Chapter 16 – The Chaebol Demon King and the Returned Hero (2)

After awakening, finding a guild was the top priority.

There was an entrance fee just to get into a dungeon. It wasn’t some amusement park.

Clearing a dungeon was also a problem.

You had to write a dungeon report for the Association or some other agency, which was a massive pain.

And was that all?

If you were on your own, you had to handle selling every single mana stone you picked up.

Mana stones were like stocks; their prices fluctuated, so it was best to sell when you wouldn’t take a loss.

Without a guild, an individual had to do all of this tedious work one by one.

Before I awakened, I had submitted my resume to every guild from the 1st to the 20th rank. But the result, as you know, was a bust. Try again next time.

Now, I was considered a major prospect.

Ever since the article came out, other guilds had been sending out feelers, making scouting offers.

I didn’t want to admit it, but none of them beat the Tushin Guild’s offer of over 3.5 billion.

Of course, money wasn’t everything. A guild’s influence was also important.

The Tushin Guild was investing heavily to finally shed its “perennial number two” label and challenge for the top spot.

But I disliked Tushin. And I had already turned them down.

I idly fiddled with a business card I had received a while ago, then glanced at it.

Former Team Leader of the Hwarang Guild.

He was someone I’d known since my trainer days. He’d told me to knock on Hwarang’s door anytime if I ever awakened.

I called the former team leader.

A message saying the person was unavailable greeted me.

*He must be in a dungeon.*

When a hunter’s phone was off like this, it was highly likely they were in the middle of a dungeon raid.

Strike while the iron is hot, as they say.

Seeing all these guild invitations flying at me like spam, I figured I had to choose one.

Since I knew someone at the Hwarang Guild, it could be a decent option.

The Hwarang Guild was currently ranked 11th.

It had a respectable level of recognition, making it a good place to operate from. However, since it wasn’t in the top ten, it might be at a disadvantage in bidding for dungeons.

*Still, there could be satisfaction in helping it grow.*

Making a name for myself in a place where everything is already established is nice, but starting somewhere that still has room to grow isn’t bad either.

If I build it up with my own hands, everything will revolve around me.

Basically, it was like choosing the kingdom of Shu over Wei.

I took a taxi to the Hwarang Guild and registered for an interview at the front desk.

I showed them the former team leader’s business card and requested a meeting with someone in charge.

As expected, it was a free pass.

I was told the former team leader was away, leading a dungeon raid for the rookies.

A paper cup of sweet instant coffee mix was placed in front of me.

Then, a white-collar office worker sat down across from me.

He seemed too young to be conducting a preliminary interview. He looked even younger than me.

“Everyone’s been so busy with raids and training lately, so I’ve come to handle the preliminary contract. I’m Assistant Manager Lee Hyun-soo.”

“I’m Lee Hyunbin. I used to work as a trainer at the Star Center.”

The assistant manager, Lee Hyun-soo, handed me his business card. I took it and glanced over it.

Clean Myeongjo font printed on a white background.

“I see you’ve interviewed with us before.”

“Ah, yes.”

“You’ve awakened as a Supporter.”

He glanced at me.

“Ah, but… our guild has quite a few Supporters already.”

Assistant Manager Lee Hyun-soo said, looking troubled.

“We have a partnership with Myungga, the industry’s number two guild, so we have a fair number of Supporters.”

“And?”

“So the signing bonus might be a bit low. We can, of course, present a different offer with the team leaders later, but for now, I’ll provide you with our average salary information.”

A standard contract was pushed toward me.

A signing bonus of 30 million. The contract also meticulously detailed all the terms and conditions to be followed.

“I think you’re missing a zero on this contract.”

“Oh, really? I thought I checked it earlier… Hmm. It looks correct to me.”

What was this guy talking about?

Seeing my attitude, the assistant manager smirked slightly before speaking calmly.

“Frankly, Supporters have become high-value assets these days, so experience and education are also considered important. If you join the Dungeon Supporters team that the former team leader is currently training, you’ll see a better salary.”

Right. He must have my old resume and judged me based solely on that.

“You can sign the contract later. Supporters don’t usually have special clauses, so you can just look it over for reference.”

At his words, I smiled and pushed the contract back toward him.

He looked at me with a puzzled expression, as if to ask what I was doing.

“I don’t think I’ll be needing this.”

“Pardon?”

“I said, I don’t need it.”

“You must not be familiar with the standard signing bonus for Supporters…”

He was spouting nonsense, so I cut him off with a single phrase.

“You’re the one who’s not familiar with it.”

“Me?”

“If you want to work in this industry, you need to be quick with information. You’re pretty sloppy at your job.”

He was trying to judge everything based on an old resume. And even after I presented the former team leader’s business card, he still made his own rash judgment.

I turned around and walked out of the Hwarang Guild.

By the time I was on the bus home, my phone kept ringing. I glanced at it and saw a familiar number.

– Hunter Lee Hyunbin. This is Assistant Manager Lee Hyun-soo from the Hwarang Guild’s HR team. I apologize. It seems I misunderstood and gave you the wrong information.

When I didn’t answer the call, a text message came through.

Actually, on my way home, I had discovered something interesting.

It was a news story at the top of a portal site.

– Im Jae-joon, second son of Hanul Group, appointed as Guild Master of the 3rd Hanul Guild.

– Can the 21st-ranked Hanul Guild change with its new guild master?

It was a story about some silver-spoon kid named Im Jae-joon. But seeing this guy, a laugh escaped my lips.

“You came too?”

It was a picture of the Demon King, Im Jae-joon, as a second-generation chaebol.

– Where are you right now? I will come and pick you up.

I ignored the texts that kept coming in like demands and got off the bus.

Not far from the bus stop, I could see the Hanul Guild building.

* * *

I stormed into the Hanul Guild.

“How may I help you?”

The receptionist at the Hanul Guild’s front desk seemed to be scanning me, as I had no visitor’s pass.

“I’m here to see the Guild Master.”

“The Guild Master?”

“Ah, and no, I don’t have an appointment.”

My confident declaration that I was here to see the head of the guild brought a brief look of bewilderment to the receptionist’s face. But she quickly replied in a business-like tone.

“I’m sorry, but you can’t see the Guild Master without an appointment…”

“It’s fine.”

Just then, a woman’s voice cut the receptionist off.

It seemed I had arrived right on time.

“He’s a guest of the Guild Master.”

“Ah, yes.”

After speaking to the receptionist, the woman I’d never seen before gave me a look, gesturing for me to follow.

An office woman, with an image similar to the Director’s secretary, was leading me somewhere.

Her appearance was a bit different, but I knew who she was.

“Olivier.”

“It’s been a while.”

Olivier.

An Elder Succubus, and one of the Demon King’s top subordinates.

I had felt a sense of unease when I saw her in the Director’s office before.

I knew they wouldn’t just let me see the Hanul representative if I showed up unannounced, so I had contacted Olivier in advance.

She got here quick, probably thanks to that clone ability of hers.

“It’s a shame.”

Olivier suddenly said out of the blue.

“If you had been just one day later, we would have invaded first.”

What was she talking about now?

“Just like our Hero. You’re a real pro when it comes to barging into other people’s homes.”

“You make me sound like a criminal.”

“Are you not?”

“Of course not. Besides, if you were that suspicious, you shouldn’t have let me in, right?”

“If I didn’t, you might have forcibly… those poor children again.”

That annoyingly vague trailing off really knew how to get on one’s nerves.

Olivier led me onto the VIP-only elevator.

The elevator opened on the 8th floor.

I saw bodyguards and secretaries standing on expensive, high-end tiles. They bowed politely to me—or more accurately, to Olivier.

“Don’t tell me, are all the employees here part of the Demon King’s army?”

“Of course not.”

That made sense.

It was strange enough that a Demon King and a succubus were in this world, but it couldn’t be that easy to travel between dimensions.

“There are a few.”

“Huh.”

Was interdimensional travel this easy?

Could just anyone pop back and forth? I went through 11 years of hell just to get back to my original world.

“Hero, your observation skills have gotten rusty. In the old days, you would have recognized them immediately.”

“Well, to be honest, I couldn’t recognize you since you’re wearing proper clothes. If you were wearing that mesh succubus combat suit like in the other world, I would’ve known right away.”

“…Just get in!”

Did I strike a nerve?

I had a lot of questions. And the one who could answer them was inside this room.

I entered the Guild Master’s reception room.

A subtle fragrance filled the air. Luxurious sofas and a wide, open glass window offered a clear view of the concrete buildings.

A man in a high-end suit, using the view as his backdrop, turned his head at the sound of the door.

“You haven’t changed. Still look like you’re living in poverty.”

The Demon King, Im Jae-joon, smiled, the corners of his mouth lifting.

In the other world, we had pointed swords at each other, devising strategies to kill one another.

How should I put it?

It felt strange to face the Demon King again, not in another world, but in the modern era.

“Have a seat.”

The Demon King, Im Jae-joon, crossed his legs on the expensive sofa and tilted a fine teacup.

The watch gleaming on his wrist was something an ordinary person could never afford in their lifetime.

It wasn’t just the watch; the tie he was wearing, his jacket, his shoes—everything was plastered with luxury brands.

“You’ve changed a lot.”

“You think so? Hmph, I suppose I’ve grown accustomed to life here.”

“You were bald back then, but you have a full head of hair now.”

“…”

“Oh, right. Was it because those unsightly horns you had back then weakened your hair follicles?”

“To demons, horns are a symbol of power. A creature like you could never understand.”

No, honestly, isn’t having a full head of hair better than having horns?

He used to have dark circles under his eyes, but now they were gone.

“How did you and Olivier get here? Did you get reincarnated or something after you died?”

Frankly, it was unbelievable. But I had witnessed with my own eyes unbelievable things manifest, defying reality, time and again.

Just look at the floating islands hanging in the sky.

“Yes, something like that. Seeing you here, I take it your plan was a success?”

“It was.”

At my answer, a strange light flickered in Im Jae-joon’s eyes.

“Honestly, I’m surprised.”

Im Jae-joon smiled gracefully.

As expected of the man who once ruled an entire continent, he had a certain aura about him.

We seemed to be speaking casually, but we were both observing each other.

The one to draw his sword first was the Demon King.

“So, to what do I owe the pleasure of a visit from the very person who brought about my ruin?”

“Come on, that was a long time ago. Are you still holding a grudge? You’re more thin-skinned than I thought. By the way, did it hurt when the Holy Sword stabbed you?”

As I spoke, I picked up a nut from the bowl on his table and popped it into my mouth.

Mm, this is good. Maybe I should grab some to go on my way out.

“I never imagined the one who shattered everything I had built would show up so nonchalantly.”

Im Jae-joon’s eyes held a strange smile. He was baring his claws and showing his fangs.

It was only natural, I suppose.

“I’ll get straight to the point.”

I was confident.

“Invest in me.”

Walking a path I’ve already walked once is not difficult.

“Invest?”

“What, you don’t want to?”

“I didn’t say I didn’t want to.”

I could become strong on my own. But there were too many restrictions.

I needed to raid S-rank or A-rank dungeons to gain experience and farm for items.

All to recover my abilities.

But ordinary people couldn’t enter such places, and mediocre guilds couldn’t even participate in the dungeon bidding.

“Is there a particular reason you chose me? After all this time. We were, as I recall, ‘enemies’ once.”

“Your goal was to conquer the continent, and mine was to liberate it.”

The Demon King, Im Jae-joon.

In the other world, he was a king who had raised a tribe to fight for the demons who were oppressed by humans.

I had skimmed through some information about him on my way here.

The illegitimate son of the Hanul Group.

A monster who had been denied everything because he was a half-brother, now stepping into the blue ocean of the guild business with his own will and ability.

He needed a business partner, and I needed capital.

In other words, our objectives were the same.

“I once had a thought,”

Im Jae-joon began to speak.

“I wondered why I never summoned a Hero.”

The reason the Demon King never summoned a warrior from another world, like a Hero, was simple. He believed he was strong enough without relying on such things.

“Want a blueberry?”

This stuff was pretty tasty. I think I’ll be coming here often. This place is a gold mine for nuts.

“I’m the one who bought them.”

The Demon King, Im Jae-joon, said as he accepted the blueberry I offered and put it in his mouth.

“At the very least, I don’t judge people by their resumes.”

The Demon King. This guy was definitely no ordinary man.

“I’ve brought tea.”

Olivier brought tea for me. The aroma was pleasant. The teacup, clearly high-quality at a glance, didn’t look like it was meant for instant coffee mix.