After awakening, finding a Guild became my top priority.
Entering a dungeon requires an entry fee. It’s not like it’s some amusement park.
Clearing dungeons is another hassle.
You have to file dungeon reports with the Association or relevant Agency, and that’s incredibly tedious.
And that’s not all.
Collecting Magic Stones and selling them is also something you have to do individually.
Magic Stones fluctuate like stocks—sometimes they rebound, sometimes they drop—so it’s best to sell them when you won’t suffer losses.
Without a Guild, all these troublesome tasks fall on the individual.
Before awakening, I submitted my resume to the top 20 Guilds. But as expected, all I got were rejections or “try again next time.”
Now, I’m considered a very promising prospect.
Since the article about me came out, other Guilds have sent scouting offers as a way of testing the waters.
Though I hate to admit it, none of them have offered more than 3.5 billion from the Fighting God Guild.
Of course, money isn’t everything. How influential the Guild is also matters.
The Fighting God Guild has been investing heavily to shake off their perpetual second-place tag and challenge for first.
But I don’t want to join Fighting God. I already turned them down once.
I fidgeted with the business card I had received before and took a closer look.
The former Team Leader of the Hwarang Guild.
Someone I’d known since my Trainer days.
He had told me to come knock on the Hwarang Guild’s door anytime I awakened.
I contacted Team Leader Jeon.
A message popped up saying he was currently unavailable.
“Must be in a dungeon.”
When Hunters have their phones off like this, it usually means they’re in the middle of a dungeon run.
Strike while the iron’s hot.
Seeing the constant spam-like Guild recruitment messages, I figured I should just pick one.
Since I know someone at Hwarang Guild, it could be a decent choice.
Currently, Hwarang Guild is ranked 11th.
They have a fair amount of recognition, so it’s a good place to be active. However, since they’re not in the top 10, they might be at a disadvantage during bidding.
“But maybe there’s satisfaction in nurturing something.”
It’s good to thrive in an already established place, but starting somewhere still lacking isn’t bad either.
If I build it with my own hands, everything will revolve around me.
In other words, it’s like abandoning Wei and choosing Shu.
I took a taxi to the Hwarang Guild and registered for an interview at the front desk. Showing Team Leader Jeon’s business card, I requested an interview with someone in charge.
As expected, I got a free pass.
Team Leader Jeon had gone into a dungeon run with the rookies and was currently absent.
A cup of sweet coffee mix in a paper cup was placed in front of me. A white-collar office worker sat opposite me.
He looked too young to conduct a proper preliminary interview.
Probably younger than me.
“These days, everyone’s so busy with runs and training that I’m here for pre-contracts. I’m Assistant Manager Heo Su.”
“I’m Lee Hyunbin, formerly a Trainer at the Star Center.”
Assistant Manager Heo Su handed me his business card, which I glanced over.
Clean serif font on a white background.
“I heard you interviewed here before.”
“Oh, yes.”
“You’ve had your Supporter Awakening.”
He glanced at me sideways.
“Ah, but we already have quite a few Supporters in our Guild.”
Assistant Manager Heo Su looked a bit embarrassed.
“Since we’re partnered with a Noble Guild—industry’s second place—we have a lot of Supporter roles.”
“So?”
“The signing bonus might be a bit low. I can discuss with the Team Leaders again, but I’ll just give you the average annual salary info for now.”
He slid over a standard contract.
A signing bonus of 3,000, with all the terms and conditions laid out in detail.
“Looks like the merits section is missing from the contract.”
“Oh, really? I thought I checked… Hmm, it seems properly written.”
What nonsense is he talking about?
He saw my expression and smirked, then said calmly,
“Nowadays, even Supporters are considered high-level talent. Experience and education matter a lot. If you join the Dungeon Supporters Team that the former Team Leader is nurturing, your salary would be higher.”
Well, it seemed like they based this offer solely on my old resume here.
“You can sign the contract later. Usually, Supporter grades don’t have special contracts, so just consider this for reference.”
I smiled and pushed the contract back toward him.
He looked at me, puzzled, like “What are you doing?”
“I don’t need it.”
“Excuse me?”
“I said I don’t need it.”
“You probably don’t know the standard Supporter signing bonus…”
He went on with unnecessary explanation, but I cut him off sharply.
“You’re the one who doesn’t know.”
“Me?”
“If you want to work in this field, you should be quick with information. You’re doing this clumsily.”
He was trying to judge everything based on an old resume and a business card from the former Team Leader.
What presumptions.
I turned and left the Hwarang Guild.
By the time I got home on the bus, my phone kept ringing. It was a familiar number.
—“Hunter Lee Hyunbin, this is Assistant Manager Heo Su from Hwarang Guild’s HR team. Sorry, I think I misunderstood and gave you wrong information.”
When I didn’t answer, a message arrived.
Actually, on the way home, I noticed something interesting.
A headline at the top of a Portal Site news section.
—Hanul Group’s second son, Im Jaejoon, appointed as the third-generation Guild Master.
—21st-ranked Hanul Guild: Can it change with the new Union Chief?
It was a story about Im Jaejoon, the golden spoon heir. Seeing it made me laugh unconsciously.
“So you came too, huh?”
The Demon King Im Jaejoon now looked like a chaebol heir.
—“Are you around? I’ll come pick you up.”
Ignoring the relentless texts, I got off the bus.
Not far from the stop, I saw the Hanul Guild building.
I stormed inside.
“What brings you here?”
The receptionist at Hanul Guild seemed to scan me suspiciously since I didn’t have an access pass.
“I want to see the Union Chief.”
“The Union Chief?”
“Of course, no appointment.”
Saying I was here to meet the representative caught the receptionist off guard for a moment. But soon, they replied professionally.
“I’m sorry, but the Union Chief can’t be seen without an appointment…”
“That’s fine.”
Just then, a woman’s voice interrupted the receptionist.
“Mr. Guest, you have an appointment with the Union Chief.”
“Oh, yes.”
A woman I hadn’t met before said that to the receptionist and motioned me to follow her.
She looked like a secretary or an executive assistant.
Though her appearance was different, I recognized who she was.
“Olivier.”
“Long time no see.”
Olivier.
An Elder Succubus and one of the Demon King’s subordinates.
I had felt uneasy since I first saw her in the director’s office.
I had contacted her beforehand, knowing that suddenly asking to meet the Hanul representative would be refused.
Maybe because of her cloning ability, she arrived quickly.
“It’s a pity.”
Olivier said unexpectedly.
“If you’d been just one day later, we’d have raided first.”
What is she talking about?
“As expected of the Hero. You’re a pro at storming into other people’s houses.”
“Say that, and I sound like a criminal.”
“Aren’t you?”
“Of course not. If they suspected me, they shouldn’t have let me in.”
“If they don’t let you in, they’d just forcibly…”
That unpleasant implication made me uncomfortable.
Olivier led me to the VIP Elevator.
The elevator doors opened on the eighth floor.
Expensive tiles, security guards, and secretaries awaited. They all bowed respectfully to Olivier—and me, by extension.
“Could it be that all the employees here are from the Demon King’s Army?”
“Not all.”
That figures.
It’s strange enough that the Demon King and Succubus are in this world, but they can’t be hopping dimensions so freely.
“There are a few.”
“Ah.”
Is dimensional travel this easy? Anyone can come and go as they please?
I’d struggled for eleven years just to return to the original world.
“Hero, your observational skills have declined. You would have recognized them immediately before.”
“Honestly, I didn’t recognize you because you were dressed properly. If you wore that mesh Succubus combat outfit like in the other world, I’d have known right away.”
“…Come in!”
She snapped.
I had many questions, and someone inside had the answers.
I entered the Union Chief’s reception room.
A faint fragrance filled the air.
Luxurious sofas and a wide glass window overlooking the concrete cityscape.
Turning at the sound of the door, a man in an expensive suit appeared.
“You’re still the same. Living without a care.”
The Demon King, Im Jaejoon, smiled with a raised lip.
In the other world, we faced each other with blades drawn, plotting to kill one another.
Meeting the Demon King again here in the modern world felt strange.
“Have a seat.”
Im Jaejoon crossed his legs on the expensive sofa and sipped from a fine teacup.
His wristwatch shone—a luxury ordinary people could never afford in their lifetime.
Not just the watch, but his tie, jacket, and shoes were all covered in designer labels.
“You’ve changed a lot.”
“Is that so? Hah, I’ve gotten used to this lifestyle.”
“You used to be bald, but now you have a full head of hair?”
“Oh, right. Back then, the miserable horns weakened my hair.”
“For Majok, horns are a symbol of power. People like you will never understand.”
Honestly, having more hair is better than horns.
I used to have dark circles, but now they’re gone.
“How did you and Olivier come here? Did you die and get reincarnated or something?”
It sounds absurd, but I’ve witnessed several impossible things happen that defy reality.
Like the Floating Island drifting in the sky.
“Yeah, probably. Seeing you here means the plan succeeded, huh?”
“Yeah.”
My answer made a flicker appear in Im Jaejoon’s eyes.
“Honestly, I’m impressed.”
He smiled politely.
As expected from someone who ruled the entire continent, he had a certain aura.
Though we spoke casually, we were both observing each other carefully.
The Demon King drew the first blade.
“So, what brings the one who ruined me here?”
“Oh, that was long ago. You’re still hung up on that? You’re more sensitive than you seem. Did it hurt when the Holy Sword Laevateinn pierced you?”
He said this while picking a nut from the table and popping it into his mouth.
Mmm, tasty. Maybe I should take some home.
“I never imagined the one who shattered everything I built would appear so nonchalantly.”
Im Jaejoon’s eyes smiled strangely, claws extended, teeth bared.
Naturally.
“Let me be straightforward.”
I was confident.
“Invest in me.”
Walking a path I had once taken again wasn’t difficult.
“Invest?”
“Why not?”
“I never said I didn’t like it.”
I could get stronger on my own, but there were too many restrictions.
I had to clear S-rank or A-rank dungeons to gain experience and farm items.
To restore my full potential.
But ordinary people couldn’t enter those places, and mediocre Guilds couldn’t even bid on dungeons.
“Why choose me after all this time? We were once enemies, after all.”
“You wanted to conquer the continent, and I wanted to liberate it.”
The Demon King, Im Jaejoon.
In the other world, he was a king who led the Majok to rise against human oppression.
I skimmed through some info on the way here.
A bastard son of the Hanul Group.
A monster who couldn’t have everything due to his half-blood, stepping into the blue ocean of Guilds with his own will and power.
He needed a business partner, and I needed capital.
Our goals were the same.
“I used to wonder about that.”
Im Jaejoon began.
“Why didn’t I summon a Hero?”
The Demon King didn’t summon warriors like the Hero from the other world because he was strong enough on his own.
“Want some blueberries?”
They’re pretty good. I think I’ll come here often. This place is nuts and berries heaven.
“I bought them myself.”
He took the blueberries I offered and popped them into his mouth.
“At least I don’t judge people by resumes.”
This Demon King is definitely not ordinary.
“Tea is served.”
Olivier brought the tea I was to drink. The aroma was pleasant.
The fine teacup made it clear this was no simple coffee mix.