Chapter 58
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Recruiting a New Guild Member!
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After meeting Ryu Se-ah, we returned home.
Whether it was just my imagination or not, Han Yuseol seemed upset.
She wasn't showing it outwardly, but she kept furrowing her brows, as if something kept bothering her.
"Yuseol-ssi, are you okay?"
"What do you mean by 'okay'?"
"You just seem angry about something."
When I asked carefully, Han Yuseol made an "oh" face.
Then she gently sat me down on the sofa and took a seat beside me before starting to talk.
"I'm sorry. I had a bit of an unpleasant incident..."
"No, you don't need to apologize. But what made you feel that way?"
In my eyes, Ryu Se-ah had seemed like an incredibly kind person.
I couldn't recall her saying anything that might feel offensive.
Was there something I didn't know about?
"Master might not have noticed, but I think she was trying to recruit us."
"Recruit? Gasp, you mean kidnapping?!"
"Ah, no. It's different from binding. Simply put, she wanted us to join her guild."
"Aha."
So that's what she meant.
She phrased it as "us," but she probably meant herself.
There'd be no reason to make an offer to an F-rank hunter like me.
But wasn't that kind of thing pretty normal?
Someone like Han Yuseol was an incredibly impressive hunter.
Any guild master would be salivating over her.
"You've gotten offers like that a lot, right, Yuseol-ssi?"
"Yes. Not to brag, but most top guilds have made offers to me. Except for Kalligo Guild."
"Why not them?"
Did they have some bad history or something?
I was actually more surprised that there was a guild that hadn't tried to recruit Han Yuseol.
"It's a guild made up entirely of assassins. Excluding non-combat roles, only assassins can join."
"Wow, that's interesting."
So guilds like that exist.
Come to think of it, Ryu Se-ah's guild was a women-only one, from what I heard.
Apparently, some guilds had their own unique concepts.
"But thinking back now, it might have been a hasty choice. I acted on my own without asking Master's intentions..."
"My opinion?"
Did she need my input?
If Han Yuseol had wanted to go, I couldn't have stopped her anyway.
Guild membership was a free choice to begin with.
Ah, but we had decided to ride the same boat, strictly speaking.
Maybe she felt bad about up and leaving me behind for another guild.
Or perhaps it was because of something I'd said before, and it was weighing on her mind.
Either way, it was something I was grateful for.
She was looking out for me, even kicking away such a great offer.
"I'm fine with it, though? If anything, I'm thrilled that Yuseol-ssi cares about me that much. Hehe, it makes me so happy."
"Master..."
At my words, Han Yuseol gazed at me with an expression like she'd been deeply moved.
Did I just say something that cool?
I hadn't realized it, but maybe it had come out that way.
Ahem, this is the dignity of a Grand Master.
"Besides, I like being with you more anyway, Yuseol-ssi. I'm happy you feel the same."
"I-Is that so? That's a relief. I felt bad for kicking away a good offer on Master's account..."
"Huh?"
Why did it keep circling back to me?
The offer had clearly been directed at Han Yuseol.
Ah, maybe if Han Yuseol joined that guild, I'd get some benefits too?
That could be possible.
We were bound by a unique skill, after all, and by now we were as close as family.
But more than that, I preferred things as they were—just the two of us.
I liked this simple life we had now.
I didn't even want to be left alone anymore.
"In that vein, Master, allow me to make one proposal."
"Sure! What is it?"
"Don't you think it's about time we recruited a new guild member?"
"Eh? A guild member?"
Her sudden suggestion left me blinking vacantly.
"Yes. I handle combat roles, and with Master's help, most dungeons aren't an issue... but I think we need someone to assist with internal affairs."
"Internal affairs?"
"Simply put, someone like the non-combat support staff in other guilds—handling admin work for us."
"Aha!"
Like that receptionist we'd seen at Titan Guild last time?
I got the idea.
"With all the gate explorations we've been doing lately, I feel like we need proper financial management."
"True. We still haven't sold all those items, right?"
"Yes. There's just so many..."
Ugh, yeah, it was definitely a headache.
From what I'd heard, Titan Guild even had people dedicated just to handling item sales.
Our guild might only have two members, but we'd been hitting so many gates lately that it was getting hard to manage on our own.
We definitely needed to bring in at least one more person.
"We can hire non-awakened people for that, right?"
"Yes, that's fine. But in my opinion, an awakened would be preferable."
"Huh? Why?"
"Because we have so few members. We might need extra combat power someday, or they could help with gate explorations if needed."
Ooh, as expected, Han Yuseol always had a plan.
She was worthy of being the acting master in my place.
Of course, I'm the Grand Master!
"Plus, there are awakened with low ranks who take on side jobs like this. They handle internal finances normally and join us for gate runs only when necessary."
"Ooh, that sounds great! B-But how do we recruit? Should I go post a flyer outside or something?"
As I asked, recalling those ads I'd seen at the subway station,
Han Yuseol chuckled softly and shook her head.
"I'll handle posting the recruitment notice. Leave that part to me."
"Ehehe, then I'll leave it to you!"
It felt a bit bad dumping everything on her.
Ahem, but I'm the Grand Master, after all!
This much delegation should be fine, right?
The moment we finished talking, Han Yuseol headed to her room.
She sat down at the computer and began typing something up.
"Any preferences on gender or age range?"
"Nope! I'm good with anyone."
"Then no restrictions on either..."
It must've been the recruitment post she'd just mentioned.
I'd told her to handle everything, but standing around doing nothing felt awkward, so I kept glancing around the room.
Was there anything I could help with?
I wanted to do something, at least.
"Ah, Master."
"Yes? Yes?"
Maybe my constant peeking left and right was bothering her.
My back straightened at the sound of Han Yuseol calling me.
I trembled, thinking she might scold me, but she smiled warmly and pointed toward the kitchen.
"The jelly you said you wanted last time should be in the kitchen cabinet. Go ahead and eat it while relaxing with some anime."
"Really? Wow!"
The jelly I'd mentioned was probably those gummy bears, right?
Wow, I'd been dying to try them!
Han Yuseol really is the best!
I dashed straight to the kitchen—dodo-do—and flung open the cabinet.
I pulled out the jelly packs stuffed inside.
"Master, don't eat too many jellies at once. Just one pack."
"Okay!"
Just then, Han Yuseol's voice rang out, so I halted my hand—which had been reaching for three packs—and put one back down.
I'd originally planned on three,
but since Han Yuseol said just one,
I compromised on two!
Yep, I've got amazing self-control!
A shabby single-room apartment.
Chae Seung-hyun, who had been scouring the internet on his computer in the corner, fell into brief contemplation.
"No guilds looking for members anywhere...?"
Thanks to the strategy guides lately, he'd been performing decently in gates.
He'd even racked up some solid achievements.
But without belonging to a guild, there was still something missing.
Guild affiliation came with extra merit points.
Those were essential for making a hunter's life a bit more comfortable.
Stack up enough merits, and top guilds would come knocking left and right.
He knew his own level, so he had no delusions of joining a top guild right away.
The problem was, starting a solo guild didn't appeal either.
It just lacked that sense of belonging.
To put it bluntly, he craved connection.
He didn't need a big group or anything.
Just a small crew where everyone buzzed around together.
He'd even settle for a cozy little guild like that.
"All of them minimum D-rank... and even those are rare."
The issue was that guilds typically recruited D-rank or higher.
Many even demanded C-rank and up.
For someone who'd just hit E-rank, it was utterly out of reach.
"Man, this is hopeless."
From the association homepage to the Hunter Gallery.
He'd combed through everywhere, but nothing suitable turned up.
Maybe he should give up for now and grind up to at least D-rank.
As that regretful thought crossed his mind,
"...Huh?"
[Recruiting Members for Small Guild]
His eyes lit up at a post on a job listing site.
Not because of the title itself,
but the tiny conditions listed below it.
- Non-combat roles welcome
- Proficient in calculations and accounting
- Awakened preferred
- Rank irrelevant
- Age and gender irrelevant
"This is perfect for me."
It was.
He might have given up on that dream by now,
but he'd once studied hard for accounting certifications.
He was pretty confident when it came to handling money.
And since it was a small guild, he doubted it'd involve non-stop number-crunching.
Best of all, the conditions ignored rank, age, gender—everything.
'They're looking for a side-jobber, huh.'
Small guilds often did this.
They needed someone for internal finances,
but with manpower shortages, they wanted help on gates too.
So they'd hire awakened who could handle both.
Regular guild joins didn't come with salaries for hunters,
but side-jobbers like this got paid separately.
"Monthly 400? That's too generous. Is this legit?"
Even the pay was incredibly good.
Monthly 400—meaning 400k a month.
On par with entry-level big corp salaries.
And if he could join gate runs on top of that,
his monthly earnings would be substantial.
Sure, mid-tier hunters wouldn't bat an eye,
but for Chae Seung-hyun, freshly minted E-rank, it was drool-worthy.
"Guild name's Hayang...? Sounds like a dog kennel."
The naming sense felt totally off, which made him skeptical,
but he decided to give it a shot anyway.