Recruiting Members for Pania Guild
A single video uploaded to XTube was skyrocketing in views amid a flood of hot reactions.
(Saving the Future of Pania Guild.)
"Hah!"
Kim Na-yoon, her hair neatly pinned up with a hairpin ornament, swung her spear. Orc heads flew off at blinding speed. Lightning bolts erupted in all directions every time she spun her long spear.
"I can see too, you know? Fire Tornado!!"
At Lee Soo-jung's shout, a scorching vortex engulfed the reaper, incinerating even its bone fragments—the very monster that had terrified not just hunters but ordinary civilians alike—until they melted away completely.
Taat!
Yoo Chae-eun's brilliant wind arrow whistled through the air, striking the orc chieftain squarely in the chest. The monster suffered massive burns in an instant and collapsed as a corpse.
Clips of Ma Pildu and Lee Se-ah taking down monsters flashed by quickly on screen. The other hunters each held their positions, fulfilling their roles perfectly.
"Just a little more, hang in there."
Lee Seojun flapped his golden wings as he flew about. A refreshing green light poured from his fingertips. In a flash, the hunters' injuries and wounds were perfectly healed. The pained expressions on their faces cleared up completely.
(Waiting for comrades.)
(This era needs heroes.)
(Saving humanity from a brutal world.)
(For peace.)
(Pania Guild is waiting for you.)
The video ended with majestic background music swelling. The screen faded to black.
"Whoa. This came out so good. Insane. For real."
Han A-reum's eyes widened in admiration, her gaze still glued to the monitor.
It had been a while since Pania Guild's channel uploaded anything new. Even though it had only just gone public, the view count was already surpassing ten million.
Han A-reum slowly scrolled down, quickly scanning the comments. The reactions were exactly as expected.
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"I wanna be a hunter too."
Han A-reum muttered, propping her chin on her right hand. She stared blankly at the chat scrolling by rapidly.
Han A-reum chuckled as she read the incoming messages. If she actually awakened, could she join Pania?
"...As if!"
"Ah. Of course not. Doing a mukbang today. Already ordered. But gotta go to school tomorrow so can't stream long."
Han A-reum beamed. The image of that man flying across the screen lingered as an afterimage. She shook her head to clear it and quickly set up her desk. For some reason, she felt like she wouldn't be able to focus on the stream today.
Once actually seated, the nerves hit harder than expected. Being in a position to evaluate someone during an interview—it was something he never imagined. Plus, these were applicants who had already passed several rounds, adding mental pressure. Am I really qualified to judge them arbitrarily?
"Seojun, you nervous? Don't worry. You don't have to do anything. Just sit and watch."
Yoo Jae-hyun handed him a water bottle as if to say relax. Seojun quickly twisted off the cap and took a gulp.
He flipped through the papers on the desk, revealing the applicants' info. About half were from orphanages. It wasn't strange at all in a world overrun by dungeons and monsters since then. Society was only just stabilizing, with humanity beginning reconstruction.
"Then I'll really leave it to you two, hyung and noona."
With such a massive recruitment drive, all existing guild members were mobilized. They'd split into two teams for interviews. By drawing lots, Seojun ended up grouped with Kim Na-yoon and Yoo Jae-hyun.
It had been awkward seeing Yoo Chae-eun and Lee Soo-jung since the department store incident, so this worked out well.
The applicants entered the room slowly. The first group totaled three. They must be incredibly tense too. Two women and one man—all C- to B-rank hunters, the most common grades. Dressed neatly in suits, their expressions brimmed with determination.
Seeing their nervous faces made Seojun tense up too. Though they were surely far more anxious.
"To loosen up a bit, how about simple self-introductions to start?"
Yoo Jae-hyun spoke in his warmest tone, but self-intros hardly eased nerves. If it were Seojun, his mind would go blank.
All he could do was help them relax—a "dad smile," nodding warmly.
"Yes. Hello. I'm Shin Seo-yeon, applying for the hunter position. I was an ordinary college student before. It's not long since I awakened, but I joined a private training academy for professional education. There, I served as team leader and developed a hunter's mindset and..."
The woman on the far left started. A standard "Warrior" class, but her delivery was solid.
After her, they each introduced themselves in turn. Watching the scene unfold, Seojun marveled anew at how he'd joined this guild. Hunters got great treatment anyway, but top guilds meant fierce competition.
He nodded along as they spoke.
"Hmm? Impressive resume. Why apply to Pania Guild?"
Now Kim Na-yoon questioned the man in the second seat. "Shield Knight"—pretty good. Seojun liked it too. Name: Kang Su-hyeok, a guild-hopper.
"My class is Shield Knight, drawing monster aggro and protecting allies. To be honest, I saw Lee Seojun hunter's video. I bet we're all thinking the same. With him in the backline, what is there to fear?"
Too straightforward. Seojun felt embarrassed just hearing it.
"Hold on. So you're saying you applied for Lee Seojun hunter, not Pania? If he switches guilds, you'd follow?"
The man looked flustered. But Kim Na-yoon's lips curved up. She liked him despite the words.
"...No. My class specializes in protection. I see safeguarding people from monsters as my mission. With this shield, I'll protect Pania Guild and its citizens to preserve our hard-won peace."
Yoo Jae-hyun nodded vaguely, shuffling papers. Kim Na-yoon sipped water, rubbing her temple.
Feeling awkward just sitting, Seojun turned to the last woman—a Healer class, specifically "Holy Knight," welcome anywhere.
"Um, Im Ji-ah-ssi? If conflict arises in a dungeon, what would you do?"
"...Uh. Me. Um. That is. I'd try to. Match opini.ons as much as possible. If. If not. By ma.jority vote, someho,w..."
Class really was king. Without Healer lineage, she wouldn't have made it this far.
"Finally, one last thing you'd like to say."
Yoo Jae-hyun tapped the desk with an ambiguous expression. The applicants gave lines like "I'll work hard" or "I'll do my best," then quietly left.
"Whoa. This is no joke."
A collective sigh escaped as they left. Thinking of doing this nonstop made his head spin. Deciding who passes or fails—and it being his call.
"Yeah. Way more applicants than expected. Probably thanks to you. Right, captain?"
"Seojun's our guild's lucky charm. Seriously, what about our Chae-eun? You'd feel safe with her..."
With a packed lineup ahead, they showed no fatigue—in fact, they seemed upbeat, even cracking jokes.
"Nah. I'm a non-marriage advocate."
Been there, done that. Maybe enjoy single life this time. No desire to be tied down.
"...?!"
The two stared oddly. What? They blurted after a brief silence, faces screaming "flustered."
"What? What's wrong with my little sis?"
"Captain. Hold up. Seojun. Noona's asking just in case, but... you don't like dyed hair? Soo-jung talks tough but inside she's..."
No. Yoo Chae-eun was idol-level gorgeous. Lee Soo-jung's tsundere care was cute too.
"Not really. It's just me."
Marriage was a fine institution—lifelong partners supporting each other. Closest ally, right? Just not interested now. Solo suited him. Travel sometimes. Sounds good. Could he even take responsibility? Maybe age had dried him out.
"St, still, wouldn't it be nice to meet a good girl and live happily?"
"Hmm. Yeah. Anyone's fine, so try dating one of them at least..."
Their faces turned more serious than during the interview.
"Could change with circumstances, but right now, yeah."
They finally relaxed. Wait—
"But you two aren't married either."
Why pick on me? Yoo Jae-hyun looked genuinely hurt. Kim Na-yoon too.
Shouldn't have said that. Felt guilty. Change topic quick.
"Hyung had health issues before, pass. Noona, you and Pildu-hyung... nothing?"
Yoo Jae-hyun eyed Kim Na-yoon in surprise. He didn't know? She sighed in exasperation.
"...Hah. That musclehead's so damn oblivious."
"Noona should confess first."
Kim Na-yoon's eyes widened in utter injustice, her hairpin nearly falling.
"I did. But."
"...?!"
"Forget it. Drop this."
Why stop there? Super curious. But prying felt rude. The pointless chat ended, leaving awkward vibes.
Knock. Knock!
A staffer peeked in. Chit-chat dragged.
"Shall I send them in?"
Yoo Jae-hyun nodded, and the next tense applicants entered.
My turn to speak first. He'd mimicked Yoo Jae-hyun and wanted to try.
"Could you do a quick self-introduction?"
With the warmest, least burdensome smile.