Chapter 24 – Go to Another Team

The strange woman returned to her seat and kept glancing at me.

I could hear her muttering to herself, “I can’t believe it.”

Demon King Im Jae-joon’s meeting didn’t take long.

“Team Leader Lee, you may go in now.”

The desk employee also spoke to the woman in the black hat and the man in the suit.

“Oh, could it be… Ms. Seo Hyun-ji?”

“Hello.”

The usually professional desk employee looked startled upon seeing the woman in the black hat.

“From *City of Killers*, you’re that Seo Hyun-ji, right? Wow, this is amazing! I can’t believe it!”

“I look forward to working with you.”

“Working with us? Wow! C-could it be that the guest we were expecting today is…!”

The desk employee, perhaps thinking they were making too much of a scene, covered their mouth and glanced around. Then, barely managing to compose their expression, they said.

“I’m sorry. I’m a fan, so I momentarily forgot my duties. I’ll show you the way.”

“Yes, thank you.”

The woman in the black hat spoke softly, glancing my way.

Her shoulders seemed to puff up with pride.

So she was a celebrity? So what?

The woman in the black hat tipped her hat slightly. Then, she took off her sunglasses and smiled confidently.

“Would you like an autograph?”

“No.”

The woman’s pupils wavered.

I don’t understand why she’d offer an autograph out of the blue.

Does she have some compulsion where she has to sign autographs for others to feel popular?

“I’m sorry to have kept you waiting. Especially with your busy schedule.”

A neatly dressed Im Jae-joon greeted them with a smile on his lips.

“Team Leader Lee. Let me introduce you. This is Ms. Seo Hyun-ji, who has just signed with our Hanul Guild. She’s quite famous these days, so you must know her, right?”

“No, I don’t.”

“My recognition is still quite low, so most people don’t know me. I’ll have to make myself known to more people while working with Hanul.”

Seo Hyun-ji said with a bright smile. Then, she glanced my way and spoke again.

“Is he going to be in charge of me?”

“That will likely be the case. He hasn’t been a team leader for long, but his skills are exceptional.”

Im Jae-joon sang my praises.

“Are the conditions I set for contracting with Hanul still valid, President?”

“Yes, you will become Hanul’s exclusive model, and we will support you in expanding your range of activities.”

“Team Leader. I apologize for earlier. I thought you might be a fan of mine.”

“Ah, yes.”

Seo Hyun-ji took off her hat and sunglasses and smiled brightly. Looking at her like this, she did seem a bit like a celebrity. Her face was incredibly small. Does that mean the chances of being sniped are lower? Is that a good thing?

The man in the suit standing next to Seo Hyun-ji spoke with dissatisfaction.

“President. I apologize for saying this, but our Hyun-ji… she had a lot of guilds wanting to sign her.”

“Yes, I’m aware.”

“We decided to sign with Hanul because you promised to support her activities as a celebrity Hunter. However.”

The man in the suit pointed a finger at me.

I really hate being pointed at.

Can I break that finger?

“I did some research on that team leader over there. A middle school dropout, and it’s only been a little over a month since he awakened as a Hunter. Does it make any sense for someone like that to manage an S-Rank Hunter like Hyun-ji?”

“Hey, that’s a little…”

“No, we need to be clear about this. I don’t have anything against the team leader there. Don’t misunderstand. You know this is a crucial time for our Hyun-ji, right? She’s just starting to get popular thanks to the drama, and at a time when she needs wings to fly…”

It reminded me of when I used to go for guild interviews.

Starting with the Tushin Guild, it was hard to even get an interview at any of the other guilds.

The reason was my resume.

Dragged to another world right before my senior year college entrance exams. About ten years there made me a hero, but here, I’m just seen as a social misfit.

If I could list my experience from the other world on my resume, I’d be considered top-tier talent. The only fortunate thing is that the one person who knows my past is the Association President.

“I understand what you’re saying.”

Im Jae-joon nodded at the man’s words. Then he crossed his legs and the corners of his mouth lifted.

“Currently, the best Hunter in our guild, in my opinion, is Team Leader Lee Hyunbin. Naturally, I wouldn’t entrust an S-Rank Awakened to just anyone.”

“But… we were initially thinking of Team Leader Jo Jin-ho from Hanul’s Team 1.”

“The former Team 1 leader transferred to another guild a few days ago.”

“Ah…!”

A hint of disappointment appeared on the man’s face.

“Since he has a large gap in his career, there are rumors that he’s a parachute appointment. To be clear, you can tell just by looking at his recent actions.”

He cleared a low-level dungeon single-handedly.

On top of that, he successfully hunted the spawned boss alone.

“The one who subdued the Villain known as ‘the Company Man’ was this team leader here. On the first day of his awakening.”

“He’s the one who caught the Company Man?”

People know of the Villain, the Company Man, but I, the one who caught him, am not famous.

“And the Hunters that Team Leader Lee trained for half a year are all performing exceptionally well. You know Hunter Kim Cheol-su from the Hwarang Guild, right?”

“I do. ‘Mad Dog’ Kim Cheol-su.”

His nickname is Mad Dog because he never lets go once he bites onto an opponent.

That’s how I earned the trust of the Hwarang Guild’s former team leader.

He was more of a mess than Kim Tae-yang at first. It was a pain turning him into a proper person.

“The one who trained Hunter Kim Cheol-su was this team leader.”

“Is that true?”

Information about the training of new Hunters doesn’t usually spread outside. Hearing this, I could see the man’s expression change slightly.

“Hunter Go Sae-il of the Goguryeo Guild is also Team Leader Lee’s work.”

“Human Weapon Go Sae-il too?”

After that, he listed off the names of all the Hunters I had trained.

It was a little surprising. The fact that this guy remembered the names of all the Hunters I’d trained.

Seo Hyun-ji stared at me blankly. Her eyes showed great surprise.

“His track record is short, but his skills are more than proven. I myself have acknowledged his full authority.”

“If all of that is true…”

“I think you’ve misunderstood me.”

A thin layer of ice coated Im Jae-joon’s voice.

“I’m a little disappointed that you’re questioning my choice. What are your thoughts on that?”

“Oh my, that’s not what I meant…”

“It wasn’t?”

As if his voice had never been frozen, Im Jae-joon rinsed his mouth with tea.

“It sounded like you were giving me orders, so I almost misunderstood.”

“Oh my, me? How could you make such a misunderstanding?”

The man in the suit broke out in a cold sweat at Im Jae-joon’s words, bowing and scraping.

No matter how rare S-Ranks were, he couldn’t stand up to a chaebol family member, especially one designated as the successor of Hanul.

“Team Leader Lee. What do you think?”

“Can I see your ability?”

Seo Hyun-ji used her ability as if it were nothing.

A low incantation.

A pattern composed of dozens of strokes began to automatically form around her.

*Fwoooosh!*

The air in the reception room instantly grew hot. Burning through the air, a bird of flame appeared.

An Ifrit of flames.

In a world governed by science, a supernatural phenomenon revealed itself with the help of the system.

Soon, the flame was swallowed by the air and disappeared.

Seo Hyun-ji said with a confident smile.

“I’ve completed contracts with all four major elements.”

“Doesn’t our Hyun-ji just look the part? On top of that, she can summon spirits. Isn’t this the birth of an all-time great Hunter?”

It’s true there’s an S-Rank spiritmancer in Hong Kong who handles the four elements. But the spirit Seo Hyun-ji just showed looked even more spectacular than that.

“Can you summon spirits of the other elements right now?”

“Are you suggesting I might be lying?”

That was Seo Hyun-ji’s response to my question.

“How many seconds can you maintain the summon?”

“What?”

“I’d say about five to ten seconds.”

“What are you talking about?”

Seo Hyun-ji blinked. At my request, the man in the suit next to her cut in with a smile.

“Hyun-ji just came from a broadcast schedule today. It’s a bit much to ask her to do this and that when she’s tired…”

“When you’re fighting an enemy, are you going to ask them to come back later because you’re tired?”

I spoke dryly. A sigh escaped me involuntarily. Of course.

I thought they were putting a skilled S-Rank Hunter on my team, but this one is a complete mess.

“No, it seems you don’t quite understand, Team Leader. Our Hyun-ji is doing this for her profile as a Hunter-slash-actress…”

“You’re the one who doesn’t understand. I get the gist of it. She’s working in entertainment, but she’s not selling because she lacks something to differentiate herself from others. So she wanted to get the world’s attention by tacking on the title of Hunter.”

“Hey, are you crazy?”

The man in the suit.

He must be Seo Hyun-ji’s lead manager or something. His face flushed as he glared at me, then looked at Im Jae-joon.

His eyes were pleading for someone to stop me, but there was no way Im Jae-joon would.

In the first place, Im Jae-joon and I weren’t in a superior-subordinate relationship. We were allies working for mutual benefit.

“For now, I’ll just evaluate the ability. It’s excellent. However, your level is too low, your stamina is lacking, and without proper training, there are limits. Can you fill a soy sauce dish by pouring water into it?”

Honestly, she has talent.

She’s definitely an S-Rank Hunter. But an unpolished gem is quickly left behind.

“Didn’t Hanul just need the S-Rank title anyway?”

To bid on dungeons, it’s good to have high-ranking Hunters.

The reason Im Jae-joon wanted an S-Rank Hunter was for top-tier dungeon raids.

“I have no intention of cleaning up after a mannequin. If you truly want to become strong, come back then.”

S-Rank or not, I don’t need anyone who isn’t serious about this.

“Go to another team. You’re not needed on mine.”

***

“Wow, that’s ridiculous. Their own president isn’t saying anything, so who does that guy think he is?”

Seo Hyun-ji’s manager loosened his tie, dumbfounded.

“This is actually better. We can just go to another team. Or, if we have to, let’s just break the contract and move to a different guild.”

The manager was still fuming, seething with anger.

Seo Hyun-ji’s popularity had been on the rise recently. In this situation, the image of a beautiful Hunter working for justice was a very good money-maker.

“How did he know?”

“Huh? What?”

“That I can’t maintain the ability for long.”

Usually, people were mesmerized by her spectacular flames. But the Team 3 leader was unimpressed.

No, he looked at her like she was a novice. And he was just a C-Rank Hunter himself.

“He probably just took a wild guess.”

“He said to come back if I truly want to become strong, right?”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

The manager was flustered by Seo Hyun-ji’s sudden words.

Looking at her eyes, it seemed like a strange switch had been flipped inside her.

“Come to think of it, I was tricked.”

“What was?”

“Mad Dog Kim Cheol-su of the Hwarang Guild is one of the top B-Rank Hunters. The idea that someone like him was trained by a rookie trainer who hadn’t even awakened yet and became strong… that’s got to be a lie.”

***

After discussing the guild’s future with Im Jae-joon, I headed to the team office.

I exchanged light greetings with the familiar yet unfamiliar guild staff.

“What’s the occasion for calling us in today?”

The members of Team 3, summoned by me, sat down in the conference room with cheerful faces.

Jo Han-seon, the one with the big mouth, sat with his legs crossed, the corners of his lips curled up high.

“I hear you’re going to attempt a mid-level dungeon. Is that why you called us?”

Jo Han-seon asked with a sneer, having somehow found out.

His face said, *What can a guy like you possibly do on your own?* I gave a simple smile and handed everyone a file.

“I’ll be entering the mid-level dungeon alone as well. You all aren’t ready yet, after all.”

“What? You’re going into a mid-level dungeon alone?”

At my words, Jo Han-seon and the other team members looked flustered.

It’s quite amusing to see their confident expressions crumble.

“What is this, Team Leader Lee…?”

Deputy Team Leader Kim Gi-mun asked, looking puzzled at the file I’d given him.

“Forty million won…?”

“Thirty-five million won…”

The amounts were all different.

But the attached contents of the documents were probably similar for everyone.

“It says twenty million won here?”

Deputy Team Leader Kim Gi-mun said with a polite smile.

“This is the base salary table. You shouldn’t share it, but I figured we’d need to negotiate anyway.”

The air in the conference room froze at my words.

“This is what I think you’re all worth.”

I gave them a wide smile.