Chapter 40
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: The Guild is Born
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Make me climb all the way to S-Rank. That's my condition."
I'd already planned to do that anyway, but when she tossed it out as a condition, I couldn't help but laugh.
Nayeong must have taken it as my reaction to her outrageous demand.
"O-Of course I know it's tough. I'm barely B-Rank now, so I'll work even harder..."
She started rambling excuses, so I cut her off.
"I was already planning to get you to S-Rank without you even asking, so give me another condition."
"What?"
She clearly hadn't expected me to agree—her eyes went wide.
"Name another condition. I'll do anything I can."
"There aren't any. That's my only one."
S-Ranks make up less than 1% of all hunters.
There were enough near-S-Rank A-Rankers that they might break 1% this year, but even so, only a tiny fraction ever reached that peak.
The modern nobility.
They seized wealth and fame, skyrocketing straight to the top of society.
It had been ages since the definition of modern nobility expanded from chaebol heirs to include S-Rank hunters.
For the daughter of a rundown gym owner on the outskirts to become an S-Rank hunter? That would be the ultimate rags-to-riches story.
"Once you hit S-Rank, you gonna try the Amplifier?"
"Yeah, I'll give it a shot."
"Won't it be a waste? S-Rank is on a whole other level from where you are now."
"If that artifact doesn't live up to the hype, my hunter career's toast anyway. I want to hit S-Rank first, just in case."
I got how badly she wanted it, but one question lingered.
"Why are you so obsessed with S-Rank? Back when you awakened, you said C-Rank would be plenty."
Even that paid way better than a regular salaryman gig.
This girl, whose goals had once been so modest, had suddenly started obsessing over slow growth, class drawbacks, artifacts that boosted levels—fixating on ranks and levels out of nowhere.
"It's because of those lesbians in the guild. They look down on me for my low rank and just wanna fuck me. If I were S-Rank, you think they'd treat me like that?"
Ah.
Higher ranks meant longer stretches of celibacy, so they sought other outlets for their urges.
Lesbians were one of the "relatively" safer ways to protect their virginity.
Stuck at C-Rank, Nayeong must have been prime prey for the higher-ups.
I wasn't sure it warranted aiming straight for S-Rank out of sheer spite, though.
"I was about to get kicked out of the guild, thinking it was hopeless. Then I learned about your abilities, and hope sparked. I won't deal with those bitches anymore, but everything I've done so far feels like such a waste. So get me to S-Rank. I wanna taste that modern nobility life."
She set down her beer can and stared straight at me.
Her dark eyes burned deeper than ever.
"If you get me there, I'll give you my first time. After that, do whatever you want with me."
Just hearing it sent blood rushing south.
Coming from the same mouth that had been sucking me off moments ago, the impact was beyond imagination.
My brain flooded with images of Nayeong's pussy.
For a split second, I even thought it wouldn't matter if things didn't work out with Yeonseo.
"Got it. I'll get you to S-Rank, no matter what."
She beamed, sensing the certainty in my voice.
It was a woman's smile—one I'd never seen on my rough-talking childhood friend's face.
She leaned in and pressed her lips to mine.
A kiss laced with trust, a dash of affection, and the perfect hint of anticipation.
"It's nice seeing you as a man. Back in the day, kissing you never gave me butterflies."
"Does it now?"
Without a word, she grabbed my wrist and guided it to her chest.
"Feel how hard my heart's pounding. That answer your question?"
She'd become a proper woman—and a tempting one at that.
I wondered what face she'd make while writhing under me.
Our sacred temple—
The cult leader lounged on the sofa with a languid expression, listening to someone's report.
It was about two fixers who'd gone missing in an unregistered Blue Gate.
"Gangbuk branch chief acted on his own, that's confirmed. The client was listed as a mid-sized company CEO, but he seems to be a proxy. We'll keep digging to see who's pulling the strings."
"What about the missing fixers? One had severe mental issues, right?"
Magic implanted in hunters eroded the mind before the body.
Bipolar disorder and personality disorders were standard; some even developed full-blown schizophrenia.
One of the missing fixers had channeled his suicidal depression into extreme violence.
Not satisfied with just hunting monsters, he'd summoned a hunter into a gate for a gruesome dismemberment murder.
"Don't they get scrapped for severe aftereffects? How was a fixer like that still walking around?"
"Church records show he was already scrapped. Looks like someone smuggled him out beforehand."
"Ah."
A few executives ran side gigs behind the church's back to satisfy their greed.
Even the cult leader didn't hesitate to get his hands dirty for the VIPs.
"Find out who. Looks like it's time to clean house."
"Understood, Your Holiness."
The middle-aged man bowed respectfully.
"How's the tournament prep?"
"Gates are ready, and we're building the arena per your instructions. Prizes are being refined."
"On schedule?"
"Yes, no issues."
"Has to meet the VIPs' exact specs. They're expecting big things."
"No need to worry."
The man finished his report and left the room.
The cult leader gazed lazily out the window.
On the table in front of the sofa sat the report he'd brought.
[2025 HFC (Hunter Fighting Championship) Overview]
Once my Hunter Agency contract ended, guilds started flooding in with offers, just like Cha Yona predicted.
Three of the Four Great Guilds—everyone but Azure Dragon—made proposals, and even filtering for mid-sized ones left over ten.
"You could shop around other guilds, but you won't beat these terms anywhere."
They all boasted unbeatable deals, and honestly, they were solid.
But I'd already decided, so I turned them all down without a second thought—no tears shed.
"Woojin, Nayeong... thank you. Truly. I'll never forget this debt."
We took over Mito Guild.
Not me personally—the Gangbuk faction did.
The guild master's debts and interest were wiped clean, but her sister's hospital bills remained a black hole.
That's when Yang Taesik stepped up, offering to cover the bills and provide operating funds.
In exchange, the guild master would stay on as a contract employee, and Nayeong and I would join Mito Guild.
Of course, I orchestrated the whole thing.
We even rebranded the guild—lest anyone get the wrong idea—to "Brothers Guild."
Yang Taesik named it to commemorate me as their "hyungnim."
He was footing the bill, so I didn't complain.
"Brothers Guild is weirder than Mito. What is this, the '80s? Brothers what?"
Nayeong griped, but since she hadn't chipped in a dime, I brushed it off.
Once the guild master learned we'd driven the deal, she bowed to us as her benefactors.
She had no choice but to accept given her circumstances, but I couldn't fathom why Gangbuk had ponied up such a sum so readily.
If they feared the church, clinging to its underbelly was safer than betting on me.
"It's an investment in you, hyungnim, and Hunter Seo Nayeong."
Boss Yang Taesik grinned.
"My girl tried to kill Hunter Seo, but you spared her anyway. I'm grateful. Yeah, she's a little shit, but she's my only daughter."
It was payback to Nayeong first and foremost.
"Staying under the church is comfy, but I'd be a lackey till I croak. After seeing your power, hyungnim, I figure with a real organization, we could shove the church aside. Better to back someone who gives as good as he gets than those church leeches. So hit me up anytime you need something."
They were useless in gates, but outside? Different story.
When legal channels failed, no group was more useful.
Why turn down volunteers lining up to serve?
Oh, and things changed between Nayeong and me too.
Starting that day, we kept up proper friends-with-benefits meetups.
Her pent-up lust exploded like she'd been holding back for years.
The familiar ceiling light vanished behind Nayeong's ass.
We were in my one-room, locked in a mutual 69.
No matter how I look, she's gorgeous down there.
A few rounds in, and she was getting comfortable.
Nayeong's plump folds, her tightly clenched petals, and the entrance peeking within—they were so perfect, I almost hated to touch them.
Press too hard, and it'd leave marks, ruining the view.
Lost in admiring her pussy, I felt warmth bloom below.
A soft tongue wrapped around my glans, then lubed up the shaft.
The stimulation was so mind-melting, a groan slipped out unbidden.
Lick lick, slurrrp... slop...
"Hah, fuck, you're sucking it so good it's making me curse. Where'd you practice?"
"Guhhhesia, eethis wherre diyd you learrrn?"
Her mouth full of cock, I couldn't make out a word.
[You bastard, where did you practice this shit? That's what she said.]
I chuckled and spread her plumpness—her entrance glistened faintly.
She must've gotten worked up sucking me.
An internet sage's tip from the other day came to mind.
The lower lip was softer and broader than the tongue, so dragging it up from the entrance like a sweep gave all-around stimulation.
Trusting it, I used the softest inner part of my lower lip to trace from her anus all the way up.
"Ha-ut, hyaaang...!"
The effect was immediate.