Lee Jung-woo proposed various conditions.
In this capitalistic era, a sincere apology is best accompanied by money.
One billion won.
On top of that, a sports car that would make anyone gasp at its price.
“Please accept these for now. After that, I have something serious to discuss with you.”
Lee Tae-sung was flustered.
His eyes were already shaking just by looking at the bankbook and the photo of the car Lee Jung-woo held out, yet he wasn’t finished?
Lee Jung-woo slid a photo forward.
It was an aerial shot as if taken from the sky.
The building was the centerpiece.
It was a building Lee Tae-sung recognized as well.
In fact, wouldn’t anyone in South Korea with even a slight interest in real estate know it?
“…Isn’t this Grandio Ether Cheongdam?”
“You recognize it.”
How could he not?
It was famous for being the residence of top-tier celebrities and Hunters.
It was the place Lee Tae-sung had dreamed of most when he first thought about living in a house with a view of the Han River.
“Why this…?”
“Please take a look at this as well.”
Next, Lee Jung-woo slid over a sales contract.
“!??”
The address written there was Grandio Ether Cheongdam.
Lee Jung-woo smiled.
“In addition to my apology, I have a proposal I’d like to make. Please join our Blue Dragon Guild. We highly value your potential, Hunter Lee Tae-sung, and we wish to become partners moving forward. This house is a signing gift.”
This was what Lee Jung-woo had contemplated while waiting for Lee Tae-sung.
There is a saying that a crisis is an opportunity.
While apologizing, it would be beneficial to establish a strong bond with him.
“…You’re giving me this house just for joining the Blue Dragon Guild?”
“Yes! Of course, I don’t intend to stop there. If there’s any additional compensation you desire, please let us know. We can offer you shares, and we’ll grant you a certain percentage of the additional revenue generated because of you.”
One must not forget that Lee Tae-sung could be called a China expert simply by considering his friendship with Zhang Xuan.
If such a person joined the guild, he would have to be treated like an executive.
Furthermore, he was a talented Hunter.
‘I can’t let this slip away.’
He had already discussed it with his sister.
They were even willing to create another Vice Guild Master position for him.
Of course, that wasn’t possible immediately; it would happen after Lee Tae-sung completed more missions and became a sufficiently veteran Hunter.
“What do you think?”
“Hmm….”
Lee Jung-woo wore a confident smile.
He was certain that no other large guild could offer such conditions when recruiting a new Hunter.
‘No matter how large a guild is, it’s difficult for them to offer this much to a Hunter who has only completed five missions.’
However, this was partly because Lee Jung-woo’s information was a day behind.
If he had known that Lee Tae-sung had already cleared up to his ninth mission with perfect scores, he wouldn’t have shown such confidence…
‘The Blue Dragon Guild…’
Lee Tae-sung pondered seriously.
Joining a large guild.
For the six months when he struggled because he couldn’t use his skills properly, this had been his ultimate dream.
If he had heard this offer just a short while ago, he would have jumped for joy.
But why was it different now?
He felt a strange sense of reluctance.
They promised him a unit in Grandio Ether Cheongdam upon joining, but…
‘I can have this too once some time passes.’
It was only a matter of time.
He was confident that even if it took a while, it wouldn’t take more than one year to move in using his own strength.
—Is there any reason for brothers to work under someone else?
He recalled the words Brother Zhang Xuan had said to him before.
The Hunters who currently led large guilds also started small, but through their own efforts, they created guilds and came to represent South Korea.
‘Is there any reason I can’t do the same?’
He had lived his entire life as an ordinary citizen.
During his school days, he had mediocre grades, enjoyed skipping evening self-study to go to PC cafes with friends, graduated from a decent university, had an okay GPA, and finally got a job at a mediocre company.
His life was one where he had never been passionately devoted to anything.
However, this Hunter life was different.
For the first time, he saw potential, and he was immersed in it with excitement.
Only then did Lee Tae-sung realize that a dream had formed within him.
He wanted to reach the peak of this field where he had talent.
The world’s best Hunter.
The world’s best guild.
‘Let’s do this. Me too!’
Famous people weren’t all famous from the start.
There was no reason he couldn’t do it!
“I am truly sorry regarding the offer, but I wish to establish my own guild.”
“Of…”
Lee Jung-woo let out a sigh of regret.
But it was only for a moment. He soon wore a refreshed smile.
“I see. That’s also good. A fine decision.”
After all, hadn’t the siblings Lee Jung-woo and Lee Ye-ji used their overflowing talent to start their own business instead of joining an existing guild?
There was no reason Lee Tae-sung couldn’t do the same.
No, perhaps he could do even better than them.
“I’ll have to send a large wreath for your opening then. Haha!”
Just then, Manager Song Sang-yeop chimed in.
“I believe I can assist you from there. In fact, the Association has made several decisions regarding ways to support you, Hunter Lee Tae-sung. Among them are guild establishment, tax benefits, and various privileges.”
Whether he joined a large guild, wanted to establish his own, or decided to work as a solo freelancer.
The Association had simulated various scenarios.
Accordingly, compensation and support had been determined to a degree that Lee Tae-sung would find satisfactory.
“I was actually going to ask, but I saw that you’ve cleared up to your ninth mission in succession.”
“Yes. The difficulty was manageable, so I just kept going.”
“What?? What did you just say??”
The Blue Dragon siblings’ eyes widened beside them, but Manager Song Sang-yeop didn’t focus on them.
“That is truly incredible. Perhaps I am witnessing the birth of a new major guild. If you don’t mind, what is your current score?”
“Wait a moment… It’s about 130,000 points.”
“…What?”
“???”
At Lee Tae-sung’s answer, not only the Blue Dragon siblings but also Song Sang-yeop flinched.
“…Don’t tell me you cleared them all with perfect scores?”
“Yes.”
“Wow… How could you…”
Counting from the tutorial, it was nine consecutive perfect clears.
‘There has never been a Hunter in Korean history who set such a record…’
No, not just in Korea, but in the entire world.
Even the powerful rankers in the United States often got perfect scores, but they couldn’t have pulled it off consecutively like this.
“That’s… marvelous…”
Manager Song Sang-yeop muttered in shock.
The Blue Dragon siblings also found themselves nodding without realizing it.
Lee Tae-sung wasn’t talking about founding a guild out of overconfidence.
A mission score of 130,000.
How many items could he buy from the Score Shop with that?
The Score Shop wasn’t the end of it.
Once he spent 30,000 points, the Dream Shop opened, and he gained the qualification to purchase Dream Manifestation Runes.
What if he used even more points?
‘Not only will more Dream Manifestation Runes become available, but I might even be able to purchase other hidden items.’
He didn’t know how it would turn out, but there was plenty of potential.
“This means you could achieve meaningful results immediately after founding the guild. First, let’s discuss how to start. The plan our Association has devised is…”
Manager Song Sang-yeop, becoming more excited, explained various benefits and advantages the Association could provide.
Listening to him, the siblings Lee Jung-woo and Lee Ye-ji exchanged glances.
Lee Jung-woo whispered softly.
“…Instead of being cool and talking about wreaths while congratulating his guild’s founding, should I have grabbed his leg and begged him to come to our guild?”
“Want to do it now?”
“This older brother’s dignity…”
“What dignity? You threw that away the moment you pitched a tent and waited for him.”
“……”
“But don’t do it. I don’t think it’ll work.”
“…I think so too.”
Lee Tae-sung’s face as he talked about the guild’s founding with Manager Song Sang-yeop was brighter and more sparkling than they had ever seen.
Seeing that face, how could they ask him to join their guild? Therefore, Plan B.
“I should ask him to partner with our guild and do business together.”
“Let’s do that. Since we’re technically a large guild, there’s a lot we can help with until he gets settled.”
Given Lee Tae-sung’s skills, his future was guaranteed, but he would surely hit various snags in the early stages of business.
If the Blue Dragon Guild helped him with that, Lee Tae-sung might be the one leading them in the future.
The Blue Dragon siblings had no intention of ending their connection with Lee Tae-sung here.
***
—I will visit you again as soon as the preparations are complete.
Manager Song Sang-yeop said he would handle the guild establishment and related matters.
From document preparation to business registration, guild application, and forming distribution networks.
Furthermore, the Association granted benefits such as tax exemptions and priority selection for cooperative projects, and the registration procedures for those were also quite tedious.
However, Manager Song volunteered to take charge and handle it all.
It was a relief for Lee Tae-sung.
‘They said the National Hunter Association is serious about managing Hunters. It’s true.’
He really liked the Association’s benefits.
—Haha… On that note, are you perhaps planning to emigrate or… no, do you have any plans for overseas travel?
—No. I need to earn money. I’ll go on a trip later when I have more flexibility.
—A wise choice! If you ever change your mind, please let me know beforehand! That’s a relief!
—……?
In the end, Manager Song Sang-yeop was able to return feeling somewhat reassured.
Lee Tae-sung chuckled.
It was because he could guess why the man had asked such a thing.
‘Emigrate? Please. It’s most comfortable for a Korean to live in Korea.’
If you’re wealthy and famous, it’s a pretty decent country to live in.
Unless the country collapsed or the Association was overturned — anyway, unless an enormous change occurred — he didn’t think he would have any reason to go abroad.
For now, at least.
After that, Lee Tae-sung logged back into Dream World.
As he lay down in the connector, his mindset was different than before.
He had always been serious about Dream World, but now his own growth was tied to business matters.
‘Better skills. More mana. Better items!’
If possible, he wanted to obtain something truly great that existed in Dream World but wasn’t in the Score Shop.
Light flashed, and the scenery of the ruins unfolded before Lee Tae-sung’s eyes.
The Red Magic Tower party had been making progress but was currently blocked by a dead end.
A short break had been given while they tried to clear the path, and Lee Tae-sung had briefly logged out during that time.
The reason he returned after finishing the business talk with Song Sang-yeop was because of this.
“Outworlders are quite busy. It must be exhausting going back and forth.”
“Master Baek Wun-ho.”
Baek Wun-ho approached and signaled Lee Tae-sung quietly.
“Come here.”
“?”
Where he led him was a corner of the cavern.
In front, the research mages of the Red Magic Tower were busy with barrier dispersal and path-clearing work, but this area was just a blank wall.
No, it was a place that looked like a wall.
“Can you recognize this?”
The spot Baek Wun-ho pointed to was rugged, just like any cave wall.
However, the shape of the wavy patterns felt somewhat familiar.
It looked like flames, but it also gave off a warm feeling just by looking at it — something Lee Tae-sung felt often.
He used his mana circulation method periodically; wasn’t this what he felt every time?
“…Solar Holy Power?”
“Indeed.”
Baek Wun-ho grinned.
“I was wandering around to see if there was anything, and I found this here.”
The characteristic of Solar Holy Power was that it gave a coziness and warmth much like the sun.
Baek Wun-ho hadn’t mastered Solar Holy Power, but while investigating the Flame Emperor, he knew what kind of hybrid art it was.
“This is a ruin of a mage who was beaten during his lifetime by the Flame Emperor. What do you think when you see the traces of Solar Holy Power here, spanning across eras?”
“…There must be some connection.”
“Exactly!”
Baek Wun-ho tapped the wall.
“There wasn’t anything more than this. The mages of the Red Magic Tower also cast magic once to investigate, but they didn’t find anything special. That’s why they’re focused on clearing the path over there.”
Still, it was too naive to think there was nothing here. Rather…
“It means the concealment is so good that it even fooled the eyes of the Red Magic Tower mages.”
“Correct. Then, how do we break through this concealment?”
There was only one clue. Solar Holy Power.
“Try using it.”
Baek Wun-ho gestured, and Lee Tae-sung immediately reached out and placed his hand on the wall.
—Wuuuung!
The moment he activated Solar Holy Power against the wall!
—Crack!
—Rumble!
“!”
Cracks spread across the ceiling and every wall in sight, and stones began to rain down as the area collapsed.