NOVEL NEXT Chapter 146
Chapter 146: A Familiar Place
“It’s been a while since I’ve been here.”
Si-hyun stood in front of the Korean Hunter Association building.
Memories flooded back of bustling moments at the 10th floor Inspection Bureau, where chaos seemed to follow him. It had been over three years, and he hadn’t needed to return.
Indeed, it felt like ages.
Today was Saturday, yet it was a day without a raid.
While he could have taken the opportunity to relax at home, Si-hyun chose to come here.
Today marked the official opening day for Yangji Guild.
If it was the beginning of change, one could say it was a significant day in the guild’s history.
So even though he wasn’t the guild master, he came as the one in charge to see the operations and offer encouragement.
Si-hyun stepped through the revolving door and entered the building.
Perhaps due to it being Saturday, it seemed there were more people than when he visited on weekdays.
The place where the guild members congregated was the first counter on the far left.
That spot was where hunters received their licenses.
Guild members were seated, waiting to serve new hunters as they emerged.
Si-hyun walked toward that direction.
People from various guilds were seated, each gazing at the counter.
There, Si-hyun spotted Cheol-hyung.
Since it was the first day of operations, Cheol-hyung, the guild master, was said to be present himself.
‘There he is.’
Cheol-hyung, seeming to notice Si-hyun first, raised his hand from the back.
Si-hyun approached and sat beside him.
“Hello, Section Chief.”
Cheol-hyung greeted him in a low voice.
“Did you come alone?”
Si-hyun replied in a small voice.
It wasn’t exactly good for a guild member to converse with the guild master in such a casual manner.
Knowing this, Cheol-hyung had purposely chosen a secluded spot in the back.
“Yes, I decided to come alone for now.”
Many small guilds had only one person assigned to sales.
However, larger mid-sized guilds typically had at least two representatives handling the Hunter Association.
Cheol-hyung, well aware of this, had expected at least two to show up but came alone.
Of course, his presence carried more weight as the guild master.
Yet, attending such an occasion directly could come across as diminishing his stature.
Maintaining dignity was important for a guild master of a large guild.
Cheol-hyung understood this well.
That’s why when they first communicated, he made a point to mention he would attend in person.
“It seems you haven’t decided on a representative yet?”
“Yes, I’m planning to observe once around today to pick someone suitable.”
Due to the presence of ex-convicts in Yangji Guild, many had strong personalities or lacked social skills.
While he may have been gentle with Si-hyun, that wasn’t the case with others.
So it appeared he felt the need to carefully select someone fitting for the sales role.
“Have you secured any contracts yet?”
It was still early, just past 10 AM.
Si-hyun doubted there would be any but asked nonetheless.
“There hasn’t been a single new awakened being yet.”
Cheol-hyung smiled.
Awakened beings didn’t just pour out like products from a machine.
There were countless days when sales representatives sat at the Hunter Association for hours without a single newcomer.
On lucky days, a few would emerge, but those were very rare.
Today also had a high chance of not yielding anyone at all.
Thus, they might end up sitting idly for the entire day and leaving with empty hands.
Si-hyun had come with some level of acceptance that this could happen.
Hitting a jackpot from the very first day would be great, but he felt that was overly ambitious.
Even just securing a single mid-rank hunter amidst fierce competition was enough for success.
“But speaking of Sun Guild…”
Cheol-hyung’s gaze shifted toward where representatives of Sun Guild sat, engaged in conversation.
“What happened?”
“I ran into them earlier, and they were casting glances that weren’t friendly at all.”
Cheol-hyung chuckled wryly.
Si-hyun mirrored his expression.
“Seriously? A top-tier guild acting so petty? They proposed to split the territory themselves.”
It was frankly self-inflicted humiliation.
Yet they seemed to completely forget that and only shifted the blame.
It was absurd.
“We’ll certainly have to be cautious. They’re bound to be plotting some revenge after that incident.”
“Seriously, it’s ridiculous… Please don’t partner with those people for future raids.”
Si-hyun clicked his tongue.
Since they were dealing with a limited pie, competition was bound to be fierce.
However, there were basic courtesies to adhere to, even amidst rivalry.
It was out of line for them to react like this when it wasn’t even their fault.
“Understood.”
Cheol-hyung replied, as if to engrain it in his mind.
Si-hyun rose from his seat.
After all, there was no awakened being coming out immediately, so he intended to grab a cold coffee from the vending machine.
He moved toward the vending machine located by the window.
And just as he took out some coins to get a can of coffee—
“Eh?”
His wallet was missing from his pocket.
Si-hyun’s expression changed to one of realization.
It seemed he had left his wallet in the car.
Shaking his head, Si-hyun headed toward the parking lot.
◈ ◈ ◈
“Here you go.”
Si-hyun handed a can of coffee to Cheol-hyung.
“Thank you, Section Chief. But didn’t I see you going outside earlier…?”
“Oh, I left my wallet in the car. Getting old brings these kinds of problems.”
As he knocked his head, Cheol-hyung chuckled.
With a smile, he continued, “Finally, we have our first new awakened being!”
“Really? But why does the atmosphere feel… off?”
Typically, when a new awakened being was announced, the guild’s mood became bustling.
Yet, there was no sense of that excitement in the air.
“It’s an E-rank.”
Si-hyun quickly grasped the situation from Cheol-hyung’s response.
Having started as an E-rank himself, he couldn’t be unaware of the indifference the guild representatives often showed.
It was a blatant sign for others to beg for contracts.
At that moment, he felt the weight of reality.
E-rank hunters were at the absolute mercy of the guild.
At least, the only one who approached him back then was from Grace Guild, leading to their contract.
The E-rank hunter now faced the same reaction he once had.
Or rather, it might even be worse than that situation.
The number of hunters had increased since then.
There were no openings for E-ranks in even the smaller guilds, with mid and large guilds fully occupied.
The E-rank hunter, appearing to be in their early thirties, was looking bewildered by this reaction.
They were probably brimming with dreams of changing their life upon awakening, but now were facing the harshness of reality right from the day of license acquisition.
This time, not even the small guild had a representative on the move.
Everyone sat there, ignoring the E-rank hunter like they didn’t exist.
The hunter, once as stiff as a stone, finally hung their head low.
They were beginning to grasp the reality.
A contract needed to be made.
Yet they realized they would have to plead first to get that chance.
The daunting thought made it hard to step forward.
‘…What about that person?’
Si-hyun’s gaze on the E-rank hunter grew more intense.
Then he spoke up.
“Let’s sign a contract.”
“Excuse me?”
Cheol-hyung looked at Si-hyun with puzzlement, not immediately understanding his statement.
“Let’s contract with that person. Since it’s only an E-rank, it won’t cost much anyway, so why not.”
“But we have plenty of packers already….”
Cheol-hyung’s expression turned awkward.
In mid-sized guilds like Yangji Guild, E-ranks typically only served as packers.
But they already had enough hunters for that role.
“Haha, I get what you’re saying, but since I have an intention, let’s go for it.”
Si-hyun said with a smile.
“…Ah, okay. Understood.”
Seeing Si-hyun’s determination, Cheol-hyung recognized he had his reasons and followed suit without further questioning.
He got up with a folder containing the contract.
Until that moment, none paid them any mind.
However, as he approached the E-rank hunter, a murmur began among other guild representatives.
They had recognized who Cheol-hyung was.
If it were a small guild, such reactions wouldn’t have surfaced at all.
Yet here was the guild master of Yangji Guild, the one who had just been involved in an embarrassing situation with Sun Guild, moving to scout an E-rank hunter?
It was a sight so hard to believe it seemed surreal.
In mid and large guilds, E-ranks were useless packers.
For the guild master to actively approach one for a contract was a thoroughly inexplicable act.
“Is that an E-rank… right?”
Someone’s voice floated as they asked the person beside them.
“Yeah, it’s correct, but wow….”
The adjacent representative answered in disbelief, struggling to process the situation.
“This is absurd.”
The Sun Guild representative muttered, observing the scene.
It was hard to interpret Cheol-hyung’s actions as anything other than an overreaction due to it being their first day of operations.
An E-rank and a guild master moving for contract… It appeared more like self-diminishment.
The other Sun Guild representatives exchanged glances, perhaps sharing the same thoughts, and one of them smirked.
That made Si-hyun internally chuckle.
‘Yeah. Laugh all you want.’
He could simply ignore their reactions.
They had no idea why he was acting this way.
If he failed to accomplish what he commanded, it would indeed be a situation to mock. But if it succeeded, it could yield unexpected rewards.
“…Huh?”
The E-rank hunter looked bewildered when the guild representative approached him, clearly not having anticipated the encounter.
Then their eyes widened in surprise.
It seemed they caught wind of Cheol-hyung’s introduction.
A guild master of a fairly well-known guild coming personally to make a contract must have stunned them.
It was likely such a feeling was surreal and dreamlike to them.
Cheol-hyung gently guided the dumbfounded E-rank hunter to a seat.
The contract process unfolded smoothly.
As the contract was produced, the E-rank hunter signed without properly reading it.
Their expression screamed urgency, as if they feared this opportunity would slip away if they hesitated even for a moment.
Once the agreement was finalized, the E-rank hunter bowed repeatedly, clutching the contract before dashing out.
They still seemed dazed, as though they were floating.
Cheol-hyung returned.
“Good job.”
Once other guild members’ curious glances faded, Si-hyun murmured softly.
“It was nothing.”
Cheol-hyung replied with a smile, downplaying the event.
Si-hyun also smirked.
Regardless of whether other guilds scoffed at the E-rank status, they had made a historic first contract with a new awakened being.
For Yangji Guild, it was a significant new step.
“Well, we’ve managed one for now. No need to rush. Let’s take it easy.”
Si-hyun crossed his arms.
“Understood.”
Cheol-hyung nodded in agreement.
Time passed a little.
At the counter now sat a woman in her late twenties.
She had a petite build and a cute appearance.
Si-hyun’s expression said it all as he looked on.
With curiosity, he wondered what rank she might be as she prepared to operate the magic power measuring device.
Beep.
With the mechanical sound, numbers appeared on the adjacent monitor.
The number displayed was:
-811.