Chapter 18 – This Should Be Easy

This should be easy.

-Hanul Guild’s Massive Layoffs! Are They Disbanding?

-Hanul Guild Scouts Former Trainer and Porter Awakener, Lee Hyunbin (30), as Third Team Leader.

-Ushering in a New Era: First Porter in the Country to Earn 6 Billion Won.

“This is ridiculous.”

“Absolutely ridiculous.”

The man, folding the newspaper as if to crumple it, voiced his displeasure outright. The person across from him felt the same.

The two of them belonged to Hanul Guild’s Team 3, the current talk of the town.

“Six billion for a porter?”

“Hey, and get this, he’s coming in as a team leader.”

“He’ll be on our team, then.”

Hanul Guild currently had three raid teams.

Team 1, led by Yang Cheon-soo, who was in the former guild master’s faction.

And Team 2, home to Kim Chang-yeon, the infamous troublemaker of the hunter world, known for his drunken antics.

There was a Team 3, but its leader had left when his contract expired, leaving the position vacant.

“Honestly, shouldn’t our senior, Ki-moon, have gotten the team leader spot this time?”

“Come on, I’m not really team leader material.”

The man who had been quietly listening to his teammate waved his hands dismissively, a pleasant smile on his face.

“No, if it weren’t for you, Ki-moon, Team 3—no, the entire Hanul Guild—would have disbanded long ago, right? While the guys from Team 1 and Team 2 were causing all sorts of trouble, who was it that silently contributed by clearing local dungeons?”

Kim Ki-moon.

His team had been pushed aside in a power struggle by Teams 1 and 2, who were loyal to the former guild master. Unable to withstand the pressure from the other team leaders, Team 3’s leadership had already changed hands several times.

It was no exaggeration to say that Team 3 had only survived because of Kim Ki-moon, a veteran fixture in the Hanul Guild.

And now, some porter with no hunter rank was suddenly being made the team leader. After all their perseverance in this garbage guild, this was their reward.

It was nothing short of an insult to Team 3.

“This guild is always a mess with these parachute appointments. No wonder it’s gone to hell.”

“This is so infuriating, I should just quit. Now we’ve got some nobody coming in to be our boss.”

The guild master position should have been held by someone with a hunter background. But at Hanul Guild, it had always been filled by executives from the Hanul Group. As a result, despite being run by a major corporation, the guild had never even come close to breaking into the top ten.

“Seniors. The new Team 3 leader is here and wants everyone to gather.”

“A summons as soon as he arrives?”

The two men, Cha Hyun-soo and Jo Han-seon, grumbled at the message from the team’s youngest member, their brows furrowed.

“Alright, everyone, let’s get moving. The guild must have its reasons. It’s a good thing if we get new blood on the team, so what’s the fuss?”

“A porter as a team leader. Other guilds are going to laugh at us.”

“Just thinking about the guys from the other teams mocking us makes me sick.”

Despite the grumbling, Kim Ki-moon, the de facto leader of Team 3, just chuckled and led his colleagues away.

He could hear them muttering behind him, “Our Ki-moon is just too nice of a guy.”

Soon, the members of Team 3 met the recently appointed guild master in his office.

The son of the group’s chairman. A symbol of nepotism. And next to him stood a young man who looked to be in his early twenties at most.

Unlike the others, Kim Ki-moon wore a deep, knowing smile inwardly.

‘This should be easy.’

Inexperienced young men were easy to manipulate with just a few words. In other words, this newly appointed team leader was a pushover.

That was Kim Ki-moon’s assessment of his new prey.

* * *

“Hello, I’m Lee Hyunbin, the new addition to Team 3. I’m still lacking in experience in this field, so I look forward to your support.”

“Hello.”

“Good to meet you.”

Hanul Guild had a total of three teams. And I was to lead the third one.

“I heard you were thirty, but you look incredibly young for your age.”

“Thank you.”

“You must have had it easy. People like us, who risk our lives for a living, tend to age faster.”

The man who said this looked to be in his mid-to-late thirties himself.

Had it easy. The words made me let out an involuntary chuckle.

I’m an orphan. I have a few sordid memories that no student should ever experience.

Not only that, but I was thrown into another world. It wasn’t some fantasy story where I built a harem and succeeded at everything. I spent ten years in a fierce struggle for survival that wore away at my very soul.

I would never be described as someone who’s had it easy.

“Hey, you can’t use your career as an excuse for your old-looking face.”

“Hey, hey, before I started as a hunter, people used to tell me I had porcelain skin.”

“Alright, enough with the nonsense, everyone. It looks like our new team leader has some orders for us, so let’s focus.”

The man who spoke this time wasn’t prematurely aged but looked his actual age. At a glance, he seemed to be in his late thirties or early forties.

A bit old to be an active hunter in this field, I thought.

Still, I could tell at a glance. The real leader of Team 3 was this man.

“Yes, I was asked by the higher-ups to manage the schedule. But may I have your name?”

“Ah, of course. I’m Kim Ki-moon. I’ve been with the team the longest, so if there’s anything you don’t know, feel free to ask me.”

He had the impression of a friendly neighborhood uncle with a pleasant smile. An impression that seemed to scream, ‘I’m a nice guy.’

“I’ll have your names memorized in no time.”

After all, there were only six members in Team 3. It wouldn’t take long.

“I also need some time to adjust and get to know everyone, but as Mr. Ki-moon said, the higher-ups want us to get started on the schedule right away.”

“Mr. Ki-moon?”

At my words, one of the team members scowled. He wasn’t the only one; others reacted similarly.

Look at these guys.

“Ah, my apologies. I see you hold the position of Vice-Leader.”

“Not at all. It’s just a title they gave me because I’ve been here the longest and I’m the oldest. It’s more of an honorary position. Please, just call me whatever you’re comfortable with.”

Kim Ki-moon waved his hands and smiled. But his followers, or so they seemed, were glaring at me as if they wanted to eat me alive.

I glanced down at the documents I’d received earlier.

The two men currently glaring at me were Cha Hyun-soo and Jo Han-seon.

They were known as the top two dealers in Team 3, both currently rated C+.

I flipped a page. There was a profile on Kim Ki-moon.

It stated that he had a gentle personality and a big-brother image, making him well-connected not just within Hanul Guild but with other guilds as well.

His current hunter rank was D-Rank.

Not exceptional.

“Our team has received three raid requests.”

“Three of them?”

“Yes.”

“We’ve never gotten three at once before.”

“The frequency of gate occurrences has increased lately, so I suppose the requests have followed suit.”

The reactions were not good.

The atmosphere was one of being saddled with a troublesome task. Well, people enter dungeons for various reasons.

To gain experience and grow stronger, or to obtain rewards.

The requests our team had received were for two lowest-grade dungeons and one low-grade dungeon.

And the bosses listed were Normal-grade.

High-grade bosses or dungeons came with correspondingly great rewards. The kind that could literally change your life overnight.

“It’s not like we’re manual laborers. The lowest-grade ones can be cleared by supporters alone, no, even armed soldiers could handle them. Why do we have to be the ones to go?”

“Who knows. Community service?”

When a gate appears, it poses a threat to ordinary citizens. It’s a literal disaster.

If it’s not dealt with quickly, monsters emerge and a dungeon forms. That’s why it’s essential for local guilds to clean up their own territory.

“This is ridiculous.”

Jo Han-seon scoffed at my words, a smug look on his face. Why is this guy so cocky?

“Our new team leader just got here, so you might not know, but we’re dying from all the constant grinding.”

“Grinding?”

“Dungeons. There are just too many damn dungeons to clear.”

That’s strange.

The report said Team 3’s last dungeon raid was two weeks ago. Wouldn’t that be considered a long rest?

“And there’s no support.”

“Support?”

“Look at the other teams. They always have the latest gear, while we’re stuck with old equipment.”

Jo Han-seon grumbled, shaking the ether blade in his hand before carelessly tossing it onto the floor.

“Well, if you produce results and build up your skills, you’ll naturally receive better equipment, don’t you think?”

“How are we supposed to get results without the right gear? I’m not asking for a custom weapon, but they should at least provide decent support.”

A custom weapon is one built exclusively for a single person.

Only A-Rank hunters or higher carried such things.

And my team had no A-Rank hunters. Just a bunch of misfits.

“I understand what you’re saying. If improvements are needed, I’ll pass that on after I’ve familiarized myself with the work. But I don’t think the equipment you have now is so bad that you can’t even handle a goblin.”

As I spoke, I tossed the weapon back to Jo Han-seon.

Throwing away his weapon?

A soldier treats his rifle like a lover. A knight, his sword like his life.

I also didn’t like the way his face twisted after catching the weapon. Did he think I was someone he didn’t even need to control his expression around? Or had he always lived in a world where he never had to?

“Our rookie team leader doesn’t know yet. Goblins are freaking strong.”

What is he trying to do?

The team members laughed. I laughed too.

I don’t know how they interpreted my laughter.

But one thing was clear.

They were trying to establish dominance.

“So, Hunter Jo Han-seon, you’re saying you can’t do it until you get proper support.”

“Going in without a proper weapon is freaking dangerous.”

Hearing Jo Han-seon’s tone, the other team members snickered.

They were clearly trying to joke around, but it was neither pleasant nor amusing.

“What about the rest of you?”

“Well, yeah. I guess so?”

“What do you mean, ‘I guess so’?”

They mumbled, not giving a straight answer.

I’m pretty sure this isn’t an elementary school class meeting.

“Team Leader.”

At last, Kim Ki-moon spoke up. He still wore that benevolent, gentle expression, with a faint smile.

“Our guys are still suffering from the aftereffects of the last dungeon clear, so they need a little more rest.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yes. I understand you’re eager to show results quickly, but how about taking some time to get to know the team and slowly grasp the workflow first?”

“Oh, is that so?”

I tapped the armrest of my chair with my index finger.

A parachute team leader, obviously.

A novice who just awakened is now their superior, and they don’t like it.

But this feels a bit unfair. I have over eleven years of experience with the System.

So, I’m like an experienced newcomer.

“If you’re in a real hurry, couldn’t you just go alone? It’s just a lowest-grade dungeon, after all. Oh, wait, you’re a porter, so you probably can’t deal any damage, right?”

“Hunter Jo Han-seon, did you awaken with a skill for running that mouth of yours?”

The smirk on Jo Han-seon’s face slowly vanished.

“What did you say?”

Jo Han-seon seemed to be asking again, as if he’d misheard. Being the kind person I am, I made sure he understood that he hadn’t.

“What kind of hunter hesitates before even swinging a sword? Before you start whining about your gear, maybe you should think about your own lack of effort.”

“Effort? Ha, you’ve got some nerve, talking to me like that when we’ve just met.”

“I saw your data. You awakened six years ago. But your overall stats haven’t changed much since then.”

I tossed Jo Han-seon’s analysis report onto the table.

It detailed his recent potential. His growth was on a downward trend, indicating there was nothing to expect from him.

Jo Han-seon glanced at his report and scowled deeply. Seeing this, Cha Hyun-soo burst out laughing.

“Well, Hunter Cha Hyun-soo, you don’t have much to laugh about either.”

With that, I threw his analysis report onto the table as well.

“You went from using a sword to a spear. And recently, you’ve taken up the bow. What, getting older and wanting to play it safe? Scared of fighting on the front lines?”

“What?”

The so-called top two of this team, Jo Han-seon and Cha Hyun-soo, wouldn’t be treated well in any other guild. They were only getting this treatment because they were in a guild this dysfunctional and a team this messy.

“And.”

I threw Kim Ki-moon’s analysis report onto the table.

“If you’re just going to play politics from the shadows instead of actually hunting, why don’t you just retire?”

“Hmm. Who created this?”

Kim Ki-moon muttered as he scanned his report.

It meticulously detailed his activity history and dungeon raid records since his awakening.

The stat sheet, a literal analysis of his performance, starkly revealed his current value.

“I did.”

“Hmm. I heard you only have a middle school education, but you know how to put together a document like this.”

A trainer’s job isn’t just to mindlessly push people. It’s to change their eating habits and lifestyle, and to create an optimized routine they can endure.

This was my specialty. And all six hunters here were useless to my team.

“Team Leader, please don’t misunderstand. We’re on the same team, we should get along. The orders came from above, and if we can’t handle them, we’ll be criticized. We wouldn’t want our team leader to get chewed out either.”

Behind that friendly, fake smile, I could see his sinister intentions.

It felt like more than just simple hazing.

“It’s fine. A hunter who fights with politics. A hunter who can’t fight without gear. A hunter who’s too scared to do anything but shoot arrows from a safe distance. I have no use for any of you.”

“Team Leader…”

Kim Ki-moon looked troubled. The other team members beside him smirked.

“I will clear the dungeons by myself. You all wanted a break, so take one. Besides, your contract renewals are coming up, so you should probably play it safe. Right?”

At my words, Kim Ki-moon’s expression hardened slightly. But just as quickly, a faint smile returned to his lips.

“You just awakened, and now you’re a team leader. You might think the world has changed for you, but things aren’t as easy as they seem, Team Leader.”

“Yes, I know.”

I smiled back at him.

I thought there might be at least one useful person here, but I guess not.

* * *

“Wow, a complete psycho just walked in, huh?”

“‘I will clear the dungeons by myself.’ What a joke. That crazy bastard. Once he’s crawling on the dungeon floor, he’ll be crying for us to come help him.”

Jo Han-seon and Cha Hyun-soo’s mockery was echoed by the other team members’ sneers.

Kim Ki-moon also glanced at his analysis report and smirked.

“Indeed. He’s young and got a team leader title, so he probably thinks he’s something special now.”

-Connections between Kim Ki-moon and the Winners Guild.

Kim Ki-moon tore the analysis report in half, then tore it in half again.

“Our team leader should come to his senses soon. It seems he has some misunderstandings about us.”

Kim Ki-moon said with a benevolent smile. The other team members also chuckled, amused at having put the new parachute team leader in his place.

It was easy to imagine the clueless team leader soon bowing his head and begging for their help.

But the news they heard the next day was…

“Hmm. What did you just say?”

“Uh… well, I don’t really get it either, but.”

“No, it’s fine. Just say it again.”

At Kim Ki-moon’s gentle tone, his junior teammate repeated himself, looking rather bewildered.

“They said the two lowest-grade dungeons assigned to our team yesterday… have been cleared.”

The new team leader had cleared them all by himself. Without anyone’s help.