Chapter 92
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: Free Agency Frenzy
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Are you really done? You're just hitting free agency, right?"
I asked again, but I wasn't clueless about what it meant for a big-fish hunter like her to enter FA on the very first day of stove league season.
Sure, there were occasional re-signings with the original team... but for the most part, it was a signal of parting ways.
Still, the idea of Daehae letting Mary slip away had never even crossed my mind.
The root cause of her wanting out—Choi Si-hyeok—had been dealt with one way or another, after all.
Plus, there was no way they'd skimp on top-tier treatment for Mary, the MVP of the Chain Hell raid.
"They offered her 1% equity in headquarters as stock options."
Mary said it casually, scooping up a bite of cake.
"And you... turned that down?"
It was an insane offer by my standards.
'Please... don't go...'
It felt like a straight-up plea.
I'd heard Jin Sea got something like that from Haetae before, but Daehae's parent company was Korea's number one.
The scale was on another level entirely.
"Yeah. Not really interested."
Mary replied.
"Well... alright then."
Fair enough.
She wasn't hurting for money, after all.
- Ding~
Right then, Mary's phone chimed with a notification.
She checked the caller and smirked before picking up.
"Hello?"
She listened for a moment, then smoothly handed the phone to me.
"Oh... no need to talk to me. Could you speak through my master instead?"
A young woman's bewildered voice came through the line.
- M-Master...?
I glanced at Mary, then reluctantly took the phone.
"Uh, hello?"
- Oh... hello. I'm Han Yu-ra, scouting team manager for Esther Guild.
Esther Guild—ranked 7th in Korea.
An aggressively expanding outfit.
"Yes, what can I do for you...?"
- Well... we heard about Julia Mary Hunter and reached out right away, but 'master'... do you mean her agent...?
I shot a quick look at Mary sitting across from me.
She swirled her coffee with the straw, then stuck out her tongue and drew an X in the air with her arm.
A clear rejection sign.
But what was I supposed to do about it?
I got the message... but turning them down myself felt weird.
"Not her agent—just a friend. Mary's handling some personal business right now. I'll pass it along, and she'll get back to you later."
I brushed it off politely.
- Oh, got it! Please have her call back!
The response came through the receiver.
I gave a short reply and hung up.
"Not master—employer. My bad, slipped out wrong."
Mary stuck her tongue out a tiny bit to correct herself.
Not a big deal anyway.
The association couldn't hire Mary no matter what.
"Don't like Esther? Got somewhere in mind already?"
Esther wasn't bad.
Sure, it paled next to Daehae, but once you'd walked away from them, was there even a better option?
Maybe... Monarch Guild?
"Nah, just... thinking of taking a break."
She said, taking another bite of cake.
"Feeling a bit worn out."
If rest was the goal, there was no issue.
It was her call, her circumstances.
"Fair enough."
Getting back on her feet later would be easy.
I nodded and finished off the last of my sandwich.
Either way, enjoying the tail end of this holiday seemed like the priority right now.
It was the morning the FA market opened.
"Whoa... Mary's in the market?"
There was one group least tied to the hot stove league frenzy.
The Hunter Association.
Association staff were bustling from morning, sorting papers, sipping coffee, handling their tasks.
Stove league specials played on the TV... but they treated it like background noise.
The association stocked mid-tier A- and B-rank hunters ahead of time, contracting them like civil servants.
Their strongest? Maybe A-rank Jo Gyu-pil.
In this hunter shortage era, even that level got poached by guilds.
The association had no business jumping into mega-deals.
"Huh?"
A staffer flipping through files shouted at the TV.
Haetae Guild's re-contract with Thunder Queen Jin Sea uncertain... FA possibility raised
"Holy shit!!"
One association staffer checked their phone at the headline.
The stock app.
"This is insane..."
Haetae Guild's stock was plummeting on the unexpected news.
"What the...?"
These superstars' sudden moves had the association reeling.
"Let's just do our jobs."
The team leader walked in with a grin.
"None of this concerns us, right? Hurry up and finish listing the Otherworlder graduates we can recruit to the association."
Yesterday, they'd surveyed this batch's preferred guilds or groups.
No leaks, of course.
Purely for internal demand data.
Only natural for the association that protected and trained them.
Staff averted eyes one by one, returning to desks and keyboards.
As they sorted Otherworlder preferences—
"Um... Officer...?"
The newbie stared at his monitor in disbelief, calling his senior.
"Seol... Yu-wol...? Wasn't this Otherworlder pre-approved for S-rank...?"
The senior replied irritably.
"S-rank, yeah... special mana too. What's up?"
S-ranks were better off in top guilds getting proper handling, from the association's view.
Uncontrollable wild cards.
Go anywhere but here—fine by them.
Of course, irregulars existed who rejected all guilds.
That gave the association headaches.
But Seol Yu-wol was different. With her mother as Azure Heaven Alliance leader, everyone assumed she'd go there. Natural fit.
The senior peeked at the newbie's monitor—and froze.
[Otherworlder Seol Yu-wol - 1st Choice: Hunter Association]
An S-rank... picking the association?
And she'd left 2nd and 3rd choices blank—no interest elsewhere.
"Team leader, you need to see this."
"Hm?"
The team leader checked Seol Yu-wol's form.
"...Huh?"
He couldn't hide his shock.
"Today's the last Otherworlder orientation, right?"
"Yes. Happening in the auditorium now."
"...We'll talk to her later."
Time for a chat with Seol Yu-wol.
Seol Yu-wol headed to the auditorium for orientation.
But she had no intention of actually listening.
Pretend to, then slip out at the right moment.
She'd scoped the schedule—no way to stop mid-lecture escapes for slacking Otherworlders.
Supervision was lax.
And her destination? Already set deep in her mind.
In the end, Seol Yu-wol slipped out the back like a cat the moment it started.
Heading straight for the waffles.
The same place she'd walked to with the physician last time.
So... good.
She couldn't forget that first taste of sweet, soft bliss.
Especially with extra whipped cream—twice over. Unbeatable.
Standing before the waffle shop, she quietly rehearsed.
What did the physician say...?
'One waffle... lots of cream, please.'
Got it.
She stepped to the counter to order—
When an imperious voice from another customer pierced her ears.
"I requested the brownie."
"Pardon? Sorry, sir... we don't have brownies. It's a waffle shop."
"Abandon that mindset of 'no stock, problem solved.' A useless notion for life."
Seol Yu-wol turned instinctively.
A beautiful woman in black robes stood there.
She lectured the part-timer, pulling gold nuggets from a pouch instead of a wallet.
Seol recognized her instantly.
Heavenly Demon.
The word flashed in her mind, and her fist clenched on reflex.
To her, raised in the Central Plains, this was public enemy number one—the Demonic Cult's core.
But...
She recalled her mother's many tales.
This world differed from the Central Plains. The 'Demonic Cult' here was something else. Time to ditch old biases and feelings.
Seol unclenched her fist.
Red marks lingered on her palm.
Still hard.
But she had to try.
First step to adapting here.
"Hoo..."
- Tap.
Seol let out a short sigh and subtly nudged Jahwa-yeon aside, approaching the counter.
The so-called Heavenly Demon still fumbling orders, bullying a helpless clerk—unadapted to this world.
Seol would show proper orthodox pride and example.
She stood tall before the clerk, voice clear and bright.
This was how you ordered.
"One cream, lots of waffle please."
"...Pardon?"
The clerk tilted their head.
"One cream, lots of waffle."
Seol had no clue what was wrong.
"Pfft."
Until Jahwa-yeon's laughter erupted behind her.
"Uh... one waffle, lots of cream...?"
The clerk asked again.
"Ah...? Oh..."
Seol's pale face flushed crimson in an instant.
"Y-Yes... that'll be it..."
Upholding orthodox dignity wasn't easy.