Kyung Taeyoung politely guided Sang-woong to the sofa next to him and signaled Kyung Yoon-seul with a glance to bring some tea.
“Thanks to you, Mr. Sang-woong, our Taeseong Guild is growing day by day. I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude once again.”
His voice contained pure gratitude, without a hint of pretense.
The profit Taeseong Guild had gained from the various potions received from Sang-woong was beyond imagination, so Kyung Taeyoung’s gratitude was natural.
Sang-woong savored a sip of the fragrant tea and slowly began to speak.
“Not at all, Guild Master. What I have done is truly a very small part. The reason Taeseong Guild was able to develop this much is entirely due to your excellent leadership and the dedication of the guild members.”
Sang-woong turned all the credit to Kyung Taeyoung and naturally brought up the main reason he had come today.
“Ah, and I came to see you today because I have a favor to ask of you, despite my lack of shame.”
“Oh, a favor? Just say the word, Mr. Sang-woong. If it is your request, Taeseong Guild will not spare any support we can provide. Please feel free to tell me whatever it is.”
Kyung Taeyoung replied readily without a moment’s hesitation and looked at Sang-woong seriously.
His gentle yet upright smile contained deep respect and infinite trust for Sang-woong.
Sang-woong caught his breath for a moment and then began to speak in a cautious but firm voice.
“Actually… a few days ago, an acquaintance of mine almost went through something very bad. He is a friend who is like a brother to me, and he almost signed a contract with a place called ‘Sebo Guild’ while knowing nothing after just awakening as a Hunter.”
“The Sebo Guild?”
Kyung Taeyoung’s brow furrowed deeply in an instant.
A negative emotion toward the name Sebo Guild flashed across his face.
Given Sang-woong’s unusual atmosphere, he had a strong, ominous feeling that it was by no means a good place.
“Upon looking into it in detail, it turns out that they not only deceive newly awakened Hunters or those in desperate situations with sweet talk, but they are also a very malicious organization that forces absurdly unfair contracts to exploit them like slaves for life.”
Sang-woong’s voice was tinged with cold anger and deep loathing.
“There were ridiculous forced purchases and rental fees for equipment, murderous cancellation penalties, nearly impossible mandatory quotas, and most shocking of all, compound interest clauses that snowballed over time. Their dark intention to trap Hunters in a pit of debt and exploit them for life was cleverly and viciously hidden throughout the contract.”
Kyung Taeyoung’s face also hardened as he listened to the explanation.
“I gave them a strong warning on the spot and managed to save that friend, but I felt that was far from enough. For the sake of the many other innocent Hunters who may already be suffering in the snares of that devilish guild, and for the purification of this Hunter industry, I firmly believe that such a malicious guild must be rooted out and properly punished.”
Kyung Taeyoung nodded with a serious expression throughout Sang-woong’s words.
His face was filled with anger and deep empathy, and he unconsciously clenched his fists tightly.
“That is… truly a serious problem. To crush the dreams and hopes of promising rookie Hunters and ruin their lives with such despicable and unfair contracts… it is unacceptable. I cannot tell you how relieved I am that you stepped in personally to stop it, Mr. Sang-woong. I will immediately and formally notify the Hunter Association Special Inspection Team of this fact so they can conduct a full-scale investigation into Sebo Guild and take the strongest possible measures. Do not worry, Mr. Sang-woong. I will make sure this matter is handled definitely.”
In his determined and resolute voice, a frost-like sense of justice could be felt along with a heavy sense of responsibility as the Guild Master of Taeseong Guild.
Sang-woong was truly relieved by his firm answer and pointed to Ho Shin-woo, who was still stiff with tension.
“And Guild Master, this friend is the party involved in that issue, Ho Shin-woo. He is an F-rank Hunter who just awakened, but as a result of my personal check, his talent is truly extraordinary, and above all, he is a young man with an upright and honest character. He is also a rare filial son who devotedly cares for his sick mother even in difficult circumstances.”
Kyung Taeyoung’s warm and deep gaze turned toward Ho Shin-woo for the first time.
He offered a gentle and soft smile to Ho Shin-woo, who was still frozen stiff, and spoke.
“Haha, you said your name is Ho Shin-woo? I feel bad that you seem to have gone through such a rough and mentally taxing ordeal. But do not worry now. Since you have met someone as great as Mr. Sang-woong, only good things will happen from now on. Coincidentally, our guild was also looking for promising new Hunters, and Mr. Sang-woong brought one to us personally.”
Ho Shin-woo could not regain his senses at the sudden and warm hospitality from the head of one of the top guilds in the Republic of Korea.
Not knowing what to do, he made a stuttering sound and bowed his head awkwardly.
“Ah, ah… No… Guild Master… Th-thank you…”
His voice was trembling thinly like a goat’s because he was so tense.
The person in front of him was the Guild Master of Taeseong Guild, one of the ten major guilds at the pinnacle of the Korean Hunter world, whom he usually only saw on the news, so it was natural for him to be surprised and nervous.
On behalf of Ho Shin-woo, Sang-woong spoke with an even more earnest and sincere voice.
“Guild Master. The favor I want to ask of you today is to accept this friend, Ho Shin-woo, into Taeseong Guild.”
Sang-woong paused to catch his breath and added.
“So that he can grow properly as a Hunter without falling into malicious places like the Sebo Guild I just mentioned. From what I’ve seen myself, he has talent and a good heart. He is definitely a very good prospect who will be a great strength to Taeseong Guild.”
Sang-woong’s eyes were serious without a hint of falsehood, and his voice contained absolute trust in Ho Shin-woo along with a firm determination to take responsibility for his future.
“Hahaha! If he is a talent for whom Mr. Sang-woong would personally guarantee, even putting his own name on the line, then our Taeseong Guild should welcome him with open arms. Instead, we should be the ones thanking you. Ho Shin-woo, from today on, you are a proud member of our Taeseong Guild. I sincerely welcome you!”
Kyung Taeyoung stood up from his seat and personally extended his hand to Ho Shin-woo with a hearty laugh.
Ho Shin-woo took his warm, large hand with a trembling one, as if he were walking in a dream.
He simply could not believe the fact that he was shaking hands with the Guild Master of Taeseong Guild, one of the strongest guilds in the Republic of Korea.
His heart throbbed wildly, and his vision felt dizzy.
Today, how many times had he gone between hell and heaven?
The Sebo Guild, which he had thought was at least a ray of hope, turned out to be a pit of despair he could not escape from.
If he had not met Sang-woong, by now he… just thinking about it made goosebumps break out all over his body.
However, a man he called ‘Brother,’ whose memory was even faint and whom he met by chance on the street, had pulled him out of that terrible pit.
That wasn’t all.
The path to admitting his mother to a specialty hospital for Dungeon Disease, which had been the sorrow in his heart, was opened, and he was even promised full support for treatment costs, something he had never imagined.
That alone was already a miracle he could not repay in a lifetime.
But now, not only was he becoming a regular guild member of Taeseong Guild, a place every Hunter aspirant in Korea dreamed of, but he was also sitting across from the Taeseong Guild Master, whom it was difficult to even see once in a lifetime, sharing warm encouragement and a handshake.
Was all of this actually real?
‘This moment is so unrealistic and enchanting, it feels like I’m stuck in a sweet fantasy.’
Hot tears threatened to well up in his eyes again.
***
Right then, the heavy door of the Guild Master’s office was thrown open roughly, ruthlessly shattering that enchanting atmosphere.
This place was the Guild Master’s office, the heart and most authoritative space of Taeseong Guild.
To think that someone would dare kick the door open so violently without even knocking was an unimaginable rudeness and a clear provocation.
Everyone’s eyes inside the office were pulled toward the door at once.
The man who kicked the door open was a man of immense physical build, reminiscent of a giant rocky mountain.
His angular face, full of tension, brought a soldier to mind, and his tightly closed, thick lips looked as stubborn and headstrong as a locked castle gate.
Arrogance and a suffocating sense of intimidation overflowed from his entire body.
Due to his sudden and violent appearance, the friendly atmosphere in the office just a moment ago dropped to below freezing and froze over in an instant.
“Guild Master!”
The man, who closed the door roughly as if kicking it, called for Kyung Taeyoung in a booming and overbearing voice that seemed to shake the heavens and earth.
His fierce and greedy eyes scanned the room as if it were his own property, and then briefly lingered on Sang-woong, a clearly alien presence, and the terrified Ho Shin-woo.
That gaze changed to one full of contempt and disregard.
An expression of embarrassment along with deep displeasure and blatant anger clearly appeared on Kyung Taeyoung’s usually gentle face.
“Hunter Nam Ki-seol! What is this rude behavior, entering without knocking! Leave this room immediately!”
His voice was completely different from his usual gentleness; it was as hard and sharp as steel.
The dignity and anger of a Guild Master were fully contained in his voice.
The man’s identity was Nam Ki-seol, Taeseong Guild’s only S-rank Hunter.
An S-rank Hunter, of which only a few existed in the Republic of Korea.
His mere existence symbolized enough power and influence to be classified as a national strategic weapon.
For a large guild like Taeseong, possessing an S-rank Hunter was the most core element that determined the guild’s prestige and external influence, going beyond simple combat power enhancement.
The entire ranking of a guild could shift depending on the presence of a single S-rank Hunter, so its importance went without saying.
To Taeseong Guild, Nam Ki-seol was a subject of both love and hate.
Through the guild’s full and dedicated support and systematic training system, he was an S-rank Hunter whom Taeseong Guild had literally poured everything into to raise from an ordinary A-rank.
However, as soon as he gained the absolute power of an S-rank, he transformed into a greedy and arrogant person, completely different from before.
A disrespectful attitude and arrogant words and actions were the basics, and he did not even hesitate to openly ignore and look down on Guild Master Kyung Taeyoung, who was essentially the benefactor who had discovered and raised him.