Chapter 59
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: The Scene of the Hidden Powerhouse
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Today, from early in the morning, guests had been coming and going at the house.
It was because of the interviews for the new guild members we were recruiting.
"Gasp! I-Is that... the Sword Empress...?!"
"Um, if it's not too much trouble before I go, could I possibly get just one autograph?"
The reactions were always the same.
Every person who came would see Han Yuseol's face and freak out.
And Han Yuseol was busy sighing only after watching those people leave.
"Hoo... There isn't anyone who really feels right."
Nine people had already come and gone.
But Han Yuseol didn't look satisfied at all.
To me, none of them seemed bad.
"There are way more applicants than I expected?"
I was sucking down my iced chocolate latte, loaded with plenty of ice, when I asked.
Han Yuseol smiled and sat down next to me on the sofa.
"I was a little surprised too. Hunters usually care a lot about a guild's reputation, so unless it has a certain scale, they don't apply much."
Reputation?
Ah, you mean the guild name has to sound cool!
Top guilds definitely have cool names.
Like Yeohae Guild, Titan Guild, Black Rose, and so on.
But our Hayang Guild isn't falling behind either.
"Ahem, our guild name is pretty cool, right!"
"Y-Yes, it is. Thanks to Master naming it so well, we were able to get applicants right away."
My naming sense really is top-notch, after all.
If even Han Yuseol and today's applicants acknowledge it, then it's official.
Ahem!
My shoulders perked up a bit.
Feeling good, I grabbed a few of the chocolate cookies I'd set out and popped them in my mouth.
"Plus, the conditions are generous, so lower-ranked hunters can't resist rushing over. We set the base monthly salary at 300."
"Eek, that's all you give them?!"
"...Pardon?"
No matter what, that's too much!
There are limits to exploiting people cheaply!
"You have to give them at least ten million won! In this day and age, 300 won won't even buy a single snack!"
"...M-Master. The 300 isn't 300 won, it's three million won."
"Eh?"
Three million won?!
What? You're giving them that much?
Our guild has super generous salaries!
"It's a small amount compared to mid-tier hunters, but since that's not the level we're aiming for, it's plenty. E-rank hunters, no matter how hard they grind gates for a month, barely make two million won."
"Eek, even after grinding for a whole month?"
How much money did we make exploring gates while making the strategy guide?
Compared to that, it seemed way too little.
"Yes. Magic stones from Erosion Gates go for about 80,000 won each. Even if you're lucky and get two or three in the distribution, it's hard to hit ten gates a month in reality."
"We did ten a day, though?"
"That's impossible for most. Even guild members struggle to enter gates every day. And factoring in potions and other expenses, two million is actually decent earnings."
I see...
The gap is bigger than I thought.
Well, when I first went into a gate, all I made was 30,000 won.
Of course, back then, even that felt like a fortune to me.
"Gasp!"
"Master, what's wrong?"
I'd been listening with great interest when I suddenly gulped.
Han Yuseol looked at me with a startled expression.
I timidly lifted the basket that had been full of cookies just moments ago, avoiding her gaze.
"S-Sorry. Yuseol. We need snacks for the guests, and I ate them all..."
Ugh, I should go buy more.
Since I ate them, I'll restock.
Han Yuseol's busy with interviews today.
"Ugh, it's so hot I'm dying."
Summer had started creeping in, and the streets were insanely sweltering.
Cha Seung-hyeon grumbled as he walked through the heat.
He'd managed to put on a suit for the interview.
But he was worried he might collapse before even arriving.
Of all places, the interview spot had to be up in some remote hillside neighborhood where taxis wouldn't even go.
His carefully styled hair was ruined too.
Still, he kept trudging forward stubbornly.
Clunk-!
"Ow, goodness gracious...!"
A noise from somewhere made his head turn.
There was an overturned cart, boxes scattered on the ground.
And next to it, an old lady who had fallen over.
For a split second, he thought he should help.
But Cha Seung-hyeon couldn't bring himself to move.
He was worried that wasting time here might make him late for the interview.
"Grandma! Are you okay?!"
But right then.
Out of nowhere, a little kid carrying what looked like a box of cookies came running over.
Cha Seung-hyeon suddenly felt pathetic about himself.
Even that young child was trying to help others with her tiny body.
Finally, he felt his feet move and hurried over to the old lady, belatedly.
"Are you alright, ma'am? Any injuries?"
"Aigoo, sorry about this, young man. The heat must be getting to me—making this old lady do things she never would."
He offered his hand politely, and she grabbed it, barely managing to stand.
The girl nearby had already rushed over and was grunting, trying to lift the pile of boxes with her tiny hands.
But anyone could see the boxes were at least twice her size.
She'd fail to lift them, pant heavily, then try again, repeating the process.
After moving the old lady to the shade, Cha Seung-hyeon headed straight to the cart.
He practically snatched the boxes the girl was trying to move.
"Kiddo, Uncle will handle this. Sorry, but could you run to that supermarket over there and buy a bottle of water for Grandma? Keep the change."
With the weather so hot, she might have heatstroke.
He handed her a 10,000-won bill.
The girl blinked, then nodded vigorously and dashed off—dodo-do.
In the meantime, Cha Seung-hyeon finished sorting the boxes.
He tied the ropes securely to keep them from falling.
"Ha, Grandma! Here's the water! Drink up!"
Thankfully, the kid had carried out the mission perfectly.
Watching the old lady down the bottle quickly—she must have been parched—Cha Seung-hyeon spoke up.
"Grandma, where were you taking this? I'll carry it for you."
"To the scrap shop just up ahead... Young man, aren't you in a hurry somewhere?"
"Oh no, not at all. I'm just a jobless bum wandering around. Heave-ho!"
Probably because he was in a suit.
She must have realized he was headed to some important appointment.
Before the old lady could protest, Cha Seung-hyeon quickly lifted the cart.
'Pretty heavy, huh?'
Even for an awakener like him, with low stats.
It felt quite weighty.
To think this frail old body was hauling it alone—pity welled up.
"Um, exc... Uncle. Let me help too."
Just then, the white-haired girl he'd met earlier approached, fidgeting her hands.
Her small body squirming to help somehow was awfully cute.
"It's fine. Uncle's stronger than he looks. Weren't you on an errand anyway?"
"Huh? Oh, y-yeah. We ran out of snacks at home..."
"Then hurry back. Leave this to me. Buy something tasty with the change from earlier, okay?"
"Ah, no. You keep the money. I-I'm rich!"
"Pfft-haha, rich? Wow, I'm jealous!"
A kid bragging about money to an adult.
Normally, you'd scoff.
But her pure innocence, lying just to avoid taking someone else's money, was endearing.
She seemed determined not to leave until he took the money back.
In the end, Cha Seung-hyeon accepted it and sent the little one off.
'Kids that pure are rare these days.'
Heading up to the same hillside neighborhood he'd been going to.
Her family probably wasn't well-off.
Yet she wasn't swayed by money.
Even as a child, she was truly admirable.
With that thought, Cha Seung-hyeon quietly pulled the cart along.
'This is screwed.'
After delivering the cart to the scrap shop and laboriously climbing the hillside.
Cha Seung-hyeon stood in front of the house at the address he'd received, letting out a hollow laugh.
He was already over 30 minutes late for the scheduled interview.
If he had any conscience, he should turn back now.
He'd already failed the first hurdle.
'No, I came this far. Might as well try.'
Still, giving up after coming all this way felt regrettable.
Nothing to lose, so he steeled himself and entered the house.
Ding-dong-
- Who is it?
A sweet, unfamiliar woman's voice rang from inside after he pressed the doorbell.
"Ah, hello. I'm Cha Seung-hyeon, here for the interview today. I know I'm late and this is inexcusable, but could I possibly see you just once before I go?"
- ...Come in.
He'd braced for a tirade and being chased off.
Surprised by the unexpectedly willing response, Cha Seung-hyeon was a bit taken aback.
Calming his pounding heart, he stepped inside.
The neatly kept interior of the house came into view.
He'd wondered since the guild HQ address was here.
Looks like they were using the house as a temporary base.
Common for small guilds.
"Welcome. You're quite late, Mr. Cha Seung-hyeon."
"I'm sorry... Heup?!"
He'd been about to bow 90 degrees in apology upon seeing her.
But the moment he saw the woman's face standing in the living room, he paled.
'What? Why is the Sword Empress here?'
Sword Empress Han Yuseol.
The current No. 2 ranked hunter was standing there for some reason.
'Come to think of it, didn't she run a one-person guild? Is this it?'
No way.
The Sword Empress's guild was definitely Moonlight or something.
He knew the name well because she was so famous.
"I'll get you something cool to drink. Have a seat first."
"Ah, yes. Thank you."
He had tons of questions, but he forced his mouth shut.
This was an interview, after all.
Not a fan meet.
He sat properly in the living room.
Han Yuseol brought some drink.
He thought it was cafe mocha or similar at first.
But when he took a sip, the sweetness filling his mouth made his eyes widen.
'Chocolate latte?'
Don't people usually serve coffee or tea in situations like this?
He wasn't picky, so anything was fine.
It was just pure curiosity.
Clunk-
"Yuseolliiim, no more people coming now, right? I wanna eat those jellies... Eh?"
"...Huh?"
Suddenly, someone opened the door and came out.
Cha Seung-hyeon's eyes widened even more than when he'd seen Han Yuseol.
'Isn't that the kid from earlier?'
It was the girl he'd run into on the street and helped the old lady with.
A series of inexplicable events in such a short time—his brain couldn't keep up.
Thinking back carefully.
She was probably that kid from the article with Han Yuseol before.
Her little sister, for sure.
So living together wasn't weird.
"Huh? The uncle from earlier...?"
"Hm? Master, do you know him?"
"Yeah, is this guy an interviewee too?"
'Master?'
But that info just added to the confusion in their brief exchange.
Cha Seung-hyeon gaped blankly.
"Yes, an interviewee. I was going to exclude him for being 30 minutes late..."
"Ah, no way! He's a super nice guy! You have to hire him!"
"This man, you mean?"
"Yes! Absolutely, you muuust!"
The girl clenched her tiny fist cutely, showing her determination.
Han Yuseol's gaze shifted instantly, turning to him.
"...Very well. You're Cha Seung-hyeon, right?"
"Pardon? Ah, yes...!"
"You're hired."
"......Pardon?"
Hired?
Based on what?
No interview, not even a proper conversation?
Just because of what the kid said?
Even if it's her little sister's request, could you hire guild members like that?
Wait, is she even her sister?
All sorts of doubts flooded his mind right then.
"More importantly, Master, the AC is on and it's chilly inside. At least put on a cardigan."
"Ehe, it was cold. Thanks, Yuseol."
"No problem. It's nothing."
Suddenly, Han Yuseol knelt properly and started helping the little girl into a cardigan.
Without the words, it looked like a sweet sisterly moment.
But the politeness in her gestures, the deferential touch.
Those two things made a different scene overlap in Cha Seung-hyeon's vision.
As if, for a superior shivering in the cold.
An adjutant fetching and draping a coat over them.
'Am I seeing a world I shouldn't?'
If even that girl was part of this guild.
Maybe the real power here wasn't Han Yuseol, but the girl.
Such an eerie unease flitted through his mind.