A Month Passes: Guild Foundations and the Golden Horn
A month had flown by. Nam Gyuil checked the balance in his bank account via internet banking.
'Was making money always this easy?'
He'd raked in a staggering 45 billion won in just one month since firing up the factory.
Nam Gyuil had come to buy a building. And right on cue, a decent one popped up. A small guild, unable to weather the manpower shortage, had shut down and put its building and assets up for sale. It was a profitable bankruptcy, no less. It wasn't uncommon these days for guilds to go under despite big profits simply because they couldn't find people to work for them. That was the reality.
This stemmed from safely discharged Hunter Agency veterans refusing to join guilds.
Nam Gyuil inspected the building's interior. It had four floors in total.
The first floor housed the support team's offices. Their main duties were miscellaneous tasks. With the government begging guilds to close gates they couldn't handle themselves, there was no need to hustle for gate entry permissions. Requests came pouring in automatically. Of course, the high-value gates that promised big payouts were coveted even by major guilds, leading to inevitable bidding wars.
The support team's core responsibilities included weapon management and procurement, along with handling taxes and settlements.
The second floor was the guild hunters' office space.
The third floor featured dorms where staff could sleep and shower, complete with a cafeteria.
The fourth floor was the training hall, stocked with all sorts of equipment: barbells, treadmills, Smith machines—the works, enough to rival any gym. There was even a dedicated area for sword training nearby.
Nam Gyuil smirked.
'Seriously? You don't get stronger by training like this.'
It was as good as pointless training. Not knowing what real training entailed, they'd just set up a gym.
'Gotta redo this training room.'
Nam Gyuil decided to acquire the small guild's facilities. They paled in comparison to major guilds, but they would do for now. Besides, he hadn't even gathered anyone to join the guild yet.
'I need people who won't blab about proper training methods, so recruiting won't be easy.'
An elite few it was, then. The more people, the harder to keep secrets.
Nam Gyuil stamped the contract and took over all the facilities. Tomorrow, he'd head to the district office to file for guild creation, then wait for approval.
'Approval will come quick.'
In an era where closing gates was paramount, new guilds were vital. But the government offered no support. Overseas, they even provided subsidies for weapons.
'No way that president's doing his job right.'
Nam Gyuil shook his head. Frankly, the president seemed more like the head of an interest group. He only reacted after disasters struck, never prepared in advance. And if it didn't affect his approval ratings, he ignored the fallout entirely.
'In the end, the only force I can trust is the one I build myself.'
Now, it was time to scout guild recruits.
'Why do those guys keep popping into my head?'
Nam Gyuil scratched the back of his neck. Maybe because of all the memories they'd shared, but the faces of his 01 Team members kept lingering.
'Should I ask those guys to join?'
He needed comrades who wouldn't spill about proper training, and no one else came to mind. Still, he worried.
'What if I teach them proper training and they blab?'
Nam Gyuil shook his head. No more agonizing. It was time to ask for real.
'Tomorrow, then.'
He headed home, but his steps halted at a crosswalk. The light turned red. Beyond the rushing traffic, a massive building loomed, its electronic billboard catching his eye.
Nam Gyuil flinched.
'They got that from a gate??'
That golden horn was elixir material. High-grade elixir material, at that.
He swallowed hard. Three ingredients were needed for a high-grade elixir.
'I've got the golden leaves already.'
Snagging that would secure two of them.
Nam Gyuil clenched his fist. He had to get it, no matter what.
Of course, it wouldn't be easy. SB drew the elite, demanding massive funds.
'Gotta secure more cash.'
To outbid the upper crust for the golden horn, obviously. And to do that, he'd need to cozy up to those very competitors.
'They hold all the lucrative info, after all.'
He smirked, checking his smartphone. It was 8 PM. SB ran night auctions too.
Nam Gyuil pulled something from his wallet: an SB entry ticket awarded by the Hunter Agency.
Time to use it. After the building purchase, he had about 40 billion left.
'Target: 60 billion.'
He pocketed his phone, hailed a taxi, and headed to the SB auction house.
SB Auction House.
Nam Gyuil arrived at the gathering spot of the elite. He scanned the interior: gold-painted floors, silk wallpaper. The garden featured imported trees under soft, dreamlike lighting.
He eyed the crowd: famous chairmen and hunters from TV, all decked in flashy designer gear emblazoned with luxury logos. Even politicians were present.
'Isn't that the opposition leader touted as the next presidential frontrunner?'
Nam Gyuil watched with interest as the man spotted him and approached.
"Are you Nam Gyuil, by any chance?"
"Yes."
"Hahaha, pleasure to meet you. I'm Im Suyeong, leader of the New Politics Party."
"An honor to meet you."
Im Suyeong was a politician in his early forties, dubbed the 'rising sun' for clinching leadership of a major opposition party young.
Smiling, he continued, "I didn't expect you'd speak your mind so boldly at that presidential luncheon. The guy's ex-military; loves control."
"Is that so?"
Nam Gyuil stayed neutral, revealing nothing. He saw through the ploy.
'Trying to use me politically.'
Affirming it could paint him as anti-president for the opposition's spin. Im Suyeong was capable of that.
'Can't let him drag me into anti-president hype. No thanks to the scandal.'
Vague was safest. Im Suyeong's faint smile betrayed disappointment, confirming Nam Gyuil's caution.
They looked alike, both.
'Same breed.'
No real intent to serve nation or people. Just interest groups. The opposition at least seemed discerning, pushing to count Hunter Agency service as guild time.
Sensing he'd been read, Im Suyeong dropped politics and pivoted casually.
"Fate brought us together, so here's some intriguing news."
"Intriguing news?"
"LS Group's Chairman U Seongjin."
Nam Gyuil perked up. LS dominated semiconductors, solar panels, smart farms—raking in fortunes post-gates.
Im Suyeong spilled the tea.
"Common knowledge among elites, but LS's sole heir is gravely ill, hospitalized here."
"Ill?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Incurable by modern medicine. Chairman U's buying up gate plants and monster corpses willy-nilly for his only grandson."
"Tragic."
"First incurable disease since gates appeared."
Nam Gyuil pondered. Likely mana-related.
Im Suyeong patted his shoulder. "Top chaebol splashing cash at SB makes winning auctions tough."
He glanced toward the entrance. Speak of the devil—Chairman U Seongjin arrived, looking haggard: dark circles, gaunt cheeks, shadowed face radiating gloom.
Nam Gyuil pitied him.
'Grandson's terminal illness must be tearing him up.'
Tragic indeed. But Nam Gyuil's goal was the golden horn. He'd mine every scrap of info here for funds.
Suddenly, people swarmed them—mostly corporate chairmen. With the president's ratings stuck below 30%, they courted the frontrunner Im Suyeong for next-term favors.
Im Suyeong introduced Nam Gyuil. "This is Nam Gyuil. You all know—the bold one from the presidential luncheon."
"Pleasure. Eom Heeryong of HDV Construction."
"Nam Gyuil. Nice to meet you."
Thanks to Im Suyeong, Nam Gyuil networked easily. But something felt off.
'Why's he hooking me up like this? There's an angle.'
Im Suyeong whispered, "Consider it payback for helping push Hunter Agency service as guild time."
It clicked—he'd championed it first, boosting his ratings over 50%. Clear next president.
Nam Gyuil seized the chance, gleaning useful info from the chairmen.
'Play this right, I could flip up to 100 billion easy.'
Nam Gyuil joined the auction. No golden horn yet, so no spending. He wanted to gauge the crowd's spending.
Front row: Chairman U Seongjin. Nam Gyuil watched him closely.
'Let's see how the top tycoon spends.'
First item up. Bidding heated up.
"13.5 billion!"
"15 billion."
"26 billion."
U Seongjin stayed silent, staring darkly.
Bidding tapered off.
"50 billion!"
No takers. Then U Seongjin spoke.
"100 billion."
Casual double-up, like swatting flies. Overwhelming presence of the business kingpin.
The hall hushed. No challengers—they knew they couldn't win.
Nam Gyuil swallowed. His 60 billion plan was naive.
'Competing with him? Not even close.'
But he grinned.
'Gonna need multiple plans for that golden horn.'
It wouldn't be easy, but he was certain: he'd claim it.