There was still some good news.
At last, I moved out of that miserable monthly rental room.
No more drunken shouting from the next room, no more pounding on the walls begging for quiet.
It was a bit of an old house, but it had three rooms and two bathrooms.
Katrinne finally had her own room and a bed, and she seemed genuinely touched by it.
Blondie came over for the housewarming, along with the people from the Cheyuk Center where I worked.
The Cheyuk Center folks came partly as a farewell party.
“Coach Lee, if you’re going to become an official Hunter, shouldn’t you get some training?”
“The Director might even give you a special discount—staff rate.”
They said that with laughter, but quickly fell silent at the Director’s words.
“Coach Lee, if you’re going to train, you’ll need to spar too.”
I’m always up for that.
Well, monks can’t shave their own heads, after all. Training myself as a Hunter might not be enough.
Come on in, come on in.
“My schedule’s packed these days.”
“I can’t bring myself to throw punches at my comrades.”
Give me a break.
Without me saying a word, they were already debating among themselves about who would spar with me or take the hits—and then concluded that training wasn’t necessary.
“Oh, you live with the Coach? Ah, I see. I’m Kim Taeyang, the first disciple of our Coach—no, our Teacher.”
Since when were we teacher and disciple? We’re just people exchanging money. Honestly, if you don’t pay up, why would I train you?
But true to his gold-tanned punk image, he latched onto my acquaintance Katrinne.
That guy is so true to his character, it actually gives me chills.
At the housewarming, we ate delicious food and drank. I got to drink freely after a long time.
Kim Taeyang went wild calling Katrinne cute as she shoved food into her mouth.
Just watch her eat like that for three days straight—would you still find her cute?
Towards the end, Hunters who had been rescued by me at Anyang Amusement Park showed up.
It was a bit overwhelming. Their housewarming gifts were quite extravagant.
I’d been living in a monthly rental, so I didn’t have any proper furniture. I’d planned to buy some soon, but that wasn’t necessary anymore.
The Hunters who came gifted everything from a fridge, wardrobe, and TV to a drum washing machine.
Doing good really pays off. You save people, get bounty rewards, receive gifts, and your rescue stats go up, making you stronger.
“Hyunbin, we’ll come running whenever you call. You’re our lifesaver.”
That was their reaction. Their eyes shone with a burden of gratitude, ready to listen to anything I said.
Well, it might come in handy someday. Connections are important even in the Hunter world.
It was the first time since returning to modern life that I’d experienced such a lively time.
Katrinne seemed to be enjoying it too.
“Raid success rate is 32%.”
A man transitioning from middle age into old age spoke up.
“Our bids haven’t been going well lately…”
The man who spoke to the elder was in his early to mid-thirties. He looked terrified of the older man before him.
This was a man who could snap his leash at any moment.
A man who could throw his own son off a cliff if deemed useless.
He knew the Chairman—no, the Father—better than anyone else.
“Do you think I’m too old to understand or make judgments?”
“No, it’s not that…”
“Explain to me how bidding and success rate are related. Make it simple.”
For dungeon bidding, it’s best to have many Hunters with good results and rank ratings.
But success rate was a different story.
It meant that even if the bid was successful, the actual combat had failed.
“Can’t you figure it out? Then explain why our guild is always outside the top ten overall.”
“We could quickly climb if we had just one S-rank Hunter…”
“How many guilds inside the top ten do you think have an S-rank Hunter?”
There were currently only three S-rank Hunters in the Republic of Korea.
The unshakable number one, the Shinwa Guild, had imported S-rank mercenaries from abroad.
Thanks to that, they’d had a good time in dungeons and expanded their business significantly.
And just a month ago, the Fighting God Guild, fiercely rising in momentum, scouted Seol Jihoon—the third S-rank Hunter—to finally shake off their perennial second-place tag.
In other words, there were only two guilds with S-rank Hunters.
The remaining S-rank Hunter was a Hero affiliated with the Government.
“Did I invest too little?”
This guild was run by a group that could rightfully be called a conglomerate.
One of the top ten chaebols in the Republic of Korea, no less.
“What’s the problem? Other groups entered the business early and smoothly developed weapons. Does it make sense that we’re the only ones still running deficits?”
Eventually, the elder snapped.
The man in his thirties had no choice but to bow his head in silence, burdened by his guilt.
The elder wiped his face with his hand. All his children gave him headaches.
Still, luck hadn’t run out completely. There was one child who had earned the Chairman’s favor.
“Jaejoon, what do you think?”
Actually, there was another man who had been quietly sitting there from the start.
The man with neatly slicked-back hair parted 8:2 spoke softly.
“The guild’s management is sloppy.”
“What, you?”
“Keep quiet. Jaejoon—no, Chief Im, continue.”
The man in his thirties shut his mouth in dissatisfaction.
Im Jaejoon spoke without waiting for permission.
“A company and a guild are living organisms. The organizational restructuring of Hanul Guild needs to be our top priority.”
The guild needed talent. At the very least, cutting down on the number of attractive secretaries currently in the guild wouldn’t be a bad start.
The guild run by this conglomerate had been notorious from the start. It often made headlines.
Hunters getting drunk and causing trouble was a common occurrence, and the lack of teamwork caused friction.
No matter how many high-performing, that is, good Hunters were recruited, it was meaningless if they weren’t utilized properly.
A batting lineup made up solely of clean-up hitters who hit home runs doesn’t win baseball games.
You need pitchers, fielders, people to train them, and a manager to lead them.
Like a living being, moving limbs, muscles, and even blood vessels must be considered.
Timely rewards and care are essential.
Im Jaejoon spoke only of the basics. Nothing remarkable anywhere else.
But those basics were completely ignored in this guild, which to the man in his thirties was nothing more than a vending machine to extract money.
“If we let go of Hunters who unnecessarily take salaries as free agents and aggressively hire experienced managers through organizational restructuring, it should work.”
“Anyone can talk big.”
The man in his thirties sneered at Im Jaejoon’s words.
The elder said nothing, only listened.
Im Jaejoon knew from his gaze what was truly wanted.
They didn’t want obvious, rulebook answers.
“But still, having at least one franchise star to represent our group would be great.”
“Franchise star?”
“Yes. For example, an S-rank Hunter under information protection.”
“Information protection?”
Both the elder and the man in his thirties looked at Im Jaejoon, intrigued by the unfamiliar term.
“Currently, a fourth S-rank Hunter has appeared.”
“Fourth?”
“Yes. This is information I received from a reliable friend. It hasn’t been made public yet.”
You can’t stress enough the importance of an S-rank.
“Chief Im, move forward with the guild business.”
“Father, I—”
“Father?”
“No, Chairman…”
The Chairman looked at his eldest son with a look of disdain. Compared to him, the youngest son, Im Jaejoon, was more competent.
The Chairman thought he was the spitting image of his younger self.
So his expectations were high.
“Well, Chief Im?”
“If you entrust me, I will do my best.”
During the first Gate Incident, it had been a fight for survival. But once the Gate stabilized and experience accumulated, we began to challenge dungeons.
The new energy gained there immediately brought prosperity.
Im Jaejoon recalled his eldest son, who had looked at him with a growling glare after losing his share.
The more he thought about it, the more satisfying it was. No, he was actually grateful for his son’s stupidity.
If he had shown even a hint of talent, the youngest son wouldn’t have gotten this opportunity.
Feeling good, Im Jaejoon entered his office and inhaled the rich aroma of high-quality brewed coffee prepared by his secretary.
He looked out the window.
A concrete jungle of buildings. People scurrying like ants, striving to survive.
Looking down on them, Jaejoon felt the weight of time.
He was thirty years old. He had lived in this urban jungle for thirty years.
He was not satisfied. He’d only just obtained a failing guild.
Of course, the guild’s existence was essential to launching the plans he had prepared until now.
‘Franchise star.’
He had confidently told the Chairman this earlier, but aside from knowing that the fourth S-rank Awakener had exceptional talent, he knew nothing else.
In other words, it was like a lottery ticket—he didn’t know if it was worth fifty thousand won or five hundred million.
‘If only I had a bastard like that as a good card.’
Jaejoon rifled through his mental archive.
He couldn’t forget even if he tried.
A monster who grew stronger the more you stepped on it.
A genius who, in just a year, stood toe to toe.
Buzz buzz.
Jaejoon picked up his phone from the desk.
“Hello.”
—This is me, Chief Im.
It was Kim Minjung, secretary to the Director of the agency.
The reliable friend he had mentioned earlier was her.
“Yes, how are things over there?”
—The name of the recently awakened S-rank Hunter is Seohyeonji. Her specialty is Spirit Summoning.
“Spirit Magic. Not bad.”
No doubt, other guilds had probably already received information about her. It was necessary to move quickly.
—And I have something more to report.
“More?”
Jaejoon’s curiosity was piqued.
Kim Minjung never chatted beyond what was necessary, so if she added more, it had to be important.
—I saw the Hero today.
Jaejoon was momentarily speechless.
The Hero.
A genius from another dimension who could maximize the benefits of the System.
Just a year ago, his mighty army had fallen one after another. Ultimately, he himself had fallen.
Jaejoon’s gaze landed on the mirror on the table. What did his expression look like now?
He was smiling.
His fiercest rival. The one who had dealt him his first and only defeat.