Chapter 15 – The Chaebol Demon King and the Returned Hero (1)

Still, there was some good news.

I finally moved out of that god-awful rented room.

No more listening to drunken ramblings from the next room, and no more hearing them bang on the wall for me to be quiet.

It’s a bit old, but it’s a house with three bedrooms and two bathrooms.

It seems Katrinne was a little moved by the fact that she finally had her own room and her own bed.

Blondie came to the housewarming. The people from the fitness center where I work came too.

The people from the fitness center came for a farewell party of sorts.

“Coach Lee. If you’re becoming an official hunter, shouldn’t you get some training?”

“The director will probably give you a special discount, right? The employee rate.”

My colleagues said, laughing. But they soon fell silent at the director’s next words.

“Coach Lee, if we’re going to train you, we’ll have to spar, won’t we?”

*I’m always open.*

Well, they say a doctor can’t heal himself. Maybe training on my own isn’t enough.

*Come on, come on.*

“My schedule is packed these days.”

“I can’t bring myself to throw a punch at a former colleague.”

*Just give it up.*

Without a word, they debated among themselves who would spar—no, who would get beat up by me—and concluded that I didn’t need any training.

“Oh, so you live with the coach? Ah, I see. I am our coach’s—no, our master’s first disciple, Kim Tae-yang.”

*Since when were we master and disciple? We just have a monetary relationship. Honestly, if you didn’t pay me, why would I bother training you?*

But just as you’d expect from a gold-tanned punk, he was clinging to my acquaintance, Katrinne.

That guy is so true to his character it gives me the creeps.

At the housewarming that day, we ate good food and drank. It had been a while since I drank to my heart’s content.

Kim Tae-yang was making a fuss about how cute Katrinne was, even as she shoveled food into her mouth.

*Watch her eat like that for about three days. See if you still find it cute then.*

Towards the end, the hunters I’d rescued from the Anyang Amusement Park also showed up.

It’s a bit much. For housewarming gifts, these are a little extravagant.

Living in that rented room, I didn’t have any proper furniture anyway. I was planning to buy some soon, but now I don’t have to.

The hunters who came to the party gifted me everything from a refrigerator, a wardrobe, and a TV to a drum washing machine.

People really should do good deeds. I save people, so I get a bounty, I get gifts, and my Salvation stat goes up, making me stronger and stronger.

“Mr. Hyunbin, we’ll come running whenever you call. You’re our savior.”

That was their reaction. Their eyes sparkled with an intensity that suggested they’d do anything I said, which was a bit burdensome.

Well, they might be useful someday. Connections are important in the hunter world, after all.

It was the first time I’d spent such a lively time since returning to the modern world.

Katrinne seemed to be enjoying herself in her own way, too.

* * *

“A raid success rate of 32%.”

A man past middle age, now entering his senior years, spoke.

“The bidding hasn’t been going well lately…”

The one speaking to the old man was a man who looked to be in his early to mid-thirties. He was afraid of the old man before him.

A man who could sever his leash at any moment.

A man who would push his own son off a cliff if he deemed him useless.

He knew the chairman—no, his father—better than anyone.

“Do you think that because I’m old, I don’t know anything, that I can’t make a proper judgment?”

“No, it’s not that…”

“Explain the relationship between bidding and success rate. In a way I can understand.”

To win dungeon bids, it’s advantageous to have many high-performing, ranked hunters.

But the success rate was a different story.

It literally meant that they won the bid, but failed the actual combat.

“Can’t do it? Then tell me why the guild’s overall ranking is outside the top ten.”

“If we just had one S-rank hunter, we could climb up quickly…”

“The teams in the top ten right now. No, the guilds. How many of them do you think have an S-rank?”

There are currently three S-rank hunters in South Korea.

Shinhwa Guild, which boasts the undisputed number one spot, has an S-rank mercenary they brought in from overseas.

Thanks to that, they’ve had quite a bit of fun in dungeons and greatly expanded their business.

And just a month ago, Tushin Guild, which had been gaining momentum at a frightening pace, scouted Seol Ji-hoon, the third S-rank hunter, to finally shed their perennial second-place label.

In other words, there were only two guilds with an S-rank.

The remaining S-rank hunter was active as a hero belonging to the government.

“Did I not invest enough?”

This is a guild run by what can be called a corporate group.

Even more so, a chaebol group that ranks within the top ten in South Korea.

“What’s the problem? Huh? The other groups jumped into this business early and are developing weapons smoothly. Does it make any sense that we’re the only ones still in the red?”

Finally, he let out the roar he had been holding back.

Guilty as charged, the man in his thirties could only bow his head without a word.

The old man wiped his face with his hand. Every single one of his children was a disappointment.

But it seemed there was still hope. There was one son who caught the eye of the old man, the group’s chairman.

“Jae-joon. What are your thoughts?”

In fact, there was another man who had been sitting silently all this time.

The man, with his hair neatly styled in an 8-2 pomade part, spoke in a low voice.

“First, the guild’s management is sloppy.”

“What, you punk?”

“You, shut your mouth. Jae-joon—no, Section Chief Im, continue.”

The man in his thirties sullenly closed his mouth.

As soon as permission was granted, Im Jae-joon continued speaking.

“A company, and a guild, are like living organisms. I believe the priority should be to restructure the organizational system of Hanul Guild.”

*The talent needed for the guild. At the very least, it would be a good start to reduce the number of beautiful secretaries currently in the guild.*

The guild run by the group had long been the subject of gossip. It had often graced the newspapers.

It was commonplace for its hunters to get drunk and cause trouble, and the lack of teamwork caused constant friction.

No matter how many high-performing—that is, good—hunters you recruit, it’s meaningless if you don’t know how to utilize them properly.

You can’t win a baseball game just by assembling a lineup of cleanup hitters who are good at home runs.

You need pitchers and fielders. And someone to train them, and a manager to lead them.

It’s like a living creature; you have to move its arms and legs, and even consider the muscles and blood vessels that follow.

Timely rewards and care are also essential.

Im Jae-joon spoke only of the basics. It was nothing that you couldn’t hear anywhere else.

But in a guild where none of those basics were followed, it was nothing more than a vending machine for the man in his thirties to withdraw money from.

“I believe we should release the hunters who are needlessly collecting a salary as free agents and actively recruit experienced managers through organizational restructuring.”

“Talk is cheap.”

The man in his thirties spat out a sarcastic remark at Im Jae-joon’s words.

The old man said nothing, only listened.

Im Jae-joon knew what he wanted from the look in his eyes.

He wasn’t looking for textbook answers.

“Still, it would be good to have a franchise star to represent our group.”

“Franchise.”

“Yes. For instance, an S-rank hunter whose information is protected.”

“Information protected?”

Both the old man and the man in his thirties looked at Im Jae-joon, having heard this unfamiliar information.

“Currently, a fourth S-rank hunter has appeared.”

“A fourth?”

“Yes. It’s information I received from a reliable friend. It has not yet been made public.”

The significance of an S-rank could not be overstated.

“Section Chief Im. You take charge of the guild business.”

“Father, the guild is my…”

“Father?”

“No, Chairman…”

The chairman looked at his eldest son with pity. In comparison, though from a different mother, his youngest, Im Jae-joon, had a sharp edge to him.

The chairman thought he was the spitting image of his younger self.

Therefore, his expectations were high.

“What do you say, Section Chief Im?”

“If you entrust it to me, I will do my best.”

* * *

The first Gate incident was literally a fight for survival. But as the Gates stabilized and experience accumulated, people began to challenge the dungeons.

The new energy generated from them immediately brought abundance.

Im Jae-joon recalled the sight of his eldest brother, glaring at him with a growl after having his meal ticket snatched away.

The more he thought about it, the more satisfying it was. No, he was actually grateful for his brother’s stupidity.

If he had shown even a sliver of talent, an opportunity like this would never have been given to him, the youngest son.

Entering his office in high spirits, Im Jae-joon inhaled the aroma of the premium coffee his secretary had prepared and gazed out the window.

A concrete jungle of a city. Humans, looking like ants, scurrying about to survive in that jungle.

Looking down upon it all, Im Jae-joon felt the passage of time anew.

Thirty years old. Thirty years had passed since he began living in this concrete jungle.

He wasn’t satisfied. He had only just acquired a failing guild.

Of course, the existence of a guild was essential to set in motion the plans he had been preparing until now.

*‘A franchise star.’*

He had spoken confidently to the chairman earlier, but right now, he knew nothing about the fourth S-rank Awakened except that they possessed outstanding talent.

In other words, it was a winning lottery ticket, but he didn’t know if it was worth a fifty-dollar prize or a fifty-million-dollar jackpot.

*‘If it’s someone like him, they’d be a decent card to play.’*

Im Jae-joon rummaged through the drawers of his memory.

He could never forget, even if he tried.

A monster who grew stronger the more you stepped on him.

And a genius who stood as his equal in just one year.

*Vvmm, vvmm.*

Im Jae-joon picked up the phone that had been on his desk.

“Hello.”

-It’s me, Section Chief.

It was Kim Min-jeong, who served as the director’s secretary at the agency.

She was the ‘reliable friend’ Im Jae-joon had mentioned earlier.

“Yes, what’s the situation over there?”

-The name of the newly awakened S-rank hunter is Seo Hyun-ji. Her trait is Spirit Summoning.

“Spirit arts. Not bad.”

He didn’t know for sure, but other guilds must have already gotten the information.

He needed to move quickly.

-And there is something else I need to tell you.

“Something else?”

Im Jae-joon felt a flicker of curiosity.

Kim Min-jeong never made small talk beyond what was necessary. He was curious what she felt the need to add.

-I saw the Hero today.

For a moment, Im Jae-joon was at a loss for words.

The Hero.

It referred to the summoning of a genius from another dimension who could receive the system’s benefits to the absolute extreme.

Just one year.

His mighty army had fallen, one by one. And in the end, so had he.

Im Jae-joon’s gaze fell upon the mirror on the table. He wondered what his expression looked like right now.

He was smiling.

The opponent he had fought with all his might was here.

His greatest rival. And the one who had handed him his first and last defeat.