He is a legendary prison guard

Chapter 8
Hunter Association;

The Hunter Association was located in an area lined with high-rise buildings.

Shi-hyun got off at Station, enjoying the spaciousness of the subway during the weekday daytime.

“Is that the Korean Hunter Association?”

It was easy to find, probably because the building was so large.

The Hunter Association’s exterior was grand and sophisticated, reflecting its current status.

Shi-hyun even wondered if he should have dressed in a suit.

As he passed through the revolving door and entered the first floor, he was greeted by a surprisingly spacious area filled with people.

While looking around, unsure of where to go, a woman who seemed to be an employee approached him with a smile.

“Hello! How can I help you today?”

“Ah, I’d like to obtain a Hunter’s license.”

“Yes, I see. Do you see the first window on the left? That window handles matters related to Hunter licenses. You’ll need to take a number and wait.”

“I understand. Thank you.”

Shi-hyun nodded in thanks and headed toward the left window.

It seemed that handling new Hunters was indeed the top priority.

That’s probably why it was managed at the first window.

He took a number and got 42, which meant he was fifth in line.

As he wondered why the number was so high despite it being a weekday and awakening individuals not being common, he heard raised voices from the window.

“Is the machine malfunctioning?”

“The mana measurement device is functioning properly. It’s checked every morning as per company policy.”

“Really? So, are you saying I have no mana?”

“That’s correct. Can you see your status window?”

“I can see it! I saw it! Last night, after drinking, I was lying in the living room, and the status window appeared in front of me.”

“You must have been mistaken.”

“No way! I saw it!”

“Please, if you continue like this, we’ll have to take action. As you know, the Korean Hunter Association is an official government agency.”

It seemed this kind of situation occurred quite often, as the seemingly delicate female employee handled it skillfully.

She subtly pointed with her eyes towards two large men in black suits and sunglasses.

Only then did Sihyeon notice a middle-aged man with a flushed face, still somewhat drunk, awkwardly cough, and back away.

‘Ah, I see.’

Shi-hyun nodded knowingly.

It appeared that people who mistakenly believed they were awakened often came here. After all, during his time as a guard, he had often encountered those who thought they were special.

The second person was also a delusional Awakened.

Shi-hyun clicked his tongue and turned his attention from the window to the surroundings.

‘Guilds.’

There was an area set up for representatives from various guilds. He recognized some very famous guilds and some lesser-known ones.

It seemed that personnel dedicated to the Hunter Association were dispatched to handle things. There were anywhere from one to three representatives per guild.

Suddenly, the area for guilds became bustling.

It appeared that someone had just received a B-class Hunter license.

The young man in his twenties, still looking dazed, was surrounded by representatives from various guilds, all competing to congratulate him.

“Hello! First of all, congratulations on becoming a new Hunter! Our Cheongseong Guild, as a subsidiary of a major corporation, offers stable support.”

“Our guild boasts the best gate-clearing rates in the industry. We always prioritize the safety of our hunters.”

“How about being the head of a snake rather than the tail of a dragon? Our guild offers comprehensive support.”

‘This is how they do sales.’

Shi-hyun watched the scene with envy.

That newly minted Hunter, probably just out of university, likely had never experienced such treatment before.

He was probably feeling on top of the world right now.

If a B-class Hunter received this kind of treatment, what about an A-class?

It was obvious.

They would be treated like royalty.

‘<0x12> Su-jin must be feeling great about being a hunter.’

No doubt about it.

Shi-hyun chuckled softly to himself.

After a while, it seemed the new Hunter had chosen a guild, and the other representatives returned to their original spots with sullen faces.

From their expressions, it seemed that performance bonuses from contracts contributed significantly to their income.

The new Hunter had ultimately chosen to contract with a guild under a major corporation.

In these times, seeking stability was probably the most sensible choice.

Ding dong.

A bell rang, and the number 42 flashed at the window.

Shi-hyun straightened his clothes and walked over to the window.

“Hello.”

The female employee greeted him with a warm smile.

“Hello. I’d like to obtain a hunter’s license.”

“Yes, understood. First, we’ll measure your mana with the mana measurement device. There might be slight discrepancies, so we’ll measure it twice.”

“Do I just sit here?”

“Yes, please make yourself comfortable.”

The employee picked up a device that looked like a speed gun and pointed it at Shi-hyun. There was likely a mana crystal inside.

Beep.

When the employee pressed the red button, a number appeared on the monitor.

-99

“First measurement: 99. We’ll measure again.”

Beep.

-99

“The second measurement is also 99. I’m sorry, but you fell short by 1, so you qualify as an E-class Hunter.”

Shi-hyun felt a pang of disappointment.

He had hoped for a 100, thinking there might be a margin of error of 1, but it seemed that the machine was precise enough not to allow for such discrepancies.

“Isn’t it possible to be a D-class with a first measurement like this? I mean, 99 and 100 aren’t that different, right?”

“I’m sorry, but regulations are regulations. It may seem trivial, but that difference could mean life or death for Hunters. Moreover, that 1 difference isn’t as small as you might think.”

The employee smiled.

“Is that so?”

“Yes, the difference in rank is quite significant. Some Hunters say that the difference of 1 that changes ranks is greater than a difference of 100 within the same rank. While it can’t be precisely quantified, I can assure you it’s substantial.”

Had there been a significant increase when moving from E to D?

He hadn’t felt it since he had never participated in a raid.

In everyday life, he had never truly unleashed his awakened powers, nor had he needed to.

“… I guess there’s no choice. Please issue me the E-class license.”

“Yes, I’ll issue it right away. Please provide a half-length photo and your ID, and fill out your name and contact information here, then check the boxes and sign.”

While Shi-hyun signed the document handed to him by the employee, she typed on her keyboard while looking at the monitor.

“Alright, Mr. Lee Shi-hyun, confirmed. What is your occupation?”

“You mean my awakened occupation?”

“Yes, that’s correct. Your occupation needs to be registered in the system.”

Occupation.

Currently, two occupations appear on Shi-hyun’s status window.

Occupation: Guard (Main),
Executioner (Sub)

Of course, he had no intention of revealing either.

“But, you know.”

“Yes?”

“If someone has two occupations, how should they report that? Which one should they mention?”

The female employee visibly flinched at his words.

“Excuse me? Did you just say Do you have two occupations? A multi-class?”

Employees working behind the counter also stared at Shi-hyun with wide eyes.

However, when he glanced sideways, the guild representatives showed no reaction.

They must have heard him.

‘Huh, look at that?’

Shi-hyun’s eyes lit up with interest.

The guilds seemed unaware, but the Hunter Association employees recognized it as sensitive information.

Was multi-classing that rare?

Since he couldn’t see the status windows of other awakened individuals except for what was publicly available online, Shi-hyun thought there might be quite a few awakened individuals with two occupations.

But judging by their reactions, it seemed that wasn’t the case.

They looked as if they had encountered some rare protected species.

“Haha, I’m not saying I have two. I was just curious about how to report it if someone did.”

As he spoke, the atmosphere around them quickly shifted to one of disbelief, as if thinking, ‘Of course, with an E-class, that would be the case.’

“Well… I’m not sure. As far as I know, all awakened individuals have only one occupation. From my experience, that’s generally true.”

The employee stammered.

“I see. Thanks for the clarification. Oh, I need to tell you my occupation, right?”

“Yes.”

“I’m a Mercenary.”

Shi-hyun stated the occupation he had prepared in advance.

He thought that among the damage dealers, Mercenary was the safest choice since he could never admit to being a healer or buffer.

“Ah, you’re a mercenary. Understood. Please wait a moment. I’ll issue your Hunter license shortly.”

After about 3 or 4 minutes of waiting, the employee handed Shi-hyun his Hunter license.

The Hunter Association processed everything quickly, which he appreciated.

And it seemed more impressive than he had expected.

How did they manage their staff so well that such information didn’t leak to the guilds?

“Congratulations on officially becoming a Hunter. Please register on the Korean Hunter Association website with your license number and make sure to complete the mandatory 12 hours of cyber training.”

“I understand. Thank you for your help.”

Shi-hyun thanked the employee and turned to leave.

And the guild representatives’ reactions were as expected.

The enthusiastic sales pitches they had for the B-class Hunter had disappeared, and they were now ignoring him entirely.

It was as if Shi-hyun was invisible.

‘E-class Hunters are at the bottom of the hierarchy, huh? The guilds are in charge.’

This was practically a signal to go beg for contracts.

As he contemplated whether to swallow his pride for quests, thankfully, one of the guild representatives approached him.

He was a man in his fifties with an unkempt beard and wrinkled clothes that didn’t seem ironed.

He extended his hand for a handshake.

“Congratulations. I’m Im Sang-hyuk from the Eunhye Guild.”

“Thank you. I’m Lee Shi-hyun.”

“If you’re interested in joining a guild, could we discuss it over there?”

Im Sang-hyuk pointed to the second floor.

It was a café chain located inside the Hunter Association building.

“Sure, sounds good.”

Shi-hyun agreed readily.

After moving to the café, they ordered Americanos and continued their conversation.

“How are you feeling?”

“Excuse me?”

“I was wondering if you felt bad about the cold reception from the guilds.”

“I expected it, so I’m fine.”

Sang-hyuk nodded, understanding, and explained.

“Medium and large guilds have long filled their E-class Hunter slots. After all, E-class Hunters usually end up as porters.”

“What exactly does a porter do?”

“They stay back while higher-ranking Hunters clear the monsters and then carry the mana stones or items dropped by the monsters in a large bag enchanted with weight-reducing magic until the gate is cleared.”

“I suppose it would look a bit silly for higher-ranking Hunters to pick up items themselves.”

“Yes, it’s a reasonable division of labor, but Hunters assigned to porter roles don’t usually feel good about it.”

Shi-hyun nodded in agreement.

“But… you mentioned Eunhye Guild, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. Eunhye is also my daughter’s name.”

“Is that so? Are you the guild leader then?”

“Yes, I am. I’m in charge of the Eunhye Guild.”

Shi-hyun was slightly surprised.

Seeing his shabby attire, he had assumed it was a small guild, but he hadn’t expected the guild leader to be personally recruiting at the Hunter Association.

“Um… so, how does Eunhye Guild differ? What’s the role of E-class Hunters there?”