Chapter 54

 Oppa, I’m in a Good Mood Today

Right after finishing Go Yuna’s ‘lesson’ disguised as a spar, Sia felt extraordinarily refreshed.

A long-standing source of worry had been resolved all at once. That fox-like woman who had kept subtly flirting with Minjun had always been an eyesore, and today Sia had finally succeeded in getting rid of her for good.

Naturally, once the spar ended, Go Yuna hurriedly left with an awkward excuse about suddenly having something urgent to do. Sia had even used Dragon Fear to make the message unmistakably clear, so unless Yuna had completely lost her mind, she probably would not dare show herself around Minjun again.

‘Oppa must have had a hard time because of that woman too.’

From Sia’s perspective, Minjun had a surprisingly soft-hearted side, while Go Yuna’s sly behavior had been so subtle that he probably had not managed to push her away until now.

In reality, Minjun had made up his mind and firmly rejected Go Yuna the day before, but Sia still did not know that.

In any case, what had happened at the dragon gathering still left a bitter taste in her mouth, but after giving Go Yuna such a satisfying lesson, Sia felt at least a little better than she had the day before. She had finally removed one major thorn from her side.

To celebrate the little victory, Sia called Minjun.

“Oppa. Have you eaten?”

[No. I was just about to have a hamburger. What about you, Sia?]

“I hadn’t decided what to eat, but hearing you say that makes me want a hamburger too.”

Unlike yesterday, when her mood had been noticeably subdued, today Sia chatted happily with Minjun with her usual energy. Minjun noticed the difference in her immediately.

[You definitely seem to be in a good mood today.]

“Mm, do I?”

[Yeah. I’m only saying it now, but yesterday you clearly looked like you had a lot on your mind. I’m glad you seem brighter today.]

Saying that he could finally relax a little, Minjun smiled brightly at her. The sight made Sia’s heart flutter, and she gave him a bashful smile.

“I-I guess it shows.”

[Sometimes you’re surprisingly bad at hiding your feelings. Did something good happen today?]

At Minjun’s question, Sia smiled and gently brought her index finger to her lips.

“Secret.”

✦ ✦ ✦

There is a saying that words can travel a thousand miles without feet. Certain topics that catch people’s attention inevitably spread from person to person regardless of what the person involved wants.

Minjun’s recent rank reassessment was one such case.

It was already uncommon for someone to request a reassessment less than a month and a half after the previous one. For that reassessment to raise the Hunter’s rank by two entire levels made the story even more extraordinary.

The employee who had handled Minjun’s reassessment and the clerk who had checked his rank-evaluation paperwork both told acquaintances about the incredible case they had witnessed. Within only a few days, rumors about Minjun spread among all sorts of people: ordinary civilians with no connection to the Hunter industry, reporters and YouTubers who constantly hunted for stories like this, and even guild officials.

That was how the subject came up in the office of Hanbit Guild, one of South Korea’s top ten guilds.

“Are you sure someone didn’t spice up the rumor along the way? Maybe the original story was just that he went up one rank after a couple of months.”

Jeong Taeseong, an S-rank Hunter and the guild master of Hanbit Guild, questioned the vice guild master, Lee Rowoon, who had brought him the unbelievable news.

“That alone would be plenty surprising, so why exaggerate it? I wondered the same thing, so I cross-checked it and looked around. There’s almost no chance the rumor was inflated.”

“How does an ordinary D-rank Hunter becoming B-rank in a month and a half make any sense?”

“Exactly. But apparently, that’s what happened.”

They had seen every kind of Hunter imaginable while recruiting talented people. Even they, however, had never once encountered someone whose rank jumped two levels in less than a month and a half.

There was a reason the Hunter Association charged Hunters separately if they requested another reassessment within three months of the previous one. Ranks simply did not rise that quickly under normal circumstances, so from the Association’s perspective there was no reason to waste money repeatedly testing them for free.

“You don’t think he deliberately hid his strength during his previous reassessment, do you?”

“A villain might do something like that. We should investigate more carefully, but from what I’ve heard, he’s probably just a decent Hunter.”

“Hmm.”

The situation was full of things that defied common sense, which only made Taeseong more curious. If Minjun was not a villain, if there was no dangerous secret behind that explosive growth and he simply possessed overwhelming potential, then there was no reason not to recruit him. No, they absolutely had to recruit him.

Even if he already belonged to another guild, they should pay a massive transfer fee if necessary. Who knew when another prospect of this caliber would appear? If they missed this chance, not even they could say when someone comparable would emerge again.

“Does that Hunter belong to a guild?”

“Not now, and apparently he never has. Still, shouldn’t we investigate him first?”

“Find out everything you can. Whatever can be discovered, use every available method.”

Taeseong knew that if the other top-ten guilds heard the rumor, they would enter the competition to recruit Minjun without hesitation. B-rank Hunters themselves were common enough in other major guilds. His current rank was not what mattered.

A Hunter who had demonstrated growth this fast would almost certainly reach S-rank someday. There was a meaningful possibility that he could even surpass that and become an SS-rank Hunter. It might be premature speculation, but perhaps in the distant future he could even become an SSS-rank Hunter representing South Korea.

Taeseong also knew the guild masters of the other major guilds would be thinking exactly the same thing. That meant waiting until the media began reporting on Minjun would be too late. If Hanbit wanted to recruit him, they had to move immediately, because the other guilds would start moving the instant they heard the news as well.

“Tell HR to begin preparing an offer as quickly as possible. Make sure the signing bonus is generous enough that no other guild can beat us on money.”

“I figured you’d say that, so I already told them.”

It was a case of acting first and reporting later. Lee Rowoon had also judged that they would have no chance unless they moved even half a step faster than the competition, so he had already given the HR team instructions the moment he heard the rumor.

“As expected.”

After confirming that Minjun’s recruitment process was underway, Taeseong skimmed through files containing the contract terms offered to the guild’s existing high-potential Hunters. As expected from one of South Korea’s top ten guilds, each contract contained exceptional terms that would be difficult to see at a mid-sized guild.

Taeseong still knew they would be nowhere near enough to secure this particular Hunter.

‘There’s no telling how fast this Hunter’s value will rise.’

Money mattered, but Taeseong believed speed mattered even more. With such explosive growth, the media would surely begin investigating the moment they caught wind of the story. They would probably publish special features everywhere and drive expectations for the promising Hunter higher and higher. The more articles appeared, the more his market value would skyrocket.

Taeseong’s prediction turned out to be completely accurate.

In reality, most of South Korea’s top ten guilds, along with many other major guilds, were already showing interest in Minjun. Media outlets that heard the news had begun writing articles as well, while scrambling to obtain Minjun’s contact information so they could request interviews.

It was truly the calm before the storm. Minjun himself, however, knew nothing about any of it and was simply going about an ordinary day.

✦ ✦ ✦

After ending my video call with Sia, I could finally relax.

Yesterday, it had looked as though she was forcing herself to smile because she did not want to worry me any further. Today, the smile Sia showed me was genuine and unforced.

I had no idea what happened between yesterday and today to improve her mood so much, but I was simply glad she had gotten her smile back. I had been worried she might still be down today.

After finishing the call with Sia, I was just about to take another bite of the hamburger I had been eating for lunch when my phone suddenly rang.

‘Who is it?’

The number was not saved in my phone. I normally avoided calls from unknown numbers, but for some reason, I had a feeling this one might be worth answering.

“Hello?”

[Is this Hunter Yoon Minjun’s number?]

“Yes, it is.”

Not Mr. Yoon Minjun, but ‘Hunter Yoon Minjun.’ That alone made the call feel different from normal.

[Hello. I’m reporter Min Yunseo from NBS. Regarding your recent…]

I understood what this was about before the reporter even finished. News about the result of my rank reassessment had begun spreading. I had not told anyone besides Sia and Rokan, but it was something that would inevitably become known sooner or later. It had simply happened a little earlier than I expected.

In the past, I probably would have accepted the interview immediately and started thinking about how to increase my value. I would have planned to use the attention to enter a prestigious guild under favorable terms.

But things were different from how they had been back then. Was joining a guild really the smart choice in my current situation?

‘Probably not.’

And even if I appeared on television and became famous, there was not much I stood to gain from it. While I was sorting through those thoughts, the reporter continued talking.

[…so if you’re comfortable with it, we’d like to interview you. Tell us whatever place and time is convenient, and we’ll accommodate your schedule.]

“I’m sorry. I’m not interested in doing interviews.”

I politely declined and tried to end the call. However, the reporter immediately asked another question.

[Then have you perhaps already arranged an exclusive interview with another broadcaster?]

“…Pardon?”

What was that supposed to mean?

[Oh, when you declined, I wondered whether you already had an exclusive interview scheduled somewhere else.]

“I don’t have any interview scheduled, and I don’t plan to do one in the future either. I’d rather live quietly. I’ll hang up now.”

After ending the call, I returned to my lunch. I thought I could finally eat in peace, but that call was not the end of it. Barely any time had passed before my phone began ringing again.

Once again, it was an unknown number. For some reason, though, I already felt like I knew what this call would be.

“Hello?”

[Hello, is this Hunter Yoon Minjun? I’m Choi Jaewook, head of human resources at Hanbit Guild.]

The previous call had been from the media. This one was from a guild—and not just any guild, but Hanbit Guild, one of South Korea’s top ten.

[I’m calling because, if you don’t currently belong to a guild, we’d very much like to invite you to join Hanbit. I apologize for contacting you so suddenly.]

They obviously were not trying to recruit me out of nowhere with no information. They must have heard the news about my rank reassessment somewhere too.

But no matter what kind of elite treatment they offered, joining even a top-ten Korean guild would actually be detrimental to my growth. Unlike other Hunters, my strength grew only by awakening the dragon power sleeping inside me. Neither clearing gates nor participating in a guild’s Hunter-development programs could ever accomplish my real goal.

The offer tempted me slightly, but once again I declined.

“I’m sorry. I don’t intend to join any guild right now.”

[Have you already received an offer from another guild? At least hear our terms first. If there’s anything you don’t like, we’ll do our best to meet whatever conditions you want.]

Maybe it was my imagination, but he sounded remarkably similar to the reporter who had called moments earlier. Both seemed desperate to secure me somehow.

I had never received such excessive attention before, so it felt a little strange. Still, that did not change my answer. Just as before, I politely made my refusal clear.

“For personal reasons, I don’t intend to join a guild right now. I’m sorry.”

[…I see. Still, if you ever change your mind, please feel free to contact us anytime.]

After that call ended, I tried to finish lunch and return to what I had been doing. From that moment on, however, my phone simply would not stop ringing. Every call I answered was either an interview request or a guild recruitment offer.

At first, the fact that people were calling me like this at all felt novel. As more and more nearly identical calls poured in, however, it quickly became exhausting.

I considered turning my phone off for a day or two, but that would cause a different problem. If Sia called while my phone was off, she would surely worry that something had happened to me.

Then a simple idea occurred to me. Since I was already thinking about Sia, why not call her? At least while I was on a call with her, my phone would stop ringing from everyone else.

Mentally drained by the endless barrage of calls, I called Sia to catch my breath for a while.