Chapter 109

As Cho-i openly displayed her displeasure, they began to sweat profusely. She sat with her legs crossed, tapping the broken armrest. Her hand kept hitting the sharply broken armrest. Tap, tap, tap.

“First, let’s talk logically.”

She slowly began to speak.

“I’m officially affiliated with Paehyeok, so whether it’s a TV show, radio, or internet broadcast, I absolutely have to consult with Paehyeok. Do you understand?”

“Yes, yes…”

“And moving on to personal matters.”

Cho-i smiled and tilted her head.

“First. The Guild Master of Geumsin has been very lenient with you. Honestly, I could just drag you by the scruff of your necks, throw you into a dungeon, and kill you. Especially since I, as an S-Rank, haven’t even released my aura. And you spit on that kindness. You bastards?”

“We didn’t intend to do such a thing…”

Cho-i cut Jihan Kim off.

“Second.”

She held up two fingers.

“I’m in a terrible mood. Why should I dance and sing to your tune? Do you want to die? Do you have too many lives to spare?”

Cho-i, who indeed had lives to spare, said. The S-Rank aura, revealing her discomfort, swirled around Cho-i Hyeon. The two couldn’t even breathe properly, like herbivores before a predator. But Cho-i Hyeon released even more aura to vent her annoyance, regardless of whether they could breathe properly or not.

“Ha…”

And Jihan Kim, sighing, released his own aura to slightly suppress Cho-i’s aura. As if appeasing her. Cho-i Hyeon turned to Jihan Kim.

“Aren’t you upset? Those bug-like creatures disrespected the Guild Master.”

“I am upset, but I’m fundamentally a pacifist.”

“That’s why those brats don’t learn their lesson, because you’re so soft.”

“More importantly, are you really going to take them to a dungeon and kill them?”

“There’s no reason I couldn’t. It’s common for a Guild Master to set an example by going to a dungeon, isn’t it?”

“You talk as if you’ve killed many people that way.”

“I haven’t killed anyone that way.”

Jihan Kim thought to himself,

‘Does that mean she’s killed people in other ways?’

Cho-i Hyeon stared intently at Jihan Kim, then, as if understanding, withdrew her energy and leaned back into the seat. A sound of hurried breathing, “Huh, huh,” could be heard. She looked at her fingernails, signaling that she was no longer interested in the conversation. Jihan Kim, perhaps realizing only now that Cho-i Hyeon’s silence was a Scythe, continued.

“I’ll say it again, I cannot grant that request. As I said, there are contractual issues, and we have no reason to do so.”

“Ah, I understand. I apologize, Geumsin Guild Master.”

Ren, who was the most perceptive, bowed his head first. Then Kanata Guild Master also stepped forward and apologized.

“I was momentarily blinded by popularity…. I apologize for not recognizing the Hunter’s consideration.”

“It’s fine, as long as you understand now.”

Jihan Kim stood up as if tired, and Cho-i Hyeon followed her. Yuri Ja and Seoyeon Ha, who were standing behind them, also prepared to leave. Cho-i Hyeon said after standing up,

“I’m going straight to the dungeon.”

“Ah, ah. Yes!”

Ren stumbled as he walked, steadying himself on the sofa. It seemed his legs were still trembling. Cho-i Hyeon snorted at the sight and left the Guild Master’s Office. Then Jihan Kim said,

“Send the dungeon management team ahead.”

“Ah, I handle the dungeon management.”

Jihan Kim frowned at Ren’s reply. This really isn’t a proper guild. That was all she could think. If they were going to operate like this, they might as well establish an entertainment company. Why establish a guild and needlessly possess a dungeon?

“Haa…. Alright. We need a guide anyway, so let’s go together.”

“I-I’ll prepare right away!”

While Ren hurried out to get something from his office, Jihan Kim looked at Kanata Guild Master. Then she smiled sweetly and stomped on the sofa that Cho-i Hyeon had broken. CRACK, BANG! The sofa split apart instantly. No, it would be more accurate to say it was crushed.

“I was kind today because I won’t be seeing you again. Don’t be too grateful, I’m just helping out because the sofa had to be thrown away anyway.”

Kanata Guild Master stood with his mouth agape, watching the scene. As the Guild Master of Geumsin, Jihan Kim had never done such a thing, so she felt quite refreshed.

“Well then, I’m leaving. Don’t try to get involved in this matter in any way. I’ve warned you.”

With those words, she immediately went outside and headed towards the van. The group was all waiting in front of the van, and soon Ren came running out in a hurry. He had a hard-case bag, the size of a briefcase, in his arms. Ren loaded it into the car and said,

“I’ll tell you the precautions on the way.”

“Alright.”

Each person found their seat and got back into the van. Ren sat in the driver’s seat, started the engine, and drove off. The car was filled with silence. This was because they had just felt unpleasant. Cho-i Hyeon yawned widely, her face showing indifference.

“I’m not sure if it will be useful for you two, but there are many monsters that suddenly appear from the darkness. So, usually, we Hunters bring items to illuminate the path.”

“That’s fine. S-Ranks can see quite well in the dark.”

“Indeed, I see. And besides their claws, their fangs are presumed to have paralyzing venom. They say if you’re bitten once, your body tingles for a long time and it’s difficult to move.”

“Poisons from low-grade monsters don’t affect A-Rank or higher.”

“Then this won’t be helpful either. Haha.”

Ren laughed awkwardly. Jihan Kim didn’t particularly want to laugh along with his humor, so she remained seated, leaning against the seat. Ahaha, ha. The clumsy laughter continued for a moment, then abruptly stopped. When they concealed their S-Rank aura, they must have looked like nothing more than pretty commodities. Especially Jihan Kim and Cho-i Hyeon were good at managing their aura. They were different from Gihyeon Park and Taehyeok Sa, and other S-Ranks who went around proclaiming, “I’m an S-Rank!” everywhere.

‘Well, it’s true I want to appear kind.’

Jihan Kim thought to herself, an S-Rank individual was basically someone who transcended humanity. However, Jihan Kim quite loved “humans.” She could be seen as the type overflowing with philanthropy. But what about Cho-i Hyeon? She didn’t seem to be that way, yet she was quite good at containing her aura. Jihan Kim looked at the sleeping Cho-i Hyeon once.

‘Does she also have a surprisingly soft side?’

As Jihan Kim was looking at Cho-i Hyeon, Cho-i, feeling the gaze, woke up and looked back at her. When their eyes met, Jihan Kim shook her head as if it was nothing, and Cho-i tilted her head before looking forward.

‘Why is she staring?’

There was no particular reason why Cho-i was good at containing her aura when out and about. It was inconvenient to walk around. Unlike other Hunters, she didn’t have her own car, and she didn’t even have a driver’s license. Cho-i buried herself in the seat and crossed her arms. After that, there was no conversation in the car. They just spent time lost in their own thoughts. During that time, only Ren was driving, fidgeting alone. About an hour or two later, the van stopped in front of a forest. In the low mountains where there wasn’t even a proper path, not even the presence of animals, let alone people, could be heard. It seemed there was a dungeon nearby.

“Ugh.”

Cho-i was the first to jump out of the van and stretch. Her body must have been stiff. Japan seems to be larger than Korea. Thinking that, Cho-i, who was stretching, turned around and asked Jihan Kim,

“Are we going in right away?”

“We need to check the dungeon’s condition first.”

“Do we really have to check that? Why do we do it?”

“You still don’t know that? What is Taehyeok Sa doing?”

“Taehyeok Sa probably doesn’t know I don’t know that. The first guild I worked for didn’t teach me anything… I just assumed it was something you do.”

“No, even so…”

Jihan Kim clutched her head. She should have expected this when she saw them rushing in even before the dungeon management team’s inspection was over.

“Which was your first guild?”

“Hanshin?”

“I’ve never heard of it. Was it a small or medium-sized guild?”

“Small guild?”

“It must have been quite small.”

“I heard it’s defunct now.”

“Oh dear.”

Jihan Kim waved her hand and began to explain.

“It’s to check if the connection to the dungeon is stable and if there’s a possibility of a dungeon break. Theoretically, a dungeon entrance is a portal to another dimension, so if the connection between the entrance and the dungeon is unstable, it’s best to wait. In the past, quite a few people went in when the connection was unstable and went missing.”

“Ah, so that’s why.”

“So don’t just rush in suddenly.”

Just then, Ren came out of the car carrying a hard-case bag.

“Ah, I’ll check the dungeon’s condition right away.”

“Alright. I’m counting on you.”

Ren took out what looked like a large mechanical thermometer from the bag and headed towards the dungeon. Jihan Kim sighed, watching him.

“No, that’s what we used years ago.”

“Is it old?”

“Simple inspection devices are still used, but that looks like a model from over ten years ago.”

“Wow, they really don’t spend money on that.”

Ren began to walk back and forth near the dungeon with the machine. To Cho-i, it looked a bit like the Entity. That, what was it. Yes, geomancy. That.

“Are you done?”

“I’m all done! But…”

He smiled awkwardly. It seemed something wasn’t right.

“The connection to the dungeon is stable. But it’s too…”

“Too?”

“It seems to have been neglected for too long. Haha!”