NOVPUB
Chapter 84
Suho nodded in agreement. “We’ll need two more members then.”
“That’s right. It might be a bit tricky to find them. It was also difficult for Jinwoo. You’ll need to find hunters who don’t actively participate but can still fill the required headcount.” The conversation brought back some great memories for Jinho. I bet he’s planning to raid dungeons alone with his shadow soldiers, just like his old man. “I’d love to join you, but if I do, the press would be all over us with flashing cameras.”
Jinho had awakened as a D-rank hunter. Of course, even a mention of him wanting to enter a dungeon resulted in relentless objection from his board and staff. Perhaps it was this suppressed desire that drove him to feature hunters in his new game.
Suddenly, a suitable candidate popped into Suho’s mind. “I already have one member in mind.”
“Who?”
“A demon named Esil.”
“Okay... Demon as in, that person has a devilish character?”
“No. She’s an actual demon.”
“Can we trust a demon?” Jinho hesitated momentarily.
“I can vouch for her. Esil was like you in many ways. She was the second one to follow him so fanatically,” Beru said.
“That can’t be.” Jinho stared at the ant with a gravely serious look. “No one can be a brother to Jinwoo like me.”
“Let’s not turn this into a competition,” Beru said.
Regardless, Esil wasn’t bound by the system. She was free, unlike Gray. But she feared the Monarch of Shadows more than anyone. The demon had witnessed the Monarch of Shadows exterminate most of her kind. The only survivors he’d allowed were members of her clan. They had survived thanks to Esil betraying the other demon clans early on and siding with Jinwoo.
“Anyway, if she’s not human, we’ll need to create an identity card before registering her as a hunter. I’ll take care of the necessary arrangements.” Jinho scribbled a note on his pad, circling “foreign worker.” Then he turned back to Suho and asked. “And the other member?”
Just then, Suho’s phone rang. Ever since he appeared on the news, his phone had been buzzing non-stop.
After checking the caller’s name, Suho smiled mysteriously and said, “I think I’ve found our last member.”
—TA Dogyoon
Im Dogyoon, a teaching assistant at Hanguk University’s Department of Painting, was a freelancer E-rank hunter who juggled his teaching assistant duties with weekend mining contracts.
“Hello? Suho! Are you okay? You’re alive, right?!”
As soon as Suho pressed the call button, Dogyoon’s poured out from the other end.
“I just saw the news. What on earth happened? How did you end up in such a dangerous situation? I’ve told you so many times that a hunter must live a long and careful life!”
Despite Dogyoon’s nagging, Suho couldn’t help but chuckle. He’s always the first to run at the sight of danger, but he’s also the one that worries the most when everything is over.
Dogyoon was nothing more than a dreadful coward—scared of death of himself and others. Perhaps it was this very trait that kept him safe as an E-rank hunter. It was likely that his fear made him an impressive runner. It was considered quite exceptional for an E-rank hunter.
He’s perfect. Right now, Suho wasn’t looking for a fighter. What he needed was someone quick who could carry items. He needed someone with the instincts to retreat rather than someone who needlessly stuck around and became a distraction.
“Anyway.” After a round of lecturing, Dogyoon finally got to the point. “Your value must have skyrocketed after this incident. You must be getting a lot of contract offers from guilds.”
“Yeah. It’s been crazy since this morning.”
“What? Already? Don’t you dare sign with just anyone, you hear?” His lecturing wasn’t quite done. “Do you have any idea how many hunters suffer for years because they joined the wrong guild? Make sure you run all the offers and contract terms by me first for vetting. Got it?”
As he listened, Suho’s lips curled up slightly. Typical of a college senior, his scolding was filled with concern for his junior.
“And if you get any weird offers, reject them all! I’ll look for a better guild for you. I’ve been getting a lot of business cards myself lately.”
“Huh? Are you joining a guild too, Dogyoon?”
“Yeah. With this incident and other factors, freelancing seems too risky now. Plus, I’ve noticed that guilds are starting to hire E-rank hunters as full-time staff.”
The changes to hiring standards were undoubtedly a result of the recent events. Many hunters had died recently, so guilds faced sudden staff shortages. This undoubtedly led to a shift in attitude towards lower-ranked hunters.
“Anyway, I’ve been looking into guilds lately, and once I find one with the best conditions, I’ll let you know if—”
“Forget that, Dogyoon,” Suho said, interrupting him. “I already have one in mind. Are you interested?”
“You do? Which one is it?”
***
“Wow! The CEO of Ahjinsoft in the flesh!” Dogyoon couldn’t believe he was standing before such an important man.
“Pleased to meet you,” Jinho said.
Dear God Almighty. What in the world is happening? Frozen stuff, Dogyoon was visibly overwhelmed by Jinho, who was offering a handshake with a kind smile. He couldn’t believe he was shaking hands with someone he had only seen on the news. “H-Hello! I am... I am...”
“My nephew has told me a lot about you. You two are close, right?”
Did he just say, “Nephew?” Oh my god!
“Right now, don’t think of me as the CEO of Ahjinsoft. I’m just Suho’s uncle, so don’t be too nervous.”
Despite the reassurance, Dogyoon became even more nervous. Suho had told him about his uncle on the way here, but hearing it straight from Jinho himself was overwhelming.
Suho handed Dogyoon a contract. “I had the contract prepared while you were on your way.”
Actually, it was Jinho’s secretary who had drafted the contract, not Suho.
Jinho explained the details, “The guild you’re joining is entirely independent of Ahjinsoft, but it will be privately funded by me. Your salary is the best in the industry among E-rank hunters, so you don’t need to worry too much about fair compensation.”
“Thank you so much!” Dogyoon bowed deeply.
Jinho held out his hand. “Thank Suho, not me. He thinks very highly of you.”
“Suho...” Dogyoon looked at him with an expression of deep gratitude.
Jinho continued his explanation, “But don’t get your hopes up too high. I can’t spend too much due to tax issues. I’m just planning to provide a small building for Suho to use as the guild office. It’s rent-free, of course.”
“Rent-free?!” Dogyoon’s eyes widened in disbelief again.
“Back in the day, I might have just given away a building. But since Suho is my relative, it would complicate things with inheritance and such. So, I’m keeping it strictly legal, and this is the best I can do.” Jinho appeared somewhat regretful that he couldn’t offer more.
Then suddenly, Dogyoon had a realization. Hm? Hold on! He can’t give Suho a building... Does that mean... He had noticed something odd in Jinho’s statement, and he turned toward Suho, who was calmly drinking a cup of coffee beside him. He then turned back to Jinho and asked, “Excuse me, sir. So the guild master is—”
“Ah, you haven’t you heard? Of course, it’s—”
“Our Young Monarch.” Beru popped into view with an all-knowing smile.
No wonder the offer seemed too good to be true. He had rushed to get to the building and had missed this crucial detail. If the guild master is someone who awakened a month ago, how will we recruit members?
Jinho’s backing was immense, but Dogyoon felt it was necessary to clarify something before he agreed to join. “Suho, can I ask you something before we sign the contract?”
“What is it?”
“Just how many other members are there?”
“Guild members? Plenty.”
“Oh! Really?” Dogyoon’s face lit up with excitement, but only for a moment.
“Arise.”
Suddenly, black shadows surged from the ground and surrounded him. Mummies, shrouded in swirling black mist, began to shriek joyfully around Dogyoon. But these creatures were merely temporary helpers. The only permanent member among them was Que.
The shadow soldier menacingly approached Dogyoon. “Always remember this. I am the master’s first follower. You are the second.”
No, don’t make this a competition... Dogyoon fell back on the sofa with the look of a defeated man. Mustering his remaining courage, he asked, “Besides these things, do we have any human members?”
“We are the only humans, and it will stay that way.”
“Oh, I see. So that’s how it is.”
The situation was ideal, but Dogyoon had witnessed Suho in combat. He began to think that having fewer humans was more advantageous. It meant less maintenance costs and payroll expenses.
“Well, it makes sense. The Hunters Association recognizes summoned creatures as members of an assault team. This will fulfill the quota requirement. But you do know we need at least three human members to establish a guild, right?”
“Yeah. I’m aware,” Suho responded with a smile. “That’s why I’ve recruited someone who looks human enough.”
“Looks human enough...?”
