Join My Line
"Be on my line."
"Two million won even without the rune... phew..." Yeonhee let out several shaky breaths as she walked hand in hand with me in my stealth state. She's holding my hand like it's the most natural thing in the world now... I stared at her profile, trying to rein in the strange floating sensation in my chest. She still wore an expression of disbelief that she could earn this much in a single day. Considering it's a job where you risk your life, the money does make sense.
Of course, that didn't mean every hunter who entered this dungeon earned the same amount. Most of the hunters who joined us in the boss fight probably earned far less than we did. Even so, it was still a high income compared to ordinary jobs. When you factored in the cost of consumables like potions, medical fees, equipment repairs, and the mental toll of facing monsters directly, D-rank hunters weren't exactly raking in easy money.
"At this rate... even if we sell all the runes and work five days a week, we'd make at least a hundred million won a month. Wow... In a few months, we could even move into a detached house. Is this really happening?"
Yeonhee nodded repeatedly, her face bright with excitement as she rattled off her future plans. She wondered if it would be better to live a little farther out where there weren't too many people, suggested getting another dog to keep Wangwang company, and insisted on a place with a spacious yard even if the house itself was small. Her expression was filled with such pure happiness that it made me feel uneasy instead.
As I pondered what I needed to do to keep her in this good mood, a familiar presence brushed against my senses. The moment I noticed it, the entity had already closed the distance to within my line of sight. A monster that could cover hundreds of meters in mere seconds.
...Why is she here?
Before we had taken more than a few steps, Yeonhee's phone rang.
"Ah—it's Yeonsu unni."
"......"
"Hello, unni... Yes, yes. I'm doing well. Have you been well too— Huh? To the right?"
When Yeonhee turned her head to the right—
"Yeonhee~!"
"Hic... Ah, hello..."
Yeonhee instinctively bowed her head in greeting at the sight of Kang Yeonsu standing on the opposite side of the road, waving her hand high. The way she tried to bow while still holding the phone to her ear was oddly cute, but my guard shot up at Yeonsu's sudden appearance.
Good. Jo Giman isn't with her...
Given Yeonsu's personality, she wouldn't bring another powerhouse along, so the tension that had spiked in me eased somewhat. Still, I couldn't afford to lower my guard completely.
Kang Yeonsu. She pretended otherwise, but she was extremely money-minded and remarkably generous toward handsome men. She had her own complex about her appearance, but aside from that, she was incredibly straightforward and bold. Strong against the strong, weak against the weak. A hunter whose sense of justice was rarely seen.
As I recalled her from my past life, a string of evaluations surfaced in my mind. Objectively speaking, everything I knew about her was quite superficial. I couldn't be certain whether she truly matched the image I had of her. In the worst case, she might even be under Jo Giman's control without realizing it. I still didn't have a complete grasp of what abilities that monster calling himself the Avatar of the Seven-Headed Dragon possessed.
"It's been so long, Yeonhee."
"Yes, yes. It's been a while, unni."
It's only been a month, yet she's acting like it's been years.
Kang Yeonsu was wearing thick black sunglasses. It seemed she had finally begun her facial reconstruction. Hunters who specialized in plastic surgery for other hunters charged exorbitant fees, but for someone like Yeonsu, that wouldn't even be a concern.
"I was just passing by on some business when I suddenly caught your scent, Yeonhee. So of course I came running right over. Hehe."
"Aah... D-Do I smell or something?"
"Oh dear. That came out wrong. Not a smell—a nice fragrance. You have your own unique scent, you know."
"...I-Is that so."
She does give off a sweet scent. But what are you really doing here? There's no way this is a coincidence. You definitely came here to meet Yeonhee.
"By the way, the friend next to you has grown a lot. He's turned into a pretty decent bodyguard for you, hasn't he?"
As expected of someone of her caliber, she had identified my presence without any difficulty.
...It's like an ant praising another ant for becoming a soldier ant.
"...... Should I reveal myself?"
"Haha, it's fine, it's fine. We're out on the street after all. How about we go somewhere like a café?"
"Yes—"
We moved to the quietest café nearby. After exchanging a few pleasantries, we soon heard the real reason for today's meeting.
"Since we ran into each other, how about I tell you a bit about the guild?"
"S-Sure. Yes."
"Hehe— We're planning something fun at the guild right now. It's an event other guilds have all participated in before, but for us, it's still quite fresh."
"What kind of...?"
"Don't be surprised. It's called the Guild Competition!"
The Guild Competition? Didn't Jo Giman say participating in that would make the guild look low-class and refuse to join...? So they're participating after all? Why?
"...Pardon? Th-The Guild Competition? Um, d-does that mean I have to do something too?"
"Puhaha— I kept wondering what kind of face you'd make, and it's exactly what I imagined. So cute. You're way too cute, our Yeonhee."
"Uh... um..."
I couldn't imagine how it would feel to have an older woman you'd barely met fawning over you like that. Still, it was clear that Yeonhee was still somewhat intimidated by Kang Yeonsu.
"It's in April. If you think of joining our guild starting April, the competition would begin about two weeks after you start. The Guild Competition is so famous, you probably know about it without me explaining, right?"
"Ah, yes. I know it's a huge tournament. I've seen it broadcast sometimes."
"That's right. It's basically just guilds sparring lightly against each other, but I'd really like our Yeonhee to participate. What do you think?"
Hmm... The money would be good, but there are all sorts of risks involved...
"Huh? M-Me? W-Wouldn't that be difficult...? Joining the guild and immediately representing it... And I'm still weak..."
"Don't worry. This tournament only allows up to C-rank participants, and there's no limit on how many people a guild can send. Anyone can join— ahem, ahem— basically, tons of people participate. So you don't have to feel any pressure about representing the guild at all. None whatsoever."
"Umm... Still..."
"And look at how fast you're growing. It's only been a little over a month since your second awakening, and you're already D-rank. Faster than me, even?"
You reached that level without even having a second awakening, you monster.
"So all you have to do is wear this bracelet when you participate."
"A bracelet...?"
...She's already bringing out that bracelet? She's fast.
The item Kang Yeonsu held out was called the Bracelet of Binding. It was an accessory engraved with a pattern of two index fingers overlapping inside a small square plate, forming a beautiful curve. It occasionally dropped from A-rank dungeon bosses. Since it required clearing an A-rank dungeon, the acquisition difficulty was high, but because it had a chance to drop for everyone who cleared the dungeon regardless of contribution, quite a few had made it onto the market.
Wearing it allowed you to check each other's locations inside a dungeon—a useful tool. It was appealing both aesthetically and functionally. However, if the difference in rank was too great, it wouldn't work both ways. That meant Yeonhee wouldn't be able to see Kang Yeonsu's location, while Kang Yeonsu could track Yeonhee's.
That said, Yeonsu probably wasn't giving her this item to monitor her. After all, it would be a long time before they entered a dungeon together, and the bracelet only worked inside dungeons anyway. Its symbolic meaning was far greater. Usually, high-ranking members of large guilds gave these to people they favored or to their disciples. It was a warning that touching the person wearing the bracelet was the same as touching the giver, so others should think twice before causing trouble.
It sounded like something out of a martial arts novel, but building your own faction like that was necessary within a guild. Just as it's hard to win an election without party affiliation, the same applied to guild leaders. The position of leader of a major guild guaranteed more wealth and fame than the president of a large corporation. You had to win people over and gather support. Recruiting talented individuals who could help with that was part of it. Giving out Bracelets of Binding was one way to prevent other competitors from snatching away promising talent.
So Yeonsu's goal was obvious. She wanted to push Jo Giman out of the White Knight Guild and take the top spot herself. She had marked Yeonhee as a necessary piece for that plan. In my previous life, she had only offered the bracelet after I joined the guild, but now the timing had been moved up significantly.
Back then, Yeonhee was strong, but she was too gloomy. She probably judged that the negatives outweighed the positives. She only made the offer after Yeonhee had built up more reputation and skill...
So why was she moving so quickly this time?
"Yeonhee's been quite the hot topic on the internet lately. Looks, abilities... Did you know that major broadcasting channels have already contacted us more than once or twice?"
So she's getting impatient. She wants to secure her before Yeonhee grows even bigger...
"Uwah... Me? That kind of... Does that mean I'll have to do interviews later too?"
When Yeonhee openly showed her discomfort, Kang Yeonsu looked at her with a rather serious expression.
"Hehe... You'll probably have no choice but to do them, Yeonhee. You're still young, but you've been a hunter for over half a year now, so you're a working adult. Let me tell you something... A guild is just... a company. A company that makes money. Do you understand?"
"...... Yes."
"If you heard how much our guild's annual revenue is, you'd probably faint. The reason I'm telling you this is because, while we hunters do live with a noble mission, that's only when something big happens—like the incident in China ten years ago. Normally, it's just a job. A job means earning a living."
So in other words, if you're going to treat it as a job, you should put up with some unpleasant things?
"I hope that once you've decided to join the guild, you'll keep that firmly in mind, Yeonhee. I've seen more than one or two kids who joined with sparkling eyes expecting some grand adventure, only to get disappointed and leave. You know what I mean, right?"
Hmm... She's treating her too much like a child... Yeonhee has plenty of moments where she's more mature than you... It's a shame that someone like you, who immediately thinks about beating people up when things don't go your way, is trying to act like an adult, Yeonsu.
"Yes... I didn't join with any grand expectations either... Don't worry. Once I feel like I've repaid the debt I owe..."
"I was hoping you'd stay with us for a long time, but hearing you already thinking about leaving hurts my heart..."
"Aah— I-I'm not thinking about leaving right away. After I experience it, maybe I'll like it more... And also..."
"Puhuhu— Oh Yeonhee, you're too cute! You look just like a flustered little rabbit!"
Kang Yeonsu suddenly stood up, pulled Yeonhee into a hug, and rubbed her cheek against hers for a long while.
"More importantly... I'd like to see Ilwol's appearance."
In the end, Kang Yeonsu called me out. Since she already knew my name, she must have most of the information on me.
"Huh? Ah... Yes. Ilwol— you can come out."
The moment Yeonhee finished speaking, I released my stealth and revealed myself. Kang Yeonsu tilted her head very slowly to the side and stared at me intently.
"Hmm... So this is the skeleton soldier I saw a month ago..."
She scanned me up and down for a moment before muttering in a blank tone.
"Strength around 200... Agility and stamina about 150, or maybe a bit lower on stamina?... Swordsmanship is just past the beginner stage... Plus stealth... Unique skill Bone Bomb... And even Fireball. A skeleton soldier who uses all that..."
...... Even though she was only reciting information she already knew combined with educated guesses about my stats, an suffocating tension began to swirl around us, as if we had stepped into the depths of a dark dungeon. The sharp, honed presence of an S-rank hunter, though not intentionally directed at us, exerted its influence over everything connected to her.