Even Today, the Ranker Dreams of Retirement

While Minsu was expressing his doubts, Habin didn’t answer.

‘There’s no need to tell him that this is Chae Jiseok.’

They had gone to such lengths to hide his identity. She absolutely didn’t want the situation to become chaotic if a surprised Minsu made a scene!

Instead, Habin asked in a friendly voice:

“So, how have you been doing lately, Minsu?”

At her sudden question, Minsu raised his chin.

“Me? Well, of course I’m doing well. Oh, I actually turned down that Solaris interview offer from before…! I got scouted by an even better guild.”

Minsu looked down with a smug expression.

He turned down Solaris?

‘Huh, Chae-ssi. Is that true?’

Habin turned to look at Chae Jiseok. Chae Jiseok shrugged and whispered back.

‘Hm? I don’t know. I don’t think I’ve seen his face in interviews? Maybe I just forgot?’

‘Park Minsu, you don’t know him?’

‘First time I’m hearing that name.’

While they were wearing puzzled expressions, Minsu got heated.

“What are you two whispering about again?”

“Ah sorry, Minsu! I must have made you feel left out!”

“Who’s feeling left out?! Don’t ignore me when I’m right here! It makes me not want to help even if I was going to.”

“Minsu! What’s going on? Are you really going to help?”

‘Did he really become a reformed Minsu while I wasn’t looking?’

Habin nodded with a bright face. Minsu inwardly scoffed.

‘Ha, as if I’d help.’

Even if he helped everyone else, he would never help Hyun Habin. He still hadn’t forgotten the humiliation from that drinking party.

‘I’ll just pretend to help and crush her spirit. So she never thinks of looking down on me again.’

“I was actually going to choose a scabbard here.”

Habin opened her mouth.

“A scabbard?”

Minsu glanced at Habin’s Ahezar. Currently, Ahezar looked like an ordinary, worn iron sword disguised by ‘Deceiver’s Wish’.

‘Why would she choose a scabbard for that junk item here? This is Continue!’

Minsu asked in an incredulous voice.

“Hey, do you know how much things cost here?”

“I don’t know?”

‘I knew it!’

Minsu let out a small scoff and opened his mouth.

“Hyun Habin. The prices here start from at least 100 million won! This is the workshop of the legendary craftsman ‘Corny’.”

“I see, it is expensive.”

Habin nodded with a calm expression. On the other hand, Ahezar was whispering in surprise.

[W-what? What’s so expensive? Just give me money! I could top up KakaoPage cash for generations with that!]

‘Ah, what are you saying, Jaljal. Why are you ignoring the giver’s sincerity?’

[Consider the recipient’s preferences too!]

‘Jaljal, you’re not human.’

[Consider the receiving constellation’s preferences!]

‘Huh. Yesterday you complained that the lottery prize of 1 billion wasn’t enough, but now you’re spinning calculations when I’m buying you a gift. Does Jaljal calculate all money in terms of KakaoPage cash?’

Habin was quiet, bickering with Ahezar. Watching this, Minsu thought.

‘That’s more like it. She must be frozen in shock.’

Minsu continued in a knowing tone.

“Right. It might be a bit expensive for you. But don’t be too disappointed. I hear you’re still a trainee, so maybe someday when you’ve gained more experience and participated in many raids, you’ll have a chance to buy something.”

‘She’s just a trainee, who knows when she’ll be able to afford anything here.’

Minsu swallowed his mockery and looked around at the items. He slightly raised his chin and spoke to the nearby seller. His tone was slow and relaxed.

“I’ll take those 3 protective gears I mentioned earlier, 5 special custom potions, the Staff of Silence, and the Afterimage Sword.”

After finishing his words, Minsu proudly pulled out his card. He added, side-eyeing Hyun Habin.

“Of course, I’ll pay in full.”

“Yes, understood.”

‘See? This is the difference between you and me.’

In reality, Park Minsu didn’t have enough money to pay for so many items. He had just come to place an order on behalf of his guild.

So it was all company money. Company items!

None of it actually belonged to Minsu.

‘So what? I’ll just show off a bit with this.’

But Minsu was well-versed in these matters.

He had used his previous guild’s company car for dates before. He had also photographed company-owned items and boasted about them on hunter community sites.

Every time, people’s reactions were great.

‘Wow, Minsu. What’s this car? Amazing.’

‘Isn’t that item one of only four in Korea? You’re in a different class!’

‘Ooh, big bro. Where did you get all these?’

Looks of envy, admiration, and jealousy.

Now it was Hyun Habin’s turn to be surprised. Just then, her voice was heard.

“Minsu, you’re ordering a lot?”

At those words, Minsu answered with a smug face.

“Ah, well, when you work as a hunter, you use a lot of items. And items keep improving day by day. I tend to replace them regularly like this.”

“Huh? Are these all yours?”

Flinch.

Minsu felt a sting at that question.

‘Actually, they belong to the guild master, vice guild master, and are company-owned potions, but…….’

Not a single item among them was his. But he couldn’t stop now.

‘I’ve started this, so I have to push through to the end.’

“Of course. I’m ordering all of this to use myself.”

“……?”

Habin slightly pointed at Minsu’s card with her finger.

“Isn’t that a corporate card?”

“!”

‘H-how did she see that!’

Minsu’s face turned pale at those words. Ahezar asked.

[What is a corporate card?]

‘A company card! A card with company money for company use. Looking at it, it says ‘MARO Guild’, so it’s not Minsu’s but a corporate card used by his guild?’

Habin tilted her head. She opened her mouth with a worried expression.

“Minsu, you…….”

Gulp.

The sound of Minsu swallowing echoed loudly in the quiet space. Habin asked in a pitying voice.

“Are you embezzling right now?”

“E-em-embezzlement? What are you talking about!”

Minsu jumped up like a chicken with its tail on fire. Habin crossed her arms and nodded with a serious expression.

“Embezzlement is bad. You could go to jail if you’re not careful, you know?”

“N-no, it’s not like that!”

“Even I can’t help you with this.”

“I’m telling you it’s not like that!”

“Let’s find rehabilitation after you turn yourself in.”

“……Argh!”

Minsu, his face flushing red and blue with embarrassment and confusion, took a step back.

‘To think I’d be caught using a corporate card! I was too careless!’

He hadn’t expected Hyun Habin to have the eyesight or brains to notice that.

‘But even in this situation, I have a way out!’

You should always create an escape route when lying. Minsu, who had been putting on airs for a long time, was very adept in this field.

He opened his mouth calmly.

“Hyun Habin, I think you’ve seriously misunderstood something. I never said I was buying this with my own money. The guild allowed me to use all of this.”

“Oh, really?”

Habin’s eyes widened. She seemed to believe him. Minsu, not missing this opportunity, shouted even louder.

“That’s right! The guild I joined, though new, is quite good! Plus, when they scouted me, they promised to treat me the best. That’s why I can freely buy personal items like this with guild money.”

“Ah, then I must have misunderstood. I’m sorry, Minsu.”

Habin’s quick apology.

Thanks to the lie, what was merely an ‘errand for the guild master’s items’ was transformed into ‘MARO Guild’s welfare for the great talent Minsu’.

Habin looked over the items. Indeed, they were high-priced equipment starting from at least 1 billion won.

“By the way, to provide tens of billions worth of items so freely. It must be a really good guild?”

“It’s amazing!”

Minsu answered immediately.

‘Hyun Habin probably couldn’t even join.’

He opened his mouth, swallowing a scoff. His face had fully regained its composure.

“You know Ranker Hwang Maru, right? He used to be Caligo’s second-in-command, but he scouted me when he created a new guild!”

“Hwang Maru……? The name sounds familiar.”

Habin tilted her head. Minsu shouted in frustration.

“How can you not know his name? You’d recognize him if you saw his face!”

Minsu tapped his phone quickly to find a photo. Although his rank had suddenly plummeted recently, he was once ranked 6th. Plus, he was a big shot ranker who was also Caligo’s second-in-command!

“Here, this is him. You must have seen him on TV?”

Habin clapped her hands after seeing the photo.

“Ah, I know this person!”

“You do, right?”

“I’ve met him!”

On the 26th floor of Kill Screen.

Habin frowned. Hwang Maru, that guy, it’s that ahjussi!

‘It’s the ahjussi who backstabbed Kang Taeseo!’

The man who tried to kill Kang Taeseo on the 26th floor. The one Habin had tied up with a Vienna sausage knot.

Interpreting Habin’s words somehow, Minsu’s expression became strange.

“Hey, you say you’ve seen Hwang Maru-nim? Where?”

“Ah, well…….”

Meeting him on the 26th floor of Kill Screen was a public secret. Habin shrugged.

“I just met him when I visited Caligo.”

“Ha, you really… First you insist you’re close with Solaris’ Chae Jiseok-nim, and now you’ve seen Hwang Maru-nim too? Why don’t you just say you’re close with every ranker in our country? Oh, right. Are you not close with Chae Jise-nim?”

“I am!”

Habin answered immediately.

“Don’t doubt my friendship with unni!”

“……Tch, calling Chae Jise-nim ‘unni’. You’re really something.”

Unable to hold back anymore, Minsu muttered quietly with a scoff. At those words, Habin added with a sulky voice.

“But it’s true. That ahjussi will remember me too.”

Though not in a good way.

Habin crossed her arms, looking at Hwang Maru’s photo. Minsu’s smile deepened.

“Really? Then shall we give him a call?”

“A call?”

“If I contact Hwang Maru-nim, we can settle this right away, can’t we? Whether what you’re saying is true. If you really met Hwang Maru-nim.”

Minsu placed his hand over the ‘Video Call’ button on his phone.

‘This should scare her, Hyun Habin.’

He knows from his own experience of lying. When faced with verification, it’s human nature to get nervous.

‘Even if she really met Hwang Maru-nim, it probably wasn’t anything special? Hwang Maru-nim probably wouldn’t remember. She must be regretting her boasting by now!’

Just then, Habin answered.

“Hmm, I don’t really want to talk to that ahjussi.”

‘See, she’s already scared.’

Minsu pressed the video call button mercilessly. He had something to report anyway, so if Hyun Habin and Hwang Maru-nim didn’t know each other, he could just say he called for the report.

Ring ring-

The call signal started. Minsu observed Hyun Habin’s reaction.

“Why are you really calling?”

An expression full of annoyance. However, to Minsu, it looked like a face of dismay.

Click.

Finally, the call connected.

-What is it?

A question flew in with a rough tone. Minsu turned the camera towards Hyun Habin as if he had been waiting for this.

“Ah, Guild Master, it’s nothing much, but there’s someone here who says they know you. I was wondering if you might know them……”

-What? Who do I know?

Just as Hwang Maru was answering in an irritated tone, Minsu turned the camera. Hyun Habin’s figure was captured on the screen.

-Wh-what……!

Hwang Maru, discovering Hyun Habin’s image, gasped in surprise. Recalling something, Hwang Maru’s face turned pale in an instant as he opened his mouth.

-Huk, what is it this time…… P-please spare me!