship to a third party, Oh Hyeon-seong accepted it as if it were natural.

It wasn’t for nothing that I started training only after finishing my work for the day.

In his view, if you can stand on two legs after training, it wasn’t training.

‘Training is originally done until you’re about to die.’

Just as I learned in the training camp and as I was taught.

Oh Hyeon-seong continued his training silently.

***

“Hey you little shit! Are you kidding me?”

A loud shout echoed through the room.

His voice is so good that it can be heard even in the office outside, causing the employees to flinch and look up.

Then, Daesung Group’s security chief, Seo Jin-gyu, bowed his head.

“sorry.”

He was a 9th-grade hunter, considered by most Awakened to be the ‘highest level realistically achievable’.

A level that can conquer all gates except for the S-rank gates, which are called the natural enemies of humanity.

You could say that he is a skilled person who is treated well wherever he goes.

But he was being cursed at in front of his face.

The reason is simple.

That’s because the opponent was the chairman of Daesung, one of Korea’s leading conglomerates.

“I clearly told you to find out by any means necessary. I also emphasized that the time was of the essence, so you had to do it as quickly as possible. So why haven’t you found out yet? Why on earth haven’t you found out even a single letter of a name, let alone an address?”

“It was a contract negotiated in complete secrecy, and very few people knew about it. In addition, for some reason, security for the matter was suddenly strengthened to the highest level, which caused additional time to be spent.”

“Security has gotten stronger? Your movements have been leaked out?”

“That’s not it. It was a measure taken without Hankyung knowing at all. This is certain.”

“Fuck!”

An Il-seok, who was frowning, let out a deep sigh.

He smoked his cigarette thickly, thinking, “What a mess you’ve made by chasing me down here.”

His latest directive was to find the source of wild strawberries supplied to Hankyung Department Store.

“If those strawberries were all we had, we wouldn’t have to worry about it. But if Hankyung guys keep producing crops like that in the future, our Daesung will be dealt a fatal blow. How can we afford to be complacent in this situation?”

The current food industry has grown to an unprecedented scale in human history.

Among the world’s top market capitalization companies, there are more food companies than IT companies.

And five years ago, Daesung Group also began investing heavily in the business, calling it the next growth engine.

It was to compete with global giants such as DiSanto, Ragil, and Drevis.

However, it was a surprise attack by Hankyung Group, which was considered a latecomer in the food sector.

It was a very unexpected and shocking situation for An Il-seok, who had not even thought about it.

Now, a series of new high-quality varieties developed with massive investment are being launched, but the topic of conversation is already dominated by Hankyung’s wild strawberries.

It is impossible for a company that cannot even establish itself properly in its own country to succeed in the struggling global food market.

If this atmosphere continues, Daesung will be completely pushed out of the food industry.

Considering that the chairman led the group to make an aggressive investment unprecedented in its history, it was an issue that could have shaken the entire group in the long run.

So, An Il-seok absolutely had to find out the source.

“But the results will come out soon. We have thoroughly installed the wiretapping equipment, and we are currently mobilizing our hunters to persuade and threaten them. Thanks to this, we have secured the identity of the truck driver who transported the cargo, and we have also contacted an executive at Hankyung Department Store and bribed him.”

“I don’t care how much more you have to shove down my throat, just figure it out as fast as you can! Kick the truck driver if you have to!”

An Il-seok said, clenching his fists violently.

“I don’t know where they got that from, but… we have to make sure it stays out of their hands, whether it’s by burning down the entire field or stealing the technology.”

dripping!

Just then, an employee opened the door and appeared.

The secretary cautiously opens her mouth to face Ahn Il-seok, who is staring at her intently.

“I… Chairman, a guest is looking for me urgently. He needs to see you right away…”

“Can’t you see that I’m busy right now? Who are you calling out to without a prior arrangement? Get out of here!”

“That, that thing is breaking through so recklessly… It’s right in front of me…!”

“What? What the hell are you talking about? Where the hell are you coming from?”

An Il-seok said, unable to hide his bewilderment.

He is currently in the security room of the group headquarters.

All personnel not on site, including security personnel, were gathered together, and more than thirty Hunters of rank 8 or higher were gathered.

But who would dare to break in without permission?

But before that question could even leave my mouth.

The employee’s body suddenly leaned back and a woman suddenly appeared.

“It’s been a while, Chairman Ahn!”

“Huh…?”

Deputy Director of the Disaster Management Agency, Han Su-yeon, entered the room.

It is a completely unexpected appearance for An Il-seok.

Why is that guy here all of a sudden?

“Why is the Vice-Chief here all of a sudden…”

“This is a nuisance. Everyone, please leave.”

Han Su-yeon looked around and spoke stiffly.

Even after Director Seo Jin-gyu, who was already in the room, was pushed out because he couldn’t stop her, and many hunters who followed her later were standing behind her.

The hunters in the security room hesitate while panting for breath.

Seo Jin-gyu also just swallowed his saliva and was unable to do anything.

If it were according to the manual, we would have already attempted to subdue him and drag him out, but that was impossible.

There was only one opponent, but this number of people were not enough to do anything against her.

“What are you doing! Why don’t you get out quickly!”

As An Il-seok shouted, the hunters rushed out.

The room soon became quiet.

An Il-seok, who was secretly looking at Han Su-yeon’s expression, forced a smile and said.

“I thought you were very busy. You didn’t show your face when I asked to see you, and now you suddenly came here without saying anything.”

“I’m not the kind of person who needs the chairman’s permission to move.”

“Huh, huh…! What kind of nonsense are you talking about?”

An Il-seok, whose eyebrows twitched for a moment, tried to control his expression.

As the head of the conglomerate Daesung, he was not afraid of the Hunter’s power.

It is a natural thought for him, knowing the structure of how society operates.

The ‘real power’ he possesses is the massive funds and manpower operated by the group, as well as the connections in politics and the media that have been accumulated over a long period of time.

Since he had grabbed everything from a position close to the top of the financial world, no matter how strong the Hunters were, they could only be manipulated with money.

But the problem was that the person in front of him was Hunter, who was leading a powerful government executive agency called the Disaster Management Agency and also had the full support of the current president.

“What brings you here all of a sudden? Are you thinking of accepting the gift you rejected before?”

“No. As I said then, I already have enough money.”

“Haha, where is there enough money? And I’m not asking for anything, I just want to accept the favor with peace of mind…”

“Hunters can’t be bought with money. The only people who can buy them are idiots who have never experienced a real battlefield. And the reason I came here is for the opposite reason.”

“What do you mean by opposition…?”

Percussion!

Han Su-yeon threw the documents she had brought onto the table.

As the envelope opened, documents and photographs spread out, and the explicit contents caught An Il-seok’s eyes.

All the wiretapping devices were recovered, the testimony of the released truck driver, and the details of the funds that went to high-ranking police officials.

“This… This is…”

“You must have been very busy moving the Hunters around to conduct illegal surveillance, kidnapping, blackmail, bribery, etc. of civilians.”

The air inside the office has definitely changed.

A cold sweat broke out on An Il-seok’s forehead, his spine growing chilled.

They are equally fatal and crucial pieces of information that cannot be omitted or removed.

Since the 7th Republic, it has been common for the government to refrain from intervening in business-to-business matters, but for some reason, it seems as if they have already made up their minds to do so.

“Well, now you know why I came.”

She walked slowly and naturally sat down at the best seat in the room.

Then he tapped the table as if to tell me to come forward.

“Please sit down.”

Han Soo-yeon’s cold gaze was fixed on him.

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