“Good morning!”
“Good morning!”
I felt like a mob boss. Every time I took a step, rookie Guild members bowed ninety degrees and greeted me from every direction.
They were fresh out of training camp, still wet behind the ears. In terms of years on the job, I was certainly their senior by a wide margin.
This industry does take seniority and junior status pretty seriously.
The problem was that some of the rookie Guild members were late-blooming Hunters older than me.
“It’s an honor to meet you!”
A rookie who looked well into his mid-thirties bowed, his eyes sparkling.
Then I saw the top of his head shining even brighter, and my heart ached.
“Right. Good luck…”
“Thank you!”
“Thank you!”
What are you, an echo?
And I wasn’t talking to you guys. You thick-haired bastards.
I clicked my tongue inwardly as I studied the rookies, then stopped when my gaze reached one young man.
That one might actually be useful.
He was the most promising of the new recruits. His aura was impressive, and every movement he made was as controlled as a martial artist’s.
Noticing my gaze, the young man grinned.
“Good morning, Senior.”
He was definitely different. Unlike the other rookies, he wasn’t nervous or obsequious.
In my experience, guys like him fell into one of two categories.
Either they had absolutely nothing to back up their pride, or they were confident in their own abilities.
The guy in front of me belonged to the latter.
“You there. What’s your name?”
“My name is Kim Jinsoo. I graduated at the top of the training camp’s B-rank course. I was also the first person to destroy a Golem’s core during this raid.”
“Really?”
“Yes. It was my first A-rank Gate, but it wasn’t as difficult as I expected.”
What an interesting guy.
He had no hesitation about gilding his own face. He was the type who would always make sure he got his share wherever he went.
When I stared at him, Kim Jinsoo gave me an easygoing smile.
“And you don’t need to speak so formally with me, Senior.”
“We just met. I’ll speak casually once we know each other better. The same goes for everyone else, so I’d appreciate it if you skipped the loud greetings from now on.”
“Yes!”
“I’ll keep that in mind, Senior!”
“…”
He hadn’t listened to a word I said.
The deafening noise echoed through the hallway, and the office door at the far end slowly opened.
A crisp white dress shirt and neatly pressed black slacks. There was only one Hunter in our Guild who came to work dressed like that.
“You’re all lively this morning.”
“Too lively, if you ask me.”
Like a scene from a commercial, Team Leader Choi held a coffee cup and jerked his chin toward the office.
“Come in and have some coffee. Let’s calm things down.”
The office was spacious and comfortable. Perhaps because it had been decorated to suit Team Leader Choi’s tastes, expensive furniture stood everywhere, and a silver nameplate sat on the desk.
Team Leader Choi Minwoo
Even the nameplate looks expensive.
Moving the Guild House and recruiting all those new Guild members must have cost a fortune. Apparently, it was true that the Peace Guild had extracted an astronomical settlement from the Star Guild, where Won Myunghoon had been Guild Master.
As I admired the nameplate, a cup of black coffee suddenly appeared in front of me.
Team Leader Choi followed my gaze.
“Would you like me to have one made for you? A nameplate.”
“I’m fine. I don’t have a position to put on it.”
“We can always create one. General Team Leader. Division Head. Whatever you want.”
“Anything?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll keep it modest. Guild Master.”
“…”
“I’m joking. If I became Guild Master, I’d run the Guild into the ground.”
Besides, even if I did become Guild Master, I’d obviously be nothing but a mascot—a puppet Guild Master. What would be the point?
I accepted the coffee and sat on the sofa. More than twenty newspapers were stacked on the glass table.
They ranged from major domestic dailies to foreign newspapers filled with writing I couldn’t even begin to decipher. Just looking at them made my eyes spin.
“You actually read all of these?”
“I read them to keep track of overseas developments and collect industry information. It’s nothing special. Knowing around five languages is enough to read them.”
“…”
That was extremely special. Five languages? What kind of life had this man led?
Shaking my head in amazement, I glanced at one of the open newspapers.
A clear color photograph of a man who looked to be in his thirties caught my eye, along with several headlines in bold print.
- The Late Hunter Jung Hyunwoo (pictured)
- Accidents Continue: Gates Remain Deadly Even for A-Rank Hunters
- Myeongdong Guild Expresses Regret over Unexpected Death…
It looked like there had been another accident.
The Myeongdong Guild? That’s Jihoon’s Guild.
Just as I was about to take a closer look, Team Leader Choi elegantly tilted his coffee cup and continued.
“The Peace Guild will continue to grow. We’ve already recruited twenty B-rank Hunters and thirty C-rank or lower Hunters. That kind of growth is unprecedented in Korea’s long-stagnant market.”
Just as he said, the Peace Guild was growing at a terrifying rate.
Only about four months had passed since the Guild was founded, but if we maintained this momentum, we could easily call ourselves a mid-sized Guild.
Of course, we still have far fewer Hunters than other mid-sized Guilds.
That was because we hadn’t recruited more yet, not because we couldn’t.
The Guild website had already gone down from excessive traffic. I’d heard that hundreds of job inquiries poured in every day.
“And I played a major role in that. I’m the number one contributor.”
“That’s true.”
Team Leader Choi continued smoothly.
“It is true, but I’m not giving you a bonus.”
“…You’re quick to catch on.”
I’d tested the waters just in case, but he hadn’t taken the bait.
As he watched me silently smack my lips, Team Leader Choi smiled.
“However, I’ll consider it favorably if you do me one favor.”
“What favor?”
“I’d like you to take charge of the rookie Guild members for a while.”
“…The rookies?”
“Yes. We were very selective when we recruited them, and they’re all talented, but they’re still rough around the edges.”
“Of course they are. They’re beginners.”
No matter how much training someone went through, a real battle felt completely different from the training camp.
There was a reason people said a lower-rank Hunter with ten years of experience was better than a higher-rank Hunter fresh out of training camp.
“But why ask me? There are other people here.”
“I already spoke to Butler Kim and Song-i this morning. I suggested that we take turns teaching the rookies.”
“What did they say?”
“They agreed. Gladly, without the slightest hesitation.”
“…What about Uncle Kkeokjeong?”
“I haven’t been able to ask him yet. It’s long past his usual arrival time, and he isn’t answering his phone.”
Team Leader Choi checked the time and continued.
“Wouldn’t it be a good idea? The rookie Guild members are hoping that Mr. Jin Taekyung will teach them, too. Most of them applied to our Guild because of you.”
“I appreciate the flattery, but…”
I scratched the back of my head.
Dark Heaven had revealed its fangs in Murim, and Jeok Cheongang was still unconscious.
Even if I spent thirty days in the modern world, only three hours would pass in Murim. I had time to spare, but with A-rank Gates to clear, teaching a bunch of greenhorns wasn’t exactly the most rewarding use of it.
If I was going to spend that time on something else, I’d be a hundred times better off with my family.
“Leave me out of it. From the Guild’s perspective, wouldn’t it be more efficient for me to clear another A-rank Gate instead of teaching those guys?”
“More efficient…”
“Yes. Efficiency.”
“Then I suppose it can’t be helped.”
A sinister smile curled Team Leader Choi’s lips.
“I’ll be counting on you with our rookie Guild members.”
“What?”
“All the A-rank Gates are booked solid. You won’t get into one for at least a week.”
“Don’t lie to me! You scam artist!”
“If you don’t believe me, see for yourself.”
I snatched the paper Team Leader Choi held out. It was densely packed with the reservation schedules for A-rank Gates across the country.
Damn it. He was telling the truth.
“I’ll give you a two-hundred-percent performance bonus this month. You get to go on raids and teach your juniors. How wholesome.”
“…”
“Or you can stay home and do nothing.”
The corners of Team Leader Choi’s mouth rose in an infuriating smile.
I was just about to shout, I’m not doing it!, when a System notification rang.
Ding.
System
- The Quest It Was Too Much Money to Say “I’m Not Doing It!” has been generated!
Will you accept the Quest?
Y / N
“What do you say?”
“…”
“I’ll take that as a yes and get the rookies ready. I’ve already reserved several B-rank Gates.”
Ding.
System
- You have tacitly agreed.
- You have accepted the Quest!
Goddamn it.
—Grrrrr.
The monsters’ harsh breathing closed in from every direction. Twenty pairs of anxious eyes swept their surroundings.
Huff. Huff.
Their breathing grew ragged, and their hands turned white around their shields and weapons.
Perched on a branch high above the ground, I watched the scene unfold.
My face was expressionless, but my mind was occupied by a serious dilemma.
What should I have for dinner?
Galbi,1 or whole boiled duck for the first time in ages?
Both were too good to pass up…
“Hold the line!”
“What are the damage dealers doing? Damage dealers!”
The shrill screams drew my attention back to the chaos below.
More than a dozen Lycanthropes were charging the shield wall and hammering against it. The pale-faced tanks were being driven steadily backward.
Of course they’re getting pushed back. They’re trying to overpower the monsters head-on.
It wasn’t entirely the tanks’ fault, though. The damage dealers were so flustered that they weren’t doing their jobs, either.
If they had launched suppressive attacks at the right moments, this situation would never have happened.
I’d warned them several times before the raid began, but they were still making the same mistakes.
That line is about to break.
The moment I thought it, the shield wall collapsed amid a chorus of screams.
A gap opened in an instant. One of the most agile-looking Lycanthropes charged through with a characteristic roar.
Its bright yellow predator’s eyes fixed on the healers sheltering behind the shield wall.
—Graaaargh!
—Awoooooo!
To me, it sounded no different from a dog barking, but these rookie Hunters, who were only beginning their second raid, were terrified.
“Aaaah!”
“Eeeek!”
The mage and healer’s screams shook the dark forest.
It’s already noisy enough. Those screams are going to draw another twenty or so over here.
I memorized the faces of the two people who had screamed.
From now on, their nickname is the Pied Pipers.
“Senior! Senior Jin Taekyung!”
“Please help us, Senior!”
Several round faces looked up at me and cried out desperately.
The front line had already collapsed, and the rookies had nothing behind them but an enormous boulder.
The Lycanthropes closed in triumphantly, tightening their encirclement.
How did the monsters end up being better at forming ranks than they are?
I rubbed the sleep from the corner of my eye and answered.
“I told you. If I help, your skills won’t improve.”
“We don’t care if they improve!”
“Well, I do. You know what happens if you make a habit of getting help? You’ll make a habit of shitting the bed during raids, too.”
“We still don’t want to die like this!”
“But… nobody wants to die, you know?”
“Please help us!”
“Don’t give up. Keep fighting. You can do it!”
“Please save us!”
“By the way, what should I have for dinner—galbi1 or boiled duck?”
“Hey, you fucking bastard!”
It was the balding rookie from that morning. The admiring light that had shone as brightly as his crown was gone, replaced by a gaze full of fury.
“Get down here, you young bastard…”
Thud!
A tank came flying in from somewhere and crashed into him, sending them both sailing into the distance.
The momentum had effectively shifted to the monsters. I was wondering whether it was time to step in when—
Shhk!
—Kauuugh…
A flash of light streaked through the air, and one of the Lycanthropes groaned. Blood gushed from its gaping throat before it crumpled to the ground.
The young man who had landed the precise, powerful strike shouted at the top of his lungs.
“Formation Three!”
His booming voice snapped the others back to their senses one by one.
Soon, the twenty Hunters had re-formed their ranks and begun advancing slowly.
At their head stood Kim Jinsoo.
“Keep pushing! Archers, get your skills ready!”
That kid has potential.
I let out a quiet laugh and jumped down from the tree. Then I swung my spear at the dozens of Lycanthropes drawn by the sound of battle.
Whoooosh!
“You did well.”
“Thank you, Senior!”
Kim Jinsoo grinned and bowed. Behind him, I saw three people with their heads pressed into the ground.
Two were the Pied Pipers, and the other was the balding rookie.
I’d given the balding rookie the special privilege of holding the push-up position.
I had to help him protect what little hair he had left…
“Keep it up next time. You’ll improve quickly.”
“Yes. I won’t disappoint you, Senior.”
“Then go get some rest, Jinsoo. We have another raid in two hours.”
Team Leader Choi had really gone all out. He’d scheduled three raids in a single day.
I was grinding my teeth inwardly when the phone in my pocket began to vibrate.
Designer-Brand Junkie
What was this? Had we developed telepathy?
Still baffled, I answered the call. Team Leader Choi’s urgent voice struck my ear.
“Taekyung. Come to the hospital in Ilsan right now!”
Hospital?
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