Negotiating with the Cheonghwarang Guild
Two hours later.
Two stations from Gangnam Station rose a towering building of glass walls and black metal frames.
[Cheonghwarang Guild Headquarters]
Standing before the glass door, Choi Harin took one last deep breath.
“… Hoo.”
Her heart was pounding.
She had been right to be gripped by fear after her overzealous speculation, as Ha Yuna had warned, but now that she was here, she wondered if she had really been too on edge.
A feeling of wanting to flee right now washed over her.
She slowly lowered her gaze.
To her toes, or more precisely, toward her own shadow.
From within the shadow came a faint gurgling sound.
“Are you listening?”
From beneath the shadow, the shadow monster named Kkuruk twisted its body gently.
«Kkuruk…»
Although they couldn’t communicate verbally, it felt like it was saying it was listening.
“Yeah, I’ll trust only you. If the situation gets dangerous, come out right away.”
«Kkuruk!»
The shadow fell silent again with a short reply.
Choi Harin lifted her head.
“Huu… Let’s go.”
She pushed open the door and stepped into the building.
1st floor lobby. A spacious hall decorated with glass ornaments.
Hunters waiting around were leaning on chairs, checking equipment, and drinking coffee.
And when Choi Harin entered the guild building, several hunters immediately sensed her presence and looked her way.
“Hey, it’s Choi Harin. The girl who eats by her face.”
“If you’re envious of the crazy guy, just say you’re envious. She earns five times the average B-rank hunter’s salary with just her face.”
“More than that, I was just scrolling through the community and heard that she solo cleared an S-rank gate? Is that possible? An S-rank gate requires at least three S-rank hunters, right?”
“Do you believe that, you fool? A girl who can’t even clear a D-rank gate alone how does she clear an S-rank gate. It’s obvious she’s not formally registered as a hunter, and a few S-rank hunters teamed up with her and got lucky and soloed it.”
“Either way, it seems Choi Harin alone bloomed in life? With 580 billion won, even if the country takes 50%, it’s still 290 billion? Even if you give half to the villain guys… wow.”
Choi Harin only cursed inwardly ‘Hah… damn it’ and forced a calm expression.
‘Pro’ doesn’t show emotions.
It was an important principle in this industry.
She headed to the reception desk.
“I came to see the guild leader. He must be looking for me very diligently.”
The employee checked and bowed politely.
“Yes, Hunter Choi Harin. I’ll guide you to the top floor.”
The elevator door opened.
Ding!
Arriving at the top floor—the guild leader’s exclusive floor—the elevator door opened, and a quiet, heavy, and orderly air filled the space.
And in the center of that space.
Lee Seung-cheol.
Neatly combed hair, tailored suit, sharp jawline.
Just looking at him made one feel “This person is a human holding power.”
Upon finding Choi Harin who had arrived at the guild leader’s office, he smiled and stood up from his seat.
A perfectly groomed yet completely insincere smile.
“You came, Harin.”
“……”
“Sit down. It might be a long conversation.”
Choi Harin slowly sat in the chair.
Lee Seung-cheol clasped his fingers and said.
“This matter was really hard work. Just surviving the gate was a miracle. It’s a truly proud thing for a hunter. It’s also a proud thing for us as members of the Cheonghwarang Guild.”
“……”
Harin didn’t respond.
He smiled as if familiar and continued.
“But, I’d like to hear more in detail exactly what happened inside the gate.”
“… Why?”
“It’s an S-rank gate? You know as well that this situation isn’t something that can be easily brushed aside, so we have to report to the state and the association.”
Soft tone.
But the answer was coercion.
Choi Harin stared at Lee Seung-cheol’s greedy eyes for a moment and then exhaled quietly, asking back.
“… Did you ask the same question to my manager?”
“……”
At the same time as that question, Lee Seung-cheol’s pupils twitched slightly.
“What does that mean?”
“Don’t try to play dumb. I already heard the two of you on the phone. Even if the byproducts of Basilisk worth 580 billion won and S-rank items are discovered, isn’t this not the case?”
Originally, one shouldn’t even engage in such a confrontation.
The opponent was an S-rank hunter.
With just a flick of a finger, he could have the power of a B-rank… no, C-rank level, and she would be dead.
But for some reason, she wasn’t very afraid.
Perhaps it was because of the shadow monster writhing underneath her feet, or maybe because of Ha Yuna’s one-word assurance that everything would be fine.
Tap.
Lee Seung-cheol lightly tapped the table with his finger.
“So, you mean I’m trying to buy my manager to mess with you or something like that?”
“It’s closer to certainty than suspicion.”
At the same time as that word.
Bang—!!!
The door opened roughly.
Two A-ranks, three B-ranks.
All rushed in combat formation and surrounded Choi Harin.
“Guild leader! Shall we subdue her immediately?”
“Stop.”
Lee Seung-cheil flicked one finger, and they stopped their movements like well-trained puppies in an instant.
And he no longer smiled.
The corners of his mouth curved downward.
“Harin, I don’t know what you believe and came here, but if you’ve come this far, haven’t you already made a full resolution of your thoughts?”
“… What resolution of thoughts?”
“Honestly, we in the Cheonghwarang did as much as we could, right? We created a raid team with all B-ranks or higher to raise you, promoted SNS ads and paid subscription platforms to make more money, but it wasn’t enough?”
“……”
His appearance, arrogantly listing the achievements he thought he had done or not done until now, made Choi Harin barely suppress the rising disgust and calmly countered.
“You speak well. It was a forced contract from the beginning, right? Me from when I knew nothing,
Alluring me with sweet words and making me sign a lifelong contract with the Cheonghwarang Guild….
Why are you glorifying this crime as if you helped?”
“That’s because you…”
“Yes, well, at the time, I needed hospital bills, so there was some fault in choosing while knowing a bit.
But that was also after my parents first figured out that awakening had side effects and were in the hospital, and approached us?”
Awakening side effects.
Ten years ago, with the emergence of gates, a very small number of people began to awaken.
And thanks to that power, humanity could win against monsters.
But among those few, some awakening individuals couldn’t accept the power of awakening and fell into a completely vegetative state as a side effect.
When the awakening side effect story came up, Lee Seung-cheil’s brows slightly furrowed.
“… That’s it.”
“Say it.”
“… I know. I won’t quibble about it. Well, there was also the fact that I approached knowing that fact,
Five years ago, the Cheonghwarang was still lacking in fame and influence in many ways,
And you were the perfect tool to grow such a Cheonghwarang… But protecting a family of awakeners costs money. Cases like yours—”
“No. What I want to say isn’t that.”
Tap.
Choi Harin lightly tapped the table with her finger to cut him off.
“Either way, the conclusion is that I want to take all the rewards from the S-rank gate I obtained now, right?
The reason I contacted my manager during that process was because you were planning to find the mysterious awakening person who cleared the gate and somehow recruit them into the Cheonghwarang Guild.”
“……”
“Even if I don’t hand them over, you’ll take them anyway, and through the manager, you’ll contact that awakener as well.”
Lee Seung-cheil subtly lifted the corners of his mouth.
“So… if you’re saying it like that, I don’t need to continue the act anymore.”
And he slowly raised his hand.
“Honestly, there’s a debt of gratitude for raising you until now, and a debt of gratitude for helping, right? So, at this moment, you’ve made a very wrong choice, Harin.”
His finger snapped.
“Subdue her. And secure the bag first. What about recording or something to publicize? Community?
I guess you’re planning a media play… You know how well we’ve controlled it so far?
No matter what you know or who you contact— it’s already too late.”
As the five hunters received the command, they moved in unison.
Two A-ranks quickly approached behind the seated Choi Harin, and three B-ranks surrounded from the sides.
Fast.
Very fast.
For a normal hunter, they wouldn’t even understand the situation and would be subdued at that speed.
But.
The shadow moved first.
«Kkuruk— kkurukururuk.»
In the blink of an eye.
A blade of jet-black extended shadow that looked like it would suck one in appeared.
Srrruuur—
Silently.
It precisely severed the wrists of the two A-rank hunters trying to grab Choi Harin.
Behind that, it neatly cut down three B-rank hunters who were panicking and flailing.
Boom!
The severed wrists rolled on the floor.
“Aaaaaaaaak!!!!”
“W-what is this—”
Kkuruk, who had quickly subdued five humans threatening their master, wriggled on the floor and rose up.
Hunters were momentarily stunned by the sudden appearance of an unknown monster.
“Kuuh… W-what is that?”
“What kind of monster has such a ferocious aura…”
A massive beast made entirely of jet-black.
The shape was unclear.
Front paws larger than a person’s head and a long split jaw.
However, the eyes were not visible.
“……”
Like the guild members, Lee Seung-cheil, who confirmed Kkuruk’s form for the first time, his expression collapsed.
This isn’t a monster registered in the system…?
Then, is it a summoned beast?
But Choi Harin isn’t a summoner?
Then what is this thing that suddenly popped out from her shadow?
The analysis ended there.
He instinctively pulled out the black iron dagger at his waist.
And immediately rushed toward Choi Harin.
“I don’t know what it is, but if a summoned beast kills its master…!!”
In that very short moment of sensing a life threat.
It was a speed of a professional who had stacked countless experiences and data.
But.
Screech! Screech!!
“Aaaak!!”
An overwhelming gap that could never be narrowed by data and experience existed between the two.
The space that had been filled with ominous killing intent until just now now only echoed with the screams of six men grabbing their severed wrists and howling.
Choi Harin, in the shocking sight unfolding before her eyes, briefly in awe and then slowly exhaled.
“… I didn’t expect this much. If left like this, you’ll quickly find a healer and reattach the wrists. But…”
She gently stroked Kkuruk, who was panting beside her.
“Clearly, thanks to your help, our parents could live, so I won’t block your path. So, let’s stop here.
I’ve secured the evidence, and if you follow us further from here, I won’t be able to take responsibility for what’s behind.”
“……”
At the same time as her words ended, Kkuruk, who had been watching the situation from the side, opened its mouth wide and created a large gray gate.
Choi Harin hesitated for a moment and then slowly stepped toward the gate.
And just before completely passing through the door, she turned back one last time and looked at Lee Seung-cheil rolling on the floor.
“Oh, by the way, Guild Leader Lee Seung-cheil.”
“……”
“Manager… no, Dohyun won’t be able to see you from now on. I’ve displeased him.”
With that, Choi Harin, who had photographed and recorded the appearance of Lee Seung-cheil and the Cheonghwarang guild members who had tried to blackmail and attack her, completely disappeared into the gate.