I was Kicked Out of the Hunter’s Guild

– Clink –

The light sound of glasses tapping together filled the air, accompanied by the mouthwatering aroma of grilled meat.

At the center of it all, I sat with three beautiful A-rank hunters: Iare, Yu Kwonsoon, and Glass.

We raised our glasses and drank together.

“Ahh… this is great! Beer after a mission really is the best!” Kwonsoon exclaimed with satisfaction.

“I agree. Vin (wine) is nice, but when it comes to a refreshing drink, bière isn’t bad either,” Glass added, swirling her glass with a smile.

The girls chatted happily, laughing and enjoying the atmosphere as they sipped their drinks.

Meanwhile, Iare remained quiet, focused on grilling the meat after finishing her drink.

“Hey… let me handle that. You must be exhausted after the mission.”

“No, it’s fine. If anything, you must be more tired than I am, Jinhyun.”

“Hmm…”

It was the same thoughtful consideration she always showed.

But this time, I responded with a bit more firmness. I couldn’t just brush this off.

“I appreciate your concern, but I can’t let someone who’s been on the battlefield handle this.”

Iare paused and looked at me.

“The one who prepared and commanded the entire battlefield situation is sitting right in front of me.

We can’t possibly leave something like this to the same person who carried all of us on his shoulders.”

“Still, the only thing I struggled with was the mental part, right? Let me handle this. You should just relax, Iare.”

“Mental fatigue is more dangerous than physical exhaustion. Don’t say that. I started grilling, so I’ll finish it.”

It had unintentionally turned into a bit of a standoff.

But for some reason, I didn’t want to back down.

It wasn’t just out of pride—

Deep down, I genuinely didn’t feel right letting her grill meat after she had fought through hundreds of Abyss.

At that moment, I suddenly felt a strange gaze from beside us.

“Hey now, it’s not good for couples to fight in a place like this.”

“That’s right. Je suis embarrassé—it’s embarrassing for the rest of us to watch.”

“…”

“Umm…”

Kwonsoon and Glass spoke with teasing smiles, their lighthearted jokes carrying just a hint of emotion.

Caught off guard, I felt my face flush. Had I been acting too intensely just now?

Embarrassed, I had no choice but to step back.

Across from me, Iare lowered her head, focusing intently on the grill, her silence suggesting she, too, felt a little embarrassed by the situation.

For a moment, an awkward silence settled over the table.

Only the sound of sizzling meat filled the air.

Then—

As if to break the tension and restore the mood, Kwonsoon suddenly spoke up in a bright, lively voice.

“Oh, come to think of it… wasn’t this operation really impressive?”

“Yeah, it definitely was. I’d heard that the Adjutant was capable, but I didn’t expect this level of skill.”

“You’re overrating me. This much just comes down to paying attention to the details when planning a battle.”

“Ah, come on. That’s too modest. If that were true, would all the hunters and lieutenants who struggle for days with similar missions be fools? This isn’t just a matter of careful planning—your ability as an adjutant is exceptional.”

“That’s right. I worked as a hunter in another region, but this is the first time I’ve had an adjutant like you.”

“Ah… ahaha…”

Hearing such unfamiliar compliments, I gave an awkward smile, feeling a little embarrassed.

Of course, back when I first came up with this kind of operation, I had been quite satisfied—delighted, even—with how well it turned out.

But this was the first time I had ever received such high praise for it.

Back at the Hunter Guild, it had been nearly impossible to carry out an operation like this.

After all, when you had uncontrollable S-class hunters like Isena around, running an operation that required coordination was a challenge.

I remembered the times I’d tested this strategy, only for Isena and Yujin to run wild, nearly putting everyone in danger. In the end, I’d had to scrap the plan altogether after taking the blame.

Despite its effectiveness, the strategy had been practically abandoned within the Hunter Guild.

In that respect—

The success of this operation could be credited to the hunters here, especially Iare.

They had followed my instructions without hesitation, without making reckless moves, even when their combat power might have tempted them to act independently.

“Even though I came up with the strategy, it was all of you who put it into practice and secured the victory. In that respect, I’d like to thank you all once again—as your adjutant.”

They acknowledged my abilities.

And they admired them.

Hearing their words, I felt as though I had finally been rewarded for all the hardships I had endured.

With genuine sincerity, I expressed my gratitude to the hunters standing before me.

“Ah…”

“Umm…”

At that moment, two of them exchanged glances, looking slightly embarrassed.

After hesitating for a moment, they looked back at me and cautiously asked—

“Honestly… I just don’t get it.”

“Même idée—same thought.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

I tilted my head, puzzled by their sudden remarks.

They stared straight into my face, curiosity and frustration clear in their eyes.

“No matter how much we think about it, we just can’t understand.

Adjutant Lee Jinhyun, you’re so talented and humble—why on earth did you get discharged?”

“Exactly. I mean, no matter how bad the situation in the Armée sud-coréenne (Korean Army) is, I don’t get it. What were the hunters in your unit thinking when they decided to replace you?”

Their voices were filled with genuine curiosity and disbelief.

In response, I shared the biggest reason—something that accounted for nearly 60% of my entire career’s complications.

“Well… the guild master just didn’t like my face. I guess that’s why.”

“A… come on. That can’t be real.”

“Honestly, Adjutant, I think you look just fine.”

“Yeah, I don’t dislike it either.”

It was a truth that no one would believe if said outright—

But the two of them took it as a joke and laughed it off.

Unexpectedly, Iare spoke up in a slightly serious tone.

“The reason… for the discharge…”

Her thoughtful voice hung in the air.

But regardless of her reaction, their question triggered something in me.

Almost automatically, my mind drifted back—

To the reasons why I had been able to leave that damned place and end up here.

***

If I had to point out the biggest reason, about 60% of it would undoubtedly be because Isena and the other S-class hunters didn’t like me.

As I just mentioned, perhaps the main reason was simply that they didn’t like my face.

But aside from that, there were more complicated factors—

My command style didn’t match theirs, for one.

Still, those were just general background reasons.

The real reason—the decisive factor—

Had to be the fact that the 28th Guild, despite being a latecomer unit, kept achieving success after success, drawing the attention of the government.

As the 28th Guild continued its winning streak, the government brought up the topic of replacing the adjutant—
under the pretext of “increasing support.”

And, of course, Isena—who had always been dissatisfied with me—jumped at the chance.

From my perspective, I wasn’t exactly ungrateful for the opportunity to leave.

But even then, I had a pretty good idea why the government had made such a proposal.

A reason that wasn’t exactly clean or straightforward.

‘It must have been part of a generational shift… right?’

Although it wasn’t an issue that was widely known, a significant change had been taking place within the Hunter Guild’s adjutant system—starting with me.

Until three years ago, most of the Hunter Guild’s adjutants, like myself, came from general military academies.

The process involved randomly selecting candidates from those following the officer track.

Because of that system, I—who had originally aimed for a general’s position—ended up in the Hunter Guild, purely out of bad luck.

But

Most of the lieutenants who came from a military background were fundamentally different from the nature of the Hunter Guild.

They struggled to adapt, especially in an environment dominated by women with superhuman strength.

It was almost like a man trying to fit in at a women’s college.

In the end, many of these officers were either discharged or forcibly transferred to other units.

Eventually, the government realized the flaws in the system and began exploring alternative methods.

The solution?

To educate and select adjutants who would exclusively manage hunters—professionals who were not products of military academies.

This shift in approach led to the rise of the so-called elite adjutants—graduates from prestigious universities, trained specifically for the role.