Chapter 70
Chapter 70
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 70
Chapter Title: Malice-Tainted Goodwill (1)
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Hero Guild.
"An advertising model, huh."
Baek Jincheon chuckled as if amused.
The summarized report on the commendation ceremony listed various institutions and companies hoping to cast Kim Gunja as their ad model.
"Yes. Requests are pouring in for public service announcements, cosmetics, sports gear, home appliances—especially food and beverages."
"What a waste of effort."
Baek Jincheon was certain Kim Gunja would turn down every single offer.
About three months.
It wasn't a long time, but he'd gotten a solid read on what kind of person Kim Gunja was.
Training, hunting, and Kang Inhyeok.
Those three things dominated his headspace—it wasn't an exaggeration to say that.
No way a guy like that would waste time on commercial gigs.
But the branch manager's expression turned peculiar at Baek Jincheon's firm declaration, and he broached the topic cautiously.
"I thought the same... but..."
Baek Jincheon's hand paused as he leisurely flipped through the report.
...But?
It sounded like a prelude to his judgment being wrong.
His gaze shifted from the report back to the branch manager.
"He made... an unexpected choice. Out of sixteen ad model offers, he accepted one from an institution and three from companies."
It was outside his expectations.
Baek Jincheon set the report down, leaning forward slowly with his chin resting on his interlaced hands, eyes gleaming with interest.
"What were the criteria?"
He'd accepted four, rejected twelve.
Baek Jincheon was intensely curious about Kim Gunja's reasoning.
Given what the guy had done so far, there had to be some special motive behind it this time too.
But once again, the branch manager dashed those expectations.
The man cleared his throat lightly before answering.
"The signing bonuses."
"Signing bonuses?"
It was such an obvious answer that Baek Jincheon echoed it reflexively.
The branch manager elaborated a bit more.
"Yes. All four he accepted offered at least 300 million won upfront, while the others fell short."
Was he the type who chased money?
No way.
It didn't line up with Kim Gunja's actions up to now.
Baek Jincheon tapped the desk thoughtfully for a moment before reaching a swift conclusion.
"Mana stones."
The branch manager wore a 'knew it' expression at Baek Jincheon's murmur.
It had taken him quite a while to arrive at that himself.
"That's my guess too. Taking all payments in mana stones, steadily buying them through Choi Jinseung... it all points there."
Absorbing mana from mana stones was wildly inefficient and difficult.
No ordinary hunter would even attempt it.
Yet Kim Gunja had been doing it consistently, showing undeniable results.
In his astonishing growth rate.
"It's clear now. Kim Gunja's found his own way to properly extract mana from mana stones."
At first, he'd dismissed it as bluffing or figured there was some other use.
No Awakener could do it properly, after all.
'But now, I have to believe it.'
If anyone could, it was Kim Gunja.
He'd completed Dual Stream back when he was a clueless D-rank, and in one spar, he'd drawn the word "genius" from Dragon Spear Jo Changhwi's lips—a guy with absurd talent.
Building on that, Baek Jincheon was already formulating the next conclusion.
"Money directly fuels his growth? How intriguing."
A hunter straight out of capitalism's playbook—something unprecedented.
The 300 million threshold wasn't arbitrary either.
Likely calculated based on his hunting speed as the cutoff.
Even if it meant burning a few days, he'd deemed it higher expected value than hunting.
Baek Jincheon tapped the desk again, lost in thought.
A moment later, he spoke.
"Next week, right?"
He was referring to Kim Gunja joining Team 4 for the S-rank gate in Japan.
"Yes. In one week, meeting the Asura Guild locally in Okinawa Prefecture."
"Asura?"
"You might not have heard of them. A guild rising fast in Japan lately—they're staking everything on this S-rank gate hunt. Word is they're on bad terms with other local guilds, facing heavy pressure. That's why they requested cooperation from our Hero Guild. However..."
The branch manager voiced his findings and concerns.
"...it's suspicious. No major red flags in the analysis, and their promised revenue split is heavily in our favor. Still, I shared the intel with Team 4 Leader Jo Changhwi just in case."
Not that it was strictly necessary.
No tricks would work against Jo Changhwi's Team 4 anyway.
The power gap was overwhelming.
Baek Jincheon gave a subtle nod of approval at the branch manager's diligence.
Once Kim Gunja returned from the S-rank gate hunt, including the commendation ceremony feat, it was time for a substantial reward.
A faint smile played on Baek Jincheon's lips, but it chilled in an instant.
"Right. The corpse?"
He meant the Homunculus.
"We've secured it."
Since Kim Gunja and Sin Yeji, who'd handled it, were Hero Guild members, there was no fuss.
"Bring it."
Baek Jincheon rose and headed out, the branch manager following silently behind.
In the car heading to Incheon Airport.
Kim Gunja pressed his temples firmly.
"Uncle, you okay?"
Sin Yeji, seated beside him, looked at him with worry.
She knew better than anyone how relentlessly packed his schedule had been over the past week.
Meeting Yeji's rabbit-like eyes, Kim Gunja smirked and replied.
"Yeah. I'm fine."
"Really?"
"Yep."
He shot her a look that said, you know how good the Customizing Room is.
But Yeji seemed unconvinced—and fairly so.
The Customizing Room handled physical fatigue, but not mental exhaustion.
"How much did you sleep last night?"
"Hm. An hour?"
"The night before?"
"...An hour?"
"The night before that?"
"Probably... an hour?"
"Jeez, it's a miracle you're still alive."
"Haha. Tell me about it."
Even Kim Gunja had to agree.
It was his own schedule, but digesting it felt unreal—purely murderous.
Baek Jincheon had predicted he'd skip hunting for the ads.
Not a bad guess.
Anyone would think that, anyone would do that.
But Kim Gunja didn't.
Hunting and ad modeling.
He pulled off both.
By cutting sleep.
'Catching two rabbits at once wasn't easy, for sure.'
He attended every hunting session fully, squeezing ad meetings and shoots into the gaps—with apologies.
A bit one-sided, maybe, but they accepted readily.
— Haha! Of course! As long as you stick to the time, even dawn works.
— No problem! Everyone knows Kim Gunja's passionate about hunting to protect us.
— Most avoid danger once famous... but you're different. I've seen plenty dodge their duties after fame. Respect.
It was the power of his accumulated achievements and the image they'd built.
No need to explain.
People already knew his hunting zeal and dedication; they interpreted his words and actions through that lens.
So understanding and flexibility came naturally.
Thanks to that, he adjusted the schedule smoothly and powered through a hellish week.
The payoff was massive.
'One at 500 million, two at 400 million, one at 300 million... fame pays off.'
Total: 1.6 billion won.
Half as advance: 800 million in a flash.
Via Choi Jinseung, he snapped up mana stones and converted to points.
26,754 points.
From past hunting funds plus the 800 million dump.
But the conversion rate was worse than before. He pinpointed why quickly.
'The more mana stones I convert, the lower the points per volume.'
Especially pronounced with low-grade stones. Artifacts showed no such drop-off.
In short:
For now, mana stones were far more efficient, but long-term, artifacts would pull ahead if this persisted.
'Better save artifacts.'
He spent about 10,000 of those points balancing his mana circuits in the Customizing Room. Results: very satisfying.
'Like tightening a wobbly chair screw.'
Chaining Heaven-Shattering Divine Art, dark mana, and holy lightning had scorched his circuits like red-hot iron.
Now? Warm stove—far less strain.
Investments always paid dividends.
As he wrapped up his thoughts, he noticed Yeji glancing sideways, hesitant.
He could tell at a glance now.
She wanted to ask something.
Smirking, Kim Gunja opened the door for her.
"Yeji."
"Yes?"
"Just ask. That's why you came to pick me up, right?"
"N-No, it's not?!"
"Oh? Then never mind."
When he clammed up, Yeji fidgeted, idly kicking the front seat before speaking.
"Um, back then... what did you and sis talk about? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to!"
"Sis...? Oh, Sunja? Wait, no—Choi Seyeon now. Heh."
A snort came from upfront.
He'd slipped into her real name out of habit.
"Mr. Choi Jinseung. Keep this quiet."
"Cough... O-Of course."
Not the type to blab anyway.
Kim Gunja turned back to Yeji.
"Nothing much. Just stuff from when we played as kids and some promise."
"A promise? What...?"
Not that big a deal.
He shrugged casually.
"Dunno exactly. She said we did something, but it's too vague from way back. She just said that's enough and didn't elaborate."
"Oh... really? Phew, nothing special. I thought..."
"Thought...?"
"N-No, nothing. Just... a bit jealous. Childhood friends share memories no one else knows, right? I never had any, so..."
Her trailing voice and expression carried a hint of hurt and sadness.
Seeing that, Kim Gunja recalled her past words.
— Um... It's my first time at an amusement park, so I'm a little excited.
'Come to think of it, same vibe back then.'
Gazing at her quietly, he slowly spoke.
"Doesn't have to be from childhood, right?"
"Huh...?"
Yeji's eyes widened, uncomprehending.
Kim Gunja met her gaze, rubbing his eyes with his fist like a kid.
Yeji tilted her head, then a smile bloomed as memory hit.
His story just for her.
— ...When I was little, I was a crybaby.
To that Yeji, he pointed again to the slightly scarred skin on his right forearm's back.
Understanding dawned, her face lighting up with pure joy.
Timing didn't matter.
She already shared the uncle's secret no one else knew.
Kim Gunja smiled back at her bright grin.
The car pulled into the airport amid the warm vibe.
As Kim Gunja stepped out casually.
"Hey? Isn't that Kim Gunja?"
"For real? Wow, his skin looks amazing up close."
"Sin Yeji's with him too!"
He could only sigh faintly at the sudden crowd and drawn phones.
Fame wasn't all upsides.
Okinawa, Japan.
On a veranda overlooking a picturesque garden.
A woman in a kimono savored tea.
Asura Guild's Guild Master, Shizuku.
A man with a massive serpent tattoo across his torso approached and bowed deeply.
"Hero Guild's Team 4 has departed."
Shizuku smiled sweetly.
"Is the welcome ready?"
"Yes. Perfectly."
"Double-check anyway. We're hosting VIPs."
The day she'd long awaited.
No room for error.
"As you command."
As the man left, Shizuku sipped her tea.
Warm liquid, cold smile on her lips.