Creating My Own Stage
The Core Guild.
The woman who received the report remained silent for a moment.
Tap, tap, tap...
The sound of her fingers drumming on the desk stopped.
A short chuckle followed.
"He rejected it?"
"Yes. Instead, he said he's open to freelance cooperation."
"Ha."
It was a laugh that sounded like a mix of scoffing and admiration.
The woman leaned her head back.
"There's no point in making another offer, is there?"
"No, ma'am. The other guilds are in the same position."
"He's smart."
The smile vanished from her face.
"Tell him we accept."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Be as polite as possible."
Even if it made them look subservient, it didn't matter.
The Hyeonmu Guild.
The representative's face crumpled further with every page of the document he flipped.
"So, it's a rejection?"
"Yes. He won't join any guild, but..."
"He'll run with us if we request it?"
"That is correct."
"...Interesting."
The man, lost in thought for a moment, spoke up.
"It's not bad."
"...!"
"In fact, this might be better than recruiting him."
Holding hands only when they needed each other.
Perhaps that was the better choice.
For both Lee Taepyeong and Hyeonmu.
"Then, the reply..."
The man didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he carefully examined Lee Taepyeong's records.
"To think a hunter even more troublesome than Choi Muryeong would appear."
"..."
"At any rate, it's best to keep him close."
"Yes, sir."
"I'll write the reply myself."
The Taegeuk Guild.
"Really? He'll run with us at least once?"
A short-haired girl flipped through the documents in excitement.
"Yes. As long as the conditions are met."
"That's awesome."
The girl began reading the documents again.
Line by line.
"...Wait."
She let out a careful breath.
"We weren't rejected, were we?"
"Well..."
"He's giving us a chance."
"...In a way, yes, you could look at it that way."
"We are absolutely on board."
"Shall I reply with that?"
"Yes. Right now."
The Baekya Guild.
Seo Inha, who had just returned to the country, set aside even the most urgent reports to read the "answer" sent by Lee Taepyeong.
"..."
A heavy silence filled the room.
"...What should we do?"
At the vice-master's question, Seo Inha smiled silently.
"It doesn't seem like a situation where we can do anything."
"But, if we make another proposal..."
"Rather than that, we need to make other preparations."
With a strange rustling sound, the papers dissolved into nothingness.
"This is different from Choi Muryeong's case."
"..."
"He didn't hold hands with the Administration..."
Seo Inha's eyes narrowed.
His smile slowly faded.
"He's trying to build his own board."
Late in the evening, Kang Mina came to visit.
"Tomorrow, the Deputy Director wants to have a talk with you."
The Deputy Director, huh?
The level of my contacts was suddenly jumping up.
"The Director wanted to meet you in person, but there was a minor issue..."
Kang Mina smiled awkwardly.
I didn't bother prying into what that "minor issue" was.
After all, when the time came,
the Director would seek me out on his own.
"Sounds good."
"...!"
I could feel Kang Mina's tension melting away.
"I had something I wanted to discuss as well."
"The Administration views your case very—highly positively! So please, feel free to speak comfortably about anything."
At Kang Mina's words, I grinned.
"Can I really speak comfortably?"
Perhaps my smile looked ominous.
"M-Maybe just a little comfortably...?"
"Haha. Don't worry. Out of respect for you, Miss Mina, I'll go easy on them."
"I trust you, Hunter Lee!"
And the next day.
"Good morning, Hunter Lee!"
Kang Mina was there to greet me again.
We were already inside the Administration building, so it felt a bit excessive, but whatever.
We headed to the Deputy Director's office at the scheduled time.
Unlike the guild summit, there weren't many people.
Just the Deputy Director, someone who looked like his secretary,
and another person who seemed to be from the intelligence department or somewhere similar.
"Welcome, Hunter Lee Taepyeong."
The Deputy Director was a middle-aged man with a genial impression.
We exchanged formal greetings and sat down.
"I have confirmed your intentions, Hunter Lee."
Straight to the point, then.
"It caused quite a stir."
"Did it?"
"You rejected all the recruitment offers from South Korea's top five guilds, after all."
"Hahaha."
"So, does that mean you are giving our Administration a chance?"
The Deputy Director looked at me with a smile.
"...I wanted to think so, but it doesn't seem to be the case."
I looked at the Deputy Director and replied.
Confidently, yet without sounding arrogant.
"Yes. There's something I want to try doing."
"Is it not something our Administration can help with?"
"Hmm..."
"The Director has very high expectations for you, Hunter Lee."
He was trying to coax me.
Of course, staying with the Administration had its advantages.
However...
If I stay with the Administration like this, I'll end up just like Choi Muryeong...
Indeed.
Just as Choi Muryeong had become the sword of the Administration,
I would become the Administration's weapon.
There would be many benefits that came with it.
Starting from various conveniences to money, power, and honor...
But in the end, all of those things would only shackle me.
Well,
Choi Muryeong seemed to endure all of that out of a sense of duty,
but I had no desire to do the same.
"If you went so far as to reject all the guild recruitments, then surely your expectations for the Administration..."
Before the Deputy Director could slither his way in like a sly snake,
I calmly cut him off.
"The conditions simply weren't to my liking."
"Pardon?"
"You know as well as I do that none of them offered a blank check."
The Deputy Director's smiling face froze.
He, too, knew exactly what a blank check meant.
A declaration that I would do whatever I wanted.
"As I said, the conditions just weren't to my liking."
It was the simple truth.
It wasn't some grand reason, so there was no need to hide it.
"..."
A brief silence fell over the room.
"Haha, I see."
However, the Deputy Director skillfully kept the conversation going.
"Still, it seems you intend to cooperate with the other guilds..."
"Yes. In the end, we share a single goal."
"And that goal would be..."
"Naturally, to tear down the tower."
I wasn't sure if reaching the top would actually destroy the tower,
but if I could just reach the summit...
I'll be able to see the end of it.
I grinned and handed the Deputy Director the documents I had prepared beforehand.
"Of course, I will need the Administration's help."
"...!"
"This is the new contract."
1. Guarantee of climbing the tower at least 4 times a month.
2. Joint climbs with the Hunter Administration shall be prioritized above all else.
The Deputy Director began to carefully read through the document.
The contents were simple.
Guaranteed tower climbs at least four times a month.
Cooperative climbs with the Administration prioritized above all else.
These two points alone were already a massive benefit to the Administration.
"This is..."
After reading the document for a long time, the Deputy Director spoke with a subtle expression.
"This is not something I can decide on my own."
Gulp.
Swallowing hard, the Deputy Director gestured to his secretary.
"I apologize, but could you wait for just a moment?"
As I nodded, the Deputy Director stood up.
Then, he made a call to someone.
The recipient was likely...
"Yes, Director."
The Director of the Hunter Administration.
He was calling the Director, who supposedly couldn't make it due to "circumstances."
After speaking on the phone for a moment, the Deputy Director turned to me.
"The Director wishes to speak with you directly."
"Sure."
"Then, I will put him on speakerphone."
A moment later,
"Hunter Lee Taepyeong?"
"Yes, Director," I replied.
A thick, heavy voice that carried the weight of age echoed from the phone.
"You've made a surprising proposal."
"Haha, it's the result of thinking about what I can do."
"We are grateful, of course. A hunter of your caliber willing to accumulate Contribution Points to protect South Korea's safety."
"Well, I am a citizen of South Korea, after all."
"Hahaha! A sense of duty, is it?"
"Perhaps."
The man on the other end of the speakerphone laughed for a long time before throwing a sharp question.
"What's strange, though..."
"..."
"...is that you aren't demanding anything from us."
"Yes."
"Your refusal to join any guild, and your willingness to cooperate with the Administration..."
"..."
"...is not a loss at all for the Administration or the nation."
"Indeed."
"Which makes me all the more curious."
"..."
"What is it that you actually want?"
I smiled as I looked at the word "Director" on the phone screen.
"I plan to establish a new guild."
Instantly, a stir went through the meeting room.
Since this was news even to Kang Mina, she couldn't hide her shocked expression.
"A new guild?"
The only one who didn't seem surprised was the Director on the other end of the line.
"Yes."
"I'd like to hear the details."
"The reason I didn't join hands with any guild is because I felt none of them suited me."
"Indeed, vessels capable of holding a talent like you are rare."
"Of course, the Administration would be a vessel large enough to hold me."
The Director let out a soft chuckle over the speakerphone.
Even though he knew it was just flattery, it seemed to please him.
"But if I stay with the Administration, won't I be burdened with too much 'expectation'?"
"Expectation..."
"Just like Hunter Choi Muryeong."
"..."
"Of course, Hunter Choi Muryeong is an excellent hunter. But you already know how many packs of wild dogs are waiting outside to tear him apart, don't you, Director?"
Hunters belonging to the Administration were public figures.
No, perhaps they were closer to celebrities running around day and night on the stage of the tower.
If even a minor incident occurred regarding the tower,
Choi Muryeong was the one dragged out immediately.
Unlike guild hunters,
if he did well, it was expected; if he did poorly, he was criticized.
If I remained with the Administration, there was a very high probability I would become Choi Muryeong the Second.
Even for raids I didn't participate in, I would be dragged into the spotlight,
and people would inevitably complain, "What was Lee Taepyeong doing?"
Since the Administration was inevitably closely intertwined with politics,
there were many instances where Choi Muryeong was thrown under the bus to cover up the government's mistakes.
...And I absolutely cannot tolerate that kind of treatment.
Guild hunters,
by default, were protected by their guilds.
Meaning they wouldn't get torn apart from all sides like Choi Muryeong.
No matter how much people praised the Administration,
that was only true for average hunters.
Once you grew as large as I had,
the Administration would only become a suffocating place.
"So?"
"I want to build a new house with my own hands."
"Are you serious?"
"Yes."
"If you stay with the Administration, you could receive treatment that surpasses even Hunter Choi Muryeong. And yet..."
"What I want isn't treatment, but freedom."
"..."
The Director fell silent for a moment.
"Could you not reconsider? I will promise you every convenience, equivalent to a one-man guild. Anything you want..."
"Director."
"..."
"You already know that what I've promised is more than enough."
A low chuckle drifted from the quiet speakerphone.
"You're a stubborn fellow."
"You are too, Director."
"It's a pity. If we had met and spoken in person, I surely could have changed your mind."
With a smacking sound of his lips, the Director let out a deep sigh.
And then...
"Very well."
"Thank you."
"Hunter Lee Taepyeong."
"Yes?"
"Do not forget that we helped you at your beginning."
I grinned and replied.
"I will never forget it."