The Baekho Guild member who had approached using an iron pipe as a crutch.
After he turned pale and fled.
Everyone, including me, wore puzzled expressions.
“What’s with that guy? Why’s he acting like that?”
“I don’t know. He heard Juwon oppa’s name and suddenly freaked out?”
“Seo Juwon, what are you? Did you do something to Baekho Guild?”
“From the way he asked if you attended the Night of the Superhumans event, maybe it’s because of the spar you had there?”
“Hahaha, our maknae’s rumor has spread all the way to Baekho Guild? Wow, Seo Juwon. You’ve made it big? Huh?”
The Nova Team members looked at me and laughed.
On the other hand, I was just bewildered.
Baekho Guild, the second-ranked guild in Korea.
It was utterly puzzling that a hunter from there looked at me like I was a ghost and freaked out.
“Alright, everyone, let’s clean up the area first. We need to transport the injured to the Hunter Hospital.”
At that moment, Cha Jihye suggested they tidy up the surroundings.
Hunting the manticores without any casualties was a joyous thing, but they couldn’t just stay in a cheerful mood with the critically injured and corpses around.
As they tried to collect the injured and corpses before the Hunter Association people arrived.
Swish.
Two people walked out from between the collapsed buildings.
A girl who looked about Eunbyeol’s age and an adult woman who seemed to be the child’s mother.
The two appeared to have been hiding near the building, unable to evacuate in time.
“Oh my, are you okay?”
Cha Jihye and the team members approached and comforted the child and her mother.
They weren’t severely injured, but their clothes were torn, and there were small scratches.
Not to mention the dust covering them head to toe.
“I-I’m fine. And thank you. Thank you for hunting those horrific monsters…….”
The child’s mother bowed her head repeatedly to us.
The tear stains around her eyes suggested she had cried a lot while hiding.
“Hunters! Thank you so much! You worked hard……!”
On the other hand, the child said with a bright face.
As if the mother had shielded her with her body, the child’s condition was relatively clean.
“Hey kid, are you okay?”
“No injuries? Want to go to the hospital?”
“Good job hanging in there. People will come soon, so take the ambulance to the hospital.”
The senior team members each said a word to the child.
They seemed very worried about a child being in a place with collapsed buildings and corpses everywhere.
But after saying thank you, the child came through the people to stand in front of me.
“Uncle! Are you the one controlling those blue-blue skeletons?”
“Huh?”
“I saw it while hiding in the alley! You summoned this many blue-blue skeletons!”
The girl spread her arms wide as she spoke.
“Yeah. That’s right. I summoned them.”
“Wooow! So it was you. You’re really awesome. Uncle, how are you so strong?”
“Haha, thanks for the compliment.”
I scratched the back of my head in embarrassment.
It was because the child’s eyes were sparkling so brightly.
“Uncle! Are you from Myth Guild?”
“Huh? Yeah. How did you know?”
“Of course I know! There’s a wing drawing on your shoulder!”
“Ah, you saw this? Yeah. I’m a Myth Guild member.”
“Wooow! So you are from Myth Guild! That’s really amazing!”
The girl continued, her eyes sparkling.
“My mom says there are super super strong hunters in Myth Guild!”
“Really?”
“Yeees! Right, Mom?”
At the girl’s words, the child’s mother shyly nodded.
“Hehe, my mom is right! Anyway, my mom says because there are strong hunters in Myth Guild, citizens like us can live comfortably!”
“Really……?”
“Yeees! Thanks to the Myth Guild hunters, we can sleep comfortably, go to kindergarten, and live our daily lives, and she said we should always be grateful! We’re grateful to other guilds too, but we should be most grateful to Myth Guild!”
At the girl’s words, I felt a lump in my chest.
I’d heard that modern hunters were respected like police or firefighters, but this was the first time I’d actually heard such words.
Especially since she specifically praised Myth Guild, it made me even more thankful.
“Thanks, kid. Hearing you say that makes me feel really good.”
“Hehe, really?”
“Yeah. It makes me think I need to work even harder as a hunter. Anyway, thanks a lot. I’ll work hard so you can stay safe in the future.”
“Yeees! Thank you! Myth Guild uncles and aunties are total heroes! I love you!”
The girl drew a big heart above her head and acted cute toward us.
For some reason, my nose tingled, and the team members also seemed moved, their faces flushing.
‘Heroes.’
The kid calling our Myth Guild heroes and thanking us.
Seeing the child’s bright smile filled me with a deep sense of fulfillment.
How should I put it.
The feeling that this dangerous hunter activity wasn’t just for money.
A few days later.
Baekho Guild executive meeting.
There, Baek Inha, the vice guild master, and the Team 1, 2, 3, 4 leaders were all gathered, continuing the meeting.
After Team 1 and Team 2 leaders reported on what happened in their respective teams.
Finally, it was Team 3 leader Seong Taesam’s turn.
Though his legs had been severed a few days ago, thanks to the healers at the Hunter Hospital, the sutures were complete for Team 3 leader Seong Taesam.
He reported with a trembling heart.
“…This concludes Team 3’s achievements. However, unfortunately, we suffered significant damage during the dungeon break a few days ago.”
“You mean when the manticores appeared?”
Baek Inha, with her long, snow-white straight hair, asked.
“Yes. After other guilds failed in subjugation, a support request came to our Baekho Guild, but we also suffered heavy losses.”
“Hmm, really? How heavy were the losses?”
“Unfortunately, 27 of our Team 3 members died, and 14 were seriously injured. I’m sorry, Guild Master.”
“Ugh, it can’t be helped. Manticores are tough for Team 3 level to suppress. Anyway, got it. Next, start the Team 4 report.”
Baek Inha tried to listen to Team 4’s report, thinking it wasn’t a big deal.
It was regrettable that so many Team 3 members were injured or killed, but such things happened countless times in hunter activities.
As Team 4 leader was about to report.
“Wait.”
Baek Inha raised her hand, silencing everyone.
Soon, Baek Inha quietly read the snow-white report.
She looked back at Team 3 leader Seong Taesam and said.
“Team 3 leader.”
“Yes, Guild Master.”
“I heard the dungeon break with the manticores was subjugated? But our Baekho Guild failed. So who subjugated it?”
“Well…….”
At Baek Inha’s question, Seong Taesam hesitated before answering.
“It was Myth Guild.”
“What?”
“M-Myth Guild’s hunters came and subjugated them.”
Damn it.
Baek Inha gritted her teeth.
‘Those Myth Guild bastards again?’
Those damned Myth Guild bastards.
The Myth Guild bastards who firmly held the first place and always blocked their way.
Thinking that even this manticore subjugation was stolen by them made Baek Inha’s mood extremely bad.
“Sigh, so who were they?”
“Huh?”
“Which bastards from Myth Guild subjugated them? To catch ten manticores, it must be at least a named team or members.”
“Ah, from the silver armbands, I presume it was the silver attack squad.”
“What? Silver attack squad?”
“Yes…….”
“The silver attack squad caught ten manticores? Our Baekho Guild’s Team 3, including you the team leader, and all the members got wiped out?”
Baek Inha raised her voice.
Hearing that it was the silver attack squad, not diamond or gold, that subjugated them made her blood boil.
“I’m sorry, Guild Master…….”
“Never mind, which team? What team is it that some silver attack squad nobodies caught all the manticores?”
“I don’t know the team, but I know a team member’s name.”
“You don’t know the team but know a team member’s name? What is it? Who the hell is it that you know the team member’s name instead of the team?”
“Well…….”
Team 3 leader Seong Taesam pursed his lips with an anxious face before continuing.
“It’s Hunter Seo Juwon…….”
“What?”
“H-Hunter Seo Juwon…….”
“Seo Juwon? You mean that bastard who came to the Night of the Superhumans event?”
“Yes…….”
“What the fuck!”
Kwaang!
Baek Inha slammed the table, and the long table split in two in an instant.
The executives flustered at the instantly shattered table, but Baek Inha ignored them and shouted.
“Seo Juwon again? We got pushed back by that bastard Seo Juwon again? Huh?!”
Baek Inha’s anger erupted like an active volcano.
Seo Juwon.
The Seo Juwon who had humiliated them by defeating Dokgo Young at the Night of the Superhumans event.
That damned bastard’s name coming up again.
Baek Inha was so furious she wanted to smash everything.
“Why can’t anyone do anything in front of that bastard! What the hell is Seo Juwon that our Baekho Guild members always end up like scared cats in front of him!”
Baek Inha shouted so loud the conference room shook.
But all the executives in the room just hung their heads like sinners and remained silent.
***
“Puhahaha!”
At the same time.
Laughter echoed in the Myth Guild conference room.
Shin Daeho, stern like a tiger.
The reason he burst into rare laughter was simple.
It was because he heard very pleasing news from the silver attack squad leader.
“Hahaha, Hunter Seo Juwon achieved another feat?”
“Yes, Guild Master. He neatly handled the dungeon break that even requested support from our Myth Guild.”
The silver attack squad leader reported the incident with a smile.
That numerous hunters died due to the manticores, and even Baekho Guild members came but couldn’t do anything.
But the one who stepped up was Necromancer Seo Juwon, and he alone massacred the ten manticores single-handedly, he added.
“Hahahaha, Hunter Seo Juwon is truly amazing. Taking down ten manticores by himself. And in the silver attack squad at that. Isn’t this a really astonishing achievement?”
At Shin Daeho’s words, the executives agreed that it was correct.
It wasn’t flattery; it was genuinely an astonishing achievement.
Because manticores were powerful enough that it wouldn’t be strange to assign them to the gold attack squad.
“Baekho Guild members couldn’t hunt them, yet he did. Baek Inha must be really upset. Shouldn’t we send a condolence wreath or something?”
Shin Daeho smiled brightly, imagining Baekho Guild Leader Baek Inha’s face.
Baek Inha, who had tremendous inferiority toward Myth Guild.
She lost a bunch of Baekho Guild members and failed the gate conquest, while Myth Guild succeeded splendidly, so how angry must she be.
Imagining her undoubtedly raging at the Baekho Guild members made Shin Daeho feel extremely good.
Baek Inha, she was way too arrogant.
“Good. Very good. Hunter Seo Juwon is elevating our Myth Guild’s prestige in many ways.”
At Shin Daeho’s words, the vice guild master and all the attack squad leaders nodded with pleased expressions.
From various gate conquests, receiving the Brave Citizen Award, to this dungeon break performance.
Because Hunter Seo Juwon was achieving tremendous feats every time.
“Hmm, so speaking of which. I have a suggestion for all of you.”
As Shin Daeho brought it up, all the executives focused.
In the conference room filled with anticipation, Shin Daeho continued.
“How about promoting Hunter Seo Juwon to the gold attack squad at this point.”